Biography: general Books

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Book SynopsisA fascinating collection of pivotal interviews with the most influential leader of the Civil Rights Movement.

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Book SynopsisIn January of 1979, the great soul artist Donny Hathaway fell fifteen stories from a window of Manhattan’s Essex House Hotel in an alleged suicide. He was 33 years old and everyone he worked with called him a genius. Best known for “A Song for You,” “This Christmas,” and classic duets with Roberta Flack, Hathaway was a composer, pianist, and singer committed to exploring “music in its totality.” His velvet melisma and vibrant sincerity set him apart from other soul men of his era while influencing generations of singers and fans whose love affair with him continues to this day. The first nonfiction book about Hathaway, Donny Hathaway Live uses original interviews, archival material, musical analysis, cultural history, and poetry to tell the story of Hathaway’s life, from his beginnings as a gospel wonder child to his final years. But its focus is the brutally honest, daringly gorgeous music he created as he raced the clock of mental illness—especially in the performances captured on his 1972 album Donny Hathaway Live. That album testifies to Hathaway’s uncanny ability to amplify the power and beauty of his songs in the moment of live performance. By exploring that album, we see how he generated a spiritual experience for those present at his shows, and for those with the privilege to listen in now.Trade ReviewA more than welcome addition to the Hathaway legend. * Echoes Magazine *A brilliant and revealing new book on one of my faves of all time: the inimitable Donny Hathaway. -- Michael Eric Dyson, academic, author, and radio hostTable of ContentsTrack Listing Acknowledgments II. Overture: Endings III. Prelude: “A Song for You” IV. First Movement: Beginnings V. Second Movement: Donny Hathaway Live VI. Third Movement: More Live VII. Last Movement: Afterlives Notes

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

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Book SynopsisFor fans of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and Meg-John Barker’s Queer, Fine is an essential graphic memoir about the intricacies of gender identity and expression. As Rhea Ewing neared university graduation in 2012, they became consumed by the question: What is gender? This obsession sparked a quest in their quiet Midwest town, where they anxiously approached both friends and strangers for interviews to turn into comics. A decade later, their project has exploded into a fantastical and informative portrait of a surprisingly vast community spread across the America. Questions such as How do you identify? invited deep and honest accounts of adolescence, taking hormones, changing pronouns—and how these experiences can differ depending on culture, race and religion. Amidst beautifully rendered scenes emerges Ewing’s own visceral story growing up in rural Kentucky, grappling with their identity as a teenager and ultimately finding themself through art—and by creating something this very fine.

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Book SynopsisA landmark biography of the most famous Italian journalist of the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisA remarkable recounting of a human journey through an inhumane world.What does it mean to be a “refugee”? It is easy for those who live in relative freedom to ignore or even to villainize people who have been forced to flee their homes. After all, it can be hard to identify with others’ experiences when you haven’t been in their shoes.In Hakim’s Odyssey, we see firsthand how war can make anyone a refugee. Hakim, a successful young Syrian who had his whole life ahead of him, tells his story: how war forced him to leave everything behind, including his family, his friends, his home, and his business. After the Syrian uprising in 2011, Hakim was arrested and tortured, his town was bombed, his business was seized by the army, and members of his family were arrested or disappeared. This first leg of his odyssey follows Hakim as he travels from Syria to Lebanon, Lebanon to Jordan, and Jordan to Turkey, where he struggles to earn a living and dreams of one day returning to his home.This graphic novel is necessary reading for our time. Alternately hopeful and heartbreaking, Hakim’s Odyssey is a story about what it means to be human in a world that sometimes fails to be humane.Trade Review“[A] stupendous testimony of survival.”—starred review Booklist“Thrilling, contemplative, tragic, and inspirational.”—Peter Dabbene Foreword Reviews“Hakim’s story adds to the growing body of graphic literature on the refugee experience, with insightful perspective on how an ordinary life can crumble.”—Publishers Weekly“A beautiful book. Hakim’s Odyssey is deeply personal and superbly researched. I loved reading it.”—Benjamin Worku-Dix,author of Vanni: A Family’s Struggle Through the Sri Lankan Conflict“An amazing, heartfelt story of one man’s journey to rebuild his life, and go from refugee to citizen in a new country.”—James Facer Diamond Bookshelf

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Book SynopsisJackie Goldschneider, star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, bravely chronicles her decades-long battle with anorexia and public journey to recovery in this unflinching, moving, and ultimately inspiring self-written memoir.All Jackie Goldschneider ever wanted was to be thin. As a child, she’d stand in front of the mirror, sucking in her stomach and arching her back to feel her ribs, praying to see a model-like figure looking back. As an obese teen, lonely and tormented by her weight, her doctor encouraged her to start dieting, ultimately leading to a prolonged battle with anorexia that nearly took her life. After decades of hiding her eating disorder from friends, family, and the world, Jackie is ready to expose the realities of her devastating struggle with anorexia, including the harrowing day-to-day tactics she employed to count calories and restrict meals, her struggles with fertility and pregnancy, the effects her eating disorder had on her relationships with her husband and children, and ultimately how, in a twist of fate, becoming a reality TV star saved her life. The Weight of Beautiful is Jackie’s personal story, but within it are also the stories of millions like her, striving to lead healthy, happy lives despite their eating disorders. In the vein of Unbearable Lightness, Hiding from Reality, and What Remains, The Weight of Beautiful is a moving testament of strength, honesty, and recovery.Trade Review“Hopeful and worthwhile… A courageously candid self-assessment." -- Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisIn real life, there is a person like “Anonymous”, who, for the sake of this story, I’ll call Huey Carmichael. I was friends with this person for a while before I learned about his other life. The real Huey knows more than a thing or two about the weed business. He keeps rules. The Business Secrets of Drug Dealing tells the story of a hyper-observant, politically-minded, but humorously pragmatic weed dealer who has spent a working life compiling rules for how to a) make money and b) avoid prison. Each rule shapes a chapter of this fast-paced outlaw tale, all delivered in Huey’s deliciously trenchant argot. Here are a few of them: • No guns but keep shooters. • Stay behind the white guy. • Don’t snitch. • Always have a job. • Be multi-sourced. • Get your money and get out. Part edge-of-the-seat suspense story, part how-to manual in the tradition of The Anarchist Cookbook, The Business Secrets of Drug Dealing is as scintillating as it is subversive. Just reading it feels illegal.Trade Review“Taibbi, a writer of striking intelligence and bold ideas, is as hilarious as he is scathing.” —Publishers Weekly “A welcome, lyrical defense of ‘coaxing a beautiful thing out of the ground and bringing it to your door.'” —The Bohemian“Lays bare the link between organised crime, the state and policing” —Morning Star “An entertaining fictional pusher reveals sobering real-life truths” —Washington Independent Review of Books“[An] honest and humane approach to the nasty business of business under contemporary capitalism” —People’s World

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Book SynopsisA daring and magnificent historical narrative nonfiction account of Iceland's most famous female sea captain who constantly fought for women's rights and equality-and who also solved one of the country's most notorious robberies.Every day was a fight for survival, equality, and justice for Iceland's most renowned female fishing captain of the 19th century.History would have us believe the sea has always been a male realm, the idea of female captains almost unthinkable. But there is one exception, so notable she defies any expectation.This is her remarkable story.Captain Thurídur, born in Iceland in 1777, lived a life that was both controversial and unconventional. Her first time fishing, on the open unprotected rowboats of her time, was at age 11. Soon after, she audaciously began wearing trousers. She later became an acclaimed fishing captain brilliant at weather-reading and seacraft and consistently brought in the largest catches. In the Arctic seas where drownings occurred with terrifying regularity, she never lost a single crewmember. Renowned for her acute powers of observation, she also solved a notorious crime. In this extremely unequal society, she used the courts to fight for justice for the abused, and in her sixties, embarked on perilous journeys over trackless mountains.Weaving together fastidious research and captivating prose, Margaret Willson reveals Captain Thurídur's fascinating story, her extraordinary courage, intelligence, and personal integrity.Through adventure, oppression, joy, betrayal, and grief, Captain Thurídur speaks a universal voice. Here is a woman so ahead of her times she remains modern and inspirational today. Her story can now finally be told.

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Book SynopsisChristian Dior: The Illustrated World of a Fashion Master is a stunning illustrated biography of legendary designer Christian Dior from internationally renowned fashion illustrator Megan Hess.Discover the key moments of Dior's fascinating life and iconic items from the fashion world that he created. Dior's love of flowers, creativity, femininity and good-luck charms were woven into everything he designed, and his New Look remains iconic to this day.Elegantly enclosed by a hardback cover and ribbon, Megan's beautiful illustrations follow Dior through three distinct chapters: the highs and lows of his early life, set against a backdrop of bohemian and wartime Paris; the couture house that he built into an empire in just ten years; and the incredible legacy he left behind for one of fashion's most influential brands.Christian Dior is a celebration of a man whose life was as remarkable as the clothes that he created, brought to life on the page by the expert hand of Megan Hess.Trade ReviewMegan Hess's [book] stands out; rather than simply chronicling his life and times, the internationally renowned fashion artist has given us an illustrated account. * Homes and Interiors Scotland *

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Book SynopsisIn 2010, Sarah Marquis embarked on a perilous journey: alone and on foot, she walked ten thousand miles across the Gobi Desert, from Siberia, through Thailand, to the Australian outback.Relying on hunting and her own wits, she traversed fever-haunted jungles and scorching deserts, braved harassment from drug dealers, the Mafia, and camp raids from thieves on horseback. Surviving dehydration, dengue fever delirium and crippling infection, Sarah experienced a raw and spiritual communion after three years of walking at the base of a tree in the plains of Australia.Through an inspirational journey, Wild by Nature explores what it is to adventure as a woman in the most dangerous of circumstances, and what it is to be truly alone in the wild.Trade ReviewAn inspiring read. * Women's Fitness *Destined to become a classic in the travel writing genre. The descriptions of time and place are just detailed enough to become animated with life, and the author's courage is inspiring. * Library Journal (starred review) *Straightforward and forthright, this is adventure writing as it was meant to be. * Booklist *A vibrant epic, this wondrous book is, at its core, a story of resilience. Marquis is industrious, and I recommend this book to all people seeking to discover the massive magnitude of their own potential power. A triumph! -- Aspen Matis, author of GIRL IN THE WOODSIf you need inspiration to get off the couch, do that bike ride, tackle that trek or just push yourself out of your comfort zone, this book is the one to read. * Vacations and Travel *Wild By Nature is an incredible record of adventure, human ingenuity, persistence and resilience that shows firsthand what it is to journey as a woman in some of the most dangerous and inhospitable regions on the planet. * The Westerner *Wild by Nature tells the gripping story of one of National Geographic's Adventurers of the Year... An inspiring read! * Women's Fitness *

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Book SynopsisDuring the 60s Scoop, over 20,000 Indigenous children in Canada were removed from their biological families, lands and culture and trafficked across provinces, borders and overseas to be raised in non-Indigenous households.Ohpikiihaakan-ohpihmeh delves into the personal and provocative narrative of Colleen Cardinal's journey growing up in a non- Indigenous household as a 60s Scoop adoptee. Cardinal speaks frankly and intimately about instances of violence and abuse throughout her life, but this book is not a story of tragedy. It is a story of empowerment, reclamation and, ultimately, personal reconciliation. It is a form of Indigenous resistance through truth-telling, a story that informs the narrative on missing and murdered Indigenous women, colonial violence, racism and the Indigenous child welfare system.

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Book SynopsisIn 1909, the largest department store in London's West End, designed and built from scratch, opened in Oxford Street in a glorious burst of publicity. The mastermind behind the façade was American retail genius Harry Gordon Selfridge: maverick businessman, risk-taker, dandy and one of the greatest showmen the retail world has ever known. His talents were to create the seduction of shopping, and as his success and fame grew, so did his glittering lifestyle: mansions, yachts, gambling, racehorses - and mistresses. From the glamour of Edwardian England, through the turmoil of the Great War and the heady excesses of the 1920s and beyond, Selfridges Department Store was 'a theatre with the curtain going up at 9 o'clock each morning'. Mr Selfridge reveals the captivating story of the rise and fall of the man who revolutionised the way we shop. The third series of Mr Selfridge will air on ITV in January 2015. 'Lively and entertaining' Sunday Telegraph 'Will change your view of shopping forever' Vogue 'Harry Selfridge revolutionised the way we shop ... fascinating' Daily MailTrade ReviewIn this energetic and wonderfully detailed biography, Lindy Woodhead ... provides an enthralling description of fashion, politics, music and dance, the arts, the sciences advertising and the use of the media, during the decades before the Second war. * Evening Standard *A rich social history of a time of great change * Spectator Business *A fascinating biographical, as well as sociological, study -- Independent on Sunday

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Book SynopsisBook of the Year in The Economist, Guardian, New Statesman, Wall Street Journal and New York Times.Shortlisted for the Duff Cooper Prize, the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography and the British Society for the History of Science Hughes Prize.'A wonderful book about one of the most important, brilliant and flawed scientists of the 20th century.' Peter Frankopan'Superb' Matt Ridley, The Times'Fascinating... The best Haldane biography yet.' New York TimesJ.B.S. Haldane's life was rich and strange, never short on genius, never lacking for drama. He is best remembered as a geneticist who revolutionized our understanding of evolution, but his peers thought him a polymath; one student called him 'the last man who knew all there was to be known'.Beginning in the 1930s, Haldane was also a staunch Communist - a stance that enhanced his public profile, led him into trouble, and even drew suspicions that he was spying for the Soviets. He wrote copiously on science and politics for the layman, in newspapers and magazines, and he gave speeches in town halls and on the radio, all of which made him, in his day, as famous in Britain as Einstein. Arthur C. Clarke called Haldane 'the most brilliant science popularizer of his generation'. He frequently narrated aspects of his life: of his childhood, as the son of a famous scientist; of his time in the trenches in the First World War and in Spain during the Civil War; of his experiments upon himself; of his secret research for the British Admiralty; of his final move to India, in 1957. A Dominant Character unpacks Haldane's boisterous life in detail, and it examines the questions he raised about the intersections of genetics and politics - questions that resonate all the more strongly today.Trade ReviewDeliciously full of danger, adventure and scandal. * 'Science Books of the Year', Guardian *Superb... Subramanian does a masterly job of summarising a rich and rough life. He uses sharp analogies and arresting images... Haldane deserves a biographer who is eloquent, intelligent, fair, but unsparing and as good at explaining science as politics. Not an easy combination, but he has got one. -- Matt Ridley * The Times *A master biographer brings this original, impulsive and politically misguided figure into sharp focus in this rare account of intellect and temperament in action. * 'Top Ten Books of 2020'. Wall Street Journal *It's hard to recommend a single science book from 2020, but the one I've kept returning to, mentally, is Samanth Subramanian's A Dominant Character... Beautifully written, it's a reminder that no scientist can be extracted from his or her time. * Laura Spinney, 'Books of the Year', New Statesman *Fascinating... The best Haldane biography yet. * New York Times *Samanth Subramanian is a crisp, elegant writer who has produced a compelling biography of this dazzling man. A Dominant Character is perfectly paced... It can be read with the utmost pleasure by everyone who likes to admire a fine intellect in action and to see respect paid to outstanding intelligence. -- Richard Davenport-Hines * Wall Street Journal *A wonderful book about one of the most important, brilliant and flawed scientists of the 20th century - that explains much not only about J.B.S. Haldane but about the complex times he lived in. -- Peter Frankopan, bestselling author of THE SILK ROADSEven if there had been no scientific legacy, the rich and at times outrageous life of J.B.S. Haldane would justify a biography... Intelligent and energetic. * Sunday Times *Sympathetic and astute * The Economist *The 20th century British geneticist J.B.S. Haldane remains one of the most influential scientists of modern times. And this remarkable biography by Samanth Subramanian, which brings to life Haldane at his brilliant, unpredictable, outspoken, visionary best, will make you see exactly why his light still shines so brightly today. -- Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of THE POISON SQUADA wholly delightful, even brilliant, exploration of the scientific mind. Subramanian brings alive J.B.S. Haldane's rollicking, unbelievable life journey from privileged English childhood to Indian asylum. He writes with grace and confidence about both the science and the man, a "Darwinian preacher" whose life explains why scientists in our age of artificial intelligence and revolutionary genetics need to think politically. A Dominant Character is a captivating story of prickly genius, sexual scandal, and radical politics. -- Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of AMERICAN PROMETHEUSA marvellous, comprehensive, and entertaining biography of J.B.S. Haldane, who made major contributions to many fields. His biggest impact was on evolutionary biology, as a major founder of the theory of population genetics. Subramanian has done impressive research on Haldane's background, scientific contributions, and political controversies - this will be the definitive work on his life from now on. -- Joe Felsenstein, Professor Emeritus of Genome Sciences and of Biology, University of WashingtonExcellent.... Full of insight and felicitous writing. -- David Brown * American Scholar *If you were looking for a model protagonist for a ripping yarn, you could do a lot worse than John Burdon Sanderson Haldane... A Dominant Character turns on the Lysenko affair, examining how scientists wedded to both their work and their political ideals can be forced to choose between them. * Literary Review *Insightful...This portrait of a brilliant, egotistical contrarian illustrates how science and politics can collide, a subject with ample relevance for the modern world. * Publishers Weekly *A rich biography of a central figure in the 20th-century genetics revolution... Succeeds superbly. * Kirkus Reviews *Captures Haldane's outsize character, productive scientific career, and communist convictions.... Explaining clearly Haldane's science and discerning astutely Haldane's personality, Subramanian delivers a well-judged biography. * Booklist *Attempting to encompass the entirety of the polymath that was J.B.S. Haldane (1892-1964) is no easy task.... Social historians will appreciate the emphasis on the man and his politics, over an emphasis solely on the science, in this excellent biography. * Library Journal *Balanced and modern ... [A Dominant Character] should prove engaging to readers interested in the birth of genetics and in the intersection of science and political belief. * Science *A fascinating portrait of Haldane's life. Subramanian succeeds in capturing his public life, fame, and influence, while giving readers a sense of Haldane as a person and as a groundbreaking scientist. * American Scientist *Table of Contents1: The Scientific Method 2: The Deep End 3: Synthesis 4: Red Haldane 5: The War at Home 6: India 7: Ten Thousand Years

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Book SynopsisOne morning as they parted, Victor Menza’s daughter handed him a bunny postcard. This gift made him wonder why rabbits had been their symbol of visitation: “How did this kind of creature become such a powerful way of feeling your presence?” Through philosophy, history, education, art, and personal musing on everyday uncanny experiences, Menza reveals why people have long found rabbits our special kin and emblems of love. Menza considers human nature and how we are undone by separation—both from each other and from our childhood selves. Surprising allies in these non-traditional philosophical wanderings include Ludwig Wittgenstein, Elizabeth Bowen, Albert Murray, Beatrix Potter, Donald Winnicott, Sterling Stuckey, and Lev Vygotsky. Menza examines what symbols are and how they work, the value of dialect, and the subversive lesson of animal fables, alongside his thoughts on language learning, memory, and slavery. Only now did he see that he’d taken to Brer Rabbit early on. Just as the Uncle Remus tales displayed the small hero’s virtues in warm dialogues, The Rabbit Between Us shows we abound in talents and moves when we “lean like Socrates did to the Aesop in us.” Gentle and political at once, this unique book will appeal to any intellectually curious reader. Trade Review“Menza ... was a guru, a giant. He was a supernova. He was the only brilliant person I have ever met. I took his course by accident, and it changed my life. He had all these acolytes who would hang on his every word, and he knew it, so one day he came into class and he started in on something, and we were taking down everything, and he stopped and said: ‘Put your pens down. What I am saying is important.’” -- Peter Mose in "I Remember My Teacher" by David ShribmanTable of Contents1. Psychic Bolt-Holes2. Visitation3. I Never Saw Harvey4. What Is a Symbol 5. Down the Philosophical Rabbit-Hole; or, “GAVAGAI!”6. The Rabbit Evangels: Joel Chandler Harris and Beatrix Potter7. Obliterature8. How Children Get Cheated Out of Their Humanity9. The Rabbit between Us Came from Slavery10. Aubade with Brer Rabbit11. The Rabbit Dances

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Book SynopsisFreud revolutionized the way we think about ourselves. His psychoanalytic terms such as Id, Ego, libido, neurosis and Oedipus Complex have become a part of our everyday vocabulary. But do we know what they really mean? Introducing Freud successfully demystifies the facts of Freud's discovery of psychoanalysis. Irreverent and witty but never trivial, the book tells the story of Freud's life and ideas from his upbringing in 19th-century Vienna, his early medical career and his encounter with cocaine, to the gradual evolution of his theories on the unconscious, dreams and sexuality. With its combination of brilliantly clever artwork and incisive text, this book has achieved international success as one of the most entertaining and informative introductions to the father of psychoanalysis.Trade Review"'Zarate's artwork is outstanding and Appignanesi's texts are solidly researched and clearly presented.' Washington Post"

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Book SynopsisSarah Sak's son, Anthony Walgate, was murdered by gay serial killer Stephen Port after they met on dating app Grindr. Stephen Port was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey in November 2016. The case received extensive press coverage not only because of the horrific nature of the crimes but also because the police refused to investigate Anthony's death despite three more bodies being found in near identical circumstances. It was not until Scotland Yard's crime squad took over that Stephen Port was arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Sarah Sak's courage and perseverance helped to achieve justice for her much-loved son and now she campaigns for better policing, to recognise and link crimes, support families, counter homophobia and raise greater public awareness of the dangers of dating sites/apps, to prevent further deaths. She wants to tell the story of the murder of son and the other men who died in an attempt to understand how this could have happened and the role that social media played in their death.

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Book SynopsisFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA' ... a writer of fearless originality' GUARDIAN 'Unlike many authors of popular historical biographies, du Maurier resembled Antonia Fraser in being an indefatigable researcher' FRANCIS KING'du Maurier has no equal' SUNDAY TELEGRAPHIt wasn't until he was forty-five that Bacon's feet found the first step on that staircase, when King James I made him Solicitor-General, from where he rose through the ranks to become Lord Chancellor.Many accounts of the life of Sir Francis Bacon have been written for scholars, but du Maurier's aim was to paint a vivid portrait of this remarkable man for the common reader. In The Winding Stair, she illuminates the considerable achievements of this Renaissance man as a writer, lawyer, philosopher, scientist, and politician.To her book, she brought the same gifts of imagination and perception that made her earlier biography, Golden Lads, so immensely readable, skilfully threading into her narrative extracts from contemporary documents and from Bacon's own writings. This also sets her account of his life within a vivid contemporary framework.This is truly history made alive.Trade Review... a writer of fearless originality * Guardian *Unlike many authors of popular historical biographies, du Maurier resembled Antonia Fraser in being an indefatigable researcher -- Francis Kingdu Maurier has no equal * Sunday Telegraph *Unlike many authors of popular historical biographies, du Maurier resembled Antonia Fraser in being an indefatigable researcher * Francis King *

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Book SynopsisBY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA INTRODUCED BY ALISON LIGHT'The genuine, thoughtful voice of a woman whose works have been loved by millions' NEW YORK TIMES'Daphne du Maurier has no equal' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'Du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings' STEPHEN KING The Rebecca Notebook provides an unparalleled insight into the mastery of a writer's craft and the inner vision that made du Maurier a household name. One of the great international bestsellers, Rebecca also inspired a film, a play and television dramas. This perfect companion volume, The Rebecca Notebook, outlines just how Rebecca came to be written, tracing its origins, developments and the directions it might have taken. The author reveals how she first came upon the secret house, hidden deep in the Cornish woodland, that was to become the romantic setting for her most famous novel: a house which stood derelict, and which she lovingly restored to create her own home. The accompanying Memories introduce other members of her family: her father Gerald, the famous actor; her grandfather George, whose Punch drawings made him world famous; and her cousins, for whom J. M. Barrie wrote Peter Pan.Trade ReviewIn her heartfelt memories ... one hears the genuine, thoughtful voice of a woman whose works have been loved by millions * New York Times *Daphne du Maurier has no equal * Sunday Telegraph *Du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings -- Stephen KingDame Daphne's wise and attractive new book will enchant her many readers * Sunday Express *

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Book Synopsis'A delightful book, full of amusing and charming stories' THE TIMES'Daphne du Maurier has no equal' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'An intimate view of a creative personality . . . as richly evocative as any of her novels' LOS ANGELES TIMESIn Myself When Young, based on diaries that she kept from 1920-1932, the most famous du Maurier probes her own past, beginning with her earliest memories and encompassing the publication of her first book and her subsequent marriage.Here, the writer is open and sometimes painfully honest about the difficult relationship with her father; her education in Paris; early love affairs; her antipathy towards London life and the theatre; her intense love for Cornwall and her desperate ambition to succeed as a writer. The resulting portrait is of a captivating and complex character. Both her novels and her non-fiction reveal Daphne du Maurier's overwhelming desire to explore her family's history.Trade ReviewA delightful book, full of amusing and charming stories, pinpointing the literary influences and the first stirrings of books to be written in later years, and with a happy and romantic ending * The Times *The girl we meet, a strong-winged bird homing in to the steep banks of a Cornish river, is herself no mean romantic enigma * Sunday Times *An intimate view of a creative personality ... as richly evocative as any of her novels * Los Angeles Times *Daphne du Maurier has no equal * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisGranny worked so hard at my rearing. She was a frustrated ladysmith and I was her last chance...This is the story of my years on her anvil. Whether she succeeded in making a lady out of me is for you to decide, but I will say one thing in my own favour before we begin. No matter which sex I went to bed with, I never smoked on the street.' When Florence King was born, her Granny, a would-be Virginia grande dame, moved in. 'Anybody could have a family,' writes Miss King. 'She wanted a race all to herself.' Granny's dream of raising the perfect Southern belle failed dismally with her own daughter, a chain-smoking, baseball-playing tomboy given to wild expletives. Florence is Granny's last hope ...Trade ReviewOught to be printed with a mechanism for turning down the volume of the reader . . . Outrageous and laugh-out-loud funny -- Sandi ToksvigI've never read so many perfect one-liners . . . This book is dynamite. Don't miss it -- Jeanette WintersonOne of the funniest writers around -- Gerald DurrellThe damndest adventures in autobiography hilarity to come down the pike in recent years . . . She is a Bombeck with bite, a female Art Bushwald with Southern sass, an A-one original American humorist down to her wicked, wicked bones -- Susan BrownmillerAn outrageous commentator on men, women, and other sources of amusement, particularly the Southern variety . . . Florence King never loses her warmth, her humor, or her ability to be delighted by life's inherent contradictions * Chicago Sun Times *Witty, intelligent, freewheeling . . . Surely the author told these stories before she wrote them, stretching and perfecting them with each telling, mining them for humor * Newsday *Ought to be printed with a mechanism for turning down the volume of the reader . . . Outrageous and laugh-out-loud funny * Sandi Toksvig *I've never read so many perfect one-liners . . . This book is dynamite. Don't miss it * Jeanette Winterson *Gerald Durrell * 'One of the funniest writers around’ *

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Book SynopsisI lived through the Dutroux affair from the inside, and all these years I have kept silent about it - about my 'personal' Dutroux Affair, my time in the company of the most hated psychopath in Belgium. I need to write this book for three reasons: so that people stop giving me strange looks and treating me like a curiosity; so that no one ever asks me any more questions ever again; and so that the judicial system never again frees a paedophile for 'good behaviour'.' 'The Dutroux Affair' shook the whole of Europe. In the middle of the immense machinery of investigation and justice there was Sabine Dardenne herself, Dutroux's last victim. She was held captive for eighty days - and survived. Far from sensationalising the horror, her story, dignified and restrained, is ultimately uplifting. Says Sabine Dardenne, 'I choose to live'.Trade ReviewA moving tale of courage and survival. Extraordinary strength ... one comes away from her book shocked, angered and deeply humbled * Mail Like the scariest fairy tales, it involves a little girl, a secret dungeon and a monster. But it is not a fairy tale: it is true . . . I have never read a more harrowing book. . . unbearable were it not for the character - brave, difficult, honest an *Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday * ‘A compelling memoir... a bold and dignified book’ *Observer * ‘Here is a book that refuses to cushion the reader with assurances of redemption and happily-ever-after - it is primarily written not as an aid to healing, but a call for justice. . . One comes away from her book shocked, angered and deeply humbled’ *Mail * ‘direct, unpretentious, chatty, feet-on-the-ground. Sometimes shockingly so’ *

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Book Synopsis'Absorbing . . . testaments such as Janina Bauman's are important and should never be allowed to fade away. The drama of Anne Frank is rightly always before us but the equally vital stories of those who suffered but survived need to be listened to with just as much attention' MARGARET FORSTER'A profound and moving book which everyone ought to read' ALAN SILLITOE, NEW STATESMANJanina Bauman was a year older than Anne Frank when the Second World War began but, unlike The Diary of Anne Frank, this is a story of survival.When Hitler's decree forced her family into the Warsaw Ghetto, Janina, an intelligent, lively girl, suddenly found herself in a cramped flat hiding with other Jewish families. At first even curfews and the casual cruelty meted out by the German occupiers could not dim her passion for books, boys and romance. Then came the raids, and Janina with her sister and mother, had to keep on the move, hiding in the ruins of the ghetto to avoid being one of thousands rounded up every day and deported to the camps. Their escape to the 'Aryan' side was followed by two years in hiding, taking shelter with those willing to help them and living in constant fear of betrayal.Told through her teenage diaries, giving her story a rare immediacy, this is the extraordinary tale of a passionate young woman's courage and survival.Trade ReviewI found it absorbing . . . testaments such as Janina Bauman's are important and should never be allowed to fade away. The drama of Anne Frank is rightly always before us but the equally vital stories of those who suffered but survived need to be listened to with just as much attention * Margaret Foster *A profound and moving book which everyone ought to read -- Alan Sillitoe * New Statesman *A magnificent testimony to the people of the ghetto ... a profound autobiographical meditation * New Society *A deeply moving but surprisingly unselfpitying book, a real pleasure to read * Times Educational Supplement *A writer who has left an indelible mark on the literature of the Holocaust ... her moving testimonies characteristically non-judgmental and free of bitterness -- Lydia Bauman * Guardian *I found it absorbing . . . testaments such as Janina Bauman's are important and should never be allowed to fade away. The drama of Anne Frank is rightly always before us but the equally vital stories of those who suffered but survived need to be listened to with just as much attention * Margaret Forster *A profound and moving book which everyone ought to read * Alan Sillitoe, New Statesman *'A magnificent testimony to the people of the ghetto ... a profound autobiographical meditation * NEW SOCIETY *A deeply moving but surprisingly unselfpitying book, a real pleasure to read * TES *

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Book SynopsisIn this groundbreaking and unconventional biography, Lyndall Gordon dismantles the insistent image of Charlotte Bronte as a modest Victorian lady, the slave to duty in the shadow of tombstones, revealing instead a strong and fiery woman who shaped her own life and transformed it into art. 'Sensitive, open-minded, vivid, full of psychological insight, [Gordon's] book is a brilliant reappraisal of Charlotte Bronte's life, work, and the flow between the two . . . It is also a deeply moving story' Jackie Wullschlager, Financial TimesTrade ReviewAn exemplary biography: brisk but attentive to all nuance; lucid and open in its judgements; wearing its learning lightly but visibly * Jan Marsh, New Statesman *Brilliant and powerful . . . [Gordon] brings us the closest we are ever likely to get to an understanding of the source of Charlotte Bronte's creative genius . . . Bronte biography has, at last, come of age * Mark Bostridge, TES *

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Book SynopsisNothing in the papers, not the most vivid and heart-rending descriptions, have made me realise war like your letters' Vera Brittain to Roland Leighton, 17 April 1915.This selection of letters, written between 1913 & 1918, between Vera Brittain and four young men - her fiance Roland Leighton, her brother Edward and their close friends Victor Richardson & Geoffrey Thurlow present a remarkable and profoundly moving portrait of five young people caught up in the cataclysm of total war. Roland, 'Monseigneur', is the 'leader' & his letters most clearly trace the path leading from idealism to disillusionment. Edward, ' Immaculate of the Trenches', was orderly & controlled, down even to his attire. Geoffrey, the 'non-militarist at heart' had not rushed to enlist but put aside his objections to the war for patriotism's sake. Victor on the other hand, possessed a very sweet character and was known as 'Father Confessor'. An important historical testimony telling a powerful story of idealism, disillusionment and personal tragedy.Trade ReviewUnique...a remarkable portrait of five young people caught up in the cataclysm of war * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *Immensely moving...As the first world war slips out of living memory, this is a timely reminder of what was lost - and how we lost it * SUNDAY TIMES *Touching, angry, bewildered...they demand to be read * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Beautifully edited and with excellent notes. * TLS *

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Book SynopsisWRITTEN WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY MARK BOSTRIDGE In her bestselling first volume of autobiography, Testament of Youth, Vera Brittain passionately recorded the agonising years of the First World War, lamenting the destruction of a generation which for her included those she most dearly loved - her lover, her brother and her closest friends.In Testament of Friendship Brittain tells the story of the woman who helped her survive those tragic years - the writer Winifred Holtby. They met at Somerville College, Oxford, immediately after the war. Their friendship continued through Vera's marriage and their separate but parallel writing careers until Winifred's untimely death at the age of thirty-seven. When she died, her fame as a writer was about to reach its peak with the publication of her greatest novel, South Riding. A moving record of a friendship between two women of courage, determination and intelligence and a wonderful portrait of a lifelong love. Testament of Friendship now takes its rightful place as a Virago Modern Classic.Trade ReviewThroughout their correspondence, the fragile Brittain is often painfully demanding - but the role of devoted supporter seems to gratify Holtby * Spectator *Holtby certainly helped Brittain write by looking after her children. But they also both helped each other work. And they each saved the other's best book * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisThe poet and musician Anthony Joseph met and spoke to Lord Kitchener just once, in 1984, when he found the calypso icon standing alone for a moment in the heat of Port of Spain’s Queen’s Park Savannah, one Carnival Monday afternoon. It was a pivotal meeting in which the great calypsonian, outlined his musical vision, an event which forms a moving epilogue to Kitch, Joseph’s unique biography of the Grandmaster.Lord Kitchener (1922 - 2000) was one of the most iconic and prolific calypso artists of the 20th century. He was one of calypso’s most loved exponents, an always elegantly dressed troubadour with old time male charisma and the ability to tap into the musical and cultural consciousness of the Caribbean experience. Born into colonial Trinidad in 1922, he emerged in the 1950s, at the forefront of multicultural Britain, acting as an intermediary between the growing Caribbean community, the islands they had left behind, and the often hostile conditions of life in post War Britain. In the process Kitch, as he was affectionally called, single handedly popularised the calypso in Britain.Kitch represents the first biographical study of Aldwyn Roberts, according to calypso lore, christened Lord Kitchener, because of his stature and enthusiasm for the art form. Utilising an innovative, polyvocal style which combines life-writing with poetic prose, the narrative alternates between first person anecdotes by Kitchener’s fellow calypsonians, musicians, lovers and rivals, and lyrically rich fictionalised passages. By focussing equally on Kitchener’s music as on his hitherto undocumented private and political life, Joseph gets to the heart of the man behind the music and the myth, reaching behind the sobriquet, to present a holistic portrait of the calypso icon.

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Book SynopsisToday we view Cézanne as a monumental figure, but during his lifetime (1839-1906), many did not understand him or his work. With brilliant insight, drawing on a vast range of primary sources, Alex Danchev tells the story of an artist who was never accepted into the official Salon: he was considered a revolutionary at best and a barbarian at worst, whose paintings were unfinished, distorted and strange. His work sold to no one outside his immediate circle until his late thirties, and he maintained that 'to paint from nature is not to copy an object; it is to represent its sensations' - a belief way ahead of his time, with stunning implications that became the obsession of many other artists and writers, from Matisse and Braque to Rilke and Gertrude Stein. Beginning with the restless teenager from Aix who was best friends with Emile Zola at school, Danchev carries us through the trials of a painter tormented by self-doubt, who always remained an outsider, both of society and the bustle of the art world. Cézanne: A life delivers not only the fascinating days and years of the visionary who would 'astonish Paris with an apple', with interludes analysing his self-portraits, but also a complete assessment of Cézanne's ongoing influence through artistic imaginations in our own time. He is, as this life shows, a cultural icon comparable to Monet or Toulouse.Trade ReviewDanchev's Cézanne has... virtues of imaginative sympathy, independence of mind, and wide scholarship. He writes as if Cézanne's life and character are as immediately present before him as is the art -- Julian Barnes * TLS *A brave new life of Cézanne ... much of this new material successfully illuminates Cézanne's inner life. An important book * Sunday Times *Enlightening . . . Accomplished and subtle -- Michael Prodger * Mail on Sunday *This is a great book - possibly the best - on one of the most respected impressionists * Bookseller *The most engrossing biography of an artist that I have read for years. With lightness of touch, depth of thought, a vast cultural hinterland and an assured understanding of painting, Danchev marvellously brings to life Cézanne the man, as well as the pioneering artist called "the father of us all" by Picasso. -- Jackie Wullschlager * FT *A magisterial biography -- Jonathan Lopez * Wall Street Journal *A new view of an old subject ... an impressive achievement -- Christian House * Independent on Sunday *This is the best account of [Cézanne's] astonishing career and Danchev responds to the challenge with great sensitivity and genuine brio. This is a book which will survive the test of time. -- John Golding CBE, Emeritus Professor of the Royal AcademyAlex Danchev compellingly guides us through Paul Cezanne's much mythologized life from his over-bearing father and early days in the South, as a school friend of Emile Zola, to his position as one of the revered creators of modern painting. The development of Cezanne's thinking and the construction of his paintings are explored alongside his complex relationship with other painters and the Parisian art establishment. Danchev has a great ability to weave his research and analysis into a compelling narrative: understanding what was required for Cezanne to make art modern. -- Sandy Nairne, National Portrait GalleryA fantastically multidimensional Cézanne. . . . reads much like . . . one of Paul Cézanne's paintings . . . Mr. Danchev's portrait of Cezanne's life is heavy, thick with deceptively simple detail, and unendingly rich in offering context and detail for the reader to make sense of what contexts surrounded Cézanne, how Cezanne understood himself, and how the surrounding artistic milieu and climate informed Cezanne's paintings . . . Cezanne, A Life is a compelling and well-written biography of an enduring, enigmatic and complex figure in the changing world of turn-of-the-20th-century modernist art. -- Dr Lydia Pyne * New York Journal of Books *An enchanting literary exercise... exquisite in style... romantic, intense, affectionate and occasionally wry... a masterpiece. -- Brian Sewell * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisJohn L. Williams draws on original research and interviews to provide a portrait of a young woman on the cusp of stardom, whose rise to fame was in many ways symbolic of a changing world.Trade Review'The rags-to-riches legend of the gritty girl from Tiger Bay' Daily Mail. * Daily Mail *'A fascinating history not only of her early career, but of the casual racism and sexism that prevailed in Britain in the Fifties ... and the strength of character Bassey required to overcome it' Mick Brown, Daily Telegraph. * Daily Telegraph *'Sensitive and empathetic ... lovely details abound' Guardian. * Guardian *'Shirley Bassey has shown that even a triply underprivileged black Welsh woman could make it to the giddy heights of showbiz. This is the story John L. Williams tells in a fascinating book: the way in which she negotiated herself into another world' Independent. * Independent *'Wildly entertaining. Someone should make a movie' The Times. * The Times *Table of ContentsIntroduction: For One Night Only. Prologue: The Gambler. Mother and Father. In Tiger Bay Before the War. The Canadian Cafe. Life During Wartime. On the Street Where You Live. The Rainbow Club. Down the Docks. Hot from Splott. Stormy Weather. Talk of the Town. Burn My Candle. My Body's More Important Than My Mind. Viva Las Vegas. Sophisticated Lady. Cruel to Be Kind. Shirley the Weirdie. Screen Dreams. Love and Marriage. I (Who Have Nothing). A Knight in Shining Armour. The Man with the Midas Touch. The Second Time Around. Napoleon and Josephine. After the Rain. Discography. Appendices: A Short History of Tiger Bay; Bute Street and its Cafes; A Short History of Mahmood Mattan and the Murder of Lily Volpert; A Short History of Minstrel Shows; A Short History of British Striptease. Notes. Acknowledgments. Picture Acknowledgments. Text Acknowledgments. Index.

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Book SynopsisWill Lucy make it down the aisle? It's going to be an uphill struggle . . . The bride: A late starter in life, Lucy always swore she'd never get married. But now she has to find a caterer who doesn't charge a fortune for a cupcake, a dressmaker who doesn't make her cry and a way to bring Great-Auntie Betty down from Dundee for the sixpence she is willing to spend - isn't it meant to be HER special day?The groom: Christopher has spent twenty minutes compiling his guest list and checking his suit fits before returning to his newspaper - this wedding business isn't so hard after all. The mother of the bride: Armed with colour-coded wedding planning folders she is all set. However, twice-daily conversations with her daughter don't seem to be shortening the 'to-do' list she's drawn up.The father of the bride: A wedding? My daughter? Who's she marrying?The best friend: Gillian has stood by Lucy through thick and thin, but she is refusing to be a bridesmaid and wear a daft dress.Trade Review"A hilarious read" * Star *'This is a gem of a book: a perfect antidote to all the mawkish, unfunny chick-lit on the market. Let's hope this is the first of many' * Woman's Way *

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Book SynopsisIn 1978 Timothy Garton Ash went to live in Berlin to see what that divided city could teach him about tyranny and freedom. Fifteen years later, by then internationally famous for his reportage of the downfall of communism in Central Europe, he returned to look at his Stasi file which bore the code-name 'Romeo'. Compiled by the East German secret police, with the assistance of both professional spies and ordinary people turned informer, it contained a meticulous record of his earlier life in Berlin.In this memoir, he describes rediscovering his younger self through the eyes of the Stasi, and then confronting those who had informed against him. Moving from document to remembrance, from the offices of Britain's own security service to the living rooms of retired Stasi officers, The File is a personal narrative as gripping, as disquieting, and as morally provocative as any fiction by George Orwell or Graham Greene. And it is all true.Trade Review"* 'He is our best informed and beadiest commentator on Europe - eloquent, sceptical, fearless, with a tinge of idealism so wary as to be acceptable' - Craig Raine * 'Garton Ash is, in the most literal sense of the term, a contemporary historian. He writes primarily as a witness to the events he is treating, and not just as an outside witness but often as an inside one as well... yet the sense of the historic dimensionof the events in question is never lost. And the quality of the writing places it clearly in the category of good literature.' - George F. Kennan, New York Review of Books"

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Book SynopsisPrimo Levi's account of life as a concentration camp prisoner falls into two parts. IF THIS IS A MAN describes his deportation to Poland and the twenty months he spend working in Auschwitz. THE TRUCE covers his long journey to Italy at the end of the war through Russia and Central Europe. Levi never raises his voice, complains or attributes blame. By telling his story quietly, objectively and in plain language he renders both the horror and the hope of the situation with absolute clarity. Probing the themes which preoccupy all his writing - work love, power, the nature of things, what it is to be human - he leaves the reader drained, elated, apprehensive.

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Book SynopsisJOSSER is the powerful and moving account of Oxford-educated Nell Stroud's life in the circus. It is also the story of the people of the circus: the trapeze artists, the clowns, the high-wire acts, the grooms, the llamas, the elephants - their commitment and expertise, their hard, marginalised, miraculous lives. Following a terrible riding accident which left her mother permanently brain-damaged, Nell ran away to the circus. What she found there was a life which became more real to her than the one she left behind. She found people who had sacrificed their lives for their art, who worked in all weathers, perfecting some of the most dramatic and beautiful acts ever seen. She found third-generation show-people who travelled around forgotten parts of Britain to bring their abstract, polished, multi-layered show to ever dwindling audiences. She found herself in an art form that soon, if we are not careful, we will lose. Whilst she has lived and worked among the circus people for several years, she is not one of them: she was not born in the circus. In their words she is a 'josser' a person in the circus from the outside world. This is her story.'The circus does cast a spell over some people. I felt overwhelmed by it. The circus filled up existence and left room for nothing else. What was there to do?Trade ReviewA dream book * THE BOOKSELLER *She did something we all dream of doing. Her book is a brave attempt to keep this dream alive * Dea Birkett *Above all Stroud has written an elegy for the circus and its traditions...We are lucky to have the record of this book * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *JOSSER is a paean to the circus: an impassioned plea for understanding and tolerance of its performers, as well as an obsessive account of the daily hardships of life in the Big Top * TLS *

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Book SynopsisWhen friends die, one's own credentials change: one becomes a survivor. Graham Greene has already had biographers, one of whom has served him mightily. Yet I hope that there is room for the remembrance of a friend who knew him - not wisely, perhaps, but fairly well - on an island that was "not his kind of place," but where he came season after season, year after year & where he, too, will be subsumed into the capacious story.' For millennia the cliffs of Capri have sheltered pleasure-seekers & refugees alike, among them the emperors Augustus & Tiberius, Henry James, Rilke & Lenin, plus hosts of artists, eccentrics & outcasts. Here in the 1960s Graham Greene became friends with Shirley Hazzard & her husband, the writer Francis Steegmuller; their friendship lasted until Greene's death in 1991. In GREENE ON CAPRI, Hazzard uses their ever volatile intimacy as a prism through which to illuminate Greene's mercurial character, his work & talk & the extraordinary literary culture that long thrived on this ravishing, enchanted island.Trade ReviewA little masterpiece of reminiscence... reading a personal sketch of this quality makes me think that perhaps the conventional biography is just a grandiose dump-bin for all those elements of life that do not matter MAIL ON SUNDAY Her observations are penetrating, her style is superb, and her range of literary reference is the equal of his. Marvellous TIME OUT Shirley Hazzard achieves an astonishing amount in less than 150 pages ... Her memoir, like the island it so fondly describes, is a real gem to which the reader will wish to return SUNDAY TELEGRAPH Shirley Hazzard is highly observant and alarmingly intelligent; she is also erudite, precise and morally scrupulous. Her short book is not only a joy to read for its lucid, thoughtful prose, but also a refreshing antidote to biographical overkill and presumption. As a picture of Graham Greene, it is like an Ingres portrait drawing: small, but miraculously clear Spectator An affectionate but not uncritical portrait of a companion who could be charming but also provocative... it is a convincing picture of a man who has been much and excellently written about but seldom with so astute and yet so warm an eye Times Literary Supplement Charming... succinct and satisfying... her memoir, like the island it so fondly describes, is a real gem to which the reader will wish to return Sunday Telegraph

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Book SynopsisFor the better part of forty years, Edith Sitwell's poetry has been neglected by critics. But born into a family of privileged eccentrics, Edith Sitwell was highly regarded by her contemporaries: the great writers and artists of the day who attended her unlikely London literary salon. Her quips and anecdotes were legendary and her works like English Eccentrics confirmed her comic genius, while later she established herself as the quintessential poet of the Blitz.This masterly biography, meticulously researched and drawing on many previously unseen letters, firmly places Edith Sitwell in the literary tradition to which she belongs.

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Book Synopsis40 or 50 families control the economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. Their interests range from banking to property, from shipping to sugar, from vice to gambling. 13 of the 50 richest families in the world are in South East Asia yet they are largely unknown outside confined business circles. Often this is because they control the press and television as well as everything else. How do they do it? What are their secrets? And is it good news or bad for the places where they operate? Joe Studwell explosively lifts the lid on a world of staggering secrecy and shows that the little most people know is almost entirely wrong.Trade ReviewA first-class study ... the product of an original, inquiring mind. * Sunday Times *The romp around the region's pleasure domes is a blast. * Asian Wall Street Journal *You badly need to read this book. Joe Studwell...should be named chief myth-buster for Asian business...his tone is ironic without being cruel...his mythbusting is as merciless as it is enlightening...Studwell skewers myths with equal passion and panache. * Financial Times *

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisMarylebone has been home to its fair share of rogues, villains and eccentrics, and their stories are told here. The authors also want to remind the reader that alongside the glamour of Society, there has also been hardship and squalor in the parish, as was graphically illustrated in Charles Booth's poverty maps of London in 1889.Over the past 10 years the Marylebone Journal has printed historical essays on the people, places, and events that have helped shape the character of the area. Some are commemorated with a blue plaque, but many are not. This is not a check-list of the grandees of Marylebone, though plenty appear in these pages.The essays have been grouped into themes of: history, politicians and warriors, culture and sport (from pop music and television to high art), love and marriage (stories from romance to acrimonious divorce), criminals, science and medicine, buildings and places, and the mad bad and dangerous to know ‒ those whose stories don't fit a convenient box but are too good not to tell.Table of Contents INTRODUCTION A brief history of Marylebone POLITICIANS & WARRIORS Edwin James, the dishonourable member Leo Marks and the code wars The lonely demise of Benedict Arnold The very model of a modern major general Profile: Earl Charles Stanhope (1753-1816) Profile: Talleyrand (1754-1838) Profile: William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806) Profile: Lord George Bentinck (1802-1848) Profile: Earl Frederick Sleigh Roberts (1832-1914) Profile: Emily Faithfull (1835–1895) Profile: Emma Cons (1838-1912) CULTURE & SPORT John Ruskin's tea shop The tragi-comedy of Edward Lear The bitter end of Anthony Trollope Wilkie Collins: Marylebone man The ghost of Sarah Siddons The Hollywood tale of Edgar Wallace The urban idyll of Patrick Lichfield George Stubbs and the equine obsession James Figg, king of Marylebone Plains Thomas Lord and the MCC Profile: Arthur Wing Pinero (1855-1934) Profile: John Buchan (1875-1940) Profile: Douglas Jardine (1900-1958) Profile: Edward R Murrow (1908-1965) Profile: Victor Weisz (1913-1966) Profile: Kenneth Williams (1926-88) Profile: Jacqueline Du Pré (1945-1987) LOVE & MARRIAGE The Barrett-Browning story St Marylebone: for better, for worse The mismatches of St Mary's The public undoing of Mrs Mary Evans The Earl of Orkney and the burlesque dancer The old lady and her Buttons The scandalous life of Lady Jane Digby The Wallace Collection's dirty laundry The loveless marriage of Edward James CRIMES & MISDEMEANOURS The revolution at Cato Street The Great London Diamond Robbery of 1871 The public destruction of Dr Stephen Ward Jacob Henriques and the body in the barrel The lady thief of Portman Square The memoirs of a Marylebone judge Viscount Galway and the gambling den The US ambassador's deception The suspicious death of Dr Gordon Ley SCIENCE & MEDICINE A brief history of Harley Street Dr Allinson's big mouth Sydney Ringer's heartfelt solution Dr Hunter's miracle cure The US dentist and the British smile The medical men of Wimpole Street Dr Richardson and the awkward bequest The eccentric genius of Charles Babbage Profile: Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857) Profile: Charles Lyell (1797-1875) Profile: Mary Seacole (1805-1881) Profile: Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) MAD, BAD & DANGEROUS TO KNOW The death of St George Henry Lowther Lady Mary Jeune, the real Lady Bracknell William Wellesley's final humiliation The strange legacy of Joanna Southcott The distinguished failure of Francis of Teck The horse banquet at the Langham Hotel The green door of Reverend and Mrs Haweis The Baker Street mad dog Ye Ancient Order of Froth Blowers The ladies of Lower Jerome Place Debenham & Freebody v Alfred Mellon BUILDINGS & PLACES The genius of John Nash The architects' architecture Marylebone's garden squares The parks and gardens of Marylebone The mystery of the Fitzpatrick Mausoleum The rise and fall of Marylebone station John Castles and Grotto Passage The Marylebone street fight The workhouse of St Marylebone Profile: Alfred Waterhouse (1830-1905) Index

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

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Book Synopsis'This is the most complete self-portrait ever painted by a serial killer... as unique a document as Bundy was a killer. There are lessons in this book for everyone' ROY HAZELWOOD, FORMER FBI PROFILERCharismatic. Articulate. Evil. Killer.Two journalists with unprecedented direct access speak to Ted Bundy and those closest to him - friends and family.What follows is a candid and chilling full account of the life and crimes of the most notorious serial killer in history.What Bundy had to say in over 150 hours of face-to-face interviews is as relevant today as it was at the time.Trade Review'One of the 10 best true crime books ever written' New York Daily News * New York Daily News *'This is the most complete self-portrait ever painted by a serial killer... as unique a document as Bundy was a killer. There are lessons in this book for everyone' Roy Hazelwood, Former FBI Profiler -- Roy Hazelwood

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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

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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.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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