Biography: general Books

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for Harper's Bazaar Book of the Year 2019A Guardian, Spectator and Mail on Sunday Book of the Year 2018'A lyrical portrait of a fast-vanishing way of life . . . Thompson is a terrific writer' New StatesmanLaura Thompson’s grandmother Violet was one of the great landladies. Born in a London pub, she became the first woman to be given a publican’s licence in her own name and, just as pubs defined her life, she seemed in many ways to embody their essence.Laura spent part of her childhood in Violet’s Home Counties establishment, mesmerised by her gift for cultivating the mix of cosiness and glamour that defined the pub’s atmosphere, making it a unique reflection of the national character. Her memories of this time are just as intoxicating: beer and ash on the carpets in the morning, the deepening rhythms of mirth at night, the magical brightness of glass behind the bar…Through them Laura traces the story of the English pub, asking why it has occupied such a treasured position in our culture. But even Violet, as she grew older, recognised that places like hers were a dying breed, and Laura also considers the precarious future they face.Part memoir, part social history, part elegy, The Last Landlady pays tribute to an extraordinary woman and the world she epitomised.Trade Review 'A lyrical portrait of a fast-vanishing way of life ... Thompson is a terrific writer, and her detailed evocation of the day in the life of the pub ... has all the visual richness and emotional power of a Terence Davies film' New Statesman 'Just occasionally a book comes along that leaves you breathless with pleasure, admiration and a dash of envy too. The Last Landlady is Laura Thompson's exquisitely observed and brilliantly written memoir of the life and times of her grandmother, the first woman in England to hold a pub licence in her own right... Simply delicious' Kathryn Hughes, Mail on Sunday 'You really mustn’t miss Laura Thompson’s brilliant The Last Landlady … A wonderfully observed story about female agency in the post-war period' Guardian 'It is about the pub as theatre … A typically eclectic mix of social history and elegy, ironic comedy and indelible Englishness' The Spectator, Books of the Year 'The award-winning Thompson turns her acute eye for detail on her own family in this gorgeous memoir of her indomitable grandmother, Vi, the first woman to hold a pub licence in England' Independent

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Book SynopsisA Spectator Best Book of the Year ‘This book is a wry, critical friend to both writer and reader. It is filled with cogent examples and provoking statements. You will agree or quarrel with each page, and be a sharper writer and reader by the end.’ Hilary Mantel ‘There are three rules for writing a novel,’ Somerset Maugham once said. ‘Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.’ So how to bring characters to life, find a voice, kill your darlings, avoid plagiarism (or choose not to), or run that most challenging of literary gauntlets—writing a good sex scene? Veteran editor and author Richard Cohen takes us on a fascinating excursion into the lives and minds of our greatest writers—from Balzac and Eliot to Woolf and Nabokov, through to Zadie Smith and Stephen King, with a few mischievous detours to Tolstoy along the way. In a glittering tour d’horizon, he lays bare their tricks, motivations, techniques, obsessions and flaws.Trade Review‘Provides amazing insight into the working methods, techniques, tricks and flaws of some of the greatest writers in literary history…An engrossing read for bibliophiles and lovers of literature as much as aspiring writers.’ * New European *‘This book is a wry, critical friend to both writer and reader. It is filled with cogent examples and provoking statements. You will agree or quarrel with each page, and be a sharper writer and reader by the end.’ -- Hilary Mantel‘A glorious patchwork of quotation and anecdote. It is a true commonplace book, the homage of a passionate reader to the writers who have provided his “main pastime”.’ * Sunday Times *‘Welcome, wise and witty…Aspiring writers will glean excellent advice here.’ * Literary Review *‘I very much enjoyed Richard Cohen’s How to Write Like Tolstoy’ -- Julie Burchill * Spectator, Books of the Year *‘An anecdotal, breezy and comprehensive approach…an entertainingly slick read.' * Herald *‘The highest compliment one can pay How to Write Like Tolstoy is that it provokes an overwhelming urge to read and write.’ * Wall Street Journal *‘A book for the general reader as much as the aspiring novelist.’ * Tablet *‘Interesting, charming, and engaging…Cohen reveals the possibilities that lie in wait when authors practice selection and intention, sparking the literary imagination.’ * Library Journal, starred review *‘An inspiring book! It makes one glad to be a writer.’ -- Fay Weldon‘Elegant... Cohen [tells] amusing, often discursive stories about great literature and authors, mixed with the writers’ own observations, which he hopes will further inspire readers and would-be writers. The advice is pleasant, and sometimes wise.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘Insightful… [Cohen] escorts his readers to Iris Murdoch for sage counsel on launching a novel, to Salman Rushdie for shrewd guidance on developing an unreliable narrator, to Rudyard Kipling for a cagey hint on creating memorable minor characters, and to Leo Tolstoy for a master’s help in transforming personal experience into fictional art. Even readers with no intentions of writing a novel will relish the opportunity to join their favourite authors at the workbench.’ * Booklist *‘Cohen’s myriads of examples are lush and instructive... he is a generous tour guide through his literary world’ * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisImmerse yourself in the colourful world of Frida Kahlo with this search and find book which details key aspects of her life - from her eccentric teenaged years and infatuation with Diego Rivera, to her dynamic arrival as an international artist, her incredible studio and house in Mexico and her deep love of Mexican culture. With twelve intricately drawn scenes, you can find Frida, among other places, at home with Diego Rivera, among a bustling Day of the Dead scene and at her Paris gallery opening.Find Frida not only features the iconic and flamboyant artist but is populated with a huge cast of over 200 extras for you to spot - including artists, filmmakers, writers and photographers - allowing the book to tell the complete story of Kahlo's life and her huge cultural influence.

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Book SynopsisOver 15 years ago, The Big Issue began to ask well-known figures from the worlds of entertainment, politics, literature, business and more, one simple question:If you could write a letter to your younger self, what would it say?This collection of 70 inspiring, moving and honest interviews includes Billie Piper on feeling burnt out, Monica Ali on self-belief, Mica Paris on sudden loss, Nancy Sinatra on marrying young, Fearne Cotton on battling imposter syndrome, Alesha Dixon on risk-taking and so much more.ALL ROYALTIES FROM SALES OF THIS BOOK GO TO THE BIG ISSUE.Table of ContentsAbi Morgan,Alesha Dixon,Alison Steadman,Andi Osho,Anna Chancellor,Arabella Weir,Baroness Warsi,Billie Piper,Caitlin Moran,Caroline Lucas,Charlotte Rampling ,Cherie Booth,Clare Balding,Coleen Nolan,Cornelia Parker,Cressida Cowell,Cyndi Lauper,Dame Steve Shirley,Dawn French,Debbie Harry,Dolly Parton,Eileen Atkins,Emily Maitlis,Emmylou Harris,Fearne Cotton,Gabby Logan,Gail Porter,Gurinder Chadha,Honor Blackman,Jackie Kay,Jacqueline Gold,Jacqueline Wilson,Jane Goodall,Jennifer Saunders,Jenny Agutter,Jenny clair,Jess Phillips,Jo Whiley,Joan Baez,Joan Bakewell,Judith Kerr,Judy Collins,Judy Murray,Julia Donaldson,Juliet Stevenson,Kay MellorKarren Brady,Kathy Burke,Keeley Hawes,KT Tunstall,Lorraine Kelly,Mariella Frostrup,Mary Portas,Mel Giedroyc,Mica Paris,Monica Ali,Nancy Sinatra,Peggy Seeger,Rosamund Pike,Rose McGowan,Ruth Jones,Sabrina Cohen-Hatton,Samantha Morton,Sara Cox,Sara Pascoe,Shappi Khorsandi,Shirley Williams,Susie Dent,Vicky Pryce,Viv Albertine

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Book SynopsisThe Supermarine Spitfire has achieved iconic status due to its exceptional design and the enduring bravery of its pilots during the conflicts of World War Two. Revered by pilots, this high-performance fighter aircraft is best remembered for operations with RAF Fighter Command in the defence of Britain in 1940, although the Spitfire went on to serve in every theatre of war. Using the Spitfire's speed, manoeuvrability and impressive firepower, Allied pilots enjoyed great success in aerial combat against all the leading Axis fighter types from 1940 through to VJ Day. No fewer than ten marks of Spitfire saw action as fighters during World War Two, and more than 460 RAF, Commonwealth and USAAF pilots claimed five or more enemy aircraft shot down to achieve ace status. The exploits of 40 aviators that made ace from Australia, Canada, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa and the US are examined in this volume. Alongside the more famous names of 'Johnnie' Johnson, Douglas Bader and 'Sailor' Malan, lesser-known aces including Bill Rolls, Brian Carbury and Don Laubman are included. Their stories, and the deadly conflicts in which they took part, are told through combat reports, first-hand accounts, award citations and autobiographical extracts. This volume contains more than 240 photographs of the aces and the various Spitfires (and other fighter types) that they flew, as well as 40 meticulously researched, specially commissioned profile illustrations.

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Book SynopsisThe shocking true-crime story of two orphaned sisters who arrived at a health retreat as patients - but only one would ever make it out alive... An extraordinary and gripping account of the starvation doctor from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of If You Tell.In 1911 two British heiresses, Claire and Dora Williamson, read a brochure about a revolutionary fasting treatment that promised a lifetime of good health. The sanatorium in the village of Olalla, west of Seattle, was surrounded by a beautiful forest, sparkling waters and fresh air. The sisters agreed it sounded perfect and exactly the restorative holiday they needed.But within a month of arriving, under the supervision of Doctor Linda Burfield Hazzard, Claire and Dora began to realise the frightening truth - they were not patients but prisoners at the isolated sanitorium.Starved and on the edge of death, the sisters made several desperate attempts to escape. But only one would ever make it out alive.Chilling and harrowing, Starvation Heights is a story of two vulnerable sisters, and how they were manipulated by a cunning and dangerous doctor into believing that her monstrous treatments would 'cure' them. Will totally hook fans of The Five and The Devil in the White City.What readers are saying about Starvation Heights:"A fascinating turn-of-the-century story of medical malpractice and murder. If you liked The Alienist, you'll find Starvation Heights all the more gripping because this story is true." Michael Connelly"An engrossing and compelling look at a shocking crime in another era. Olsen's deft touch takes us back to the early 1900s so cleverly that reading Starvation Heights is akin to stepping into a time machine." Ann Rule"One of today's true-crime masters." Caitlin Rother, New York Times bestselling author"Grab a glass of wine and buckle up... If you're into dark true crime, this is the book for you!" Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆>"I couldn't put it down." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"One of the best books I have read in a long time." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"Fascinating... a must read for any true crime or history buff." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"Mind blowing." NetGalley reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"A blistering good tale... mind boggling... a definite winner for fans of true crime, mystery and thrillers and one I will be reflecting on for a long time." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"A wonderful true crime read." NetGalley reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"In depth and well researched you will find yourself immersed... I found myself completely wound up in it and felt like I was in the courtroom. Terrific." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"True crime masterpiece... highly disturbing yet riveting and unusual." Goodreads reviewer, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"I absolutely loved this!... so disturbing and fascinating." Nicoles.novel.obsession, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >"Olsen has done it again... remarkably detailed... not a book I will soon forget." Inky Book reviews, <☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ >Trade ReviewA fascinating turn-of-the-century story of medical malpractice and murder. If you liked The Alienist, you'll find Starvation Heights all the more gripping because this story is true. -- Michael ConnellyAn engrossing and compelling look at a shocking crime in another era. Olsen's deft touch takes us back to the early 1900s so cleverly that reading Starvation Heights is akin to stepping into a time machine. -- Ann RuleOne of today's true-crime masters. -- Caitlin Rother, New York Times bestselling authorAn account of real-life villainry that outdoes anything a novelist might concoct. -- Les Standiford, author of Meet You in Hell

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Book SynopsisThis ground-breaking biography is as much about Sun Ra's music as it is about his passionate, often wildly unorthodox views on the galaxy, black people and spiritual matters. With the various incarnations of his inimitable Arkestra, his repertoire ranged from boogie-woogie to swing to be-bop to fusion to New Age, and his influence extended throughout the jazz and rock worlds. While Sun Ra made a lifelong effort to obscure many of the facts of his early years, he did acknowledge that he was born on the planet Saturn. John Szwed has succeeded brilliantly in delving into and evoking the life and work of this extraordinary artist.Trade ReviewThose who read this book will be spellbound * * The Voice * *a brilliant book, a sprawling, curlicued, swinging account of anextraordinary man's great adventure with a bunch of ideas that madesense to him out of a senseless world * * Independent on Sunday * *this is the year's best jazz biography * * Evening Standard * *one of the best books ever written about anything * * The Idler * *Quite possibly the most inspirational music biography ever written - Essential. * * MUZIK * *

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Book Synopsis'Suddently, at about one o'clock in the morning, there was a sharp, unbearably explicit knock on the door. 'They've come for Osip', I said'.In 1933 the poet Osip Mandelstam- friend to Boris Pasternak and Anna Akhmatova- wrote a spirited satire denouncing Josef Stalin. It proved to be a sixteen-line death sentence. For his one act of defiance he was arrested by the Cheka, the secret police, interrogated, exiled and eventually re-arrested. He died en route to one of Stalin's labour camps. His wife, Nadezhda (1899-1980) was with him on both occasions when he was arrested, and she loyally accompanied him into exile in the Urals, where he wrote his last great poems. Although his mind had been unbalanced by his ordeal in prison, his spirit remained unbroken. Eager to solve 'the Mandelstam problem', the Soviet authorities invited the couple to stay in a rest home near Moscow. Nadezhda saw it as an opportunity for her husband to mend his shattered life, but it was a trap and he was arrested for the last time.'My case will never be closed', Osip once said, and it is mostly through the courageous efforts of Nadezhda that his memory has been preserved. Hope against Hope, her first volume of memoirs, is a vivid and disturbing account of her last four years with her husband, the efforts she made to secure his release, to rescue his manuscripts from oblivion, and later, tragically, to discover the truth about his mysterious death. It is also a harrowing, first-hand account of how Stalin and his henchmen persecuted Russia's literary intelligentsia in the 1930s and beyond.Nadezhda Mandelstam spent most of the Second World War in Tashkent, living with her friend Akhmatova. Only in 1964 was she at last granted permission to return to Moscow. Here she began Hope against Hope, and later Hope Abandoned, the two memoirs of her life.Trade ReviewNo other work conveys as well the atmosphere of the 1930s terror, nor how Russian people survived it by listening to their great poets -- Orlando Figes * The Week *A superb memoir... A reminder that it is only a genuine work of art which is capable of communicating a reality so appalling as the Stalinist terror * Philip Toynbee *Not only a vivid account of persecution during Stalin's terror, it is also one of the few convincing descriptions of how a genius writes poetry -- A. AlvarezA Day of Judgement on earth for her age and its literature -- Joseph BrodskySurely the most luminous account we have- or are likely to get- of life in the Soviet Union during the purges of the 1930's * New York Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisIn Tales from the Wilds of New Jersey, Ted Lyons invites the reader into the wonder years, coming of age adventures/discoveries of a Jersey kid whom you will undoubtedly come to recognize in one form or another. Ted: We''re all here, sharing the planet for a nano second, just trying to get through it! So, of course, similar life experiences are unavoidable. In one-to-three-page chapters, Ted shares the rough and tumble life of a boy navigating his way through childhood, adolescence and finally stumbling into adulthood realizing that he''s Peter Pan in a world full of responsible grownups! The stories are largely autobiographical, and true, to the extent that memory would allow.Included in the pages of TFTWONJ are a modest scattering of original poems, jokes, and song lyrics along with skewed observations of life, just to keep the reader off balance. The tales are regaled with humor and honesty, as seen through the nostalgic prism of rose colored glasses. If you don''t see yourself, or someone you know, inside the wilds .... look again....

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Book Synopsis''A real triumph, beautifully written, with many wonderful stories of the Savoy.'' Lady Anne Glenconner, author of Lady in Waiting''An elegantly crafted, yet spritely and sparkling book, perfectly befitting its subject.'' - Ophelia Field, author of The FavouriteIn three generations, the D''Oyly Carte family pioneered the luxury hotel and the modern theatre, propelled Gilbert and Sullivan to lasting stardom, made Oscar Wilde a transatlantic celebrity, inspired a P. G. Wodehouse series, and popularised early jazz, electric lights and Art Deco. Following the history of the iconic Savoy Hotel through three generations of the D''Oyly Carte family, The Secret Life of the Savoy revives an extroardinary cultural legacy. For The Gondoliers-themed birthday dinner, the hotel obligingly flooded the courtyard to conjure the Grand Canal of Venice. Dinner was served on a silk-lined floating gondola, real swans were swimming in theTrade ReviewA thoroughly entertaining account of some of London's most treasured history, with its beloved The Savoy at the heart of a fascinating and delightful plot. Bravo to Olivia Williams and her fantastically colourful cast of characters. * Lady Kinvara Balfour, director and producer *An elegantly crafted, yet spritely and sparkling book, perfectly befitting its subject. Williams uses group biography to beautifully illuminate some of London's greatest hotel and theatre landmarks. * Ophelia Field, author of The Favourite *A cracking good read and a fascinating story that - amazingly - has not been told before. * Fiona Duncan, the Telegraph *A feast of gloriously eccentric and compelling characters... a veritable cornucopia of explanations and clarifications... endlessly compelling. * Mike Leigh, director of Gilbert and Sullivan biopic 'Topsy-Turvy' *This is a fascinating story, and it could not be better told. Elegant, great fun, and with a finely-judged personal touch: much like the Savoy hotel itself. * Laura Thompson, biographer of Agatha Christie and the Mitford Sisters *Williams writes with authority and style, making her ideal to chronicle the story of the Savoy. * Richard Vines, Bloomberg *The story of how one family's vision shaped not only a British institution but the very idea of luxury. From Belle Epoque scandals to Hollywood gossip, and from kitchen politics to corporate swashbuckling, Williams' writing is deliciously alive with the type of behind-the-scenes drama that will transport you back in time. * Francesca Cartier Brickell, author of 'The Cartiers' *A new book by Olivia Williams is to be welcomed as a reminder that "at their height", the D'Oyly Cartes ranked as "the greatest impresarios and hoteliers in the world" - as dynamic, innovative and powerful in their way as any of today's media dynasties. * Daily Telegraph *Whether it's The Beatles being blocked from entry or Marilyn Monroe sipping tea in a daring dress, London's Savoy Hotel has seen its share of intrigue and controversy for more than a century. Olivia Williams reveals its most decadent moments. * You Magazine *From Churchill to the real 007 via the suffragettes - an unbelievable reel of secrets is revealed * Telegraph *A transportive story * Tatler *This sumptuous book offers a delicious insight * The Sun *Delves into the 5 star hotel's illustrious history, from Oscar Wilde's weekly £6,000 bills to whisky heir Thomas Dewar's 40 YEAR stay * Daily Mail *A real triumph, beautifully written, with many wonderful stories of the Savoy * Lady Anne Glenconner, author of LADY IN WAITING *A remarkable biography * The Eastern Eye *A fascinating glimpse into the past. . . Williams' biography is informative and hugely entertaining, painting a deliciously decadent picture of the glamour, theatre and scandal that surrounded the D'Oyly Cartes. * Culture Fly *Rich with details, both serious and frivolous, and deftly sets the story of this singular institution in the context of the greater forces of English history. * The New York Times *

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Book SynopsisThe Ottoman chronicles recount that the first sultan, Osman, dreamt of the dynasty he would found - a tree, fully-formed, emerged from his navel, symbolising the vigour of his successors and the extent of their domains.This is the first book to tell the full story of the Ottoman dynasty that for six centuries held sway over territories stretching, at their greatest, from Hungary to the Persian Gulf, and from North Africa to the Caucasus.Understanding the realization of Osman''s vision is essential for anyone who seeks to understand the modern world.Trade Review'An absorbing, monumental story . . . a reliable, authoritative account . . . a balanced assessment of the Ottomans . . . a marvellous achievement, which deserves to provoke widespread debate' * Jerry Brotton, BBC History magazine *A Turkish delight * Metro (London) *'Splendidly written . . . Finkel's intimacy with the material makes this the most authoritative narrative history of the empire yet published . . . Detailed . . . Her narrative focuses on the dynamics of the imperial story . . . lively analysis' * Jason Goodwin, Literary Review *'History written with a dynamic, modern feel and penetrating gaze' * Good Book Guide *Instructive . . . A fine single-volume account of a long and at times complicated period . . . Finkel clearly loves her subject * The Tablet *'The freshness of Finkel's history [is] striking. The secret, apart from an irresistible narrative style, is a generous openness to every aspect of Ottoman life and culture . . . What has often come across as an impossibly exotic procession of Viziers, Beys and Pashas is here brought vividly home to the reader' * Michael Kerrigan, The Scotsman *'Excellent' * The Times *

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Book SynopsisDiscover the extraordinary diaries of the real Anne Lister: the inspiration for Gentleman Jack and Emma Donoghue's new novel Learned By Heart'Engaging, revealing, at times simply astonishing' SARAH WATERS'[Anne Lister's] sense of self, and self-awareness, is what makes her modern to us . . . The diaries gave me courage' JEANETTE WINTERSON'The Lister diaries are the Dead Sea Scrolls of lesbian history' EMMA DONOGHUEWhen this volume of Anne Lister's diaries was first published in 1988, it was hailed as a vital piece of lost lesbian history. The editor, Helena Whitbread, had spent years painstakingly researching and transcribing Lister's extensive journals, much of which were written in an elaborate code - what Lister called her 'crypthand', which allowed her to record her life in intimate, and at times, explicit, detail. Until then, Anne Lister's lesbianism had been supressed or hinted at; this was the first time her story had been told. Anne Lister defied the role of nineteenth century womanhood: she was bold, fiercely independent, a landowner, industrialist, traveller and lesbian - a woman who lived her life on her own terms.These diaries include the years 1816-1824. The second volume, continuing Anne's story, THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS ANNE LISTER: NO PRIEST BUT LOVE, is now available.Trade Review[Anne Lister's] sense of self, and self-awareness, is what makes her modern to us. She was a woman exercising conscious choice. She controlled her cash and her body. At a time when women had to marry, or be looked after by a male relative, and when all their property on marriage passed to their husband, Anne Lister not only dodged the traps of being female, she set up a liaison with another woman that enhanced her own wealth and left both of them free to live as they wished . . . The diaries gave me courageThe Lister diaries are the Dead Sea Scrolls of lesbian history; they changed everything. By resurrecting them and editing them with such loving attention and intelligence, Helena Whitbread has earned the gratitude of a whole generation

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Book SynopsisThe first biography of pioneering female Pop Artist Pauline Boty.Trade Review“The Pop artist Pauline Boty was a mysterious beauty glimpsed in glossy British magazines, her work obscured by that beauty, her output cut short by her early death. Marc Kristal’s exceptional biography brings back to life one of the most compelling figures of sixties London. With exceptional research, intelligent empathy, a talent for contextualizing those times of change and a felicitous style, he brings the many tragedies of her story and the delicious inventions of her oeuvre into full and rewarding focus. One of the best books of its kind I have ever read.” -- Joan Juliet Buck (author)“How wonderful that one of those exciting and innovative women artists of the 60s should be recovered and celebrated in this way.” -- Julie Christie (actress)"All the years of [Marc’s] work…have made a book that captures the meaning of Pauline’s life and work as exactly as is possible." -- Caroline Coon (painter)"An astonishing, rich examination of a personality, a character completely thorough and balanced…The descriptions are vivid and faultless in tone and detail…Right in so many ways about [Boty’s] feminism and its ambiguities. A brilliant job." -- Richard Hollis (graphic designer)“I so enjoyed this… Manages to balance the artist, time period and personal life in a very engaging and original way.” -- Lynn Horsford (film producer) “The book brings Pauline back. I feel I know her now – her secrets, her excitements, her fears, the guys, the painting, the running away, the going forward. Marc Kristal is a magician, who remakes a time, and gives the people in it life again. I thought it was terrific.” -- Michael Lindsay-Hogg (director)“Moving, tenderly handled and illuminating… What has clearly been a labour of love.” -- Poppy Luard (production designer & art director)“I thoroughly enjoyed the book… Most of Pauline’s life and the development of Pop Art was new to me and I found it completely absorbing… The book is very nostalgic and brought the Cromwell Road scene back with a bang.” -- Margaret Matheson (film producer)“I am mightily impressed with [the] storytelling, the ease and forward-motion of [the] lively prose, and of course the tales of all three protagonists.” -- Gordon Rogoff (theatre director & critic)“In this absorbing biography, a vivid collage of voices, and a masterfully written narrative, combine to restore to prominence the life and work of an entirely remarkable woman.” -- Gay Talese (author)"Wonderfully evocative…This book brings Boty to life: brave, flirty and fizzing with promise." -- Laura Freeman, The Times of London“..a rich retelling of the short but intense career of this once-overlooked British Pop artist… an excellent portrait of a vital moment in culture. Kristal has devoted extensive research to the artist’s life and work, interviewing many contemporaries and sifting through copious archives. He has vividly reimaged the artistic milieu of the time, interspersing Boty’s biographical details with voices from the past, including the artist’s own writings.” -- Jonathan Bell, Wallpaper“A valuable and unusual addition to the literature on British Pop Art – and a necessary counterweight to the male domination of the movement.” -- Marco Livingstone (art historian)“Kristal’s book is a study of the fascinating, now distant ambiance of 1960s London, as well as of a unique figure from that time.” -- Martin Gayford, The Spectator * The Spectator *"A fascinating, informative, and illustrated biography... exceptionally well written and presented." * Midwest Book Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 SUBURBAN GIRL 2 WIMBLEDON BARDOT 3 AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART: PART 1 ‘The Place’ 4 AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART: PART 2 ‘Technicolor’ 5 AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART: PART 3 ‘La Boty’ 6 AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART: PART 4 ‘Capital-P Pop’ 7 AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART: PART 5 ‘To think I’ve got someone like that for a daughter!’ 8 HELLO, CRUEL WORLD 9 THE ART OF ACTING 10 BREAKTHROUGH 11 BREAKOUT 12 ‘A VERY CONFIDENT MAN’ 13 PERSONALITY ON TRIAL 14 PAULINE’S CHOICE 15 JOURNEY’S END 16 GONE Epilogue: Nothing Left in the World Index Acknowledgements Picture credits

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Book SynopsisDuring his remarkable life, Yousuf Karsh, who was born in Armenia in 1908, traveled the globe to photograph subjects ranging from historical figures to anonymous farmers to steelworks. Karsh: A Biography In Images is a full revision of the 1996 60-year retrospective of his work and brings that popular catalogue back into print in an affordable paperback format. This new edition covers the photographer''s career with greater breadth than its previous incarnation, adding works from his early experiments and his photojournalism commissions in Canada. Karsh''s reputation as one of the most sought-after portrait photographers of the twentieth century is well established. A roll call of his subjects is a veritable who''s who of the modern age--Winston Churchill, Jacqueline Kennedy, Pablo Picasso, Walt Disney, Elizabeth Taylor and Albert Einstein, to name just a few--and this book features many of these figures, in some of the most recognized images of our time. But added to the portra

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Book SynopsisRanulph Fiennes has entered the public imagination as the intrepid explorer par excellance. Taunted by his wife over the challenge of the never-before attempted circumpolar navigation of the globe, he set off in 1979 on a gruelling 52,000 mile adventure. Together with fellow members of 21 SAS regiment, Fiennes left from Greenwich, travelling over land, passing through both ends of the polar axis. Completed over three years later, it was the first circumpolar navigation of the globe, and justifiably entered Fiennes into the record books. TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH is the record of that journey. It captures the natural beauty of the landscapes they passed through, and the cameraderie that necessarily grows between men who had served in the British forces'' elite regiment and were now throwing themselves into danger of a different sort. Time and again, the expedition found themselves in life-threatening situations, weaving through the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean or sharing a single

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Book SynopsisA masterpiece of women’s wisdom.—Christiane Northrup, M.D. The journey to capture her feminine soul and live authentically . . . makes a fascinating, well-researched and well-written story.—Publishers WeeklyIn celebration of the twentieth anniversary of its publication, a newly reissued edition of the bestselling author’s classic work of feminine spiritual discovery, with a new introduction by the author.I was amazed to find that I had no idea how to unfold my spiritual life in a feminine way. I was surprised, and, in fact, a little terrified, when I found myself in the middle of a feminist spiritual reawakening.—Sue Monk KiddFor years, Sue Monk Kidd was a conventionally religious woman. Then, in the late 1980s, she experienced an unexpected awakening, and began a journey toward a feminine spirituality. With the exceptional storytelling skills that have helped make her name,

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Book SynopsisAn expansive and revelatory study of Robert Smithson’s life and the hidden influences on his iconic creations This first biography of the major American artist Robert Smithson, famous as the creator of the Spiral Jetty, deepens understanding of his art by addressing the potent forces in his life that were shrouded by his success, including his suppressed early history as a painter; his affiliation with Christianity, astrology, and alchemy; and his sexual fluidity. Integrating extensive investigation and acuity, Suzaan Boettger uncovers Smithson’s story and, with it, symbolic meanings across the span of his painted and drawn images, sculptures, essays, and earthworks up to the Spiral Jetty and beyond, to the circumstances leading to what became his final work, Amarillo Ramp.While Smithson is widely known for his monumental earthwork at the edge of the Great Salt Lake, Inside the Spiral delves into the arc of his artistic production, recognizing it as a response to his family’s history of loss, which prompted his birth and shaped his strange intelligence. Smithson configured his personal conflicts within painterly depictions of Christ’s passion, the rhetoric of science fiction, imagery from occult systems, and the impersonal posture of conceptual sculpture. Aiming to achieve renown, he veiled his personal passions and transmuted his professional persona, becoming an acclaimed innovator and fierce voice in the New York art scene.Featuring copious illustrations never before published of early work that eluded Smithson’s destruction, as well as photographs of Smithson and his wife, the noted sculptor Nancy Holt, and recollections from nearly all those who knew him throughout his life, Inside the Spiral offers unprecedented insight into the hidden impulses of one of modern art’s most enigmatic figures. With great sensitivity to the experiences of loss and existential strife that defined his distinct artistic language, this biographical analysis provides an expanded view of Smithson’s iconic art pilgrimage site and the experiences and works that brought him to its peculiar blood red water.Trade Review "Only someone who has immersed themselves in the life and art of Robert Smithson for forty years could have written a biography as deep and engaging as Inside the Spiral. Suzaan Boettger illuminates the artist’s religious thought, examines the complexities of his gender identity, and takes a psychoanalytic lens to his sources and esoteric symbolism, bringing coherence to our understanding of this remarkably complicated artist, his body of work, and his writings. A monumental achievement."—Jonathan Fineberg, University of the Arts, author of Modern Art at the Border of Mind and Brain "Suzaan Boettger’s long-awaited Inside the Spiral: The Passions of Robert Smithson is the first biography of this 'enantiomorphic' artist, whose oeuvre encompassed geological and sacred time alongside the moment of the snapshot, the 'dematerialized' theorizing and mapping of the non-site alongside the absolute site-specificity—viewable from outer space—of the Great Salt Lake. Boettger reveals fascinating and hitherto unexplored aspects of Smithson’s earliest formation, including his status as a 'replacement child' for a dead older brother, while her fearless exploration of the artist’s Christological bent, his hermeticism, and his difficult navigation of sexuality yields nuanced psychological insight. Unburdened by academic jargon, the work is supported by extensive reference to Smithson’s writings, notes, interviews, library, and other records, of which Boettger has long been recognized as the foremost scholar."—Judith Rodenbeck, University of California, Riverside "This book sheds important new light on Robert Smithson. Meticulously researched and wide-ranging in scope, it explores the intricate connections between Smithson’s personal history and his art. While revealing a great deal of new information about Smithson’s life and psychology, Suzaan Boettger also engages with his art in a focused and detailed way and writes about individual works with great perceptiveness. Readers will come away from this book with a fresh and enlarged understanding of Smithson’s life and art."—Jack Flam, editor of Robert Smithson: The Collected Writings"[An] extensive biography of an artist I have stood by for some fifty years which is impossible not to consider definitive, particularly in its investigation of the artist’s unconscious as well as conscious motives."—Joseph Masheck, The Brooklyn Rail "That his art appears larger after reading Inside the Spiral is as much credit to his own capacious imagination as it is to Boettger’s ingenious attempts to contain it."—Artforum"Inside the Spiral is one of the most informative and well written biographies I have ever had the pleasure of reading. To use the American vernacular, Suzaan Boettger can write like 'hot-damn'!" —Robert Maddox-Harle, Leonardo Reviews

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Revealing...Fuller could come across as a selfless seer, almost a secular saint; in Nevala-Lee’s biography he is all too human...The strength of this carefully researched and fair-minded biography is that the reader comes away with a greater understanding of a deeply complicated individual who overcame obstacles—many of his own making—to achieve a kind of imperfect greatness.” — Witold Rybczynski, New York Times "Alec Nevala-Lee is a sure-footed guide to a dizzying life. He eschews mythmaking, laying out the way Fuller burnished his own legend by rewriting history and slighting the contributions of his collaborators. Clear-eyed about his subject’s faults, Mr Nevala-Lee nevertheless gives him his due as a dazzlingly original thinker...The portrait the author paints is compelling...[Fuller] comes alive in these pages as a visionary who rose above his imperfections to labour for the benefit of humankind." — The Economist “Brilliant...Alec Nevala-Lee’s writing is as serene and precise as one of Fuller’s geodesic domes...A genuinely groundbreaking book full of surprises.” — Esquire “Nevala-Lee is something of an expert in a very specific type: twentieth-century men, working on the fringes of stem careers, who channeled the technological optimism of the years between World War I and the 1970s into careers as media icons…A labor of love…Meticulous and clearly written.” — New Republic "It requires a Dymaxion biographer to take the full measure of Buckminster Fuller—the huckster-visionary who finally made good on (at least some of) his dizzying schemes and changed the world. In his effervescent Inventor of the Future, Alec Nevala-Lee proves himself Bucky’s match, debunking myths and ferreting out deeper truths at every twist and turn of this remarkable saga of an unlikely rise to global fame and influence. Nevala-Lee is the rare biographer of a 'great man' who successfully links private and public life, showing how Fuller’s incomparable genius was both innate and inspired by the synergy of meetings with a cast of brilliant characters, a Who’s Who of the twentieth century’s modernist intelligentsia. For Fuller, a better future was never beyond imagining, an optimism this fine biography makes contagious." — Megan Marshall, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Margaret Fuller: A New American Life "Buckminster Fuller was part design guru, part visionary futurist, part bold technocrat, part New England patrician and part insecure striver. Until now we have never had a book about him that portrays the full extent of his complex and contradictory character, and explains how he could be at once a quirky iconoclast and an inspiration to technological empires. Alec Nevala-Lee’s beautifully written Inventor of the Future is the perceptive, nuanced biography of Fuller that we have needed, and it is as engaging to read as Fuller's extraordinary geodesic domes are to look at." — Paul Goldberger, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Building Art: The Life and Work of Frank Gehry “Various friends and acolytes wrote books about Fuller in his lifetime, but until now there has never been a thoroughgoing biography…Carefully researched…Nevala-Lee compares Fuller to Steve Jobs, a design visionary, and Elon Musk—both ‘outsiders who disrupted established fields’—as well as Jeff Bezos.” — James Gleick, The New York Review of Books "Ever the optimist, ever the outsider, Fuller never tired of trying to pull humanity toward a better future. Alec Nevala-Lee’s authoritative biography...tells Fuller’s story in greater detail than ever." — Wall Street Journal "Alec Nevala-Lee’s new biography, Inventor of the Future, fact-checks Fuller’s legend and then corrects the record...He resists the hypnotic whirlpool surrounding Fuller...A bedazzling cobweb of who’s who in 20th-century America." — Pradeep Niroula, Los Angeles Review of Books “Novelist, biographer, and science-fiction writer Nevala-Lee draws on abundant archival material to fashion a thoroughly researched, comprehensive biography of architect, inventor, and “serial entrepreneur” R. Buckminster Fuller….A perceptive and cleareyed biography of a unique figure.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "This probing biography of Buckminster Fuller distinguishes man from myth while giving the iconic designer and futurist due credit for influencing generations of big thinkers...Nevala-Lee diligently emphasizes Fuller’s contradictions...but he also persuasively demonstrates that, in the end, none of Fuller’s epic shortcomings would matter. Fuller’s most enduring creation was his own ethos, that of the free-thinking futurist whose design solutions would solve the planet’s problems. Such ideas would take deep root, especially in Silicon Valley, even if the math never quite worked out." — Booklist (starred review) "A clear-eyed portrait of the cult of (tech) personality that reads very 2022." — Chicago Tribune, "Books for Summer 2022" "Novelist Nevala-Lee (Astounding) offers a cogent assessment of futurist Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983), “a man who had been revered by both the counterculture and the establishment” in this solid biography...a fascinating portrait of a larger-than-life figure." — Publishers Weekly "This new biography of the multi-hyphenate American icon and futurist promises to dig deep into both his professional and personal life and frames him as the father of startup culture, showing how his ideas infected Silicon Valley and still hold sway today—whether you live in a geodesic dome or not." — Lit Hub, "Most Anticipated Books of 2022, Part Two" “Nevala-Lee draws a revealing portrait of the Buckminster Fuller behind the legend. It encompasses both Fuller’s passions and his foibles. Placing Fuller where he belongs in the pantheon of America’s inventors, Inventor of the Future is the first complete portrait of both the man and the myth.” — John Markoff, author of Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand "This is a deceptively artful book of circuitous tensions and great circles (which the author uses as beautiful chapter titles and section headings) where, finally, all the loops and time-bends of Buckminster Fuller's improbable life come close to merging into one." — Paul Hendrickson, author of Plagued by Fire: The Dreams and Furies of Frank Lloyd Wright "Nevala-Lee brings back to life one of the most influential American minds of the twentieth century—revealing both the brilliance and the flaws that are contributing to the bold and radical technological reimagining of how we think and live." — David Edwards, author of Creating Things That Matter: The Art and Science of Innovations That Last "Revealing . . . Utterly fascinating . . . An important biography and entertaining read from start to finish." — Analog Science Fiction and Fact "This exhaustive biography of mastermind architect Buckminster Fuller sheds light on the origins of some of his most notable works. While the book looks back on interviews and unpublished documents from Fuller’s lifetime and career, Fuller himself will always be remembered for looking toward the future." — The Architect's Newspaper

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Book SynopsisBen Mezrich is the New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires and Bringing Down the House in addition to many other books, both fiction and non-fiction. The major motion picture 21, starring Kevin Spacey, was based on Bringing Down the House. The Oscar-winning film The Social Network was adapted from The Accidental Billionaires. Mezrich lives in Boston with his wife and son.Trade Review... Bringing Down the House is a can't-miss deal -- Lorenzo CarcaterraA surreal cacophony of glamour, suspense and, eventually, terror. Part Tom Clancy, part Elmore Leonard...Gripping * The List *The tale laid out in Bringing Down the House is so beguiling, so agreeably reminiscent of, say Ocean's Eleven or House of Games that you find yourself mentally casting the parts as you read along... A fine yarn' Sunday TimesA lively tale that could pass for thriller fiction ... Mezrich's skilled yet easy writing draws sweat to the reader's brow * Rocky Mountain News *Bringing Down the House has a sensational story to tell * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisChristopher Isherwood was born in 1904. He began to write at university and later moved to Berlin, where he gave English lessons to support himself. He witnessed first hand the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazi party in Germany and some of his best works, such as Mr. Norris Changes Trains and Goodbye to Berlin, draw on these experiences. He created the character of Sally Bowles, later made famous as the heroine of the musical Cabaret. Isherwood travelled with W.H Auden to China in the late 1930s before going with him to America in 1939. He died on 4 January 1986. His novel A Single Man was recently made into an award-winning film by Tom Ford, starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.Trade ReviewIsherwood has reinvented the spirit of devotion for the modern reader. If I had to propose a candidate for canonization, Isherwood - wry, self-conscious, scrupulously honest - would get my vote -- Edmund White * New York Times *A masterpiece of spiritual memoir * Los Angeles Times *What emerges is a record of a religious adventure that would have delighted Kierkegaard... Isherwood rejects conventional piety - all the humdrum apparatus of worship - in favor of a direct, even jaunty appreciation of how preposterous, certainly precarious, spirituality can be today. * New York Times *The sacred and the profane collide like never before -- Giles Foden * Conde Nast Traveller *

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Book SynopsisA precocious American youth who entered the orbit of American and British expatriates populating Paris and the South of France in the 1920s, George Platt Lynes went on to become a supremely assured portrait photographer documenting the great figures of literature, painting, opera, and dance of mid-twentieth century. This new biography tells his story in full.Trade ReviewIn 1927, Lynes had met a couple, Glenway Wescott and Monroe Wheeler, eventually a writer and an arts administrator (at the Museum of Modern Art in New York) respectively. .... The following year he joined them in the south of France. The relationship became triangular, though not equilaterally: poor Wescott was somewhat edged to one side, even though the three of them lived together for more than a decade. As Ellenzweig rightly comments, 'these three men designed a way of life that appears as inventively bohemian as the roundelay of London's Bloomsbury Group.' ... Both scholarly and gossipy, this book has a cast of hundreds ... but Ellenzweig marshals his material with a steady hand. * Gregory Woods, Emeritus Professor of Gay & Lesbian Studies, Nottingham Trent University, UK, and author of Homintern: How Gay Culture Liberated the Modern World *This book is rich in details about his life and the world that produced him. It is the sort of book that you can open to a random page and be caught by some detail that will have you racing to Google to learn more... For anybody looking to study or recreate gay life in the mid 20th century, this is a deluxe road map. * Skot Armstrong, ArtilleryMag.com *Ellenzweig spent many years researching his Lynes book, and his energy and enthusiasm for his subject never flag. He is a tireless scholar, but he is also an insightful critic who can do a close read of any of the Lynes photos printed in the book and make you understand them more intimately. I read George Platt Lynes: The Daring Eye slowly because I didn't want it to end. This is a significant and painstaking and immersive book, shining a light on all aspects of a very flawed man who himself was one of the first artists to shine a light on the beauty of the male form in photographs. * Dan Callahan, Out In Print *Ellenzweig's splendid biography shows more thoroughly than ever before the full range of his talent. * Joseph M. Ortiz, The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide *One of the great virtues of Ellenzweig's sweeping book ... is that it's as much cultural history as personal biography. Lynes was able to photograph so many luminaries because he moved in their circles, and his evident talent made him a likely collaborator on many of their artistic projects. Ellenzweig provides in-depth accounts of these figures and projects as they came into Lynes' orbit, from Paul Cadmus' portrait of Lynes and their friends, to [Lincoln] Kirstein's establishment of the New York City Ballet under [George] Balanchine, and to the dazzling premier of Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein's opera Four Saints in Three Acts. In this respect The Daring Eye follows the model of Martin Duberman's The Worlds of Lincoln Kirstein and Jerry Rosco's Glenway Wescott Personally, two biographies of Lynes' friends that show the extent to which 20th-century art was driven by a transatlantic circle of gay friends and lovers. * Joseph M. Ortiz, Gay & Lesbian Review *Ellenzweig takes on a herculean task of carefully documenting the life of one of the unsung icons of gay imagery as well as that of a master photographer. * Jeffrey Felner, New York Journal of Books *George Platt Lynes: The Daring Eye bursts with detail about painters, sculptors, writers, photographers, performers, patrons and socialites during a thrilling time for art. From the end of World War I into the fifties, the emergence of modernism and expressionism profoundly influenced American and European culture. Allen Ellenzweig brings that world to life alongside George Platt Lyne's artistic brilliance, complex temperament and untamed sensuality. The book is a breathless ride. * Claudia Keenan, BookTrib (booktrib.com) *Ellenzweig gives the great photographer George Platt Lynes his full due in this intimate, expansive, richly detailed biography. Lynes lived a tragically short life but his work and friendships put him at the center of 20th century American history. His portraits of artists and his pioneering work in the male nude both receive here the attention they deserve.The book is an encyclopedia of cultural and social changes before, during, and after World War II, exploring not just photography, but literature, dance, music, fashion, museum life, and sexuality. The huge cast includes Gertrude Stein, Virgil Thomson, Paul Cadmus, Katherine Anne Porter, Cecil Beaton, Lincoln Kirstein, and Alfred Kinsey, as well as Lynes's lovers, Glenway Wescott and Monroe Wheeler. But my favorite figure is George's younger brother, Russell Lynes, the historian, who remained loyal and supportive to his charming, high-energy brother throughout his life * Christopher Bram, author of Father of Frankenstein *This masterly biography is a triumph of comprehensive research and highly sophisticated analysis. Ellenzweig's graceful, nuanced assessments expand our understanding not only of Lynes the individual, but of an entire epoch of cultural history. This is scholarship of the first rank, as well as psychological acuity of remarkable depth. * Martin Duberman, author of The Worlds of Lincoln Kirstein *At last! A sweeping biography of George Platt Lynes, whose exquisite fashion photography, portraits of major cultural figures, and male and female nudes have attracted considerable interest in recent years. Drawing on his extensive research in Lynes's intimate correspondence and journals, Ellenzweig has unearthed illuminating new details about the once charmed and ultimately tragic life of this daring mid-century photographer and his influential gay circle. * George Chauncey, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History, Columbia University, and author of Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940 *George Platt Lynes dramatically staged and photographed a cosmopolitan network of friends, collaborators, and lovers during the 1930s and 1940s, revolutionizing such genres as the male nude, dance photography, portraiture, and fashion photography. Allen Ellenzweig's deeply researched and engagingly written biography provides context for the (re)discovery of an influential modern culture-maker. * Tirza Latimer, Professor Emerita, History of Art and Visual Culture, California College of the Arts, San Francisco *Table of ContentsPart One: The Precocious Pup Chapter 1: Past is Prologue-1955 Chapter 2: Imperial Fantasies Chapter 3: The Great Barrington Boy Chapter 4: "Baby George" at the Stein Salon Chapter 5: Missing Miss Stein and Hating Yale Part Two: Three-Cornered Hats Chapter 6: The Triangle Takes Shape Chapter 7: The Hotel Welcome, Jean Cocteau, and the Return to Paris Chapter 8: A New Career Chapter 9: Camera Work Chapter 10: You've Got to Have Friends Chapter 11: Gertrude in Clover Amiably Chapter 12: Twice a Debutante Part Three: Three-Cornered Hats Times Two Chapter 13: The Mural Show and a Threat of Marriage Chapter 14: A Death in the Family Chapter 15: Four Saints and a ménage-à-trois Chapter 16: 50 Photographs and a Family Wedding without Pictures Chapter 17: A Country House; Cocteau in Coney Island; The Sleepwalker Chapter 18: A Return to Paris; Bachelor and PaJaMa Parties Part Four: The Height of Fashion Chapter 19: Models, Myths, 640 Madison Avenue Chapter 20: The Affair Beaton and a Conversation Piece Chapter 21: An Anthology of Faces at Pierre Matisse Part Five: Battles on the Homefront Chapter 22: The War Comes Home Chapter 23: Breaking Away Chapter 24: Fortune Tellers and Paying Debts Chapter 25: "Finis" Part Six: Paradise Lost Chapter 26: Exiles in Paradise Chapter 27: Vogue-vagueness Chapter 28: Dr. Kinsey, E.M. Forster, and Bob: the dinner party Chapter 29: Pornographers, Visual and Verbal Chapter 30: The Great Barrington Boy II Chapter 31: A Naked Legacy Chapter 32: Vapors and Friends Chapter 33: A Gutsy and Courageous Performance Index

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Book SynopsisVeronica Franco was a 16th-century Venetian beauty, poet, and protofeminist. This collection presents the eroticism and eloquence that set her apart from the chaste, silent woman prescribed by Renaissance gender ideology.

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Book SynopsisA timely and provocative essay about the parallel lives of Rosa Luxemburg and Hannah Arendt and their mission for a more humane societyTrade Review“An intimate and timely meditation on dark times, Hermsen’s illuminating essay offers readers a way to think with Hannah Arendt and Rosa Luxemburg about how to build a more humane world in common.”—Samantha Rose Hill, author of Hannah Arendt“In this profoundly beautiful book, Joke J. Hermsen offers a poignant analysis of Hannah Arendt and Rosa Luxemburg as they model thinking undeterred by fear. Advocating for love and collective responsibility for the world as a shared object of attention, Hermsen illuminates the ways that these two Jewish women geniuses enacted freedom in the only way we can—with others.”—Jane Anna Gordon, coeditor (with Drucilla Cornell) of Creolizing Rosa Luxemburg“In A Good and Dignified Life, the noted Dutch writer Joke J. Hermsen provides us with a tour d’horizon of our current social and political ills through the lens of two clear-eyed partisans of hope: Rosa Luxemburg and Hannah Arendt. Focusing on public freedom, the self-organization of ordinary citizens, and the need to combat the ever-increasing hegemony of the economic over the political sphere of life, this unique work surveys the current scene—and the seemingly dim future prospects that confront us—with a renewed appreciation of the promise of politics and of ‘acting together, acting in concert.’”—Dana Villa, University of Notre DamePraise for Joke J. Hermsen: “Despite the weight of the subject, Joke Hermsen succeeds in continuing to captivate her readers.”—Yves Joris, Tzum “Hermsen writes in long, full sentences, which are pregnant with meaning and at the same time remain flexible. You glide through the language, you sink into it wonderfully.”—Fleur Speet, De Morgen “Engagingly and with great vitality, Hermsen charts the richness of our inner lives.”—NRC Handelsblad

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Book Synopsis“I’m a simple village girl who has always obeyed the orders of my father and brothers. Since forever, I have learned to say yes to everything. Today I have decided to say no.” Nujood Ali''s childhood came to an abrupt end in 2008 when her father arranged for her to be married to a man three times her age. With harrowing directness, Nujood tells of abuse at her husband''s hands and of her daring escape. With the help of local advocates and the press, Nujood obtained her freedom—an extraordinary achievement in Yemen, where almost half of all girls are married under the legal age. Nujood''s courageous defiance of both Yemeni customs and her own family has inspired other young girls in the Middle East to challenge their marriages. Hers is an unforgettable story of tragedy, triumph, and courage.

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Book SynopsisAndrew ''Freddie'' Flintoff is one of the most exciting cricketers in the world and has improved out of all recognition during the last two years. In 2003, he was England''s best player at the World Cup. Then, explosively, he lit up the second half of the summer in 2004, lifting spirits at Lord''s with a bat-smashing 142. He walked off with the England man of the series award and averages to flaunt. This book marks his story so far in his own words, taking us up to and including the summer of 2005, during which Flintoff has performed heroics with both bat and ball against Australia. Freddie will highlight the moments and matches in his career that helped him dramatically on his way forward, and reveals what it is like to play for one of the most successful England cricket teams in history.Trade Review'Freddie's book will knock those currently in the bestsellers' list for six.' * Daily Telegraph *'"Being Freddie" is a good enjoyable read...' * Leatherhead Advertiser *'If ever a book demonstrated the single-mindedness needed to be a successful sportsperson, Andrew Flintoff's memoir is it.' * The Times *

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Book SynopsisWith her inimitable wit and outspoken views, Clarissa Dickson Wright opens her diary and takes us on a journey around Britain with this unrivalled collection of stories and anecdotes from her ever-eventful life. As celebrated cook and champion of the countryside, Clarissa''s year includes being propositioned by a burly greyhound courser, meeting the Chairman of the Sandringham branch of the WI, a fishing terrier called Kipper and taking on the Health & Safety officials at a rain-drenched County Show. Criss-crossing the country she introduces us to long-forgotten traditions and colourful local festivals as she meets up with extraordinary characters and friends old and new. Entertaining, poignant, but never politically correct, RIFLING THROUGH MY DRAWERS is a breath of fresh air and proves once again why Clarissa is one of the nation''s true treasures.Trade ReviewA wealth of hilarious anecdotes and observations * Unite Magazine *Delightfully outrageous * Scotsman *The lady speaks her mind, whether it be on how literary festivals exploit authors or the idiocy of the Iraq war. The book is thus guaranteed to annoy everybody. And yet she gets away with it. The reasons are her honesty, courage and also the respect accorded to the Great British Eccentric, especially when posh. She will probably end up classified by the National Trust. * The Sunday Age *informative, entertaining and forthright * Manchester Evening News *It is amusingly unruly, with so many digressions and diversions that all the reader can do is go along for the ride and hope that by the end it all makes sense. Which it does, in a haphazard kind of way. * Sydney Morning Herald *Larger than life and bubbling with caustic wit, Clarissa Dickson Wright is just the person to break through the recessionary gloom and make you chuckle. * Good Book Guide *

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Book SynopsisDespite an unconventional childhood, she has built a life and career of her own that millions of fans admire.Wildflower is a portrait of Drew’s life in stories as she looks back on the adventures, challenges and incredible experiences she’s had.Trade ReviewPure delight … If until now you merely liked Barrymore … you’ll adore her once you read this series of personal essays * New York Times Book Review *As delightful as Drew Barrymore herself * Red magazine *The book is a deeply thoughtful and fun page-turner—like a rich dessert that also happens to be good for you. * InStyle *Very moving * Guardian *[Barrymore] brings honesty, sweetness, and humor to the tale of how she fought to earn the hard-won wisdom that steered her from being a 12-year-old former child star to becoming a beloved actor… a warm and inviting narrative. * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisWhat would we learn if animals could tell their own stories? Eric Baratay, a pioneering researcher in animal histories in France, applies his knowledge of historical methodologies to give voice to some of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries’ most interesting animals.

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Book SynopsisA heartwarming true story of a small kitten who helped a family overcome tragedy and who, over the next 24 years, became that loving family's high priestess and guardian.Trade ReviewPossibly the next Marley & Me, Cleo, is an honest and un-mawkish true story of ordinary people rebuilding their lives after a tragedy, with the help of a kitten. Even non cat-lovers will be moved. * Good Housekeeping *Cat-lovers will be charmed and amused by Brown's lively description of the imperious way in which Cleo reconfigured a distraught household. And her generous and . . . admirably unsentimental account of Cleo's long life is a salutary reminder of the gratitude we humans owe to our companion animals. * Daily Mail *Possibly the next Marley and Me, Cleo, is an honest and un-mawkish true story of ordinary people rebuilding their lives after a tragedy, with the help of a kitten. Even non cat-lovers will be moved. * Good Housekeeping *Cat-lovers will be charmed and amused . . . a salutary reminder of the gratitude we humans owe to our companion animals. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe Woman They Wanted recounts the remarkable story of Shannon Harris' courtship with Joshua Harris (author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye), her grappling with conservative Christianity's patriarchy and narrow definition of womanhood, and her journey to break free and reclaim a more authentic version of herself.

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Book SynopsisThe riveting biography of Burl Osborne, former chairman of The Associated Press and publisher of The Dallas Morning News, who waged and won one of the last great newspaper wars in the U.S.Burl is the story of one man’s unlikely rise from the coal mines of Appalachia to the pinnacle of journalism. After being diagnosed with a fatal kidney disease as a child, Burl Osborne pioneered home dialysis treatment and became the 130th person to undergo a live kidney transplant in 1966—then an unproven, high-risk operation.While managing his challenging illness, Burl distinguished himself early as a writer and reporter with The Associated Press, eventually rising to the top of the wire service’s executive ranks. Then, against the advice of his colleagues and the newspaper’s own doctors, he sought an even greater challenge: joining The Dallas Morning News to lead the fight in one of America’s last great newspaper wars. Throughout his life and career, he garnered respect from business and political leaders, reporters, editors, and publishers around the country. Burl thrusts readers into the improbable and remarkable life of a man at the forefront of both medicine and the golden age of journalism. Trade ReviewBurl Osborne was a man of talent, determination, and courage against obstacles. All those qualities are reflected in this book. He was a friend and valued colleague—a man I admired. (Walter R. Mears, Associated Press reporter for forty-five years and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist)"Wolfe (The Murchisons) does justice in this comprehensive biography to the inspiring life of journalist Burl Osborne (1937–2012), who during his career led both the Associated Press and the Dallas Morning News. Born in a Kentucky coal camp, Osborn suffered a bad case of strep throat at age six, wasn’t expected to survive his teen years, and suffered kidney disease, eventual failure, and frequent dialysis. He nevertheless overcame the odds and enrolled in college in 1956, where a chance question from a professor—“Anybody here want to be a cub reporter?”—sparked his career. In 1957, he joined The Ashland Daily Independent, which led to his job at the AP. He climbed the ladder, becoming managing editor in 1977 and being elected chairman by 2001. Meanwhile, his tenure at the Dallas Morning News, which started in 1980, was so successful it ran its city rival out of business. Photos and excerpts from Osborne’s own writing bring his colorful personality to life: he captured the nation’s attention, for example, with reports on a man in West Virginia who nearly lost his dog in a mine shaft but emerged “half laughing and almost crying as he carried his 3-year-old rabbit hound off the mountain.” The result is a moving testament to a consequential figure." (Publishers Weekly)Burl was wildly unique . . . I’ve never met anyone in the media business like him. He was the real deal. (Morton H. Meyerson, former executive of Electronic Data Systems and current chairman of 2M Companies, Inc)Today, more than ever, America needs more Burl Osbornes . . . tough, demanding but compassionate, a fighter, a competitor, and a newsman committed to reporting the news in a balanced, honest,and fair manner. (Dolph C. Simons, Jr., editor of The Lawrence Journal-World and chairman of the World Company)Burl served on the board of CPJ for fifteen years . . . [He] had an uncanny ability to identify the key issues, ask the relevant questions, and build a consensus around an informed decision. It was a marvelto watch him work . . . His service contributed enormously to . . . the defense of persecuted journalists around the world seeking to bring the truth to light. (Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists)Every word in Burl rang true to me. I could almost hear him speaking in my ear. I laughed many times and cried a few as well. (Linda Quick, Burl Osborne's longtime friend, business associate, and retired executive vice president of marketing for Foley's department store chain)

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Book SynopsisThe captivating biography of one of the most important designers of the twentieth century - adapted for Sky Cinema starring Phoebe Dynevor, Matthew Goode and David Morrissey Clarice Cliff was one of the most prominent ceramic designers of the twentieth century. Born in 1899 in the Staffordshire Potteries, she started work as just another factory girl, but by 1928 had launched her own range of pottery, ‘Bizarre'. A ‘gargantuan feast of colour', it blazed a trail through the homes of inter-war Britain. But if Clarice Cliff's rise from apprentice gilder to art director was remarkable - and all the more so for her being a woman - it was not without its tensions; for years she conducted a secret relationship with her married boss. Fusing art, design and industry and vividly conveying the texture of women's lives between the wars, this is a compelling study of the complex, talented woman whose work is for many the epitome of art deco.Trade Review‘A thoughtful and fascinating biography, packed with fabulous pictures' * Image *‘Knight deftly uses Cliff's life and work as a way to view broader currents in Britain: increased social mobility, greater (though still limited) independence for women, and changes in domesticity towards smaller houses and fewer servants. At the centre is Cliff herself, a woman who inspired admiration as well as snobbish opprobrium for her vivid designs and ambitiousness' * Financial Times *‘Knight's evocative life of Clarice Cliff is both biography and social analysis and it reads like a very sophisticated folk tale ...[She] has done wonders in building up a picture of a woman of exceptional self-reliance and determination' * Fiona MacCarthy, Guardian *‘A fascinating read' * Time Out *

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Book SynopsisAn international bestseller, the joys and challenges of a life dedicated to conservation are vividly described in The Elephants of Thula Thula by Françoise Malby-Anthony, owner of the Thula Thula reserve.'Enthralling' - Daily Mail‘Somehow, the elephants got into my soul, and it became my life’s work to see them safe and happy. There was no giving up on that vision, no matter how hard the road was at times.’Françoise Malby-Anthony is the owner of a game reserve in South Africa with a remarkable family of elephants whose adventures have touched hearts around the world.The herd’s feisty matriarch Frankie knows who’s in charge at Thula Thula, and it’s not Francoise. But when Frankie becomes ill, and the authorities threaten to remove or cull some of the herd if the reserve doesn’t expand, Françoise is in a race against time to save her beloved elephants . . .The search is on to get a girlfriend for orphaned rhino Thabo – and then, as his behaviour becomes increasingly boisterous, a big brother to teach him manners.Françoise realizes a dream with the arrival of Savannah the cheetah – an endangered species not seen in the area since the 1940s – and finds herself rescuing meerkats kept as pets. But will Thula Thula survive the pandemic, an invasion from poachers and the threat from a mining company wanting access to its land?As Françoise faces her toughest years yet, she realizes once again that with their wisdom, resilience and communal bonds, the elephants have much to teach us.Trade ReviewFrançoise’s descriptions of the empathetic behaviour of elephants, both towards each other and towards the humans who love them, are beguiling * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisNot a typical biography, Ralph Steadman examines Freud using Freud's 1905 essay on Jokes and illustrates his points with 75 drawings. The result is a masterful interplay of text and illustration, visual and verbal puns, and unexpected insight. One genius takes on another. In what is a thoroughly atypical biography, Ralph Steadman examines Freud using his 1905 book The Joke and Its Relation to the Unconscious to illustrate his points with 75 illustrations. The result is a masterful interplay of text and illustration, visual and verbal puns, and unexpected insight. Sigmund Freud bursts defiantly and gleefully beyond the bounds of orthodox biography. It is a wildly humorous exercise in bending, stretching and speculating on the activities of the so-called Father of Psychoanalysis. Ralph Steadman wields his shrewd wit and fierce pen to highlight the ebbs and tides of Freud's life and career from early childhood to the moment of death. But there's a twist. Rich illustrations and witty text work hand in hand to transform each scene into a "joking situation," which the artist hilariously examines according to the techniques wielded by Freud himself in his 1905 book on humour and the unconscious mind. The result is a fantastic Freudian festival of visual and verbal puns, unexpected insights, and sheer intellectual enjoyment. Sigmund Freud is superbly illustrated with more than 50 major drawings and 25 vignettes by a renowned master of the pen. It remains one of the most original illustrated books of our times and a Ralph Steadman classic. AUTHOR: Ralph Steadman has been a cartoonist since 1956, starting as a caustic observer of Britain's political and social scene. He is well known as the illustrator of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Steadman's work appears regularly in newspapers and magazines, including Rolling Stone and the Atlantic Monthly, and his many published books include Tales of the Weirrd and Alice in Wonderland.

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Book SynopsisThe revered Buddhist teacher examines the life of Guru Rinpoche and the awakened state of mind known as "crazy wisdom"Chögyam Trungpa describes "crazy wisdom" as an innocent state of mind that has the quality of early morning—fresh, sparkling, and completely awake. This fascinating book examines the life of Padmasambhava, or Guru Rinpoche—the revered Indian teacher who brought Buddhism to Tibet—to illustrate the principle of crazy wisdom. From this profound point of view, spiritual practice does not provide comfortable answers to pain or confusion. On the contrary, painful emotions can be appreciated as a challenging opportunity for new discovery. In particular, the author discusses meditation as a practical way to uncover one''s own innate wisdom.

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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.

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