Just about all the people who really matter in one handy and endlessly browsable book

Every year, readers send in thousands of questions to New Scientist magazine in the hope that the answers to them will be given in the 'Last Word' column. This title presents a collection of the best that have appeared, including: why can't we eat green potatoes; why do airliners suddenly plummet; and, does a compass work in space.

Samuel Pepys achieved fame as a naval administrator, a friend and colleague of the powerful and learned, a figure of substance. But for nearly ten years he kept a private diary in which he recorded, with unparalleled openness and sensitivity to the turbulent world around him, exactly what it was like to be a young man in Restoration London.

Michael Palin tackles the full length of the Himalaya in this terrific number one bestseller

Michael Palin's superb No. 1 bestseller about his incredible voyage across the Sahara.

Through his musical taste which defined a culture and his wildly popular Radio 4 show, Home Truths , John Peel reached out to an audience that was as diverse as his record collection. This book, completed by the woman who knew him best, his wife, Shiela, presents an intimate portrait of his life, marriage and his family.