At the beginning of the 1650s, England was in ruins  wrecked by plague and civil war. Yet shimmering on the horizon was a vision of paradise: Willoughbyland.

Ever since Sir Walter Ralegh set out in 1595 to claim the Beautiful Empire of Guiana for the English crown  and to find the legendary city of El Dorado  adventurers had struggled against the fierce jungle of the Wild Coast in search of their fortune.

Now, in the lush landscape between the great Amazon and Orinoco rivers, a group of Cavaliers, expelled by Oliver Cromwell, had established a new colony named after its founder  Sir Francis Willoughby.

This is the untold story of Willoughbylands spectacular rise and fall, set at a pivotal moment in British and world history. Here are the indigenous Indian kings and their people, both friend and foe to the new arrivals. Here is Fifth Baron Willoughby himself, like his colony a mass of contradictory extremes. And here is Aphra Behn  later one of the most successful dramatists of the Restoration stage  sent to spy on a man with whom she will fall in love, transforming the fate of this entire enterprise.

In the blissfully warm and fragrant air, these adventurers and exiles found a land of unimaginable freedom and natural beauty. Yet, as planters and traders followed explorers, and mercenaries and soldiers followed political dissidents, it would become a place of terror and cruelty, of sugar and slavery. As Matthew Parker reveals, the history of Willoughbyland is a microcosm of the history of empire, its heady attractions and fatal dangers.

'This is a miracle of a book' George Lamming

'Compelling. Stuart Hall's story is the story of an age' Owen Jones

'Sometimes I feel I was the last colonial'

This is the story, in his own words, of the extraordinary life of Stuart Hall: writer, thinker and one of the leading intellectual lights of his age. Growing up in a middle-class family in 1930s Jamaica, then still a British colony, Hall found himself caught between two worlds: the stiflingly respectable middle class in Kingston, who, in their habits and ambitions, measured themselves against the white planter elite; and working-class and peasant Jamaica, neglected and grindingly poor, though rich in culture, music and history. But as colonial rule was challenged, things began to change in Jamaica and across the world.

When, in 1951, a scholarship took him across the Atlantic to Oxford University, Hall encountered other Caribbean writers and thinkers, from Sam Selvon and George Lamming to V. S. Naipaul. He also forged friendships with the likes of Raymond Williams and E. P. Thompson, with whom he worked in the formidable political movement, the New Left, and developed his groundbreaking ideas on cultural theory. Familiar Stranger takes us to the heart of Hall's struggle in post-war England: that of building a home and a life in a country where, rapidly, radically, the social landscape was transforming, and urgent new questions of race, class and identity were coming to light.

Told with passion and wisdom, this is a story of how the forces of history shape who we are.

Michelle Obama is:

A First Lady of the United States of America.

A lawyer

An inspiration

As well as a writer, activist and feminist icon. Michelle was born and raised in Chicago, she studied and worked hard to become a lawyer, and then took to the international stage as First Lady.

This beautifully illustrated book tells the extraordinary story of Michelle Obama's life, perfect for young readers everywhere.

Explore other extraordinary lives:
The Extraordinary Life of Stephen Hawking
The Extraordinary Life of Malala Yousafzai
The Extraordinary Life of Anne Frank
The Extraordinary Life of Mahatma Gandhi
The Extraordinary Life of Rosa Parks
The Extraordinary Life of Serena Williams
The Extraordinary Life of Nelson Mandela

Rosa Parks was:

An activist

A campaigner for equal rights

An inspiration

Rosa Parks, the woman known for refusing to give up her seat on the bus, triggered a great shift in the fight for civil rights. Raised in Alabama, Rosa Parks knew all about the racism of her society from an early age. Discover how she became the brilliant activist we know today, in this beautifully illustrated book with real-life stories, timelines and facts to bring her extraordinary story to life.

Explore other extraordinary lives:
The Extraordinary Life of Stephen Hawking
The Extraordinary Life of Michelle Obama
The Extraordinary Life of Katherine Johnson
The Extraordinary Life of Mahatma Gandhi
The Extraordinary Life of Alan Turing
The Extraordinary Life of Serena Williams
The Extraordinary Life of Nelson Mandela

David Beckham is the world's most famous football icon.

In May this year he brought down the curtain on a hugely successful playing career that spanned two decades, during which he proudly wore the shirts of Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and England. He captained his country on 58 occasions, winning 115 international caps in total, an English record for an outfield player.

His colourful and stellar career has been characterised by the emotional highs of great goals and remarkable trophy successes around the world, as well as by more than the occasional moment of set-back, disappointment and despair, but through it all Beckham has emerged as a universally adored figure, both inside and outside the game.

Here, intimately talking us through 150 of his favourite images which define his playing days, he invites us behind the scenes of an incredible 20-year footballing journey.

David Beckham is one of the most decorated footballers in the sport's history.

With Manchester United (the club he supported as a boy), he won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and - unforgettably - the Champions League when United claimed their famous Treble at the climax of the 1998-99 season.

In also winning championships in Spain with Real Madrid, in the USA with LA Galaxy, and in France with PSG, Beckham became the first Englishman to win league titles in four different countries.

His 115 international appearances are a record for an English outfield player, and he is also the first England player to score at three World Cup finals.

From Inner-City Nobody to Brilliant Neurosurgeon

When Ben Carson was in school, his classmates called him the class dummy. Manyincluding Ben himselfdoubted that he would ever amount to anything. But his mother never let him quit. She encouraged Ben to do better and reach higher for his dreams, and eventually he discovered a deep love of learning. Today this young boy from the inner-city is one of the worlds greatest pediatric neurosurgeons. Through determination and lot of hard work, Ben overcame his many obstacles and is now dedicated to saving the lives of critically ill children around the world.

PAPERBACK EDITION FULLY UPDATED WITH TWO NEW CHAPTERS

After creating 12 different billion-dollar businesses and breaking dozens of world records, wouldnt you think youd done it all?

Not Sir Richard Branson. Having brought the Virgin brand to all corners of the globe, hes now reaching out to the stars as he prepares to launch commercial space travel with Virgin Galactic.

In this non-stop memoir, Richard takes you inside his whirlwind life: from reinventing his companies in the midst of the financial crisis and devastating personal losses, to tackling the planets biggest challenges, to the joys of becoming a grand-dude at 64.Discover the irrepressible spirit, ingenious vision and relentless drive that has made Richard the ultimate entrepreneur.

The iconoclastic Virgin founder is still changing the world. Next comes outer space.