Most Popular Books by James May

Top Gear''s James May is back with his hilarious and controversial opinions on . . . just about everything. As well as writing about his first love, cars, James has a go at political correctness, the endless rules and regulations of daily life, the internal combustion engine and traffic wardens. He discusses gastropubs, Jeremy Clarkson and other trials of modern life. His highly entertaining observations from behind the wheel will have you laughing out loud, whether you share his opinions, or not. Car Fever is an indispensable guide to life for the modern driver.

Best known as the third presenter in the unholy trinity that is Clarkson, Hammond and May on Top Gear, James May has lived, breathed and dreamt about cars his entire life. There is something about cars that stirs up intense feelings in people - how it makes them look to the outside world, how it makes them feel about themselves, how it looks to their girlfriends or their mates, or their neighbours. These feelings are humorously described in May on Motors, as James takes us on the road and looks at the cars that have shaped him, his world and the ordinary people of Britain. In May on Motors, James has brought together his most controversial and amusing pieces to make a brilliant collection that will amuse and inspire all car enthusiasts.

Our world has been transformed beyond recognition, particularly in the twentieth century, and so were our lives and our aspirations. Throughout James May''s Magnificent Machines, our Top Gear guide explores the iconic themes of the past hundred years: flight, space travel, television, mechanised war, medicine, computers, electronic music, skyscrapers, electronic espionage and much more. But he also reveals the hidden story behind why some inventions like the Zeppelin, the hovercraft or the Theremin struggled to make their mark. He examines the tipping points - when technologies such as the car or the internet became unstoppable - and gets up close by looking at the nuts and bolts of remarkable inventions. Packed with surprising statistics and intriguing facts, this is the ideal book for anyone who wants to know how stuff works and why some stuff didn''t make it.

"His tongue-in-cheek technical explanations here will have you howling with laughter ..."-Daily Telegraph After being given yet another pointless "man manual" that told him fifty ways to tie a bow tie in under thirty seconds, James May, star of the international TV phenomenon Top Gear, was certain guys needed a different kind of book. This book, in fact. He reckons there are nine vital things that a true man should be able to do. Not stuff you can download from the Internet, but really important things, like: HOW TO LAND AN A330 AIRBUS IN AN EMERGENCY* HOW TO PREPARE AND EAT YOUR BEST FRIEND HOW TO DRIVE THE PEPPERCORN CLASS A 1 4-6-2 PACIFIC LOCOMOTIVE TORNADO HOW TO DELIVER TWINS HOW TO DEFUSE AN UNEXPLODED WORLD WAR II BOMB The chances that you will ever meet with the circumstances outlined here are, frankly, very remote. But you''re still better off knowing this stuff than not knowing it. Life is a lottery, and maybe, just maybe, it could be you who can do this stuff. But only if you''ve read this book. *Authors Note: This guide has been prepared for use in an absolute dire, buttock-clenching emergancy. None of the advice inside has been sanctioned by Airbus, any of its associates, or anyone else really. Do not attempt to fly the A330 Airbus on a recreational basis, or use one for joyriding. The A330 is not a toy.

Top Gear presenter and columnist for the Daily Telegraph James May brings together another brilliant collection of his most controversial and humorous writing. From tales of motoring adventures through India, Russia and Iceland, to classic articles on essential subjects such as driving songs and haunted car parks, these gems from the number one car connoisseur will take readers on a motoring journey that will amuse and entertain in equal measure.

For at least two decades now modern man has been on the brink of a crisis. Persuaded by both the post-feminist political landscape and his representation in the popular media to remodel himself as an endearingly hopeless halfwit, he now exists only as an object of pity. James and his happy band of brothers (plus a few women, but we try to edit them out) are engaged on a quest to lead maledom to a broad sunlit upland strewn with slim books of English verse and neatly stacked with correctly sharpened tools arranged in descending size order. From here they confront the mysteries of romance and fashion, the cult of men''s cooking and the daunting underworld of hardcore DIY. Read it and remember that, as a chap, your first duty is to be dependable. And then you can have a pint.

Why does a man with a Ferrari and a Porsche drive a Fiat Panda? Is going fast really necessary? Is it your fault if you get run over? Why will electric cars really save the planet (possibly)? In Carbolics the UK''s favourite petrol head (after Clarkson and Hammond) James May answers these questions and more. Across 80 essays, James gives his quirky, entertaining take on cars, motorbikes, trucks - and explains why the bicycle might just be the best invention of all. Written with James''s characteristic wit and humour, Carbolics is the perfect Christmas gift for petrolheads.

An inspiring introduction to French wine with a unique travel angle, tied in to a primetime 6-part BBC2 series, Oz and James''s Big Wine Adventure brings us French wine made simple. Oz Clarke - award-winning writer, critic and committed Francophile - is one of the world''s leading authorities on French wine. James May - overgrown boy racer , Top Gear presenter and journalist - knows nothing about wine and loathes what he calls ''wine ponces''. In Sideways style, they travel through the regions of France for 6 weeks. Oz teaches James about wine with the aim of turning him into a top sommelier, while the pair eat together, get drunk together and sometimes have to sleep together for a few nights under canvas. Divided by region, Oz and James''s Big Wine Adventure cuts through the fear and snobbery that surround French wine, providing an informative, entertaining and accessible guide to the French regions and their wines. Beautifully illustrated with over 80 landscape photographs and location shots, it is full of useful information on wine-making, wine culture, regions and tips on how to seek out the best the French vineyards have to offer.

Reassembly is merely a form of therapy; something that stimulates a part of my brain that is left wanting in my daily life. When I rebuild a bicycle, I re-order my head. So might you... I''m delighted that you will be holding in your hands a book about putting things back together. It''s a subject that fascinates me but which I assumed was a lonely passion that I would take to the grave, unconsummated by the normal channels of human interaction. Welcome! You and I, we are not alone, and our screwdrivers are our flashing Excaliburs as we sally forth to make small parts of the fragmented world whole again.

TV tie-in cookbook for beginners from a much-loved author and presenter The cookbook that, finally, drives a blunt meat skewer through the burgeoning pseudo-intellectualism of foodie media, this is a foolproof manual packed with practical information and delicious recipes for even the most basic of home cooks. After years of shirking from his culinary duties, James is on a mission to educate himself about the world of food. In this TV tie-in, he seeks to unpack the mysteries of the industry from kitchen basics to haute cuisine, covering everything from poaching eggs to preparing the perfect Sunday roast. Gathering recipes and expert advice from celebrity chefs along the way, James discovers just what it takes to put together a cracking cookbook, from recipe testing to photography and everything in between.

Published to tie in with the BBC TV series, this is James May''s idiosyncratic look at the great inventions of our time. He explores the iconic themes of the 20th century, including flight, space travel, television, mechanised war, medicine, video games, skyscrapers, electronic music, and more.

James May raids the Airfix archives to reveal how designers, graphic designers and production teams get a scale model from the drawing board concept to finished product. He also looks at the world of modellers and collectors.

Loneliness and despair consumes Buddy after the mysterious disappearance of his sister Autumn on her first day of high school. How will he and his best friend Gus save her? There are supernatural elements and mysteries abound in this gripping adventure that leads two best friends on a journey into the unknown, as almost everyone they know forget about Autumn''s very existence.

“It’s sensibly written and beautifully illustrated.” – The Telegraph

Take a truly technicolour tour of one of the most remarkable construction projects of 2009 in all its architectural glory. British broadcaster, writer and toy ''nut-case'' James May lived a childhood dream by designing, building and sleeping in a quite stunning full-size house inspired by and completely made from LEGO, one of the world''s most favourite toys and a design icon in its own right. James May''s Lego House provides a complete photographic record of this stunning creation which now proudly holds the Guinness World Record for the largest free-standing LEGO structure. However, this is not a simple recreation of a childhood vision of a house but is fully informed by the ''simple complexity'' of LEGO''s design philosophy centring around the basic ''eighter'' brick. Indeed, 3.3 million LEGO elements were used exclusively to create the two-storey house and its incredible fittings that range from a washing machine, furniture, cat and mouse, bed and bedding and fully functioning shower and toilet.

The public and private lives of writer James A. Michener come together in an incisive portrait that examines Michener''s body of writing in its biographical and cultural contexts and establishes his place in twentieth-century letters.

In this collection of journalism, James May muses on his favourite topics of fast cars and motorbikes but also delves into matters of social tolerances, aeroplanes, beer, engineering and the usual politics and morality.