Ben Miller

Turn the page, share the adventure in this epic time-travel story of twists and trouble, from master storyteller and million-copy seller Ben Miller, with beautiful illustrations from Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini.

‘A sheer delight for all kids both big AND small’ Ruth Jones 'Bubbles with warmth and mischievous humour . . . irresistible' Alexander Armstrong'Wonderful, funny, magical' Chris Evans on How I Became a Dog Called MidnightFind out where it all began and meet Father Christmas himself in the classic Christmas story from million-copy bestselling children's author, actor and comedian, Ben Miller. Give the perfect gift for all the family, with a brand-new picture book companion illustrated by Elisa Paganelli also available and OUT NOW!Jackson knows all about the flying reindeer, he knows about the elves and the secret North Pole workshop, he knows about the magic that allows Father Christmas to deliver presents around the world in just one night, but there's one thing he doesn't know . . . how did Father Christmas become Father Christmas? That all changes when, one Christmas Eve, Jackson meets Father Christmas and hears his incredible story. So begins an enchanting fairy-tale into a magical snowy landscape, where Torvil, a mean-spirited and miserly elf, is about to discover the true meaning of Christmas. This might not have been the story Jackson was expecting but, as Father Christmas tells him, no good story ever is... With beautiful illustrations throughout from Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini and warm, funny words from Ben Miller, this book will remind everyone of the true spirit of Christmas and prove once and for all that Father Christmas really does exist! Praise for Ben Miller'A magical adventure' Sunday Express on The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale'Great for reading aloud' The Week Junior on The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale'A fire-side gem of a story' Abi Elphinstone on The Night I Met Father Christmas'Fabulous' Sunday Express on The Boy Who Made the World Disappear'Enchanting, funny and intriguing in equal measure' Philip Ardagh on The Night I Met Father Christmas'Each of [Ben’s] five books is joyous and thoughtful' Red Magazine

Despite the smile on his face and confident facade, Ben hobbles through life a broken man, suffering from decades of pain and daily struggles with anxiety, panic, and depression. He plans a weekend getaway to Trakehner Inn for his wife birthday, but their Pocono mountain retreat evolves into a life-changing form of divine psychotherapy for Ben.Amid the lush greenery of the lakeside property and hallowed spaces of Trakehner Inn, prayers are answered and salvation delivered. Ben is not the first to come for a visit and find heavenly peace, nor will he be the last. The happy couple's stay begins a new chapter at this spirited inn, where there's always room for the grace of God.Dear Billie is an inspirational story that balances faith with the unpredictability of life. Ours is not a perfect world, but faith brings hope, and the possibility of light, after even the darkest of days.

During the eighteenth century, Ireland was Europe's wild west, where the sword was the constant companion of every gentleman, soldier, and rogue. Here, in the dimly lit rooms of Dublin's popular coffee and chocolate houses, among its public parks and cloistered back yards, fearsome duelists such as George Robert "Fighting" Fitzgerald, Alexander "Buck" English, and Captain David "Tyger" Roche fought for life and honor with the sword and pistol. Here, countless swordsmen--colorfully dressed in ruffled silk--stained the ground of St Stephen's Green with blood, and celebrated their survival over glasses of cherry brandy.This is the story of eighteenth century Ireland's sword culture--of its renowned fencing schools, its famed swordsmen, its female gladiators, and its notorious armed gangs such as the Bucks, Cherokees, and Pinking Dindies, who terrorized the people of Dublin with the small-sword, knife, falchion, and shillelagh, and engaged in vicious battles with members of the city's Night Watch.Here, also, is the story of Ireland's most celebrated fencing society, the Knights of Tara--whose grand fencing exhibitions won fame and glory for Ireland, whose writings on bayonet fencing found their way into the hands of America's founding father, George Washington, and whose leading member would go on to have a indelible impact upon the history of fencing in the British Isles.PART TWO of this book contains A Few Mathematical and Critical Remarks on the Sword--an almost completely overlooked fencing treatise, now published again for the first time in more than 230 years, that is currently the only known original treatment of swordsmanship by an Irish author published in Ireland during the eighteenth century. Though anonymously authored, research suggests that this mysterious text--the publication of which directly led to the formation of the Knights of Tara--may be the work of Cornelius Kelly, Ireland's most renowned fencing master. Compiled throughout the 1770s and published in Dublin in 1781, this treatise is by no means a beginner's manual, but is an extensive discussion and elucidation on the technique, form, philosophy, psychology, morality, and strategy of swordsmanship. Although founded upon the French school of small-sword fencing, it exhibits many peculiarities, and the author's method of explaining fencing is unusual for the era. The text contains applications of geometrical and mathematical principles to swordsmanship, how to utilize one's own shadow as a training device, and defenses against assassins and so-called "dirty tricks." In the words of its author, "Almost every Gentleman who applies himself to the Sword, and] has had a liberal education...consequently will be pleased at an attempt at grafting this art upon the most elevated of the sciences, i.e. the mathematical; and perhaps it may be something novel, to have proved this art, in many instances, to be so closely connected with the common precepts of philosophy."Irish Swordsmanship contains extensive footnotes, more than sixty drawings, paintings, and engravings from the period, a comprehensive glossary of terms, and seven appendices.

Discover the fascinating and cutting-edge science behind the greatest question of all: is there life beyond Earth? The brand-new book from bestselling science writer and comedian Ben Miller

This new edition is a faithful transcription presented with meticulously restored illustrations. Donald McBane was a Scottish Highlander and one of the most accomplished duelists of the 18th century. During the span of his extraordinary career as a soldier, prize fighter, fencing master, and brothel manager, McBane took part in 16 battles, 15 skirmishes, and nearly 100 duels or personal combats. He published his book, The Expert Sword-Man's Companion, in 1728 where he recounts it all. The first section of McBane's treatise covers the use of a large number of arms, including the backsword, small-sword, spadroon, quarterstaff, sword and targe, sword and buckler, Spanish rapier, Portuguese rapier, sword and dagger, Dutch knife, Lochaber axe, pike, halberd, falchion, sword and pistol, dueling pistol, and broadsword on horseback. No other known extant British fencing treatise published during the eighteenth century includes such an eclectic mix of weapons. McBane also includes a unique section on "dirty tricks" used by other swordsmen of the time, and methods of how to defend against them.The second section of the book is McBane's memoir of his adventurous life, declared by one historian to be "possibly, the most ingenuous autobiography in the English language." In this new edition, many of the incredible details related by McBane have been verified for the first time. McBane claimed to have fought a total of thirty-seven prize fights, but he provides few details about them, mentioning the name of only one of his antagonists. Thanks to the diligent research of Ben Miller, numerous specimens of McBane's original challenges are included in this publication. These contests pitted McBane against some of the most celebrated gladiators of the period, including James Miller (who later authored a treatise on fencing), the infamous (and nearly undefeated) James Figg, and even Figg's fencing master, Timothy Buck.This books provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind, life, times, and combative techniques of one of the eighteenth century's most unusual and formidable real-life characters.

For millennia, we have looked up at the stars and wondered whether we are alone in the universe, but in the last few years--as our probes begin to escape the solar system, and our telescopes reveal thousands of Earthlike planets--scientists have taken huge leaps toward an answer. "Forget science fiction," author Ben Miller writes. "We are living through one of the most extraordinary revolutions in the history of science: the emergent belief of a generation of physicists, biologists, and chemists that we are not alone."The Aliens Are Coming is a refreshingly clear, hugely entertaining guide to the search for alien life. Miller looks everywhere for insight, from the Big Bang's sea of energy that somehow became living matter, to the equations that tell us Earth is not so rare, to the clues bacteria hold to how life started. And he makes the case that our growing understanding of life itself will help us predict whether it exists elsewhere, what it might look like, and when we might find it.

"Rien ne vas plus? - Da geht ja wohl noch was " ist ein autobiografischer Bericht eines verzweifelten Spielers, den seine Sucht an den Rand des Abgrunds gedr ngt hat und der sich schlie lich mit einer Pilgerreise auf dem Jakobsweg selbst zu therapieren versucht. Der spiels chtige Protagonist schreibt in Tagebuchform und reflektiert Ereignisse seiner Reise auf Grundlage seiner Suchtproblematik und seines bisherigen Lebens. Der Autor versucht, die Abgr nde und Probleme seines Protagonisten offenzulegen, um daran entlang hangelnd, eine Kl rung der Sucht und eine Lebensver nderung durch in der Therapie anerkannte Methoden herbeizuf hren.

"Rien ne vas plus? - Da geht ja wohl noch was " ist ein autobiografischer Bericht eines verzweifelten Spielers, den seine Sucht an den Rand des Abgrunds gedr ngt hat und der sich schlie lich mit einer Pilgerreise auf dem Jakobsweg selbst zu therapieren versucht. Der spiels chtige Protagonist schreibt in Tagebuchform und reflektiert Ereignisse seiner Reise auf Grundlage seiner Suchtproblematik und seines bisherigen Lebens. Der Autor versucht, die Abgr nde und Probleme seines Protagonisten offenzulegen, um daran entlang hangelnd, eine Kl rung der Sucht und eine Lebensver nderung durch in der Therapie anerkannte Methoden herbeizuf hren.

The Top Ten Bestseller Black holes. DNA. The Large Hadron Collider. Ever had that sneaking feeling that you are missing out on some truly spectacular science? You do? Well, fear not, for help is at hand. Ben Miller was working on his Physics PhD at Cambridge when he accidentally became a comedian. But first love runs deep, and he has returned to his roots to share with you all his favourite bits of science. This is the stuff you really need to know, not only because it matters but because it will quite simply amaze and delight you. 'Let me show you another, perhaps less familiar side of Science; her beauty, her seductiveness and her passion. And let's do it quickly, while Maths isn't looking' Ben Miller 'This book makes climate change actually seem interesting. Not just important - it's obviously important - but interesting. As a result I bought lots of other books about climate change, something I now regret' David Mitchell Ben Miller is, like you, a mutant ape living through an Ice Age on a ball of molten iron, orbiting a supermassive black hole. He is also an actor, comedian and approximately one half of Armstrong & Miller. He's presented a BBC Horizon documentary on temperature and a Radio 4 series about the history of particle physics, and has written a science column for The Times. He is slowly coming to terms with the idea that he may never be an astronaut.

The first work by Sensus Divinitatis Publishing is Pastor Ben Miller's four part exposition on the Kingdom of God: "The really exciting news on the world scene is that the kingdom of God has arrived! And as noted above, we are living in the historical unfolding of that kingdom whether we believe it or not, whether we like it or not. We are living in the historical unfolding of that kingdom today. This means that our lives are not just happening. Life is not just happening. Our lives are unfolding as one small part of God's kingdom plan. And this, in turn, means that our lives are fraught with moral significance, because at every moment we are either actively serving the King or we are actively warring against Him."