Portico

Why do weather forecasters get it wrong? What are the best tactics for playing "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and "The Weakest Link"? And what is the link between a tin of baked beans and a men's urinal? These and many other questions are answered in this book. It is for anyone wanting to remind themselves - or discover for the first time - that maths is relevant to almost everything we do. Dating, cooking, travelling by car, gambling and ranking sportsmen all have links with intriguing mathematical problems that are explained in this book. It reveals the secrets behind some of the best con tricks and the hidden workings of the taxi meter, and explains how epidemics start and stop.

Being a dad is a 365-day job. Let this nifty little book help you along the way, with a hilarious dad-related fact for every day of the year. Discover how 26 August is the anniversary of the car you probably learned to drive in, and stroke your smooth chin thoughtfully as you learn that 13 May is the day the electric shaver was invented. Find out when and where the first piece of flatpack furniture was invented (Ancient Greece, no less, and it was more of a temple than a wardrobe...), and, on 19 November, remember that there's always a more incompetent parent than you as you recall the day a certain baby boy was dangled off a balcony. Packed with stories of dad derring-do, this book is the perfect buy for any dad you know, or someone who's about to become one. Word count: 35,000

'Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up' - Pablo Picasso This isn't your usual art manual. It's for big kids everywhere everyone who loved getting covered in paint and glue at school and would secretly love to do it more often. It's also for people who love pop culture: comedy, trashy TV, great TV, pop videos, pop stars and pop music. And not only does it help you harness your inner creativity, it's also a lot of fun! Mel Elliott, doyenne of the cool colouring book and the crazy paper doll, imparts the secrets of her expertise, giving you in-depth tutorials on how to create funky collages, make cool wonky lettering, paint the skin tones of the stars and much, much more. With more pop culture references than you can throw a Justin Bieber CD at, this book will have you drawing, painting, cutting and colouring before you can say 'Welcome to Pawnee', using your newly learned skills and indulging your own personal tastes to create works of art to be proud of. After all, how better to learn to paint than by painting Kate Moss? Word count: 15,000