How a Russian doctor and Billy Butlin brought Britain to the side of the road "I very much enjoyed this book. A wonderfully accessible look at the development and history of marathons, with particular emphasis on the difficult and enigmatic Barbara Moore." Wishing Shelf In 1960, Britain was swept by a craze for marathons, embodied in an eccentric 56-year-old Russian: motorcycle champion, former Leningrad death row inmate, radical dietician Dr Barbara Moore. Keen to exploit this new fad, holiday camp pioneer Billy Butlin organised the first and indeed only walking/running race from John O'Groats to Land's End. Despite opposition, 715 participants started off, with the hardiest captivating the nation during that drab winter. A fascinating and quirky story of daring, entrepreneurship, and good old 'British pluck': a story that deserves re-telling for the modern audience. The first chapter of The Great Billy Butlin Race (titled The Footsloggers), was shortlisted for the inaugural Writers &Artists Working-Class Writers' Prize.

Drawing on his eighteen years of experience as a teaching artist for Folger Shakespeare Library, Nick Newlin offers eighteen scenes to get young actors on their feet performing Shakespeare with confidence, understanding, and fun! Each scene averages five minutes in length, containing two to six characters, and features a monologue that young performers can use in performance, audition, or competition. Every scene has been "road tested" by one of Newlin's student groups at the Folger's annual Secondary School Shakespeare Festival, and includes dynamic stage directions and incisive performance notes to help teachers and students bring Shakespeare's plays to life. The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology includes one scene and monologue from eighteen of Shakespeare's greatest plays, including Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, and The Taming of the Shrew. Additionally, the anthology contains a scene and monologue from Henry IV Part I, King Lear, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Love's Labor's Lost. Also featured is an essay by editor Nick Newlin on how to produce a Shakespeare play with novice actors, and notes about the original production of this abridgment at the Folger Shakespeare Library's annual Student Shakespeare Festival. Each scene and monologue has accompanying notes and performance suggestions.