New Releases by Alan Garner

A lyrical memoir of essays and poems from the Booker shortlisted author of Treacle Walker—a profound reflection on the creative journey and the influences that have shaped one of Britain’s most beloved writers. Critics praise Alan Garner, calling him “better than anyone else writing in English today” (The Times, London) and The Guardian describes his world as “unbearably beautiful and dangerous.” His new memoir in essays captures the essence of a lifetime devoted to storytelling—the title a nod to his great-grandfather’s trade of handloom weaving, and the snippets of cloth (“powsels and thrums”) that weavers kept for themselves, to be turned into something bigger than its parts. Through essays, poetry, and stories, Garner takes readers on a captivating journey, tracing his life from a working-class childhood during World War II to the esteemed halls of Oxford University, returning to the beloved landscapes of Cheshire that fuel his creativity. Along the way, he encounters serendipitous moments such as an unexpected meeting with a renowned mathematician during a long-distance run—each event adding a unique thread to the rich tapestry of his life. Of particular significance is Blackden, a medieval hall nestled beside the giant telescope at Jodrell Bank, which became his home and the backdrop for his Booker-nominated novel, Treacle Walker. Garner explores the influences that have shaped his work, from his grandfather’s craftsmanship to the folklore from the place where his family has lived for generations, reflecting on an extraordinary lifetime of writing. Charming and revelatory, Powsels and Thrums offers inspiration and insight to readers and writers alike.

Nella brughiera del Cheshire non succede mai nulla per Joe Coppock, un ragazzino che vive senza genitori in un cottage di tre stanze senza porte con, a tenergli compagnia, solo un fumetto custodito come una reliquia. Non c’è anima viva a Podere Fienile né al Campo Gora né al Gran Prato, e neppure sul viottolo fra il cancello alto e il cancello basso. È un mondo senza tempo, la brughiera, scandito solo dal fischio del treno di mezzogiorno, unico istante in cui Joe può rendersi conto di che ora è, di che momento è «adesso». La brughiera dorme, e cosí dev’essere, e in quel sonno sogna il sogno del mondo. Fino al giorno in cui alla porta di Joe bussa Treacle Walker, uno stracciaiolo, o forse un mendicante, un guaritore, dal gran cappotto e dal cappello floscio sopra un cespuglio di capelli ingarbugliati. L’uomo gli propone un bizzarro baratto: in cambio di stracci e ossa avrà cocci e pietre. Scegliendo dalla sua collezione di tesori minimi, umili ma a lui preziosissimi – uova di uccello dal guscio azzurrino, ossa di animali, vecchi indumenti – Joe ottiene cosí da Treacle Walker una pietra e un vasetto invetriato. Il vasetto, scoprirà Joe quasi per caso, contiene un ungento dagli straordinari poteri, un dono che gli consentirà di vedere ciò che non c’è, di percepire il tempo collassare su sé stesso e l’eternità nello spazio infinitesimale del presente. Vedere il mondo, d’altronde, non è lo stesso che vedere quello che il mondo realmente è. Racconto iniziatico, favola metafisica che trabocca di suggestioni della tradizione popolare, meditazione sul tempo, la morte e l’assurdità della vita in generale, La pietra e lo specchio mescola fantasia e fisica dei quanti, storia collettiva e storia personale, magia e scienza, possibile e impossibile: reami i cui estremi si allungano, si intrecciano, si scambiano e si fondono. «Il piú importante scrittore di fantasy dopo Tolkien». Philip Pullman «Alla fine della sua vita Philip Roth scrisse Nemesi, un tentativo di esprimere in una sola opera tutte le preoccupazioni di una vita. La pietra e lo specchio compie un miracolo simile, includendo piú idee e immagini di quante molti autori riescano a trattare nella loro intera carriera. Qui c’è tutta l’esuberanza, l’eccentricità, la mitologia e il pensiero del Garner migliore». The Guardian «Scritto magistralmente, evocativo ed emozionante in ogni pagina». Daily Telegraph

Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize An extraordinary, “playful, moving, and wholly remarkable” (The Guardian) coming-of-age novel filled with myth and magic from one of England''s greatest living writers. An introspective young boy, Joseph Coppock is trying to make sense of the world. Living alone in an old house, he spends his time reading comic books, collecting birds’ eggs, and playing with marbles. When one day a rag-and-bone man called Treacle Walker appears on a horse and cart, offering a cure-all medicine, a mysterious friendship develops and the young boy is introduced to a world beyond his wildest imagination. Luminous, evocative, and sparely told, Treacle Walker is a stunning fusion of myth, folklore, and the stories we tell ourselves.

Learn the secrets of effective communication from the most popular book in the world for teaching conversation skills – almost one million copies sold! Fully updated for the 2020s, Conversationally Speaking provides proven communication strategies, based on hundreds of research studies, as well as the authors'' own experience teaching conversation workshops. Now you can use this expertise to get more out of your everyday interactions with family, friends, and coworkers. Everybody thinks that some people are born with the "gift of gab" and some people aren''t. But the truth is there is no "gift of gab." People who are good at conversation just know a few simple skills that anyone can learn. This book will teach you those skills. With Conversationally Speaking, you will learn how to: Ask the kind of questions that promote conversation Interest people in what you have to say Achieve deeper levels of understanding and intimacy Handle criticism constructively Overcome shyness and become more confident Listen so others will be encouraged to talk to you Find out why Toastmaster Magazine calls Conversationally Speaking "the classic how-to book in social communication" and why Dr. Aaron Beck, whose work has had a major influence on thousands of psychologists, calls it "of great value for people who want to sharpen their skills in interpersonal relations."

A captivating novel by the author of the 2022 Booker Prize-longlisted Treacle Walker Based on a true story, Strandloper tells the extraordinary tale of a nineteenth-century Englishman, William Buckley, who was convicted and transported to Australia. Refusing to accept his fate he escaped and lived among the Aborigines for thirty years. In this visionary novel, Alan Garner is as true to William the Cheshire bricklayer and William the Aboriginal spiritual leader, as William is true to his fate. The result is extraordinary. ''A remarkable feat of literary imagination'' Sunday Times

A gripping time-slip novel by the author of the 2022 Booker Prize-longlisted Treacle Walker Here John Turner was cast away in a heavy snow storm in the night in or about the year 1755. The print of a woman''s shoe was found by his side in the snow where he lay dead. So reads an enigmatic memorial stone, high on the bank of a prehistoric Pennine track in Cheshire, a mystery that lives on in the surrounding hill farms. John Turner was a packman. With his train of horses he carried salt and silk, travelling distances incomprehensible to his community. John brought ideas as well as gifts, from market town to market town, from places as distant as the campfires of the Silk Road. In the twenty-first century, two hundred and fifty years after John''s life, Ian and Sal''s world resounds with the echo John''s death. Walking on the moor one day they slip between time and are lost somewhere between Jack''s vanished world and their own. This poetic, fantastical novel is is an evocation of the lives and the language of all people who are called to the valley of Thursbitch. ''Eerie and immaculately written'' Olivia Laing, Observer

What happens if you wake up thirsty in the middle of the night? How do you trick the most insufferable boy in the village? What would you do on your birthday if you were a lobster? Find out in this short story collection. Chucklers is a collection of books that make reading a pleasure.

From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker and the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning classic, The Owl Service The much-loved classic, finally in ebook. First published over 50 years ago, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time.

From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker and the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning classic, The Owl Service The much-loved classic, finally in ebook. In ''The Lad of the Gad'' Alan Garner has reworked five stories from the Gaelic layers of British folktale.

From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker and the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning classic, The Owl Service Roland, Helen, Nicholas and David, four Manchester children, are led into Elidor, a twilight world almost destroyed by fear and darkness.

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Adult Children of Alcoholics -- a wonderful book that affirms and encourages AcoAs by developing skills for living. Imagine how good you would feel if · You could stand up for yourself without losing your temper · You could make a decision without second guessing yourself · You didn''t have that sense of worthlessness every time someone criticized you · You could learn how to say no and stick with it In Lifeskills for Adult Children you can learn how to do these things and more. This book is designed specifically for Adult Children and teaches skills to make your complex adult life easier, while improving your sense of self-worth. Examples are provided to help clarify the lessons and exercises are given to help you practice your new skills. So, if you have difficulty · Asking for what you want · Solving problems · Handling criticism · Saying no read Lifeskills for Adult Children - you''ll be glad you did.

This concluding volume of the ''Weirdstone trilogy'' features Professor Colin Whisterfield who spends his days at Jodrell Bank, using the radio telescope to look for his lost sister in the Pleiades. At the same time, and in another time, the Watcher cuts the rock and dances, to keep the sky above the earth and the stars flying.

From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker and the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning classic, The Owl Service The definitive collection of traditional British folk tales, selected and retold by the renowned Alan Garner.

Three young men from three different time periods influence each other''s destiny with the help of a stone axe.

Sometimes people are so busy communicating they don''t listen to each other. "Talk Language" tells you how to understand what people are really saying, and why. Words represent only a small part of the information transmitted in conversation; just as important are circumstances and body language.

With the help of the wizard Cadellin, Colin and Susan struggle to contain the forces of evil unleashed by the inadvertent awakening of the band of ancient horsemen known as the Wild Hunt.

In this collection of lectures and essays, Allan Garner shows how, over the years, his thinking and writing have developed. They also demonstrate the wide range of his concerns and his scholarship: language, literature, education, mental health, anthropology, archaeology, myth, the spiritual quest, philosophy, music and film.

A retelling of the story of a resourceful hen that not only makes her own food and eats it herself, but manages to outwit a hungry fox as well.

The Carnegie Medal–winning classic about a most unusual dinner service and the ancient, deadly magic it holds.

The author of the million-seller "Conversationally Speaking" takes an incredible physical and spiritual journey in the eternal search for meaning in our lives. Deciding to seek out wise men and women, he travelled to Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, India and Australia. Join him on his wondrous quest -- and let it help guide you in your own search.

New edition containing four original stories. 8-11 years.

A collection of twenty-one traditional tales from the British Isles.

Each of the four titles describes a day in the life of a child of the Garner family, one from each of four generations.