James Ward

The co-founder of the Stationery Club and the Boring Conference presents an entertaining history of the office supplies that everyone takes for granted, shining a light on the invention of pencils, highlighters and paperclips and the fascinating people behind the objects.

Curious Tales of Invention, Accidental Genius, and Stationery Obsession

The Perfection of the Paper Clip

We are surrounded by stationery: half-chewed Cristal Bics and bent paper clips, rubber bands to fiddle with or ping, blunt pencils, rubbers and Tipp-ex are integral parts of our everyday environment. So much so that we never think about where they come from, why they are the way they are - or what stories they might have to tell. But luckily, James Ward does and he's here to tell you all about the secret pull stationery exerts on our lives. After all, who remains unmoved by the sight of a pristine blu-tak slab, or the first unmarked sheet of a brand new notepad? And which of humanity's brightest ideas didn't start life on a scrap of paper, a Post-it, or in the margins of a notebook? Exploring the stories behind these everyday objects, Ward reveals tales of invention - accidental and brilliant - and bitter rivalry. He also asks the questions you never thought you had: Who is Mr Pritt? What does shatter-proof resistant mean? How many pens does Argos use? And what does design evolutions in desk organisers mean for society? This witty and entertaining book, packed with fascinating facts, will change the way you look at your desk, pencil case or stationery cupboard forever.

A Journey Through Your Pencil Case

Adventures in Stationery

a journey through your pencil case

Adventures in stationery

Hannah and Soraya are in the business of making rock music with a social conscience. The way Britain currently works, that means they’re ‘snowflakes’, ‘social justice warriors’, ‘virtue signallers’. They’ve learned to live with the mudslinging, but not happily. Worse than that. It's starting to overwhelm them. Then, out of the blue, they suffer a string of personal and professional crises. Their solution? A change of scene designed to keep the lid on a looming family cataclysm and draw artistic inspiration from the pre-musical roots of rock (but without the Beats’ misogyny, plus in an eco-friendly car). Hannah and Soraya’s Fully Magic Generation-Y *Snowflake* Road Trip across America is about the value of family, friendship, human mortality, the siren call of social media, celebrity vs. anonymity, creative integrity, true love, drugs ‘n’ alcohol, literature, sexuality, the ‘special relationship’, what it means to be a millennial, what kind of world Generation Y is set to inherit, the very meaning of life itself in the 21st century. Amongst other things.

Hannah and Soraya’s Fully Magic Generation-Y *Snowflake* Road Trip across America

Treatise on Decorative Art and Architectural Ornament

Historic Ornament

The Principles of Ornament

A science fiction drama for Teens and Adults about a teenager who is having a hard time dealing with personal and family issues and uses Sci-Fi as an escape from a world he thinks hates him. It starts out as a game. Then he and his girlfriend Dani discover it's no longer a game and they are not in control. With help from Dani, there is action aplenty as Leo goes from a zero to hero.

Zero to Hero

A New Theory of Justice and Other Essays consists of six independent chapters, each of which attempts to break new ground in philosophy. Altogether, it runs to just under 50,000 words. The first, ’A New Theory of Justice’, argues that the so-called war of all against all, described in Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan, is the best starting point for a coherent theory of justice. We have no real conception of a state of nature, nor any possibility of reaching one, yet the question of how justice might arise from a situation of anarchy is crucial. The next, ‘What is Culture?’ speaks for itself, but its conclusions are disturbing. ‘A New Approach to the Philosophy of Religion’ contends that we can no longer do the kind of thinking about God that past ages took for granted: our living in a Hubble universe changes everything. Yet ‘non realist’ approaches to the subject are also dead-ends. The fourth chapter, ‘On the Possible Varieties of Consciousness in the World’, argues that some animals – unfortunately, we can never know which – might possess advanced minds. Finally, two essays were added in 2018: ‘Towards Some Kind of “Solution” to the Problem of Evil’ and ‘Free Will and Libet’s Experiment’. The author adopts an analytic approach to the subject – his aim throughout is to say everything as clearly as possible - but he does not shy from requisitioning arguments from continental philosophers. Locke, Rousseau, Rawls, Nozick, Hegel, Foucault, Aquinas, Augustine, Dennett, Churchland, Searle, and others, are brought in to shed light on areas that might otherwise remain obscure. This is not ‘philosophy’ in the loose sense of spiritual rumination, but of premise and conclusion. The author has a master’s degree and a DPhil, both in Philosophy from Sussex University. His doctoral thesis was examined in viva and passed unconditionally by David McLellan, Emeritus Professor of Political Theory at the University of Kent and author of many standard texts about Marx in English. In 1998, James Ward won joint first prize (along with Martha Nussbaum and Lars Gårding) in a philosophical dialogues competition organised by the Humanities Research Centre at Oxford University and the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. Its subject was Søren Kierkegaard. The dialogue was performed at the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm, in front of an invited audience, and subsequently published in Comparative Criticism vol. 20 (Cambridge University Press, 1998).

A New Theory of Justice and Other Essays

Change the way you look at office supplies forever with this wonderfully enlightening and quirky exploration of the fascinating backstories of everyday objects, such as the humble and perfectly designed paper clip and the utilitarian, irreplaceable pencil. How many of humanity’s brightest ideas started out on a scrap of paper or in the margins of a notebook? In a delightfully witty and fresh voice, James Ward—cofounder of the Boring Conference and collector of the arcane—explores the secret histories of deskbound supplies, from pencils to fluorescent ink, and the gleaming reams of white paper we all take for granted, encouraging a deeper appreciation and fascination for the things that surround us each day. In the spirit of The Evolution of Useful Things and A History of the World in 100 Objects, Ward transforms the mundane into remarkable stories of invention, discovery, and even awe. The Perfection of the Paper Clip is “a hugely entertaining experience for the reader…this engaging book is an absolute must” (Booklist).

“World War Offshore” – no one knows how it started, or who’s behind it, but one thing’s for certain: it’s the biggest anti-capitalist demonstration the world has ever seen. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, spread across six continents, demanding an end to the “non-accountability of the 1%”, re-regulation of the world’s financial services, and a new era of social justice. MI7 takes the view that it’s a problem best left to the appropriate law enforcement agencies – with the exception of one little detail. In order to get off the ground so effectively, its organisers had to bypass GCHQ in Britain, and the NSA in America. A breathtakingly impressive achievement, and possibly an ominous one. Next time, whoever does that may not be so benign. Agent John Mordred is assigned to investigate. His enquiry takes him halfway across the globe before depositing him in the Crown dependency of Jersey for what looks like a war of attrition. And then, completely out of the blue, there’s a breakthrough. Written before the publication of either the Panama Papers or the Paradise Papers, World War O tackles one of the most hotly-debated topics of recent times. Taxation and corporate wealth. Just what, if anything, do the rich owe to the poor?

World War O

True love isn’t always a bed of roses. Sometimes it’s a no-holds-barred battle to the death with the incarnation of evil. Prem’s wedding to Nasreen collapses when she uncharacteristically bows to her conscience and walks out of the ceremony. He wanders alone to the town centre where he bumps into Ursula, a gypsy refugee from Eastern Europe who manages to convince him she’s someone she’s not. Warming to her, despite his ordeal, and dimly sensing her predicament, he invites her to stay with him on a friends-only basis. She accepts. Fast forward a few months. The lives of all three have now become inextricably intertwined, with mutual forgiveness and a hastily agreed unity of purpose their only practical options. Through a series of misadventures, they’ve found themselves confronting a network of women-traffickers who’ll stop at nothing to protect their interests and expand their empire. If that means torturing Prem to death, and forcing Ursula and Nasreen into 21st century sex-slavery, so be it. How did they get from the first state of affairs (fairly run-of-the-mill) to the second (off-the-wall and utterly terrifying)? And just what is the ‘weird problem of good’ anyway? Don’t ask me. I’m just a blurb. You’ll have to read the book.

The Weird Problem of Good

“Readers will find John Mordred to be one of the most appealing characters in fiction today.” – Publisher’s Daily “John Mordred comes alive on the page and is a character readers will not soon forget.” – The Booklife Review When John Mordred leaves MI7, marries the woman he loves, and settles down to a relatively humdrum lifestyle, it ought to be a brave new start. But he and his wife have formerly been top-level spies, and they find the readjustment harder than they anticipated. When - courtesy of a friend, and apparently out of the blue - they’re offered an all-expenses-paid holiday in Malta, it seems the answer to both their prayers. Sunshine, relaxation and romance. Just what the doctor ordered. But Malta's no ordinary tourist-trap. Hidden cameras, none-too-subtle intimations of blackmail, and the murder of a professional acquaintance send them reeling back to Britain; back to what they dearly hope will be a snug 9 to 5 normality. But there's a limit to how often they can walk away. Especially when any number of foreign intelligence agencies now have hostile eyes on them. They were once two of Britain's best assets; they're currently untethered from central control; they're fair game. And actually, come to think if it, this is an excellent time to put an assassin on their tail. Get rid of them both, once and for all. “James Ward brings protagonist John Mordred alive on the page … The author displays exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling.” – Emerald Book Review

Death in a Half Foreign Country

When John Mordred leaves MI7, marries the woman he loves, and settles down to a relatively humdrum lifestyle, it ought to be a brave new start. But he and his wife have formerly been top-level spies, and they find the readjustment harder than they anticipated. Unfortunately, there's also a limit to how far they can walk away. Especially when any number of foreign intelligence agencies have hostile eyes on them. They were once two of Britain's best assets; they're currently untethered from central control. And actually, come to think if it, this is an excellent time to put an assassin on their tail. Get rid of them both, once and for all.

In Afghanistan, British secret servicewoman Marcie Brown, posing as the third wife of one of ISAF’s most trusted operatives, is killed in a drone strike. Or at least, that’s what the official report states. Deep inside enemy territory, what remains of her body is deemed irrecoverable. Seven thousand miles away, in Britain, her grieving husband, MI7 Officer Nicholas Fleming, joins a police investigation which stumbles onto an Islamist plot to bomb central London. Handed responsibility for the counter-terrorism initiative, he uncovers evidence that one of the bombers is his wife. By degrees, the utterly unbelievable becomes plausible and, at last, undeniable. Questions such as what really happened to her become academic as love and duty are rendered incompatible. To save the lives of hundreds of innocent people, Fleming must order the destruction of the only woman he has ever loved. To make matters worse, there is evidence that she is slowly recovering her memory … The Girl From Kandahar is a love story played out on both sides of the War on Terror. Its detailed understanding of Pashtun culture and Islam is matched by a corresponding recognition of Western motives and concerns. Above all, it deals with the human side of the conflict: families split, loved ones lost, communities broken, distrust, hostility, grief. Yet its prognosis is far from bleak. In the end, it may be that no ideology is as powerful as the simple truth that our best hope lies in each other.

The Girl from Kandahar

It’s early 2020. MI7 is expecting an eccentric new recruit in the person of Chasha Jones, self-described (only partly tongue-in-cheek) as "the most intelligent woman in London." Perceptive, cerebral, fun to work alongside, everyone looks forward to her arrival. But on the day she's due to start work, there's no sign of her. Nor the day after. Then shockingly, it turns out she's joined an obscure cult run by an eccentric Briton called Hector Raynebow. Raynebow used to be a dedicated eco-warrior, but he's ditched environmentalism on the grounds that humanity, in its present form, isn't really capable of saving the world: the rot has gone too far. But don't worry, he has a solution: Humankind 2.0, a new type of human being, developed by means of cutting-edge gene technology. The trouble is, when more than a few governments encounter the words, "a new type of human being", what they actually hear is "super-soldiers". And their only question then is, assuming Raynebow really is capable of developing such things, who’s going to get their hands on them first? John Mordred is assigned to investigate. But of course, he's not the only one. And to make things even cosier, the investigators are explicitly briefed not to get on with each other.

Humankind 2.0

Richard Bradford

Kevin De Ornellas

Madelena Gonzalez

Stephen Butler

THE WILEY BLACKWELL COMPANION TO CONTEMPORARY BRITISH AND IRISH LITERATURE An insightful guide to the exploration of modern British and Irish literature The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Literature is a must-have guide for anyone hoping to navigate the world of new British and Irish writing. Including modern authors and poets from the 1960s through to the 21st century, the Companion provides a thorough overview of contemporary poetry, fiction, and drama by some of the most prominent and noteworthy writers. Seventy-three comprehensive chapters focus on individual authors as well as such topics as Englishness and identity, contemporary Science Fiction, Black writing in Britain, crime fiction, and the influence of globalization on British and Irish Literature. Written in four parts, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Literature includes comprehensive examinations of individual authors, as well as a variety of themes that have come to define the contemporary period: ethnicity, gender, nationality, and more. A thorough guide to the main figures and concepts in contemporary literature from Britain and Ireland, this two-volume set: Includes studies of notable figures such as Seamus Heaney and Angela Carter, as well as more recently influential writers such as Zadie Smith and Sarah Waters. Covers topics such as LGBT fiction, androgyny in contemporary British Literature, and post-Troubles Northern Irish Fiction Features a broad range of writers and topics covered by distinguished academics Includes an analysis of the interplay between individual authors and the major themes of the day, and whether an examination of the latter enables us to appreciate the former. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Literature provides essential reading for students as well as academics seeking to learn more about the history and future direction of contemporary British and Irish Literature.

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Literature

When Ruby Parker, Head of MI7’s Red Department, is hospitalised by a burglar, all is not as it seems. Her removal coincides with a series of catastrophes for British spies in hostile territories abroad, and some very shifty behaviour by the new Acting Head of Red Department, Patrick Atherton. Atherton dislikes Red’s established hierarchy, which includes all its officers without exception, and possibly John Mordred in particular. The idea that there’s something fishy going on, and that all this is linked, seems intuitively obvious, and probably worth investigating. But then things take a turn for the strange. Atherton has an apparent breakdown; he gets up from his desk, leaves Thames House and apparently goes off radar. Important men and women across London start dying in violent circumstances. It simultaneously transpires that the mysterious Black Department is taking a close interest in all this. And not quite from its usual distance. Suddenly, John Mordred himself becomes the focus of intensely hostile scrutiny. And when he, too, goes off radar, it’s because he no longer has a choice. At least, not if he wants to live. For a while, nothing seems to make sense. Then, shockingly, it does.

The Seductive Scent of Empire

After an acrimonious US election whose outcome Moscow may or may not have influenced, can it really be that a few maverick intelligence agents from Russia and the United States are fighting a discreet battle-to-the-death on some of London’s back streets? And that the corpses are piling up, out of sight of the British police? And even that the whole thing could spiral at any moment into God knows what version of World War Three? Or is that just more “fake news”? … Well, luckily, no it isn’t. Not yet, anyway. Because the media still hasn’t heard about it. But that could change. When MI7 Agent John Mordred is assigned to investigate, he discovers a veritable Schrödinger’s Cat situation in which the relevant facts are neither wholly present nor entirely absent. And where some of the evidence lies closer to home than is comfortable. Slowly, possibilities emerge that surpass his greatest apprehensions. Or do they? Just what is the truth anyway, and why do we care?

James Ward

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