Full Circle

'It was a journey of dazzling extremes. Beauty and ugliness, sophistication and squalor, unceasing urban noise and monastic tranquillity . . . This is a record of a year of wonder' Full Circle is the diary of Michael Palin's epic 245-day, 50,000-mile adventure around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. It's a journey that takes him through eighteen different countries - including some of the most politically volatile and physically demanding places on Earth. Told with Michael's trademark warmth and good humour, this is a spectacular story of high contrasts, intense drama and unmissable beauty.

'It was a journey of dazzling extremes. Beauty and ugliness, sophistication and squalor, unceasing urban noise and monastic tranquillity . . . This is a record of a year of wonder' Full Circle is the diary of Michael Palin's epic 245-day, 50,000-mile adventure around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. It's a journey that takes him through eighteen different countries - including some of the most politically volatile and physically demanding places on Earth. Told with Michael's trademark warmth and good humour, this is a spectacular story of high contrasts, intense drama and unmissable beauty.

In 1893, midway through his career as creator of master detective Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle decided to end the Holmes series by killing off his hero in one last story. That much is fact. But wait. Kill off Holmes? That would be murder. A crime. Doesn't Holmes fight crime? Yes, in his own world. And so, Full Circle. Holmes and Watson, his friend and chronicler, find themselves mysteriously drawn to an unfamiliar London home, where a séance is in progress, and at once come up against a challenge unlike anything England's foremost detective has ever encountered. It appears that the man of the house-a physician named A. C. Doyle-is plotting a heinous murder, working out its details in writing, but leaving the intended victim's name unspecified. Could Dr. Doyle be plotting the demise of his ailing and unsuspecting wife, with whom he will soon be travelling to the area where the murder is to take place? Could the victim be some other adversary of the doctor? Further complicating Holmes's investigation is the discovery that the plot they've uncovered has been written out in Watson's own hand, perfectly mimicking his narrative style and voice. Then there's the exact duplicate of Watson's cane, leaning against the wall, and the presence here of Holmes's violin, with its unique markings and imperfections, plus a host of other impossible coincidences. Something baffling is going on, something very wrong. As the unfathomable aspects of the case start to mount, Holmes and Watson are joined by a former adversary now turned ally, the beautiful, brilliant, all-knowing Irene Adler, heroine of an earlier Doyle story. Through her, the two men discover the true nature of their existence, as well as the fact that Holmes himself is Doyle's intended victim. It is up to Holmes, aided by Irene Adler and Watson, to find a way to cross the border between the world of the imagination, in which they exist, and the real world of Arthur Conan Doyle, if they hope to escape their creator's murderous scheme.

In 1893, midway through his career as creator of master detective Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle decided to end the Holmes series by killing off his hero in one last story. That much is fact. But wait. Kill off Holmes? That would be murder. A crime. Doesn't Holmes fight crime? Yes, in his own world. And so, Full Circle. Holmes and Watson, his friend and chronicler, find themselves mysteriously drawn to an unfamiliar London home, where a séance is in progress, and at once come up against a challenge unlike anything England's foremost detective has ever encountered. It appears that the man of the house-a physician named A. C. Doyle-is plotting a heinous murder, working out its details in writing, but leaving the intended victim's name unspecified. Could Dr. Doyle be plotting the demise of his ailing and unsuspecting wife, with whom he will soon be travelling to the area where the murder is to take place? Could the victim be some other adversary of the doctor? Further complicating Holmes's investigation is the discovery that the plot they've uncovered has been written out in Watson's own hand, perfectly mimicking his narrative style and voice. Then there's the exact duplicate of Watson's cane, leaning against the wall, and the presence here of Holmes's violin, with its unique markings and imperfections, plus a host of other impossible coincidences. Something baffling is going on, something very wrong. As the unfathomable aspects of the case start to mount, Holmes and Watson are joined by a former adversary now turned ally, the beautiful, brilliant, all-knowing Irene Adler, heroine of an earlier Doyle story. Through her, the two men discover the true nature of their existence, as well as the fact that Holmes himself is Doyle's intended victim. It is up to Holmes, aided by Irene Adler and Watson, to find a way to cross the border between the world of the imagination, in which they exist, and the real world of Arthur Conan Doyle, if they hope to escape their creator's murderous scheme.

* CHARTING THE RISE AND FALL OF FIRST-CLASS CRICKET: WHAT COMES NEXT? ‘A remarkable account of cricket’s fascinating journey from its origins ... to the present day.’ Ehsan Mani, former President of the ICC In its early forms in the 18th century, cricket was a commercial entertainment, a vehicle for gambling alongside cock-fighting or wrestling. In the Victorian era, the sport was recreated as a means of keeping order in England’s public schools and increasingly allied with ideas of virtue and manliness. Exported by empire loyalists, cricket took root across the globe – thriving in some countries, indelibly linked with racism and colonialism in others. From Australia to the Caribbean to Afghanistan, Oborne and Heller explore cricket’s expansion and its later role in decolonisation, education and politics. They argue that in recent years the game – dominated by the wealth and scale of franchise cricket – has come full circle, less a sport than a commercial enterprise once more. In consequence, they believe it is in crisis. As big money has taken over the game, is cricket losing its integrity and meaning? Comprehensive in scope and drawing on contemporary scholarship, this masterful account is an essential read for cricket fans everywhere. Praise for Full Circle ‘A proper, meaty history, independent in perspective, global in its sweep and trenchant in its judgements.’ Gideon Haigh ‘A truly global history of cricket, that draws on a wide range of sources and is itself elegantly written.’ Ramachandra Guha, author of The Commonwealth of Cricket ‘[An] encyclopaedic journey through the history of the game.’ Fazeer Mohammed, cricket commentator and journalist

* CHARTING THE RISE AND FALL OF FIRST-CLASS CRICKET: WHAT COMES NEXT? ‘A remarkable account of cricket’s fascinating journey from its origins ...to the present day.’ Ehsan Mani, former President of the ICC In its early forms in the 18thcentury, cricket was a commercial entertainment, a vehicle for gambling alongside cock-fighting or wrestling. In the Victorian era, the sport was recreated as a means of keeping order in England’s public schools and increasingly allied with ideas of virtue and manliness. Exported by empire loyalists, cricket took root across the globe – thriving in some countries, indelibly linked with racism and colonialism in others. From Australia to the Caribbean to Afghanistan, Oborne and Heller explore cricket’s expansion and its later role in decolonisation, education and politics. They argue that in recent years the game – dominated by the wealth and scale of franchise cricket – has come full circle, less a sport than a commercial enterprise once more. In consequence, they believe it is in crisis. As big money has taken over the game, is cricket losing its integrity and meaning? Comprehensive in scope and drawing on contemporary scholarship, this masterful account is an essential read for cricket fans everywhere. Praise for Full Circle ‘A proper, meaty history, independent in perspective, global in its sweep and trenchant in its judgements.’ Gideon Haigh ‘A truly global history of cricket, that draws on a wide range of sources and is itself elegantly written.’ Ramachandra Guha, author of The Commonwealth of Cricket ‘[An] encyclopaedic journey through the history of the game.’ Fazeer Mohammed, cricket commentator and journalist