John Blake: 861 books

In 2008, 14-year-old Laura Robson shocked the world by giving Britain its first Wimbledon winner in 14 years.From seemingly out of nowhere, the previously unknown teen stormed through the famous tournament to win the girls' singles title, instantly making her the talk of the tennis cognoscenti.With...

Novak Djokovic is not just one of the world's great tennis players - he is a de facto ambassador for his country, Serbia. It is no easy task, given the country's role in the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s; indeed, some people still associate the name 'Serbia' with 'atrocities'.In this study of both Djokovic...

He is the greatest striker in the game. Thierry Henry is the enigmatic multimillionaire Frenchman who has put the va-va-voom into the Premiership. Adored by fans of Arsenal and France worldwide, he has twice been voted Player and Footballer of the Year.But this living legend started his career with...

In today's game, there is no place on the pitch for player contact, let alone the sort of hard, robust tackling that could earn a player the nickname 'Psycho'. But twenty-five years ago, things were different. Only when players really overstepped the mark were their names added to the referee's little...

Wednesday, Rucks and Rock 'n'Roll tells the story of the East Bank from 1975 to 2002 - the planning, the pubs, the matches, the rucks and the coppers. Never mindless violence - but a day at the football simply wouldn't be complete without a good all-out fight with the rivals.It's the era of the silver...

Ronnie Irani had an extraordinary career as a first class cricketer and is now a star broadcaster with talkSport. He grew up in Bolton and has his professional debut with Lancashire aged just 16. But frustrated at constantly playing in the 'stiffs', Ronnie took his courage in both hands and moved...

Cass Pennant is a man who lets his fist do the talking. One of the hardest men in Britain, he lives his life on the edge of the law, giving respect where it is due, and dishing out retribution upon anyone who dares to cross him. Cass's life story reads like a Hollywood gangster movie. He tells the...

Finally, Graham's many U. S. fans can laugh at-and benefit from-his drily hilarious Daily Telegraph advice columns   "Remember that sleeping with friends is lazy and selfish: we don't cook our pets just because we're hungry and they're sitting right by the oven."  -Graham...

The text is a prose rendition of Nizami's 12th-century poetic masterpiece, in which he reshapes the legends of Majnun, the quintessential romantic fool, into a tale of the ideal lover. For the Sufis, Majnun represents the perfect devotee of the "religion of the heart," and the story is an allegory...

Discover the seven kingdoms of  Westeros, the land brought to life in George R. R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series Bustling cities, ancient wonders, and snow-peaked mountain ranges; the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros are an attractive destination for travelers (there’s a reason why so many...

Acclaimed for his good look as much as his searing acting ability, Canadian actor Ryan Gosling first came to attention, aged 12, after beating 15,000 hopefuls to become a Mouseketeer in Disney's Mickey Mouse Club, alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. After the show ended,...

A is for...Action Scenes. The Hunger Game trilogy is full of nail-biting action and tense battle scenes. B is for...Bestselling Books. The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, the first two books in the series, were each New York Times bestsellers, and Mockingjay topped all US bestseller lists. C is for...Suzanne...

The Twilight Saga may have made ‘R-Patz’ a household name - and earned him a spot on the bedroom walls of teenage girls around the world - but long gone are the days when he was just seen as a (very) pretty face. Named amongst TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, and drawing critical...

The must-have book for any fan of The Hobbit A is for auditions. Find out which pop star auditioned to play an elf and who impressed Peter Jackson the most. B is for Bilbo. Martin Freeman had reservations about playing Bilbo at first—discover why and find out who he loved working with, and...