Biography: general Books

17056 products


  • Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's

    Crown Publishing Group (NY) Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The “exquisitely researched and deeply engrossing” (The New York Times) true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry—with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter“The energy of the narrative never flags. . . . Sancton has produced a thriller.”—The Wall Street Journal In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a three-year expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. But de Gerlache’s plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would swiftly go awry. After a series of costly setbacks, the commandant faced two bad options: turn back in defeat and spare his men the devastating Antarctic winter, or recklessly chase fame by sailing deeper into the freezing waters. De Gerlache sailed on, and soon the Belgica was stuck fast in the icy hold of the Bellingshausen Sea. When the sun set on the magnificent polar landscape one last time, the ship’s occupants were condemned to months of endless night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness and besieged by monotony, they descended into madness.In Madhouse at the End of the Earth, Julian Sancton unfolds an epic story of adventure and horror for the ages. As the Belgica’s men teetered on the brink, de Gerlache relied increasingly on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity: the expedition’s lone American, Dr. Frederick Cook—half genius, half con man—whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship’s first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, even in his youth the storybook picture of a sailor. Together, they would plan a last-ditch, nearly certain-to-fail escape from the ice—one that would either etch their names in history or doom them to a terrible fate at the ocean’s bottom.Drawing on the diaries and journals of the Belgica’s crew and with exclusive access to the ship’s logbook, Sancton brings novelistic flair to a story of human extremes, one so remarkable that even today NASA studies it for research on isolation for future missions to Mars. Equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror, Madhouse at the End of the Earth is an unforgettable journey into the deep.

    Out of stock

    £12.15

  • Endurance: The Toby Price Story

    Penguin Random House Australia Endurance: The Toby Price Story

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £15.29

  • Isak Dinesen

    Picador USA Isak Dinesen

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisJudith Thurman's brilliant, National Book Awardwinning biography of Isak Dinesennow with a new foreword by the authorA brilliant literary portrait, Isak Dinesen remains the only comprehensive biography of one of the greatest storytellers of our time. Dinesen's magnificent memoir, Out of Africa, established her as a major twentieth-century author, who was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize.With exceptional grace, Judith Thurman's classic work explores Dinesen's life. Until the appearance of this book, the life and art of Isak Dinesen have beenas Dinesen herself wrote of two lovers in a talea pair of locked caskets, each containing the key to the other. Judith Thurman has provided the master key to them both.

    Out of stock

    £18.90

  • Chocolates from Tangier: A Holocaust replacement

    DoppelHouse Press Chocolates from Tangier: A Holocaust replacement

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA second-generation Holocaust survivor weaves together fragments of her family’s history and witness testimony in narrative and collage, using her art as transformation and remembrance. "Chocolates from Tangier is a bold and innovative ensemble piece that comes straight from the heart. With illustrations by way of words, letters, poems and her own impressive images, artist Jana Zimmer brings her parents’ Holocaust story to life in a moving and meaningful way. Beautiful."—Wendy Holden, author of Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope“Never, never, never ask Daddy about her.” For fifty years, Jana Zimmer obeyed her mother’s directive, until her mother died, leaving behind a trove of family photos and documents, mostly in Czech, with just a few cryptic notes as explanation, for her only child to knit the family’s past together. Late in her own life, Zimmer became a visual artist. The words and images in this book convey her journey to understand her parents and their experiences in the Holocaust, filtered through her own discoveries decades after returning to her birthplace, Prague, and to Terezín, where her family was first interned. Exhibitions of Zimmer’s artwork in 2007, both in Prague and at the Terezín Ghetto Museum, were mainly inspired by her half-sister, Ritta, who perished in Auschwitz before Zimmer was born, and by her father’s grief over that loss. Ritta’s drawings made in Terezín, now in the Prague Jewish Museum’s collection of children’s artwork from the ghetto, populate Zimmer’s book as well as spare photographs and mementos that reflect Zimmer’s internal world — that of a “Holocaust replacement child.”In 2015, an exhibition in Germany allowed Zimmer to explore her relationship to her mother’s experiences as survivor of Terezín, Auschwitz, and Mauthausen, and as a Jewish slave laborer in a Nazi aircraft factory in Freiberg, Saxony, in 1944. In both exhibits, and now, in putting together the visual story, their life stories, and her text, Zimmer’s task has been the seemingly impossible — to remember where she had never been, for her parents, who had wanted only to forget, and to find her place between them.The world attacks us directly, tears us apart through the experience of the most incredible events, and assembles and reassembles us again. Collage is the most appropriate medium to illustrate this reality. —J. Kolář (Czech, 1914–2002)Trade ReviewJana Zimmer interweaves remarkable family stories of loss and survival with her own journey as an artist. Challenged by the need to bear witness to the experiences of her parents, she is admirably self-effacing in her approach to making art. Heartbreakingly poignant memories are enriched by haunting photographs and documents and by the images they have inspired. The writing is eye-opening, profoundly moving and, at times, exhilarating.—Joe Treasure, author of The Book of AirA deeply moving memoir and interrogation of Jana Zimmer’s life and the lives of her Holocaust-survivor parents, Chocolates from Tangier explores the themes of identity, exile, and belonging. Incorporating the author’s collage and other artworks, it is a compelling and brutal reminder of the horrors of genocide, and its lingering effects upon subsequent generations.—Marcia Meier, author of Face: A MemoirMulti-layered, emotionally compelling and deeply personal, Chocolates from Tangier not only describes in words the histories, objects and insights Zimmer gathered from decades of research—searching and seeking to know, understand and absorb the ways her life has been shaped by the Shoah—but also presents color reproductions of collages, prints and other artwork she made over the past quarter-century, when language proved inadequate in expressing her found truth.—Jerry Roberts, NewsmakersA strikingly beautiful book, packed with full-color reproductions of art, as well as photographs of objects and documents. Appropriately, the book is multi-voiced, featuring writing by [Zimmer’s] mother and father, [her] earlier self, and a number of well-chosen quotations.—David Starkey, Santa Barbara IndependentZimmer's artwork, displayed throughout the memoir, engages in a dialogue with the text and serves as a powerful visual expression when words alone won’t suffice.—Montecito JournalStep by step as her talents are revealed, Jana Zimmer enchants readers with her memoir, family recollections and chine collé art inspired by her family’s Holocaust experiences. —Texas Jewish Post With grace, diligence and intense feeling, [Zimmer’s] story reminds us that each sequence of recollections is unique… Turn the pages, pause each time, look then read, over and again.—San Francisco Book Review 5 starsTable of ContentsPreface and Family Trees 1. What she was thinking 2. Kde Domov Můj? 3. Impasse 4. When Daddy died 5. Beginning Art 6. Terezín Series 1995–2007 7. Diaspora 8. Siblings of the Heart 9. Return to Freiberg 10. Jerusalem biennale 2015 11. Kolař/Kolaj/Collage as Memoir 12. Rivers of Babylon/Memory and Mourning 13. Epilogue Final Map

    1 in stock

    £19.79

  • Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal

    Random House USA Inc Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £14.24

  • Written in Water: Keats's final Journey

    Alma Books Ltd Written in Water: Keats's final Journey

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisOn 17th September 1820, accompanied by his friend Joseph Severn, John Keats left London for Italy on board the Maria Crowther in a desperate bid to restore his health. Anguished at the thought of having to part, possibly for ever, from his fiancee and his friends, troubled by money worries and broken in body and mind, the young poet launched on his last journey on earth with both a sense of hope and a deep foreboding that his efforts would be in vain. Despite Keats's own assertion that by then he no longer felt a citizen of the world and was leading a "posthumous life", his final five months were filled with events of great biographical interest, and deserve to be examined much more carefully. Using exclusively primary sources and first-hand accounts, Keats's editor and translator Alessandro Gallenzi has pieced together all the available material - adding newly discovered and previously unpublished documents - to help the reader follow the poet step by step from his departure and tumultuous voyage to Naples, through to his arduous journey to Rome and harrowing death in his lodgings by the Spanish Steps in February 1821. The result is a gripping narrative packed with detail and new revelations, one that invites us to strip away the Romantic patina that has formed over the story of Keats's short life, offering a wider picture that enhances our understanding of both poet and man.Trade ReviewEnthralling and original... Gallenzi’s meticulous commitment to his subject shines through. Although he presents himself as something of an embattled outsider, he is working within, and contributing to, a long tradition of Keats scholarship. There’s no doubt that all Keatsians will appreciate the new details and insights he adds to our picture of the poet’s last five months. -- Lucasta Miller * The Spectator *Superbly researched… crisply written… a work of vivid and absorbing scholarship, [which] serves as a stringent corrective to the mass of lazy scholarship that proliferates on Keats by the day. Anyone interested in Rome and the Romantic poets will gain much from reading it. Terrific. -- Ian Thomson * The Tablet *Anyone who relishes the chance to spend a little more time with John Keats (I’m one) will find this an affecting read. -- Suzi Feay * he London Magazine *Focusing on the last five months of John Keats's life, and proceeding with solid method and original research, Alessandro Gallenzi's biography of the poet extends, without stretching, our knowledge of his 'posthumous existence'. Old beliefs are dismissed and new discoveries are made, which raise more questions. An indispensable work of scholarship – and a great read too. -- Dr Luca Caddia * Keats-Shelley House, Rome *His integrity as a researcher is a welcome addition to scholarship. -- Christy Edwall * TLS *Every single fragment of primary knowledge we had is expanded into a coherent narrative in which facts are ascertained and minor characters brought to life * The Keats-Shelley Review *Written in Water provides a long overdue vetting of the available evidence as well as unearthing new facts and it is sure to become an indispensable resource for future Keats biographers and scholars. * European Romantic Review *

    10 in stock

    £16.14

  • White House Wild Child: How Alice Roosevelt Broke

    Charlesbridge Publishing,U.S. White House Wild Child: How Alice Roosevelt Broke

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe fascinating historical biography of America’s most memorable first daughter, Alice Roosevelt, whose free spirit and status made her the Princess Diana and Jackie O of the early 20th century.Perfect for readers of female-centric biographies like The Daughters of Yalta and for fans of the glitzy drama of The Gilded Age and The Crown.“I can do one of two things, I can be President of the United States or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.”—Theodore RooseveltDuring Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency—from 1901 to 1909, when Mark Twain called him the most popular man in America—his daughter Alice Roosevelt mesmerized the world with her antics and beauty.Alice was known for carrying a gun, a copy of the Constitution, and a green snake in her purse. When her father told her she couldn’t smoke under his roof, she climbed to the top of the White House and smoked on the roof. She became the most famous woman in America—and even the world—predating Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy as an object of public obsession.As her celebrity grew, she continued to buck tradition, push against social norms, and pull political sway behind the curtain of privilege and access. She was known for her acerbic wit and outspoken tendencies which hypnotized both the social and political world.Brilliantly researched and powerfully told, Shelley Fraser Mickle places the reader in the time and place of Alice and asks what would it have been like to be a strong-willed powerful woman of that day. Drawn from primary and secondary sources, Alice’s life comes into focus in this historical celebration of an extraordinary woman ahead of her time."With wit and fresh insight, Shelley Fraser Mickle brings vividly to life one of the most colorful figures of the 20th Century--the most glamorous, rebellious and contentious woman in the United States, and for a time the most famous." –Jonathan Alter, former editor for Newsweek, author of His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life "What a tale!. . .The history of the Roosevelts has been predominantly about men, now it''s Alice''s turn."—Diana Williams, WABC news anchor

    10 in stock

    £22.10

  • Uncommon Courage

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Uncommon Courage

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis''An extraordinary account of heroism and sacrifice. An unexpected and important story, rivetingly told. Rip roaring stuff. Get this into the paws of the sea dog in your life.'' - Griff Rhys Jones''A book that had to be written'' - Let''s Talk''People ashore don't realise what a grim war we are waging at sea with the Germans. A cold-blooded war, in a way I think requiring the maximum of bravery from the men of both sides in the long run, as it is so ceaseless and intangible. You just don't know whether the next moment will be your last.'' Robert Hichens, RNVSR Several years ago, Julia Jones was searching through long-forgotten items stored at her house and discovered some suitcases of old written material, which turned out to be accounts by her father of his experiences in the RNVSR (Royal Naval Volunteer Supplementary Reserve). She realised that as a child she'd met some of the people mentioned, and although she was too young to truly know them, these youthTrade ReviewFrom Childers to Monsarrat via Shute and Maurice Griffiths. Julia Jones links the world of yachting, literature, the navy and war into an extraordinary account of heroism and sacrifice. An unexpected and important story, rivetingly told. Rip roaring stuff. Get this into the paws of the sea dog in your life. -- Griff Rhys JonesA story that has been a long time coming… And who to tell it better than novelist and journalist Julia Jones who has not only the gift of the pen, but whose father was one of the cadre of sailors who helped ensure that the war was won * Classic Boat *This is a magnificent portrait of men at war and a most scholarly history. * Country Life *A book that had to be written * Let's Talk *The likes of Maurice Griffiths, Peter Scott, Robert Hichens, Nevil Shute Norway and Adrian Seligman brought an inventiveness to situations that sometimes challenged the 'Navy way' but got results... A remarkable mosaic of accounts of the war at sea. -- Peter Willis * Yachting Monthly *a good book that offers a welcome insight and turns the spotlight anew on some of the forgotten men of a terrible conflict * Sailing Today *Jones describes ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances, amateur sailors turned into minesweepers or commandos, but does not allow the picturesque to distract from the gruelling realities of their experiences. * The Tablet *interesting and well-researched ... a very absorbing book * The Cruising Association *[Jones] writes with vim and vigour ... a continously astonishing book * The Spectator *An excellent read for summer days onboard. * The Lady *absorbing...compelling...informative * Seagull: The Journal of the Indian Maritime Foundation *A masterful work, which gives a wonderful flavour of the RNVSR, with its lack of formality and its individuals capable of thinking and working 'outside the box'... An engaging and entertaining read. -- Ohil Russell * Warship 2024 *Table of ContentsIntroduction: A riddle in the attic 1 ‘There must be hundreds of chaps like me’ 2 ‘I happened to look around and he was gone’ 3 ‘They ought to make some use of us’ 4 ‘Are there many like you in England?’ 5 ‘Do you think you’ll like this sort of thing?’ 6 ‘I hardened to the life’ 7 ‘So casual and quiet in the extraordinary things that you do’ 8 ‘I couldn’t help noticing that it wasn’t quite what you expected’ 9 ‘He helped me out of a bit of a mess’ 10 ‘The last strongholds were battered, stormed and overwhelmed’ 11 ‘I sign articles’ 12 ‘Small things sidled out of dark hiding places’ 13 ‘The dark spaces of the North Sea’ 14 ‘Mosquitoes with stings’ 15 ‘The very splash of the surf and the bubble of the tides’ 16 ‘Distracted by the multiplicity of its functions’ 17 ‘Every inch of it must be important’ 18 ‘It’s a dirty-looking night and I don’t like this swell’ 19 ‘Would you care to join me in a little yachting?’ 20 ‘Multitudes of seagoing lighters, carrying full loads of soldiers’ 21 ‘There was an outburst of shouting which soon died away’ 22 ‘Goodbye Old Chap’ 23 ‘From that point our personal history is of no concern’ Endnotes Acknowledgements Bibliography Index

    Out of stock

    £9.49

  • £22.46

  • Farthest North: The Greatest Arctic Adventure

    Gibson Square Books Ltd Farthest North: The Greatest Arctic Adventure

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisLike a modern Viking 32-year-old Nansen set sail from Norway in 1893 to reach the North Pole. Experts warned him that his voyage was tantamount to suicide. Compact and nimble, his ship the Fram had been specially built to withstand the relentless, devastating pressure of the polar ice cap. At the right moment, he intended to strike out into the polar desert and finish the final leg by sledge.Nansen's vivid memoir became an international phenomenon when, having been given up for dead, he emerged three years later. His epic struggle against snowdrifts, ice floes, polar bears, scurvy, gnawing hunger and the loneliness of the polar night would inspire young explorers such as Scott and Amundsen a generation later to make new conquests. This first unabridged edition since 1897 includes photographs not previously published.Trade Review'Nansen was the last of the Nordic gods... Tall, blond, and ridiculously handsome... The First Crossing Of Greenland is a... thrilling account of his earliest adventure... It was a hideous journey... Hair froze fast to headgear, beards solidified so that the lips could not be opened to speak... Polar exploration tends to attract more testosterone than talent... One man towers over the other ice-encrusted sledgers: Fridtjof Nansen, colossus of the glaciers... Of all the frozen beards... only Nansen communicated a sense of the true subjugation of the ego that endeavour can bring. Failure, he acknowledged, would mean "only disappointed human hopes, nothing more".' Sara Wheeler, Guardian; 'Seminal... demythologised the polar environment and revolutionised modern polar travel with the introduction of skis.' Roland Huntford, The Times; 'Nansen defied that conventional wisdom, which dictated explorers proceed from the known to the unknown to maintain a line of retreat, by sailing first to the largely uncharted eastern coast of Greenland.' Times Higher Education; 'The visionary Norse explorer.' Jon KrakauerTable of ContentsThe Route of the Fram and Nansen and Johansen's Sledge JourneyPreliminary-Sketch Map of Franz Joseph LandIntroduction by Fergus FlemingThe FramI. IntroductionII. Preparations and EquipmentIII. The StartIV. Farewell to NorwayV. Voyage Through the Kara SeaVI. The Winter NightVII. The Spring and Summer of 1894VIII. Second Autumn in the IceThe Sledge JourneyIX. We Prepare for the Sledge ExpeditionX. The New Year, 1895XI. We Make a StartXII. We Say Good-bye to the FramXIII. A Hard StruggleXIV. By Sledge and KayakXV. Land at LastXVI. The New Year, 1896XVII. The Journey SouthwardConclusion by Fridtjof NansenEndnotesList of Equipment Used for the Sledge Journey

    5 in stock

    £16.14

  • Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and

    Workman Publishing Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and

    5 in stock

    Book Synopsis"A delicious and mouthwatering book about food and family, the complicated love for both, and how that shapes us into who we are . . . I absolutely loved it!" -Valerie Bertinelli"My entire life I have been less fat and more fat, but never not fat," writes Rabia Chaudry, who was raised with a lot of love. And that love looked like food. Delicious Pakistani dishes-fresh roti, chaat, pakoras, and shorba-and also Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, and an abundance of American processed foods, as her family discovered its adopted country through its (fast) food. In Fatty Fatty Boom Boom, Chaudry chronicles the dozens of times she tried and failed to achieve what she was told was her ideal weight. The truth is, she always loved food too much to hold a grudge against it.This memoir is at once an ode to Pakistani cuisine, including Chaudry's favourite recipes; a love letter to her Muslim family, both here and in Lahore; and a courageously honest portrait of a woman making peace with a body that gets the job done but refuses to meet the expectations of others.Trade Review“Yes, Fatty Fatty Boom Boom is a book about food and Rabia’s relationship to food, how that relationship influenced her life and how she ultimately, as she says, becomes friends with her body. It’s also a profound act of generosity as Rabia invites us into her life with candor, humor, and kindness, for herself, her family and anyone who has reflected on their relationship to food. Not incidentally, it’s a terrific read and one you can appropriately plow through or savor. I cannot recommend Fatty Fatty Boom Boom highly enough. I can’t wait for my friends to read Rabia’s story, for my kids to try Rabia’s recipes and for the world to know more about this remarkable woman.”—Chelsea Clinton“A delicious and mouthwatering book about food and family, the complicated love for both, and how that shapes us into who we are. It’s such a relief to not treat food as the enemy any longer and start to learn how to love and nourish the body I have today. I absolutely loved it!”—Valerie Bertinelli“Beautifully weaving together stories of food, family, and self-discovery, Rabia Chaudry’s memoir Fatty Fatty Boom Boom is complex, rich, and revelatory. I was deeply moved by her vulnerability, delighted by her self-deprecating humor, and awe-struck by her honesty. Chaudry sets a grand table before us and invites us to join her as she presents readers with her struggles, triumphs, and insights as a young girl in Pakistan, an awkward middle schooler in Maryland, and a young wife, advocate, and activist. Fatty Fatty Boom Boom is surprising, fiery, and heart-felt. Chaudry’s most important recipe contains the ingredients for loving and honoring who we were, who we are, and who we aspire to be.” —Phuc Tran, author of Sigh, Gone: A Misfit’s Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In“Engrossing…Chaudry refreshingly eschews conventional narratives about weight loss, as well as fat acceptance…Victory is sweet and savory in this ebullient tale of self-acceptance.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Chaudry eloquently portrays the role of food in love and friendship. At the same time, she doesn’t flinch from reporting the humiliations heaped on the overweight at every turn... The literary equivalent of chaat masala fries: spicy, heady, sour, and uniquely delicious.” —Kirkus (starred review)“Chaudry is totally engaging, a perfect host. And after her descriptions of food, readers will be very happy to see recipes included at the end. Utterly delicious!” —Booklist (starred)“…touchingly warm and intimate… Chaudry is an uplifting storyteller and her humor-laden anecdotes balance the underlying gravity of her story with grace and skill. A Pakistani American lawyer struggling with her weight chronicles with humor and sensitivity her path toward inner contentment and shares recipes for chai, ghee and the Pakistani dishes she loves.”—Shelf Awareness“Rabia Chaudry has given us the next chapter in the story of how food shapes self and how self shapes food. Here is an American, a South Asian woman writing at the intersection of food, tradition, gender, the body and pressures without and the journey within. This is an important and savory work.”—Michael W. Twitty, James Beard Award-winning author of The Cooking Gene“A delectable memoir that reads with the intensity of a novel. Devour it all at once, or savor it slowly—there’s no wrong way to enjoy this funny, heart-wrenching, and brutally honest journey of food, family, and learning to love yourself.”—Geraldine DeRuiter, founder of Everywherist.com and author of All Over the Place“This unflinching and often humorous memoir of a Pakistani girl who struggles with her weight and also her family and culture’s reaction to it, shows us Rabia Chaudry’s resilience while highlighting her determination to celebrate the foods she loves. I was rooting for her as she learned to control food instead of food controlling her. The wonderful Pakistani recipes included will surprise anyone who thinks that Indian and Pakistani food are the same.”—Tung Nguyen, author of Mango and Peppercorns“Those who know Chaudry from the podcast Serial may be surprised to read this bighearted, hilarious, and brutally honest journey told with candor, charm, and wit about learning how to love yourself and your body unapologetically while navigating a roller-coaster of a life populated with eccentric and lovable Pakistani family members, delicious food recipes, awkward childhood crushes, failed diets, and Husky pants. I laughed at characters and scenes that seemed lifted from my own Pakistani home and winced at the colorism and fat-shaming that is often so prevalent but unchallenged in our communities. The big-hearted book takes on all of it with an invitation for all of us to be better, while enjoying a glorious, fried samosa along the way.”—Wajahat Ali, author of Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on Becoming American

    5 in stock

    £16.14

  • LEGARE STREET PR Life And Letters Of Edgar Allan Poe Volume 1

    15 in stock

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

    15 in stock

    £31.30

  • LEGARE STREET PR History of the Conquest of Mexico

    15 in stock

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

    15 in stock

    £28.45

  • LEGARE STREET PR Mysteries Of Ancient South America

    15 in stock

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

    15 in stock

    £15.95

  • Mountaineers Books A Fine Line: Searching for Balance Among

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis"A Fine Line is more than just a recounting of remarkable expeditions, summit views, and thin air. It's a story of resilience, loss, and the quest for a balanced and meaningful life in the unforgiving realm of high-risk mountain sports. --Men's Journal Honestly portrays the highs and lows of a life dedicated to the outdoors Shares the author's development as an outspoken conservation advocate Story is rooted in the peaks of the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Pakistan How do we reconcile our love of outdoor adventure with the inevitability of loss in high-risk sports? Still in his thirties, Graham Zimmerman has made first ascents from Alaska to Pakistan, and in 2020 he received the Piolet d'Or for his climb on Pakistan's Link Sar with Steve Swenson. A sponsored athlete who is sought out as a climbing partner, Zimmerman knows that he must find a balance between his ambitions as an alpinist and his social responsibilities--as a husband, climate advocate, and community leader. His generation has faced devastating grief in the mountains, including the deaths of Kyle Dempster, Hayden Kennedy, and Inge Perkins, and his cohort has witnessed firsthand the effects of climate change in the form of disappearing glaciers and increasingly erratic weather. Zimmerman writes of the exhilaration he feels while climbing but also the painful realization that summiting at all costs is an outdated model. As A Fine Line traces Graham's journey, mountain lovers everywhere will see themselves in this coming-of-age story of adventure and personal reckoning.Trade ReviewA Fine Line traces Zimmerman's evolution from budding mountaineer to sponsored athlete to battle-hardened alpinist who embraces the theme of a "100-year-plan."--Stephen Kurczy "Appalachia" This worthwhile coming-of-age read is full of adventure and reflections on being a husband, climate advocate, and community leader.--Naomi Farr "Men's Journal "Top Non-Fiction Books of the Year"" What is most striking about this book is the detail in which he describes each expedition, including the skills and shared passion of his climbing partners and the extreme weather and challenges of reaching or not reaching summits in the sky.--Margaret Bauman "The Cordova Times" Readers will learn about the outdoor adventures of an acclaimed alpinist, one who has made first ascents on mountains across the planet, sometimes ending in great losses as well as first-hand awareness of impending climate change.--Wendy Altschuler "Forbes" A gripping and informative book by one of the most talented and influential alpinists of his generation.-- "Climbing" A Fine Line is a story of defining priorities--and of learning to compromise while piecing it all together.--Abbey Collins "Alpinist Magazine" His new book, "A Fine Line" reflects on his incredible climbing career. In the sometimes overly macho, deeply risky pursuit of alpine climbing, his book offers a welcomed counterpoint to the narrative we often hear.-- "The Dirtbag Diaries" The rewards of alpine climbing are described with a novelist's sense of situation, character, and detail.--Tom Valis "Gripped Magazine" A beautiful memoir about life, love, career, values, ambitions, and survival while climbing the world's most technical mountains.--Meghan Robins "Odd Fodder" Acclaimed alpinist Graham Zimmerman's newest book is an important query into the ways outdoor enthusiasts--and professionals--balance the human and environmental cost of their adventures.--Taylor Gerlach "Seattle Met" In this well-crafted book, Zimmerman candidly shares his remarkable journey from a budding climber to one of the best alpinists in the world. Yet, A Fine Line is more than just a recounting of remarkable expeditions, summit views, and thin air. It's a story of resilience, loss, and the quest for a balanced and meaningful life in the unforgiving realm of high-risk mountain sports.--Dalton Johnson "Men's Journal" An excellent read, A Fine Line is well worth adding to any collection of climbing and mountaineering books.--Jaime Herndon "goEast" Obviously for fans of extreme outdoor sports, Zimmerman's debut is also recommended for readers seeking wisdom and balance in any pursuit.--Julia Kastner "Shelf Awareness" A Fine Line reveals the realities of climbing and highlights an intentional approach to reaching the tallest pinnacles and living a balanced, meaningful life.--Wendy Hinman "Foreword Reviews" Vivid descriptions of climbs and conditions are thoughtfully paired with the author's growth as a sportsman and a person. Highly recommended for readers of memoirs, sports narratives, and outdoor adventures.--Catherine Lantz "Library Journal"

    1 in stock

    £16.10

  • Mountaineers Books Royal Robbins: The American Climber

    4 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    4 in stock

    £21.80

  • LEGARE STREET PR Gio

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £14.96

  • LEGARE STREET PR Ann Radcliffe in Relation to her Time

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £14.96

  • LEGARE STREET PR Scenes and Memories

    15 in stock

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

    15 in stock

    £25.60

  • Walker & Collier Communion

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £16.10

  • Killer Clown

    Kensington Publishing Killer Clown

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis“An unnerving true crime story of murder, terror, and justice.” —Dallas Morning News Updated with the latest DNA findings and a new foreword by Gregg Olsen!The definitive book on John Wayne Gacy, written by the prosecutor who spearheaded the investigation, arrest, and conviction of one of America's most horrific serial killers—now in trade paperback for the first time and with a new foreword by #1 New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen. fans of “Conversations with a Killer” will be able to get a peek inside the mind of a murder who had everyone fooled.The Real Story Of John Wayne Gacy-- By The Man Who Helped Catch Him He was a model citizen. A hospital volunteer. And one of the most sadistic serial killers of all time. But few people could see the cruel monster beneath the colorful clown makeup that John Gacy wore to entertain children in his Chicago suburb. F

    10 in stock

    £15.26

  • Our Whole Gwich’in Way of Life Has Changed /

    University of Alberta Press Our Whole Gwich’in Way of Life Has Changed /

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisOur Whole Gwich’in Way of Life Has Changed / Gwich’in K’yuu Gwiidandài’ Tthak Ejuk Gòonlih is an invaluable compilation of historical and cultural information based on a project originally conceived by the Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute to document the biographies of the oldest Gwich’in Elders in the Gwich’in Settlement Region. Through their own stories, twenty-three Gwich’in Elders from the Northwest Territories communities of Fort McPherson, Tsiigehtshik, Inuvik, and Aklavik share their joy of living and travelling on the land. Their distinctive voices speak to their values, world views, and knowledge, while McCartney assists by providing context and background on the lives of the narrators and their communities. Scholars, students, and all those interested in Canadian/Northern history, anthropology, Indigenous Studies, oral history, or cultural geography will benefit from this critical resource. Foreword by Grand Deputy Chief Jordan Peterson. Elders Who Contributed Their Stories: Antoine (Tony) Andre, Caroline Andre, Hyacinthe Andre, Annie Benoit, Pierre Benoit, Sarah Bonnetplume, Marka Bullock, Lydia Alexie Elias, Mary Martha Firth, Sarah Ann Gardlund, Elizabeth Greenland, Violet Therese Jerome, Peter Kay Sr., Mary Rose Kendi, Ruby Anne McLeod, Catherine Martha Mitchell, Eunice Mitchell, Joan Ross Nazon, Annie Moses Norbert, Alfred Semple, Sarah Simon, Ellen Catherine Vittrekwa, Jim Julius VittrekwaTrade Review"[Elders] recall the sound of sled dogs galloping through the snow, the blue gleam of moonlight in winter and smell of fresh caribou steaks drying on spruce boughs…. Their stories are chronicled in Our Whole Gwich’in Way of Life Has Changed, a big, beautiful volume. It is warm and human." [Full article at https://www.blacklocks.ca/review-moonlight-and-fresh-caribou/] -- Holly Doan * Blacklock's Reporter *“I can easily anticipate that this book will be used in an education setting by the nation…. It will also be of interest to anyone interested in the Gwich’in nation, Gwich’in history, and colonialism in the Arctic. Given the rapid pace of change in the last century or so, quite often the histories provided by the Elders document a huge part of the history of colonization in the North, with many of the Elders in question being amongst the last generations to live for at least part of their life without significant outside influence or change.” [Full article at https://ormsbyreview.com/2021/04/05/1086-sims-mccartney-gwichin/] -- Daniel Sims * The Ormsby Review *"Our Whole Gwich’in Way of Life Has Changed is a remarkable collection of oral history and anthropology that should find a ready audience for anyone interested in Indigenous peoples, particularly those located in Arctic Canada.... The reader comes away from each chapter feeling newly connected to the storyteller and to the Gwich’in community. It is meticulously well documented.... Front- and back-end appendixes and materials provide a beautiful introduction and rich context for the reader... Highly recommended. All levels." G. Christensen, CHOICE Magazine, December 2021"In crafting each Elder's narrative--working from oral recordings to written English--McCartney chose to use an 'impressionist approach' in which the writing focus is on the researcher as storyteller, thus allowing the author (McCartney) to provide contextual information in a story format along with detailed descriptions in the Elder's own words. While necessarily several steps removed from the voices of individual Elders, I found this technique effective in unifying the text for a broad and varied audience.... Readers like myself unfamiliar with the Gwich'in homeland are given clear guides to the rich history of the Gwich'in world. And Gwich'in readers, both young and old, are presented with an accessible account of twentieth century life along the Peel River, Arctic Red River, and lower MacKenzie River." Ann Fienup-Riordan, Alaska History, Fall 2021"Cette magnifique contribution, presque encyclopédique, qui saura très certainement capter l’intérêt de nombreux anthropologues ainsi que des chercheurs d’autres domaines des sciences sociales, constitue dans le même temps un superbe et poignant hommage à la mémoire des aînés gwich’in — dont seulement deux parmi ceux qui ont participé sont encore en vie au moment de la parution de l’ouvrage —, à l’attachement qu’ils portent à leur territoire, aux drames et aux joies qu’ils ont vécus." Paul Bénézet, Anthropologie et Sociétés, Vol. 46, No 2, 2022“… this collection makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Dinjii Zhuh histories, the methodology of oral histories, and Indigenous engagement in scholarly research…. [The] scholarship used and modeled in Gwich’in K’yuu Gwiidan-dài’ Tthak Ejuk Gòonlih charts an innovative, ethical, and respectful path for Indigenous research.... In this timeless piece, McCartney and the GTC have centered and elevated the words of our Elders in a way that remains unmatched in today’s scholarship on northern Canada.” Crystal Gail Fraser, NAIS, Spring 2023Table of ContentsForeword Acknowledgements Introduction 1 | Sarah (Stewart) Simon, cm 2 | Sarah (Mitchell) Bonnetplume 3 | Hyacinthe Andre 4 | Annie (Koe) Benoit 5 | Joan (Husky) Ross Nazon 6 | Violet Therese (Cardinal) Jerome 7 | Mary Rose (Koe) Kendi 8 | Sarah Ann (Firth) Gardlund 9 | Peter Kay Sr. 10 | Catherine Martha (Stewart) Mitchell 11 | Lydia (Vittrekwa Vaneltsi Neyando) Alexie Elias 12 | Elizabeth (Bonnetplume) Greenland 13 | Ellen Catherine (Wilson) Vittrekwa 14 | Eunice (Gà’ahdoh) Mitchell 15 | Alfred Semple 16 | Annie (Niditchie) Moses Norbert 17 | Pierre Benoit 18 | Jim Julius Vittrekwa 19 | Antoine (Tony) Andre 20 | Marka (Andre) Bullock 21 | Mary Martha (Robert) Firth 22 | Ruby Anne (Stewart) McLeod 23 | Caroline (Kendo) Andre 24 | Marie Therese Remy-Sawyer 25 | Listen to What I’m Saying Appendix: Transcribing and (Re)Constructing the Elders’ Stories Further Reading Endnotes Index"

    2 in stock

    £58.64

  • LEGARE STREET PR Dampiers Voyages

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £25.60

  • Black Gun Silver Star

    University of Nebraska Press Black Gun Silver Star

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn The Story of Oklahoma, Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves appears as the “most feared U.S. marshal in the Indian country.” That Reeves was also an African American who had spent his early life enslaved in Arkansas and Texas made his accomplishments all the more remarkable. Black Gun, Silver Star sifts through fact and legend to discover the truth about one of the most outstanding peace officers in late nineteenth-century America—and perhaps the greatest lawman of the Wild West era. Bucking the odds (“I’m sorry, we didn’t keep Black people’s history,” a clerk at one of Oklahoma’s local historical societies answered one query), Art T. Burton traces Reeves from his days of slavery to his Civil War soldiering to his career as a deputy U.S. marshal out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, when he worked under “Hanging Judge” Isaac C. Parker. Fluent in Creek and other regional Native languages, physically powerfuTrade Review"As Burton traces Reeves' exploits through oral accounts, records of court proceedings and scraps of correspondence, his fascination with the subject helps to maintain a vigorous pace and ultimately makes Black Gun, Silver Star an eye-opening study of justice and race in the Old West."—Nick Smith, The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)"Art Burton has resurrected a heroic Black U. S. Deputy Marshal that thieves and outlaws in the Indian Territory could not kill but was practically eliminated by scholars of frontier history."—Bruce T. Fisher, curator of African American History, Oklahoma Historical Society"Art Burton's extensive research for Black Gun, Silver Star fleshes out the fascinating life story and exploits of a former slave who became one of the most famous lawmen in the Indian Territory days of 'Hanging Judge' Isaac Parker."—William Black, Superintendent Fort Smith National Historic Site"This is a book that should become mandatory reading for any student of American Frontier history. Black Gun, Silver Star not only answers questions about Bass Reeves, the man, but it also provides insight into the incredible courage and extraordinary skill required in nineteenth-century law enforcement. Those with a passion for history, particularly of the nineteenth century, will find this biography of Reeves to be an essential book for their library."—Angela Y. Walton-Raji, author of Black Indian Genealogy Research"Burton is a generous author who shares his thinking and analysis with the reader, and explains his personal fascination with the story of Bass Reeves. The result is a highly readable book with a tone that will appeal to several audiences."—Barbara C. Behan, Journal of African American History"In the long, sanguinary history of the battle to bring law and order to the violent American West there was no greater or more important figure than this former slave who spent his life enforcing the law in what was the most lawless section of the country. Because Reeves was Black, his remarkable career for the most part was overlooked by the contemporary press, making it difficult now to reconstruct his history, but author Art Burton has admirably tackled the task and told a story, long overdue."—Robert K. DeArment, author of Bravo of the Brazos: John Larn of Fort Griffin, Texas"[This] biography is more statement of fact than tribute to Reeves and no punches are pulled. Bass had an exceptionally long tenure as a Deputy U. S. Marshal and made a few mistakes along the way. These are covered. But, so too, are the remarkable feats he accomplished. . . . No critic, then or now has been able to show that Bass did not do good and bring law and order to the frontier. Art's rendering takes on all comers and their questions. The book is a heck of a good read and not the least bit painful."—Mike Tower, Oklahombres.org“Aside from a few fluff films (like Mel Brooks’s Blazing Saddles) and a smattering of lesser-known scholarship, the African-American presence in Wild West history has been severely underrepresented. . . . Against this backdrop rises Burton’s painstaking account of U.S. Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves. . . . Rigorous and impartial, Burton is less concerned with entertainment than faithful research—no small task given the Old West’s diverse and troubled racial climate, in which Black accomplishment often went overlooked. But dedicated readers will become acquainted with a brave, resourceful lawman and the patchwork of homesteaders, murderers, horse thieves and bootleggers he governed.” —Publishers Weekly."[Burton's] years of research resulted in a remarkable story of an Old West giant, one who arguably was the best in his business."—True West“The book is a good addition to the history of law enforcement in the Twin Territories. Students of this area will certainly want to add the book to their library.”—Western Outlaw-Lawman History Association JournalTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction: Uncovering the History of Black Deputy U.S. Marshals 1. The Lone Ranger and Other Stories 2. Arkansas Son 3. Van Buren and Fort Smith 4. On the Trail 5. “No Sunday West of St. Louis, No God West of Fort Smith” 6. Gunman’s Territory 7. Hell on the Border 8. Trial of the Century 9. Back on the Trail 10. TheWinds of Change 11. Land of the Six-Shooter 12. Paris, Texas 13. Northern District, Indian Territory 14. Muskogee Marshal 15. A New Century 16. Devotion to Duty 17. The Invincible Marshal 18. A Lawman to the End Epilogue Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

    1 in stock

    £17.09

  • LEGARE STREET PR Idle Days in Patagonia

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £17.95

  • The Nine

    St Martin's Press The Nine

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £16.19

  • Speaking East: The Strange and Enchanted Life of

    Reaktion Books Speaking East: The Strange and Enchanted Life of

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA vibrant account of both the sensuous cultural scene of postwar Paris and the life of an alluring icon of modern art. Isidore Isou was a young Jew in wartime Bucharest who barely survived the Romanian Holocaust. He made his way to Paris, where, in 1945, he founded the avant-garde movement Lettrism, described as the missing link between Dada, Surrealism, Situationism, and May '68. In Speaking East, Andrew Hussey presents a colorful picture of the postwar Left Bank, where Lettrist fists flew in avantgarde punch-ups in Jazz clubs and cafes, and where Isou-as sexy and as charismatic as the young Elvis-gathered around him a group of hooligan disciples who argued, drank, and had sex with the Parisian intellectual elite. This is a vibrant account of the life and times of a pivotal figure in the history of modern art.Trade Review"Isou's life is at once tragic and farcical: a whirling reprise of all of the twentieth century's artistic avantgardes played out against the backdrop of Paris's Left Bank in its heyday. Hussey is the ideal chronicler, and his biography, with its exuberant prose, both channels Isou's restless creativity and positions it within the main currents of postwar French thought. Essential reading." -- Will Self, author of "The Quantity Theory of Insanity" and "Umbrella" "A sympathetic account of an extraordinary life. Hussey has the depth of historical understanding necessary to do justice both to Isidore Isou's glamorous, sometimes absurd, life as a hero of the Left Bank and to the horrors of the Romanian Holocaust he had escaped. This is an expertly told story about Paris, Europe, and the interplay of private passion and public trauma." -- Sebastian Faulks, author of "Birdsong"

    1 in stock

    £22.50

  • Iconic People of Colour: The Amazing True Stories

    Octopus Publishing Group Iconic People of Colour: The Amazing True Stories

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisIt's time to meet your new superheroesDiscover the fascinating stories behind 38 iconic people of colour, all of them ground-breakers, risk-takers and game-changers. Whether they are activists, athletes, scientists or superstars, every one of them has been a trailblazer in their field and has paved the way for future change. It's time these individuals took centre stage and had their achievements celebrated the world over.This book will introduce you to some of the most influential people of colour from across the globe and throughout history, including several modern-day icons.Among others, you will learn about the incredible lives and achievements of:- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez- Barack Obama- Chadwick Boseman- Florence Price- Jimi Hendrix- Kamala Harris- Laverne Cox- Malala Yousafzai- Maria Tallchief- RuPaulEach inspiring profile also features a bespoke illustration.Be empowered and inspired by their extraordinary stories, their awesome accomplishments and their words of wisdom in this pocketbook of remarkable people.

    2 in stock

    £6.99

  • Random House USA Inc The Mastermind

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • Unnatural Selection – A Memoir of Adoption and

    CavanKerry Press Unnatural Selection – A Memoir of Adoption and

    Book SynopsisAdopted at birth, Andrea Ross grew up inhabiting two ecosystems: one was her tangible, adoptive family, the other her birth family, whose mysterious landscape was hidden from her. In this coming-of-age memoir, Ross narrates how in her early twenties, while working as a ranger in Grand Canyon National Park, she embarked on a journey to discover where she came from and, ultimately, who she was. After many missteps and dead ends, Ross uncovered her heartbreaking and inspiring origin story and began navigating the complicated turns of reuniting with her birth parents and their new families. Through backcountry travel in the American West, she also came to understand her place in the world, realizing that her true identity lay not in a choice between adopted or biological parents, but in an expansion of the concept of family.Trade Review"Andrea Ross’s soul-stirring memoir takes readers on her quest to find her birth parents. . . . Ross writes with the keen observation of a naturalist, the wisdom of an outdoor guide, and the purity of a poet, blending the raw beauty and sacredness of nature with the prevailing human spirit. Unnatural Selection will remind you of the times you were lost and searching and the peace of finding something greater than you expected." -- Daina Olseen Collins * Diamonds and Rocks *"With clarity, grace, and humor, Andrea Ross guides us through the terrain of her life. She is not new to guiding newcomers through the wilderness, and she does so expertly with engaging anecdotes of her life in the canyons and mountains of California, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and along the icy road to Alaska. She weaves these with the poignant and powerful story of finding her birth parents, one that left me in tears. Read this for the stories of wild places and wild people and, in the end, the moving story of family." * David Gessner *“Ross has written a fascinating book, the subtitle of which is A Memoir of Adoption and Wilderness.. It is a wonderfully told adventure of guiding others into the natural wonders of climbing mountains, descending into canyons, crossing deserts, and fording rivers. At the same time it is the weaving together the wilderness of adoption with its traumatic loss of the first mother, living with genetic strangers, the roadblocks in the way of being able to connect with biological relatives, and finally finding her birth parents and her roots. It is a journey of discovering the meaning of family, our relationship with all humanity, and with Mother Earth. Beautifully written. A must-read!” * Nancy Verrier, author of 'The Primal Wound' and 'Coming Home to Self' *Table of ContentsPart OneChapter 1: EarthquakeChapter 2: InflamedChapter 3: Non-IdentifiedChapter 4: SlappedChapter 5: "Lady Ranger" at the CanyonPart TwoChapter 6: Ruins and LaddersChapter 7: Crumbling StepsChapter 8: Double VisionChapter 9: White Courtesy TelephoneChapter 10: Dancing in QuicksandChapter 11: Participate in Your Own RescueChapter 12: Empty ShoesChapter 13: Post-holingChapter 14: Facts and ArtifactsChapter 15: IntermediaryPart ThreeChapter 16: First WordsChapter 17: The Navel of the WorldChapter 18: The Here and NowChapter 19: Half SisterChapter 20: Effects of the EdgeChapter 21: Front Range

    £16.15

  • A Land With a People: Palestinians and Jews

    Monthly Review Press,U.S. A Land With a People: Palestinians and Jews

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA collection of personal stories, history, poetry, and artA Land With a People is a book of stories, photographs and poetry which elevates rarely heard Palestinian and Jewish voices and visions. Eloquently framed with a foreword by the dynamic Palestinian legal scholar and activist, Noura Erakat, this book began as a storytelling project of Jewish Voice for Peace-New York City and subsequently transformed into a theater project performed throughout the New York City area. Stories touch hearts, open minds, and transform our understanding of the ?other??as well as our comprehension of own roles and responsibilities? and A Land With a People emerges from this reckoning. It brings us the narratives of secular, Muslim, Christian, and queer Palestinians who endure the particular brand of settler colonialism known as Zionism. It relays the transformational journeys of Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, queer, and Palestinian Jews who have come to reject the received Zionist narrative. Unflinching in their confrontation of the power dynamics that underlie their transformation process, these writers find the courage to face what has happened to historic Palestine, and to their own families as a result. Contextualized by a detailed historical introduction and timeline charting 150 years of Palestinian and Jewish resistance to Zionism, this collection will stir emotions, provoke fresh thinking, and point to a more hopeful, loving future?one in which Palestine/Israel is seen for what it is in its entirety, as well as for what it can be.Trade ReviewThis book is an invaluable resource in the effort to challenge the dangerous conflation of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, meant to silence criticism of Israel. A Land With a People also helps in understanding that the existential struggle against a racist, settler-colonial system, can, and must, be undertaken by Palestinians and Jews together.--Huwaida Arraf, human rights attorney and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement

    1 in stock

    £14.24

  • Journal 18871910

    Picador USA Journal 18871910

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisA wry, observant masterpieceone of the singular treasures of the French fin de siècleWritten between the age of twenty-three and his death at age forty-six, Jules Renard's Journal 18871910 is a triumph of introspection and wit. One of the most celebrated figures of Belle Époque Paris, Renard was also a prolific diarist whose private musings were first published in five volumes some fifteen years after his death. Acclaimed by everyone from Somerset Maugham to Samuel Beckett to Susan Sontag, the Journal has had a decisive influence on contemporary letters and was named one of the 100 Books of the Century by Le Monde. It is also a singularly funny work, full of aphorisms, jokes, and sly observations on some of literature's most indelible characters.These selections, brought together by Julian Barnes and translated by Theo Cuffe, offer unparalleled and unfailingly entertaining glimpses of a bygone world. Moving from modish Parisian salons to t

    Out of stock

    £18.90

  • Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation

    Atlantic Books Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis'There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself.' Hannah Gadsby, NanetteMulti-awardwinning Hannah Gadsby transformed comedy with her show Nanette, even as she declared that she was quitting stand-up. Now, she takes us through the defining moments in her life that led to the creation of Nanette and her powerful decision to tell the truth - no matter the cost.Gadsby's unique stand-up special Nanette was a viral success that left audiences captivated by her blistering honesty and her ability to create both tension and laughter in a single moment. But while her worldwide fame might have looked like an overnight sensation, her path from open mic to the global stage was hard-fought and anything but linear.Ten Steps to Nanette traces Gadsby's growth as a queer person from Tasmania - where homosexuality was illegal until 1997 - to her ever-evolving relationship with comedy, to her struggle with adult diagnoses of autism and ADHD, and finally to the backbone of Nanette - the renouncement of self-deprecation, the rejection of misogyny, and the moral significance of truth-telling.Equal parts harrowing and hilarious, Ten Steps to Nanette continues Gadsby's tradition of confounding expectations and norms, properly introducing us to one of the most explosive, formative voices of our time.Trade ReviewAs a document of what can happen when a different kind of voice seizes the conversation, Ten Steps to Nanette shows Gadsby taking control of the page along with the stage. * Sunday Times *A serious book about comedy...there is real merit in this deep exploration of a complex work and its creator * Irish Times *Here, she reveals the winding road that led her [to Nanette]...with her unique mix of humour and fury * Stylist *In this stunning debut, Emmy Award-winning comedian Gadsby guides readers on a tour of her life that's every bit as intimate, gutting,and untidy as the performance referenced in the title...[a] stirring tale of resilience. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *Similar to her groundbreaking comedy specials Douglas and Nanette, Gadsby's memoir reads like a conversation with a longtime friend...A can't-miss memoir that will make readers laugh, cry, and everything in between * Library Journal (starred review) *A witty and provocatively written life story * Kirkus Reviews *Hannah is a Promethean force, a revolutionary talent... This hilarious, touching, and sometimes tragic book is all about where her fires were lit. -- Emma ThompsonAs uproariously funny as it is profoundly furious. * New Yorker on NANETTE *Table of Contents1: Epilogue 2: Foundation Mythology 3: The Formative Years 4: The Wilderness Years 5: The Bell Curve Jar 6: Whirl, Interrupted 7: All Part of the Soup 8: Gathering Strands 9: Women's Work 10: Nanette

    2 in stock

    £17.00

  • Richard Rorty

    The University of Chicago Press Richard Rorty

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is a book for many sorts of readers. It offers a full-scale biography of one of the greatest American philosophers and public intellectuals of the twentieth century; an important contribution to the history of pragmatism; and a pathbreaking new approach in the sociology of ideas. The book demonstrates how much American sociology, philosophy, and history can profit when they are brought more closely together again."--Hans Joas, University of Chicago "Rorty granted Gross access to his papers and correspondence, and Gross uses this material very effectively. . . . This inside view of one of the most well-connected academics in the world can't help but fascinate us."--Barry Allen "Notre Dame Philosophical Review " "Essential for academic sociology, philosophy, intellectual history, and biography collections in academic libraries, as well as for public libraries collecting comprehensively in those subjects."--Library Journal "Combining biographical description and sociological analysis, Gross has produced a trenchant study that aims to identify the structural forces that helped shape one of America's most controversial and widely discussed philosophers."--Choice "Gross's careful archival research, innovative theoretical synthesis and substantive contributions are likely to help inspire a range of new studies on the sociology of philosophy and the humanities. The book is well worth a careful read. . . . The story of academic social mobility that Gross tells is compelling, the book is a terrific read that is likely to become a classic, and the theory of 'intellectual self-concept' is well worth building on and developing."--Neil McLaughlin "Canadian Journal of Sociology " "I highly recommend Neil Gross's biography to all persons who are interested in Rorty, contemporary philosophy, and the socioogy of ideas. This is a first rate work."--Brad Frazier "Metapsychology " "Sociology does not usually engage intellectual biography. In his Richard Rorty, Neil Gross gracefully does so, and he does much more as well. He shows how a 'self concept' must be central to any sociological account of significant intellectual achievement. In doing so, he challenges more deterministic conceptions and restores integrity to the creative process."--Jeffrey Alexander, Yale University "The contemporary American philosopher Richard Rorty (1931-2007) was the epitome of a successful academic--educated and then employed a prestigious institutions, he saw his influence extend into sociology, cultural studies, and literary criticism. Harvard assistant professor Gross concentrates on Rorty's professional successes in academia and sends a discouraging message to both the graduate student and the academy. Using Rorty's career as a case study, Gross observes the 'social hierarchy' among disciplines and notes that academics are largely motivated by desires for intellectual prestige, that 'radical intellectual innovation is most likely to come, not from young scholars, but from those who are sufficiently established as to be able to take bold professional risks, ' and that 'aspiring intellectuals compete with one another for the limited attention of mentors.' Citing the case of Rorty's first wife, Amelie--who was also trained as a philosopher, but was repeatedly forced to sacrifice her career for Rorty's--Gross illuminates the unequal opportunities for the ambitious wives of male intellectuals. The book's subtle yet scathing critique of the tenure and promotion systems within universities reveals how such systems actually inhibit innovation in young scholars. A specialized sociological study of the academy, this book will appeal to all those concerned with the state of research in higher education." --Publishers Weekly "More than an exhaustively researched and skillfully crafted biography of one of the most influential intellectuals of our time, Neil Gross's Richard Rorty is also an exemplary exercise in the 'new sociology of ideas.' By situating Rorty in the multiple contexts, personal, institutional, and discursive, in which his thought developed, and tracing the intellectual self-concept he forged in response, Gross provides a compelling model for twenty-first-century intellectual history." --Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley

    £24.00

  • The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing,

    Simon & Schuster The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing,

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £18.89

  • The Baby on the Fire Escape

    WW Norton & Co The Baby on the Fire Escape

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisAn insightful and provocative exploration of the relationship between motherhood and art through the lives of women artists and writersTrade Review"The Baby on the Fire Escape looks at the extreme ways some female artists have overcome the restraints of parenthood… The book’s strength lies in Phillips’s nimble talents as a portraitist." -- Lucy Scholes - The Sunday Telegraph"For Phillips, the lives she wants to depict are not accounts of maternal self-sacrifice and denial, but instead, narratives that portray the mother as a hero." -- Frieda Klotz - Sunday Irish Independent"Does motherhood prevent women from having an active creative life, or enhance it? Do babies need to be out of mind as well as out of sight for creative work to be done? […] Julie Phillips has written a spirited and thoughtful account of a handful of figures from mid-20th-century Britain and America who have grappled with these dilemmas." -- Lara Feigel - RA Magazine"[An] absorbing and often gripping study… There is some fascinating detail in this book about working schedules, childcare arrangements, even the cost of contraception or abortion." -- The Times Literary Supplement"The opening section on Alice Neel is a searing account of the complexities of balancing (or not) being a mother and an artist—and the often heavy price women pay… [The Baby on the Fire Escape] explores the difficult issues around the subject with no judgment and or neat conclusions—and is all the richer for it." -- José da Silva - The Art Newspaper"A brilliant, vital text" -- Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, author of The Year of the Cat

    2 in stock

    £20.89

  • Malina

    Suhrkamp Verlag Malina

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • Murder Under the Microscope: Serial Killers, Cold

    Atlantic Books Murder Under the Microscope: Serial Killers, Cold

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis'Jim Fraser has been at the forefront of forensic science in the UK for decades... A superb story of real-life CSI.' Dr Richard Shepherd, bestselling author of Unnatural Causes'Powerful... Fascinating' Independent Most murders are not difficult to solve. People are usually killed by someone they know, there is usually abundant evidence and the police methods used to investigate this type of crime are highly effective. But what about the more difficult cases, where the investigation involves an unusual death, an unusual killer, or is complex or politically charged? In these cases, bringing the accused before the courts can take many years, even then, the outcome may be contentious or unresolved. In this compelling and chilling memoir, Jim Fraser draws on his personal experience as a forensic scientist and cold case reviewer to give a unique insight into some of the most notable cases that he has investigated during his forty-year career, including the deaths of Rachel Nickell, Damilola Taylor and Gareth Williams, the GCHQ code breaker.Inviting the reader into the forensic scientist's micro-world, Murder Under the Microscope reveals not only how each of these cases unfolded as a human, investigative and scientific puzzle, but also why some were solved and why others remain unsolved or controversial even to this day.Trade ReviewPowerful... Fascinating * Independent, 'Books of the Month' *Jim Fraser has been at the forefront of forensic science in the UK for decades... A fascinating insight into complexities of real-life criminal investigations from their start, often at a blood-stained scene, through the complex laboratory processes to their conclusion in the court room... Totally enthralling. -- Dr Richard Shepherd, bestselling author of Unnatural CausesIn this fascinating account of what really went on behind the scenes of Britain's most famous murder cases, Fraser slides not just the evidence, but the whole criminal legal system, squarely under his forensic microscope. Everyone interested in justice - how it works, and how it fails - should read this compelling book. -- Sarah Langford, bestselling author of In Your DefenceIn this engrossing and accessible professional memoir, Jim Fraser opens his forensic files and offers the reader a fascinating insight into some of the most notorious cases that he has worked on during his lifetime. -- David Wilson, Emeritus Professor of Criminology Birmingham City UniversityThis is a page-turning read but also an educational resource: the public, police, lawyers, judges, scientists should all read it. It is a raw account of the fragility of justice: a concept many talk about but few understand. And it is about truth: the limitations of our own judgments, science and the law. It is probably one of the most important criminal justice texts of our time... For those working in the criminal justice system, it should be mandatory reading. -- Simon McKay, BarristerThis "personal history of homicide" is the latest in a recent spate of excellent books from the forensic profession... Fraser microscopes in on the information contained in tiny details, explains the correct way to handle it, and shows how it can affect an investigation's outcome. * Strong Words *Absolutely fascinating... Murder Under the Microscope should be on every crime writer's shelf. -- Sam Blake, bestselling author of The Dark RoomTable of Contents0: Introduction 1: Robert Black, the Killer of Childhood 2: The Many Roads to Justice 3: The Chillenden Murders 4: The Trials of Michael Stone 5: The Murder of Wendy Sewell 6: The Murder of Damilola Taylor 7: Silent Testimony - 'Every Contact Leaves a Trace' 8: The Mystery Sweatshirt 9: On Wimbledon Common - the Murder of Rachel Nickell 10: Operations Edzell and Ecclestone 11: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics 12: The Cryptic Death of Gareth Williams 13: If In Doubt, Think Murder 14: The Killer of Little Shepherds

    1 in stock

    £10.44

  • Page Publishing Inc. Freddie Mercury in New York Don't Stop Us Now!

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £32.25

  • Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the

    WW Norton & Co Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn a sweeping narrative that traverses 600 years, one that eloquently weaves precise historical detail with poignant personal reportage, Pulitzer Prize finalist Howard W. French retells the story of medieval and emerging Africa, demonstrating how the economic ascendancy of Europe, the anchoring of democracy in America and the fulfillment of so-called Enlightenment ideals all grew out of Europe’s dehumanising engagement with the “darkest” continent. Born in Blackness dramatically retrieves the lives of major African historical figures whose stories have been repeatedly etiolated and erased over centuries, from unimaginably rich medieval African emperors who traded with Asia; to Kongo sovereigns who heroically battled seventeenth-century European powers; to ex-slaves who liberated Haitians from bondage. In doing so, French tells the story of gold, tobacco, sugar and cotton—and the greatest “commodity” of all, the millions of people brought in chains from Africa to the New World, whose reclaimed histories fundamentally help explain our present world.Trade Review"Born in Blackness is enlivened with personal anecdotes… I found the book to be searing, humbling and essential reading." -- Nigel Cliff - The New York Times"There are few words that can express the resounding impact of French’s breathtaking work on the known historiography of African and African American history . . . Highly recommended for any audience." -- Monique Martinez - Library Journal"The way we think about history is entirely wrong, says Howard W French at the start of this magnificent, powerful and absorbing book... This is not a comfortable or comforting read, but it is beautifully done; a masterpiece even... French writes with the elegance you would expect from a distinguished foreign correspondent, and with the passion of someone deeply committed to providing a corrective." -- Peter Frankopan - The Observer"A recasting of the history of the modern world that places Africa and Africans at the centre of the story. French argues that the rise of the west to global dominance was made possible by the exploration and exploitation of Africa—and, above all, by the slave trade. He recounts the destruction of complex African societies and the scale and brutality of slavery. At the time of Black Lives Matter this is an intensely political message. But French’s book is no work of propaganda and has been hailed as a “masterpiece” by Peter Frankopan, professor of global history at Oxford." -- Financial Times"A very personal book—written with a steely and elegant indignation—it is also an impressively detailed historical account of the role of Africa and Africans in the development of Europe and the Americas... If the strength of Mr. French’s book lies in its quiet but adamant righteousness, it rests also in its empirical force.... It is his view—with which few would rush to argue after reading Born in Blackness—that the sooner the ‘denial’ about the role slaves played in creating America’s prosperity is put to rest, the better Americans as a people will come to understand ‘their country’s true place in world history.’" -- Tunku Varadarajan - Wall Street Journal"Born in Blackness is an extraordinary book that draws deep on [French’s] decades of experience as he seeks to explain the circumstances of Africa’s history with Europeans who were first attracted to the continent in the search of gold and slaves... French’s narrative is a bold retelling of what has often been told, but with additional details that might have escaped the attention of many historians… In many surprising ways, [Born in Blackness] provides a brilliantly argued case for recognition of Africa’s immense contribution to modernity." -- Stephen Williams - African Business"French writes not only to correct the historical record but to urge readers to understand how their world has been made by Africa’s contributions. Born in Blackness is therefore an entry into a larger debate about how to reckon with the past...For French, transforming the way we perceive ourselves as citizens of the most powerful country in the world, and transforming how we understand the part Africans played in building it, are necessary steps toward justice and quality" -- Adom Getachew - The New York Review of Books

    1 in stock

    £26.59

  • Rudolf Uhlenhaut: Engineer and Gentleman, Father

    Dalton Watson Fine Books Rudolf Uhlenhaut: Engineer and Gentleman, Father

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis first comprehensive biography of Rudolf Uhlenhaut, illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs, depicts his life and technical accomplishments, including a complete compilation of his patents which puts them into a technical and historical context. An engineer and designer for Daimler-Benz, he became famous for his achievements regarding the Silver Arrows, the 300 SL with the famous gull wing doors, the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR, and the various record-breaking experimental C 111 versions.Based on numerous interviews with Uhlenhaut himself, contemporary witnesses, colleagues and family members, the book paints a vivid picture of the person behind the technical innovations and explores his character and motivation. Born in 1906 in London, the son of an English mother and a German father, Rudolf Uhlenhaut joined Daimler-Benz in 1931 after finishing his mechanical engineering studies in Munich. In 1936 he took over as head of the racing department and conducted the Silver Arrows and Rudolf Caracciola to their 1937 European championship.After World War II, he created the road versions W 198 and the smaller open-topped W 121 of the 300 SL "Gullwing," both launched at the International Motor Sports Show in New York 1954. Uhlenhaut's official company car, a 300 SLR with a top speed of 290 km/h was the Uhlenhaut Coupe - the fastest car of its day authorized for road use.

    4 in stock

    £65.55

  • Almuzara Vlad Draculea

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £19.36

  • 15 in stock

    £31.35

  • Lemon Love  Olive Oil

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc Lemon Love Olive Oil

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    2 in stock

    £25.19

  • Eccentric Wealth: The Bulloughs of Rum

    Birlinn General Eccentric Wealth: The Bulloughs of Rum

    Book SynopsisIn Eccentric Wealth, Alastair Scott traces the life of Lancashire industrialist Sir George Bullough in this absorbing biography which explores his family’s connection with the Hebridean island of Rum, particularly the building of Kinloch Castle, the most intact preserve of Edwardian highliving to be found in Britain. Based on new information, the book offers a fascinating insight into the life and times of one of the great eccentrics of his age, including the Bullough myths and scandals which continue to make extraordinary reading more than a hundred years later.

    £12.57

  • The Donigers of Great Neck – A Mythologized

    Dartmouth College Press The Donigers of Great Neck – A Mythologized

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis"Many memories, many myths"-this is how Wendy Doniger begins the story of her parents' origins in Europe and sharply bifurcated life in America. Recalling their contrasting attitudes toward Judaism and religion in general-and acknowledging the mythologized narratives that keep bubbling up in those recollections-Doniger tells the story of their childhoods, their unusual marriage, their life in the post–World War II Jewish enclave of Great Neck, New York, and her own complex relationship with each of them.

    2 in stock

    £15.20

  • Fond Recollections of Captivity

    Ariadne Press Fond Recollections of Captivity

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    3 in stock

    £16.14

  • The Predators' Ball: The Inside Story of Drexel

    Simon & Schuster The Predators' Ball: The Inside Story of Drexel

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis“Connie Bruck traces the rise of this empire with vivid metaphors and with a smooth command of high finance’s terminology.” —The New York Times “The Predators’ Ball is dirty dancing downtown.” —New York Newsday From bestselling author Connie Bruck, The Predators’ Ball dramatically captures American business history in the making, uncovering the philosophy of greed that dominated Wall Street in the 1980s.During the 1980s, Michael Milken at Drexel Burnham Lambert was the Billionaire Junk Bond King. He invented such things as “the highly confident letter” (“I’m highly confident that I can raise the money you need to buy company X”) and the “blind pool” (“Here’s a billion dollars: let us help you buy a company”), and he financed the biggest corporate raiders—men like Carl Icahn and Ronald Perelman. And then, on September 7, 1988, things changed... The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Milken and Drexel Burnham Lambert with insider trading and stock fraud. Waiting in the wings was the US District Attorney, who wanted to file criminal and racketeering charges. What motivated Milken in his drive for power and money? Did Drexel Burnham Lambert condone the breaking of laws?

    Out of stock

    £16.99

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