Biography: arts and entertainment Books

Book SynopsisNow in paperback, Tune In is the New York Times bestseller by the world’s leading Beatles authority – the first volume in a groundbreaking trilogy about the band that revolutionized music.   The Beatles have been in our lives for half a century and surely always will be. Still, somehow, their music excites, their influence resonates, their fame sustains. New generations find and love them, and while many other great artists come and go, the Beatles are beyond eclipse.   So . . . who really were these people, and just how did it all happen?   'The Beatles story' is everywhere. Told wrong from early on, rehashed in every possible way and routinely robbed of its context, this is a phenomenon in urgent need of a bright new approach. In his series All These Years, Mark Lewisohn – the world-recognized Beatles historian – presses the Refresh button to relate the entire story as it’s never b

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Book SynopsisIn This Is All a Dream We Dreamed, two of the most well-respected chroniclers of the Grateful Dead, Blair Jackson and David Gans, reveal the band's story through the words of its members, their creative collaborators and peers, and a number of diverse fans, stitching together a multitude of voices into a seamless oral tapestry. Capturing the ebullient spirit at the group's core, Jackson and Gans weave together a musical saga that examines the music and subculture that developed into its own economy, touching fans from all walks of life, from penniless hippies to celebrities, and at least one U.S. vice president. This definitive book traces the Dead's evolution from its humble beginnings as a folk/bluegrass band playing small venues in Palo Alto to the feral psychedelic warriors and stadium-filling Americana jam band that blazed all the way through to the 90s. Along the way, we hear from many who were touched by the Deadfrom David Crosby and Miles Davis, to Ken Kesey,

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe first inside story of one of TV''s most popular and beloved dramas, Grey''s Anatomy.More than fifteen years after its premiere, Grey's Anatomy remains one of the most beloved dramas on television and ABC''s most important property. It typically wins its time slot and has ranked in the Top 20 most-watched shows in primetime for most of its seventeen-season run. It currently averages more than eight million viewers each week.Beyond that, it's been a cultural touchstone. It introduced the unique voice and vision of Shonda Rhimes; it made Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh and T.R. Knight household names; and injected words and phrases into the cultural lexicon, such as McDreamy, seriously, and you're my person. And the behind-the-scenes drama has always been just as juicy as what was happening in front of the camera, from the controversial departure of Isaiah Washington to Katherine Heigl's fall fro

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Book SynopsisPart autobiography, part sociological study, part travel memoir - a reissue of Carlo Levi's classic book on life in a small, desolate Italian town during the 1930s.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisJonathan Croall is the author of Buzz Buzz: Playwrights, Actors and Directors at the National Theatre. He worked as features editor on the Times Educational Supplement and as editor of Arts Express magazine, the National Theatre's magazine StageWrite, and programmes at the Old Vic.Trade ReviewHis public loved him, and so does the author of this thoroughly readable biography. * New Statesman *John Gielgud's life makes such a good story...the book is a significant reminder of a silken-voiced, altogether singular talent. * Sunday Times *An authoritative, nicely balanced account of both Gielgud's public and private lives... Croall also emphasizes what an important, modernizing figure he was as a director... This is by no means an uncritical biography of Gielgud - Croall illustrates his character defects of snobbery, tactlessness...and impatience...but overall he comes across as an attractively modest man with a mischievous sense of humour, possessing an evergreen enthusiasm for and deep understanding of theatre. This book does full justice to a protean performer who bestrode the stage like a Colossus. * Exeunt *The work of a stage actor, however great, is writ on water...It was for his theatrical work that Kenneth Tynan (who, mind you, preferred Laurence Olivier) could refer to [Gielgud] as 'not an actor, but the actor.'...So, whatever the limitations of merely reading about a magnificent actor, it is gratifying to have such a well-researched and fluently written, committed yet not adulatory biography...[Gielgud] emerges as a witty, charming, conversationally apt human being. (refers to the previously released edition) * New York Times *(A) tremendous biography...the result of a great deal more material which had become available to the biographer -- mostly letters, but also people more willing to speak openly. (The contents) illuminate not only the man himself but also the great changes that have taken place in social and legal attitudes in the past half-century. This is a splendid book, impressively researched and extremely readable. * Harriet Devine's Blog *Elegantly written...scented with the aroma of fresh revelations...riveting. * Independent *As entertaining and full of variety as the subject himself * Oldie Magazine *I really enjoyed reading it. In fact it's marvellous - and best of all FACTUAL! That's something of a rarity these days. * Peter Hall *I am so grateful for the close scrutiny you give the performances: their context, their aspiration, their achievement. It's compelling, grown-up analysis. * Simon Callow *If what you want from the genre of showbiz biography is sleaze or sycophancy, you'll have to look elsewhere. What is on offer here is something else. Croall manages the difficult balancing act of maintaining a discreet distance from his subject while at the same time seeming to have immersed himself in that subject's complexity. * Inside Story *An unexpectedly enjoyable book to read... I found Croall a good navigator through the curious narrative of Gielgud's life...Croall manages to round out his portrait with nuance, new information and a gusto that drives the narrative... the larger story of a man with a mercurial talent, utterly committed to his craft, alive to instinct and nuance with a magical quota of talent, is well told. * The New Zealand Herald *By the end of Jonathan Croall's massive homage to Sir John Gielgud, the great actor seems like an old friend... This meticulously researched book can be read as more than merely a biography of a single man, since it is wide-ranging enough to place his life in the context of theatre across the 20th century. Readers are therefore able to learn much about trends in drama throughout Gielgud's lifetime. Sir John Gielgud was a man of the theatre the like of whom we may never see again. Therefore, the ever-readable Jonathan Croall should be warmly congratulated on researching and writing what must surely be the definitive biography. * British Theatre Guide *A glorious tome. * Ronald Harwood *Jonathan Croall's book gives an authentic flavour of the real Gielgud. * Richard Eyre *Both the career and the man are brought to brilliant life...Jonathan Croall stakes a serious claim to be the most notable theatrical biographer of the day. -- Brian McFarlane * Australian Book Review *John Gielgud was all light and humour, the most mercurial of men, and the most poetic of actors: Jonathan Croall is perfectly tuned in to every one of his qualities. * David Hare *A huge new overview that will surely become definitive. * New Statesman *A magnificent book – a model of meticulous research and sympathy with the subject. * Derek Parker, writer and broadcaster *

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