'Sir Bob Charles – The Biography’ is the first comprehensive biography of Sir Bob Charles. His story begins in working-class rural New Zealand. In 1960 he embarked upon a career that no New Zealander had chosen before – that of a full-time touring professional golfer. The pressure was on the young Kiwi golfer as he took off around the world, with £350 in travellers’ cheques to fund his new career. If he did not play well enough his cash would run out and he would be back in Christchurch as a teller for the National Bank of New Zealand. That prospect alone spurred his success. The book is an account of his 50 years touring the world with his golf clubs. The reader will encounter the key characters in the story who supported the young golfer on his way to the very top of his sport. You will meet Ivor and Phyl Charles, his wife Verity, mentor Ian Cromb and his agent Mark McCormack. There are over 150 stunning photos in the book, many from the Charles family’s own collection. Combined with the narrative the images provide the complete picture of a notable New Zealand life. Bob Charles competed in the ‘’golden age’’ of professional golf in the 1960s and 1970s. He played with, and at times defeated, each member of the ‘’Big Three’’.The televising of golf from the early 1960s created an explosion in enthusiasm for the game. During this period, he acquired the title of the ‘’best putter in the world’’ in the eyes of both journalists and fellow competitors. His senior career delivered another 20 years of success in the game he loved. For the first 10 years on the Senior PGA Tour from 1986 he became the man to beat. The book chronicles the success of Bob Charles as a golfer - but there is more to the man than that. With his 1999 knighthood and his elevation to the Order of New Zealand in 2011 he has been honoured not only for his success as a golfer but also for the way he has lived his life. His enduring and happy marriage to Verity and the closeness of his relationship to his children and grandchildren form an important part of the story. Verity’s contribution to his career was enormous as Bob was able to travel the world, focusing solely on competing and succeeding at the highest level in his sport. Sir Bob Charles – The Biography is an in-depth study of the life and times of this great New Zealand sportsman. “Sir Bob Charles - the greatest Kiwi golfer of all. I may be accused of bias in describing the left-hander as the best New Zealand golfer of all. If we look at his record that lasted more than 50 years, I believe there is no argument.’’ Bob Glading. New Zealand Open Champion 1946, 1947. Writing for The Cut magazine, 2008.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 328

Dimensions: 190 x 245 mm

Publication Date: 20-10-2020

Whether they’re threading a barrel or shredding a swell, these amazing women are making enormous waves in the world of surfing. If you thought surfing was a male-dominated sport, think again. The thirty women surfers profiled in this thrilling collection can rip a wave with the best of them. Hailing from all over the world, each surfer is featured in spectacular photography and with their own inspirational words. There’s American professional surfer Lindsay Steinriede on how her father’s death has inspired her career; French board shaper Valerie Duprat on how she got her start “sculpting foam”; Conchita Rossler, founder of Mooana Retreat in Portugal, on connecting mind, body, and spirit; and activist Leah Dawson on empowering women. You’ll also meet surfers who are over sixty, who surf while pregnant, who captain boats, teach yoga, and make movies. Breathtaking photography captures these women from every angle, on and off the waves, in some of the world’s most visually stunning locations. The perfect gift for surfing enthusiasts, this unique compilation of stunning pictures and hard-won wisdom proves that the thrill of catching a wave, riding it, and kicking out belongs to everyone.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 256

Dimensions: 240 x 300 mm

Publication Date: 16-09-2019

Falconry is an ancient and noble art, still practiced today by falconers throughout the world. While, these days, falconry birds are specially bred in captivity, they are still wild, independent animals and owning and training them requires the right knowledge and skills. Falconry Basics is designed to provide those new to falconry with the essential information they need, including the basics of types of birds and their individual characteristics; acquiring the proper equipment; how best to care for and maintain healthy birds, and all aspects of training, flying and hunting. Accompanied by diagrams, line drawings and photographs throughout, and with additional material, such as a glossary of falconry terms, this newly revised and updated edition offers a comprehensive, practical guide for a whole new generation of falconers.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 288

Dimensions: 189 x 246 mm

Publication Date: 01-06-2019

Outdoor Survival Manual is the must-have guide to educate hikers, Scouts, survivalists, outdoor enthusiasts, and adventure travelers on how to handle and survive a wide variety of emergency situations, treat injuries, and resolve mishaps and accidents. From medical advice and map reading to river crossings and what to do in a shipwreck, this manual will arm you with essential knowledge, so you'll know what to do and how to survive when everything goes wrong.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 144 x 175 mm

Discover effective strategies for teaching dogs impulse control, obedience, polite leash walking and more. Play Your Way To Good Manners draws from techniques used in canine sports and applies them to a positive-reinforcement manners training program with 80 cool tricks, exciting sports moves, and interactive games.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 175 x 225 mm

Publication Date: 16-09-2019

How to Look Cool Whilst Learning Polo takes a very modern approach to the traditional game of polo. The author, Steve Thompson, is a veteran polo instructor and professional player with over twenty years of teaching experience across the globe. This book is a culmination of his teaching and playing experience over two decades in the sport. More than just a technical ‘how-to’ guide, it provides everything you need to go from zero to hero on the polo field, and more importantly — make sure you look cool whilst doing it! Followed correctly, this book can save a lot of pain, frustration and a significant amount of cash by teaching an aspiring player how to function correctly from the very start. Becoming a polo player is just like building a house: only when there is a true and solid foundation can you begin to layer the storeys on top. Definitive guide to learning polo Highly entertaining and immensely informative Strips away the intimidation of polo and replaces with light-hearted fun, and all in a factual, technical approach Designed to take the complete beginner to polo through all the stages necessary to become an effective team player Written by Steve Thompson, veteran polo instructor and professional player THE AUTHOR Steve Thompson passion for horses began before polo, in the eventing world and many of his teaching theories stem from that. Horses and polo are his vocation and his career began training polo ponies. The author is now a veteran polo instructor and professional player with over twenty years of teaching experience worldwide.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 300

Dimensions: 228 x 300 x 12 mm

As Roger Morgan-Grenville prepares for a new season with the White Hunter Cricket Club, he is starting to feel his age, so he embarks on a secret plan of coaching, yoga and psychology to improve his game. Will he emerge as a sporting demi-god, or will his team-mates even notice the difference? This is the humorous and heartwarming story of that cricket season, as the White Hunters go from disaster to triumph. It is a tale of competitiveness, suspense, excellence, hospitality and incompetence, such as the missing fielder found asleep in the woods and the two opening bowlers whose MG Roadster breaks down on the way to the game. From the Castle Ground at Arundel to a field next to a nudist camp in France, players such as the Tree Hugger, the Gun Runner, and their wicket-keeper, the Human Sieve, share the dream that this might be their day. Above all, it is the uplifting story of friendship among a team of not-very-good players who find enough moments of near brilliance to remind them why they love the game of cricket.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 216

Dimensions: 138 x 216 mm

Publication Date: 30-04-2019

Do you feel lumpy, lazy and de-motivated? Would you like to be healthier, but don’t really have the time or aren’t sure where to start? You don’t have to go straight from the couch to 5k! The Couch Potato’s Guide to Getting Fit will teach you how to incorporate exercise into your daily routine and help you take that tricky first step towards fitness. Stretches you can do while watching TV Easy exercises for around the house Go from couch potato to hot potato! Accessible and easy-to-use, this book will help you make little changes and see big results.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 128

Dimensions: 210 x 140 mm

Publication Date: 15-03-2019

As Ellie's fiftieth birthday approaches and her ambitions of a steady income, a successful career and an ascent of Everest seem as far away as ever, she begins to doubt she's capable of achieving anything at all. So when her best friend Mick suggests a gruelling cycle ride from Land's End to John o'Groats, she takes up the challenge. They opt for the scenic route which takes them along cycle paths, towpaths and the back roads and byways of Britain, unable to resist sampling local beers in the pubs they pass along the way. But as the pints start to stack up faster than the miles they're putting under their tyres, Ellie wonders if they'll ever make it to the finishing line...

Bind: paperback

Pages: 320

Dimensions: 129 x 197 x 21 mm

Could you ski to the South Pole? That was the challenge that British Adventurer, Felicity Aston put to women from around the Commonwealth as she set out to create the most international all-female expedition ever to the South Pole. The team would not be experienced explorers but `ordinary' women who wanted inspire others to follow their dreams or make a change for the better in their lives. She received more than 800 applications and embarked on a three-month journey around the world to interview candidates. `What is skiing?' was the question that greeted her in Ghana. At the close of 2009, Felicity led a team from places as diverse as Jamaica, India, Singapore and Cyprus - some of whom had never even seen snow or spent the night in a tent before joining the expedition - on a 900 km skiing trek across the Antarctic, one of the toughest and most notoriously hazardous journeys on the planet. Eighty-mile-an-hour winds ripped through base camp; frostbite and injuries were an everyday occurrence; deadly crevasses emerged from the cracking ice beneath their feet. But they also shared beliefs, ideas, philosophies and laughter, made lasting memories and broke no less than six World Records.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 320

Dimensions: 130 x 198 x 22 mm