New Releases by Richard Brassey

Records and reputations, cheats and champs, victors and venues - here's the lowdown on the modern Olympic games, from bestselling author and illustrator, Richard Brassey. Updated to include Rio 2016. From the games of ancient Greece to the twenty-first century, and with individual tales of heroes and heroines, this is a lively, witty and entertaining guide for young readers everywhere. As always with Richard Brassey's popular books, this is packed with comic strips, fact boxes, hilarious captions and speech bubbles, plus amazing information and entertaining insight.

A fun, fascinating and colourful voyage through English history, from the bestselling author of THE STORY OF THE WORLD CUP and NESSIE.

This is a colourful history of the World Cup from the author of THE STORY OF THE OLYMPICS. From the first tournament in Uruguay to England's legendary 1966 win and beyond, with red cards, penalty shoot-outs and goals galore, there are fun facts football fans can use to impress their family and friends. This book will delight fans of all ages, and is great value for money at GBP4.99 in full colour. It is perfectly timed to tie in with the World Cup 2014, and it has global potential - every country on Earth follows the World Cup!

The story of World War One publishing on the 100th anniversary of the Great War's beginning and packed with fabulous, full-colour illustrations and fascinating facts.

Explore the myth behind the man in this fun and fascinating full-colour book.

King Arthur is the ultimate English hero. King of Camelot, Head of the Knights of the Round Table and wielder of the magic sword, Excalibur! Richard Brassey explores the history, the mystery and the legendary figures that populate the myths about King Arthur, including Morgan La Fay, Merlin and the evil Mordred. Richard Brassey's unique gift for extracting truth from myth in a concise and insightful way makes this book the perfect introduction to King Arthur for young readers - and confused tourists!

Simple text and illustrations present a biographical account of the life and family of Queen Elizabeth II.

Millions of years ago, the northern tip of Scotland was a separate island, until it crashed into the mainland. The prehistoric sea monsters rushed to escape ... all except for Nessie! Ever since, people have claimed to see her as vehemently as others have denied her existence. And there have been some crazed and cunning plans to trap this elusive creature. What are the facts and what is only legend? With humour and historical accuracy, Richard Brassey tells the irresistible tale for readers everywhere.

Everyone has heard the legend of Greyfriars Bobby, the Skye terrier who belonged to a policeman in Edinburgh more than one hundred and fifty years ago - and who was as loyal in death as in life to his master. He was so famous that it's said that Queen Victoria paid him a special visit. But until now, not all the facts of this often told story have been known. Richard Brassey uncovered new research in preparing this book. Best of all, however, is the warmth and humour in the words and pictures that has made this story a favourite for generations of readers.

For centuries, all over the world, dreamers and draughtsmen have wanted to explore the unknown; to go further than anyone before them, and to get there faster. No matter how vast the desert, or deep the ocean, or wide the canyon, or high the clouds someone, somewhere has been inspired to go one step beyond; for good reasons and bad. This has resulted in some ingenious, dangerous, disastrous and downright weird modes of transport. Here's a book full of some of the most amazing modes of transport ever invented - from moon buggies to jet planes to walking statues - and stories about the people who dared to dream them up.

Here is a kaleidoscope of hauntings from ancient Roman times to the present day, with a host of amazing characters, including famous royals and everyday people. With his engaging narrative and joke-and-fact-filled cartoons, Richard Brassey tells stories of remarkable hauntings that will send shivers down your spine. Plus, he gives the lowdown on how to spot different kinds of ghosts, how to go about ghost hunting, and how to tell deliciously spooky ghost stories.

Whatever the fact and the fiction, Boudica was the original embodiment of Girl Power! She stood against the might of the Roman Emperor, Nero, uniting the disparate tribes of East Anglia under her banner. But in the end, was she really buried under platform 10 at Kings Cross? An entertaining romp through a little bit of Roman Britain, illuminated by Richard Brassey's meticulous research, interesting illustrations and super speech bubbles. History has probably never been quite so accessible, fun and interesting.

Presents the life of Guy Fawkes, with emphasis on his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to blow up the British Houses of Parliament during the reign of James the first.

Despite being seasick, Nelson became England's greatest naval commander. He lost an arm and the sight in one eye, and his coat was covered in medals for his victories. When he died, his body was pickled in a barrel of brandy and he was hero-worshipped by a grateful nation. His life story, brilliantly told in words and pictures, comes out in time for the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

She said she'd rather die than marry; she had terrible toothache from eating too many sweets; she consulted a wizard before making big decisions; she drank beer for breakfast and astonished onlookers with her energetic dancing. This is a dazzling little pictorial biography, crammed with fascinating information.

Roman Londinium, Saxon Lundenwic, the medieval City of London, the great metropolis that has survived the Plague, the Fire and the Blitz - it's all here, along with the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Madam Tussaud's, the London Eye and all the famous landmarks. Richard Brassey has a gift for focussing on just the colourful details children will enjoy, and on each page the narrative breaks out into stories, anecdotes, jokes, fascinating facts and accounts of famous Londoners. With excitingly busy pages packed with lively pictures and witty captions, this is a brilliant introduction to London past and present.

Describes the life and reign of the sixteenth-century English monarch known for effecting the separation of England from the Church of Rome and for his many wives.

Children may think of The Beatles as figures from history, but everyone's heard of them and this introduction to them will have enormous appeal. Richard Brassey tells the story of their childhood, rise and eventual breakup in comic, colourful pictures, funny captions, and concise and witty text. With its small format and 24 packed pages, it is lots of fun to read and look at and will entertain all Beatles fans.

A really fun introduction to Shakespeare's life and works, with a vivid picture of life in Elizabethan Stratford and London. Richard Brassey's 24 page book is packed with pictures and speech balloons and tells you everything you need to know.

From the day he started kicking a ball around, as a skinny little boy, to his position as captain of the England team and scorer of one of the greatest goals ever, Beckham's story is an inspiring one. Richard Brassey's succinct little picture book with its colourful pictures and lively captions is a fabulous addition to his Brilliant Brits.

A princess who was saved from marrying by miraculously growing a beard, a saint who sat on a pillar for 20 years, and another who survived being swallowed by a dragon are some of the characters in this book of saints, alongside the more famous St Francis, St George and St Christopher.

The paintings of chimps in this picture book show what they are expressing with their faces, rather than using words like humans do. Children can learn to make the same faces as the chimps and use them as a secret language with their friends.