John Gardner

I spent more than eighteen years researching stress, research that led me to the most unexpected places. Along the way I had many surprises, which led me to realise stress is not at all what I thought it was. The paradox is that stress, that thing we believe is about our head, is actually about our gut. Our health, mental and physical, is dictated by our gut. I can hear you asking, "So I feel stressed because of my gut?" Yes. I know it sounds crazy...

This collection of short stories was created to give you a bit of something different. A bit of a mix – humour, erotica, life, sci-fi. A story to entertain you on a short commute or while you hang around a doctor's surgery with a restless and unreasonably hot child. Or devour the whole book while you hang around waiting for the plumber to appear and present you with an eye-watering bill for getting the boiler they serviced only six months ago back...

The life of young Alford Morrison, an accountant with a reputable firm, was swinging along just fine till he was charged with conspiracy to defraud the Revenue. Al was the sort of man who was forever being accused of things but was always innocent. Almost always. His problems were compounded by the drunken admission of his wife Chloe, which started another chain of events that threatened to further destroy his bliss palace. His life, through no fault...

In 1943, The United Kingdom is alive with men and women making ready for the greatest invasion in history: preparing to assault Hitler's Fortress Europe. The skies are full of training aircraft, their engines merging with the throb of the RAF and USAAF bombers heading on round-the-clock missions against Germany. With fresh bloodshed on the horizon, the coming Christmas preparations seem even more poignant. But with just ten days to go, the seasonal...

The first and most terrifying monster in English literature, from the great early epic Beowulf, tells his own side of the story.

John Gardner's essential collection encompassing the fundamentals of fiction writing. In this posthumously published collection of his essays and reviews, acclaimed novelist John Gardner discusses the craft of fiction writing, taking to task some of his best-known contemporaries in the process. Gardner criticizes some for writing disingenuous fiction, and commends others who produce literature that acts as a life-affirming force. He offers insights...

Now back in print after forty years: The first novel in John Gardner's bestselling series of Victorian crime thrillers pitting Sherlock Holmes against the Napoleon of crime, Professor James Moriarty. Once again, the game is afoot... What really happened in Switzerland between Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes in 1891? And, why is Holmes, now in London at 221B Baker Street, curiously uncooperative with Scotland Yard's inquiries? Furthermore, why has Moriarty...

John Gardner's New York Times bestselling, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning metafictional novel centering on the tumultuous relationship of two elderly siblings. James is a cantankerous and conservative seventy-two-year-old who has spent his life caring for the animals on his farm. His widowed older sister, Sally, has strong liberal ideals and a propensity for debate. When Sally's bankruptcy forces her to move in with her brother, their...

John Gardner's classic exploration of the creative processes and career paths of modern fiction writers. In this essential guide, John Gardner advises the aspiring fiction author on such topics as the value of creative writing workshops, the developmental stages of literary growth, and the inevitable experience of writer's block. Drawn from his two decades of experience in creative writing, Gardner balances his compassion for his students with his...