Geoff Scargill's Books

Victoria's Railway King

Sir Edward Watkin, One of the Victorian Era’s Greatest Entrepreneurs and Visionaries

By: Geoff Scargill

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Victoria's Railway King

Sir Edward Watkin, One of the Victorian Era’s Greatest Entrepreneurs and Visionaries

By: Geoff Scargill

The accomplishments and initiatives, both social and economic, of Edward Watkin are almost too many to relate. Though generally known for his large-scale railway projects, becoming chairman of nine different British railway companies as well as developing railways in Canada, the USA, Greece, India and the Belgian Congo, he was also responsible for a stream of remarkable projects in the nineteenth century which helped shape people’s lives inside and outside Britain. As well as holding senior positions with the London and North Western Railway, the Worcester and Hereford Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway, Watkin became president of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. He was also director of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railways, as well as the Athens–Piraeus Railway. Watkin was also the driving force in the creation of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway’s ‘London Extension’ – the Great Central Main Line down to Marylebone in London. This, though, was only one part of his great ambition to have a high-speed rail link from Manchester to Paris and ultimately to India. This, of course, involved the construction of a Channel tunnel. Work on this began on both sides of the Channel in 1880 but had to be abandoned due to the fear of invasion from the Continent. He also purchased an area of Wembley Park, serviced by an extension of his Metropolitan Railway. He developed the park into a pleasure and events destination for urban Londoners, which later became the site of Wembley Stadium. It was also the site of another of Watkin’s enterprises, the ‘Great Tower in London’ which was designed to be higher than the Eiffel Tower but was never completed. Little, though, is known about Watkin’s personal life, which is explored here through the surviving diaries he kept. The author, who is the chair of The Watkin Society, which aims to promote Watkin’s life and achievements, has delved into the mind of one of the nineteenth century’s outstanding individuals.

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Page Count

230

Publisher

Frontline Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1526792788

ISBN 13

9781526792785

The Riches Beneath Our Feet

How Mining Shaped Britain

By: Geoff Coyle

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The Riches Beneath Our Feet

How Mining Shaped Britain

By: Geoff Coyle

Mining has had a profound impact upon Britain for over 4,000 years. Geoff Coyle explores how mining has shaped Britain and its landscape, emphasising the impact on social history, and the lives of the mining people. He also considers the present state of mining and its future in Britain.

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Page Count

302

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199551294

ISBN 13

9780199551293

Deadline

By: Geoff Major

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Deadline

By: Geoff Major

A jaded journalist becomes the confidante of a serial killer, who believes you reap what you sow.

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304

Publisher

Grosvenor House Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1839753110

ISBN 13

9781839753114

Forging Democracy

The History of the Left in Europe, 1850-2000

By: Geoff Eley

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Forging Democracy

The History of the Left in Europe, 1850-2000

By: Geoff Eley

Democracy in Europe has been a recent phenomenon. Only in the wake of World War II were democratic frameworks secured, and, even then, it was decades before democracy truly blanketed the continent. Neither given nor granted, democracy requires conflict, often violent confrontations, and challenges to the established political order. In Europe, Geoff Eley convincingly shows, democracy did not evolve organically out of a natural consensus, the achievement of prosperity, or the negative cement of the Cold War. Rather, it was painstakingly crafted, continually expanded, and doggedly defended by varying constellations of socialist, feminist, Communist, and other radical movements that originally blossomed in the later nineteenth century. Parties of the Left championed democracy in the revolutionary crisis after World War I, salvaged it against the threat of fascism, and renewed its growth after 1945. They organized civil societies rooted in egalitarian ideals which came to form the very fiber of Europe's current democratic traditions. The trajectories of European democracy and the history of the European Left are thus inextricably bound together. Geoff Eley has given us the first truly comprehensive history of the European Left--its successes and failures; its high watermarks and its low tides; its accomplishments, insufficiencies, and excesses; and, most importantly, its formative, lasting influence on the European political landscape. At a time when the Left's influence and legitimacy are frequently called into question, Forging Democracy passionately upholds its vital contribution.

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Page Count

721

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199878773

ISBN 13

9780199878772

Crossing the floor

Reg Prentice and the crisis of British social democracy

By: Geoff Horn

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Crossing the floor

Reg Prentice and the crisis of British social democracy

By: Geoff Horn

Reg Prentice remains the most high-profile politician to cross the floor of the House of Commons in the post-war period. His defection reflected an important 'sea change' in British politics; the end of the post-war consensus and the beginnings of the Thatcher era. This book examines the key events surrounding Prentice's transition from a front-line Labour politician to a Conservative minister in the first Thatcher government. It focuses on the shifting political climate in Britain during the 1970s, as the post-war settlement came under pressure from adverse economic conditions, militant trade unionism and an assertive New Left. Prentice's story provides an important case study on the crisis that afflicted social democracy, highlighting Labour's left-right divide and the possibility of a realignment of British politics. This study will be invaluable to anyone interested in the turbulent and transitional nature of British politics during a watershed period.

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Page Count

357

Publisher

Manchester University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1526110822

ISBN 13

9781526110824

How to Write Modern Poetry

By: Geoff Tims

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How to Write Modern Poetry

By: Geoff Tims

Modern poetry has a way of putting feelings into words in a way that no other medium can. Geoff Tims' guide makes writing bad poetry almost impossible.

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New Line Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1844811018

ISBN 13

9781844811014

The Bowler's Holding, the Batsman's Willey

The Greatest Collection of Humorous Sporting Quotations Ever!

By: Geoff Tibballs

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The Bowler's Holding, the Batsman's Willey

The Greatest Collection of Humorous Sporting Quotations Ever!

By: Geoff Tibballs

He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it - you can see it all over their faces' - Ron Atkinson 'Rugby is a good occasion for keeping thirty bullies far from the city centre' - Oscar Wilde Whether over the moon or sick as a parrot, sportsmen and women can invariably be relied upon to come out with a humorous quote...even if it's not always intentional. The Bowler's Holding, The Batsman's Willey provides the definitive collection of sporting wit, from participants and observers alike. The book covers the full gamut of the sports spectrum and provides over 4,000 side-splittingly funny quotes - some examples of incisive sporting wit, others inadvertent howlers never to be forgotten; ranging from the cutting remarks of Brian Clough and Muhammad Ali to the studied observations of John Arlott and the hilarious gaffes of Murray Walker. The Bowler's Holding, The Batsman's Willey is an absolute must for any sports fan.

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Page Count

258

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1446407225

ISBN 13

9781446407226

Zona

On Andrei Tarkovsky’s 'Stalker'

By: Geoff Dyer

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Zona

On Andrei Tarkovsky’s 'Stalker'

By: Geoff Dyer

In this spellbinding book, the man described by the Daily Telegraph as 'possibly the best living writer in Britain' takes on his biggest challenge yet: unlocking the film that has obsessed him all his adult life. Like the film Stalker itself, it confronts the most mysterious and enduring questions of life and how to live.

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Page Count

185

Publisher

Canongate Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0857861689

ISBN 13

9780857861689

The Ultimate Cockney Geezer's Guide to Rhyming Slang

By: Geoff Tibballs

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The Ultimate Cockney Geezer's Guide to Rhyming Slang

By: Geoff Tibballs

Would you Adam and Eve it? Over a hundred years after it was first heard on the streets of Ye Olde London Towne, Cockney rhyming slang is still going strong, and this book contains the most comprehensive and entertaining guide yet. Presented in an easy-to-read A to Z format, it explains the meaning of hundreds of terms, from old favourites such as apples and pears (stairs) and plates of meat (feet) to the more obscure band of hope (soap) and cuts and scratches (matches) through to modern classics such as Anthea Turner (earner) and Ashley Cole (own goal), as well as providing fascinating background info and curious Cockney facts throughout. Also included are a series of language tests so that readers can brush up on their newfound knowledge on their way to becoming a true Cockney Geezer. All in all, The Ultimate Cockney Geezer's Guide to Rhyming Slang is well worth your bread and honey to have a butcher's.

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Page Count

290

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1407028316

ISBN 13

9781407028316

Rivals

The Off-Beat Guide to the 92 League Clubs

By: Geoff Harvey,Vanessa Strowger

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Rivals

The Off-Beat Guide to the 92 League Clubs

By: Geoff Harvey,Vanessa Strowger

Rivals is both the ultimate directory of football derbies and a collection of the stats that 'really matter' for the English League Clubs. Forget the dry and oft-quoted football facts, 'Rivals' arms the reader with a completely new set of fan-based stats. Find out which club has the highest 'nutter rating' (arrests per 1,000 attendance), or the worst 'Your ground's too big for you' ranking! Which club offers their supporters the worst 'Fans' value-for-money' (admission price as a ratio of 5 year league position!) There are many intriguing, often funny, stories behind the web of little publicised, though frequently intense, rivalries between clubs and fans. With many contributions from supporters, the book examines the extraordinary cult of British Football Derbies, looking at the inter-town and regional biases, stereotypes, and opinions that fans have about their footballing rivals. At 240pp, Rivals is a light-hearted collection of statistics, fans' testimony and boundless trivia. The book uncovers the amusing, bizarre, and sometimes alarming portraits of the intensity of fans' feelings, and the way in which they perceive other teams, towns and cities. It has a clear format pulling together diverse facts. Attractively designed with information given under headings allowing the reader to compare various facts on a club-to-club basis, the text can be read from cover to cover or dipped into.

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Page Count

214

Publisher

Aesculus Press Ltd

Published Date

ISBN 10

190432813X

ISBN 13

9781904328131

Brain Dump

Become a Genius on the Loo

By: Geoff Tibballs

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Brain Dump

Become a Genius on the Loo

By: Geoff Tibballs

Also works well as emergency loo roll. While you're not going anywhere, why not expand your mind with Brain Dump? Learn thousands of fascinating facts, stats and trivia. Guaranteed to boost your brain, this bumper compendium covers every subject from football to phobias, mountains to the Muppets and spiders to Shakespeare. It features hundreds of mind-blowing entries from Types of Cloud to the Longest Song Titles. And it's not just for the bathroom but the bedroom too! Struggling to sleep? Turn to the Fascinating Facts About Sheep and other gems to tire and train your brain. Zzzzzzzzzz..... Printed on soft absorbent paper for emergencies.

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Page Count

648

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473562341

ISBN 13

9781473562349

Endgames and New Times

The Final Years of British Communism, 1964-1991

By: Geoff Andrews

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Endgames and New Times

The Final Years of British Communism, 1964-1991

By: Geoff Andrews

Lawrence and Wishart's comprehensive history of the British Communist Party concludes in this sixth and final volume. Beginning with the 1960s and the influence of social movements such as feminism and student collectives, this history moves through the changing landscape of the British Labour Party, Eurocommunism, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Commentary on the current state of Communism notes that the new generation, more likely influenced by Lennon than Lenin, has formed too wide a constituency to forge sustainable alliances.

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Page Count

276

Published Date

ISBN 10

0853159912

ISBN 13

9780853159919

The Sturgeon General Recommends Geoff Lemon

By: Geoff Lemon

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The Sturgeon General Recommends Geoff Lemon

By: Geoff Lemon

The Sturgeon General is an anthology of comedic writing, compiling short works of fiction and non-fiction and other miscellany for the hilarious good of all. Each issue features the work of a single comedy writer. This edition is a collection of non-fiction articles from writer Geoff Lemon. It includes his article from 2011 'You Shut Your Goddamn Carbon Taxin Mouth' – an hilarious rant against the nay-sayers of the proposed carbon tax, which was a viral phenomenon. The collection also includes an array of inspired and witty political and travel writing, including an epic series of misadventures in South America.

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Pan

Published Date

ISBN 10

1743342314

ISBN 13

9781743342312

The British Bloke, Decoded

From Banter to Man-Flu. Everything finally explained.

By: Geoff Norcott

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The British Bloke, Decoded

From Banter to Man-Flu. Everything finally explained.

By: Geoff Norcott

I laughed a lot and now understand blokes a lot more than I ever wanted to' - Katherine Ryan 'Geoff is one of the funniest intelligent thinkers in comedy and this book reflects that perfectly' - Romesh Ranganathan 'Funny and insightful, it makes serious points without committing the cardinal sin of taking itself too seriously. ' - Adrian Chiles 'Highly informative. Geoff will make a proper bloke out of me yet.' - Hugo Rifkind 'A brilliant and hilarious book which defends blokes without denigrating women' - Konstantin Kisin If you see a man drinking a pint in an airport pub alone, that's a bloke. If you see a man driving to the tip on a Saturday morning with a smile on his face, that's a bloke. And if you see a man heading back from the tip and on the way to the pub, that's a very happy bloke. The British Bloke appears simple and straightforward. He loves football, cricket, beer and sheds. But beneath that simple exterior lies a mysterious and complex being... In The British Bloke Decoded, writer, comedian and regular bloke, Geoff Norcott, peels back the layers of blokedom, revealing the truth behind the behaviour of Britain's husbands, dads, brothers and friends. He dives into the value of banter, the roots of mansplaining, the near impossibility of getting blokes to send birthday cards, and whether there could be a medal system for vacuuming. Based on 46 years of intensive field research and semi-scientific insights, this book is a celebration of. the simple British bloke in all his splendour.

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Page Count

251

Publisher

Monoray

Published Date

ISBN 10

1800961286

ISBN 13

9781800961289

The Good, the Bad and the Wurst

The 100 Craziest Moments from the Eurovision Song Contest

By: Geoff Tibballs

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The Good, the Bad and the Wurst

The 100 Craziest Moments from the Eurovision Song Contest

By: Geoff Tibballs

Sixty extraordinary years of Eurovision, from Céline Dion to Dustin the Turkey, from Abba to Conchita Wurst - the drag acts, the bad acts and all the nul points heroes. For 60 years the Eurovision Song Contest has existed in a parallel universe where a song about the construction of a hydro-electric power station is considered cutting-edge pop, where half a dozen warbling Russian grandmothers are considered Saturday night entertainment, where a tune repeating the word 'la' 138 times is considered a winner, and where Australia is considered part of Europe During those sixty years we have witnessed scandals: in 1957, Denmark's Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler enjoyed an outrageously long 13-second kiss because the stage manager forgot to say 'cut' during the live broadcast. We have witnessed national outrage: the 1976 Greek entry was a savage indictment of Turkish foreign policy in Cyprus. But most have all we have witnessed silly costumes, terrible lyrics and performers as diverse as Celine Dion and Dustin the Turkey. This book chronicles the 100 craziest moments in the history of Eurovision - the drag acts, the bad acts, the nul points heroes and the night in Luxembourg when the floor manager warned the audience not to stand up while they applauded because they might be shot by security forces. It captures some of the magic from this yearly event that continues to beguile and bemuse in equal measure.

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Page Count

214

Publisher

Robinson

Published Date

ISBN 10

1472137078

ISBN 13

9781472137074

Book's by Geoff Scargill

Victoria's Railway King

Victoria's Railway King

The Riches Beneath Our Feet

The Riches Beneath Our Feet

Deadline

Deadline

Forging Democracy

Forging Democracy

Crossing the floor

Crossing the floor

How to Write Modern Poetry

How to Write Modern Poetry

The Bowler's Holding, the Batsman's Willey

The Bowler's Holding, the Batsman's Willey

Zona

Zona

The Ultimate Cockney Geezer's Guide to Rhyming Slang

The Ultimate Cockney Geezer's Guide to Rhyming Slang

Rivals

Rivals

Brain Dump

Brain Dump

Endgames and New Times

Endgames and New Times

The Sturgeon General Recommends Geoff Lemon

The Sturgeon General Recommends Geoff Lemon

The British Bloke, Decoded

The British Bloke, Decoded

The Good, the Bad and the Wurst

The Good, the Bad and the Wurst

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