John O`Farrell Knihy

This history of medieval inventions, spanning the eleventh to the fourteenth centuries, highlights a vibrant period of human creativity whose impact continues today. Innovations such as the mechanical clock and the first eyeglasses transformed society, with many modern devices tracing their roots back to this era. The text is organized into ten thematic chapters, allowing readers to explore specific interests or read sequentially for a comprehensive understanding. One chapter discusses the paper revolution, detailing how advancements in mill power led to the mass production of affordable paper, crucial for the later success of the printing press in making books accessible. Another chapter emphasizes the role of Islamic civilization in preserving ancient Greek texts and the efforts of translation teams in Sicily and Spain to make these works available in Latin for European audiences. Additionally, a chapter on discovery instruments examines the influence of the astrolabe, imported from Islamic regions, and the compass, originally from China; these tools, along with shipbuilding innovations, fueled European trade expansion and the subsequent age of discovery during Columbus's time. Featuring original drawings that illustrate these early inventions, this exploration reveals how medieval farmers, craftsmen, women artisans, and clerical scholars established the foundations of the modern world.

This text features a collection of John O'Farrell's 'Guardian' columns, the final part of the trilogy in which he discovers that Margaret Thatcher is actually his mother. Contained within these covers are 100 funny essays on subjects as diverse as Man's ascent from the apes and the re-election of George W. Bush.

Informs and elucidates the bizarre events, ridiculous characters and stupid decisions that have shaped Britain's story since 1945.

Controlling maternal obsession. Alice feels panic stricken at the terrors of the modern world. She worries too much gluten and dairy may be hindering her children's mental maths. She frets that there are too many cars on the road to let them out of the 4x4. Finally she resolves to take control and tackle her biggest worry of all, her daughter is not going to fail that secondary school entrance exam because Alice has decided to take the test in her child's place....

Zatímco většina manželů snadno zapomene, že jejich žena má ráno důležitou schůzku, že měli dojít nakoupit, někdy dokonce i na výročí svatby, hrdina O’Farrellova románu v jediném okamžiku ztráty paměti zapomene manželčino jméno i tvář, všechno, co spolu prožili, i to, že vůbec nějakou manželku má. Bohužel už si nepamatuje ani na to, že se se svojí ženou právě rozvádí, a znovu se do ní zamiluje. Muž, který zapomněl, že má ženu, je zábavný i dojemný příběh muže odhodlaného udělat cokoli, aby vrátil ručičky hodin a získal zpět život, o který přišel.

Un homme évanoui reprend conscience. Il a tout oublié... y compris qu'il a une femme ! Après un étrange malaise, un homme se réveille. Il ne se souvient de rien : ni de son nom, ni de ses enfants... ni de sa femme. Quand il revoit celle-ci pour la première fois, c'est le coup de foudre. Pas de chance, elle le déteste, et ils sont en plein divorce. Il n'aura désormais plus qu'une obsession : la reconquérir. Parviendra-t-il à séduire cette belle inconnue qui ne veut plus entendre parler de lui ? Et comment ce mariage d'amour a-t-il pu, au bout de vingt ans, en arriver là ?