My Books
Learning from Wonderful Lives
'Lessons from the study of well-being brought to life by the personal stories of some much-admired individuals'Wonderful Lives is no longer available in hard copy
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Read excerpts from Wonderful Lives
Download an excerpt of the PDF ebook, or click on the thumbnails below.Table of Contents
Two pages from Chapter 16 - Nick's Special Topic
Dear Reader,
Wonderful Lives is quite different from any of my other works. It brings together all of the 100 full-length pieces written for my weekly column in The Times newspaper, those cavalier days when my nom-de-plume was "Dr FeelGood on The Science of Happiness". My book naturally incorporates those columns within its chapters. Wonderful Lives is also characterized by my attempt to illustrate key themes through the vivid examples of 50 inspiring individuals who achieved extraordinary things in one or more arenas of their life, despite some very difficult beginnings. These individuals personify my rule-of-thumb definition of Well-being: having the will & the skill to make something good of whatever life throws our way.
Wonderful Lives is intended for a reader from mid-teens and upwards, well into one's dotage.
With kindest wishes,
Nick
Claire Rayner, OBE, (1932-2011) was for 30 years, Britain's best-loved voice on matters of health and well-being. She trained as a Nursing Sister, and was named Medical Journalist of the Year. Throughout her astonishing career of more than 60 years, Claire cared for, informed, encouraged and campaigned. Married for half a century, she was a mother of three.
"Nick's book provides an enormous amount of commonsense, wisdom, and practical advice, that's as readable as a novel but infinitely more satisfying in the long term. I really do commend it to anyone who seeks for 'a wonderful life'."
Emeritus Professor Philip Zimbardo, was the elected President of the American Psychological Association's 150,000 members in 2002. Professor Zimbardo practised psychology for 50 years, mostly at Stanford University, and became a respected voice on national television and radio in the USA and UK.
"Rarely have I experienced a better blend of wit, wisdom and compassion presented in an engagingly refreshing writing style, as in Nick's fine book. Wonderful Lives is gamely authentic in its positive messages about how to make our lives work well for us. I am sure you will enjoy it and benefit fully from its 'spot-on' relevance to contemporary life."
My Other Books
The Rough Guide to Happiness
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'Practical steps for all-round well-being'
This is a life-owner’s companion written for individuals of all ages, from 14 to 104.
Published worldwide by Rough Guides/Penguin Books in April 2009.
'The Science of Well-being'
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For Oxford University Press (2006), I co-edited a collection of 20 highly detailed academic chapters by world-leading authorities, based upon our three-day Royal Society conference in London.
Phil Hanlon, Professor of Public Health at Glasgow University, kindly wrote of the book:
'It is probably the best single source of authoritative information on this important and rapidly developing field.'
The Cambridge Well-being Consultancy Ltd, Company Number 6581522
All Rights Reserved 2003-2012