Audiobooks by John Preston

Watford Forever: How Graham Taylor and Elton John Saved a Football Club, a Town and Each Other

Brought to you by Penguin. An unforgettable British underdog story from one of our greatest narrative nonfiction writers, John Preston, and the international musical icon and bestselling author, Sir Elton John. Britain in the 1970s was beset by unrest and unemployment, as inflation soared, fuel was scarce, and hooliganism was on the rise. And for Watford FC, the outlook was even gloomier. Rundown and rat-infested, Watford were an ailing side with holes in their kit and barely enough fans to fill a stand. Of the 92 clubs in the Football League, spread across four divisions, Watford were in 92nd place. Meanwhile, Elton John was the most successful rockstar in the world. With six-inch platforms, spangled jumpsuits, and peroxide hair, he was glamorous, gay, and seemingly a world away from the council house in Pinner where he had supported Watford FC as a child. Many assumed he would move to America. Instead, he bought the football club. Watford Forever is the remarkable story of Elton John's ownership of Watford FC and its transformational journey to the top of the First Division under iconic manager Graham Taylor. Perhaps most remarkably, four of the same players who had been written off as has-beens went with them all the way from the bottom to the top. Inspiring and infectiously funny, this is a tribute to football's unlikeliest friendship as Elton John and Taylor, a straight-talking former fullback with a love of Vera Lynn, beat the odds and their personal demons to save a club and a community. Immersed in the grime and glamour of '70s Britain, Watford Forever is one of sport's great underdog stories and a love letter to the beautiful game. ©2023 Elton John & John Preston (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Elton John, John Preston (Author), Alex Jennings, TBD (Narrator)

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Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell

Brought to you by Penguin. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A LITERARY HIGHLIGHT FOR 2021 IN THE TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, GUARDIAN AND OBSERVER. From the best-selling author of A Very English Scandal, the jaw-dropping life story of the notorious business tycoon Robert Maxwell. In February 1991, the media mogul and former MP Robert Maxwell made a triumphant entrance into Manhattan harbour aboard his yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, to complete his purchase of the ailing New York Daily News. Crowds lined the quayside to watch his arrival, taxi drivers stopped their cabs to shake his hand and children asked for his autograph. But just 10 months later, Maxwell disappeared from the same yacht off the Canary Islands, only to be found dead in the water soon afterward. Maxwell was the embodiment of Britain's post-war boom. Born an Orthodox Jew, he had escaped the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, fought in World War II and was decorated for his heroism with the Military Cross. He went on to become a Labour MP and an astonishingly successful businessman, owning a number of newspapers and publishing companies. But on his death, his empire fell apart, as long-hidden debts and unscrupulous dealings came to light. Within a few days, Maxwell was being reviled as the embodiment of greed and corruption. No one had ever fallen so far and so quickly. What went so wrong? How did a war hero and model of society become reduced to a bloated, amoral wreck? In this gripping book, John Preston delivers the definitive account of Maxwell's extraordinary rise and scandalous fall. 'Preston is a natural storyteller' The Times © John Preston 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

John Preston (Author), Simon Bubb (Narrator)

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Getting It Done When You're Depressed, Second Edition: 50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track

Don't let depression get in the way of the life you want to live! Many people suffer from depression on a daily basis. The hard part is learning to live with it. Getting up and getting moving can seem like an insurmountable chore. You know you need to be productive but your brain just won't cooperate. Getting It Done When You're Depressed offers 50 strategies to break the cycle of inactivity that so often accompanies depression. These strategies are practical and easily applicable for anyone trying to lead a lifetime of productivity, regardless of your mood. In this revised edition, you'll find these strategies and more: - Feel the depression--and do it anyway. - Generate creativity. - Allow time for positive results. - Know when your brain is lying to you. - Tips on differenciating depression from bipolar disorder. It's time to come out from under your depression brain fog, create a daily structure, and feel great about yourself and your abilities again! © 2021 Julie A. Fast; John D. Preston © 2021 DK Audio

John Preston, Julie A. Fast (Author), Stephanie Cannon (Narrator)

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The Dig

Brought to you by Penguin. In the long hot summer of 1939 Britain is preparing for war. But on a riverside farm in Suffolk there is excitement of another kind: Mrs Petty, the widowed farmer, has had her hunch proved correct that the strange mounds on her land hold buried treasure. As the dig proceeds against a background of mounting national anxiety, it becomes clear though that this is no ordinary find ... And pretty soon the discovery leads to all kinds of jealousies and tensions. John Preston's recreation of the Sutton Hoo dig - the greatest Anglo-Saxon discovery ever in Britain - brilliantly and comically dramatizes three months of intense activity when locals fought outsiders, professionals thwarted amateurs, and love and rivaly flourished in equal measure © John Preston 2007 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

John Preston (Author), Derek Perkins, Fiona Hardingham, Kate Reading, Simon Vance (Narrator)

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Moments In Poetic

John Preston (Author), Scott F Guinn (Narrator)

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A Poet's Verses

John Preston (Author), Scott F Guin (Narrator)

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A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies, and a Murder Plot at the Heart of the Establishment

A behind-the-scenes look at the desperate, scandalous private life of a British MP and champion manipulator, and the history-making trial that exposed his dirty secretsAs a member of Parliament and leader of the Liberal Party in the 1960s and '70s, Jeremy Thorpe's bad behavior went under the radar for years. Police and politicians alike colluded to protect one of their own. In 1970, Thorpe was the most popular and charismatic politician in the country, poised to hold the balance of power in a coalition government.But Jeremy Thorpe was a man with a secret. His homosexual affairs and harassment of past partners, along with his propensity for lying and embezzlement, only escalated as he evaded punishment. That is, until a dark night on the moor with an ex-lover, a dog, and a hired gun led to consequences that even his charm and power couldn't help him escape. Dubbed the 'Trial of the Century,' Thorpe's climactic case at the Old Bailey in London was the first time that a leading British politician had stood trial on a murder charge, and the first time that a murder plot had been hatched in the House of Commons. And it was the first time that a prominent public figure had been exposed as a philandering gay man in an era when homosexuality had only just become legal. With the pace and drama of a thriller, A Very English Scandal is an extraordinary story of hypocrisy, deceit, and betrayal at the heart of the British establishment. A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice. An Irish Times Selection for Favorite Books of 2016. A Signature Best Book of 2016.

John Preston (Author), Matthew Brenher (Narrator)

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A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies and a Murder Plot at the Heart of the Establishment: Now a Major B

In 1979, Jeremy Thorpe, the rising star of the Liberal Party, stood trial for conspiracy to murder. It was the first time that a leading British politician had stood trial on a murder charge. It was the first time that a murder plot had been hatched in the House of Commons. And it was the first time that a prominent public figure had been exposed as a philandering homosexual. With all the pace and drama of a thriller, A Very English Scandal is an extraordinary story of hypocrisy, deceit and betrayal at the heart of the British Establishment.

John Preston (Author), Daniel Weyman (Narrator)

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The Dig

Reimagining the Sutton Hoo dig, the greatest Anglo-Saxon archaeological discovery on British soil, John Preston brilliantly dramatizes three months of intense activity on a small estate when locals fought outsiders, professionals thwarted amateurs, and love and rivalry flourished in equal measure. In the long hot summer of 1939, Britain is preparing for war, but on a riverside farm in Suffolk there is excitement of another kind. Mrs. Pretty, a widowed farmer, has had her hunch proved correct that the strange mounds on her land hold buried treasure. As an archaeological dig proceeds against a background of mounting national anxiety, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary find, and the discovery leads to a host of jealousies and tensions. Elegantly crafted with great tenderness and a poignant attention to detail, The Dig is more than a novel about archaeology. At its very core, this is a novel about the traces of life we all leave behind. "This is a wonderful, evocative book. From his simple tale of dirt, Preston has produced the finest gold."-Guardian (London)

John Preston (Author), Derek Perkins, Fiona Hardingham, Kate Reading, Simon Vance (Narrator)

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