Simon Pearson Books

An original, 360-degree re-telling of the Battle of Britain through 17 of the iconic (and some less well-known) aircraft and the pilots who flew them - British, Polish, New Zealander, German, Danish.

The thrilling true story of the real Great Escape, published to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the escape.

A Sunday Times bestseller, the real story behind the mastermind of the most famous breakout in history—The Great Escape. While the most famous images from the 1963 film The Great Escape include either a motorcycle or a ball—but definitely Steve McQueen—Richard Attenborough played the part of “Big X,” the British mastermind behind the greatest escape in history. Like the subject of the film, “Big X” was a real person. Roger Bushell was the mastermind of the mass breakout from Stalag Luft III in March 1944. Very little was known about Bushell until 2011, when his family donated his private papers to the Imperial War Museum. Through exclusive access to this material, as well as new research from other sources, Simon Pearson has written the first biography of this iconic figure. Born in South Africa in 1910, Roger Bushell was the son of a British mining engineer. On May 23, 1940, his Spitfire was shot down during a dogfight over Boulogne after destroying two German fighters. Over the next four years he made three escapes, coming within one hundred yards of the Swiss border during his first attempt. His third (and last escape) destabilized the Nazi leadership and captured the imagination of the world, forever immortalized by Hollywood. Simon Pearson's revealing biography is a vivid account of war and love, triumph and tragedy—and one man's attempt to challenge remorseless tyranny in the face of impossible odds.

Most people's concept of the 'end of the world' comes from the book of Revelation. Today, there are an estimated 25 million Christian fundamentalists in the US who believe it will come with the 'Rapture;' others point to an ecological catastrophe, the AIDS pandemic, nuclear and biological warfare. With the benefit of a vast historical canvas, Pearson examines both apocalyptic theory (biblical literature, art, and popular culture) and practice (politics, cults, war, and revolution), from its Biblical beginnings to the Branch Davidians, via the Vikings, the French Revolution, the Pilgrim Fathers, Hitler's Apocalyptic rhetoric, asteroids, Hollywood and suicide bombers. Pearson's illuminating study shows how our pictures of the end of the world have evoked and converged--and are still very much on the agenda.

Veteran journalists Simon Pearson and Fiona Gorman chronicle Magdi Yacoub's extraordinary journey from his early years in Egypt to his illustrious career in Britain, where he revolutionized the treatment of congenital heart disease. With unprecedented access and extensive interviews, the biography details Yacoub's groundbreaking achievements, including performing some of the first heart transplants in Britain and the first heart-lung transplants in Europe. At London's Harefield Hospital, he established the world's leading heart transplant center, helping patients thrive more than thirty-five years later. The narrative also explores advancements in medical techniques and a deeper understanding of the human body. Even in his later years, Yacoub continues to push the boundaries of surgical knowledge and is dedicated to expanding cardiac care in underserved regions, particularly in Africa. His hospital in Aswan is internationally recognized, and a new center is emerging in Cairo. Yacoub's life encapsulates a blend of triumph and tragedy, success and failure, and serves as a captivating exploration of scientific research, medical politics, and ethics at the highest levels.