Martin Roach

Bestselling motorsport writer Martin Roach tells the extraordinary story of those who have come to be obsessed by speed.  Accompanied by some of the most stunning images of the cars and those who made and drove them, Roach tells a wonderful story of innovation and invention.

Explore the technology that drives the greatest cars in the world, with exclusive contributions from the biggest names in the supercar industry.

Trace the evolution of the supercar through the technology that drives it. In The Science of Supercars, the authors describe the history of supercars, unraveling the mysteries and mechanics of the cars that changed the automotive world forever. In-depth interviews with the top names in the supercar and racing industries reveal their opinions on today's supercars and their visions for the future. David Coulthard, runner-up in the 2001 Formula One World Drivers' Championship, provides the introduction. The authors follow with comprehensive chapters of inside information and exciting photographs that will be a catalog for supercar shoppers and a dream diary for others. The images show the interiors and exteriors of supercars and illustrated insets explain the technology. 1. The Thirst for Power - The internal combustion engine and the early days of speed 2. Style Versus Substance - Next steps, and the birth of aerodynamics 3. Emerging Technologies - The mechanics of war drive the birth of the supercar 4. Configuration - The Miura, the E-Type and the dawn of the modern age 5. The Science of Theater - Fashion and styling take center stage 6. The Turbo Years - The Porsche Turbo and the rebirth of supercar science 7. All-Wheel drive - Power or technology: how designers keep the cars on the road 8. Composites - The McLaren F1 and its technological legacy 9. Emerging Aero - Understanding the complex art of aerodynamics 10. Going to the Opera - The remarkable science behind the era-defining Bugatti Veyron 11. The Holy Trinity - Hybrid tech ushers in a new kind of supercar 12. The Future - The technology on the verge of reshaping the landscape. The Science of Supercars includes interviews with three of the top figures in the supercar world: Adrian Newey, legendary British Formula One engineer; Dr. Wolfgang Schrieber, Chief Engineer of the Bugatti Veyron; and Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1 supercar, as well as contributions from iconic supercar manufacturers that include Lamborghini, Porsche, Bugatti, Pagani and McLaren.

Fully illustrated throughout, The Supercar Book is a sumptuously designed guide full of everything you could ever want to know about the best supercars on the planet.

From humble beginning as a 1970s motoring show, Top Gear has achieved world domination. Reaching a peak in the 1990s thanks to presenter Jeremy Clarkson, the original series faced the axe in 2001 - but Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman successfully pitched a new format to BBC bosses and Top Gear returned to become the irrevernt, funny and often controversial show we now know and love. The addition of Richard Hammond and James May completed the Top Gear dream team and ratings soared as viewers tuned in to see the latest Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, arguments ove the Cool Wall and Power Laps by the mysterious Stig. Recent series have been defined by their madcap challenges - with predictably hilarious results. Hour-long specials such as the 1000-mile journey across the Africa in cars bought for only GBP1500, and a race to the magnetic North Pole in which Clarkson and May became the first people to drive a motor vehicle to the Pole, have cemented Top Gear's reputation as much more than just a motoring show. But the show's most shocking moment came in 2006, when Hammond suffered serious head injuries while driving a Vampire turbojet drag racing car at over 300mph.

Author Martin Roach reveals how the band members met, played their early gigs, financed their own early EPs and how, with four hit albums under their belt; they still continue to maintain a tight degree of control over their output. Featuring insights into Coldplay's professional insecurities and anxieties and the notoriously angst-ridden personality of lead vocalist Chris Martin, this is an in-depth portrait of one of Britain's most successful bands of the new millennium. Fully illustrated and including a comprehensive discography.

The Prodigy have sold 25 million records and single-handedly reinvented the crossover between dance and rock music, with legendary songs such as 'Firestarter', 'Omen' and 'Breathe'. However, long before they became a stadium-filling rock monster, The Prodigy were prowling the underground of the UK rave scene, first as a blistering demo of tunes by the 'prodigious' teenage Liam Howlett, then latterly with their breakthrough masterpiece, Music for the Jilter Generation. Martin Roach was present throughout the band's early years and documented their rise to fame from the underground into the bright lights of music superstardom. Containing hours and hours of exclusive interviews, the book chronicles the band's early years in minute detail, speaking the each band member and all the key playes along the way. With a new introduction and fresh interview with band members putting these classic early phase in the context of their historically important career, this book is a must-buy for the millions for Prodigy fans eager to learn about the band's formative days.

From Abracadabra by the Steve Miller Band to Zoom by ELO, this indispensable, innovatively designed book celebrates fifty years of British album charts, telling you everything you could possibly want to know about every album to reach the Top 100.

This book recounts the entire story of the most successful British band since The Beatles. From their humble beginnings to the break-up that shook the pop world, to their explosive and successful come-back tour a decade later, TAKE THAT – NOW AND THEN exposes the intimate details of the band that changed pop history. Containing hot behind-the-scenes information on the band’s sell-out come-back tour, Take That – Now and Then gives a complete history of the band, with revelations on what's happened over the band's time together and apart, and allows you to relive the tour experience all over again. Formed in Manchester in the early '90s, everyone had their Take That favourite, from the cheeky Robbie to gorgeous Mark Owen. Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Jason Orange completed the group, and they went from strength to strength with their unique mix of high-energy dance tunes and soulful ballads. But theirs was not an easy beginning. Gruelling training schedules, tours across the nation in gay clubs that saw their bottoms pinched and empty school halls on a 'Safe Sex tour', all had to be endured before the boys finally 'made it' in the fickle world of pop music. But once they made it, boy did they make it! The only thing more certain than Take Take's next single going straight into the Top Ten was that they would clean up at every award ceremony going, both as a group and as individuals. But behind the glamour and success, tensions were mounting. Robbie Williams was sliding into the depths of depression, and on the eve of their 1995 tour, he left the band. By 1996, Take That were no more. Speaking exclusively to those inside the music industry who knew them best, many of whom have never spoken publicly about their experiences, music journalist Martin Roach recounts exactly what went on behind the scenes during those years, as well as providing first-hand accounts of the fickle world of pop from members of some of the UK's most prolific boy-band members.