Twenty Tales from the War Zone

In a Quick Read published for World Book Day, bestselling author and internationally renowned BBC journalist John Simpson shares some of his fascinating stories from a life spent reporting around the world, from Northern Ireland to Iraq, and from Kosovo to Kabul.

Drawing on his multiple acclaimed volumes of autobiography and hitherto unpublished material, Twenty Tales from the War Zone brings together some of the highlights of Simpson's remarkable journalistic career.

Whether dodging guerrillas at a cocaine market in Colombia, narrowly escaping a murderous Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, interviewing a flatulent Colonel Gadaffi, crossing the border into Afghanistan dressed in a fetching bright blue burka or being kidnapped at gunpoint - or was it a finger in a pocket - in the backstreets of Belfast at the height of the Troubles, Simpson paints a vivid picture of what being a journalist on the front line is all about.

Honest, absorbing and full of low comedy and high drama, this collection of writing is a rollercoaster ride that is sure to thrill anyone who dares to join it.