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Quite simply, the greatest compendium of humour ever written! Over 7500 entries.

The 125 greatest chess games of all time, selected, analysed, re-evaluated and explained by a team of British experts and illustrated with over 1,000 chess diagrams. Join the authors in studying these games, the cream of two centuries of international chess, and develop your own chess-playing skills - whatever your current standard. Instructive points at the end of each game highlight the lessons to be learned.First published in 1998, a second edition of The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games in 2004 included an additional 12 games. This edition includes a further 13 games as well as some significant revisions to the analysis and information regarding other games in earlier editions of the book, facilitated by the use of a variety of chess software.

This giant collection includes a huge range of 20th-century first-hand accounts of hauntings, such as the American troops who repeatedly saw the ghosts of a dead platoon of men while on patrol in Vietnam; and the witnessed haunting of a house near Tintagel in Cornwall that led actress Kate Winslet to pull out of buying the property.It covers the full spectrum of credible hauntings, from poltergeists (the noisy, dangerous and frightening spirits that are usually associated with pubescent girls, like the Bell Witch), to phantoms (like the Afrits of Saudi Arabia) and seduction spirits (such as the Lorelei, which have lured German men to death).Also included are the notes of the most famous ghost hunters of the twentieth century such as Hans Holzer, Susy Smith (USA); Harry Price, Jenny Randles (UK); Joyce Zwarycz (Australia), Eric Rosenthal (South Africa), and Hwee Tan (Japan). Plus essays by such names as Robert Graves, Edgar Cayce, and M. R. James outlining their own - often extraordinary - conclusions as to just what ghosts might be; along with a full bibliography and list of useful resources.Praise for MBO Haunted House Stories:'A first rate list of contributors ... Hair raising!' Time Out'All we need say is buy it.' Starlog

A collection of twelve erotic novellas that explore the many facets of human desire.

For well over a quarter of a century, Gardner Dozois has been defining the field with his annual selection of the very best of recently published science fiction. Every year he showcases truly exceptional contemporary writing, both by undisputed masters of the genre and outstanding up-and-coming writers. Comprising thirty-three fantastic stories by authors of the calibre of Paolo Bacigalupi, James S. A. Corey, Ann Leckie, Paul McAuley and Ian McDonald, and including, as ever, Dozois' illuminating summation of the year in science fiction and his extensive recommended reading guide, this year's collection is better than ever.Voted Year's Best Anthology by the readers of Locus magazine an unparalleled eighteen times, Dozois's annual selection has become the definitive must-read anthology for both devoted sci-fi fans and newcomers to SF.

In this encyclopedic book, Lewis provides insights into the origins, training, tactics, weapons and achievements of special forces and special mission units throughout the world, focusing particularly on US and UK forces. He also looks at the codes that that bind the members of these elite units together. He reveals training secrets in everything from wilderness survival to hand-to-hand combat. In doing so, he draws extensively on biographies, autobiographies, training manuals, interviews and press coverage of key operations. The elite forces covered include: The British Army s Special Air Service (SAS), established in 1950, which has served as a model for the special forces of many countries. Its counter-terrorist wing famously took part in the hostage rescue during the siege of the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980. The Parachute Regiment, the airborne infantry element of 16 Air Assault Brigade, which spearheads the British Army s rapid intervention capability. It is closely linked to United Kingdom Special Forces. The US Navy s SEALS (Sea, Air, Land Teams), trained to conduct special operations in any environment, but uniquely specialised and equipped to operate from and in the sea. Together with speedboat-operating Naval Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen, they form the operational arm of the Naval Special Warfare community, the Navy component of the US Special Operations Command. Their special operations include: neutralizing enemy forces; reconnaissance; counter-terrorism (famously in the killing of Osama bin Laden); and training allies. The US Army s Delta Force: The Special Mission Unit, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), known simply as Delta Force, the Army component of Joint Special Operations Command. Its role is counter-terrorism, direct action and national intervention operations, though it has the capability to conduct many different kinds of clandestine missions, including hostage rescues and raids. The US Army Rangers, a light infantry combat formation under the US Army Special Operation Command. The Green Berets motto: to free the oppressed trained in languages, culture, diplomacy, psychological warfare and disinformation. Russia s Spetsnaz, whose crack anti-terrorist commandos ended the Moscow theatre siege, and who have a reputation for being among the world s toughest and most ruthless soldiers. Spetsnaz units saw extensive action in Afghanistan and Chechnya, often operating far behind enemy lines. Israeli Special Forces, especially Shayetet 13 (Flotilla 13), whose motto, in common with the rest of the Israeli military, is Never again , a reference to the Holocaust. They are particularly adept at the specifically Israeli martial art Krav Maga, which they dub Jew-jitsu .

One year to a better brain! A 52-week programme to make you sharper, day by day

True stories of temptation and seduction from the big city spanking, domination and submission, group games, and every other kind of downright rude and kinky fuckery you can imagine, as well as some you probably can t. This collection of over 100 first-person accounts of amazing sexual adventures, in which real people give free rein to their innermost secrets and desires, follows in the footsteps of the bestselling Mammoth Book of Erotic Confessions. Here you will find vivid confessions of sexual encounters to startle, amuse, shock and excite, as men and women reveal their most daring and outrageous sexual secrets, from a good old-fashioned spanking to bondage and submission, from solo experiences to groups getting it on, and from guilty secrets to sex in public places. Barbara Cardy has once again done a fantastic job of ruthlessly whittling down literally thousands of submissions to this collection of well over 100 sexy secrets. There are no categories; to an open mind, each confession has the potential to seduce. Whatever your kink voyeurism, first-times, oral sex, uniforms, hotels, good friends, secret mistresses, lingerie, domination and submission, threesomes, anal, outdoor sex, forbidden fantasies, spanking or downright sadism you ll find what you re looking for here. Erotic dreams can come true, as they do here, from New York to Amsterdam, from LA to Stockholm, and from Sydney to Paris.

The very best short SF fiction of any given year as recommended and nominated by the members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: the best novella, novelette and short story. Here you will find the cream of the crop of science fiction and fantasy - startling ideas, the intricate construction of new worlds and mind-bending experimental writing. This anthology includes not only the Nebula Award-winning works in each short-form category, but also all the nominees in the novelette and short story categories. Here you will find colourful fantasy, outstanding speculative fiction, steampunk, edgy writing on the fringes of the mainstream and uncompromisingly hard SF in stories set in the distant past, an off-kilter present day, the far future or some times in between.

The year's most outstanding short erotic fiction from the genre's leading writers

The biggest and best collection of jokes for all the family to enjoy. 8,000 rib-ticklers, covering every subject under the sun from Aardvarks to Zombies, including chicken jokes, doctor-doctor jokes, elephant jokes, horror jokes, knock-knock jokes, excruciating puns, riddles, school jokes, sports jokes and waiter jokes. Most of the jokes are sharp one-liners but there is also a scattering of slightly longer stories.

A comprehensive category killer, with over 6,000 varied questions on every topic imaginable - as well as some you might not imagine. The 400 quizzes are a mixture of general knowledge and specialist rounds all aimed at the popular pub or society quiz market on science and technology; nature and the universe; human geography; history; life as we know it; arts and culture; sports and games; popular culture; celebrities and trivia. The questions are up-to-date, interesting and, unlike much of the competition, accurate.

41 fantastic stories from Britain's best crime writers

Comprehensive, up to date, and clear, this invaluable guide will help even less experienced players to progress to good club level and better. It offers a complete guide to the main opening gambits along with hundreds of test positions for players at every level. Graham Burgess, FIDE Master, shows you all you need to know, from entering the world of chess, through Internet games, to major international tournaments. Features include:Entirely new and expanded sections on online chess, computers and openings.A complete guide to all the main opening gambits.Hundreds of test positions for players of all standards.Courses in tactics and attacking strategy.Analysis of some of the greatest games ever played.Information and advice on club, national, and international tournaments.Glossary of terminology.Practical advice and information for further study.

From the editor of The Mammoth Book of Steampunk, this anthology of steam-powered short stories, dirigibles aloft, retro-tech wonders, and astounding adventure will set clockwork-loving hearts hammering with delight. Longtime steampunk fans: prepare to gleefully grab your goggles to read these remarkable stories! Newcomers: prepare to become fans of this popular genre involving both the past and present entertainingly and provocatively re-thought, re-invented, and re-evaluated. With stories by K.W. Jeter, Caitl n R. Kiernan, Ken Liu, Cherie Priest, Carrie Vaughn, and many others.Full list of contributors: Christopher Barzak; Tobias Buckell; C. S. E. Cooney; Aliette de Bodard; Lisa L. Hannett; Samantha Henderson; K. W. Jeter; Caitlin R. Kiernan; Jay Lake; Ken Liu; Alex Dally MacFarlane; Tony Pi; Cherie Priest; Cat Rambo; Chris Roberson; Margaret Ronald; Sofia Samatar; Gord Sellar; Nisi Shawl; Benjanun Sriduangkaew; E. Caterine Tobler; Genevieve Valentine; Carrie Vaughn; AC Wise; Jonathan Wood. Praise for the author:The Mammoth Book of Steampunk, edited by Sean Wallace, focuses on newer elements of steampunk and proudly includes work by Mary Robinette Kowal, Jay Lake, Cat Rambo, Ekaterina Sedia, Catherynne M. Valente, Genevieve Valentine and more. Kirkus ReviewsThe Mammoth Book of Steampunk, edited by Sean Wallace, includes five original stories (and a large selection of good recent work). All the originals are worthy of attention. LocusWorld Fantasy Award-winning editor Wallace has compiled an outstanding anthology of thirty stories (including four originals) sure to satisfy even the most jaded steampunk fans and engage newcomers and skeptics. Each story exemplifies steampunk s knack for critiquing both the past and the present, in a superb anthology that demands rereading. Publishers Weekly, starred reviewWhat I liked best about the majority of these short stories was that they re true to steampunk; no real unusual deviations for those of you looking for goggles and corsets . . . Wired

Comprehensive, up-to-date, and easy to follow, The Mammoth Book of Poker enables even those new to the game to begin and win at home, in casinos, in tournaments and online. Written by leading card games author Paul Mendelson, and packed with top tips, this invaluable new guide helps you understand your chances, appreciate the percentages, and master the odds that your hand improves.All aspects of poker are covered, including:Online pokerTexas Hold 'Em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, Hi/Lo Split and all other variantsNo-Limit/LimitKiller online playCasino playAdvanced strategies Tournament play and listingsWith over 500 pages, The Mammoth Book of Poker gives all you need to know to get started and win from the outset.

By 1969, following the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu, over 500,000 US troops were in country in Vietnam. Before America s longest war had ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975, 450,000 Vietnamese had died, along with 36,000 Americans. The Vietnam War was the first rock n roll war, the first helicopter war with its doctrine of airmobility , and the first television war; it made napalm and the defoliant Agent Orange infamous, and gave us the New Journalism of Michael Herr and others. It also saw the establishment of the Navy SEALs and Delta Force. At home, America fractured, with the peace movement protesting against the war; at Kent State University, Ohio National Guardsmen fired on unarmed students, killing four and injuring nine. Lewis s compelling selection of the best writing to come out of a war covered by some truly outstanding writers, both journalists and combatants, includes an eyewitness account of the first major battle between the US Army and the People s Army of Vietnam at Ia Drang; a selection of letters home; Nicholas Tomalin s famous The General Goes Zapping Charlie Cong ; Robert Mason s R&R , Studs Terkel s account of the police breaking up an anti-war protest; John Kifner on the shootings at Kent State; Ron Kovic s Born on the Fourth of July ; John T. Wheeler s Khe Sanh: Live in the V Ring ; Pulitzer Prize-winner Seymour Hersh on the massacre at My Lai; Michael Herr s It Made You Feel Omni ; Viet Cong Truong Nhu Tang s memoir; naval nurse Maureen Walsh s memoir, Burning Flesh ; John Pilger on the fall of Saigon; and Tim O Brien s If I Die in a Combat Zone .

Giant monsters whose every roar and footstep shakes the earth, whose simple stroll through a city wreaks havoc: KAIJU! And even though humankind has never really seen such monsters - we tremble at the thought of them and love to shiver as their screen versions make mayhem: the beast from twenty-thousand fathoms, Godzilla demolishing Tokyo, the massive creature in Cloverfield destroying New York, all of Earth warring with the colossal monsters in Pacific Rim.Now, for the first time, a definitive anthology that gathers a wide range of larger-than-life short fiction with creatures that run a gargantuan gamut: the stealthy gabbleduck of Neal Asher's Polity universe; Gary McMahon's huge sea-born terror; An Owomoyela 's incredibly tall alien invaders; Frank Wu's city-razing, eighty-foot-high, fire-breathing lizard; Lavie Tidhar's titanic ship-devouring monstrosity; a really big Midwest US smackdown related by Jeremiah Tolbert . . . and many more mega-monster stories to feed your need for killer kaiju!With an introduction by Robert Hood, co-editor of the groundbreaking, Ditmar Award-winning Daikaiju: Giant Monster Tales and host of Undead Backbrain, the premier website for matters relating to giant monsters.

From his gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games to his defeat of Sonny Liston to claim the world heavyweight championship in 1964, the unforgettable 'Thrilla in Manila' against Joe Frazier and the 'Rumble in the Jungle' against George Foreman, 'The Greatest of All Time', Muhammad Ali, has captured the attention of the world. His conversion to Islam, his refusal to serve in the in the Vietnam War ('I ain't got no quarrel with them Vietcong') and his speaking tours in the 1960s have all contributed to his status as one of the most revered sporting figures ever. Here, drawn from books, specialist periodicals, newspapers, college magazines (covering his speaking tours) and the work of major literary figures such as Thomas Hauser is the biggest and best collection ever of writing on 'The Greatest'.

The ultimate collection of X-rated and decidedly politically incorrect limericks! This bumper new volume contains over 2,000 dirty verses, from the moderately blue to the absolutely filthy - all illustrated throughout by Gray Jolliffe, creator of the bestselling Wicked Willie cartoon character.Here are verses so rude that even a blonde would blush, on subjects ranging from the bedroom to the bathroom and beyond. You'll find plenty of up-to-date limericks relevant to contemporary life as well as lewd old favourites on every imaginable topic, all of them guaranteed to make you laugh. Includes many newly devised limericks.On the breast of a barmaid named GailWas written the price of the aleAnd on her behind,For the sake of the blindWas the same information in Braille.

Every short story in this wonderfully varied collection has one thing in common: each features some alteration in history, some divergence from historical reality, which results in a world very different from the one we know today. As well as original stories specially commissioned from bestselling writers such as James Morrow, Stephen Baxter and Ken MacLeod, there are genre classics such as Kim Stanley Robinson's story of how World War II atomic bomber the Enola Gay, having crashed on a training flight, is replaced by the Lucky Strike with profoundly different consequences.Praise for the editors:'Mr Watson wreaks havoc with what is accepted - and acceptable.' The Times'One of Britain's consistently finest science fiction writers.' New Scientist

The fullest ever collection of the Kama Sutra and its modern variants.

The Assassination of JFK, 9/11, the Da Vinci Code, The Death of Diana, Men in Black, Pearl Harbor, The Illuminati, Protocols of Zion,Hess, The Bilderberg Group, New World Order, ElvisFluoridization, Martin Luther King's murder, Opus Dei, The Gemstone Files, John Paul I, Dead Sea Scrolls, Lockerbie bombing, Black helicopters... In other words everything 'they' never wanted you to know and were afraid you might ask! Jon E. Lewis explores the 100 most terrifying cover-ups of all time, from the invention of Jesus' divinity (pace the Da Vinci Code) to Bush's and Blair's real agenda in invading Iraq. Entertainingly written and closely documented, the book provides each cover-up with a plausibility rating.Uncover why the Titanic sank, ponder the sinister Vatican/Mafia network that plotted the assassination of liberal John Paul, find out why NASA 'lost' its files on Mars, read why no-one enters Area 51, and consider why medical supplies were already on site at Edgware Road before the 7/7 bombs detonated. Just because you are paranoid, it doesn't mean that they aren't out to conspire against you.

Using the latest modern technology available to forensic science, crime scene investigators answer questions others never even thought to ask. Here are over 30 fascinating modern cases of forensic detective work. Genetic fingerprinting, blood splatter analysis, laser ablation, toxicology, ballistics analysis - the whole range of forensic techniques is featured. The investigators trust only the evidence to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves: the victims. The cases featured include: Tommie Lee Andrews, the first person to be convicted as a result of DNA evidence, for raping a woman during a burglary; Jeffrey Gafoor, convicted of murder in 2003 when crime scene evidence collected twelve years previously resulted in a match with his nephew; Richard W. Rogers, convicted of the murder of two of his numerous gay male victims, through vacuum metal deposition, technology which saves fingerprints from plastic bags; Dr. Sam Sheppard, the murder trial based on blood evidence that inspired the TV series "e;The Fugitive"e;; Edwin Bush, the first murderer in Britain to be brought to book thanks to an identikit picture; Derrick Todd Lee, the Baton Rouge Serial Killer, only nailed by DNA evidence, after a flawed FBI profile led big-shot investigators astray. It also includes: The Mormon Forgery Murders, an outstanding case of forensic techniques used to solve a horrifying bombing case; Albert T. Patrick, the Texan attorney tried for the murder of a millionaire businessman and convicted on handwriting evidence. These cases, usually successful - but also sometimes dangerously flawed - offer a remarkable insight into real-life scene-of-crime investigation.

From all six Celtic cultures - Irish, Scots, Welsh, Cornish, Manx and Breton - Ellis has included popular myths and legends, as well as bringing to light exciting tales which have been lying in manuscript form, translated and unknown to the modern general reader.

The secret life of Sherlock Holmes's nemesis, Moriarty . . .

An incredible 30,000 flights at least arrive safely at their destinations every day. But a handful don t, while some come terrifyingly close to crashing. When even the smallest thing does go wrong at 35,000 feet, the result is nearly always a fast-unfolding tragedy. This extensive collection of compelling real-life accounts of air disasters and near-disasters provides a sobering, alternative history of the just over 105 years that passengers have been travelling by air, from the very earliest fatality to recent calamities.But there are incredible stories of heroism against the odds, too, such as that of Captain Chesley Sullenberger who successfully landed his aircraft with both engines gone on the Hudson River in New York, saving the lives of everyone aboard, and of the American Airlines crew who prevented terrorist Richard Reid from exploding a bomb hidden in his shoe three months after 9/11.The book also details the often ingenious, always painstaking work done by air-accident investigators, while a glossary helps to clarify the occasional, inevitable bits of jargon.

A bumper collection of 150 different kinds of Sudoku in 495 puzzles.

From the best living exponent of new Sherlock Holmes stories, 12 explosive new mysteries

Murders, suicides, unexplained deaths, scandalous romances, illegitimate children, cover-ups, and more, from the 1920s to Hollywood's Golden Age in the 1960s and right up to the present day.It covers over 60 scandals including: The Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle Scandal; Clark Gable's Baby Scandals; The Rape of Patricia Douglas; The Life and Death of Jean Harlow; The Sudden Death of James Dean; Marilyn Monroe's Mysterious Death; John Belushi Dies at the Chateau Marmont; Madonna's Hollywood Stalker; Hugh Grant's Hollywood Scandal; Winona Ryder Is Arrested For Shoplifting; The Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie Love Triangle; The Tragic Life and Death of Anna Nicole Smith; The Life and Death of Michael Jackson; Arnold Schwarzenegger's Love Child; The Very Public Melt-Down of Charlie Sheen; The Rise and Fall of Whitney Houston; The Marriage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and many, many more.