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Healthy mind, healthy body.
Streetwise: The Complete Manual of Personal Security and Self DefenceStreetwise: The Complete Manual of Personal Security and Self Defence by Peter Consterdine
Buy used from: £49.03
The best there is on Self Protection. Shows that you need to think about 'all around' self protection not just simple self defense techniques.
Dead or Alive:  The Choice Is Yours: The Choice Is Yours - The Definitive Self Protection HandbookDead or Alive: The Choice Is Yours: The Choice Is Yours - The Definitive Self Protection Handbook by Geoff Thompson
Buy used from: £7.10
The second best book on self protection. An excellent companion for Streetwise.
Dogs Don't Know Kung Fu: Female Guide to Self ProtectionDogs Don't Know Kung Fu: Female Guide to Self Protection by Jamie O'Keefe
Buy new: £11.69 / Used from: £5.28
Great book aimed specifically at women. Not as comprehensive as the two above, but essential nonetheless.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship 1 [VHS] [1994]The Ultimate Fighting Championship 1 [VHS] [1994] by Ultimate Fighting Championship
Buy used from: £0.01
Far from pretty, but very instructive. Royce Gracie demonstrates that the biggest fighter doesn't always win.
Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-training TechniqueInsider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-training Technique by Stuart McRobert
Buy used from: £14.13
Learn how to train with weights properly and you will stay free of injuries.
Bigger Muscles in 42 DaysBigger Muscles in 42 Days by Ellington Darden
Buy used from: £4.55
Darden wrote some of the very best weight training books in existence.
Beyond Brawn: The Insider's Encyclopedia on How to Build Muscle and MightBeyond Brawn: The Insider's Encyclopedia on How to Build Muscle and Might by Stuart McRobert
Buy used from: £7.91
You don't need the original Brawn, just this. Big book with a huge bunch of excellent ideas. Will suit you even if you can't cope with the Darden book.
Static Contraction TrainingStatic Contraction Training by Peter Sisco
Buy used from: £18.34
From Darden, McRobert and this you can find all you need for strength and fitness.
The Photoreading Whole Mind SystemThe Photoreading Whole Mind System by Paul R. Scheele
Buy used from: £7.50
The faster you read the more you can learn, and the more you will enjoy learning.
How to Pass Exams: Accelerate Your Learning, Memorise Key Facts, Revise EffectivelyHow to Pass Exams: Accelerate Your Learning, Memorise Key Facts, Revise Effectively by Dominic O'Brien
Buy used from: £4.00
You need a good memory, so beef it up with this. Not just for students, good for everyone.
The Trachtenberg Speed System of Basic MathematicsThe Trachtenberg Speed System of Basic Mathematics by Jakow Trachtenberg
Buy new: £5.42 / Used from: £1.99
This is the way basic maths ought to be taught. Learn this easy and fun system and you will be very happy!
Porterhouse BluePorterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe
Buy new: £5.96 / Used from: £0.01
Academics and their traditions are not all imperious, miserable and serious. A book that will make you laugh and do away with a few false ideas.
A History of Western PhilosophyA History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
Buy used from: £8.80
It may be very heavy going, and is certainly not perfect, but Russell's book is still something you need to read.
Locke: Two Treatises of Government Student edition (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)Locke: Two Treatises of Government Student edition (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) by John Locke
Buy new: £7.08 / Used from: £2.38
John Locke is my favourite philosopher, he was steady and had plenty of common sense. The idea of the 'social contract' in the second treatise is pertinent to the subject of self defense.
Society in Prehistory: The Origins of Human CultureSociety in Prehistory: The Origins of Human Culture by Tim Megarry
Buy new: £25.64 / Used from: £3.10
Evolution can be hard to understand, but Megarry gives a splendid overview of how we became human, and neatly ties off the nature vs nurture debate. Very well written, it is a joy to read.
The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers (Penguin Business Library)The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers (Penguin Business Library) by Robert L Heilbroner
Buy new: £7.17 / Used from: £4.50
Rejoice, it's the ideas of defunct economists! Economic thought has more impact on the world than you might imagine.
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (Flamingo Modern Classics)The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (Flamingo Modern Classics) by Robert Tressell
Buy used from: £1.10
If you haven't already read this then it is about time you did. Very easy to read. Both funny and tragic by turns, you will certainly have an opinion after you have finished it!
The Quare Fellow [VHS] [1962]The Quare Fellow [VHS] [1962]
Buy used from: £29.99
Forget Shakespeare, Brendan Behan is my kind of playwright! Here's Patrick McGoohan's film version of The Quare Fellow, a great prison tale.
Myths of the Greeks and RomansMyths of the Greeks and Romans by Michael Grant
Buy used from: £5.00
Learn the myths of the ancient world. They were a clever bunch, but maybe a bit too fond of violence!
Zen Mind, Beginner's MindZen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
Buy new: £6.40 / Used from: £3.73
From western to eastern thought (and no thought) Gentle and instructive.
The Victorian UnderworldThe Victorian Underworld by Donald Thomas
Buy used from: £1.90
The good old days? Victorian values? Enlighten yourself.