Autobiography: arts and entertainment Books

Book SynopsisWhen Tony Roper discovered at the age of twenty- seven that acting could be a proper job, it changed his life forever. Having drifted from occasional schooling to various adventures on the bread vans, down the mines and in the shipyards, Tony then saw an advert in the newspaper for part-time actors to star opposite glamorous actresses. He liked the sound of that, and it was to be the start of a whole new life. Now, for the first time, Tony tells his colourful life story. There's his large extended family which had more than its fair share of characters, his father's secret war record, the incident with the bread knife and his brother, his narrow escapes from death, and plenty of unexpected family revelations. Then there's his time as the legendary Jamesie Cotter in Rab C. Nesbitt , his enduring friendship (and the odd fallout) with Rikki Fulton, hilarious appearances in Only an Excuse?, Scotch & Wry and Naked Video , in-depth discussions with Billy Connolly about who really makes the best pies, how he came to write his classic play The Steamie - and why it nearly didn't make it to the stage. Tony also describes his shocking recent health scares and his agonising decision about whether to go for a life-saving operation or play one last game for Dukla Pumpherston. I'll No Tell You Again is the inspiring and hilarious autobiography of one of our funniest and best-loved actors, known to millions as Tony Roper and to his family as... well, read it and you'll find out!

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Book SynopsisSay the name Nikki Grahame and most people will remember the bubbly, highly strung and hugely entertaining Big Brother 7 contestant. Since leaving the Big Brother house, she has forged a successful career for herself in presenting and writing. Yet Nikki isn't just another reality television contestant and her life story is not like any other you will ever read. From the age of eight until she was nineteen. Nikki battled anorexia nervosa but few cases have been quite as extreme as hers. Aged just eight and weighing just under three stone, Nikki was diagnosed as anorexic. For the next eight years, she was in and out of institutions - eleven in total - during which time she attempted suicide twice and had to be sedated up to four times a day so that she could be force-fed. At one point, she was sedated for fourteen days while doctors sewed a tube into her stomach, through which she was fed to get her weight out of the critical range. The lengths that she went to in order to avoid eating and find ways to exercise excessively shocked doctors who have worked in the field for years. As Nikki says, 'I've always wanted to be the best at everything I do, so I had to be the best anorexic - and I was.' With searing honesty, Nikki recounts her long and painful road to recovery, how she has had to come to terms with the long-term ramification of her illness, how she coped with being in the Big Brother house and how she uses her new-found fame to promote awareness of eating disorders and to help those who are suffering from similar problems. This compelling book tells the story of an incredible journey.

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Book SynopsisLionel Tertis was internationally recognised to have been perhaps the greatest viola player of all time. That the viola is today an important solo instrument and orchestral unit is entirely his achievement, and his design of a large but easily manageable viola - the Tertis Model - has laid the foundations for a standard-sized instrument. The author describes his prodigious career with vigour and a remarkable recall of detail. The musicians and composers, many of them his close friends of whom he writes, include some of the most important in twentieth century music. A comprehensive bibliography of works written for solo viola is included as is a complete discography of the author's solo recordings.Trade Review"This will not only become the bible for all viola players, but an historic document for all musicians and music lovers, covering as it does three-quarters of a century of music making all over the world." Gramophone; "Lionel Tertis was a legend in his own lifetime - he stood shoulder to shoulder with Ysaye, Kreisler, Casals, Cortot, Rubinstein and a galaxy of stars in the first four decades of the 20th century. He was the first great virtuoso of the viola and arguably the best, and [his] recordings bear testament to one of Britain's finest musicians." John White, Classic Record CollectorTable of ContentsList of Illustrations; Preface by Lillian Tertis: Acknowledgements; Author's Note; Foreword; 1. Formative Years; 2. Student Days; 3. Back Desk to Front Desk; 4. Hobbies; 5. The Young Mr Beecham- and New English Composers; 6. 1914-18; 7. American Tours; 8. Fruitful Years; 9. The Elgar Viola Concerto; 10. Heyday in the Thirties; 11. A Dark Cloud; 12. Collaboration with Beecham 1938-9; 13. Return to the Concert Platform - and America; 14. Octogenarian Activity; 15. Revolutionary Seating Plan for a Symphony Orchestra; 16. Nonagenarian Activity; 17. Reflection; Essays for the String Player: Beauty of Tone in String Playing; The Art of String Quartet Playing; Hints to Composers; The Tertis Model Viola; Appendices: Violin Craftsmen who make The Tertis Model Viola; Works for Viola Solo; Discography - Recordings by Lionel Tertis; Index

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Book SynopsisPhil Pickett first tasted success in seventies band Sailor who scored with hits such as'Girls, Girls, Girls' and 'A Glass of Champagne'. However there can be no doubt that his greatest achievements have been as a performer and songwriter with eighties pop sensation Culture Club with the charismatic singer Boy George.Phil had been Culture Club's keyboard player and vocal arranger right from the beginning and the band were already huge when he started to collaborate on their songwriting. Talk about being in the right place at the right time!He co-wrote 'It's A Miracle' and 'Karma Chameleon'. The latter song was number 1 in every country in the world that had a chart, selling 1.4 million records in the UK alone."Pickett played extensively on all of Culture Club's records throughout this period and also co-wrote many other songs with the band including 'Move Away'.Throughout a long career, Phil has also been associated with a huge variety of artists, writers and producers including Paul McCartney, Phil Ramone, Quincy Jones, Joe Cocker, Jeff Beck, Take That & Malcolm McLaren.He has also written songs for West End musical theatre and Hollywood movies, including Electric Dreams, Top Secret & The Lost Boys. Phil's autobiography explores all the ups and downs of his career whilst being firmly focused on the exploits of Culture Club and Boy George, making this a must read for fans, as well as those fascinated by the music business itself.

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Book SynopsisIt was never easy for Professor Green. Born into a tough Hackney estate and raised by his grandmother, the rapper was always learning the hard way - whether at school, on the streets of east London or on stage during impromptu freestyle battles. Indeed, life and music have always been intertwined for the young rapper, but it wasn't until he was 24 that the two were brought into focus by the suicide of his father - and his emotions, ever since, have been reflected in the raw and often passionate lines of his lyrics. In this wonderful autobiography, Professor Green - a.k.a. Stephen Manderson - reflects on his life so far and how his upbringing and encounters - both good and bad - shaped the person and musician he is today. Passionate, raw and totally open, Lucky is the story of a boy's journey, from life close to the streets, all the while working towards becoming a successful musician, achieving that dream and eventually gaining that success, only to realise it wouldn't quite solve all of his problems...Lucky is accompanied by the exclusive Mix Tape app, which takes you closer to Professor Green and his story.With exclusive digital content for readers to enjoy, this is a rare insight into one of the most exciting and controversial musicians working in music today.

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Book SynopsisHelen Bellany, twice married to the artist John Bellany, recalls their lives together in Scotland, London, and Italy, John's rise from poverty and obscurity to worldwide recognition, and the human cost inherent in creating great art. The sea was in both their hearts and in John's work from its earliest stages. From there, he deepened into a profound exploration of the human condition. The Restless Wave reflects the mystery, poetry and passion that was at the core of the inner life John and Helen shared. The couple had great friendships with such fellow artists as David Bowie, and John painted such internationally known figures as Billy Connelly, Sean Connery and Peter Maxwell Davis, as well as many portraits of his muse, Helen.Trade Review`Immediate, full of emotion.'-The Scottish Review of Books; `Bellany's life and art constitute a saga worthy of his seafaring ancestors. He could not have succeeded without Helen, as this book shows and both knew from the outset of their momentous voyage together.'-The Spectator; `In an effortless style, Bellany lays bare the imperfections of their relationship, capturing both testing times and happy memories. An honest and enthralling read.'-Scottish Field; `A marvelously tender biography.'-Fiona Green, The Islington Tribune; `Compelling ... a beautifully told tale of a remarkable man by a remarkable woman.'-Joan Bakewell; `The book is as much about [John] as it is about Helen, but she writes with great candour and without self-pity. Just by telling the story, she makes clear how much we owe to her for the gift of John's art.'-Duncan Macmillan, Scotland on Sunday; `The Restless Wave is a remarkable book, and deserves to be widely read. It is also, at approaching 400 pages, the longest love letter we've ever read: but so easy and rewarding to read at the same time.'-Undiscovered Scotland; `A touching (written) portrait of one of Scotland's great artists, and life as his muse.'-Bookseller review, Waterstones Sauchiehall Street; `One of the best biographies I've ever read.'-Dennis Canavan

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Book SynopsisA shocking tell-all about one screenwriters supply of class-A drugs to an A-class clientele.

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Book SynopsisStanley J. Browne is an actor, and he has been an actor all his life. Born to a Jamaican mother in a London suburb, he began rehearsing for the role of survivor from an early age. From birth he knew nothing but a home filled with love and the vibrancy of a Caribbean culture, but this changes when his mother is diagnosed with schizophrenia.In this honest and gripping memoir, Stanley reflects on a childhood and adolescence torn apart by mental disorder. Because of it, he adopts the mantle of 'man of the house' as he is forced to scavenge for food and miss school, with his two sisters, to care for his baby brother. His life is further fragmented as they yo-yo in and out of the care system and Stanley must face the reality of being separated from his siblings.An intelligent and sensitive child, Stanley descends into a life of crime and drug abuse. During his time spent in various young offender's institutions and prisons he battles with addiction and slowly begins to turn his life around.Set against a backdrop of 1970s poverty, racism and hardship, Little Big Man is a powerful story of generational trauma and one man's determination to heal the wounds of the past. Most of all, it is a book about the universal desire for love, belonging and the search to find an authentic voice through the redemptive power of creativity and recovery.

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Book SynopsisWhen actress Claudia Christian flees a troubled childhood and moves to Hollywood at age 17, she steps through the looking glass into another world. From the set of Dallas to her starring role on the sci-fi series Babylon 5, Claudia's affairs with billionaires, supermodels, rock stars, and celebrities are mixed with shootings, stalking, heartbreak, and betrayal. Onset and off, drama follows Claudia--an alcohol-fueled coke run and makeout session with a bridesmaid on her wedding day; her tempestuous, love-hate relationship with actor Angus Macfadyen; the conspiracy theories surrounding her ex-husband's death; and a 20-year on-and-off relationship with billionaire Dodi Fayed before he dated Princess Diana. Hollywood life takes its toll on Claudia as she descends into alcohol addiction and a desperate battle to reclaim her life. Rehab, alternative treatments, and even hypnotism can't break the cycle of alcohol abuse that threatens to destroy Claudia. Close to despair she discovers The Sinclair Method, a treatment that saves her life. Sometimes shocking, often humorous, always captivating -- Babylon Confidential is a story of hope that will inspire and enlighten you.Trade Review"An honest, page-turning insight into alcoholism and the road back out." --Neil Gaiman, New York Times Bestselling Author "Warning: Once you start reading Babylon Confidential you may not be able stop until the last page. Babylon Confidential offers mesmerizing insight into the allure of success, the pressures of Hollywood, the pitfalls of love, and the nature of addiction." --Rebecca Moesta, New York Times Bestselling Young Adult Author "Babylon Confidential is compelling, horrifying, and uplifting. Claudia Christian has an amazing story of glitz and darkness and ultimately a journey as strange and exciting as any of her films." --Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times Bestselling Co-author of Sisterhood of Dune "This story is a runaway train on a roller coaster rail. Told with brutal honesty, Claudia Christian takes us on a trip through her life of sex, drugs, despair, betrayal, courage, humor, love, and triumph. She has lived it all and she's inviting us along for the ride. Hold on to your hat!" --Walter Koenig, Actor, Director, and Author "I was gratified my method of alcoholism treatment could play a part in Claudia's journey from addiction to successful recovery. This vivid and insightful book can help save others suffering from this disease." --John David Sinclair, PhD, Founder of The Sinclair Method for the treatment of alcohol addiction "The dashing and darling Claudia puts herself on the line with her struggles with addiction. Claudia shares and bares it all to help everyone else... A must-read for fans and for folks dealing with any kind of addiction." --Pat Tallman, Actress, Stuntwoman, and Author, Pleasure Thresholds "Fearless and inspiring. Claudia not only remembers the torturous calamities of her life, as well as the highs, but she recalls them here with skill, grace, and utterly no apology. If you have an addiction, or know someone who does, you must read this book." --Shari Shattuck, Actress, and Author, Callaway Wilde novels "[Babylon Confidential] is from the heart, succinct, clear, and gives hope where there is none." --Stephen Michael Cox, MD, President, National Anxiety Foundation "Babylon Confidential is riveting--it is a great book filled with humor, warmth, and compassion. I was by deeply impressed by Claudia's courageous life story and I was grateful that I could play a role in helping her. I know this book will save lives and help families effected by alcoholism." --Dr. Roy Eskapa, Author of The Cure for Alcoholism "A wild ride. Claudia's James Frey-like voice reveals the secret life of an alcoholic. Read, laugh, and learn. But most importantly, share--to save a life." --Clare Kramer, Actress from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER The renowned and bestselling memoir—written with “insight, truth, and passion” (Sir Ian McKellen)—from iconic, beloved actor and living legend Sir Patrick Stewart.From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations in a career spanning six decades with his indelible command of stage and screen. No other British working actor enjoys such career variety, universal respect, and unending popularity, as witnessed through his seminal roles—whether as Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek fame, Professor Charles Xavier of Marvel''s X-Men hit movie franchise, his more than forty years as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company, his unforgettable one-man show adapted from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, or his comedic work in American Dad!, Ted, Extras, and Blunt Talk, among many others. Now, he presents his stunning memoir, a revealing portrait of a driven artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.

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Book SynopsisThe complex, enigmatic work of Meret Oppenheim (1913–1985) has lost nothing of its fascination to the present day. Much has been written about her career and her art. Yet very little is known about the real person Meret Oppenheim, who always remained secretive about herself and banned publication of any personal documents until 20 years after her death. In 1958, Oppenheim put together an album that she titled Von der Kindheit bis 1943 (From Childhood to 1943). It has a dual identity of a diary and a work of art in itself. It assembles photos, objects, notes and brief texts, as well as ideas and concepts for art works, and offers very personal insights into Oppenheim’s private life and thought. This book features the entire album in true-size colour reproductions and, for the first time ever, with the full text translated into English. This is supplemented with a previously unpublished autobiographical text by Oppenheim, which she wrote in 1957-58 on the request of the French scholar Yves Poupard-Lieussou for his never completed project of a bio-bibliographical history of Dada and Surrealism. An introduction by the editors Lisa Wenger and Martina Corgnati rounds out this beautiful book that offers entirely new perspectives on one of the most distinguished woman artists. Text in English and German.Trade Review"Her work spans over half a century of artistic styles, from the abstract to the surreal. But Meret Oppenheim was an artist who defies labels." - CBS News"Mein Album/My Album is a poignant book in which the sensibility of a rebellious artist receives an admirable level of restrained editorial elucidation." - The Art Newspaper

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Book SynopsisThe Agent in Love is more than an autobiography. In telling the story of his life in Moscow and Prague, and his renewed relationship with Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, artist Viktor Pivovarov plunges the reader into the rich cultural life of the artistic underground which existed behind the Iron Curtain in the 1960s and 1970s. First published in Russian in 2001, and then by Garage Museum in 2016 in an expanded edition, The Agent in Love has now been translated to English by Andrew Bromfield.

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Book SynopsisAndrei Monastyrski's semi-autobiographical novel Kashira Highway is set in the early 1980s and tells the story of an artist's nervous breakdown, juxtaposing the gray world of Brezhnev-era Moscow and the lurid landscape of the protagonist's imagination. Translated by Andrew Bromfield and with new illustrations by Pavel Pepperstein.

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Book SynopsisIn 1948, at the age of 15, Manu Dibango left Africa for France, bearing three kilos of coffee for his adopted family and little else. This autobiography chronicles his life, from his birth in Cameroon to his achievements as a composer, producer, performer, film-score writer and humanitarian.

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Book SynopsisThe first biography in over sixty years of a great American artist whose paintings are more famous than the man who made them.Trade Review"Engrossing...An elegant and skillful writer, Eisler captures Catlin's many roles and notes how, even today, he remains a 'contentious' figure." "A sparkling biography of the artist and impresario George Catlin, so much an American original that he lived most of his life abroad. Rich in exceptional feats, odd twists, and wrong turns, Red Man's Bones captivates completely." -- Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Cleopatra: A Life "Through her impeccable scholarship, Benita Eisler masterfully illuminates the tragic life of 19th Century artist George Catlin, America's forgotten portraitist of Native American life. The Red Man's Bones is that rare kind of 'warts and all' history, showing the real Catlin while successfully making the case for his elevation to the pantheon of great American artists." -- Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire "An elegant, thoughtful new biography." -- Kate Tuttle "Marvelous ... wonderfully nuanced and compelling ... Ms. Eisler's book is far and away the best biography of Catlin in existence." -- Jonathan Lopez "Pitch-perfect... [Eisler] is a skilled writer, showing both flair and economy." -- Tim Bross "[A] lively and well-researched biography."

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Book SynopsisLuminous and revealing, a daughter's memoir of the art world and a larger-than-life father.Trade Review"A beautiful, compelling memoir, a testament to art, to love, to life and all its losses and joys." -- Frederic Tuten, author of Self Portraits "Reading Gabrielle Selz's telling of the exhilarating twentieth-century decades when American art remade itself is like sitting to one side at a New York opening with someone who knows every story inside out. No one has died and all the living are here, too: Max Beckmann, Karel Appel, Carolee Schneeman, Alberto Giacometti, Mark Rothko and so many others whirl past, as at the center, the writer's complicated parents, the visionary and philandering MoMA curator Peter Selz and the beautiful writer Thalia Cheronis, hold our attention. Informed by the author's tenderness and longing, Unstill Life has the vitality of witness and the intimacy of memoir at its best." -- Honor Moore, author of The Bishop's Daughter "This intimate look at the art world's movers and shakers is from the perspective of the younger daughter of Peter Selz, a major curator and museum director... It's an exuberant tale of artists from Rothko to Christo that makes the reader marvel that neither the daughter nor her mother ever rejected the rascal who both animated and complicated their lives." -- Gail Levin, biographer of Edward Hopper, Judy Chicago, and Lee Krasner "Life inspires art inspires life-all of which inspire Gabrielle Selz's sparkling memoir of her brilliant but chaotic family. In Unstill Life, the art and people ricochet off each other, wreaking havoc but also encouraging everyone to live more intense, artistic lives." -- Charlotte Rogan, author of The Lifeboat "For a first book it's impressive; actually for a second or third book it would still be a contender, with lean engaging prose, an alertness for detail, and her consummate storytelling. One of the season's surprises." -- James Croak "A poignant, poetic, vivid picture of a New York populated by debaucherous dreamers, Selz's memoir is personal, brave, and touches not only on the complicated and intricate love her parents had for each other and their children, but also an epic time in American art history." -- Royal Young "Selz's reminiscences of coming of age amidst an explosion of creativity and social change are clear-eyed, sympathetic-and sometimes heartbreaking." "[A] page-turner [with a] unique point of view... Beautifully told and compelling." -- John Seed "Candid and captivating... Unstill Life personalizes the modern art world and makes it feel immediate, not a painting on a museum wall." -- Francis Dinkelspiel "[A] candid daughter-father memoir... [Selz's] evocation of her father's long life explores the bittersweet intersection of modern art and modern family, and the collateral damage of the sexual revolution." -- David D'Arcy

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Book SynopsisA young woman leaves Appalachia for life as a classical musicianor so she thinks.Trade Review"Sardonic, moving." -- The New Yorker"Brave and captivating." -- The Los Angeles Review of Books"[An] outrageously funny, shrewdly meta memoir." -- O, The Oprah Magazine

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Book Synopsis"People have told me that their lives have changed because of me. I take away from this the sense that I'm on the right track. " "I believe you're here to live your life with passion. Otherwise, you're just traveling through the world blindly-and there's no point to that. " "Oprah's on.Table of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgments. A Woman of Influence. Oprah's Roots. You Are Responsible For Your Life. Finding Her Niche. Oprah the Chief Executive Officer. On Living With Fame and Fortune. On Romance. Oprah on the Outside. Oprah On the Inside. On Truth and Courage. On Doing Right. On Solving the World's Problems. Oprah's Worst Mistakes. Others Speak About Oprah. Looking Ahead. Timeline. Endnotes.

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Book SynopsisOffers an account of a life steeped in and shaped by the movies. Part autobiography, part film analysis, and part social history, this title leads us through a series of screen memories, making us aware of movies as markers of the past - when and where we saw them, with whom, and what we did afterward.Table of ContentsLooking Back at Moving Places Acknowledgments Prelude: What I Did on My Summer Vacation (September 1977) 1 The Plucking of Three Birds of Paradise Station Identification 2 ON MOONLIGHT BAY as Time Machine 3 If Looks Could Kill 4 Rocky Horror Playtime Vs. Shopping Mall Home Station Identification II 5 Made in Hoboken Directions for Use

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Book SynopsisBen Fong-Torres was torn between an alluring American lifestyle - including Elvis and rock 'n' roll - and the traditional cultural heritage his proud immigrant parents struggled to instill in their five children. This title tells of growing up with a double identity - Chinese and American.

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Book SynopsisRubini, Chopin, Nourrit, Liszt, Donzelli, Thalberg, Velluti, Sontag, and Malibran were prominent celebrity pianists and singers who plied their trade between London and Paris, the most dynamic musical centers of nineteenth-century Europe. This title examines how key musicians and their contemporaries made sense of musical and physical abilities.Trade Review"Davies narrating incidents and tracing connections is full of animation and amusement ... a master of the anecdote and incident." -- Stephen Brown Times Literary SupplementTable of ContentsList of Illustrations and Musical Examples Acknowledgments Introduction 1. "Veluti in Speculum": The Twilight of the Castrato 2. Reflecting on Reflex: A Touching New Fact about Chopin 3. The Sontag-Malibran Stereotype 4. Boneless Hands{ths}/{ths}Thalberg's Ready-Made Soul{ths}/{ths}Velvet Fingers 5. In Search of Voice: Nourrit's Voix Mixte, Donzelli's Bari-Tenor 6. Franz Liszt, Metapianism, and the Cultural History of the Hand Epilogue Notes Index

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisEldon House is a distinctive element in the historical townscape of London, Ontario. By the mid-nineteenth century, its original owners, John and Amelia Harris, were prominent members of society in that dynamic community. Their children grew up in the affluent and cultured setting of a family whose increasing prosperity advanced with that of London and western Ontario. If London had an elite, the Harris family was part of it, and Eldon House was an important focal point of the social regimen of the day. A considerable corpus of family papers within the Eldon House and prominent among these papers is a collection of diaries that are excerpted in this volume, encapsulating the personalities, activities, and voices of the Harrises of London. These diaries are valuable because of the details of the warp and woof of daily life in the nineteenth century. But, more importantly, they are women's diaries. As such, they speak to us of the verities of personal, domestic, and societal li

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Book SynopsisTexas singer/songwriter Vince Bell's story begins in the 1970s. Following the likes of Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, Bell and his contemporaries Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, and Lucinda Williams were on the rise. In December of 1982, Bell was on his way home from the studio (where he and hired guns Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson had just recorded three of Bell's songs) when a drunk driver broadsided him at 65 mph. Thrown over 60 feet from his car, Bell suffered multiple lacerations to his liver, embedded glass, broken ribs, a mangled right forearm, and a severe traumatic brain injury. Not only was his debut album waylaid for a dozen years, life as he'd known it would never be the same. In detailing his recovery from the accident and his round-about climb back on stage, Bell shines a light in those dark corners of the music business that, for the lone musician whose success is measured not by the Top 40 but by nightly victories, usually fall outside of the spotlight. Bell's prose is not unlike his lyrics: spare, beautiful, evocative, and often sneak-up-on-you funny. His chronicle of his own life and near death on the road reveals what it means to live for one's art.

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Book SynopsisThe memoirs of the pioneering Danish silent film star Asta Nielsen in English translation for the first time, with scholarly introduction and annotations. From her explosive screen debut in The Abyss (1910) through her "scandalous" fourth marriage at age 89, the Danish actress Asta Nielsen (1881-1972) was a darling of fans and the press, a global star without parallel in the silent era. So famous in Germany that she was known simply as "die Asta," during her two decades of active filmmaking Nielsen also published about her career, her impoverished childhood, her breakthrough into film, the price of fame, and her interactions with the German film industry. In 1938 Nielsen returned to Denmark, where she published her memoirs in two volumes in 1945-46, expanding on her earlier writings. This carefully crafted, colorful text offers eyewitness insights into early European film, Nielsen's star persona, and the challenges of stardom in Germany in the tumultuous period before World War II. Yet although they have appeared in multiple Danish, German, and Russian editions, the memoirs have never been published in English until now. Nielsen's work has enduring value for transnational film history, and the recent growth of interest in women's contributions to early film makes the time ripe for this translation. Julie K. Allen accompanies the text with a scholarly introduction and annotations, and a foreword by leading early film scholar Jennifer M. Bean frames the volume.Trade ReviewLively, readable, and engaging, the book also confirms the important creative role of actors in the forging of the new art of cinema. -- Diana Holmes * Modern Language Review *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Foreword - Jennifer M. Bean Acknowledgments Introduction - Julie K. Allen THE SILENT MUSE Part I: My Path to Film Part II: Film Epilogue Asta Nielsen Filmography Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisJohn Sigismond Cousser, as performer and composer, was a pioneering figure in the musical history of the European Baroque era. John Sigismond Cousser - born Johann Sigismund Kusser in Pressburg, Hungary in 1660 - was a pioneering figure in the musical history of the Baroque era. Having worked professionally as a performer and composer across Europe over the span of a fifty-year career, this well-travelled and cosmopolitan musician was subsequently acknowledged by Johann Mattheson as having played a key role in the transmission of both the French and Italian musical styles throughout the German-speaking lands. Following study in Paris, Cousser was employed at a string of German courts, training musicians in the newly fashionable French style. At the court of Duke Anton Ulrich in Wolfenbüttel, he experienced at first hand performances of opera by Italian virtuosos and subsequently introduced countless German musicians and their audiences to the Italian musical style. Yet with the onset of war in 1701, Cousser was forced to seek his fortune elsewhere, moving to London in 1704 before settling permanently in Ireland. The Well-Travelled Musician expands current knowledge of Cousser's early life and professional career significantly, examining his particular role in the dissemination of music and musical styles throughout the German-speaking lands, as well as in early eighteenth-century London and Dublin. Drawing upon a rich body of primary sources, above all the unparalleled evidence contained in Cousser's so-called commonplace book, it reveals the practicalities of early modern musical exchange at a grass-roots level, from Pressburg (now Bratislava) to Paris, Hamburg to Dublin, and beyond. SAMANTHA OWENS is Associate Professor of Musicology at Victoria University of Wellington, New ZealandTrade ReviewA substantial contribution to our knowledge of not just Cousser but also baroque musical culture. * THE CONSORT *An exciting contribution to the study of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century musical life through the unique lens of the everyday experiences of musicmaking... a valuable perspective that hopefully will encourage future studies of a similar kind, and for which Owens's monograph would serve as an excellent model. * CONTEXT: A JOURNAL OF MUSIC RESEARCH *Will be of interest not only to musicologists, but anyone with an interest on social and cultural exchange across Europe in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. * SLAVONIC AND EAST EUROPEAN REVIEW *This wonderful and much-needed monograph not only provides the essential information about Cousser's life and career, but also allows us to examine the contents of a precious little book, pocket-sized that Cousser kept and wrote in from the 1690s until his death. . . . [which] 'offers a wealth of evidence concerning activities and preoccupations of a Baroque musician, not only professionally, but also far beyond that sphere' . . . . [Genuine praise is due Samantha Owens for offering us this fascinating and excellent addition to our music libraries. * EARLY MUSIC AMERICA *Table of ContentsIntroduction: John Sigismond Cousser and his 'Commonplace Book' Hungarian Beginnings and the Adoption of French Musical Style Kapellmeister at the Wolfenbüttel Court and Braunschweig Opera House Ariadne to Porus - Cousser's Braunschweig Operas 'The Incomparable Director' in Hamburg, Nuremberg and Augsburg Heliconische Musen-Lust - Opera at the Württemberg Court 'Il Paradiso terrestre'? - Cousser in London 'Fortune Not Blind' - Music for Dublin Castle 'Our Concert' - A Musician at Home Cousser's 'Collection of Fine Musick' and the Practicalities of Musical Exchange Appendix 1: Summary of the Contents of Cousser's 'Commonplace Book' Appendix 2: Cousser's Address Book Appendix 3:Cousser's Books of Cantatas, Madrigals, Duets and Serenatas Appendix 4:Cousser's Inventory of Ouverture Incipits Appendix 5: Transcription of Cousser's Notes for his 1716 Trip to London and the Continent

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Book SynopsisIn the vinyl era, David W. Berner played rock 'n' roll in a neighborhood garage band. Decades later at the age of 57 he enters a national songwriting contest and quite unexpectedly is named a finalist. But there's more. He's called on to perform the song live at a storied venue for Americana music. Grabbing his old guitar and the love of his life, David hits the road, hoping to live out a musical fantasy he thought had been buried long ago. October Song is a powerful examination of the passage of time, love, the power of music, and the power of dreams. FINALIST American Book Fest's 2017 American Book AwardsTrade ReviewOctober Song is about and for all who wonder if it's too late to follow a dream. Through his easy conversational tone, David W. Berner shares his heart and soul as if we were curled up together, sipping hot chocolate in front of a fireplace. Like a favorite song, that warm fuzzy feeling lingers on well after the story is done. -- Viga Boland, author of No Tears for My Father With his gift of a no-holds-barred writing styleraw, honest, confessionalBerner succeeds, once again, as a master storyteller. Music can tell the story of our past. Lyrics evoke memories; melodies make the heart thump like it did on a first date. October Song brings the reader through a mix tape of life, as Berner tells his tale of new love while traveling through landscapes and time. Each chapter reads like a beloved song. -- Geralyn Hesslau Magrady, author of Lines October Song strikes all the right chords; the high notes and the low notes of a life's journeythe losses, the lessons, the loves. Composed with tenderness and affection, Berner's heartfelt and ultimately life-affirming joy ride teaches us that you're never too old to roll down the window, crank it up and belt it out. -- Randy Richardson, author of Cheeseland, Lost in the Ivy

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Book SynopsisThis is a detective story, cultural history and love story. It tells a tale of unconventionality, multifarious creativity, and a quest for new ways of living and loving amidst the complexities of Interwar Britain. For Francesca Allinson life and making art were synonymous, though both were cut short. Her story captures the topsy-turvy quality of a life singularly led; it shows how biography too gets turned upside down in the making -- how the story of a single individual can throw the literary and social perspective of the period into relief. Helen Southworth's initial goal was to discover how Francesca's fictional autobiography, A Childhood, made it onto Leonard and Virginia Woolf's The Hogarth Press list in 1937. The result was to be immediately drawn in to the company of prominent artistic figures of the period. Writer, musicologist, puppeteer and pacifist, British-German Jewish Allinson (19021945) published with the Woolfs, duelled with Ralph Vaughan Williams over the origins of folk song and was psychoanalysed by Adrian Stephen, younger brother of Virginia. Her connections register the cultural ferment of the Interwar years: a rich collaboration and unconsummated romance with homosexual composer Michael Tippett; an affair with Arts League of Service founder Judy Wogan; a friendship with designer Enid Marx; and an infatuation with poet Den Newton, 18 years her junior. Her life of promise, tragically cut short by suicide by drowning in 1945, is an eerie echo of Virginia Woolf's suicide. Allinson's story spans the Twentieth Century, closing with Tippett weeping on stage at the Wigmore Hall during a 1992 performance of The Heart's Assurance, the song cycle he dedicated to Francesca's memory forty years earlier. In parallel, Allinson's own A Childhood makes a second journey: a gift for a young woman living in recently liberated Belgium in 1942, the book comes alive again when she transforms it into an artist's book.

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Book SynopsisA memoir and collection of essays on architecture and urbanism from one of the most interesting figures in Singapore’s cultural landscape. According to architect Tay Kheng Soon, the time has come to change and build a new world. The feeling has impelled him to write this book, bringing together memoir and writings on identity, landscape and belonging, and on architecture and urbanism. Born in British-ruled Singapore, Soon was deeply engaged in the debates about building a new world that attended the end of colonialism. His focus, but far from his only concern, was Singapore's built environment—and its spiritual one—since the early 1960s. A New World in the Making is a must-read reflection on tropical Asia, on architecture and urbanism, and on looking ahead to the always urgent task of building a new world.Table of Contents Beginnings Becoming Being A Tribute to the Malayan Generation Ideas and Essays Proposals and Plans Design Thinking for a New World List of Figures

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Book SynopsisLa comida no solo era una parte importante de mi vida, sino que básicamente era mi vida. La comida me hacía sentir arraigado a la par que me transportaba a otros lugares. Me reconfortaba y me desafiaba. Me permitía expresar mi amor por mis seres queridos y establecer vínculos con otras personas a las que podría llegar a querer.STANLEY TUCCI

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Book SynopsisDesde que mi madre murió, lloro en H Mart.H Mart es una cadena de supermercados especializada en comida asiática. La H es por han ah reum, una frase en coreano que podría traducirse como ?un brazo lleno de comestibles?. Mi madre expresaba su amor por medio de la comida. Por muy crítica o cruel que pudiera parecer ?no dejaba de presionarme para que colmara sus utópicas expectativas?, yo siempre sentía que su afecto irradiaba de los platos que me preparaba exactamente como a mí me gustaban. Y si bien apenas hablo coreano, cuando estoy en H Mart es como si lo dominara. Acaricio los productos y digo los nombres en voz alta: melón chamoe, danmuji. Recuerdo las chucherías que mi madre me contaba que comía cuando era niña y el empeño que ponía yo en intentar imaginarla a mi edad. Quería que me gustaran todas las cosas que le gustaban a ella, quería ser ella.La voz de Zauner, enérgica y directa, lírica y sincera, suena tan viva sobre el escenario como en cada una de

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Book Synopsis

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