Biography: general Books

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisEvery year a quarter of a million well-healed, well-read travellers take the holiday of a lifetime to the Galapagos. To feed the book-buyers on this annual pilgrimage, there are a lot of beautifully illustrated guides to the fauna of the islands on the shelves, but very little about the scurrilous human adventurers who also passed this way. John Hickman presents an intriguing cast of characters, from Incas to whalers, pirates to Robinson Crusoes, the original Swiss Family Robinson and the revered Charles Darwin.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom his birth in 1916 (in the carding room of a cotton mill) until he ran away to London, William Woodruff lived in the heart of Blackburn’s weaving community. But after Lancashire’s supremacy in cotton textiles had ended with the crash of 1920, his father was thrown out of work. From then on, including the great depression of the 1930s, Woodruff and his family faced a life blighted by extreme poverty. Reading this book today, it is hard to comprehend that within living memory - and in what was the richest country in the world - so many people couldn’t even afford to buy enough food. For the ordinary families of Lancashire, unemployment was an ever-present fear: "If you worked you ate. If there was no work you went hungry."

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe book that inspired the major motion picture 'I loved it ... extremely funny. A must-read for anyone who loves football.' Peter Crouch In the late 1960s, in the warm glow of England winning the World Cup, Dave Roberts, like most teenage boys his age, was football mad. There was just one difference: rather than supporting the likes of Arsenal or Manchester United, Dave’s team of choice was the ever so slightly less glamorous Bromley Football Club – one of the last genuinely amateur football teams left, fighting for survival in the lowest non-league division. This book is the story of Bromley’s worst ever season. It is a funny and heart-warming tale of football at the very bottom: Dave turns up to each match with his football boots in his bag, just in case the team are a player short; the crowd is always announced as 400 as no-one can be bothered to count; the team ship so many goals that in one match, the taunting opposition fans actually lose count of the score. It’s easy being a football fan when your team are always winning. The Bromley Boys is the touching true story about supporting a club through thin and even thinner: proof that the more your team may lose on the pitch, the more there is to gain on the terraces.Trade Review'Will strike a chord with football fans everywhere' Adrian Chiles

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Here lies Kaspar Hauser, riddle of his time. His birth was unknown, his death mysterious.' (Inscription on Kaspar Hauser's tombstone.) In 1828 a teenage boy was discovered on the streets of Nuremberg. Barely able to walk, he clutched a letter in his hand. This youth, Kaspar Hauser, who couldn't properly speak or write, was soon to become an international phenomenon known as 'the Child of Europe'. The story of Kaspar Hauser presents many mysteries. According to his account, the young boy spent most of his life confined in a darkened space. Unable to stand up, and with no knowledge of his captors, he was fed a diet of bread and water. Eventually released from this macabre prison, he survived an assassination attempt only to be stabbed to death in 1833. Why was a child kept in such squalid circumstances? Who were his parents? Who was responsible for such a cruel attack on childhood? Who murdered him? In this seminal work Peter Tradowsky addresses these questions through the insights of anthroposophy. His analysis reveals some of the secrets of Kaspar Hauser's short life, and the occult significance of his incarnation, spiritual nature and individuality.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA wide-ranging and fact-filled compendium of influential women, all with a connection to the Reading area. Some are well known international names, others deserve to be. They are pioneers, familiar faces, recognisable voices, unsung heroes, campaigners, world changers, socialists, celebrities, Olympic champions, writers, artists, and scientists. This book features more than 60 individual Women who have a connection with Reading and have made a notable difference in the world. They include a fish scientist called ET, an air racer and one of Britain's worst serial killers. Illustrated with a quirky mix of artistic styles, chosen to complement the individuals' stories, this book will open your eyes to the parts women have played in our town's life over centuries.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOn 6th September 1949, twenty-eight-year-old Howard Barton Unruh shot thirteen people in less than twelve minutes on his block in East Camden, New Jersey. The shocking true story of the first recorded mass shooting in America has never been told, until now. The sky was cloudless that morning when twelve-year-old Raymond Havens left his home on River Road. His grandmother had sent him to get a haircut at the barbershop across the street - where he was about to witness his neighbour and friend Howard open fire on the customers inside.Told through the eyes of young Raymond, who had visited Howard regularly to listen to his war stories, and the mother trying to piece together the disturbing inner workings of her son's mind, Murder in the Neighbourhood uncovers the chilling true story of Howard Unruh, the quiet loner who meticulously plotted his revenge on the neighbours who shunned him and became one of America's first mass killers.With Ellen's access to Howard's diaries, newly released police reports and psychiatric records alongside interviews with surviving family members, Murder in the Neighbourhood is a compulsive page-turner that will have you asking - how well do we ever really know those around us? Are we ever really safe?A gripping untold true story that will leave your heart pounding. Perfect for fans of In Cold Blood, If You Tell and American Predator.Read what everyone is saying about Murder in the Neighbourhood:'An engrossing and utterly fascinating insight into a chilling and untold part of American history... impossible to put down.' Gregg Olsen, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of If You Tell'A phenomenal read... incredible insight to human behavior and the brain. Green did a remarkable job bringing this tragedy to life through a haunting and encapsulating narration. I will recommend this piece of work over and over.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'God! I can't get enough of it! I wish I could read the book for the first time again!... fantastic.' Chubby girl with a page-a-vu, 5 stars'An absolute cracker of an account... Brilliant.' Nigel Adams Bookworm, 5 stars'I really enjoyed... very cleverly written... a fascinating and detailed account... I would recommend it to true crime aficionados.' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars'An arresting, exciting, compelling tale of true crime. Meticulously researched and pieced together into a narrative that is difficult to tear away from.' Goodreads reviewer'Remarkable... A must for true crime fans.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'If you like true crime then I 100% recommend you read this book.' Goodreads reviewer'An excellent read.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'Well-crafted true crime that's been wonderfully researched.' Book Zone

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom high heels to welly boots - one woman's misadventures in becoming a farmer, raising a family and making a living from the land.Sally Urwin was living in a tiny flat in the city with a high-pressure job. She was depressed, surviving off rescue remedies and wine, and longing for a different life when she met and married farmer Steve. Returned to the rolling hills of Northumberland, a place she'd adored as a child, Sally imagined herself wafting around High House Farm in floral dresses followed by a bevy of rosy-cheeked children. The reality is quite different...Sally is usually wearing a jumper covered in sheep poo and bellowing at Mavis the collie to stop chasing Gladys the grumpy pony and her kids are moaning about being dragged outside while she is caring for a ewe who has ingested a poisonous plant after wandering into the neighbour's field.But despite the chaos of juggling motherhood with running a farm, financial hardship and dealing with poorly animals, the exhilarating freedom of rural life has helped Sally to heal her own body and mind. Lambing season might be backbreaking, but the utter joy in cradling a new-born lamb is worth all the sweat and tears.With a mix of grit, humour and the love of family, Sally shows us that it's never too late to live the life you've always dreamed of.Fans of The Yorkshire Shepherdess will love this hilarious, heartfelt and honest account that will have you howling with laughter and sobbing into your tissues in equal measure.Read what everyone is saying about What the Flock!:'I don't know how to tell you how much I loved this book... You just CAN'T go wrong with having the author as narrator.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'I don't even know where to begin!... an amazing memoir that reads like fiction...you will find yourself being sucked into stories... you will laugh and cry... I couldn't put this book down until I devoured it from start to finish... 1000/10 would read again and again.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'This book was perfect. I loved the honest and wholesome look at life the author provides. It is at sometimes funny and sometimes sad... like talking to a friend.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'I don't know any animal lover that won't enjoy this book... I related to the female farmer talking about her struggles with the corporate world, and I dreamed along with her that I might be capable of farming and loving on animals all day... I cried over the losses that can come with farm life... will keep you entertained, and I'm going to keep rooting for this family to secure their farm's future.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'If Bo Peep met the Durrells, they'd happily live alongside Sally Urwin on her Northumbrian farm. An engaging and very, very funny account of a city girl who became a sheep farmer and traded in everything she thought she knew for a life where the four-legged family members rule.' Freya North'I loved this... a joy to read... Honest and funny.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'A beautiful memoir and the way she narrates it in this audio book makes it all the more special... I felt as if I was sat at her table having a cuppa as she told me about her life. Stunning book and I will be buying copies for friends.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'I really enjoyed this one... the author is a wonderful storyteller and I enjoyed her humor. I laughed out loud at the stories about Candy, the fat pony.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe much awaited second helping of Mary J. MacLeod’s tales of ‘Papavray’ in the 1970s and her experiences as the island’s district nurse, culminating in her move to a very different new life in California.Mary J.’s anecdotes of life on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides brim with charm, humour and common sense. She shares heartwarming and amusing tales of crofters and ceilidhs, pesky cows and stubborn drivers, treacherous bogs and a suspected haunting, but also the deeply sad story of a desperate mother and a baby’s untimely death.For the district nurse, human tragedy, joy and laughter are all in a days’ work.Trade ReviewIf the TV companies are looking for the next Heartbeat, it can be found in the windswept coasts of Papavray– THE DAILY RECORDThis lively and heartening memoir evokes both the hardships and the humour of island life.– THE SCOTSMANHer stories will ring true with every nurse — or anyone — who has ever cared for a family or community– LEANN THIEMANN, author of Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1953 pioneering journalist Anne Scott-James started to write a weekly column for the Sunday Express newspaper. ‘The Anne Scott-James Page’ set the bar for a new way of writing. Scott-James perfected the art of the short, sharp column – and many of the topics she covered are equally on-trend today. She cogently expressed her views on men, children, fashion, beauty, food, interiors, travel, and anything else that took her fancy. Political opinions might be squashed between thoughts on eyebrow tweezing and a piece on swimsuit lines. Scott-James was a great believer in entertaining her readers, and her columns are sharp, witty, to the point, often very funny, sometimes very moving. In Hold the Front Page! a selection of the Sunday Express columns is brought together with a commentary by her daughter, writer Clare Hastings, and with photographs from the Scott-James/Hastings family albums and drawings by Osbert Lancaster, Scott-James’s third husband, to provide a fascinating insight into the 1950s – and into the public and private life of one of the most celebrated columnists of the twentieth century.Trade Review"Hold the Front Page!, compiled by her daughter Clare Hastings, is a selection of Scott-James’s articles (many of them hilarious, all of them sprucely professional) interspersed with Hastings’s affectionate but uncloying memoir. It conveys a completely vanished world." -- AN Wilson * Times Literary Supplement *"In Hold The Front Page Clare Hastings has compiled a warm hearted tribute to her mother the journalist and gardener Anne Scott-James. Anne, whom I knew well as a country neighbour was a beautiful and formidable woman, a pioneer in the then male-dominated world of Fleet Street, whose newspaper columns, reprinted here are still relevant and topical today. Interspersed with examples of her journalism, Clare gives us a touching memoir of her remarkable mother, like herself “strong on common sense and short on whingeing.” -- Richard Ingrams"Clare Hastings' deadpan and funny reminiscences of her mother are what elevates this book above a pleasingly nostalgic read." * Daily Mail *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe story of Lili Pohlmann's childhood and survival. During the Second World War she was helped by many people, including a German woman working for the Nazi occupying forces in Lemberg, and a Greek Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop. After the war Lili came to London in the first transport of Jewish children from Poland.

Read more less

Book SynopsisCompiled from personal letters, interviews with Tom’s wife Rene and recorded interviews, this book captures the remarkable and largely unknown efforts by Tom Atkinson to help Indonesia gain independence from the Dutch and to become established as a new country, while also allowing for a glimpse into his personal life, his thoughts and his feelings.Trade Review.

Read more less

Book SynopsisJean de Miribel arrived in China in July 1976. The tall, genial foreign-language expert joined the Xi’an International Studies University (XISU) that September, and immediately worked to inspire students to share a passion for literature and science.He adopted China and its people as his family and received admiration and respect from students and colleagues. He worked tirelessly, even in retirement, to build a Sino-French cultural exchange, and inviting friends in France and China to speak and spread ideas.The Chinese name he took for himself was Mi Ruizhe (米睿哲) – mi which literally means uncooked rice while his given names rui and zhe mean wise and far-sighted or astute.His belief in education saw him develop the language studies at XISU, sponsor children through primary school, and help students from China to study overseas. Although he lived a very frugal life himself, he was extremely generous when it came to subsidising Chinese students in destitute mountainous regions to studying in France.He received many honours, including the Légion d’Honneur, as well as tokens of esteem and affection from students, friends and neighbours.Jean de Miribel left a legacy of cross-cultural understanding and respect. The last wish of the Frenchman known in his ‘adopted’ country as a ‘a person who has performed good deeds for China’ was to donate his body for medical research after he passed away at the age of 96 in Xi’an on 10 October 2015.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisAvailable for the first time in paperback, this 2007 second edition of Howard Kirschenbaum's biography of Carl Rogers extends to over 700 pages and includes a more detailed personal and professional history, an evaluation of the Wisconsin years and a full account of the last decade of Rogers' life. The years that followed the publication of the first edition of Carl Rogers' biography in 1979 turned out to be one of the most important periods of his career. Until now this work has not been widely known. Now, more than a quarter of a century after the first edition, Kirschenbaum has added deeper understanding of Rogers' contributions to psychology, the helping professions and society. On a personal level, access to recently revealed private papers tells us much more about Carl Rogers the man than was known to many of his closest associates. Brought to us by a masterly biographer whose own understanding of Carl Rogers, psychotherapy, education, and the human condition has matured over the intervening years. This much-anticipated second edition reflects a wiser and more balanced perspective of his subject. Now fully referenced, this is the life and work of Carl Rogers - no more, no less.Trade Review'I couldn't put it down. I kept jumping from one part of the book to another and getting absorbed in the close research and the wonderful detail. I know the book took years to research, and now I can see why. Even reading the footnotes is absorbing.' - Professor Dave Mearns; 'This book is absolutely essential reading for understanding Carl Rogers' achievements, humanity and frailties. It is of real interest to all therapists and educationalists where his writing and practice has been so influential-full of fascinating insights into his life and thinking. This book is the definitive biography of this leading figure whose influence in contemporary society extends so much further than person-centred therapy and psychology for which he is best known. - Professor Tim Bond,University of Bristol. Past Chair of British Association for Counselling.Table of ContentsChildhood and Youth: Suburban Childhood, Youth on a Farm, High School and Beyond.College Years: From Agriculture to Religion, Trip to China, Interim, History Major, Carl and Helen.The New York City Years: Union Theological Seminary, Personal Life, Columbia University, Institute for Child Guidance, Move to Rochester.The Rochester Years: Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, Environmental Treatment, Education, Persuasion and Release, Psychoanalysis, Interpretive Therapy, Otto Rank and Relationship Therapy, Clinical Treatment of the Problem Child, Professional Activities, Personal Life, Move to Ohio.The Ohio Years: The New Professor, Counseling and Psychotherapy, The Client, The Non-Directive Method, The First Research, Recording Psychotherapy, Implementing the Method, Initial Impact, Working with Graduate Students, Personal Life, Professional Activities, Wartime Work, Move to Chicago.The Chicago Years: Part One: Getting Started, From Non-directive to Client-Centered, Speaking Personally, The Counseling Center, A Character Sketch, Becoming Congruent.The Chicago Years: Part Two: Congruence Continued, Unconditional Positive Regard, Necessary and Sufficient Conditions, Research on Psychotherapy, Professional Reputation, Personal Life, Developing Theory, Move to Wisconsin.Freud, Skinner and Rogers--Three Forces in Psychology: Freud, Rogers and Human Nature, Skinner, Gestalt and Humanistic Psychology, The Rogers-Skinner Debates, Rogers and the CIA, Other Dialogues, Integration and New Developments.The Wisconsin Years: The Schizophrenia Research Project, The Conflict in Wisconsin, The Schizophrenia Project Results, Relationships in Wisconsin, Personal Life, Professional Travel, On Becoming a Person, The Fully Functioning Person, Persons or Science, Widening Applications, Further Recognition, Move to California.The California Years--Encounter Groups and Education: At Home, WBSI, The Behavioral Sciences, Encounter Groups, On Encounter Groups, Center for Studies of the Person, Personal Life, Teaching and Learning, Freedom to Learn, Changing Educational Systems, Professional Honors.The California Years--Personal and Political Awakenings: Youthful Relationships, The Person of Tomorrow, Becoming Partners, Older and Growing, Political Awakening, Person-Centered Workshops, On Personal Power, Personal Relationships, Physical and Mental Health, Spiritual Journey.The California Years--Peacemaking: Cross-Cultural Work, Developments in the Person-Centered Approach, Peacemaking, A Way of Being.Epilogue: Following Rogers, Historical Importance, Expanding Publications, Proliferating Organizations, Evolving Research, Competing Paradigms, The Future of the Person-Centered Approach.

Read more less

Book Synopsis'An amazing story of one woman's journey through mental illness... So inspiring and proving once again that exercise changes lives' Mel SykesSuffering from depression but desperate for 'normality', Rachel Cullen found herself in failing relationships, the wrong career and a reliance on alcohol and chocolate to get her through each day. Stuck in an endless cycle of mental misery, she put on a pair of old trainers. She'd never been able to think of herself as a 'runner' before, and the first time she forced herself out the door, she knew it would hurt. Everywhere. She just didn't realise how much it would heal her, too. Interspersed with Rachel's real diary entries, from teenage non-runner to London Marathon finisher (just months after giving birth), she questions if she really can outrun her demons.Trade ReviewBrave and inspiring, Running For My Life moved me to tears. It also moved me into my trainers and out for a run! -- Ruth FieldA searingly honest account of Rachel's amazing journey from sedentary teenager, lacking in confidence and self-esteem, through to accomplished and inspirational member of the running community. She kept me engaged from start to finish, with plenty of laughs along the way, and I'd thoroughly recommend this book to runners everywhere. -- Tom Williams, Global COO of parkrun and co-host of the Marathon Talk podcastIt's so inspirational to read how Rachel's discovery of a passion for running helped her to overcome her mental health struggles. For Rachel, running became so much more than purely keeping fit. It became something which enabled her to fully conquer the battles of severe anxiety and self-doubt. It's heartwarming to learn how Rachel has been able to -- Jo Pavey, medal-winning long-distance runnerI love this book for showing how with sheer determination and dogged tenacity you can overcome great difficulties, and that sport, from whatever point or age that you start, can change your life. She might even persuade me that one day I too could love running. -- Louise Minchin, BBC journalist and presenterWritten wittily, honestly and with a "take no crap" attitude, I could feel the warmth of [Rachel] as a person in her writing. Anyone who is hungry for change, looking for "the light" or even running their first marathon and needing a little insight; this book is FOR YOU! I loved every chapter of this book. -- Lipstick & Trainers blogWhat a heartfelt, moving, honest journey of self-discovery... this is a book you have to pick up in 2018. Rachel is a natural writer... I was laughing out loud at times, feeling sad at others, but most of all I was rooting for her the whole way through. -- Sissi Reads blogA rich, colourful and brutally honest account of one woman's fight to beat her mental health demons. Written with candid details and dark humour this book is a journey about a quest to live life in the happiest and healthiest way possible - chronicling all the ups and downs, the good, the bad and the downright ugly along the way! -- The Very Pink Notebook blogFull of heart and beautifully told... inspirational, melancholy and often very funny, it's kind of a road map of the inner soul - I loved it. -- Liz Loves Books blogI thought Running For My Life was excellent... honest, interesting and encouraging. I recommend it... to those who simply want a fascinating, surprisingly entertaining and informative read. It's a super book. -- Linda's Book Bag blog

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis story began a hundred years ago when a child became the inspiration for his famous father, A. A. Milne, who created one of the best known children's characters in recent history. His parents wanted a girl and to begin with treated him as one. They were initially quite distant from him and his upbringing was left to a loyal and loving nanny. Unfortunately, this left Christopher Robin Milne terminally shy and lacking in self-confidence. Unable to escape from the shadow of his fictional self, he became an object of continued interest from a non-understanding public. His salvation started with being sent away to Stowe School, going to Cambridge and joining the Army in the Second World War as a sapper. After an unhappy and directionless time immediately post-war in London, he eventually married and, very successfully, ran a bookshop in the South West for twenty-one years. His life was dominated by a love of the countryside, learned at his parents' country home, Cotchford Farm in Hartfield, East Sussex, and much later in Devon. How he turned his life round, against the odds, is the subject of this biography.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSir Edward ‘Eddie’ Marsh was an ornament of early twentieth-century society; a respected civil servant, polymath and scholar who led a remarkable life. Always at the heart of the establishment, he was Winston Churchill’s longest serving Private Secretary and close friend. Marsh harboured a passion for young men - poets, painters and actors - to whom he devoted his money, time and connections. His numerous protégés included luminaries such as Rupert Brooke, Robert Graves, Mark Gertler, Stanley Spencer, and Ivor Novello to name but a few. Preferring to work behind the scenes, Marsh also edited the work of several acclaimed writers; Winston Churchill, Somerset Maugham, Siegfried Sassoon and many others owe a debt to Marsh whose hand burnished their work. Sharon Mather's biography of Edward Marsh is set against the backdrop of the extraordinary events of the first half of the twentieth century, and is seen through the prism of his illustrious friendships.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA series of luminous vignettes describe the childhood of Argentina's rediscovered modernist writer. Self-contained, interconnected fragments begin with her family's departure to Mendoza in 1910 and end with their return to Buenos Aires and the death of her father in 1915. Lange's notes tell intimate, half-understood stories from the seemingly peaceful realm of childhood, a realm inhabited by an eccentric narrator searching for clues on womanhood and her own identity. She watches: her pubescent older sister, bathing naked in the moonlight; the death of a horse; and herself, a changeable and untimely girl. How she cried, when lifted onto a table and dressed as a boy, and how she laughed, climbing onto the kitchen roof in men's clothing and throwing bricks to announce her performance. Lange makes her domestic setting into a laboratory where strangeness and eroticism combine in delicate, daring flashes of literary brilliance.Trade Review‘[Lange’s] stark, dreamy and often morbid observations that read like windows into the soul . . . Eccentric and obsessive, Lange reveals herself to be a born surrealist, examining and interpreting situations and people from elliptical angles.’ Catherine Taylor, Irish Times----‘A muse to the young Jorge Luis Borges and Oliverio Girondo, Norah Lange was herself a profoundly gifted writer, one capable of drawing her readers back in time, plunging you into a lost world of soulful horseback riding on the pampas and bucolic women’s sewing rooms. Her Notes from Childhood is an endearing, mesmerising, unforgettable masterpiece through which we can see anew the private history of women in Latin America. Read Norah and be bewitched.’ Pola Oloixarac ----'One of the most beautiful and luminous books of childhood memoirs ever written in Latin America, so rich in the genre.'Cesar Aira----'The postcards of gender construction in Notes from Childhood are a delight . . . as is her exquisite prose. The fact that Lange has been considered a secondary figure speaks only of the strict hierarchy of themes that regulated, and in my opinion, continues to regulate entry into the canon.'Marina Yuszczuk----'The apparently peaceful realm of childhood where the book was set concealed the fact that the text turned memories of a life into a literary investigation, the setting of childhood into an often disturbing laboratory.' Silvia Molloy----'Lange never lacked recognition from writers: Cesar Aira, Elvio Gandolfo, and Arturo Carrera have described her as one of the greats of Argentine literature'Adriana Astutti, Clarin

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe 1845 North-West Passage expedition of Sir John Franklin in the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, with a full company of 129 officers and men, none of whom ever saw England again, was one of the most heroic and courageous, maritime expeditions in history. This enthralling book is the result of seven years of arduous research by retired geologist Dr. John Roobol, who weighs evidence gathered over more than 170 years, and offers a highly convincing interpretation of what really happened to the lost, heroic, expedition.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1888, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche moved to Turin. This would be the year in which he wrote three of his greatest works: Twilight of the Idols, The Antichrist, and Ecce Homo; it would also be his last year of writing. He suffered a debilitating nervous breakdown in the first days of the following year. In this probing, elegant biography of that pivotal year, Lesley Chamberlain undoes popular clichés and misconceptions about Nietzsche by offering a deeply complex approach to his character and work. Focusing as much on Nietzsche's daily habits, anxieties and insecurities as on the development of his philosophy, Nietzsche in Turin offers a uniquely lively portrait of the great thinker, and of the furiously productive days that preceded his decline.Trade Review'A major intellectual event... simply the best book I have read in a very long time on the greatest philosopher of the modern age' - John Banville'This brilliant book should be a great relief for anyone condemned to read the run of contemporary Nietzsche commentaries; and for anyone who isn't, it could be an introduction which is hard to imagine being surpassed in passion and lucidity' - The Times'Lesley Chamberlain has a rare gift for animating philosophy through intensely human stories' - Sunday Telegraph

Read more less

Book SynopsisA prodigious talent stalked by controversy, celebrity chef John Burton-Race has always lived life on the edge, and remains nothing if not pragmatic. "I wear people down. I'm a bit of a basket case." Born in Singapore in 1957 to a British diplomat father, Burton-Race helped the family chef while being exposed to global tastes and flavours that still influence his style of cooking. He worked under renowned chef Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons and when Blanc opened Le Petit Blanc in Oxford, he turned to Burton-Race to head the kitchen. Here the young, aspiring chef would win his first Michelin star. Three years later he opened his own restaurant, L'Ortolan in Berkshire.Awarded two Michelin stars, the achievement was repeated in 2000 at John Burton-Race Restaurant at London's Landmark Hotel. Television viewers, however, bore witness to his mercurial nature in the fly-on-the-wall series French Leave and Return of the Chef, and an appearance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here ended in disaster when his second wife closed his Devon restaurant while he was in the Australian bush. Possessed of an innate talent for self destruction, John Burton-Race is still driven, still complex, still controversial, still living life at 100 miles an hour. This is his story.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe astonishing, gripping and long-awaited inside story of an ordinary man who became an extraordinary spy.After years of living in semi-isolation, David Rupert speaks for the first time about how a trucker from New York ended up being recruited to the FBI and MI5 at one of the most crucial moments in British political history.Including shock revelations about Rupert's discoveries working within the Real IRA - such as sending plastic explosives and detonators, hidden inside toys, to a primary school in Donegal. Author Sean O'Driscoll tells the incredible story of David, 'The Big Yank', a 6ft7 American tourist who found himself at the centre of a chilling campaign of terror that targeted civilians, the forces and Prime Minister Tony Blair.Countless lives have been saved by David Rupert's decision to risk his neck working for years within one of the most brutal and ruthless terrorist organisations in the world - an organisation whose language of violence left women and children amongst the dead in the Omagh atrocity.An unprecedented bombing campaign was planned to destroy any hopes of a peace agreement. In a trial that rested entirely on the evidence of the 'Big Yank', those plans for ongoing bloodshed and an end to the Good Friday Agreement were brought to a halt.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisLargely a facsimile edition of the original 1991 publication with revised preliminary pages, including a new Foreword by the editor and translator. In Greek and English.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIrène tells the remarkable story of the life of Irène Noah, including her teachings for good health. It is a compendium of wise words and expert advice from the woman who founded the Ark of Noah Trust, which has helped so many. The book includes life advice on breathing and relaxation techniques.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThree women arrive in Girona, North East Spain, to attend a New Age workshop based on the mysteries of that ancient city. They have never met before. What do they have in common? They discover that they are all grandmothers who know little about psychic or spiritual worlds. What do they want? To keep a good face on things; `things' being quite a lot of difficult issues... What do they really want? Life change? Reclaiming their dreams? What do they get? The Holy Grail. And all they were looking for was a way out of sudden old age... Following her classic Girona trilogy - The City of Secrets, The Portal and The Stone Cradle - Patrice Chaplin returns to the enchanted city for a new adventure. Many decades have passed since, as a teenage traveller seeking a Bohemian lifestyle, she stepped across the threshold of the iron bridge and into the hallowed old city. Now in her later years, she finds herself unexpectedly with two other women of a certain age. In the midst of changing lives, they are each seeking freedom, meaning and truth. What they encounter initially is confusion, chaos and misunderstanding. But will they discover the thing that can reconcile themselves to each other, to their lives and to themselves? ‘So fresh, sharp and full of terrific lines – I loved it… Patrice has put the Grail, Girona and her own wonderful gift for characterisation to such perfect use.’ – Miranda Seymour, author (In Byron’s Wake, Mary Shelley, etc.); ‘It’s just a the most wonderful piece of work. Congratulations Patrice. Highly recommended Get a copy!’ – Malcolm Bruce, musician (son of Cream legend Jack Bruce)

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Cops and Horrors: Uncut Tales from the Frontline, Matt Calveley offers an up close and personal view into the life of a dedicated officer serving in one of the biggest police forces in the world. Highly decorated, Matt lived a varied career, meaning he is able to give readers an eye-opening insight into the job from all angles. On the Met's frontline, he fought violent criminals, arrested hundreds, dealt with horrific death scenes every day- and got bitten by a squirrel monkey called Clive. Matt served as custody Sergeant, provided jury protection during a huge corruption trial, and qualified as a mass fatality specialist. In Cops and Horrors, he reveals how he: * Discovered sickening photographs at a crash scene that led to a child rapist being jailed * Worked undercover in the Met's massive surveillance operation to catch Mardi Gras bomber Edgar Pearce * Expertly broke into Paul Daniel's car after the late magician locked his keys inside it * Nicked a bent 'Santa' driving a stolen limo after a high-speed Christmas morning road chase * Fought a machete-wielding maniac * Was mistaken as a stripper after hitching a lift to an emergency in a limo packed with tipsy hen party revellers Matt also gives an unprecedented, detailed account of law enforcement on London's roads. From dealing with arrogant motorists, catching drink drivers and facing catastrophic road deaths, to white-knuckle car chases and painstakingly reconstructing crash scenes, Matt has seen - and survived - it all.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBorn in London in 1890, Angela Thirkell was Sir Edward Burne-Jones’s granddaughter, J.M. Barrie’s goddaughter and a cousin of Rudyard Kipling and Stanley Baldwin. John Collier painted her portrait and she was drawn by John Singer Sargent and Thea Proctor. Between 1931 and her death in 1961, Angela published more than thirty books in a variety of genres. She began with the acclaimed family memoir Three Houses and later settled on her amusing Barsetshire series, inspired by Anthony Trollope but set in the present day. Angela Thirkell: A Writer’s Life tells the author’s story from her Kensington childhood to her two marriages and the birth of three sons, Graham McInnes, Colin MacInnes and Lance Thirkell, all of whom also entered the literary world. The book traces her decade in Australia where she wrote for magazines and newspapers and made radio broadcasts, followed by her return to London and her fortuitous meeting with a young publisher called Jamie Hamilton, which lead to her bestselling Barsetshire novels.Trade Review"[A] careful and sympathetic biography." * Times Literary Supplement *“[A] concise yet lavishly illustrated biography.” * New Criterion *"This is the book all Angela Thirkell enthusiasts have been wishing for. It illustrates so many instances of how she translated her own life into the fictional world of Barsetshire, and for those who haven't yet discovered her it will make them want to make that journey for themselves." -- Penny Alred, former chair of the Angela Thirkell Society"Hall's new biography of Angela Thirkell is detailed, highly readable, and revealing. Her wide-ranging research and a gallery of illustrations not seen before thoroughly revise our understanding of the formative influences on Thirkell's writing and life." -- Kate Macdonald, author of Novelists Against Social Change: Conservative Popular Fiction, 1920-1960

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1937 aged just 19, Edmund Murray left his family and a comfortable job in London, caught the boat train to France and signed up for the minimum of five years’ service with the French Foreign Legion. Armed with little more than school-boy French and a desire for a life of adventure, Murray travelled through France and on to the Legion’s headquarters in Algeria where he completed a gruelling three-month basic training programme. He went on to serve in Morocco and Indochina (now Vietnam) where towards the end of the War, his regiment were forced to retreat from invading Japanese forces into China where his service ended after eight years as a Legionnaire. Throughout the Second World War, Murray’s overwhelming sense of duty compelled him to try to leave the Legion and join the Allied forces, but he was thwarted at every attempt. He was an Englishman, in a French organisation, by definition a home for ‘the men with no names’, during a time of global conflict where battle lines and countries’ boundaries changed almost daily. He was an anomaly, a diplomatic puzzle. But as such, his was an extraordinary war-time experience. This book, which borrows heavily from Murray’s earlier book, Churchill’s Bodyguard, includes rare personal insights into Legion life from drills and manoeuvres, to feast-days and festivals as well as accounts of friendships forged in exceptional circumstances and which would last a lifetime. It also documents a unique war-time experience of the man whose sense of duty never faltered and led him, in later life, to become bodyguard to Sir Winston Churchill. Edited by his son Bill Murray, this is the story in his own words of Edmund Murray, Churchill’s Legionnaire, and his service in the French Foreign Legion from 1937 to 1945.Trade Review"A quite entertaining adventure story." * Winston Churchill Blog *

Read more less

Book SynopsisMuch has been written by and about Satish Kumar - peace pilgrim, co-founder of Schumacher College, and longtime editor of Resurgence magazine. A monk at the age of nine, and now a world-renowned environmental activist with Honorary Doctorates from five UK universities, Satish Kumar has been working to realise Mahatma Gandhi's vision of a peaceful, sustainable world for much of his life. This new volume gives readers the chance to listen in on a 30-hour 'longform conversation' with Satish - a conversation where his interviewers draw out his experiences, reflections and insights. They question his political and philosophical thinking, invite him to revisit strongly held positions and, through the conversation, seek to cast new light on the man and his multiple perspectives on the world. Forewords by Charles Eisenstein and Arun Maira place his life and work in context and the conversation challenges him on many aspects of: * the purpose of our life * reverential ecology * soil, soul and society * the spiritual path and daily life * education, sustainability and economic growth * implementing Gandhian ideals * selfishness and acceptance * caste-politics * centralisation and the economy of tomorrow * Sarvodaya (living in harmony with all existence) * health and technology * capitalism * aesthetics and beautyTable of ContentsForeword 1: Reverential Ecology Foreword 2: Satish Kumar's Experiments with Truth Cover 1: 'Oh, those people who want to change the world!' Cover 2: A Long Walk: From being to becoming Cover 3: Earth is a Community Chapter 1: Around the Globe, Footloose, Penniless Chapter 2: Monk at Nine Chapter 3: Back in the World Chapter 4: Editor in London ~ The Story of Resurgence Chapter 5: Who am I? Chapter 6: Schumacher College Chapter 7: How We Lost True Confidence Chapter 8: Centralised Systems Cannot be the Answer for India Chapter 9: Caste-politics, Justice, Health and Technology Chapter 10: Sarvodaya Chapter 11: Money Making Money: The destructive business model Chapter 12: On Beauty, Speed and iPhones Afterword: A Road Open to All Glossary Acknowledgements Index About the Authors

Read more less

Book SynopsisIsabel Adonis was born in London in 1951, to Welshwoman Catherine Alice Hughes, and renowned Guyanese artist Denis Williams, whose work has been exhibited in the Tate Gallery. Growing up in London, Sudan and Wales, with a cold and distant father and an isolated mother, Adonis explores the nature of identity, culture and desire as shaped by her childhood impressions of her parents.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPull Devil, Pull Baker is one of the oddest autobiographies ever written.The novelist Stella Benson first encountered an eccentric Russiannobleman, Count Nicolas de Toulouse Lautrec De Savine in the pauper’sward of a Hong Kong hospital. Striking up a friendship, she foundherself fascinated by the Count’s garrulous memoirs, written in a uniqueblend of English, French, and Russian.The Count’s adventures included a stint as a Russian cavalry officer,gold mining in California, a failed attempt to establish himself as Czar ofBulgaria, get-rich-quick schemes, and countless romanticentanglements. Were these all inventions of his fervid mind, like alatter-day Baron Munchausen? Were they true? Could they be both?In Pull Devil, Pull Baker, Stella Benson not only collected the Count’srecollections but provided a running commentary that reflects on thenature of memory, truth, and the power of storytelling. In the process,she created a book that anticipates by decades the ”new nonfiction”school of such bestsellers as The Lifespan of a Fact and the work ofGeoff Dyer, W. G. Sebald and others who weave together fiction and fact.Pull Devil, Pull Baker exemplifies the unique and remarkable booksbeing brought back to print by Recovered Books, the new series fromBoiler House Press that celebrates the gems that have been lost to thechanging tides of critical and popular taste. Pull Devil, Pull Baker is easily the most exceptional and genre-busting reissue of 2022.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis'To say this [book] is "empowering" doesn't do it justice. Buy a copy for your daughters, sisters, mums, aunts and nieces - just make sure you buy a copy for your sons, brothers, dads, uncles and nephews, too.' - indy100'Here's to no more forgotten women.' - Evening StandardForgotten Women reaches around the world and its history to rediscover, retell and reinstate the lives of over 190 important and significant women. From Neolithic times to modernity, Zing Tsjeng has traced the women who have shaped their age and revolutionised society. In this book lies the strength, lives and sacrifices of women who have refused to accept the hand they've been dealt and have changed the course of our futures accordingly.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe duc de Saint-Simon's memoirs of the last decades of Louis XIV's reign and the regency of Philippe d'Orleans are considered a masterpiece of the genre and one of the glories of French literature. His accounts of the dramatic events he witnessed have informed historians for generations, while his literary portraits have influenced French authors from Sainte-Beuve to Proust. In 1721 Saint-Simon travelled to Spain as Ambassador Extraordinary to solicit the hand of a Spanish princess for the young king Louis XV. Although his mission comes very late in his long narrative, that experience looms large in his account of earlier events, hidden in plain sight, and enriched by it. The nineteenth-century essayist Sainte-Beuve dubbed Saint-Simon 'the little duke with the penetrating eye'. Readers of this book can decide for themselves how penetrating an eye the little duke could bring to bear on his contemporaries, and on himself.

Read more less

Book Synopsis"A WW2 heroine." - Dan Snow Love, duty and true-life adventure in the shadow of the Second World War Christian Lamb is one of the last surviving Wren Officers to have served throughout the Second World War, from Blitz ravaged London, to the important Radar and Operations rooms and undertaking a vital role in D Day. Escaping both the Spanish Flu pandemic when she was born and the pandemic we are emerging from today, she has reached the impressive age of 101. Now she leads us through the story of her extraordinary life and the wartime experiences of her fellow Wrens.Trade Review"An extraordinary life." -- Liz EarleEngaging, interesting and really well written, this book is a great read for anyone interested in the experiences of the young women who joined the WRNS during WW2. The author writes about her life but has also included the stories of others too. With fascinating details of daily life in the services, as well as stories of those she met along the journey. A really enjoyable and engaging book for anyone interested in this period. An important piece of our history. * Netgalley *"A WW2 heroine." * Dan Snow *"This was the best kind of memoir, as the author's writing style made me feel like we were friends just sitting and having a conversation about her many experiences. I prefer this warm and fuzzy type of memoir over the ones that are written more like a history book." * Netgalley *

Read more less