Biography: adventurers and explorers Books
Little, Brown Book Group Nansen
Book SynopsisBehind the great polar explorers of the early twentieth century - Amundsen, Shackleton, Scott in the South and Peary in the North - looms the spirit of Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930), the mentor of them all. He was the father of modern polar exploration, the last act of territorial discovery before the leap into space began.Nansen was a prime illustration of Carlyle''s dictum that ''the history of the world is but the biography of great men''. He was not merely a pioneer in the wildly diverse fields of oceanography and skiing, but one of the founders of neurology. A restless, unquiet Faustian spirit, Nansen was a Renaissance Man born out of his time into the new Norway of Ibsen and Grieg. He was an artist and historian, a diplomat who had dealings with Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin, and played a part in the Versailles Peace Conference, where he helped the Americans in their efforts to contain the Bolsheviks. He also undertook famine relief in Russia. Finally, working for the League of Trade Review[NANSEN] is a rare thing, a work of immense scholarship blazing with insight... * Beryl Bainbridge, LITERARY REVIEW *[Huntford's] NANSEN has been longawaited. It is a triumph ... a hugely satisfying biography * Paul Theroux, GUARDIAN *It is a book which takes us outward through the life of another and from there inward into our own. What more can you ask of a biography? * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Roland Huntford has captured something of the restless romantic within. It is an accomplished biography at every level. * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *
£16.14
The History Press Ltd The Six
Book SynopsisWhen Titanic sank on a cold night in 1912, barely 700 people escaped with their lives. Among them were six Chinese men. Arriving in New York, these six were met with suspicion and slander. Less than 24 hours later, they departed the country, and vanished. When historian Steven Schwankert first stumbled across the fact that eight Chinese nationals were on board, of whom all but two survived, he couldn't believe that there could still be untold personal histories from the Titanic. This is their story, the result of meticulous research, dogged investigation, and interviews with family members. This epic journey of research crossed continents, working with an international team of investigators, culminating in the 2020 documentary The Six. This detailed book expands on the documentary, detailing many discoveries along the way, and revealing the full story of these six forgotten survivors. Their names were Ah Lam, Chang Chip, Cheong Foo, Fang Lang (or Fong Wing Sun), Lee Bing, and Ling Hee.
£18.70
Michael O'Mara Books Ltd OneArmed Jack
Book SynopsisThis highly revelatory book, based on original research and completely new analysis, presents a compelling new suspect as the most notorious serial killer of all time: Jack the Ripper.Using a different analytical approach, for the first time, Sarah Bax Horton identifies a named perpetrator as Jack the Ripper by linking eye-witness accounts of the killer’s distinctive physical characteristics to his official medical records. It argues that his broken left arm, which left him unable to work in early 1888, was one of his triggers to kill as part of a serious physical and mental decline caused by severe epilepsy.This new perpetrator fits the profile as stated by the police of the day: a local man of low class of whom they became aware after the final murder, when they launched an unsuccessful surveillance operation against him. As has never been done before, the author - an experienced former government researcher with specific expertise in research a
£10.44
Random House USA Inc They Called Us Exceptional
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Oxford University Press Twenty Years AGrowing
Book SynopsisMaurice O'Sullivan was born on the Great Blasket in 1904, and 'Twenty years A-Growing' tells the story of his youth and of a way of life which belonged to the Middle Ages. He wrote for his own pleasure and for the entertainment of his friends, without any thought of a wider public; his style is derived from folk-tales which he hear from his grandfather and sharpened by his own lively imagination.Trade ReviewI was fascinated by the language of the book, originally written in Irish: much of the idiom of that language had been retained in the English Translation * Paul Buttle - The Independent *Part of a unique and remarkable Irish literary archive ... compelling. * Neil Johnston, Belfast Telegraph, 24/6/00 *Table of Contents1. IN DINGLE; 2. MY FIRST JOURNEY HOME; 3. THE ISLAND; 4; A DAY'S HUNTING; 5. VENTRY RACES; 6. PIERCE'S CAVE; 7. A SHOAL OF MACKEREL; 8. HALLOWE'EN; 9. THE WHALE; 10. THE WAKE; 11. A NIGHT IN THE INISH; 12 THE WAR; 13. THE SHIPWRECK; 14. THE WANDERER; 15. THE LOBSTER SEASON; 16; MATCHMAKING; 17. THE WEDDING DAY; 18. AN AMERICAN WAKE; 19. THE STRANGER; 20 MY LAST JOURNEY TO THE INISH; 21; I LEAVE HOME; 22. FROM DINGLE EAST; 23. THE CITY OF DUBLIN; 24. THE CIVIC GUARD; 25. CONNEMARA; 26. CONCLUSION
£999.99
Penguin Books Ltd Life is Real Only Then When I Am
Book SynopsisThis is one of the few records published by Gurdjieff in which he offers guidance to his ''community of seekers'', the pupils from many countries who joined him in Paris and New York.The first section is mainly autobiographical, relating material crucial to an understanding of the nature and intensity of personal effort required for an all-inclusive work on oneself. This is followed by a series of talks which Gurdjieff gave to his pupils in New York in 1930, and then by a long, but incomplete, essay on ''The Outer and Inner World of Man''.
£10.44
University of Wales Press Wittgenstein in Swansea
Book Synopsis
£18.99
HarperCollins Publishers Knights Cross
Book SynopsisErwin Rommel was the outstanding Axis field commander of the Second World War, respected, even admired, by his opponents. Here it seemed to the Allies, was a supremely professional soldier: chivalrous, decent, largely untainted by the crimes of the Nazi regime, carrying out his duty with often dazzling success.David Fraser's definitive study brings to Rommel's career not only the insights of an acclaimed biographer, but also those of a distinguished soldier. He shows how inspiringly spontaneous and superficially haphazard Rommel's style of leadership could be; how his hallmarks of boldness of manoeuvre, ferocity in attack and tenacity in pursuit, which characterised his great campaign in North Africa, were evident from his earliest battles in the First World War. Knight's Cross is first and foremost hte biography of a soldier, but Rommel reached a position in which he almost inevitably became embroiled in politics, including his alleged involvement in the plot to kill Hitler, which conTrade Review‘Many books have been written about Rommel. None has been more thoroughly researched or examines his personality and character in more detail than this one… Fraser gets under the skin of this man as well as any biographer ever can.’The Economist
£15.29
Penguin Books Ltd The Green Fool
Book SynopsisMy part of Ireland had a poet at one time, a poor ragged fellow whom no respectable person whom no respectable person would be seen talking to, but he left doors open as he passed. A delightful autobiographical novel from one of Ireland''s best-loved writersTime hardly mattered in the village of Mucker, the birthplace of poet and writer Patrick Kavanagh. Full of wry humour, Kavanagh''s unsentimental and evocative account of his Irish rural upbringing describes a patriarchal society surviving on the edge of poverty, sustained by the land and an insatiable love of gossip. There are tales of schoolboy skirmishes, blackberrying and night-time salmon-poaching; of country-weddings and fairs, of political banditry and religious pilgrimages; and of farm-work in the fields and kicking mares.Kavanagh''s experiences inspired him to write poetry which immortalized a fast-disappearing way of life and brought him recognition as one of Ireland''s great poets.
£11.69
Running Press Book Publishers Dark City Dames
Book SynopsisIn this revised and expanded edition of his essential volume Dark City Dames, Eddie Muller—Turner Classic Movies host and author of Dark Cityand Noir Bar—offers a uniquely intimate look at the women who defined film noir, now featuring updated text, photos, and 10 new star profiles. Film noir was the dark side of the movies’ happily-ever-after mythology. Sinister and sexy, it forged a new icon: the tough, independent dame. Determined, desirable, dangerous when cornered, she could handle trouble—or deal out some of her own. If you thought these women were something special onscreen, wait until you meet the genuine articles. In Dark City Dames, acclaimed film historian Eddie Muller takes readers into the world of six women who made a lasting impression in this cinematic terrain—from veteran “bad girls” Audrey Totter, Marie Windsor, and Jane Greer to unexpected genre fixtures Evelyn Keyes, Coleen Gray, and Ann Savage. The book provides in-depth profiles of these formidable women during the height of their careers, circa 1950, as they balanced love and career, struggled against typecasting, and sought fulfillment in a ruthless business. Their personal stories—teeming with larger-than-life characters like Howard Hughes, Louis B. Mayer, Robert Mitchum, Otto Preminger, and John Huston—offer a fascinating counterpoint to their movies. Then Dark City Dames revisits each woman fifty years later, to witness their hard-won—and triumphant—survival. On every page their own voices ring through, reflecting on their lives with as much passion, pain, intelligence, energy, and humor as any movie script. Muller conducted far-ranging interviews with the original six women profiled in Dark City Dames, in the process becoming a friend and confidante to each. In this revised and expanded edition, he updates their stories and shares illuminating, never-before-told memories of his time with them. This edition also includes compelling new profiles of ten additional women who left an indelible mark on film noir, including Joan Bennett, Gail Russell, Rhonda Fleming, and Claire Trevor—all packaged in a stunning redesign that offers the ultimate look at performers who helped define a still-resonant and inspiring epoch of Hollywood history.
£25.20
Crecy Publishing Enemy Coast Ahead
Book Synopsis
£7.55
HarperCollins Publishers Devil Dogs A New History of the Second World War
Book SynopsisA Times History Book of the Year 2022From Sunday Times bestselling historian Saul David, the dramatic tale of the first American troops to take the fight to the enemy in the Second World War, and also the last.The Devil Dogs' of K Company, 3/5 Marines, were part of the legendary first Marine Division. They landed on the beaches of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in 1942 the first US ground offensive of the war and were present when Okinawa, Japan's most southerly prefecture, finally fell to American troops after a bitter struggle in June 1945. In between they fought in the Green Hell' of Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain, and across the coral wasteland of Peleliu in the Palau Islands, a campaign described by one K Company veteran as thirty days of the meanest, around-the-clock slaughter that desperate men can inflict on each other.'Ordinary men from very different backgrounds, and drawn from cities, towns, and settlements across America, the Devil Dogs were asked to do Trade Review PRAISE FOR DEVIL DOGS ‘Exquisite detail…subtly textured… the Pacific War is rendered in painful and poignant detail… A narrative that reads like war in real time. It's war unplugged: cruelty, destruction, pain, but also love, kindness and camaraderie. I cried for these men and then thanked God that I will never have to send my son to war.’ Times ‘Brilliant… A chronicle that is part Hollwood film-script, but never less than vigorously researched history. David has a claim to be our finest military historian… Superb’’Daily Telegraph ‘David recounts in this stirring saga the WWII campaigns of Company K, the 1st Marine Division unit … Skillfully plumbing the rich array of firsthand accounts by Company K veterans, David vividly describes pillbox raids, accidental deaths, and hellish jungle conditions, and draws incisive portraits of Marine officers and their command decisions. The result is a captivating chronicle of the war in the Pacific’Publishers Weekly PRAISE FOR SBS: SILENT WARRIORS A SUNDAY TIMES #4 BESTSELLER A TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021 ‘This is a terrific book, written with all the gusto, thrills and heady excitement these SBS operations richly deserve. It really is one of the most enjoyable histories I’ve read in many a year’James Holland, Daily Telegraph, five stars ‘It’s an extraordinary trawl through the archives, backed up with diaries and interviews; an accomplished act of storytelling… David has written a book that often gladdens the heart, but also makes you think about the nature of sacrifice’ Times ‘A brilliant account of how the SBS was born from wartime needs, and just how much the organisation and its affiliated units were able to achieve in those early years’Daily Mail
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Francis I
Book Synopsis''A captivating biography ... This rollicking story is packed with anecdotes'' The Times''I can''t suppose that there has been a better English biography of Francis, or indeed is likely to be one'' Catholic HeraldFrancis I was inconstant, amorous, hot-headed and flawed. Arguably he was also the most significant king that France ever had. A contemporary of Henry VIII of England, Francis saw himself as the first Renaissance king. A courageous and heroic warrior, he was also a keen aesthete, an accomplished diplomat and an energetic ruler who turned his country into a force to be reckoned with. Bestselling historian Leonie Frieda''s comprehensive and sympathetic account explores the life of the most human of all Renaissance monarchs - and the most enigmatic.Trade ReviewA captivating biography ... [Frieda] does herself proud. Battle scenes are vividly drawn and the intricacies of statecraft reconstructed with admirable clarity. She also has a fine eye for detail - this rollicking story is packed with anecdotes -- Gerard DeGroot * THE TIMES *A thoughtful, vivid and well-paced telling of a complex story; and it is set against an even more complex background of European power-politics, which Frieda picks apart with admirable skill -- Noel Malcolm * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Frieda paints a surprisingly funny account of a king obsessed by power and sex, who took Renaissance France in directions that his predecessors would never have dared but was nearly undone by his own hubris. Frieda maintains a fine balance between psychological insight, the intricacies of 16th-century diplomacy and uproarious anecdotes of bad behaviour -- Alexander Larman * OBSERVER *A superb and vivid biography ... that brings the world of Francis I to life, skillfully delineating the moves and major players in both European and domestic politics ... and also gives the reader wonderful glimpses of the often licentious court life of that time ... Ms Frieda suggests that, under Francis I, France preserved its political power, greatly increased its cultural influence, and positioned itself for the Grand Siècle that his Bourbon successors would soon preside over -- John Steele Gordon * WALL STREET JOURNAL *Good English biographies of French kings are rare. So Leonie Frieda's life of Francis I is welcome. Leonie Frieda has done her hero such justice as is possible. She tells his story in great detail ... I can't suppose that there has been a better English biography of Francis, or indeed is likely to be one -- Alan Massie * CATHOLIC HERALD *A glittering new biography of one of 16th-century Europe's most charismatic and complex royals ... Frieda does brilliantly to condense all the captivating personalities, events, intrigues and conflicts of his reign into one book. Francis I transports the reader into the glittering and dangerous world of 16th-century France. It is a testament to its quality that upon closing the book you don't entirely want to leave -- Joanne Paul * BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE *
£11.69
Vintage Publishing Koba The Dread
Book SynopsisKoba the Dread is the successor to Amis''s celebrated memoir, Experience. It addresses itself to the central lacuna of twentieth-century thought: the indulgence of communism by Western intellectuals. In between the personal beginning and the personal ending, Amis gives us perhaps the best one hundred pages ever written about Stalin: Koba the Dread, Iosif the Terrible. The author''s father, Kingsley Amis, was ''a Comintern dogsbody'' (as he would come to put it) from 1941 to 1956. His second-closest, and later in life his closest friend, was Robert Conquest, whose book The Great Terror was second only to Solzhenitsyn''s The Gulag Archipelago in undermining the USSR. Amis''s remarkable memoir explores these connections. Stalin said that the death of one person was tragic, the death of a million a mere ''statistic''. Koba the Dread, during whose course the author absorbs a particular, a familial death, is a rebuttal of Stalin''s aphorTrade ReviewA powerfully written, well-documented polemic reminding us of how 20 million humans were starved, murdered or totured to death by Uncle Joe * Daily Mail *More than any of his contemporaries, Amis writes things that you want to remember and repeat: he is original * New Statesman *Amis uses all the tricks of his well-mastered trade to make readable what is almost unreadable, indeed hardly bearable... A disturbing book...but a book I was very glad to have read * Financial Times *Martin Amis' book will not date...it is wise, witty and saturated with saeva indignatio, the only adequate response to tyranny * Literary Review *What's best about him is his style. He is never dull -- John Carey * Sunday Times *
£11.69
Cornerstone Englands Mistress
Book SynopsisA dramatic, sparkling tale of sex, glamour, intrigue, romance and heartbreak, England''s Mistress traces the rise and rise of the gorgeous Emma Hamilton.Born into poverty, she clawed her way up through London''s underworlds of sex for sale to become England''s first media superstar. Nothing could stand in the way of her dreams- except her self-destructive desires. Drawing on hundreds of previously undiscovered letters, and told with a novelist''s flair, England''s Mistress captures the relentless drive, innovative style and burning passion of a true heroine. In a world of tabloid fame and three-minute wonders, Emma''s life is truly a tale for our time.Trade ReviewThis rich and bouncy biography of a driven woman - mad for fashion, mad on passion - makes Posh look like a novice * Good Housekeeping *Sparkling like Emma's pawned diamonds ... Finally makes us understand why Nelson needed to be prised out of Emma's embrace to fight Napoleon... * Daily Mail *It is the thoroughness of the research and attention to detail that make Kate Williams' new biography of Emma Hamilton so interesting. The iconic Emma has been continuously reimagined since her lover Nelson's death, but Williams offers a new portrait * The Independent *Kate Williams has done a wonderful job recreating the life of the woman she wants us to relate to...This is an immensely colourful, readable portrait that revels in Emma's resilience and her ability to surmount what look to us now to be unimaginable odds * Independent on Sunday *Gallops along like a gripping novel, with an utterly believable and sympathetic character at its heart * Chesire Life *
£11.69
Cornerstone The Private World of Georgette Heyer
Book SynopsisAs an internationally bestselling phenomenon and queen of the Regency Romance, Georgette Heyer is one of the most beloved historical novelists of our time. She''s written more than fifty novels - romances, detective stories and contemporary works of fiction - yet her private life was practically inaccessible to any but her closest friends and relatives. With this classic biography we catch a glimpse into Georgette Heyer''s world and that of her most memorable characters. With access to private papers and archives, Jane Aiken Hodge reveals a formidable, energetic woman, with an impeccable sense of style and, beyond everything, a love for all things Regency. Lavishly illustrated from Georgette Heyer''s own research files, her family archives and other Regency sources, complete with extracts from her correspondence and references to her work, The Private World is a delight and a must-read for every Georgette Heyer fan.Trade ReviewOne of the most beautiful books I know * Washington Post Book World *A fascinating biography of Georgette Heyer, one that deserves reading just as much as Heyer'snovels * Courier Mail *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Mary Queen of Scots
Book SynopsisOn the night of 10 February 1567 an explosion devastated the Edinburgh residence of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. For this reason Elizabeth I had opposed his family's longstanding wish to marry him to Mary Stuart, who herself claimed to be the rightful queen of England.Trade ReviewI’m impressed by an intellect that can assimilate such a wealth of material and turn it into a cohesive narrative. * Waitrose Weekend *A monumental piece of historical detective work * Observer *Weir tells the famous story grippingly, with clarity and paceAn engrossing historical whodunnit combined with a richly textured portrait of an age * Scotland on Sunday *Valuable, conscientious and thoughtful * Sunday Times *
£13.49
Cornerstone The Sure Thing
Book SynopsisNick Townsend was, for many years, a sports feature writer on the Daily Mail before joining the Independent on Sunday, initially as football correspondent and later chief sports writer. He is currently a freelance writer, predominantly for the Sunday Times. He collaborated with Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Ben Ainslie on their autobiographies. He is a long-time confidant of Barney Curley and assisted him with his acclaimed life story Giving A Little Back. He lives with his wife Louise in Oxfordshire.Trade ReviewNick Townsend tells the story with panache, helped by a close acquaintance with the Irish mastermind of the scheme, Barney Curley, a name which bookmakers have had reason to curse on several occasions… It gets properly into its stride when it focuses on the coup, which in its innovative daring calls to mind The Italian Job. * Independent on Sunday *The full story of how the legendary gambler does it is unveiled. It helps if you know your way around racing, but if you don’t this book will make you want to get clued-up fast. * Daily Sport *This is an enthralling read, extremely entertaining, and a revealing insight into one of horse racing’s most colourful, and controversial, characters * The Press *Fascinating… written with commendable skill and verve. It is a very readable book. Curley and his coups combine to make a unique story, well told. * Racing Post *This is a brilliant read. Love horse racing or not, you won’t be able to put it down once the action gets going. I just can't wait for the BBC to snap up the rights. * Wexford People *
£10.44
Cornerstone The Happy Depressive In Pursuit of Personal and
Book SynopsisAre you happy? Does it matter?Increasingly, governments seem to think so. As the UK government conducts its first happiness survey, Alastair Campbell looks at happiness as a political as well as a personal issue; what it should mean to us, what it means to him. Taking in economic and political theories, he questions how happiness can survive in a grossly negative media culture, and how it could inform social policy. But happiness is also deeply personal. Campbell, who suffers from depression, looks in the mirror and finds a bittersweet reflection, a life divided between the bad and not-so-bad days, where the highest achievements in his professional life could leave him numb, and he can somehow look back on a catastrophic breakdown twenty-five years ago as the best thing that happened to him. He writes too of what he has learned from the recent death of his best friend, further informing his view that the pursuit of happiness is a long game.Originally pTrade ReviewThrough exploring what happiness is, where it comes from, what it stands for and how it can be created and maintained both personally and politically, Alastair reveals a side of himself that many readers have probably never seen before or didn't know even existed. -- Ilona Burton * Mind Blog *
£7.99
Penguin Books Ltd Kershaw I Hitler 18891936
Book SynopsisIan Kershaw''s Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris charts the rise of Adolf Hitler, from a bizarre misfit in a Viennese dosshouse, to dictatorial leadership.With extraordinary skill and vividness, drawing on a huge range of sources, Kershaw recreates the world which first thwarted and then nurtured Hitler in his youth, from early childhood to the first successes of the Nazi Party. As his seemingly pitiful fantasy of being Germany''s saviour attracted more and more support, Kershaw brilliantly conveys why so many Germans adored Hitler, connived with him or felt powerless to resist him. ''Supersedes all previous accounts. It is the sort of masterly biography that only a first-rate historian can write'' David Cannadine, Observer Books of the Year ''The Hitler biography for the 21st century ... cool, judicious, factually reliable and intelligently argued'' Richard Evans, Sunday Telegraph ''One of Trade ReviewSupersedes all previous accounts. It is the sort of masterly biography that only a first-rate historian can write -- David Cannadine * Observer Books of the Year *The Hitler biography for the 21st century ... cool, judicious, factually reliable and intelligently argued ... Kershaw triumphantly succeeds in showing that Hitler's rise to supreme power depended not just on his own talents, nor on the nature of German society, but on the interaction of the two -- Richard Evans * Sunday Telegraph *One of the major historical biographies of our times ... Kershaw has written a dazzlingly lucid interpretation of the central dynamics of the Nazi regime which draws on a wide new range of sources and expertly manages a huge cast of accomplices ... a riveting read -- Jackie Wullschlager * Financial Times, Best Biographies of the Year *His analysis of Hitler's extraordinary character has the fascination of a novel, but he places his struggle and rise in the context of meticulously researched history ... Deeply disturbing. Unforgettable -- A.N. Wilson * Daily Mail *A sane, erudite, moral and intellectually honest biography of the 20th century's most destructive politician. Every page is focused on the historical question we would prefer to forget: how did it happen? -- Ruth Scurr * The Times *This new biography is of profound importance and will ... quickly establish itself as the standard work on Hitler and his regime -- Thomas Childers * Boston Globe *Table of ContentsFantasy and failure; drop-out; elation and embitterment; discovering a talent; the beerhall agitator; the "drummer"; emergence of the leader; mastery over the movement; breakthrough; levered into power; the making of the dictator; securing total power; working towards to Fuhrer.
£16.99
Penguin Books Ltd American Notes
Book Synopsis''Like Shakespeare, Dickens was able to embrace a whole world'' John MortimerWhen Charles Dickens set out for America in 1842, he was the most famous man of his day to make the journey, and embarked on his travels with an intense curiosity. His frank descriptions cover everything from his comically wretched sea voyage to his sheer astonishment at Niagara Falls, while he also visited hospitals, prisons and law courts. But Dickens''s depiction of America as a land ruled by money, built on slavery, with a corrupt press and unsavoury manners, provoked a hostile reaction on both sides of the Atlantic. American Notes is an illuminating account of a great writer''s revelatory encounter with the New World.Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Patricia InghamTable of ContentsEdited by Patricia InghamAcknowledgmentsA Dickens ChronologyIntroductionFurther ReadingA Note on the TextMapAMERICAN NOTESAppendix I: Dickens's Unpublished Introduction of 1842Appendix II: Dickens's Preface of 1850Appendix III: Dickens's Postscript of 1868
£9.99
Penguin Books Ltd Dialogues and Letters
Book SynopsisA major writer and a leading figure in the public life of Rome, Seneca (c. 4BC-AD 65) ranks among the most eloquent and influential masters of Latin prose. This selection explores his thoughts on philosophy and the trials of life. In the Consolation to Helvia he strives to offer solace to his mother, following his exile in AD 41, while On the Shortness of Life and On Tranquillity of Mind are lucid and compelling explorations of Stoic thought. Witty and self-critical, the Letters - written to his young friend Lucilius - explore Seneca''s struggle to acquire philosophical wisdom. A fascinating insight into one of the greatest minds of Ancient Rome, these works inspired writers and thinkers including Montaigne, Rousseau, and Bacon, and continue to intrigue and enlighten.Table of ContentsDialogues and Letters - Seneca PrefaceIntroductionA Note on the TextFurther ReadingDialoguesConsolation to HelviaOn Tranquillity of MindOn the Shortness of LifeLettersLetter 24Letter 57Letter 79Letter 110from Natural Questions1. praef. 1-10 [Seneca urges Lucilius to enjoy the inspiration and benefits of philosophical study]4A.2.4-6 [The Cataracts of the Nile]6.1.4-7 [The terrors of earthquakes]NotesIndex
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Chasing the Flame
Book SynopsisSergio Vieira de Mello-a humanitarian, peacemaker and state builder -was at centre of the most significant geopolitical crises of the last half-century. Born in 1948, just as the post-World War II order was taking shape, he died in a terrorist attack on UN headquarters in Iraq in 2003 as the battle lines in the twenty first-century''s first great polarizing struggle were being drawn. This is a dual biography: the story of a man who never stopped learning and the biography of a perilous world whose ills are too big to ignore but too complex to manage quickly or cheaply. Even as Vieira de Mello arranged food deliveries, organized refugee returns, or negotiated with warlords, he pressed his colleagues to join him in grappling with such questions as: When should killers be engaged and when should they be shunned? When is military force justified? How can outsiders play a role in healing broken people and broken places? He did not have the luxury of simply posing these questions; he had to find answers, apply them, and live with the consequences.Trade Review'Chasing the Flame is a brilliantly researched biography about an extraordinary man' - Richard Beeston, The Times 'a compelling work, culminating in a brilliant and moving reconstruction of Vieira de Mello's doomed last mission in Iraq' - Rosemary Righter, TLS
£14.24
Penguin Books Ltd The Log from the Sea of Cortez
Book SynopsisIn 1940 Steinbeck sailed in a sardine boat with his great friend the marine biologist, Ed Ricketts, to collect marine invertebrates from the beaches of the Gulf of California. The expedition was described by the two men in SEA OF CORTEZ, published in 1941. The day-to-day story of the trip is told here in the Log, which combines science, philosophy and high-spirited adventure.
£15.29
Penguin Books Ltd Edward VIII Penguin Monarchs
Book SynopsisThe acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England''s rulers - now in paperback''After my death'', George V said of his eldest son and heir, ''the boy will ruin himself in 12 months''. From the death of his father in 1936 to the constitutional crisis provoked by his proposal to the then-married American socialite Wallis Simpson and his subsequent abdication, Edward VIII reigned for less than year. In choosing the woman he loved over his royal birthright, Edward fulfilled his father''s prophecy and instigated the monarchy''s most significant upheaval of the twentieth century. Retitled ''Duke of Windsor'' and essentially exiled, Edward has remained a controversial figure ever since. Through his correspondence with, amongst other confidants, Winston Churchill, Piers Brendon traces Edward''s tumultuous life in this superb, pacey biography.
£6.23
Penguin Books Ltd The Japanese
Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020''Mightily impressive ... a marvellous read'' Sunday TimesFrom the acclaimed author of Japan Story, this is the history of Japan, distilled into the stories of twenty remarkable individuals. The vivid and entertaining portraits in Chris Harding''s enormously enjoyable new book take the reader from the earliest written accounts of Japan right through to the life of the current empress, Masako. We encounter shamans and warlords, poets and revolutionaries, scientists, artists and adventurers - each offering insights of their own into this extraordinary place. For anyone new to Japan, this book is the ideal introduction. For anyone already deeply involved with it, this is a book filled with surprises and pleasures.Trade ReviewSkilled, ambitious, mightily impressive ... Harding turns out to be as adept at describing the country's artistic development as he is at unpicking its brutal politics. Another of his talents is a sharp eye for the telling quote that makes these distant presences tangible ... a marvellous read, full of startling information. -- Waldemar Januszczak * Sunday Times *Splendid ... It's an effective way of telling an unfamiliar story, leavening the course of social change with plenty of enjoyable individual details. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *An enjoyable romp through the ages across the Japanese archipelago ... Harding is in his element ... A tour de force, this imaginative book may well be the "ideal introduction" for anyone new to Japan ... Vividly written, there are certainly some interesting surprises to savour along the way. -- Andrew Cobbing * BBC History Magazine *A fresh and fascinating perspective ... By shifting focus without losing the renowned figures or the sweeping trends but rather leavening them with formerly unsung individuals, Harding is able to say something new about the history of Japan and reinvigorate old stories. As such, this book can act as a primer for the archipelago's long and complex story, or as a refreshing take on familiar periods for those already well-versed in the emperors, shoguns and battlefields. -- Iain Maloney * Japan Times *The people included in this look at the lives of 20 of Japan's most notable characters are not, it's fair to say, household names, but historian and broadcaster Christopher Harding brings them to life with warmth and insight. Together, they offer a great primer to the nation's expansive, dynamic story. * History Revealed, Book of the Month *
£12.34
Penguin Books Ltd George III Penguin Monarchs
Book SynopsisKing of Britain for sixty years and the last king of what would become the United States, George III inspired both hatred and loyalty and is now best known for two reasons: as a villainous tyrant for America''s Founding Fathers, and for his madness, both of which have been portrayed on stage and screen.In this concise and penetrating biography, Jeremy Black turns away from the image-making and back to the archives, and instead locates George''s life within his age: as a king who faced the loss of key colonies, rebellion in Ireland, insurrection in London, constitutional crisis in Britain and an existential threat from Revolutionary France as part of modern Britain''s longest period of war.Black shows how George III rose to these challenges with fortitude and helped settle parliamentary monarchy as an effective governmental system, eventually becoming the most popular monarch for well over a century. He also shows us a talented and curious individual, committed to music, art, architecture and science, who took the duties of monarchy seriously, from reviewing death penalties to trying to control his often wayward children even as his own mental health failed, and became Britain''s longest reigning king.Trade ReviewThis volume forms part of the Penguin Monarchs series, an impressive collection of short biographies written by renowned historians ... Their aim is not simply to summarise, but to offer genuine insights in accessible format. Black's analysis of George III is a welcome addition. [He] ... manages to pepper his trim narrative with lovely frills. The mark of a good short book is its ability to inspire curiosity and further investigation. Black achieves just that. -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *Black brilliantly demolishes the paranoiac Whig view of George as trying to accrete powers to himself unconstitutionally. The George who emerges is a far more attractive figure than the Whig historians depicted, let alone Thomas Jefferson with his 28 histrionic and inaccurate accusations against George in the Declaration of Independence, and especially Lin-Manuel Miranda's hilarious but profoundly historically incorrect caricature. -- Andrew Roberts * The Critic *
£8.54
Oxford University Press Galileo
Book SynopsisIn a startling reinterpretation of the evidence, Stillman Drake advances the hypothesis that Galileo''s trial and condemnation by the Inquisition was caused not by his defiance of the Church, but by the hostility of contemporary philosophers.Galileo''s own beautifully lucid arguments are used to show how his scientific method was utterly divorced from the Aristotelian approach to physics in that it was based on a search not for causes but for laws. Galileo''s method was of overwhelming significance for the development of modern physics, and led to a final parting of the ways between science and philosophy. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade Reviewstimulating and very convincing. * Theology *Table of ContentsList of illustrations ; Introduction ; 1. The background ; 2. Galileo's early years ; 3. Conflicts with philosophers ; 4. Conflicts with astronomers and theologians ; 5. The Dialogue and the Inquisition ; 6. The final years ; Reading list ; Index
£9.49
Oxford University Press Frank Ramsey
Book SynopsisThe full story of Frank Ramsey''s extraordinary life.When he died in 1930 aged 26, Frank Ramsey had already invented one branch of mathematics and two branches of economics, laying the foundations for decision theory and game theory. Keynes deferred to him; he was the only philosopher whom Wittgenstein treated as an equal. Had he lived he might have been recognized as the most brilliant thinker of the century. This amiable shambling bear of a man was an ardent socialist, a believer in free love, and an intimate of the Bloomsbury set. For the first time, Cheryl Misak tells the story of his tragically short, but extraordinary life.Trade Reviewan engaging account of the lamentably short life of Ramsey... exemplary piece(s) of intellectual history... * New Statesman, Books of the Year *"Cheryl Misak's biography has helped shine some much-needed light on this shockingly underappreciated figure." * David Edmonds, Wall Street Journal *Frank Ramsey [...] makes noble reading. Ms Misak is a born teacher who explains tricky intellectual abstractions with a clarity that is exceptional. More than that, she writes with love. Her tenderness toward Ramsey, his parents and siblings, his wife and friends gives spirit and delicacy to the whole. There is astounding emotional intelligence in every chapter. One feels on each page Ms. Misak's fine mind concentrating hard on doing the best she can. This is an enthralling and glorious book. * Richard Davenport-Hines, The Wall Street Journal *Her book is unlikely to be bettered... Misak provides by far the most complete picture we have of Ramsey's personality and personal life. * London Review of Books *Cheryl Misak has done valuable work in producing the first biography of Frank Ramsey which is both comprehensive and detailed. Through meticulous documentary research (very well described in the preface), the biographer is able to lift the veil on some of the little-known aspects of Ramsey's intellectual journey and remedy some of the erroneous or magnified perceptions of his life and work. Various excerpts from his correspondences allow us, for example, to put in context Ramsey's depressive episode resulting from an impossible love...Cheryl Misak has successfully met the challenge of inspiring her readers to take the next step - following Ramsey - toward the high peaks of abstract thought in analytical philosophy, mathematical logic, economics, and pure mathematics. * Frédéric Morneau-Guérin, Université TÉLUQ, Mathematical Association of America *Fascinating ... combining insight, wit and affection with erudition, [Misak] conveys how lovable as well as how brilliant Ramsey was ... She has given Ramsey the biography that he richly deserves. * Jane O'Grady, Literary Review *In her important new work, Cheryl Misak [...] finally gives Ramsey the consideration he deserves ... it is an impressive work. She has a devotion to the archive and her book is thoroughly researched and well put together ... We should feel lucky that we have the work we do, and that Misak has done such a good job of drawing our attention to one of the most important and intriguing figures in 20th-century philosophy. * Alex Dean, Prospect *Thought-provoking, wide-ranging, and highly readable. * Matthew McKeever, The Philosopher's Magazine *Cheryl Misak's Frank Ramsey: A Sheer Excess of Powers is terrific... This biography is my book of the year so far. * enlightenmenteconomics *Table of ContentsForeword: 'Mind and Heart' Part I: Boyhood 1: The Ramseys 2: Winchester Nearly Unmade Him 3: 'We really live in a great time for thinking' Part II: The Cambridge Man 4: Undergraduate Life 5: 'To my generation, he was rather frightening' 6: Ramsey and the Early Wittgenstein 7: Vienna Interlude 8: 'The fundamentals are so philosophical' 9: The New Don 10: Passion Found Part III: An Astonishing Half Decade 11: Settling Down in Work and Life 12: Revolution in Philosophy 13: Two Crises 14: Cambridge Economics 15: Ramseyan Economics: The Feasible First Best 16: 1928 Return to Mathematics 17: Wittgenstein Comes Home 18: 'The problem of philosophy must be divided if I am to solve it' 19: The End and Meaning of a Life
£13.49
Oxford University Press Inc Belisarius Antonina Love and War in the Age of
Book SynopsisBelisarius & Antonina is a biography of an immensely powerful marriage in the time of Roman resurgence and expansion. It sheds new light on the reign of Justinian while exploring the successes, failures, and challenges of this unique partnership.Trade ReviewThis is a splendid analysis of one of the great power couples of Late Antiquity. Outsiders both, Belisarius and Antonina, were alternatively welcome and unwelcome to their contemporaries; their lives together were objects of potent contemporary image making as well as intensely hostile gossip. Parnell does a masterful job untangling the complex traditions stemming from the ambiguity of their positions, both at the time and the later myths surrounding them. In so doing, he offers a valuable picture of the Roman Empire in the sixth century from a fresh perspective. * David Potter, University of Michigan *Parnell brings to life these two enigmatic figures, Antonina and Belisarius, in an enthralling narrative, in which he shows not just the trials and tribulations of Belisarius' career, but also the invaluable role played by Antonina in his western campaigns. Throughout, while taking a middle ground regarding the vexatious Secret History, Parnell has a knack of teasing out valuable insight into Antonina's actions and Belisarius' motives, which are often obscured by Procopius' sometimes cagey accounts. * Conor Whately, University of Winnipeg *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The World of Antonina 2. General of the East 3. Victory in Africa 4. The Eternal City 5. From Rome to Ravenna 6. Trying Times 7. Italy Redux 8. Twilight of a Power Couple 9. Afterlife and Legend Appendix 1: Dramatis Personae Appendix 2: Timeline Appendix 3: The Wealth of Belisarius Bibliography
£19.99
Vintage Publishing Trautmanns Journey
Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEARHow did one man go from Nazi Youth indoctrination to English footballing icon?Bert Trautmann is a football legend. He is famed as the Manchester City goalkeeper who broke his neck in the 1956 FA Cup final and played on. But his early life was no less extraordinary. He grew up in Nazi Germany, where first he was indoctrinated by the Hitler Youth, before fighting in World War Two in France and on the Eastern Front. In 1945 he was captured and sent to a British POW camp where, for the first time, he understood that there could be a better way of life. He embraced England as his new home and before long became an English football hero. This is his story. ''A gripping story of an unlikely redemption through football'' Sunday Times ''He was the best goalkeeper I ever played against. We always said, don''t look into the goal when you''re trying to score agaTrade ReviewA truly remarkable story, uncovered with immense skill by Catrine Clay * Miranda Seymour, Telegraph *An extraordinary story * Mail on Sunday *Britain's best-loved German ... it's a remarkable story * Daily Mail *[A] brilliant new biography * Observer *Utterly compelling * Independent on Sunday *
£11.69
The University of Chicago Press Martin Heidegger
Book Synopsis
£21.85
Penguin Books Ltd Life Lessons from Remarkable Women
Book SynopsisTHE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE REMARKABLE WOMAN IN YOUR LIFE! If you could share one lesson from your life with every woman, what would it be?Stylist magazine has asked that question of remarkable women from the worlds of entertainment, politics, sport and fashion. With honesty, wit and a serious no-BS attitude, their lessons address the challenges every woman faces today, from climbing the career ladder and finding inner fulfilment, to forging authentic relationships and overcoming life''s setbacks.Each of these impressive women, including actress Romola Garai and comedian Francesca Martinez, has a tale to tell and an experience to share. Empowering, engaging and unapologetically impassioned, their incisive observations will make you think, reflect - and kick serious ass.These are life lessons for women, by women.
£10.44
Dorling Kindersley Ltd DK Life Stories Marie Curie
Book SynopsisDiscover the inspiring story of Marie Curie - the scientist who made more than one world-changing discovery, and the first woman to win a Nobel prize - in this fascinating kids'' biography.Born to poor school teachers at a time when women could not attend university in her home country of Poland, Marie Curie sought out an underground university and worked hard to save money for further study in Paris. She made it to France, and continued to dedicate herself to science once she had graduated. In search of new radioactive elements, she undertook physically exhausting work with materials that were later found to be incredibly dangerous. Having finally discovered polonium and radium, the Nobel prize that should have been hers was first awarded to her husband - but Marie eventually won the fame she deserved.This biography, ideal for kids aged 7-11, charts the major events of Marie''s life, from her childhood in Poland, when she discovered her love of science using
£6.99
Yale University Press Betty Friedan
Book SynopsisA new portrait of Betty Friedan, the author and activist acclaimed as the mother of second-wave feminismTrade ReviewA New Yorker Best of the Week Pick“Rigorously fair.”—Moira Donegan, New Yorker“A lucid portrait of Friedan as a bold yet flawed advocate for women’s equality.”—Publishers Weekly2024 National Book Critics Circle Awards Finalist, Biography category “Rachel Shteir offers a vivid portrait of Friedan as a person—her difficult character, her immense accomplishments, her relationships with friends and family, her struggles in personal, professional and political life. The time is ripe for a reevaluation of Friedan.”—Katha Pollitt, author of Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights“Sympathetic but never less than clear-eyed, Rachel Shteir explores the achievements that put Betty Friedan at the center of the movement for women’s rights. An insightful and meticulously detailed portrait of one of America’s most successful political activists.”—Sigrid Nunez, author of Sempre Susan: A Memoir of Susan Sontag
£18.99
Hachette Books Sharon Tate
Book SynopsisEd Sanders gave readers their clearest insight yet into the disturbing world of Charles Manson and his followers when he published The Family in 1971. Continuing that journalistic tradition, Sanders presents the most thorough look ever into the heartbreaking story of Sharon Tate, the iconic actress who found love, fame, and ultimately tragedy during her all-too-brief life. Sharon Tate: A Life traces Sharon''s path from beauty queen to budding young actress: her early love affairs, her romance with and marriage to director Roman Polanski, and the excitement of the glamorous life she had always sought- all set against the background of the turbulent 1960s. This sympathetic account tells the powerful story of her determined rise through the ranks of Hollywood and to the brink of stardom before her name became forever linked with the shocking murder spree that took her life.In 1969, the Polanski house was targeted by the followers of cultist Charles Manson. Why the Manson clan focused iTrade ReviewPraise for Sharon Tate Elle, January 2016 "Sanders takes a look at the doe-eyed actress's life and death." New York Post, "Required Reading," 1/16/16 "If you were on the fence about Roman Polanski, Sanders' book is sure to push you to the thumbs-down side." New Republic, 1/12/16 "Sanders seems to resist stepping in where he doesn't feel he can, or should, hold forth, and this feels respectful...Sharon Tate: A Life is a decent project, dutiful and worthy of acknowledgment; as a read, it has moments...The senseless violence of Tate's death superseded her; at least Ed nails that senselessness." Closer Weekly, 1/18/16 "Sanders' book reveals new details of the star's last days." Globe, 1/25/16 "A shocking new book." Woodstock Times, 1/15/16 "An immersive journey into the life of the doomed actress that also touches on everything from New Age mysticism to the moon landing to the RFK assassination." "The Bookworm Sez," 1/25/16 There are many reasons to like this book. Author Ed Sanders writes about more than just Tate here; we also read about other people in her world, and we get a good feel for the feel-good '60s--drugs, sex, weirdness, and all...If you love a good crime story, you've come to the right place." Milwaukee Shepherd Express, 1/19/16 "Sanders returns to the scene of the crime." Connecticut Post, 1/15/16 "[A] gripping look back at the life and death of the actress who was murdered by the Charles Manson gang...Anyone with an interest in the pop culture of the 1960s should find this 'Rashomon'-like portrait a fascinating read." Chronogram, February 2016 "A touching biography of a young beauty...Sanders is meticulous and affectionate in his chronicle, its tone dry, wry, and journalistic...Was Tate specifically targeted? What were Manson's true motives? No one truly knows the answers, but Sanders has tried harder than anyone living to figure it out, and his exploration of all available sources is a fascinating look at chaotic times and a fitting tribute to a life cut brutally short." Waterbury Sunday Republican, 2/7/16 "Will likely appeal to readers who enjoyed Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon." Hartford Advocate "Sanders ties all of his earliest threads--up to 1970--together in the most engagingly idiosyncratic memoir of the year. Indeed, now that his friend and mentor Allen Ginsberg is dead, Ed Sanders is the strongest living link between the Beat Generation, the hippies, and all other underground currents that have trickled along the countercultural pipeline since then." High Times "This brilliant memoir not only chronicles the band's early days, but paints an outrageous, inspiring picture of life among the artistic outlaws of New York's Lower East side in the '60s." Baltimore Sun "In short, impressionistic chapters, Sanders details his adventures, as well as his encounters with seemingly everyone who was anyone in the Beat and hippie scenes. Sanders provides a fly-on-the-wall view of many facets of a turbulent decade." San Francisco Book Review, 3/7/16 "Pulse pounding reading...[An] excellent biography." Buffalo News, 4/10/16 "As a gripping, comprehensive, relentlessly involving revisiting of the Manson murders...it is a stunner...[Sanders] succeeds in shedding new light on the horrors of 1969. This is true crime lit at its most grimly compelling." Washington Post, 4/10/16 "As a biography, Sharon Tate is thorough."
£18.00
Little, Brown & Company Harriet Tubman
Book Synopsis
£15.29
Hodder & Stoughton Casanova
Book SynopsisIan Kelly's revelatory history of the world's greatest lover was chosen as the Sunday Times Biography of the Year.Trade ReviewA bedazzling jewel of sophisticated pleasures, the best book yet on the world's greatest lover. * Simon Sebag Montefiore, Evening Standard Magazine *enthralling . . . It is hard to conceive of a juicier, more informative account of social and sexual mores of 18th century Europe. * Daily Mail *exhilarating . . . he has managed to make this story feel so fresh again. * Guardian *'The thing is to dazzle,' wrote Casanova. In this enthralling book he dazzles once again, and so, too, does his biographer. * Mail on Sunday *'Elegant and scrupulously researched, with an admirable feeling for the age' * Spectator *sober, thoughtful and affectionate new biography * Financial Times *'Magisterial, utterly gripping . . . a vivid evocation of Georgian London.' * Philip Hoare, Independent *In Ian Kelly [Casanova] has at last found his Boswell . . . a great blast of a book, packed with energy and information, marinated in sympathy and understanding, and rippling with enthusiasm right down to the final footnote. * Sunday Telegraph *'Splendid . . . What makes this book much more than just a relaxed, racy biography is the way its author brings to life not just the man but also the time in which he lived.' * The Sunday Times *'Lush, funny, exhaustively researched and beautifully written' * Herald *'A wonderful melange of social history and biography. Vibrant, witty and fact-packed . . . something of a tour-de-force.' * Claire Harman, Sunday Telegraph *'Beautifully formed and dressed, this is biography at its best.' * The Times *Superlative . . . a thoughtful, absorbing and hugely diverting book. Lushly illustrated, carefully researched and intelligently argued, this biography will entertain and enlighten. * George Walden, Daily Mail *In Kelly's hands, the story makes for a thrilling read * The Sunday Times *sparkling. . . . Kelly has a fine way with libertines and dandies. * Independent *Marvellous * Books Quarterly *delicious biography . . . He was probably, as he would be the first to admit, the most interesting man who ever lived, as this vivid and vibrant biography suggests * Sunday Times Biography of the Year *
£12.34
Little, Brown Book Group A Rage To Live
Book SynopsisRichard Burton was a brilliant, charismatic man - a unique blend of erudite scholar and daring adventurer. Fluent in twenty-nine languages, he found it easy to pass himself off as a native, thereby gaining unique insight into societies otherwise closed to Western scrutiny. He followed service as an intelligence officer in India by a daring penetration of the sacred Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina disguised as a pilgrim. He was the first European to enter the forbidden African city of Harar, and discovered Lake Tanganyika in his search for the source of the Nile. His fascination with, and research into, the intimate customs of ethnic races (which would eventually culminate in his brilliant Kama Sutra) earned him a racy reputation in that age of sexual repression.Little surprise, then, that Isabel Arundell''s aristocratic mother objected to her daughter''s marriage to this most notorious of figures. Isabel, however, was a spirited, independent-minded woman and was alsoTrade ReviewScholarly ... Fabulous ... The biography shines its light on that remorselessly interesting period of British history, the Victorian era * TELEGRPAH *A monumentual biography * THE TIMES *Gripping * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *A RAGE TO LIVE is a splendid and very enjoyable book. Mary S Lovell does her hero and heroine proud * LITERARY REVIEW *
£16.99
Little, Brown Book Group Aldous Huxley
Book Synopsis* Fascinating and perceptive new biography of one of the most brilliant writers of his age: novelist, essayist and born-again mystic Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), author of BRAVE NEW WORLD and EYELESS IN GAZATrade ReviewThis excellent biography has come at the right time * Jeanette Winterson, THE TIMES *Generous and intelligent biography * J.G. Ballard, GUARDIAN *A richly detailed, thoroughly sympathetic portrait * SUNDAY HERALD *[Murray] provides an appropriately multifaceted portrait of Huxley, emphasising the continuities in his life as well as the radical open-mindedness that informed it. * SUNDAY TIMES *
£15.29
Little, Brown Book Group George Orwell
Book Synopsis''Adds enormously to our understanding of the man'' Evening StandardGeorge Orwell was one of the greatest writers England produced in the last century. He left an enduring mark on our language and culture, with concepts such as ''Big Brother'' and ''Room 101.'' His reputation rests not only on his political shrewdness and his sharp satires (Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four) but also on his marvellously clear style and superb essays, which rank with the best ever written. Gordon Bowker''s new biography includes fascinating new material which brings Orwell''slife into unfamiliar focus. He writes revealingly about Orwell''s family background; the lasting influence of Eton on his work and character; his superstitious streak and youthful flirtation with black magic; and his chaotic and reckless sex life, which included at least one homoerotic relationship. It highlights the strange circumstances of his first marriage and provides rTrade ReviewInvaluable... superb and fascinating biography adds enormously to our understanding of the man * Evening Standard *The strength of his approach lying in his careful and judicious sifting of the evidence, and in the writing, which possesses an admirable clarity that Orwell himself would have appreciated * Independent *[Orwell is].a voice that speaks as urgently to our times as it did to his * Economist *Bowker's biography is that of a scholar... he has the ability to select the right detail and let it speak for itself * Sunday Telegraph *Magisterial * Daily Mail *In all his complex contradictions, Orwell comes to energetic life * Publishers Weekly *An exhilaratingly crowded book * INDEPENDENT *Invaluable... superb and fascinating biography adds enormously to our understanding of the man * EVENING STANDARD *Bowker's biography is that of a scholar... he has the ability to select the right detail and let it speak for itself * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Magisterial * DAILY MAIL *
£13.49
Little, Brown Book Group Red Carpets And Other Banana Skins
Book Synopsis''Hilariously honest. . . a kind of rake''s progress'' Daily MailAn element of drama has always attended Rupert Everett, even before he swept to fame with his outstanding performance in ''Another Country''. He has spent his life surrounded by extraordinary people, and witnessed extraordinary events. He was in Moscow during the fall of communism; in Berlin the night the wall came down; and in downtown Manhattan on September 11th. By the age of 17 he was friends with Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger, and since then he has been up close and personal with some of the most famous women in the world: Julia Roberts, Madonna, Sharon Stone and Donatella Versace. Whether sweeping the floor for the Royal Shakespeare Company or co-starring with Faye Dunaway and an orang-utan in ''Dunstan Checks In'' (they both took ages to get ready), Rupert Everett always brings as much energy and talent to his life as he does to his career. A superb raconteur and a keen observer of human folly (especially his own), Rupert Everett turns his life into a captivating story of love, fame, glamour, gossip and drama.Praise for Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins''He has an almost fanatical loyalty to the concept of enjoyment, to the detriment, it might be argued, of his art, though to the great enrichment of his being; and for Rupert, as he makes clear in this continuously brilliant memoir, the best theatrical autobiography since Noël Coward''s Present Indicative, acting is being...a superb and unexpectedly inspiring achievement'' Simon Callow, Guardian''Lush, profoundly reflective, and thoroughly satisfying...a heady triumph of observation and reverie'' Independent''What makes this autobiography a (novelistic) masterpiece is the way he is acutely aware of the melancholia and pain that are the other side of hedonism''s coin'' Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewA (novelistic) masterpiece * Daily Telegraph *A (novelistic) masterpiece * Daily Telegraph *You don't need to be a soothsayer to know that, amidst the volcanic spew of fourth-rate celebrity memoirs launched this autumn, only one will be worth the paper it's printed on. I was salivating over my toast and marmalade at last week's serialisation of Rupert Everett's exemplary stab at the genre, Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins * Rowan Pelling, Independent on Sunday *You don't need to be a soothsayer to know that, amidst the volcanic spew of fourth-rate celebrity memoirs launched this autumn, only one will be worth the paper it's printed on. I was salivating over my toast and marmalade at last week's serialisation of Rupert Everett's exemplary stab at the genre, Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins * Rowan Pelling, Independent on Sunday *Hilariously honest...a kind of rake's progress. The accounts of filming with stars such as Madonna, Sharon Stone and Julia Roberts are as good as Evelyn Waugh. The earlier scenes from childhood to unruly adolescence, to drama school and a belle epoque * Daily Mail *Hilariously honest...a kind of rake's progress. The accounts of filming with stars such as Madonna, Sharon Stone and Julia Roberts are as good as Evelyn Waugh. The earlier scenes from childhood to unruly adolescence, to drama school and a belle epoque * Daily Mail *You don't need to be a soothsayer to know that, amidst the volcanic spew of fourth-rate celebrity memoirs launched this autumn, only one will be worth the paper it's printed on. I was salivating over my toast and marmalade at last week's serialisation of Rupert Everett's exemplary stab at the genre, Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins * Rowan Pelling, INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *The most keenly awaited celebrity autobiography is Rupert Everett's RED CARPETS AND OTHER BANANA SKINS, an urbane charmer in the manner David Niven's THE MOON'S A BALLOON * John O'Connell's, TIME OUT *
£13.27
Transworld Publishers Ltd Spymaster The Life of Britains Most Decorated
Book Synopsis'I cannot think of a better biography of a spy chief'Richard Davenport-Hines, The SpectatorSir Maurice Oldfield was one of the most important British spies of the Cold War era.Trade ReviewAn exemplary biography... it is full of perceptive intimacies and plenty of tradecraft, subterfuge, deception and revelation. I cannot think of a better biography of a spy chief. -- Richard Davenport-Hines * The Spectator *a frank and clear-eyed, if affectionate, biography of a great public servant, cruelly traduced -- Matthew Parris * Spectator, Books of the Year 2016 *An intriguing portrait of a brilliant man * Mail on Sunday *Gripping and candid. * The Times *A welcome biography of a man able to combine warm family and personal relationships with hard-headed intellectual analysis, taking the cold decisions needed to succeed in the most unaccountable and secret of government agencies. -- Richard Norton-Taylor * Guardian *[Maurice Oldfield] was the first professional intelligence officer to make it all the way to the top and become Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service and he was a seminal figure in the creation of the modern MI6. An invisible legend, but a legend nevertheless. -- Frederick ForsythA lively, readable and delightful portrait of one of the most charming men to emerge from the shadows. * Sunday Telegraph *This is the finest biography of a British Spymaster ever written. From Oldfield’s Derbyshire roots to the peaks and valleys of his MI6 career, the insights are revealing, the judgements are fair and the well-wrought narrative makes a compelling read. This is a marvellous addition to the historical literature of the secret world. -- Jonathan AitkenDenied access to the official files but with the co-operation of former intelligence officers, Oldfield's nephew has produced an immensely enjoyable biography of the most important post-war spy chief of Britain's still very, very secret Secret Intelligence Service, revealing the previously unknown private person and the man who kept the British government informed during the Cold War. -- Stephen Dorril, author of MI6: Fifty Years of Special OperationsA revealing study of this most unlikely of spy chiefs, the clever farmer’s son from Derbyshire who reached the top of the most class-bound of professions. Pearce paints a rounded portrait of an enigmatic personality, but one whose skilful reading of human nature and empathy with colleagues made him a popular ‘Chief’ of the Secret Intelligence Service in the dangerous days of the Cold War. * Roger Hermiston, author of The Greatest Traitor *Fuller and more rounded than previous accounts... Pearce amplifies and clarifies our image of a man who contributed significantly to the national zeal and, arguably, world peace. -- Alan Judd * Literary Review *A fascinating insight into the complex world of a master spy. -- Charles Cumming, author of A Divided Spy
£10.79
Orion Publishing Co Nicholas Alexandra
Book SynopsisThe tragic, compelling story of the last Tsar and his family
£14.24
Brolga Publishing Pty Ltd Homeland Heroes
Book SynopsisAustralia's favourite newsreader has collected brief biographies of Australian men and women who demonstrated incredible bravery and self-sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds.
£8.96
SPCK Publishing I Married a Soldier
Book SynopsisHow one woman took on the Ministry of Defense after her husband Mark was killed in action.Trade ReviewCourage is found often only when we face seemingly impossible challenges - Brenda Hale’s moving and powerful story is all about that kind of courage. It’s an inspiration to read how, with strength from her own faith, support from friends and her own steely determination, she has overcome so much and has committed to fight to help other bereaved forces families. -- Bear Grylls I have just read the book in one sitting. It is a great story, pacy, and an easy read . I very much enjoyed reading this account of family, faith, love and hope for the future. In her election speech in May 2011, Brenda said: “Army wives are a very special breed of person. We are strong and we are tough and you have to use that toughness and just keep moving forward.” This book will hopefully inspire others to move forward. -- David Coulter * Chaplain General *As a journalist, people often ask if I am affected by the stories I cover ? Three years ago I interviewed a bereaved young widow called Brenda Hale. I heard her story, saw her home and met her children. Her heart was completely broken, and listening to her pain and love for her lost husband Mark broke mine as well. If you have ever lost the love of your life, you will cry reading this book, and you will understand what inspired Brenda to take up a life of public service. Her story is obviously a love story and she did indeed marry a soldier. As for Mark, who did he marry? Well, in my view he wasn't the only `warrior' in the Hale household. Am I affected by stories? Very definitely, as you will be too. -- Eamonn Holmes * TV prsenter *We live in a broken world where there is much pain and sadness which causes some people to become bitter and angry. Brenda Hale’s account of her experience of that brokenness in the loss of her hero husband, Mark, is a wonderful illustration of how good can overcome evil, and how true faith grows strong in the face of the most awful tragedies. When I had the privilege of visiting Brenda in the immediate aftermath of her loss, she showed remarkable fortitude, dignity and strength. Her life and service since then bears testimony to the authenticity and reality of the faith which she and Mark shared. This is an inspirational account which will profoundly affect all who read it. -- Stafford Carson * former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland *“As a Member of Parliament who was raised in a strife-torn Northern Ireland, I have had the honour of meeting many exceptional people who have overcome great adversity to make such a positive contribution to our society. Brenda Hale is perhaps one of the most extraordinary of these people who portrays the best of the human spirit. From that fateful moment when I called on Brenda, following the tragic death of her beloved husband Mark, I could see that this was a woman of great courage, integrity and tremendous faith. I have watched Brenda as she has continued on her remarkable journey from overwhelming loss to championing the cause of our armed forces, their families and veterans, and then to her election as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. This is a story of love, perseverance and faith, of a life that is firmly rooted in a higher calling.” -- Sir Jeffrey Donaldson"Wars are ultimately all about people. Behind the uniform, every soldier is a husband, a father, a son, a friend - this is what motivates them as they stand shoulder to shoulder on the battlefield. I married a soldier captures the essence of a giant among men and and illuminates why all those who had the privilege to serve with him will always be better for having known Mark Hale. Ultimately it charts the tragic personal consequences of war for his beloved family. It is both gut-wrenching and heart-warming. The book is a great tribute to an inspirational man." -- Major General Rupert JonesTable of ContentsCo n t e n t sAcknowledgments 8Acknowledgments from Rachel Farmer 9Foreword 11Chapter 1: July 2009… a time to rest 15Chapter 2: February 1985: Northern Ireland… a time to dance 23Chapter 3: July 1987: Bournemouth… a time to love 33Chapter 4: December 1987: Poole, Dorset… a time to begin 43Chapter 5: 1990: Dorset… a time to believe 55Chapter 6: September 1992: Werl, Germany… a time to wait 63Chapter 7: January 1994: Werl, Germany… a time to embrace 77Chapter 8: December 1996: Plymouth… a time to learn 89Chapter 9: September 2000: Twickenham… a time to be born 101Chapter 10: September 2001: Twickenham… a time to fight 109Chapter 11: July 2002: Northern Ireland… a time to grieve 123Chapter 12: 2004: Northern Ireland… a time to dream 131Chapter 13: 2006: Dromara, Northern Ireland… a time to treasure 143Chapter 14: July 2009: Dromara… a time to be still 157Chapter 15: July 2009… a time to laugh 165Chapter 16: July 2009… a time to leave 177Chapter 17: August 2009… a time to hope 183Chapter 18: Thursday 13 August 2009… a time to die 189Chapter 19: 13 August 2009… a time to cry 195Chapter 20: 18 August 2009… a time to mourn 199Chapter 21: 18 August 2009… a time to weep 209Chapter 22: 1 September 2009… a time to honour 219Chapter 23: October 2009… a time to pray 227Chapter 24: November 2009… a time to remember 237Chapter 25: April 2010… a time to speak up 245Chapter 26: May 2010… a time to uproot 251Chapter 27: December 2010… a time to plant 259Chapter 28: May 2011… a time to start 273Epilogue: September 2016… a time to reflect 277
£10.44
Little, Brown Book Group Greavsie The Autobiography
Book SynopsisThe autobiography of football icon Jimmy GreavesJames Peter ''Jimmy'' Greaves was one of the greatest footballers to have graced the English game, a goalscorer of legendary prowess. His gripping and characteristically humorous autobiography journeys from Jimmy''s childhood in the East End, via his early career at Chelsea and his short and troubled stay at A.C. Milan, to his emergence as one of the great stars of sixties football while at Spurs and an outstanding England forward. Jimmy''s record as a striker is extraordinary - he was the leading goalscorer in the First Division (now Premier League) for six seasons and during his playing career was never out of the top five. There are darker aspects too: the bitter disappointment of failing to make the World Cup-winning team of 1966, and the battle against the alcoholism that followed his retirement from the game.This book is both Jimmy''s story and the story of football in the golden era oTrade ReviewAs a goalscorer and human being, Jimmy Greaves has few equals * DAILY TELEGRAPH *This top-notch autobiography ... moving, uplifting ... An inspiring story of a hero who earned his right to a second chance * SUNDAY TIMES *[Greaves] could fill a library with his stories * INDEPENDENT *both candid and poignant * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *
£12.34
Little, Brown Book Group Wasted
Book SynopsisMark Johnson''s father had ''LOVE'' tattooed across his left hand, but that didn''t stop the beatings. The Johnson children would turn up to school with broken fingers and chipped teeth, but no one ever thought of investigating their home life. Mark just slipped through the cracks, and kept on falling. For years. Constantly in trouble at school, Mark began stealing at the age of seven, was drinking by the age of eight, and took his first hit of heroin aged eleven. A sensitive, intelligent boy, he could never stay on the right path, and though Art College beckoned, he ended up in Portland prison instead. With searing honesty, WASTED documents Mark''s descent into the depths of addiction and criminality. Homeless, hooked on heroin and crack, no one - least of all Mark - believed he would survive. And yet - astonishingly - he somehow pulled himself through, and now runs his own thriving tree surgery business, employing and helping other recovering addicts. His story is at once Trade ReviewAs gripping as it is appalling, WASTED is all you could ask of a misery-and-trauma book - it's shocking and it's haunting and it's about one hell of a life * DAILY MAIL *
£10.44
