Biography: general Books

Book SynopsisThe bestselling, much-loved classic account of an English couple escaping to enjoy the fruits of French rural summer living - an irresistible feast of humour and heart.Peter Mayle and his wife did what most of us only imagine doing when they made their long-cherished dream of a life abroad a reality: throwing caution to the wind, they bought a glorious two hundred year-old farmhouse in the Lubéron Valley and began a new life.In a year that begins with a marathon lunch and continues with a host of gastronomic delights, they also survive the unexpected and often hilarious curiosities of rural life. From mastering the local accent and enduring invasion by bumbling builders, to discovering the finer points of boules and goat-racing, all the earthy pleasures of Provençal life are conjured up in this enchanting portrait.''One of the most successful travel books of all time... Mayle created a new travel genre'' Guardian''Delightful'' Washington Post''Engaging, funny and richly appreciative'' New York Times Book Review''Stylish, witty, delightfully readable'' Sunday Times''I really loved this book'' Julia Child

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Book Synopsis'Immensely powerful and is an extraordinary testament to the human desire for survival' Daily MailA harrowing and inspiring true story of a young boy's abusive childhood, from internationally bestselling author Dave Pelzer. Brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother - Dave became a slave; he was no longer a boy, but an 'it'. His bed was an old army cot in the basement, his clothes were torn and unwashed, and when he was allowed the luxury of food it was scraps from the dog's bowl. The outside world knew nothing of the nightmare played out behind closed doors. But throughout Dave kept alive dreams of finding a family to love him. This book covers the early years of his life and is an affecting and inspirational book of the horrors of child abuse and the steadfast determination of one child to survive. It is the first book in the My Story trilogy.'Heartfelt... cannot fail to move you' HeatTrade ReviewThis heartfelt true story of one child's courage to survive cannot fail to move you - HEATHis tale will both break and warm your heart - DAILY MIRRORA remarkable true story... Truly touching, and emotionally shocking. A marvel - BESTWhat has made Dave Pelzer's story a bestseller is that it is also a story of redemption. It is a story where love, kindness, patience and endurance triumph - DAILY MAIL

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Book SynopsisIt's the nineteenth century. As America prepares for civil war, five men living within ninety miles of one another will change the course of history. The invention and refinement of the repeating firearm-the precursor to today's automatic weapons-means life in America and beyond will never be the same again. In this riveting work of narrative history, veteran reporter John Bainbridge, Jr. vividly brings to life the five charismatic and idiosyncratic men at the heart of the story: the huckster and hard-living Samuel Colt; the cunning former shirt-maker Oliver Winchester; the constant tinkerer Horace Smith; the resilient and innovative businessman Daniel Wesson; and the skinny abolitionist Christopher Spencer. As the men competed ferociously, each trying to corner the market for repeating weapons, invention and necessity collided in a perfect storm: America was crashing violently towards furious sectarianism, irrevocable tensions, and, of course, bloodthirsty war. Though capable of firing many times without reloading, astonishingly, the new guns faced a government backlash for using too much ammunition. Sold directly to soldiers, sometimes just as they were walking into battle, they quickly became coveted possessions, both during the Civil War and in the conquering of the West-and thus America's romance with personal firearms was born. Wide-ranging and vividly told, this is a gripping story of tenacity, conviction, innovation, and pure heartless greed.

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Book Synopsis**One of AudioFile Magazine''s Best Audiobooks of 2019**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe Moment of Lift is an urgent call to courage. It changed how I think about myself, my family, my work, and what's possible in the world. Melinda weaves together vulnerable, brave storytelling and compelling data to make this one of those rare books that you carry in your heart and mind long after the last page. Brené Brown, Ph.D., author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Dare to LeadMelinda Gates has spent many years working with women around the world. This book is an urgent manifesto for an equal society where women are valued and recognized in all spheres of life. Most of all, it is a call for unity, inclusion and connection. We need this message more than ever. Malala YousafzaiMelinda Gates''s book is a lesson in listening. A powerful, poignant, and ultimately humble call to arms. Tara Westover, author of the

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Book SynopsisThe true story of the remarkable John Rae - Arctic traveller and Hudson's Bay Company doctor - FATAL PASSAGE is a tale of imperial ambition and high adventure.Trade ReviewIn Ken McGoogan's artful telling, John Rae emerges from the shadows to take his place among the most intriguing of the 19th century Arctic explorers. This is delightful reading -- Andrea Barrett, author The Voyage of the NarwhalA riveting story - backed by sold research - that illuminates a fascinating chapter in the annals of Arctic exploration * Wall Street Journal *An overdue book that makes an important contribution to Arctic exploration history and yet remains compulsively readable for the non-specialist * Quill & Quire *A riveting story of courage and determination, high adventure and imperial ambition... Excellent * Historical Novels Review *A tale of ambition and high adventure... a passionate redemption of Rae's rightful place in history * Edinburgh Times *

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Book SynopsisPERFECT FOR FANS OF NETFLIX''S THE QUEEN''S GAMBIT''Gripping.'' SUNDAY TIMES''Pure drama.''INDEPENDENT''Compelling.''NEW YORK TIMESBobby Fischer Goes to War by David Edmonds and John Eidinow details the occasion when Bobby Fischer met Boris Spassky in one of the most thrilling and politically charged chess matches of all time.For decades, the USSR had dominated world chess. Evidence, according to Moscow, of the superiority of the Soviet system. But in 1972 along came the American, Bobby Fischer: insolent, arrogant, abusive, vain, greedy, vulgar, bigoted, paranoid and obsessive and apparently unstoppable.Against him was Boris Spassky: complex, sensitive, the most un-Soviet of champions. As the authors reveal, when Spassky began to lose, the KGB decided to step in. . .

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Book SynopsisA rigorously researched biography of the founder of modern magick, as well as a study of the occult, sexuality, Eastern religion, and more The name “Aleister Crowley” instantly conjures visions of diabolic ceremonies and orgiastic indulgences—and while the sardonic Crowley would perhaps be the last to challenge such a view, he was also much more than “the Beast,” as this authoritative biography shows. Perdurabo—entitled after the magical name Crowley chose when inducted into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn—traces Crowley’s remarkable journey from his birth as the only son of a wealthy lay preacher to his death in a boarding house as the world’s foremost authority on magick. Along the way, he rebels against his conservative religious upbringing; befriends famous artists, writers, and philosophers (and becomes a poet himself); is attacked for his practice of “the black arts”; and teaches that science and magick can work together. While seeking to spread his infamous philosophy of, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law,” Crowley becomes one of the most notorious figures of his day. Based on Richard Kaczynski’s twenty years of research, and including previously unpublished biographical details, Perdurabo paints a memorable portrait of the man who inspired the counterculture and influenced generations of artists, punks, wiccans, and other denizens of the demimonde.

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Book SynopsisA moving story about love, AIDS, grief, and memory by one of the most adventurous writers to come out of San Francisco''s LGBTQ+ scene.Bob Glück met Ed Aulerich-Sugai in 1970. Ed was an aspiring artist; Bob wanted to write. They were young men in San Francisco at the high tide of sexual liberation and soon, and for eight years, they were lovers, after which they were friends. Ed was an explorer in the realms of sex. He was beautiful, fragile, exasperating, serious, unassuaged. In 1994 he died of HIV. His dream notebooks became a touchstone for this book, which Glück has been working on for some two decades, while also making his name as a proponent of New Narrative writing and as one of America?s most unusual, venturesome, and lyrical authors. About Ed is about Ed, who remains, as our dead do, both familiar and unknowable, faraway and close. It is about Bob too. The book is a hybrid, at once fiction and fact, like memory, and it takes in many things through tales of political activism and domestic comedy and fury to questions of art and love and experiences of longing and horror. The book also shifts in register, from the delicate to the analytic, to funny and explicit and heartbroken. It begins in the San Francisco of the early 1980s, when Ed and Bob have been broken up for a while. aIds is spreading, but Ed has yet to receive his diagnosis. It follows him backward through his life with Bob in the 1970s and forward through the harrowing particulars of death. It holds on to him and explores his art. It ends in his dreams.

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Book SynopsisAll that glitters isn''t gold. Today the truth will be told. To the world DeBarge was R&B music royalty but today the group''s lone female member, known professionally as Bunny DeBarge, will sing a different tune; a tune that won''t always be in perfect harmony like the background vocals on their hit songs, "A Dream" or "I Like It".  In this first book of the Bunny DeBarge trilogy, ''The Kept Ones: The Beginning Years" Bunny reveals about the DeBarge family''s triumphs and tribulations which began long before they ever became stars of the 80''s Motown family super group, DeBarge.  In rich detail, her deeply insightful story, themed with admissions of early childhood trauma from the abuse her and her siblings suffered at the hands of a trusted family member, may leave you questioning one of the 10 commandments, "Honor Thy Father And Thy Mother" Complete each book of her three part trilogy to fully understand why Bunny believes we should honor our mother and father.  From their spectacular rise to the top of R&B music royalty, to their dramatic fall from grace, to their reemerging careers later on, Bunny DeBarge doesn''t hold back. A compelling story, as told through her eyes, she will put to rest all the rumors and set the record straight. The truth will set you free.

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Book SynopsisAt first glance, Gabriel Cardona is an exemplary American teenager: athletic, bright, handsome and charismatic. But his Texas town is poor and dangerous, and it isn't long before Gabriel abandons his promising future for the allure of the Zetas, a drug cartel with roots in the Mexican military. Meanwhile, Mexican-born Detective Robert Garcia has worked hard all his life and is now struggling to raise his family in America. As violence spills over the border, Detective Garcia's pursuit of the Zetas puts him face to face with the urgent consequences of a war he sees as unwinnable.In Wolf Boys, Dan Slater takes readers on a harrowing, moving, and often brutal journey into the heart of the Mexican drug trade - from the Sierra Madre mountaintops to the smuggling ports of Veracruz, from cartel training camps and holiday parties to the dusty alleys of South Texas. Ultimately though, Wolf Boys is the intimate and vivid story of the 'lobos': teens turned into pawns for cartels. A non-fiction thriller, it reads with the emotional clarity of a great novel, yet offers its revelations through extraordinary reporting.Trade ReviewA riveting story that takes us on an unforgettable descent into the dark heart of the drug trade. -- Michael ConnellyEngrossing and readable yet nightmarish vision of a hyperviolent and corporatised narcotics industry, seducing a new generation with minimal alternatives. * Kirkus *Wolf Boys should be required reading, especially for anyone who supports the blood-chilling, appalling trade in illegal drugs. -- Chuck PalahniukWolf Boys reads like an astonishing fictional thriller reminiscent of Brian De Palma's Scarface, but even more astonishingly it depicts actual events. Shocking. Eye-opening. Riveting. -- David Morrell, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of MURDER AS A FINE ARTWolf Boys is not just a page-turner, but a riveting cautionary tale. -- Allison Leotta, author of THE LAST GOOD GIRLRead this book. It will reconfigure your understanding of the ongoing horror that is the War on Drugs -- T.J. English, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of WHERE THE BODIES WERE BURIED and HAVANA NOCTURNE

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Book SynopsisThe gripping life story of the great war correspondent Marie Colvin told by one of her closest friendsSHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARDWINNER OF THE JAMES TAIT BLACK AWARD Marie Colvin was glamorous, hard-drinking, braver than the boys, with a troubled and rackety personal life. She reported from the most dangerous places in the world and her anecdotes about encounters with figures like Colonel Gaddafi and Yasser Arafat were incomparable. She was much admired, and as famous for her wild parties as for the extraordinary lengths to which she went to tell the story. Fellow foreign correspondent Lindsey Hilsum draws on unpublished diaries and interviews with friends, family and colleagues to produce a story of one of the most daring and inspirational women of our times. A Sunday Times Book of the Year'A stunningly good biography' WILLIAM BOYDTrade ReviewAn extraordinary account of one reporter's fearless and ultimately fatal dedication... Hilsum draws an empathetic portrait of a woman whose courage often crossed into recklessness, both in combat zones and outside them... Now, thanks to Hilsum's deeply reported and passionately written book, Colvin has the full accounting that she deserves -- Joshua Hammer * New York Times *A wonderful book – a fitting tribute, certainly, but also a well-told tale of a remarkable life -- Jane Bonham Carter * Sunday Times *A stunningly good biography – compelling, revelatory and very moving. Lindsey Hilsum is the perfect writer to tell the story of Marie Colvin's rackety, brave and charismatic life -- William BoydWriting a biography of Marie Colvin is like capturing lightning in a bottle, but Lindsey Hilsum has the knowledge and personal experience to help us understand what drew Colvin to rush towards the eye of the storm at such great risk. It is a superbly fitting tribute -- Annie LennoxRarely has a friend and colleague written such a brave and uncompromising testament to such a rare, brave and uncompromising woman. Would that a few more of us should be so blessed in our courage and our friends -- Shami ChakrabartiHilsum marshals not just empathy for her subject, who was also a friend, but investigative and critical skills and damn fine storytelling... Hilsum's understanding of the background to each conflict, and the reality of life as a correspondent in the field, is one of the great strengths of the book... In Extremis rescues Marie Colvin from the rubble of Baba Amr, and brings her tragically, and tenderly, to life * Irish Times *Superb. A fitting account of the life of one of the finest war correspondents of our time, written by another. I admired Marie greatly, and In Extremis showed me I was right to do so -- John SimpsonThe clearest and most rounded picture...emerges from Hilsum's book. Colvin herself, courageous and often tortured, rises again from its pages -- Emma Graham-Harrison * Observer *One of the modern world’s most experienced and admired foreign correspondents, Lindsey Hilsum, has now written a riveting, intimate and deeply moving account of the epic life of her late friend and colleague, Marie Colvin, who will be long remembered – not least because of Hilsum’s fine work in this book – as amongst the great war reporters of her generation -- Jon Lee AndersonAn inspiring and intimate biography of one of the bravest journalists of our time by one of her finest colleagues. Lindsey Hilsum takes us inside the world of a woman who changed the world around her -- Lyse Doucet

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Book SynopsisJuliet Nicolson is the bestselling author of three works of social history, The Perfect Summer: Dancing into Shadow in 1911; The Great Silence: 1918-1920 Living in the Shadow of the Great War; and Frostquake: The frozen winter of 1962 and how Britain emerged a different country; as well as a family memoir, A House Full of Daughters. She is a mother and a grandmother and lives with her husband in East Sussex.Trade ReviewShocking and brave... Nicolson's anger, tenderness and insight have resulted in an exceptionally moving book -- Miranda Seymour * Daily Telegraph *I couldn't put it down... Enthralling, touching and beautifully written -- Joanna LumleyOriginal and illuminating… A House Full of Daughters gallops through seven generations with confidence and ease: it is funny in parts, painful in others but always honest. -- Andrea Wulf * Guardian *Tense, highly personal and beautifully written... A powerful and moving family portrait -- Christena Appleyard * Literary Review *Candid, poignant, well-written and wonderfully life-affirming -- Sebastian Shakespeare * Tatler *

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Book SynopsisObsessive was, still is, my natural state, and I never wondered why. I didn't mind, didn't know that other people could feel at peace. I always felt like a raw nerve, but then, I thought that everyone did. Writer and journalist Marianne Eloise was born obsessive. What that means changes day to day, depending on what her brain latches onto: fixations with certain topics, intrusive violent thoughts, looping phrases. Some obsessions have lasted a lifetime, while others will be intense but only last a week or two. Obsessive, Intrusive, Magical Thinking is the culmination of a life spend obsessing, offering a glimpse into Marianne's brain, but also an insight into the lives of others like her. From death to Medusa, to Disneyland to fire, to LA to her dog, the essays explore the intersection of neurodivergence, fixation and disorder, telling the story of one life underpinned and ultimately made whole by obsession. AUTHOR: Marianne Eloise is a writer and journalist. She covers topics like TV, film, digital culture, neurodiversity, wellness and alternative music, for outlets including The Cut, the New York Times, Courier, Vulture, i-D, Guardian and more.Trade ReviewThe mortifying ordeal of being known, minus the ordeal and sans mortification. I felt recognised on every page, learned so many new things, and laughed so hard I choked on my water. Read this!!! -- Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting TimesIn her candid, witty memoir, Marianne Eloise offers a powerful account of what it is like to feel trapped by mental health problems and obsessions ... A brave book that puts vulnerability fully on show. * Independent *Incandescent [...] Eloise's wit and grace cast her differences in a dazzling light [...] the result is a rewarding navigation through the corridors of a relentlessly curious mind. * Publishers Weekly *There are several shrewd observations made within this lucid and level-headed memoir. Amongst them is the way the matrix of obsession, compulsion and intrusion represents an exaggeration of conventional anxieties. * Arts Desk *Did not disappoint [...] a really good portrayal of neurodiversity in an entertaining and enjoyable way' * Eleanor, NetGalley *Lyrical, often funny, ... the essays will leave readers feeling secondhand joy and maybe even encouragement to own their love for their own less-than-cool favorite things. * NYLON *

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Book SynopsisA Sunday Times Book of The YearA Mail on Sunday Book of The YearAn Independent Book of The YearA The Times Book of The YearDuring the US book tour for his memoir, Hitch-22, Christopher Hitchens collapsed in his New York hotel room to excoriating pain in his chest and thorax. As he would later write in the first of a series of deeply moving Vanity Fair pieces, he was being deported 'from the country of the well across the stark frontier that marks off the land of malady.' Over the next year he underwent the brutal gamut of modern cancer treatment, enduring catastrophic levels of suffering and eventually losing the ability to speak. Mortality is the most meditative collection of writing Hitchens has ever produced; at once an unsparingly honest account of the ravages of his disease, an examination of cancer etiquette, and the coda to a lifetime of fierce debate and peerless prose. In this eloquent confrontation with mortality, Hitchens returns a human face to a disease that has become a contemporary cipher of suffering.Trade ReviewCharacteristic of his elegant wit: philosophical, literary, ironic, sardonic, reflective and resentful * The Times *His unworldly fluency never deserted him, his commitment was passionate, and he never deserted his trade. He was the consummate writer, the brilliant friend. In Walter Pater's famous phrase, he burned 'with this hard gem-like flame.' Right to the end. -- Ian McEwanHitchens's voice remains civilised, searching and ready to vanquish all his enemies -- Colm TóbínA trenchant, learned, iconoclastic and splendidly witty commentator on public life and, as here, on his own private triumphs and travails... unremittingly elegant, a master of graceful prose -- John Banville

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Book SynopsisJoe Exotic, star of the Netflix original documentary that “consumed the pop-cultural imagination” (The Atlantic) and transfixed a nation in the midst of a global crisis, opens up about his outlandish journey from Midwestern farmer to infamous Tiger King, and finally, to federal inmate. Shortly after his arrest (for charges including hiring a hitman to murder his rival, Carole Baskin), Joe Exotic began keeping a daily journal of his life behind prison walls. In support of his defense, Joe began writing everything he wished he could tell a jury of his peers. Little did Joe know that mere months later, the self-proclaimed “gun-toting, gay redneck with a mullet” would become one of the most famous men in the world. Written entirely while incarcerated, this no-holds-barred memoir is Joe Exotic’s first, and maybe only, chance to tell his side of the story—the full story. Despite never having seen Tiger King, Joe is aware of what’s been said about him, and he’s eager to answer all the questions the world is dying to know. Such as: -The origin of the mullet. -How Joe became the Tiger King. -Joe’s favorite animals. -Joe’s relationships. -Joe’s explanation of all charges against him. -What happened with Trump’s pardon. -What he thinks about caging animals now that he lives in a cage. -What Joe has to say now about Carole Baskin. From his tragic childhood riddled with abuse to his dangerous feuds with big cat rivals and beyond, nothing is off the table. This is the exclusive and definitive read for anyone who binged the “riveting” (Vanity Fair) documentary and finished it hungry for more. A memoir unlike any other, it proves that they can cage the Tiger King, but they can’t silence his roar.

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Book SynopsisLOST1972. A plane has crashed in the Andes mountains. The passengers are hopelessly lost in one of the most isolated places on earth.ABANDONEDAlmost three months later, two of the survivors, emaciated and frozen, reach the authorities and lead a rescue team to the remaining fourteen passengers.ALIVEThe rescue team are shocked when they reach the crash-site. Food supplies have long gone, and the remains of the dead lie scattered among the fuselage. It is only too clear how these passengers have managed to stay alive ...Trade Review'One of the classic survival stories of all time - a story of the will to survive against impossible odds' * Daily Mail *Read's powerful account of the crash and its aftermath...what lingers are the moments of ingenuity, and the resilience of the human spirit. * Guardian *'It is inconceivable to me that this story could have been better told... a masterpiece of narrative' -- Graham GreeneRead handles the story so well * Evening Standard *An adventure story with a rare depth. * Seven *

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Book SynopsisFrom the stars of A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM BOB, now a major film starring Luke Treadaway as James and Bob himself, the sequel to the bestselling A Street Cat Named Bob.Trade ReviewBowen writes with compelling, brutal honesty. Ranging from heartbreakingly sad to laugh-out-loud funny, The World According To Bob is a life-affirming story of sheer human strength in the face of adversity. * Daily Express *The second installment from one of north London's most loved double acts ... The long-awaited sequel picks up where the first book left off, telling the story of what happened to this odd couple of cool cats after their initial success. * Evening Standard *Close proximity to animals does wonders for your mental health. Close proximity to this book will do wonders for it, too. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisA few months into the new millennium in May 2000, Ken Livingstone became the first ever Mayor of London. In the succeeding two decades, London has undergone a dramatic evolution under three very different mayors, but how has the mayoralty itself changed? How have the capital’s challenges and crises been overcome? And is the office still fit for purpose? At a time of tremendous uncertainty for the capital and the nation generally, this ambitious new book marks the twentieth anniversary of the creation of the position of the Mayor of London. It examines how the first three mayors have approached the role with markedly distinct politics, outlooks and styles and how the position has transformed over time to meet the changing needs of the city. London’s Mayor at 20 combines expert opinion with reflections from those closely involved in setting up, running and working in the mayor’s office. Featuring a foreword by Tony Blair, who played a crucial role in the establishment of the mayoralty, and including interviews with Ken Livingstone and Sadiq Khan, this comprehensive analysis seeks to investigate how the government of London has developed and what the future holds for this modern metropolis.Trade Review"At a time when so many people are disillusioned about politics, this book reminds us that real change is possible - as we've seen with the impact of successive London mayors. From the congestion charge to Tech City, London has evolved dramatically over the past two decades - and London's Mayor at 20 tells the story of this transformation in a brilliantly human and compelling way." - Rohan Silva, former senior policy advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron "The London mayoralty was the most radical innovation in the capital's government since the LCC. For the first time the political life of the metropolis was embodied in one personality. This study of its creation, strengths and weaknesses is essential reading for anyone who cares about London. It should roll the pitch for a second stage of reform to the capital's transport, policing, education and health. Where I think some regional mayors are of dubious permanence, London's is irreplaceable." - Simon Jenkins, journalist and author of A Short History of London

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Book Synopsis"Throughout his long career, Frederick Douglass cut an imposing figure, renowned as an impassioned abolitionist, a fiery writer and newspaper editor. He was a great public speaker, who became a one-man crusade for black liberation." - Robert McCrum, The Guardian."It is difficult to think of anyone, at any time, who examined the race problem in its many aspects more profoundly, extensively, and subtly than W. E. B. Du Bois." - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy."I knew that, in a large degree, we were trying an experiment--that of testing whether or not it was possible for Negroes to build up and control the affairs of a large educational institution. I knew that if we failed it would injure the whole race." ?Booker T. Washington.Three African American Classics contains three of the most significant works of African American literature by three authors who led vastly different lives. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), a runaway slave, describes the horrors and humiliations of slavery, his escape, and his journey to becoming one of America''s great statesmen and orators. Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), born into slavery, was freed at the age of nine at the end of the Civil War. Until his first day at school he was known only by the name "Booker," but to be like all the other children, he quickly added "Washington," beginning his non-confrontational approach to self-advancement. Up from Slavery describes his childhood as a slave, his dogged pursuit of education, his founding of the Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University, his work promoting educational and business opportunities for former slaves, and as an advisor to several US presidents.The Massachusetts-born, Harvard-educated W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1963) begins The Souls of Black Folk with the prescient phrase: "the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the colour line." Lyrically and poetically written, The Souls of Black Folk is a seminal work in the history of sociology and a cornerstone of African-American literature. It is a profound examination of race in America, drawing on both Du Bois''s academic training and his personal experience as an African American in the United States. The Souls of Black Folk has been called "the political Bible of the Negro race."This edition is set in an easy to read 11-point font. 

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Book SynopsisCarefree, revelatory and intimate, this selection of unpublished letters between the six legendary Mitford sisters, compiled by Diana Mitford’s daughter-in-law, is alive with wit, passion and heartbreak. The letters chronicle the social quirks and political upheavals of the twentieth century but also chart the stormy, enduring relationships between the uniquely gifted – and collectively notorious – Mitford sisters. There’s Nancy, the scalding wit and bestselling novelist; Pamela, who craved a quiet country life; Diana, the fascist wife of Sir Oswald Mosley; Unity, whose obsession with Adolf Hitler led to personal tragedy; Jessica, the runaway communist; and Deborah, the socialite who became Duchess of Devonshire. Writing to one another to confide, tease, rage and gossip, the Mitford sisters set out, above all, to amuse. A correspondence of this scope is rare; a collection penned by six born storytellers is irreplaceable.Trade Review‘A novelist would never get away with inventing this: a correspondence spanning eight decades, written from locations including Chatsworth and Holloway Prison, between six original and talented women who numbered among their friends Evelyn Waugh, Maya Angelou, J. F. Kennedy and Adolf Hitler.’ J. K. Rowling ‘A glorious portrait of a six-way, life-enhancing, lifelong conversation.’ Sunday Times 'The Mitfords are all competitively exasperating…but slowly, cumulatively, as age and death are stared gallantly in the eye, I ended in tears.' Guardian ‘Absorbing, funny and often very moving…a remarkable story of six remarkable personalities.’ Philip Hensher, Spectator ‘Here, for the first time, are the six women’s own voices booming out from the tomb and across the decades…telling their extraordinary stories, which…is also the story of the twentieth century, told from the front row.’ India Knight, Sunday Times ‘Brilliantly entertaining…and a profoundly moving experience.’ Sunday Telegraph 'An anthropologist’s treasure…Every sister, whether a professional writer or not, has an extraordinary natural talent for narrative: for observation, reflection, jokes, dialogue and description, and deploys it with unfailing energy.' The Times '”The Mitfords” is a thrilling and moving, funny and serious book. Here is a story of a family, of loyalty, love, humour, tragedy and, at times, chilling deception, a tale that sometimes amuses and horrifies, but always fascinates.' Daily Telegraph ‘The roars and shrieks, the jokes and the teases bounce across every page of this hugely enjoyable book.’ Evening Standard ‘The enduring fascination of this family comes not only from the larks and the society names but from the fact that the big currents of the twentieth century – fascism and communism, wars and death – washed through their lives.’ Financial Times ‘Funny, sad, outrageous and impeccably edited…it never flags for a moment.’ Mail on Sunday

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Book Synopsis'Inspirational ... I can't recommend this book highly enough' Bill Gates Profound and powerful, Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba and Russia, as the charismatic but flawed genius Dr Paul Farmer challenges widely-held preconceptions about poverty and healthcare. As a medical student, Farmer found his life's calling: to cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine - so readily available in the developed world - to those who need them most. Beginning in Haiti, he tackles the conditions that contribute to so many unnecessary deaths with his trademark combination of world-class expertise, unlimited compassion, and the unstinting dedication of friends and colleagues. Tracy Kidder's magnificent and moving account shows how, from achieving this modest dream, one person can make a difference in solving global problems through a clear-eyed understanding of the interaction of politics, wealth, social systems and medicine.Trade ReviewThere aren't many real heroes, where the purity of their commitment and the way they articulate those values inspires millions of people ... I can't recommend this book highly enough -- Bill GatesAffecting...at one the story of an epic battle against poverty and a finely balanced character study -- Wendell Steavenson * Sunday Times *Quite simply, Mountains Beyond Mountains is a book you should read. It's not smug and self-satisfied, it's not poverty and suffering porn, it's not predictable. It's genuinely touching, inspiring and excellently written. Highly recommended -- Keith Dudhnath * The Bookbag *An absorbing read -- Julian Fleming * Sunday Business Post *Inspiring, disturbing, daring and completely absorbing * New York Times Book Review *A masterpiece that will leave you questioning your own life and political views. It's the perfect testament to a man who continues to reshape medicine and who has become, undoubtedly, an uncommon saviour to a country that desperately needed one * USA Today *A true-to-life fairytale ... Its stark sense of reality comes as much from the grit between the pages as from the pure gold those pages spin * Boston Sunday Globe *It'll fill you equally with wonder and hope * People *

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Book SynopsisFrancoise Gilot was a young painter in Pasis when she first met Picasso - he was sixty-two and she was twenty-one. During the following ten years they were lovers, worked closely together and she became mother to two of his children, Claude and Paloma. Life with Picasso, her account of those extraordinary years, is filled with intimate and astonishing revelations about the man, his work, his thoughts and his friends - Matisse, Braque, Gertrude Stein and Giacometti among others. Francois Gilot paints a compelling portrait of her turbulent life with the temperamental genius that was Picasso.She is a superb witness to Picasso as an artist and to his views on art.Trade Review[Gilot's] recall of his [Picasso's] discussions about art, details of private visits to friends such as Matisse, Braque and Giacometti, and her intimate understanding of his temperament, make this work unique * DAILY TELEGRAPH *This memoir is both a vivd portrait of a monstrously difficult man and a brilliant depiction of a great artist at work * NEW YORK TIMES *... no-one in the Picasso entourage was so close to him... fascinating. * Tim Hilton *

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Book Synopsis''Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand history - and then go out and change it'' Barack Obama''The authentic voice of Mandela shines through this book'' The Times''Burns with the luminosity of faith in the invincible nature of human hope and dignity'' Andre Brink''Splendid... This is his story and the story of that struggle and a people''s victory'' Desmond TutuThe riveting memoirs of the outstanding moral and political leader of our time, Long Walk to Freedom brilliantly re-creates the drama of the experiences that helped shape Nelson Mandela''s destiny. Emotive, compelling and uplifting, Long Walk to Freedom is the exhilarating story of an epic life; a story of hardship, resilience and ultimate triumph told with the clarity and eloquence of a born leader.Trade ReviewEssential reading for anyone who wants to understand history - and then go out and change it * Barack Obama *Enthralling...Mandela emulates the few great political leaders such as Lincoln and Gandhi, who go beyond mere consensus and move out ahead of their followers to break new ground * Sunday Times *The authentic voice of Mandela shines through this book...humane, dignified and magnificently unembittered * The Times *This life of a man who has been a political activist for fifty years, in one of the most difficult and complex conflicts of the twentieth century, is a major achievement * Observer *Riveting...both a brilliant description of a diabolical system and a testament to the power of the spirt to transcend it * Washington Post *Burns with the luminosity of faith in the invincible nature of human hope and dignity... Unforgettable * Andre Brink *Indispensable ... a unique life-story * Anthony Sampson *A splendid book... Justice, freedom, goodness and love have prevailed spectacularly in South Africa and one man has embodied that struggle and its vindication. This is his story and the story of that struggle and a people's victory. It is a fitting monument. It will help us never to forget, lest we in our turn repeat the ghastliness of apartheid * Desmond Tutu *A truly stunning account of his extraordinary life... A vivid testimony to an unusual mixture of courage, persistence, tolerance, and forgiveness * Sir David Steel *One of the most life-affirming books you'll read * GQ *A tale of anger and sorrow, love and joy, grace and elegance * Daily News *The autobiography succeeds because the vicissitudes Mandela has gone through in the course of his life are so dramatic that the reader cannot help responding to them as if to a fairy tale or moral fable of some kind. No hero of legend ever went through such protracted trials in order to arrive at so improbable a victory * Sunday Telegraph *A compelling book... both a brilliant description of a diabolical system and a testament to the power of the spirit to transcend it... One of the most remarkable lives of the twentieth century * Washington Post *A work of literature as well as an important document * Scotland on Sunday *Most searing in its portrayal of the harshness of the island prison and the author's yearning for family life... Most exciting in its descriptions of Mandela's period underground, including his clandestine journey through newly independent Africa -- Barbara Trapido * Spectator *An engrossing tapestry of recent South African history that grips the reader from the first pages... Riveting and sometimes painfully honest * San Francisco Chronicle *Mandela writes with rare and moving candour * The Economist *Long Walk to Freedom is, unexpectedly, a sociological treasure trove... a work of constant revelations -- Wole Soyinka * Times Higher Education Supplement *Irresistible... one of the few political biographies that's also a page-turner * Los Angeles Times *Absorbing reading... the work of a great politician who still retains the ability to reflect on himself as a mere mortal -- Beverley Naidoo * Times Educational Supplement *A story that is at once appalling and inspirational: appalling in its depiction of the waste of human potential; inspirational in the triumph of the human spirit -- Geoffrey Howe * Country Life *An enthralling tale told simply, the story of one man's remarkable life and of a people which finally became free * Sunday Tribune *One of those masterpieces, perhaps the greatest of twentieth-century autobiographical literature, which is a sharp, poignant, elegant and eloquent counter to the prevailing cynicism about the rottenness of politics * Caribbean Times *One of the most extraordinary political tales of the twentieth century and well worth the investment for anyone truly interested in the genesis of greatness * Financial Times *An epic of struggle and learning and growing, it tells of a man whose idealism and hope have inspired a world prone to cynicism... [it] should be compulsory reading -- Mary Benson * Daily Telegraph *This fluid memoir matches South African President Mandela's stately grace with wise reflection on his life and the freedom struggle that defined it... His belief in repairing his country inspires * Publishers Weekly *This is an articulate, moving account of Mandela's life...Over a third of Mandela's memoir tells of his twenty-seven years in prison, an account that could stand alone as a prison narrative. He ends his book with the conclusion that his 'long walk' for freedom has just begun * Library Journal *This memoir is remarkably free of polemics, self-pity, and self-aggrandizement. It is the work of a man who has led by action and example-a man who is one of the few genuine heroes we have * Kirkus *

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Book SynopsisA New York Times Book Review Editors? Choice The untold story of the artistic battle between James Abbot MacNeill Whistler and John Ruskin over Whistler?s controversial, ground-breaking Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket.In November 1878, America?s greatest painter sued England?s greatest critic for a bad review. The painter won?but ruined himself in the process. The painter: James Abbot MacNeill Whistler, whose combination of incredible talent, unflagging energy, and relentless self-promotion had by that time brought him to the very edge of artistic preeminence. The critic: John Ruskin, Slade Professor of Art at Oxford University, whose four-decades? worth of prolific and highly respected literary output on aesthetics had made him England?s unchallenged and seemingly unchallengeable arbiter of art. Though Whistler and Ruskin both lived in London and moved in the same artistic world, they had, until June, 1877, managed to remain entirely clear of one another. This was unusual because Whistler had a mercurial temperament, a belligerent personality, and seemed to thrive on opposition: he once challenged a man to a duel because the man accused the painter of sleeping with his wife. (Whistler had, in fact, slept with the man?s wife.) That November, John Ruskin walked into the Grosvenor Gallery?s new exhibition of art and gazed with horror upon Whistler?s Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket. The painting was Whistler?s interpretation of a fireworks display at a local pleasure garden. But to Ruskin it was nothing more than a chaotic, incomprehensible mess of bright spots upon dark masses: not art but its antithesis?a disturbing and disgusting assault upon everything he had ever written or taught on the subject. He quickly channeled that anger into a seething review. The internationally-reported, widely discussed, and hugely-entertaining trial that followed was a titanic battle between the opposing ideas and ideals of two larger-than-life personalities. For these two protagonists, Whistler v Ruskin was the battle of a lifetime?or more accurately, a battle of their two lifetimes. Paul Thomas Murphy?s Falling Rocket also recounts James Whistler?s turbulent but triumphant development from artistic oblivion in the 1880s to artistic deification in the 1890s, and also Ruskin?s isolated, befogged, silent final years after his public humiliation. The story of Whistler v Ruskin has a dramatic arc of its own, but this riveting new book also vividly evokes an artistic world in energetic motion, culturally and socially, in the last decades of the nineteenth century.

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Book Synopsis'A fine biography...Rogers has done a wonderful job' Daily Telegraph J. L. Carr was the most English of Englishmen: headmaster of a Northamptonshire school, cricket enthusiast and campaigner for the conservation of country churches. But he was also the author of half a dozen utterly unique novels, including his masterpiece, A Month in the Country, and a publisher of some of the most eccentric - and smallest - books ever printed. Byron Roger's acclaimed biography reveals an elusive, quixotic and civic-minded individual with an unswerving sympathy for the underdog, who led his schoolchildren through the streets to hymn the beauty of the cherry trees and paved his garden path with the printing plates for his hand-drawn maps, and whose fiction is quite remarkably autobiographical. Much more than the life of a thoroughly decent man, The Last Englishman is a comic and touching anatomy of the best kind of Englishness. 'Conveying the significance of the author of Carr's Dictionary of Extraordinary Cricketers to anyone unfamiliar with his books, or what may now fairly be called his myth, was always going to be difficult. Somehow, Roger's has managed it' D. J. Taylor, Sunday Times 'A great success, and more life-affirming than F. R. Leavis's entire output' Independent on Sunday

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Book SynopsisLudwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was an extraordinarily original philospher, whose influence on twentieth-century thinking goes well beyond philosophy itself. In this book, which aims to make Wittgenstein''s thought accessible to the general non-specialist reader, A. C. Grayling explains the nature and impact of Wittgenstein''s views. He describes both his early and later philosophy, the differences and connections between them, and gives a fresh assessment of Wittgenstein''s continuing influence on contemporary thought. 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 ReviewLucidly and attractively written. * Heythrop Journal *Anyone wanting to come to grips with the later Wittgenstein's views on philosophy, his beliefs about the nature of thought and language, and his many unignorable (if sometimes muddled and often muddling) ideas in the philosophy of the mind could do no better than start here. * Guardian *[Grayling] is to be congratulated on the success of his enterprise in a book which is a model of expository elgance ... an admirably clear and concise introduction * Philosophical Books *Table of ContentsTHE EARLY PHILOSOPHY; THE LATER PHILOSOPHY

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Book SynopsisDarwin''s theory that our ancestors were apes caused a furore in the scientific world and outside it when The Origin of Species was published in 1859. Arguments still rage about the implications of his evolutionary theory, and scepticism about the value of Darwin''s contribution to knowledge is widespread. In this analysis of Darwin''s major insights and arguments, Jonathan Howard reasserts the importance of Darwin''s work for the development of modern biology.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 ReviewJonathan Howard has produced an intellectual tour de force, a classic in the genre of popular scientific exposition which will still be read in fifty years' time. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ; 1. Darwin's life ; 2. The foundations of Darwinism ; 3. Natural selection and the origin of species ; 4. The evidence for evolution by natural selection ; 5. Sex, variation, and heredity ; 6. Man ; 7. Perfection and progress ; 8. Darwinism and ideology ; 9. Darwin as a scientist: an evaluation ; Further Reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisUplifting and engaging, this story recounts the life and career of a rebellious 20th-century British artist

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Book SynopsisPart political inquiry, part travel journal, part-self exploration, Seek is a collection of essays by an award-winning novelist out to explore himself and his life in the company of those who live on the edges of society. His travels take him from hippy conventions to war-torn Liberia

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Book SynopsisWhen Marcia and David Pirie abandoned their careers and sailed off in their home-built ketch Moongazer, They embarked on a journey that took them around the world, and became a way of life for nine years. Travellers on a Trade Wind covers the highlights of the journey.

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Book SynopsisFor Gervase Phinn growing old is not about a leisurely walk to the pub for a game of dominoes or snoozing in his favourite armchair. As this sparkling collection of his very best humorous writing shows, he may be ''out of the woods'' but he is certainly not ''over the hill''.Looking back over more than sixty years of family life, teaching, inspecting schools, writing and public speaking, Gervase never fails to unearth humour, character, warmth and wisdom from the most diverse of experiences, whether they be growing up in Rotherham with the most un-Yorkshirelike of names or describing why loud mobile phone users get his goat.Brimming with nostalgia, gently mocking life''s absurdities, never shy of an opinion, this is Gervase Phinn at his wittiest, twinkly-eyed best.Trade ReviewFor those of us of a certain age, Out of the Woods but not Over the Hill is a wonderfully cheering title. When Gervase Phinn receives his peerage for services to good-heartedness, this will be the motto on his coat of arms: "Ex silvis sed non supra montem."... This entertaining and moving homework earns a good few merit marks. Gervase Phinn is not going downhill yet, by a long chalk on a blackboard * Independent, Jonathan Sale *Packed with hilarious yarns on family, growing up and growing old, this is a marvellous book * Express *

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Book SynopsisThe dramatic life of the revolutionary hero Bolivar, who liberated South America - a sweeping narrative worthy of a Hollywood epic.Simón Bolivar's life makes for one of history's most dramatic canvases, a colossal narrative filled with adventure and disaster, victory and defeat. This is the story not just of an extraordinary man but of the liberation of a continent.A larger-than-life figure from a tumultuous age, Bolívar ignited a revolution, liberated six countries from Spanish rule and is revered as the great hero of South American history. In a sweeping narrative worthy of a Hollywood epic, BOLIVAR colourfully portrays this extraordinarily dramatic life. From his glorious battlefield victories to his legendary love affairs, Bolívar emerges as a man of many facets: fearless and inspiring general, consummate diplomat, passionate abolitionist and gifted writer.Trade ReviewThe case for Bolívar as one of the world's most extraordinary 19th-century leaders is well made by Marie Arana ... Arana's prose is often beautiful. A novelist turned historian, she tells Bolívar's story wonderfully ... Two centuries after his death, Bolívar inflames passions that better-known characters no longer ignite. Arana's biography explains why. -- Giles Tremlett * THE OBSERVER *I suspect that one reason why her biography is so plausible and engagingly told is that the Peruvian-born Arana is herself a writer of fiction. Like Garcia Marquez (who memorably fictionalised Bolivar in The General in his Labyrinth), she has an instinct for the vitalising detail...As well, his sad and contradictory story demands a novelist's empathy. -- Nicholas Shakespeare * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Arana's account of Bolivar leading his rag-bag army across the dizzying heights of the Paramo de Pisba - a virtual wall of ice and scree - is gripping stuff...Equally compelling are Arana's accounts of Bolivar's countless affairs, especially with his principal mistress, Manuela Saenz, whose ambiguous sexuality and scandalous behaviour earned her notoriety across Bolivar's vast fiefdom. -- Giles Milton * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Marie Arana has done a superb job...with a biography that is as enjoyable as a novel, capturing the imagination with its fluid prose and the power of the drama that unfolded as the age of revolution reached Spanish America. -- Eduardo Posada-Carbo * THE TABLET *Thrilling, authoritative and revelatory, here at last is a biography of Bolivar, the maker of South America, that catches the sheer extraordinary unique adventure and titanic scale of his life with accessible narrative and scholarly judgement. * Simon Sebag Montefiore *Arana is an indefatigable researcher, a perceptive historian, and a luminous writer, as shown in herdefining, exhilarating biography of the great South American liberator Simón Bolívar. -- Brad Hooper * BOOKLIST (USA) *The George Washington of South America cuts a dashing though dark-edged and ultimately tragic figure in this rousing biography. Peruvian journalist Arana (American Chica) chronicles Gen. Simón Bolívar's struggle against the Spanish Empire in the 1810s and '20s through several dizzying cycles of battlefield victory, triumphal procession, demoralizing reversal, and squalid exile, before he finally drove imperial forces out of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Her vivid portrait shows us a charismatic man of high ideals, fiery oratory, unflagging energy and resolve, bold strategies, and a romantic aura-"he rode, ragged and shirtless... his wild long hair riding the wind"-that women found irresistible. * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (USA) *Inspired. . . . Arana ably captures the brash brilliance of this revered and vilified leader. * KIRKUS REVIEWS (USA) *In "Bolívar: American Liberator," Bolívar emerges as a complex and confounding human being. He was the essential figure in the revolutionary wars that created five South American countries. Brilliant and erudite, he was an idealist and also a ruthless military leader as well as a deeply charismatic a man of letters -- Hector Tobar * LOS ANGELES TIMES (USA) *"Bolivar" is a monumental achievement destined to win some major literary prizes. Like most recent books on the North American founders, it assumes that all icons are also flawed creatures. All of Bolivar's flaws are on display here - his inveterate womanizing, periodic bouts of arrogance, flirtation with Napoleonic versions of omnipotence. But if Jefferson is eventually proved right, and democracy does come to Latin America in full form, the man so brilliantly recovered in these pages will be shouting hosannas from the heavens. -- Joseph J Ellis * WASHINGTON POST (USA) *Finally, Bolivar gets the sweeping biography he deserves. He was the greatest leader in Latin American history, and his tale is filled with lessons about leadership and passion. This book reads like a wonderful novel but is researched like a masterwork of history. -- Walter Isaacson, author of STEVE JOBSThis is a magnificent story. Deeply researched and written with clarity, honesty, and verve, Marie Arana's book tells the life of one of the greatest heroes and founders in world history. North Americans who know only of George Washington will thrill to read the epic adventures of his South American counterpart. As fantastic as Bolivar's life appears, 'it is not,' as Arana says of Latin America's bloody past in general, 'magical realism. It is history. It is true. -- Gordon S. Wood, author of EMPIRE OF LIBERTY, Alva O. Way University Professor and Professor of History Emeritus at Brown UniversityWith the eye and ear of a novelist, Marie Arana chants the epic of Bolivar with love, zest, and compelling authority. -- Walter A. McDougall, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Alloy-Ansin Professor of International Relations, University of PennsylvaniaSimon Bolivar has found the perfect biographer in Marie Arana, a literary journalist, brilliant novelist of South America, and wise historian as well. Her portrait of Bolivar is human and moving; she has written a powerful and epic life and times. -- Evan Thomas, author of IKE'S BLUFF: PRESIDENT EISENHOWER'S SECRET STRUGGLE TO SAVE THE WORLDArana's zestful biography is as action-packed as it is authoritative -- Iain Finlayson * THE TIMES *Marie Arana has read all the extant archives and has written an admirable, action-filled life. She follows Bolivar from his rich, aristocratic birth, early losses of mother and then child-bride, to his political awakening and rush into action. Her biography is so close to experience that we are back with Bolivar himself, "exuberant mustache and dazzling smile", almost feeling the wind as he passes. -- Jason Wilson * THE INDEPENDENT *Simon Bolivar, the Liberator, still casts a long shadow in his native Latin America, almost too mythic to have been an actual man. Beautifully written, Bolivar reads like a great work of fiction, yet this book is a well-researched major work of history. * THE LADY *Marie Arana makes a gripping tale from the life story of Simon Bolivar, the dramatic but controversial son of Spanish America. -- Giles Fitzherbert * LITERARY REVIEW *Now we have this splendid new biography by Marie Arana, a Peruvian scholar long established as a literary journalist in the United States. -- Richard Gott * HISTORY TODAY *

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Book Synopsis'I have been a campaigner in many human rights causes, some successful, some less so, some failed. My mother once said, 'Anthony, we had such a fine system until you ruined it!' I hope she was wrong.' Over the course of his illustrious, pioneering and sometimes controversial career, Anthony Lester transformed Britain's approach to human rights. As a brave and creative lawyer, and as a peer in the House of Lords, he worked tirelessly to combat abuses of public power and to introduce new legal frameworks for human rights, equality and free speech. In these honest and remarkable personal memoirs, which map the history of human rights in this country over the past half-century, Anthony Lester explores the social conditions and interior circumstances that shaped his life as a relentless and passionate campaigner for equality and justice.Trade Review"An informative, provocative and deeply personal account of a distinguished life in law and politics." - Lord Pannick QC "A brave trailblazer for human rights." - Sir Harold Evans, former editor of the Sunday Times "In his eloquent memoir, Anthony Lester weaves the story of the expansion of human rights at home and abroad, drawing on his own involvement in many of the legal breakthrough moments. We too often forget how human rights have been strengthened around the globe, even as our democratic societies face renewed assaults on the rule of law. This rich history by a great human rights lawyer is a reminder that 'hope dies last...', and that we cannot give up hope." - Margaret H. Marshall, former Chief Justice, Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts

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Book SynopsisA tour de force of investigative journalism, Killing Pablo tells the story of the violent rise and fall of Pablo Escobar, the head of the Colombian Medellin cocaine cartel. Escobar's criminal empire held a nation of thirty million hostage in a reign of terror that would only end with his death. In an intense, up-close account, award-winning journalist Mark Bowden exposes details never before revealed about the covert sixteen-month manhunt that was led by US Special Forces and intelligence services. With unprecedented access to important players - including Colombian president Cisar Gaviria and the incorruptible head of the special police unit that pursued Escobar, Colonel Hugo Martinez - as well as top-secret documents and transcripts of Escobar's intercepted phone conversations, Bowden has produced a gripping narrative that is a stark portrayal of rough justice in the real world.Trade ReviewVivid, fast-paced and well researched * Sunday Times *A remarkable opus of investigative journalism * The Times *Mark Bowden's thrilling, completely engrossing book brings the man and his bloody times to vivid life. I couldn't put it down. -- Howard MarksPowerfully written and well researched * Independent on Sunday *A psychotic safari * Daily Mail *A master of narrative journalism, Bowden employs the same techniques of reconstructing scenes and dialogue that made his bestselling Black Hawk Down gripping reading. * New York Times *A well researched and staggering account. * Time Out *A brilliant reconstruction... Clear and gripping * Evening Standard *Reads like a Clancyesque thriller, it's fast-paced, full of page-turning intrigue, corruption, and thwarted pursuit. * San Francisco Chronicle *A compelling, almost Shakespearean tale * Los Angeles Times *If ever there was a real-life James Bond villain, Pablo Escobar was it... 10 times better than any fictional crime story * Uncut *

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Book SynopsisCharles Wheeler, the BBC's longest-serving foreign correspondent, was one of Britain's greatest news reporters. For more than four decades, he reported for radio and television from most of the world's trouble spots. Present at many of the key episodes of the twentieth century, he had - as a BBC manager noted after the shooting of George Wallace, Presidential candidate and Governor of Alabama, on 15 May 1972, 'a knack of being in the right place at the right time'. It was typical of Charles that he ran towards the sound of the gunshot while the crowd was running in the opposite direction.Wheeler's investigative skill and sense of judgement made him one of the most authoritative reporters of his generation. But what was it like to have been witness to the events that shaped our modern world? In this book - part memoir, part history, part reflection - his daughter, Shirin Wheeler, examines her father's journalistic legacy and brings her personal knowledge to bear on the project. She will tell the story of her father: a patient listener and forensic interrogator who was driven by curiosity and passion to report and expose injustice, and above all to give a voice to people ignored or unheard by many.

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Book SynopsisThe Enigma of Kidson is a moving, thought-provoking, inspiring and hilarious biography of an inspirational and controversial teacher. Move over Mr Chips. Kidson had everything that central casting requires of a legendary schoolmaster: a passion for his subject, a brilliant didactic style, a silly walk, a smelly spaniel, breath-taking rudeness, eccentric mannerisms and catchphrases, a maverick attitude towards authority, and above all, a deep empathy, loyalty and dedication towards his boys. He had an extraordinary influence on his pupils - David Cameron, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Johnnie Boden, Nicky Henderson, Sir Matthew Pinsent, `Lupin' and Dominic West among them. This unique portrait features recollections and vignettes of incidents in the classroom and the tutorial. As Kidson was an inspirational History Beak (master), history is a strong theme throughout the book and through Kidson's life story we get a vivid social history of the latter part of the twentieth century where the themes of education, culture, teaching, adolescence, discipline, mentorship, pronunciation, parenting and old age are all examined.Trade Review'A great read about a great man' Taki The Spectator; 'I didn't expect to be moved to tears by a tribute book to an Etonian schoolmaster. But the story of Michael Kidson (1929-2015) drew me in and moved me deeply. This sprawling hotchpotch of recollections turns out to be essential reading for anyone interested in the forming of teenaged boys' minds and, in its very haphazardness, manages to paint a remarkably full portrait of a good, kind and enigmatic bachelor schoolmaster who changed boys' lives by civilising them and being there for them in the ways that mattered.' Ysenda Maxtone Graham The Oldie; 'Nothing short of a triumph. I laughed out loud dozens of times... it is really, really wonderful' Sir Matthew Pinsent; 'This book needs an H.M. Government health warning for OFSTED inspectors as it describes an inspired beak who ignored all the modern rules but put his pupils first.' Jacob Rees Mogg;Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Foreword Prologue 1. Eton Revisited 2. Abdul the Camel Driver 3. Private Business 4. Crime and Punishment 5. A Shropshire Lad 6. Toiling Upward 7. The Corner House 8. Beaks 9. A Sheeted Tombstone 10. The Heartless Ramparts 11. Sport 12. Parents 13. Hold on, Jack! 14. Outside the Classroom 15. The End Game 16. After Eton 17. Retirement 18. I Can't Stand the Preliminaries 19. Vale Epilogue Appendix: History Matters Postscript Eton Glossary Index

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Book SynopsisNear Mount Etna in Sicily lies Casa Cuseni, a beautiful house built in golden stone - and the home which Daphne Phelps was astonished to find she had inherited in 1947. At the age of 34, war-weary from working as a psychiatric social worker, with barely any Italian, and precious little money, she plunged into a fascinating Sicilian world. Every imaginable problem had to be overcome, not only financial difficulties but local authorities and a house staff who initially felt no loyalty to the new Signorina but who gradually accepted her as a respected member of their small community. To help make ends meet, for many years she ran Casa Cuseni as a pensione and to her doors came Roald Dahl, Tennessee Williams, Bertrand Russell and Henry Faulkner. But just as important to her life and her story are the Sicilians with whom she shared the love and care of Casa Cuseni: Don Ciccio the local mafia leader, Vincenzio, general manservant who recited while he served the meals, Beppe, a Don Juan who scented his eyebrows and his moustache to attract the local girls; and above all the steadfast cook and housekeeper who lives with Daphne still and to whom this book is dedicated.Trade ReviewShrewd and sometimes wicked ... fascinating * DAILY MAIL *Written with a masterful sense of narrative timing ... this is one of those books which doesn't end - you just have a sense of a life going on and on * IRISH TIMES *A book as warm as the land it celebrates. * INDEPENDENT *

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Book SynopsisClear-eyed, inspiring and incisive, this is the story of a man of consummate ambition, who made a significant andasting mark on India''s judicialandscape. The Supreme Court of India has witnessed a succession ofarger-than-life chief justices in its seven-decade history. But it has never seen theikes of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. Fiery yet charming, and simultaneously principled and pragmatic, Gogoi is a fascinating man of contrasts who has intrigued observers across the political and social spectrum. Now, for the first time, Gogoi tells the dramatic story of hisife in fascinating detail in Justice for the Judge. He traces his journey from Dibrugarh in Assam to the highest court of theand through people,andmark cases and his own judicial ambition, and reveals theessons heearnt along the way about the country''segal system. Never one to shy away from contentious issues, Gogoi provides a no-holds-barred account of the extraordinary events that characterized his tenure in the apex courtthe infamous'' press conference prior to his elevation as the most powerful judge in theand, unsubstantiated allegations of sexual harassment and the impact of tabloid journalism. He also takes readers through the important meetings, intense interactions and private confrontation that preceded theandmark verdicts authored by himRafale and the contempt proceeding initiated against Mr Rahul Gandhi, Sabarimala, NRC and Ayodhya. Justice for the Judge is also a definitive insider''s account that fills aarge gap in our understanding of the drama and majesty of the nation''s highest court.

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Book SynopsisG.K. Chesterton Twelve Types is an exciting series of biographical writings that study the lives of twelve one of a kind human being. Chesterton, who changed into acknowledged for his cleverness and keen observations, looks at the complex nature of guy and female from a brand new angle on this work. The twelve humans within the book range from old humans to people residing nowadays, and Chesterton goes deeper than just giving biographical facts. He would not waste any time getting to the philosophical and moral ideas that truly made every person specific. There are paradoxes, jokes, and a deep information of the human condition in Chesterton's writing, which makes every essay a rich and thought-provoking look at. Chesterton's lovely writing makes human beings reflect on consideration on the super things that show up of their reputedly normal lives. The book is not just a biography; it is also an observe society and existence in standard. The truth that Chesterton can integrate intellectual questioning with a laugh makes the deep subjects he writes approximately more approachable. Twelve Types is a first-rate example of Chesterton's writing skills and the lasting effect he had on the sector of letters. The collection will usually be a work of artwork, giving lovers a beautiful and deep investigate the complicated things that make up existence.

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Book SynopsisWinner of the PEN/Ackerley Prize 2014The book opens and we are inside the wave: thirty feet high, moving at twenty-five mph, racing two miles inland. And from there into the depths of the author's despair: how to live now that her life has been undone? Sonali Deraniyagala tells her story - the loss of her two boys, her husband, and her parents - without artifice or sentimentality. In the stark language of unfathomable sorrow, anger, and guilt: she struggles through the first months following the tragedy -- someone always at her side to prevent her from harming herself, her whole being furiously clenched against the reality she can't face; and then reluctantly emerging and, over the ensuing years, slowly allowing her memory to function again. Then she goes back through the rich and joyous life she's mourning, from her family's home in London, to the birth of her children, to the year she met her English husband at Cambridge, to her childhood in Colombo while learning the balance between the almost unbearable reminders of her loss and her fundamental need to keep her family, somehow, still with her.Trade ReviewIn her unflinching writing you live through the horror and despair, but also feel her self-generated repair and the promise of survival -- Harriet Walter * The Week *

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Book SynopsisMatthew Dennison's elegant and magisterial biography of Her late Majesty, updated following the death of Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III. 'A worthy and balanced overview of the Queen's life. Dennison is especially good on her childhood... quietly, tactfully, tastefully reverent.'The Times The death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022 was more than just a moment of profound sadness; her passing marked the end of an era in our national life – and the final closing of the Elizabethan Age. For millions of people, both in Britain and across the world, Elizabeth II was the embodiment of monarchy. Her long life spanned nearly a century of national and global history, from a time before the Great Depression to the era of Covid-19. Her reign embraced all but seven years of Britain's postwar history up to the accession of her son King Charles III; she was served by fifteen UK prime ministers from Churchill to Truss, and witnessed the administrations of fourteen US presidents from Truman to Biden. In this brand-new biography of the longest-reigning sovereign in British history, Matthew Dennison traces her life and reign across an era of unprecedented and often seismic social change. Stylish in its writing and nuanced in its judgements, The Queen charts the joys and triumphs as well as the disappointments and vicissitudes of a remarkable royal life; it also assesses the achievement of a woman regarded as the champion of a handful of 'British' values endorsed – if no longer practised – by the bulk of the nation: service, duty, steadfastness, charity and stoicism.Trade ReviewA worthy and balanced overview of the Queen's life. Dennison is especially good on her childhood... Quietly, tactfully, tastefully reverent' * The Times *Anyone who wants a rapid, lucid, well-organised dash through the Queen's seven decades on the throne couldn't do better * Daily Telegraph *An elegant new biography * OK! Magazine *Dutiful and modest – a superb portrait of Her Majesty * Sunday Telegraph *An engaging retelling of a remarkable life of selflessness and service * Choice Magazine *[It] deftly weaves together a wealth of sources, painting the late monarch as a dedicated and humble public servant, with a pragmatic approach to her work * Independent *This balanced and brilliantly written biography is an extremely detailed depiction of the Queen's life * Harper's Bazaar *

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