The Little Book of...
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The Simpsons, Matt Groening's animated sitcom, is arguably the greatest show in TV history. To its critics, the dysfunctional family embodies the decline of wholesome values. To its fans, the show provides a window into America's soul, with each new season seeing the Simpsons spiral into ever-increasing levels of craziness, reflecting the nation's blurring of parody with reality.
For more than 30 years, and across nearly 750 episodes, an entire generation has been shaped by some of the most influential and memorable characters on TV: Homer, the classic, middle-class anti-hero; Bart, the lovable brat eternally trapped inside the body of a 10-year-old who questions everything; Lisa, talented and gifted, the voice of reason prepared to stand up and make herself heard; and Marg, overworked and underappreciated, with endless amounts of forgiveness for Homer.
It may only be a cartoon on the surface, but The Simpsons resonates with viewers on a much deeper level. Offering charm, humor, and life lessons, it's perfect TV that has stood the test of time.
"Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers."
Homer Simpson
In 1998, the 10 year-old Bart Simpson was named as one of the 'Most Influential People Of The Century' by TIME Magazine.
Why we're all crazy about Keanu.
When even your name is beautiful (Keanu means "cool breeze over the mountains"), it's no surprise that Keanu Reeves was destined to become one of world's biggest and most enduring film stars. Bursting onto our screens in eighties in River's Edge and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, his run of smash hits continued through the next decade with Point Break, Much Ado About Nothing, Speed, and his groundbreaking role as Neo in The Matrix. Then, in 2014, his sensational comeback in the John Wick films catapulted him right back to the top of the Hollywood A-list.
No stranger to tragedy in his personal life - his baby was stillborn and his partner died in a car accident two years later - Keanu is as famous for his kindness, wisdom and philanthropy as he is for his film career. He has secretly donated large sums to children's hospitals, given generous gifts to crew members on set and made headlines for his kindness to fans. Join us in a celebration of the man widely known as "the Internet's boyfriend".
"If you can make a woman laugh, you're seeing the most beautiful thing on God's earth."
Keanu Reeves on women
Born in Lebanon and raised in Australia, the USA and Canada, Reeves is of Chinese, English, Irish, Hawaiian and Portuguese descent. (But he's Canadian, OK?)
Knock-Knock is the world's oldest joke and yet has never gotten old! (It just feels it.)
Invented by William Shakespeare in 1606, (appearing in his famed tragedy, Macbeth; bet you never knew that) the humble Knock-Knock joke has made eyes roll, noses snort and mouths chuckle for centuries. Since the Bard's drunken Beelzebub bit the long-suffering gag became a global 'punomenon' (in 1936) before settling today as the world's best kids (and Dads) joke format that encourages giggles and grimaces in equal measure... with endless punning potential.
The latest kid on the block in Welbeck's big-selling Small and Mighty gift series, compiled by (self-proclaimed) 'World's funniest joke compiler', Malcolm Croft, The Small and Mighty Book of Knock Knock Jokes is a tiny bundle of joy that includes all the classic and vintage Knock-Knock jokes, as well as all the modern, twenty-first century ones too. And because the jokes are all clean and family-friendly, you can share them with kids of all ages without worrying about anything inappropriate.
If laughter is indeed the best medicine, we recommend you take two Small and Mighty Book of Knock Knock Jokes with a glass of water and have a lie down – you'll find something to tickle your funny bone in no time, guaranteed!
Knock-Knock! – Who's there? – Boo – Boo who? – Don't cry, it's just a joke.
The World Record for the most knock-knock jokes told in one minute is 24, told by Alex and Andrea Rose from Texas in 2015.
The Golden Age of Bullshit.
Welcome to the golden age of bullshit, a wiki-wild world knee deep in half-truths and alternative facts, spin and bias, influence and insincerity, little white lies and tall tales, falsehoods and propaganda, and all sorts of other baloney designed to disguise fact from fiction. We live in a post truth, fake news, world where nothing is quite as it seems and everything you read should be seen before believed. But isn't.
From Brexit buses to Donald Trump, the University of Google to misleading advertising claims, and everything in-between, the bullshit keeps getting bigger and stronger and the lies are turning truer every day. It's time to call bullshit on bullshit!
The Little Book of Bullshit is the ideal antidote everybody needs to fight the influx of excessive lying and cheating and defrauding that has come to define the 21st century, a tiny tome stuffed with delightfully witty snack-sized nuggets of facts and stats and quotes and boasts all related to the ever-expanding world of bullshit.
"The first rule of bullshit is that it must be believable."
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
"I'm almost finished..."
All of us, at some point in our lives
"Buy land, 'cause God ain't making any more of it."
When The Sopranos aired in 1999, it was at the forefront what is now known as the Golden Age of TV. Revolving around a suburban New Jersey gangster and his attempts to juggle work and home life, the show redefined the crime drama genre and, instead of stereotyped mobsters, gave us a sensitive portrayal of anti-heroes and deeply flawed characters we somehow find ourselves rooting for.
Each episode looks like a movie, and the plots are dark and twisting, dealing with complex themes of depression, suicide, family strife and betrayal, and yet it never forgets to find the lighter moments in amongst it all, streaked through as it is with raucous humour and some truly unforgettable one-liners.
This little book gives fans of the show a chance to relive the magic, to remember some of its most indelible moments and pithy exchanges, all while learning some lesser-known trivia along the way. If nothing else, it'll give them a break from wondering about what really happened at that diner in the final scene...
"You don't shit where you eat. And you especially don't shit where I eat."
Tony Soprano
Creator David Chase only directed two episodes of the show: the first and the last.
Made from the paper of the mightiest tree in a forest and cut to size with a herring, this Little Guide to Monty Python may be only-ever-so slightly bigger than one of Mr Creosote's wafer-sized mints, but it's packed with enough preposterous comedy power to keep Pythonites stuffed with laughter until breakfast.
Monty Python, of course, do not require an introduction. Python are the UK's original legends of comedy; as influential as they are innovative, as incomparable as they are intelligent. For sixty years, their unique brand of ensemble silliness has travelled the world as much as Michael Palin's toothbrush, their legacy growing with each generation.
This tiny time can barely contain the 185 or so classic quotes, one liners, character flaws and jokes that made the troupe so famous, all revealed in the profoundly preposterous wit, wisdom and words of the Pythons themselves.
All together now... "Always look on the bright side of life..."
'I always wanted to be an explorer, but it seemed I was doomed to be nothing more than a very silly person.' Michael Palin
"I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger!"
When a mild-mannered chemistry teacher teamed up with a small-time meth dealer - and, over five chaotic and addictive seasons, transforms into a ruthless kingpin - nobody expected the show to become a global sensation. But the gripping tale of Walt's descent into the criminal underworld has smashed records, making Breaking Bad the most critically acclaimed show of all time.
Now the legacy of this trailblazing series has been refined into the gift that keeps on giving. Say My Name: The Little Guide to Breaking Bad is contaminated with the loco misadventures of Walt, Jesse, Skyler, Saul, Gus, Mike and Hank through a wealth of wicked wit and wisdom, and classic, killer catchphrases. Just remember, tread lightly - we wouldn't want you to get hooked on the show all over again. Or would we?
1789 is one of the most significant dates in history. It is the year, obviously, the French Revolution kicked off with the nation's peasants demanding 'Liberté! Egalité! Fraternité! and led to the rolling of the heads of the French ruling class. Rather wonderfully, it's also the year that America emancipated the name Bourbon from the French and began distilling the whiskey that would soon become the official spirit of the United States. History's funny like that.
Precisely 235 years later, bourbon is having a big boom all around the world, its popularity never more in full swing. From high-profile celebrity brands to bestselling bottles, famous drinkers to high volume sales, bourbon is the next renaissance in spirits, following hot on the heels of the premium gentrification of rum, vodka, tequila and gin.
The Little Book of Bourbon is America's official spirit distilled into more than 175 shots of booze-infused facts, stats, trivia, history, tips, recipes, advice and much more. An absolute must-own companion for bourbon connoisseurs. Please read responsibly.
'All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon.'
Fred Minnick
"Why limit happy to an hour?"
It's cocktail o'clock!
Cocktails are more popular now than ever before in the history of drinking. It's boom time for cocktails, whether it's a wild night in with friends or charming a bartender with witty cocktail jokes. From Aperol Spritz to Zombie Punch and everything in-between, this drinking companion will never judge your cocktail order and is filled to the rim with enough cool trivia to make even your Martini shake in excitement.
Intoxicated with loud-out-loud quips, classic recipes and delightful wit, The Little Book of Cocktails is a cosy compendium to up your cocktailing game and shake like a mixologist - behind the bar or on the dancefloor - and a perfect little pick-me-up for your evening unwinding. Just like a cocktail. Please read responsibly.
'Hear no evil, speak no evil, and you won't be invited to cocktail parties.'
Oscar Wilde
'One martini is alright, two is too many, three is not enough.'
James Thurber
'It's 4:58 on Friday afternoon. Do you know where your margarita is?'
Amy Neftzger
War. Work. Wives. Brexit. Cost of living. Cholesterol. In-laws. Lost youth. Kids.
The list of things that make poor ol' Dad sad, tired and frustrated these days is growing by the minute, each one worse than the next. Dads have never been so unhappy, tired, stressed and overworked. Look at him – he looks terrible. He needs a break!
While this may be terrible news for mums, grandparents and children, the return of dad jokes is the good news that all Dads needed to hear. It's packed with all the pun-tificating and funny feels Dads need to cheer them up... and get those laugh-out-loud groans they so desperately need to keep them operational.
With more than 175 killer jokes (barely) contained within this tiny tome, this little book is so powerful with wholesome fatherly humour it will send the family packing to the in-laws in no time, just as Dad deserves. Job done. You're welcome.
Why should you never trust stairs?
Because they're always up to something.
Bitesize nuggets of poo trivia too witty to wipe away.
To celebrate the 540-millionth anniversary of the very first butthole – thanks sea sponges – this is the The Little Book of Poo(p). And, rather wonderfully, it's utter shit. A real turd. 100 per cent crap. In short, the perfect toilet book.
This compact compendium is anything but constipated, despite being stuffed with perfectly shaped nuggets of poo knowledge squeezed into the easily digetsible form of facts, stats, trivia, quotes and history and much more to boot.
This little book lifts the lid on humankind's greatest obsession to celebrate its many shapes, sizes, smells and backstories all for your reading please next time you're on the throne without your phone. With this book, you'll be straining to hold back the tears... of laughter. That's our shat-isfaction guarantee. Enjoy!
'Just poopin'. You know how I be.'
Michael Scott, The Office U.S., Series 6, Episode 10
Since 1921, Gucci has been a titan of the luxury fashion industry. Celebrated for its exclusive high-end accessories, the brand reigns supreme for its signature leather goods and decadent garments that have elegantly combined the understated with the opulent.
More than 100 years ago, Gucci took the world by storm as a luxury luggage and equstrian outfitter, quickly becoming a giant of 1990s haute couture. The highly sought-after products would only become more exclusive with time, and since then the company has gone from strength to strength. Under the watchful eyes of Alessandro Michele and now, Sabato de Sarno, the brand has made its mark on streetwear, inspring a new generation of fans.
Brimming with fascinating facts and inspirational quotes from celebrities, fans and the creative heads at Gucci, this little guide documents not only the brand's extraordinary journey, but also the elusive family at the helm.
'Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.'
Aldo Gucci
Homer and Bart. Phil and Luke. God and Jesus. Charles and William. Perhaps no other relationship is as complex, rewarding and ever-changing as that of a father and son. Whether the son becomes a mini-me of the father or rebels entirely, who you grow up to be is inevitably shaped by your father.
Over the last 50 years, the relationship between a father and son has changed from being a more distant and emotionally strained one to a more loving, open and honest one, which provides a whole new minefield for fathers to navigate. They're more hands-on than ever before, no longer just the traditional breadwinner and disciplinarian. But this thankfully means the father-son bond is often now stronger than ever, as this book shows.
Packed full of facts, quotes and trivia, The Little Book of Fathers and Sons is the perfect insight into this unique relationship, whether the parent or child. Full of wit and wisdom, this is the perfect gift for your old man or little man.
Drag may have been around for hundreds of years, but it's only in recent years that it's really hit the mainstream. Thanks in part to the phenomenon that is RuPaul's Drag Race, drag is now a regular feature of TV, streaming, podcasts and more, and it is beloved by many – stars such as Bianca Del Rio and Trixie Mattel are now household names. But that growing fame hasn't been entirely positive, with backlash from conservatives and religious groups.
The Little Book of Drag is a sickening celebration of all things drag, serving realness with facts, history and quotes from the queens. Providing all the T on everything you've ever wanted to know, this is the book for any queen who wants to get reading . . . the library is open.