Humour

A story of three grown sisters, whose father – in a moment of crisis – accidentally lets slip that he has a favourite, from the author of New York Times bestseller Amazing Grace Adams. Alex, Eva and Nancy. Three grown-up sisters; each wonderful and messy in their own individual ways. And loved equally by their parents, Vivienne and Patrick. Or...

The Light Fantastic is the second Discworld novel and second in the Wizards series, revamped with a fresh bold look targeting a new generation of fantasy fans. "Darkness isn't the opposite of light, it is simply its absence . . . what was radiating from the book was the light that lies on the far side of darkness, the light...

The thirteenth Discworld novel. 'Deftly weaves themes of forgiveness, belief and spiritual regeneration' The Times The Discworld is very much like our own—if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is... 'Just because you can't explain it, doesn't mean it's a...

Pre-order the paperback of Bella Mackie's latest hilarious novel, WHAT A WAY TO GO, now. THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘I loved this book’ RICHARD OSMAN ‘Funny, sharp, dark and twisted’ JOJO MOYES ‘Chilling, but also laugh-out-loud funny. Another corker’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH They say you can’t choose your family. But you can kill them. Meet Grace Bernard. Daughter, sister, serial...

A beautiful collectible edition containing the fifth and sixth novels of the beloved Bridgerton series by New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn. To Sir Phillip, With Love Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he’d proposed, figuring that she’d be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except......

The ups and downs of dad life, as drawn by award-winning cartoonist Toby Morris. Toby: What do dads do? Kid: Drink a lot of beer. Honest and real, warts and all, here are the ups and downs of modern dad life as drawn by award-winning cartoonist (and dad) Toby Morris. With over 100 full-colour pages of Toby's unmistakable, original artwork,...

How do you start again, after losing everything? Find out in the global no. 1 bestseller's latest heartstopper... Anna Walsh had a dream life - according to everybody else. She lived in New York, had a long-term boyfriend, and had The Best Job In The World working as a highly successful beauty PR. So why did she decide to take...

Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum is a thrilling new novel that follows the Aurora management team's desperate attempt to achieve their corporate dreams. Set against the lush backdrop of a luxury Miami resort, the story unfolds over one tension-filled weekend. Ten colleagues, each harbouring their own grudges and secrets, gather for a corporate retreat with the promise of a...

Pre-order this charming, cosy romantasy now! ‘The cutest cosy fantasy’ – reader review When Saphira opens her cafe welcoming pet baby dragons, she isn’t expecting it to be quite so hard to keep the fires burning. But her young dragon patrons keep incinerating her furniture, which means selling coffee isn’t covering all her costs. Local heart-throb Aiden is a gardener,...

A stunning hardback treasury of five of Richard Scarry’s best-loved stories – the perfect gift for Scarry fans, young and old! It’s another fun-filled day in Richard Scarry’s Busytown! Pay a visit to Lowly Worm and all your favourite characters in this fabulous collection of Scarry’s best-loved stories. Packed full of cars and trucks, planes and trains, houses, shops and...

'Heartbreaking and funny, often in the same sentence'Claire Lombardo, bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had Sally Holt has always been mystified by the things her older sister, Kathy, seems to have been born knowing. Kathy has answers for all of Sally's questions about life, about love, and about Billy Barnes, a local basketball star who runs the...

The eleventh Code-Cracker volume returns to the popular alternating single and double letter starter format. Enjoy 125 new puzzles from the series that is enjoyed daily in newspapers from Whangarei to Invercargill, including the Otago Daily Times, Dominion Post, and New Zealand Herald.

The twenty-first Discworld novel. Generous, amusing and the ideal boarding point for those who have never visited Discworld — Sunday Telegraph The Discworld is very much like our own—if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is... "Neighbours... hah. People'd live...

'Well researched, emotive and hugely entertaining' Guillem Balague 'Wonderful. Perfect for anyone who loves football but has forgotten why' Joey D'Urso 'This book is a joy to read' Max Rushden A treasure trove of new and untouched stories Suzy Wrack Have you ever heard of the football club founded by ex-KGB officers, the 21-time champions of Moldova? How about the...

Disappointing Affirmations hilariously counters the culture of relentless toxic positivity with a realistic take on a disappointing world where failure is always an option, but that’s okay. From the creator of the wildly popular Instagram account @disappointingaffirmations. Pairing lovely vacation photos taken by the author himself with sayings that are amusingly self-critical, encouraging, disillusioned, or all three at once, Tarnowski points to...

A fun and essential guide to the world of football and an incredible gift for young fans. Discover everything you've ever wanted to know about football, from fascinating facts about your favourite players and clubs, to incredible international stats and terrific trivia. Packed with hilarious illustrations, this encyclopedia is anything but boring! Learn about all aspects of the game, including...

Amazon no.1 bestseller Meghan Quinn brings a side-splitting modern take on Pretty Woman. This savvy, sharp and steamy rom-com is not one to be missed! How did you two meet? The question I dread. My not so meet cute was... unexpected. I was casually searching Beverly Hills for someone to make me their bride. That's when we bumped into each...

Kay’s Incredible Inventions is the third hilarious middle-grade book from the record-breaking bestselling author of Kay's Anatomy and This is Going to Hurt, Adam Kay. It is illustrated throughout by Adam's friend and fellow award-winning comedian, Henry Paker. Do you ever wonder where the stuff around you all came from? No, not from eBay. I mean, who had the amazing...

A fabulous introduction, with lots of space to fill in, for anyone who wants to create their own comics. Kapow! Boom! Discover this awesome activity book, perfect for anyone who wants to start making comics. There's lots of space for children to fill in, with simple step-by-step instructions to help them plan and lay out their graphic stories using speech...

The Amazon No.1 bestseller's workplace enemies to lovers, When-Harry-Met-Sally-inspired romance. Am I in love with JP Cane? Ha! He certainly thinks so. He's annoyingly loud, obnoxiously handsome, and having watched When Harry Met Sally is convinced that men and women can't just be friends. So when we fly to San Francisco for work and stay in the same penthouse, I'm...

From the author of The Heart's Invisible Furies and in the wake of a hugely successful hardback publication, The Echo Chamber is 'uproariously funny. The world has never needed satire more urgently and Boyne delivers in spades.' (The Sunday Times) 'The funniest book I've read in ages. Savage but compelling' Ian Rankin 'A fearless romp with big laughs along the...

In My Year of Rest and Relaxation, acclaimed author Ottessa Moshfegh presents a darkly comedic and profoundly moving exploration of a young woman's desire to abandon the chaos of life. The protagonist, a nameless narrator, appears to have it all: youth, beauty, and financial security that allows her to live in a luxurious apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. However,...

The ultimate Christmas bestseller of amazing facts, extraordinary stories, and eye-opening pictures is back! Every year Ripley's Believe It or Not! storms the bestseller list as it unveils the latest collection of weird but true stories, bite-size, jaw-dropping facts, and amazing photographs gathered from all over the world. This year ... Gasp at the paddle-steamer made entirely out of ice....

Challenge your brain with these enjoyable puzzles.100 puzzles from The Times adapting the cryptic puzzle for those with a hectic lifestyle and schedule. Ideal for those starting out with cryptic crosswords, and those who’d like to tackle the main puzzle but feel daunted, or who can perhaps only solve a handful of clues. Appearing Monday to Friday in the puzzle...

The sixth set of books collecting Bill Watterson's timeless Calvin and Hobbes comics in a new portable format designed to introduce the timeless adventures of a boy and his stuffed tiger to a new generation of readers. Featuring nearly 500 comics presented chronologically from July 1993 to July 1995. This compact, portable collection of Calvin and Hobbes comics will fit easily into backpacks, bookshelves—and make for a perfect stocking stuffer....

Do you know someone whose life is dominated by training blocks and energy gels? Are you fed up of hearing about blisters in too much disgusting detail? Or have you yourself succumbed to running fever and are willing race day to be over - or quietly hoping that it never comes? Fear not! Whether you're a long-suffering marathon runner or...

You & Me and You & Me and You & Me by Emlyn Rees and Josie Lloyd explores the lives of one couple with one past and a million tomorrows. Adam and Jules have been married for 25 years when they discover a time machine in their shed. Can it bring back their romantic spark, or will it unravel everything?...

A riotously funny dark romantasy about a conflicted villain and his unstoppable bride forming the realm’s most chaotic alliance, perfect for fans of Assistant to the Villain.“What’s mine, stays mine.”Step One: Kidnap someone cute.Step Two: Force her into marriage.Step Three: Try not to get feelings.When Dark Lord Kazimir Blackrose kidnaps Lady Arabella and forces her to marry him, he expects...

The hugely successful Football Superstars series launches the ultimate joke book, filled with hundreds of the most hilarious football gags around! What's more, Football Superstars: Football Jokes Rule features page after page of hilarious pictures, with loads of anecdotes and fun throughout. Get ready to titter and roar with laughter with this sidesplitting joke book, perfect for encouraging young football...

From #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Jennifer Niven, a novel about America's favourite TV family, whose perfect façade starts to crack, for fans of Lessons in Chemistry and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America's Favourite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every...

Test yourself with these challenging crossword puzzles. A crossword to test your general knowledge with 100 puzzles of moderate difficulty, featuring one or two more teasing clues to tax you more fully. It's a satisfying challenge to stimulate the brain cells. Do you find cryptic crosswords too much of a chore? Do you want your general knowledge and word power...

From creative duo Adam Kay and Henry Paker comes a hilarious and fact-filled activity book based on the record-setting bestseller Kay's Anatomy. Contains over 500 hilarious, disgusting activities - codes to crack, experiments, recipes and more, including 144 all-new "True or Poo" quiz questions! Do you know your patella from your paella? Have you ever tasted phlegm soup? Want to...

Pulitzer Prize finalist Lydia Millet's sublime new novel—her first since the National Book Award long-listed Sweet Lamb of Heaven—follows a group of twelve eerily mature children on a forced vacation with their families at a sprawling lakeside mansion. Contemptuous of their parents, who pass their days in a stupor of liquor, drugs, and sex, the children feel neglected and suffocated...

Test your general knowledge with these fiendish crosswords. A quiz in a grid. Test your memory and all-round general knowledge with these 80 new crosswords. Not only for crossword lovers, but quizzers of all abilities. The Times General Knowledge Crossword Book 1 offers a fair challenge for all quiz lovers. This crossword appears weekly in the Monday edition of The...

Roughly 1 in 5 millennials say they are playing the online word puzzle game, according to a new survey. Richard Osman and Jimmy Fallon are already Wordle addicts, and the Chase star Paul Sinha also regularly posts his results on Twitter. Brands are tweeting about the trendy game, too. Lego created its own green and yellow grid out of bricks,...

The 1% Club Official Quiz Book 2: more compulsive quizzes for all the family from the hit TV show. The essential Christmas gift for all fans of the The 1% Club hit TV show. The 1% Club Official Quiz Book 2 is packed full of brand new brain teasers from the team behind the popular TV show, including two cracking...

The original sweary adult colouring book by the global bestselling Amazon phenomenon, James Alexander. Over thirty-five creative and intricate designs feature classic and wonderfully original insults, exclamations, and swear words to help you relax and let go of the stressful situations in your life. Each single-sided page includes such aggression-relieving words as 'Shitballs', 'Twat Waffle', and 'Baggy Vag' laid over...

Search for Eevee and friends as you travel across the regions in this ultimate Pokémon search and find! Are you a Pokémon Go fan? This book is the ultimate screen-free alternative – with several Pokémon to catch on every action-packed, full-colour page, every Pokémon enthusiast will spend hours finding all their favourite characters and identifying new ones. Did you know...

Hilarious Ladybird books for grown-ups. This delightful book is the latest in the series of Ladybird books which have been specially planned to help grown-ups with the world about them. The large clear script, the careful choice of words, the frequent repetition and the thoughtful matching of text with pictures all enable grown-ups to think they have taught themselves to...

Python, actor, director, popular historian, reluctant national treasure, purveyor of sincere silliness - this is the story of the one and only Terry Jones. In an intimate portrait penned by the close friend Terry chose to write his memoir, Seriously Silly is the story of one of our greatest comedy legends. Taking in his major successes as well as his...

It's Murder Being a Hit-Mum When struggling crime writer Finlay Donovan takes on a life of crime normally reserved for her characters, she finds herself entangled in a real-life murder investigation. Witty and fast-paced, this murder mystery is perfect for fans of Abbi Waxman and Maria Semple. 'If you want a summer read that's entertaining, funny and wholly original, this...

Satisfyingly intriguing - Faith Martin J.M. Hall has mastered the warmth of a perfect modern cosy crime with all the twists and turns that go with it. I really enjoyed it! - Hannah Hendy Retired schoolteachers and amateur sleuths Liz, Pat and Thelma are giving up their coffee morning for a brand-new mystery. Retired teachers Pat, Liz and Thelma are...

Simon Shuker's Code-Cracker, Volume Fourteen

Help Agent Arthur to solve the puzzles and defeat the crooks in this sun-baked desert adventure. Intrepid Agent Arthur is off on another mission. This time, he finds himself in the heart of the scorching desert, where he investigates kidnapping and stolen gold. He'll need your help to solve a selection of brain-bending puzzles if he's to save the day...

Prove you are the smartest person in the room with 500 true trivia facts about world history. These facts are so absurd some might even say that they sound like bull$#*t! Explore the wild and the wacky side of history in this fun addition to the True Facts series that shares all things from all over the globe. Give the...

AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER! THE MUST-READ NOUGHTIES NOSTALGIA MEMOIR 'Hilarious' - CAITLIN MORAN 'Witty, gossipy, self-effacing and deeply nostalgic, this is a joy for all of us who survived the noughties but have forgotten quite how. Much more than the memoir of a fashion model, this is the rarely-told insider story of the most glamorous, grotty and downright insane...

Dorothy Daniels has always had a voracious—and adventurous—appetite. From her idyllic farm-to-table childhood (homegrown tomatoes, fragrant cassoulets) to the heights of her career as a food critic (caviar and foie gras washed down with champagne straight from the bottle), Dorothy has never been shy about indulging her exquisite tastes—even when it led to her plunging an ice pick into her...

Cozy up with a warm cup of tea and follow the sweet scenes of Milk and Mocha, from the popular webcomic @milkmochabear. Milk & Mocha Comics Collection shares their sweet slice-of-life moments in this new collection, including five never-before-seen comics. Milk and Mocha are charming bears with opposite personalities. These uplifting comics remind us of the sweet moments we share...

Read the most captivating historical debut of the year! [A] scintillating, swash-buckling debut… terrifically fun - SUNDAY TIMES Sharp, modern and absolutely delicious - TAYLOR JENKINS REID Fans of Bridgerton will swoon - NITA PROSE Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Love is not required… She’s got just twelve weeks to find a rich husband and save her sisters – and...

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. The animals at Manor Farm have had enough of Farmer Jones – he’s drunk, reckless and cares little for their welfare. When the boar, Old Major, shares his revolutionary plans, the animals are convinced they can...

Wankernomics is the hilarious must-have handbook for anyone who has ever had to endure the buzzwords, bureaucracy and bullsh*t of the modern working world. Written by comedians James Schloeffel and Charles Firth, this business self-help guide teaches readers how to outmanoeuvre their colleagues and climb the corporate ladder with nothing more than an obnoxious Linkedin profile, a pack of Post-it...

Suspicious goings-on at a retirement home lead to an intriguing investigation in Date with Malice, the second cosy crime novel in Julia Chapman's Dales Detective series. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club and M. C. Beaton. It's dark in the Dales this winter . . . When Mrs Shepherd arrives at the Dales Detective Agency, quite...

This kit includes a Starship Enterprise with a cool light-up feature, and a 32-page book on the history of the Enterprise, a must-have item for Star Trek fans! WARNING - KEEP BUTTON BATTERIES OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN Swallowing may lead to serious or fatal injury in as little as 2 hours due to chemical burns and potential perforation of...

Boss of the Underworld is one of the funniest books I've read this year, maybe this lifetime, and I'm not even exaggerating. It's INCREDIBLE. Jamie Smart, creator of Bunny vs Monkey Join Shirley and her giant cockroach friend, George, on a strange adventure through the Underworld. Will they triumph over scary foes, resist eating delicious things in the forest, navigate...

The brand-new heartwarming and hilarious children’s picture book from number one bestselling author David Walliams. Illustrated by artistic genius Tony Ross. Meet Geronimo – the baby penguin who has one dream and one dream only – and that is to fly! But everyone knows penguins can’t fly… or can they? With a little help from his dad and friends, baby...

Daisy Jones and the Six meets Patricia Highsmith in this addictive, intense novel about the brutal and ferocious road to glory, from the award-winning author of My Husband. Ever since she was a child, Cléo, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one obsession: becoming a famous singer. Over the years, to everyone’s surprise but her own, she...

Carpe Jugulum is the twenty-third Discworld novel. 'Terry Pratchett will remain an enduring, endearing presence in comic literature' Guardian The Discworld is very much like our own—if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants, which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is... In this life there are givers...

Makayla is bursting with ideas but doesn't know how to make them into a story. Howard loves to draw, but he struggles to come up with ideas and his dad thinks comics are a waste of time. Lynda constantly draws in her sketchbook but keeps focusing on what she feels are her mistakes, and Art simply loves being creative and...

NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES. Season 2 out March 2025! ‘I want to be Judith Potts when I grow up’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Read the whole thing in one day . . . I was hooked. It had me laughing to myself all day. Would recommend' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Comedy, thrilling, suspenseful. It was a brilliant read’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐...

The hilarious new novel from the bestselling author of How to Kill Men and Get Away With It and The Murder After the Night Before. 'I was rooting for Kitty even as she killed more men (oops!). Funny and twisty in the best of ways' Tasha Coryell * My name is Kitty Collins and I’m a serial killer. I don’t...

Breathtakingly inventive – David Mitchell A masterwork by the incomparable, genre-defying, wondrous Italo Calvino. You go into a bookshop and buy If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino. You like it. But there is a printer's error in your copy. You take it back to the shop and get a replacement. But the replacement seems to be...

Highly illustrated animal detective mystery for young readers. Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum begins when Detective Stanley has barely sat down for his breakfast pancakes and receives an invitation he cannot refuse. The Art Museum has been raided on the opening day of the Bleat Mondrian show, and Stan has been called to investigate. The most perplexing...

Megan is dreading going home to her tiny Irish town for the holidays. She hasn't returned since she left her fiancé at the altar four years ago. Christian hates being single at Christmas. Everyone back home is love-struck and coupled up, but he can't disappoint his mam and not go. So when the childhood friends bump into each other in...

The weird and wonderful ways Kiwis have with the English language. Do you speak Nu Zillund? In Kiwi Speak, bestselling author Justin Brown eavesdrops at the dinner table, the schoolyard, the farm, and the sports club to bring us an entertaining dictionary of phrases and expressions—the often hilarious, sometimes baffling New Zealandisms we use in everyday life.

She'll save Christmas just to spite him... There's only one thing standing in the way of Cat King saving a small town's Christmas festival: grumpy town manager Noah Yates. Single dad Noah takes his responsibilities seriously. When a late-season hurricane turns Merry, Connecticut, into a disaster, he's left scrambling to pick up the pieces of the town he loves. At...

Can you work out whodunnit, with what and why like Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot? Put your armchair detective abilities to the ultimate test... Do you have the flair, order and method of Hercule Poirot, or the unassuming, shrewd intelligence of Miss Marple? You're going to need it... Brush off your moustache, collect your knitting needles and put your little...

A deliciously dark satire on modern privilege from the Man Booker-shortlisted author of Eileen (and enfant terrible of American fiction), Ottessa Moshfegh. Read the razor-sharp satire that everyone on TikTok is talking about... On the surface, our narrator has everything you could want in life. She's young, beautiful, a recent Columbia graduate, and lives in an apartment on the Upper...

In his first memoir, beloved comedian and national treasure Bill Bailey shares stories of his life - and the animals he's met along the way. Bill Bailey has always had dogs, including a Patterdale terrier called Rocky who would travel with him in the van to his first shows and occasionally join him on stage. Fast forward a few decades...

The highly-anticipated brand new novel in the #1 bestselling Rivers of London series There is a world hidden underneath this great city... The London Silver Vaults - for well over a century, the largest collection of silver for sale in the world. It has more locks than the Bank of England and more cameras than a celebrity punch-up. Not somewhere...

As seen on TODAY! From New York Times Games, home of Wordle and Connections, comes a collection that transforms your favourite digital games into a beautifully designed book that’s perfect for solo play, family game night, or gifting to puzzle-obsessed friends. Welcome to the wonderful world of Puzzle Mania! from New York Times Games. Whether you’re new to puzzles or...

A stunning collectible edition containing the third and fourth novels in #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn’s beloved Bridgerton series. This edition features: gorgeous sprayed edges intricate foil iconography ribbon bookmark beautiful endpapers The Bridgerton series, a historical romance phenomenon, sweeps readers into the opulent ballrooms and drawing rooms of London’s Regency-era high society. In this exquisite edition,...

The dark comedy and whip-smart voice of You elevates the twisty suspense of Lisa Jewell's None of This is True in this read-until-four-am mystery thriller. Am I a murderer? You tell me . . . Lucy Chase can't remember anything about the night her best friend was murdered. Lucky her, you're probably thinking. Who would want that to be their...

The best park ever has just been cursed by an evil ultravillain! It's up to best friends Shackleton and Amelia to save their favourite place, no matter what crazy curses turn up along the way. What do you get if you cross The Bad Guys with Indiana Jones? The first book in a brand-new graphic novel series by comedian Sam...

A box-set facsimile collection of three classic Snoopy comic strip books - Snoopy, Snoopy, Come Home and It's a Dog's Life, Charlie Brown. With each book containing 128 pages, that's over 360 pages of classic Peanuts daily and Sunday newspaper comic strips to enjoy. Including art cards featuring the cover art from the individual books. This boxed set collects the...

Fuel your passion for puzzling with The Telegraph Big Book of Cryptic Crosswords 1, the first title in a relaunch of the best-selling bumper cryptic crossword series from the Telegraph. For long-time puzzle enthusiasts and crossword novices alike, these tricky puzzles will keep you entertained through the longest train journeys and the rainiest of evenings.

As Seen on Good Day New York It Started with a Whisper… Secrets are currency, and one juicy quote can destroy a career. In this cutthroat world of celebrity gossip, four unlikely friends rise to the top, armed with ambition, charm, and a Rolodex of the powerful and problematic. They trade in scandal, survive by instinct, and thrive on betrayal....

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett is a delightful and thought-provoking addition to the renowned Discworld series. This witty and engaging novel explores what happens when Death takes a much-needed holiday and the role of being the Grim Reaper is suddenly left vacant. Death is missing—presumed... er... gone. This unexpected absence leads to the kind of chaos you would expect when...

Simon Shuker's Code-Cracker, Volume Thirteen

'Davies has done it again, damn him. Irritatingly good. Maddeningly funny. Annoyingly fine.' STEPHEN FRY 'Emotional, entertaining and startlingly honest. I was totally engrossed.' AMY LIPTROT, author of The Outrun. Following Just Ignore Him, the bestselling memoir of his traumatic childhood, White Male Stand-Up is what happened next to Alan Davies. It's the story of how he threw himself into...

The Big Bang Theory is a television phenomenon. To the casual viewer, it's a seemingly effortless comedy, with relatable characters tackling real-life issues, offering a kind of visual comfort food to its millions of dedicated fans. But the behind-the-scenes journey of the show from a failed pilot to a global sensation is a fascinating story that even the most die-hard...