Books published by publisher Aurum Press Ltd

Mary Poppins opened last year in London's West End in Cameron Mackintosh's musical production and has proved a huge success predicted to run for at least five years. Next year it is due to open on Broadway in New york. Meanwhile the Disney film has just been re-released on DVD, and the books remain in print and as classic as ever. But this is the first full biography of the woman who wrote the Mary Poppins books, and a fascinating and extraordinary life it was too. P.L. Travers was Australian, came to London as a journalist early in the twentieth century, became involved with Theosophism, got to know W.B. Yeats and George Russell, took her lifelong quest for guru-figures on to Gurdjieff and Krishnamurti - and lived into her nineties. By the end of her life, in the seventies, she was living in a flat off London's Kings Road and going to chat to the punks outside Malcolm McLaren's clothing shop! Not only is Valerie Lawson's book a truly compulsive account of a remarkable life that spanned most of the twentieth century: it also sheds a fascinating light on the writing, and the true essence, of the Mary Poppins books: Mary Poppins herself was above all a kind of guru-figure who floated in and out of the Banks family's life to show them the possibility of other worlds...

On 14 May 1940, the Evening Standard published a cartoon with the caption "All Behind You, Winston". It showed Churchill, the freshly installed prime minister, rolling up his sleeves to confront the oncoming menace of Nazi Germany. In his wake, leading the endless ranks of the British people, marched the most prominent figures of his new coalition government.It was a potent expression of a moment when Britons of every class were truly all in it together. It also contained a truth that Churchill's titanic historical reputation has since eclipsed: that neither he nor the country would have prevailed but for the joint effort of this remarkable "ministry of all the talents". Indeed, without the vital support of the Labour Party, and its leader Clement Attlee, Churchill might never have become prime minister at all.Now Roger Hermiston tells the story of the men â?? and women â?? who steered Britain through its darkest hour, showing how they helped to win the Second World War, and how they laid the foundations of the "New Jerusalem" that followed. Along the way, he explores the roles played by characters as diverse as the mercurial newspaper magnate Lord Beaverbrook, who supplied the planes that won the Battle of Britain; the pugnacious trade union baron Ernest Bevin, who kept the nation working; Lord Woolton, the minister for food â?? a man so widely loved he was dubbed "Uncle Fred"; and Sir John Anderson, one of the first people to contemplate the awful power of the atom bomb. Hermiston also considers the achievements of more junior ministers, including the only two women in Churchill's government: the left-wing firebrand Ellen Wilkinson, and the Conservative Florence Horsbrugh, who played a pivotal role alleviating the suffering inflicted by the Blitz.Five years after that cartoon, Churchill predicted that history would shine a light on "every helmet" of his"great coalition". As it was, many were forgotten. This book seeks to recover their memory, and to celebrate a generation of politicians who rose above party to put their country first. Â

A vintage year for readers' letters, 2015 offered up Poldark on TV (an excess of chest hair), Fifty Shades of Grey, Nicola Sturgeon vs the English, a royal birth and, to cap it all, a general election starring Labour's pink bus and David Cameron with his shirt sleeves rolled up - but not much gets past a Telegraph reader: '... the fact he has no breast pocket shows that he is truly a toff.'

Celebrating 160 years of reporting, this is an anthology of the headlines that the Telegraph made. The paper sent Stanley to Africa and George Smith to discover the Babylonian story of Noah on ancient tablets. The 22-year-old Churchill wrote from the North-West frontier at £5 a column, and Kipling from the front in the First World War. As well as showcasing the talents of many of these eminent correspondents, The Telegraph History of the World gives a fascinating picture of the way people lived and how news was reported. In 1932 when reporting on the German presidential elections the Telegraph’s headline read ‘Herr Hitler’s Hopes Dashed Forever.’ Not all doom and gloom, the royal births and weddings as well as political scandals make for a diverse and interesting collection from late 19th-century to the duration of the 20th.

Through stunning infographics and high-quality illustrations, the world of soccer is brought to life. Full of facts and stats, players and personalities, this is the beautiful game as you have never seen it before. Whether it is uncovering the most goals scored in an international tournament, or comparing the left-foot of the world's best players, the intriguing and often surprising truths of soccer are uncovered. From the legend-makers Brazil and their world cup wins, the tallest and shortest players to have graced the game, to pitting the top players against each others, these striking and fun infographics put the game's most intriguing questions to the test. Who has scored more from the penalty spot, Ronaldo or Messi? Which goalie has the safest hands? Who has received the most red cards?

This book that takes the reader from knowing zero about magic to being able to do a whole show for their family and friends. Along the way they will learn some cool tricks to show their friends in school, find out how to do a PR stunt, film their own tricks, develop their unique magician persona and all the other secrets to making magic amazing. The reader will be offered an array of trick options, from openers to finales, from which to build their own tailored show, depending on their favourite style of magic and stage of learning.

See the world of soccer brought to life with photos, illustrations, and stunning infographics. The Beautiful Game is loaded with facts, stats, profiles on player personalities, bios, history, and much more to make the beautiful game leap out at you like you’ve never seen before. Whether it’s uncovering the most goals scored in an international tournament, or comparing the left-foot of the world's best players, the intriguing, and often surprising, truths of soccer are completely at your disposal. Who has scored more penalty shots, Ronaldo or Messi? Which goalie has the safest hands? Who has received the most red cards? These striking and fun infographics put the game's most intriguing questions to the test.

Happy Valley was the name given to the Wanjohi Valley in the Kenya Highlands, where a small community of affluent, hedonistic white expatriates settled between the wars. While Kenya's early colonial days have been immortalised by farming pioneers like Lord Delamere and Karen Blixen, and the pioneering aviator Beryl Markham, Happy Valley became infamous under the influence of troubled socialite, Lady Idina Sackville, whose life was told in Frances Osborne's bestselling The Bolter. The era culminated with the notorious murder of the Earl of Erroll in 1941, the investigation of which laid bare the Happy Valley set's decadence and irresponsibility, chronicled in another bestseller, James Fox's White Mischief. But what is left now? In a remarkable and indefatigable archaeological quest Juliet Barnes, who has lived in Kenya all her life and whose grandparents knew some of the Happy Valley characters, has set out to explore Happy Valley to find the former homes and haunts of this extraordinary and transient set of people. With the help of a remarkable African guide and further assisted by the memories of elderly former settlers, she finds the remains of grand residences tucked away beneath the mountains and speaks to local elders who share first-hand memories of these bygone times. Nowadays these old homes, she discovers, have become tumbledown dwellings for many African families, school buildings, or their ruins have almost disappeared without trace - a revelation of the state of modern Africa that makes the gilded era of the Happy Valley set even more fantastic. A book to set alongside such singular evocations of Africa's strange colonial history as The Africa House, The Ghosts of Happy Valley is a mesmerising blend of travel narrative, social history and personal quest.

Behind every great woman… is another great woman. Here, the extraordinary achievements, relationships and secret histories of 84 pioneering women are revealed in inspirational stories which together show the indomitable strength of womankind. From ground-breaking scientist Marie Curie to political activist Malala Yousafzai, from feminist author Virginia Woolf to the game-changing Billie Jean King; I Know a Woman creates a gigantic web of womanhood which celebrates the relationships between the world’s most inspirational and influential women. Threading tales from across the globe and throughout history, the lives of innovative aviatrixes, gun-toting revolutionaries and women with incomparable intellects are revealed. Each woman is connected to the next, discovering the women behind the scenes; those who didn’t get the credit for scientific discoveries, sporting achievements or acts of bravery when they were alive. Some names will be familiar, some might not, but all are equally important. With compelling story-telling and beautifully illustrated portraits, I Know a Woman is bold and engaging with a unique purpose: to uncover the links between 84 pioneering women and show the indomitable strength of womankind. Featuring Michelle Obama, Gala Dalí, Emma Watson, Nina Simone, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, Greta Garbo, Eleanor Roosevelt, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and many more pioneering women who have shaped the world we live in today.