Biography: general Books

Book SynopsisIn this searingly honest memoir, Jane Haynes recalls to her psychotherapist her extraordinary story. Having overcome her strange childhood, overshadowed by her mother's absence and father's descent into madness, the real diagnosis of which the family concealed, she attempts, vividly but without sentimentality, to understand the construction of her own life.Now a psychotherapist in her own right, Haynes opens up her case files, which include a gifted young man on the cusp of a nervous breakdown; the middle-aged woman tormented by suicidal thoughts; the pornography addict, unable to connect emotionally with his girlfriend. Tragedy is brought home to her when her son-in-law is murdered. Her account powerfully demonstrates the resilience and life force of human nature.'I recommend it to anyone concerned with the life of the imagination'Hilary MantelTrade ReviewAbsolutely brilliant ... I have never read anything like it. This is certainly the best account of what analysis can - and can't - do that I have ever read or ever expect to read. -- Kate KellawayEngrossing and poignant -- Emma Tennant * New Statesman *Literally life-changing. -- Liz Hogart * Evening Standard *Deeply moving and gracefully written. * Catholic Herald *Disturbingly honest and beautifully written ... literally life-changing. -- Liz Hoggard * Evening Standard *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is the first formal biography of the archaeologist and psychic investigator T. C. Lethbridge. Lethbridge was Keeper of Anglo-Saxon Antiquities at the Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology from 1922-1956. Terry Welbourn's biography 'T.C. Lethbridge - The Man Who Saw the Future', with a foreword written by Colin Wilson, reveals many intriguing facets of a remarkable man. What is extraordinary about Lethbridge's life is how he witnessed and recorded the 20th century with extraordinary detail: from the discovery of new lands during his Arctic adventures, through to his pragmatic investigations into occult phenomena. Lethbridge believed that the supernatural of one generation would eventually become the natural of the next and that all occult phenomena would in time be explained by science. His understanding of dimensions operating on different vibrational rates is akin to String Theory, an ongoing branch of science instigated by theoretical physicist Gabriele Veneziano. Lethbridge did not perceive himself as a radical. He had an enquiring mind and simply wished to find things out. Since his death in 1971, Lethbridge has become somewhat of a cult figure and his influence still remains far-reaching. It is only a matter of time before he is finally acknowledged as being one of the greatest, but overlooked minds of the 20th century.Trade ReviewHaving been inspired by T. C. Lethbridge after reading my best-seller Mysteries (Hodder and Stoughton, 1978), Terry Welbourn took up the mantle and has revealed that there were more strings to Lethbridge's bow than we could ever have imagined. His investigations into psychical research sit comfortably alongside his Arctic adventures, archaeological discoveries and his love of the ocean; for after all his enquiring mind knew no boundaries. (Colin Wilson, Author and philosopher)

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTogether is about the extraordinary revival of small groups in Britain today.What happens when a room full of people decide to work towards the same dream? Why is it that when we come together in small groups we are so much more than the sum of our parts?From druids to bingo-clubbers, eco-warriors to flash-mobbers, historical re-enactors to bee-keepers, books groups and knitting circles, W.I.s, Young Farmers and the fan-owners of a football club, Together reveals the true story of modern Britain. The country we live in is in fact an extraordinary composition of small groups powered by shared interests and common ideals. Hemming reveals a different way of seeing society, one that recognizes the massive, untapped potential of these hundreds of thousands of small groups, how they work and what they enable us to do that we can't do alone.Witty and provocative, Together gives us an extraordinary cast of characters, a series of unlikely alliances and most importantly, a vision of what we can achieve Together.Trade ReviewA wonderful counterblast to the idea that we are becoming ever more lonely. Provocative and well-researched, Together offers a fascinating and very different way of seeing society today * Simon Jenkins *A very valuable book, lively, instructive, original and full of interesting detail * Theodore Zeldin *Provocative and timely book * Daily Mail *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAnnie was Charles and Emma Darwin's adored first daughter. Her death at the age of ten broke their hearts. At the time, Darwin was working secretly on his theory of evolution and the pain of his daughter's death sharpened his conviction that natural laws have nothing to do with divine intervention. But he became racked with anxiety about his ground-breaking theories in The Origin of Species, and the controversy they would cause.As Darwin's theories continue to shape so much of our thinking about human nature today, Creation gives us fresh insight into the private life of a man who viewed the world in a new and extraordinary way.Trade Review'It is a rare biography that reveals the key emotional moment in its subject's personal and intellectual life so clearly as Randal Keynes does for Charles Darwin . . . moving and illuminating' * Financial Times *'Engrossing . . . a biography with a difference' * Sunday Telegraph *'Remarkable' * Scotsman *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Was rich Mrs Gertrude Hullett murdered at her luxurious 15-room home on Beachy Head? Detectives are tonight trying to establish the cause of the 50-year-old widow's sudden death . . . ' Daily Mail, 1957In July 1957, the press descended in droves on the south-coast town of Eastbourne. An inquest had just been opened into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Mrs Bobbie Hullett. She died after months of apparent barbiturate abuse - the drugs prescribed to calm her nerves by her close friend and doctor, Dr John Bodkin Adams.The inquest brought to the surface years of whispered suspicion that had swept through the tea rooms, shops and nursing homes of the town. The doctor's alarming influence over the lives, deaths and finances of wealthy widows had not gone unnoticed - it was rumoured that the family doctor had been on a killing spree that spanned decades and involved 300 suspicious cases. Superintendent Hannam of Scotland Yard was called in to investigate.The Curious Habits of Dr Adams brilliantly brings to life the atmosphere of post-war England, and uses a wealth of new documents to follow the twists and turns of an extraordinary Scotland Yard murder enquiry. As expertly crafted as the best period detective novel, this book casts an entertainingly chilling light on a man reputed to be one of England's most prolific serial killers.Trade ReviewJane Robins has written an endlessly enjoyable book, which reads like an Agatha Christie -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *She tells the story with great brio, and a real feeling for the vanished social milieu in which Adams operated -- Lynn Barber * Sunday Times *The case against Adams as a serial killer is a classic of British crime, but Jane Robins takes nothing for granted. She re-examines the evidence, consults modern experts (some of whom worked on the enquiry into the activities of Dr Harold Shipman) and presents her own perturbing conclusions. On the basis of this book, would you have convicted the curiously behaved Dr Adams? * Saga *Vividly characterised, wonderfully atmospheric and thoroughly riveting * Daily Mail *This is a compelling, very well-written story. It will feed the British love of a good murder mystery. Robins gives her own verdict in the final chapter but her readers are the jury * Scotsman *One to keep you alert on the beach * Observer *A compelling account of a murder mystery * Oldie *Vividly characterised, wonderfully atmospheric and thoroughly gripping * Evening Standard Book of the Year *A gripping tale that bears an uncanny resemblance to the case of Harold Shipman * Sunday Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen his mother Joan was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Rory MacLean and his wife Katrin took her into their home. For five months, as their life fragmented and turned inward, they fought both to resist and to accept the inevitable. Each gave vent to their emotions in different ways, but all three kept a diary.Heartbreakingly honest and deeply moving, Gift of Time is the story of those days, in the words of a son, his wife and his mother. Woven together into a poignant meditation on life and death, they illuminate the courage and dignity of one woman who confronted what we all must face. Threaded through with wisdom and guilt, anger and acceptance, the story is punctuated by a family wedding and the hope of new life, by bin-bags of old letters and books rediscovered, by the end of winter and the first signs of spring.Powerful, raw and urgent, this slender volume is above all a celebration of life. Capturing every moment of beauty and pain it acknowledges that what survives all of us is love.Praise for Rory MacLean's previous titles:Stalin's Nose: 'The most extraordinary debut in travel writing since In Patagonia. A dark, sardonic and brilliant book which grows in stature with every page' William Dalrymple'A surreal masterpiece' Colin ThubronThe Oatmeal Ark: 'One of the most original and innovative travel books for years.' Alexander Frater'A truly astonishing performance' Jan Morris'Such a book as this rather marvellously explains why literature still lives.' John FowlesUnder the Dragon: 'I cannot imagine a better book on the beauty and terror of Burma. Read it. Read it. Read it.' Fergal Keane'It will make you cry and it will give you hope. ... It is astonishingly good.' Jeanette Winterson.Magic Bus: 'A disturbing, gripping and intensely passionate story' Esther Freud.Trade ReviewRory Maclean is one of the most strikingly original and talented travel writers of his generation. * Katie Hickman *Poignant. * The Bookseller *Moving... Not all memoirs of death go as gently or acceptingly into this good night. * Catholic Herald *A moving, exceptional book and highly recommended. * The Tablet *Both heartbreaking and, oddly, life-enhancing. * Financial Times *Poignant and moving. * Choice *Brave. * Daily Telegraph *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith a small population, it is remarkable that so many people from the county of Caithness have had such a huge impact, not only in Scotland but worldwide. The sheer hard work and determination of people from the county, both past and present, has guaranteed their place in history. From scientists, explorers, ministers and politicians to engineers, artists and writers, this area in the far north of Scotland has a rich tapestry of folk who have made their lasting mark on the world and each chapter deals with their lives, loves and labours. These include Arthur St Clair, 9th President of the Continental Congress in the United States; Robert Dick, geologist and botanist; Andrew Geddes Bain, road builder and engineer in South Africa; the British Empire's first-ever Lady Mayor, Elizabeth Oman Yates; James Bremner, famed for his wreck - raising skills and harbour design; Donald Sutherland Swanson, a high profile detective with the Metropolitan Police during the Whitechapel Murders in 1888; Robert Brown, explorer and Alexander Henry Rhind, one of the world's greatest Egyptologists. The life of Sir John Sinclair, father of the Statistical Accounts for Scotland, is recounted, as is the life of the man best known simply as Ross of Cowcaddens. The modern era is not forgotten with Ian Charles Scott, the New York-based artist and David Graham Scott, a documentary film maker.Trade Review'A diverse insigh into the lives of many of the world's influential people who are connected to Caithness - ' Alloa Advertiser ' - it is remarkable how many people from Caithness have gone on to leave their mark on the world, and in some cases on ours as well. - the fascinating collection of men (and one woman) assembled here fall into two main groups: those who made significant contributions to science, engineering or in others ways in the UK, and those who made their mark in far flung lands.' Undiscovered Scotland ' - a cross-section of Caithness "chiels" who have left their indelible mark on the world. - There is a wealth and breadth of talent and absorbing information in this detailed and thoroughly-researched book. That it helps put Caithness and her gifted sons and daughters on the map, so much the better.' The Scots Magazine ' - interesting and varied reading. An extraordinary range of talented people stemmed from the area and the accounts cover both those who remained in Scotland and those who made their mark in other areas of the world. - This informative book provides an enjoyable study of a diverse array of subjects and is one for dipping into over and over again.' Scottish Home & Country

Read more less

Book SynopsisBishop is undoubtedly one of the most widely-known names in the soil mechanics, or geotechnical engineering, community today, alongside the `founding father', Karl Terzaghi. This is mainly due to the method Bishop devised for estimating the stability of soil slopes; it became known as The Bishop Method and immortalised his name. However, Bishop's contributions to the development of soil mechanics were far wider and of greater significance than his slope stability `method'. His colleague, Professor Skempton, makes this very clear in his contribution to the Bishop eulogy published in Geotechnique in 1988. ...It was a great privilege and the best of good luck to be associated for nearly 40 years with one of the finest intellects in our subject ... his work in this field brought about a highly beneficial revolution in soil mechanics... He was loved and respected by his numerous students... Through them and the strict but friendly criticism of his colleagues' work, and his own important contributions, he exerted a unique influence. Bishop began his career in 1943 when the new soil mechanics world was still grappling with the fundamental issue of soil shear strength. Even the great Terzaghi had not sorted this out. Bishop applied himself immediately to this problem and by the mid 1950s had largely solved it. He published his findings in 1960 in a paper co-authored with Lauritz Bjerrum. This established the parameters to be determined by triaxial testing and the two methods of analysis in use today. This was undoubtedly Bishop's most influential paper. In the eyes of many people Bishop did not receive the recognition he deserved during his lifetime, and indeed has not received since. However, The Bishop Method makes it clear just how influential and important Bishop's contributions were to soil mechanics. The book comprises three parts: Part 1 - the story of Bishop's life, emphasising his particular problem-solving skills Part 2 - his contribution to soil mechanics in some detail, of particular interest to anyone with a technical/professional perspective Part 3 - articles by past students and others who knew him which together paint a fascinating picture of the manTrade Review'...A very interesting and wonderfully readable book...If you have even the slightest interest in the history of soil mechanics and the life of one of its best pioneers, this is a book you will delight in reading'. NZ Geomatics News

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is a diary of Sir Henry Rider Haggard's tour of South Africa in 1914. It captures his feelings and perceptions on the change of Southern Africa, and of himself, since his departure in 1881. In 1914, Sir Henry Rider Haggard, returned to South Africa. He had left in 1881, in his mid-twenties, an unknown, he returned a houshold name, after the success of his novels, such as "King Solomon's Mines" and "She". Touring the country as a member of the Dominions Royal Commission, Haggard found it hard to recognise the South Africa of his youth; war and politics had left their mark. Haggard had also changed, he considered himself a "man of affairs" rather than as a novelist. This account of his journey through Southern Africa shows his feelings and views on the changes he encountered and shows his thoughts on the plight of the Zulus and his meeting with John Dube, the first president of the African National Congress.Trade Review'Anyone who is interested in South African history or the British Empire at its zenith will be intrigued by Haggard's descriptions of the country and its leaders shortly after the end of the Boer War. [A...] Haggard's diary is a collection of fading sepia images of another time and another world, full of interesting notes and appendices.' -F.W. de Klerk, The Times, August 2001Table of ContentsFrom youth to age; this land of troubles; a sad story in truth; chief from old! Father!; I felt like one returned from the dead; is it a white man's land?; 400 miles through Zululand; a Zulu of high blood; running along the coast; it is done.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Latvian-German politician and journalist Paul Schiemann was a passionate advocate of independence for the indigenous Baltic peoples. He unflinchingly resisted all forms of political extremism and wrote one of the earliest extended critical analysis of National Socialism. Schiemann vigorously opposed Nazi infiltration of the German minorities' movement and through this the European Nationalities' Congress. He also endured and commented bitingly on his experience of life under communist rule in the Baltic states. His memories, which he began to dictate to a young Jewish girl whom he was hiding, testify to his ideas on minority rights, extremism and Europe's future. Hiden's biography of this courageous man who battled against both Baltic and German nationalism opens up a little-explored chapter of Baltic history in a region today seen once more as the litmus test of the new Europe.Trade Review'Hiden's biography of this courageous man who battled against both Baltic and German nationalismopens up a little-explored chapter of Baltic history in a region today seen once more as the litmus test of the new Europe. Professor Hiden's passion for the story of Schiemann's selfless devotion to Latvia and to minority participation and rights informs and energizes an unbiased understanding of the rise and political developmentof an independent Latvia and of the descentof Europe into ultra-nationalism and war. It is compelling and essential reading for anyone interested in European history.' -Latvians Online

Read more less

Book SynopsisA splendid narrative of the author''s encounters with the Moslem community in Tripoli and its hinterland during his medical mission in 1912, set up to aid the Moslem casualties of the Italian occupation of 1911.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSir Richard Burton (1821-90) is perhaps the most enigmatic of all African explorers despite the many biographers who have attempted to unravel his life story. This early biography, by his niece Georgiana Stisted, remains an essential source-work. Its original publication, in 1896, followed closely upon the death of Burton and was written by one who knew him well.Scholar, orientalist, and brilliant linguist (he mastered 35 languages, and dialects), Burton''s most celebrated journey was his ''pilgrimage'' to Mecca in 1853, disguised as a Pathan, Five years later found him with Speke on his hazardous expedition to Lake Victoria, which Speke claimed as the source of the Nile. Burton''s refutation of this resulted in a major controversy which raged for years.In later life Burton carried out a number of government appointments in Africa and South America, whilst also devoting himself to writing. Most significant of his works was the sixteen volume translation of the Arabian Nights.On his death, his wife Isabel, a devout roman Catholic, destroyed many of Burton''s priceless manuscript translations. She felt the content of the work threatened Victorian sensibilities. Earlier, Isabel had staged a deathbed ''conversion'' of her husband to Catholicism.Outraged of the distortions written about her uncle, Georgiana Stisted set out to ''tell the truth about one who can longer defend himself''. Her biography did much to dispel the earlier, somewhat anodyne, accounts of Burton''s character and helped to balance the record concerning the life of an extraordinary man.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Like Colour to the Blind, Donna Williams enters the most exposing and fragile realm of human interaction: her relationship and eventual marriage with someone with whom she can 'simply be', a relationship she terms a 'specialship'. But loving involves exposure, and to love she must expose the very things which protected her all her life - the masks she has hidden behind, the patchwork creations which stood in place of self.In Donna's relationship with Ian, a man with difficulties related to her own, we watch the two of them break through their rock-solid emotional barriers and dare to defy all the rules imposed by the autistic condition of 'exposure anxiety'. Their struggle is told with Donna's characteristic humour, insight and sense of fragility.Like Colour to the Blind is also the story of Alex, who was misdiagnosed as 'retarded' as well as autistic, and so gripped by 'exposure anxiety' that he has been virtually non-communicative all his life. Alex's fear of being left behind by Donna and Ian inspires him to push fiercely beyond the boundaries of his limitations and, in his own words, `to fly'.Trade Review'Nobody Nowhere tears aside the veil that conceals the mind of the autistic person. Donna Williams' account has the magnetic and unrivalled power of authenticity ... this book is absorbing, disturbing, enriching and it will cause many to substantially revise their views of what it is that constitutes psychological normality.' - Professor Anthony Clare - 'Donna Williams isn't just teaching us what it is like to be autistic, she is teaching us what it is like to be human.' - The New York Book Times Review (of Somebody Somewhere)

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis music CD from is now available through Jessica Kingsley Publishers. It features poems written or co-written by Donna Williams set to music which she has composed. The poems provide a personal insight, revealing to the non-autistic how the world appears to the autistic person. They are also a celebration of the creative talents of Donna Williams, whose autobiography, Nobody Nowhere: The Remarkable Autobiography of an Autistic Girl also available from Jessica Kingsley Publishers) reached the bestseller lists when published as a trade paperback.Table of ContentsTrack Listing: 1. Sometimes. 2. Stormy Weather. 3. Nobody Nowhere. 4. Too Sensitive. 5. Stray Children. 6. Shadows. 7. Beyond the When. 8. Shoes. 9. Enemy Lines. 10. Today Starts Now. 11. Ocean Deep. 12. Just a Little Bit of Time. 13. Movin On. 14. Still Awake.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWendy Lawson has an autism spectrum disorder. Considered to be intellectually disabled and 'almost incapable of doing as she is told' at school, she was later misdiagnosed as schizophrenic - a label that stuck with her for more than 25 years.Her sense of self was then non-existent, but Wendy is now a mother of four with two university degrees; she is a social worker and adult educator, and operates her own business. She is also a poet and a writer, sharing her understanding of autism with others to help 'build a bridge from my world to theirs'. Life Behind Glass is part of that bridge.Trade ReviewWendy Lawson, the author of this book, was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and, because of this, the content is enriched with fascinating personal insights. -- The British Journal of Occupational TherapyTable of ContentsForeword by Patricia Howlin, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, St George's Hospital, London. Introduction: This is my story. 1. My world behind glass. 2. Love and feelings are a mystery. 3. My first take on life. 4. School intrudes. 5. A bumpy road to recovery. 6. Teenage dreams and fears. 7. Where to after school? 8. Farewell to childhood. 9. Children of my own. 10. The middle years. 11. My coming of age. 12. Learning to cope. 13. The anguish of change. 14. Finding love and friendship. 15. It's my world too.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis dictionary of 17th-century British philosophers construes "philosophy" as wide in scope including not just logic, metaphysics, ethics and epistemology, but those many aspects of religion, politics, mathematics and science that are of philosophical importance. There are entries for over 400 figures: Bacon, Hobbes and Locke, as well asd Digby, Cudworth and Glanvill. But there are also entries on John Lilburne the leveller, Robert Ferguson "the potter" and Thomas Tyron, an early vegetarian. The broad scope also allows inclusion of many figures well known to historians of other disciplines. The "Dictionary" has entries on mathematicians such as Napier and Oughtred, Barrow and Wallis; natural scientists like Hooker and Chillingworth, Baxter and Stillingfleet; writers like Milton and Marvell, Dryden and Defoe. All these figures are of philosophical importance and interest.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPaul Lendvai, born a Hungarian Jew, was arrested by the Nazis as a teenager, became a young communist activist in post-war Budapest, was arrested by the communists, again survived as one of the country's youngest political prisoners, and on his release was blacklisted as a journalist by the communist regime. After fleeing to Vienna following the 1956 Revolution, Lendvai was to become a leading journalist and commentator on eastern Europe. In this prize-winning memoir, he paints a picture of ethnic hatred, political turbulence and murderous anti-Semitism, as well as the swings between treachery and compromise which have characterized the history of 20th-century central Europe. There are descriptions of encounters with killers, torturers, onlookers and victims, traitors and heroes. In preparing the book, Lendvai had access to many previously unseen secret police files of Czechoslovakia, East Germany and Hungary.Table of ContentsPrologue: in the cell - facing the camera. Part 1 The heights and depths of youth: farewell to the "Golden Era"; the road to Purgatory; from Stefan Zweig to Lenin; left-wing socialist illusions; suspicion, fear and show trials; terror and grim humour; my friend the informer; the lost years of a non-person; from crescendo to furioso - October to december 1956; the road to freedom. Part 2 Witness to the cold war: new beginning in Vienna - the birth of Gorgy Hollo, Arpad Becs and Paul Landy, the Financial Times as flagship; the power of striptease; new relations with the east - first return to Budapest; encounters with the Stasi and other services; nationalism and anti-semitism under Communist rule; Bruno Kreisky - orator and communicator. Part 3 An epoch ends: blacklisted; riling the Eastern Bloc; the Waldheim affair; a new lease of life - the past is never dead.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen Chabani Manganyi published the first edition of selected letters twenty-five years ago as a companion volume to ""Exiles and Homecomings: A Biography of Es'kia Mphahlele"", the idea of Mphahlele's death was remote and poetic. The title, ""Bury Me at the Marketplace"", suggested that immortality of a kind awaited Mphahlele, in the very coming and going of those who remember him and whose lives he touched. It suggested, too, the energy and magnanimity of Mphahlele the man, whose personality and intellect as a writer and educator would carve an indelible place for him in South Africa's public sphere. That death has now come and we mourn it. Manganyi's words at the time have acquired a new significance: in the symbolic marketplace, he noted, 'the drama of life continues relentlessly and the silence of death is unmasked for all time'. The silence of death is certainly unmasked in this volume, in its record of Mphahlele's rich and varied life: his private words, his passions and obsessions, his arguments, his loves, hopes, achievements, and yes, even some of his failures. Here the reader will find many facets of the private man translated back into the marketplace of public memory. Despite the personal nature of the letters, the further horizons of this volume are the contours of South Africa's literary and cultural history, the international affiliations out of which it has been formed, particularly in the diaspora that connects South Africa to the rest of the African continent and to the black presence in Europe and the United States. This selection of Mphahlele's own letters has been greatly expanded; it has also been augmented by the addition of letters from Mphahlele's correspondents, among them such luminaries as Langston Hughes and Nadine Gordimer. It seeks to illustrate the networks that shaped Mphahlele's personal and intellectual life, the circuits of intimacy, intellectual inquiry, of friendship, scholarship and solidarity that he created and nurtured over the years. The letters cover the period from November 1943 to April 1987, forty-four of Mphahlele's mature years and most of his active professional life. The correspondence is supplemented by introductory essays from the two editors, by two interviews conducted with Mphahlele by Manganyi and by Attwell's insightful explanatory notes.Table of ContentsPreface In his own words - N Chabani Manganyi Chapter 1 Introduction Reading in the company of Es’kia Mphahlele - David Attwell Chapter 2 Correspondents Chapter 3 Letters 1943-2006 Chapter 4 Interviews Looking in: In search of Es’kia Mphahlele Metaphors of self Interview references Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA unique collection of autobiographical writings about motherhood, penne dby women from Wales.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe fascinating and moving story of one man's journey from his childhood in Jamaica to becoming the local mayor in his UK home town.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn account of a timid village boy, Victor Waldron, who decide to take the giant step of moving to London from his home in Plaisance, British Guiana.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe span of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's life (1884-1966) illuminates the religious and intellectual dilemmas that traditional Jewry has faced over the past century. Rabbi Weinberg became a central ideologue of modern Orthodoxy because of his positive attitude to secular studies and Zionism and his willingness to respond to social change in interpreting the halakhah, despite his traditional training in a Lithuanian yeshiva. But Weinberg was an unusual man: even at a time when he was defending the traditional yeshiva against all attempts at reform, he always maintained an interest in the wider world. He left Lithuania for Germany at the beginning of the First World War, attended the University of Giessen, and increasingly identified with the Berlin school of German Orthodoxy. Although initially an apologist for the Nazi regime, he was soon recognized as German Orthodoxy's most eminent halakhic authority in its efforts to maintain religious tradition in the face of Nazi persecution. His approach, then and in his later halakhic writings, including the famous Seridei esh, derived from the conviction that the attempt to shore up Orthodoxy by increased religious stringency would only reduce its popular appeal. Using a great deal of unpublished material, including private correspondence, Marc Shapiro discusses many aspects of Weinberg's life. In doing so he elucidates many institutional and intellectual phenomena of the Jewish world, a number of which have so far received little scholarly attention: the yeshivas of Lithuania; the state of the Lithuanian rabbinate; the musar movement; the Jews of eastern Europe in Weimar Germany; the Torah im Derekh Eretz movement and its variants; Orthodox Jewish attitudes towards Wissenschaft des Judentums; and the special problems of Orthodox Jews in Nazi Germany. Throughout, he shows the complex nature of Weinberg's character and the inner struggles of a man being pulled in different directions. Compellingly and authoritatively written, his fascinating conclusions are quite different from those presented in earlier historical treatments of the period.Trade Review‘Thoroughly researched and highly readable . . . an excellently written book, highly recommended for all college-level libraries.’- Yisrael Dubitsky, AJL Newsletter‘Shapiro’s exemplary biography marks the onset of a new stage in biographical scholarship about leading Orthodox personalities . . . Shapiro’s mastery of rabbinic and historical sources, the fact that no relevant archival or published source is untouched, the superb contextual studies, the 1,037 enriching and critical footnotes, make this a classic.’- Gershon Greenberg, AJS Review‘Marc Shapiro's excellent new study dedicated to the life and philosophy of Rabbi Weinberg is certainly one of the finest pieces of contemporary Jewish scholarship . . . This is a monumental study of a great man and a great rabbi. It breaks new ground in biographies of “Gedolei Israel” as Rabbi Weinberg is depicted as a human being, warts and all. Few events are glossed over—his family, philosophy, friends, and career are all discussed in detail without the usual embellishments. In addition, this study offers the reader a detailed view of the complexities of Orthodox Jewish life in the twentieth century . . . This book serves not only as a study of Rabbi Jehiel Weinberg, but as a memorial to the vanished world of German Orthodoxy.’- Zalman Alpert, Algemeiner Journal‘With impeccable authority, Marc Shapiro has written an important account . . . an important historical study by a masterful Jewish scholar of a central aspect of Jewish life all too frequently neglected by secular and non-religious Jews . . . No understanding of modern Jewish history can be considered complete without an understanding of how Orthodox Judaism encountered the modern world. Shapiro’s study of the life of Jehiel Jacob Weinberg is a major scholarly contribution to our comprehension of that world.’- Richard L. Rubenstein, Congress Monthly‘We are indebted to Marc Shapiro for his brilliant work that brings to life this major halakhic personality.’- Simcha Krauss, Edah Journal‘A full-scale study of the life and writings of Jehiel Weinberg . . . that goes a long way toward clearing up the mystery surrounding the man. Shapiro’s signal contribution is to present Weinberg in the round: both the public and the private figure.’- David Singer, First Things‘A refreshing pleasure . . . Shapiro's scholarly account of Weinberg's remarkable life and turbulent times happily avoids the panegyric tone that has too long dominated the field of rabbinic “biography”, offering instead a detailed look at a rabbi of great learning and character who nonetheless strayed and erred about grave matters and who was, by the end of his life, a tragic and lonely figure . . . arguably the best biography of a twentieth-century rabbi yet written, a work of serious scholarship that greatly enriches our understanding of the history of European Judaism.’- Allan Nadler, Forward‘Marc Shapiro has written a fascinating book … His erudition is impressive.’- Alan Unterman, Jewish Chronicle‘The author demonstrates an impressive command of a broad range of primary and secondary source materials.’- Robert Brody, Journal of Jewish Studies‘A splendid biography . . . a superlative book, elegantly written, fastidiously researched, providing us with rare insights into Orthodoxy’s encounter with the modern world as reflected in the life of one of its most complex figures . . . This is scholarship of a high order.’- Jonathan Sacks, Le’ela‘Important . . . a remarkably well-written biography, and even those with little understanding of Orthodox Judaism will find it interesting and informative.’- Jack Fischel, Metrowest Jewish News‘This excellent study . . . is more than a first-rate intellectual biography. It is a portrait of Orthodoxy in the modern world . . . Shapiro combines exhaustive research with exquisite scholarship; this is not self-serving hagiography but a balanced historical study deserving a very wide audience.’- Stephen D. Benin, Religious Studies Review‘This first-class, definitive monograph . . . of genuine distinction . . . Beautifully executed . . . The dissertation itself deserves nothing but admiration. It is well-organized and well-written, intelligent in every aspect, lovingly researched but economically set forth . . . Shapiro tells us what we need to know and does not over-research or over-sell his subject. Here we have critical learning, not hagiography. Unlike equivalent studies of other Orthodox figures, however, Shapiro also preserves perspective, balance, proportion, and above all coherence, in telling the story. Here we have the definitive account of an important subject in the study of the twentieth-century history of Judaism. No-one has to go over this subject again. For a first book, that is as high praise as I can imagine—or for a tenth book, for that matter. Shapiro takes his place among the most promising and interesting and intelligent scholars of his generation.’- Jacob Neusner, Reviews in Religion and Theology‘It is to Shapiro’s credit that Weinberg’s life is painstakingly mapped out and his ideological profile carefully portrayed . . . should be read by every serious student of modern Jewish history.’- Morton J. Merowitz, Shofar‘Measured, careful, well-written, and critical yet respectful . . . The great strength of Shapiro’s study lies in his ability to “locate” Weinberg in each of the successive locales in which he found himself . . . based on a rich selection of contemporary and scholarly sources . . . a fine work of intellectual history and a worthy example of rabbinic biography written in accordance with the best standards of academic scholarship . . . Between the Yeshiva World and Modern Orthodoxy, an admirable piece of scholarship in its own right, is also part of an ongoing conversation within Orthodoxy that students of contemporary Jewry should fine of no less interest than historians.’- Gershon Bacon, Studies in Contemporary Jewry‘This is a first rate, scholarly book. The author has expended considerable energies in exhuming hitherto unavailable biographical material . . . he has also drawn on, and partially catalyzed the creation of, an oral history by interviewing an impressive cross-section of individuals . . . To this wealth of raw material he has brought an integrating intelligence and judicious melding of disparate sources to create a vivid and ultimately convincing portrait . . . The rewards for the reader’s investment are substantial.’- Mechy Frankel, TraditionTable of ContentsPreface Note on Transliteration List of Abbreviations Note on Sources 1 Early Life (1884–1905) 2 Pilwishki (1906–1913) 3 The First World War and its Aftermath (1914–1920) 4 Giessen and Beyond (1920–1932) 5 Response to the New Nazi Government (1933–1934) 6 The Nazi Era (1933–1945) 7 Post-War Years (1946–1966) Afterword Appendices Lebenslauf—autobiographical note Letter to Hitler Letter from Jacob Rosenheim Glossary Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisZarah Petri was just a little girl when her family left Hungary to finda new life in Canada in the 1920s. She showed spunk and a greatimagination that would serve her well as a new immigrant and youngmarried woman. Zarah and her family lived through the Depression, andshe learned to make ends meet in any way she could, even bending thelaw if necessary. Her son John writes this touching memoir, told in thefirst person, in Zarah’s own unique voice. Her remembrances aresometimes funny, sometimes sad but always entertaining.Trade Review"Zarah's free spirit and sharp intelligence animate the narrative at every turn, making it the kind of story that once begun, a reader is loath to leave unfinished. - Tamara Palmer Seiler, University of Calgary"

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe biography of Marie-Louise Bouchard Labelle tells of a youngCanadian woman of humble background who, at the turn of the 20thcentury, discovers love with the priest of her village, a man 33 yearsolder. After three children and 15 years of happy life together, herspouse returns to the priesthood, just before the Great Depression.Trépanier narrates this brave woman's struggle to raise theirchildren alone. Her story raises questions on the mandatory celibacy ofCatholic priests and the status of women in the eyes of the CatholicChurch.Trade Review"This is the biography of an extraordinary woman who had the courage to fully embrace her love for a priest, knowing all the consequences. The author tells us the story of Marie-Louise Bouchard Labelle with respect and admiration. Thank you to Claire Trepanier for this touching narration and thank you also to Marie-Louise's children and grandchildren who told the author the story of their mother and grandmother. - Laurier L. LaPierre"Table of ContentsTable of Contents Foreword Acknowledgements Preface Family Trees Family of Georgianne Tremblay and her two spouses Family of Marie-Louise Bouchard Labelle and Joseph Ray Prologue CHAPTER ONE: From Les Escoumins to Hanmer (1891–1906) Marie-Louise Bouchard Marie-Louise Labelle Arrival in Hanmer Life of Hanmer’s First Settlers Marie-Louise’s Education Primary School Tough Love And What of the Future? Spiritual Life in the Hamlet CHAPTER TWO: The New Arrival (1858–1906) Father Joseph A. Roy The Francophone Catholic Clergy in the Canadian West Wolseley, Saskatchewan Vernon, British Columbia Hanmer, Ontario (August 1906) First Meeting with Marie-Louise CHAPTER THREE: The Turning Point (1906–1916) Regular Meetings with Marie-Louise Presbytery Maid? Against All Comers Flight Impact of Their Departure CHAPTER FOUR: Family Life (1916–1928) New Identities Ottawa Rideau Park (May 1917) Life as a Couple Daily Life Intellectual Life Spiritual Life First Return to Hanmer (November 1920) Birth of Lorne 1921–1926 Gertrude’s First Communion Facing Facts Synchronicity The Big Decision (1928) CHAPTER FIVE: “Widow” with Three Children(1928–1935) Heartbreak Unexpected Visits Living Day to Day Free to Explore Life Napoléon’s Visit The Crash, 24 October 1929 Family Ties Homeowner Impact of Joseph’s Departure Religion after Joseph’s Departure The French–English Question Life During the Great Depression Bank Street (1930–1932) and Sunnyside Street(1932–1933) Stanley Avenue (1933–1935) Social Life Convalescent Home Kiosk CHAPTER SIX: Living from Hand to Mouth (1935–1944) James Street (1935–1936) Lisgar Street (1936–1937) Nepean Street (1937–1939) Rideau Street, Corner of Chapel (1939) Slater Street (1940) Central Avenue (1941) Acquaintance Changes (1942–1944) CHAPTER SEVEN: Nanny (1944–1965) Grandmother Sewing and Knitting In the Kitchen “Breaking Camp” Mother-in-Law Jake and the Kid God Back to Ottawa (1957–1965) Ogilvy’s Cinema The Countess of Ségur A Busy Room (1962–1965) The Secret CHAPTER EIGHT: Return to Her Roots (1960–1964) Graduation (1960) The Two Gossips Inner Peace The Trip to the Yukon CHAPTER NINE: Old Age, Humour and Tenderness (1965–1970) A Time to Relax Always Keeping the Secret Reminiscences of Long Ago The Bloomers The Braid Thieves CHAPTER TEN: Living in Peace (1970–1973) Housewarming A Time to Enjoy Life Artist A Time to Die Epilogue Postscript Appendices Appendix One: Arrival in Hanmer Appendix Two: House in Hanmer Appendix Three: Landowner Appendix Four: Amour Immaculé / Immaculate Love Family Documents List of People Interviewed List of People Who Helped Me in My Research Abbreviated Chronology Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis"It is quiet here now, and I feel as though I were fixed in my cottage for good. It is as I thought ... something is finished with my leaving the RAF. ... It gets worse instead of healing over ... At present the feeling is mere bewilderment. I imagine leaves must feel like this after they have fallen from their tree and until they die." The Last Days of T.E. Lawrence is a chronicle of the time from when Lawrence of Arabia left the RAF up to his fateful motorcycle accident on 13 May 1935. Much of the story is told in Lawrence's own words, from diaries and letters. It covers his time at Clouds Hill, the picturesque cottage in Dorset, where Lawrence intended to retire. Influenced by Lawrence's last and unpublished writing project, "Leaves in the Wind," A Leaf in the Wind reveals his state of mind as he prepared to leave the RAF. Travelling on his Brough Superior motorcycle along a narrow Dorset lane, Lawrence collided with two pushbikes. An official witness told of Lawrence travelling fast, and swerving to avoid a black car coming in the opposite direction. This book painstakingly fits together all the evidence to determine the truth of the motorcycle crash that led to the death of Lawrence of Arabia. For the first time a detailed record is set down covering the last six days before the accident. Meticulously researched by Paul Marriott and Yvonne Argent, their painstaking investigations reveal many new insights into Lawrence's life, activities and interests.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAngela of Foligno was born in about 1248, twenty-two years after the death of Francis of Assisi, the saint on whom she was to model her life. With sudden deaths in her family, she felt called to follow a more religious and devout life, forsaking everything. In the years that followed she lived a life of total commitment to God. Her teachings and visions, and her deep spiritual wisdom, became internationally recognized as coming from a blessed person. This book provides the reader with a selection of Angela's visions and teachings drawn from The Divine Consolations of Angela of Foligno.Trade Review"A good way into knowing and appreciating Angela. the book will enable her to take the place she deserves." -- Society of Saint Francis."An accessible collection. Contains an introduction outlining Angela's life, and literary sources." -- Church Times.Table of ContentsIntroduction; The Early Years; Peace River Airways; Adventures in Airline Transport; Helping the US Military; The Search for CPD; Royal Airforce Ferry Command; The National Airline; After the Airlines; One More Trip; Epilogue.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe English tend either to look towards the Lord in his moated castle or the poor peasant at his gate, to polarise between nob and mob, capitalist and communist. This book takes us into another English landscape. It is the tale of an ordinary family, quietly proud of their parish, pub and position, who treat their children as equals. The only extraordinary thing about them is that they have kept hold of their stories, which now reach back over fifteen generations. This chronicle told backwards from yesterday s gossip to the times of the Tudors reveals a contented England, lived in and loved by a family of vicars and farmers, colonels and brewers, naval commanders and horse-lovers. It is also an honest narrative, recording scandals and suicides beside occasional successes, be they on the battlefield, in the boardroom or the bedroom.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBruce Wannell was the greatest Orientalist traveller of his generation: a Paddy Leigh Fermor of the East, a Kim for our own time. He lived in Iran through the 1979 revolution, worked for a decade in the North West Frontier during the wars in Afghanistan and could transcribe the most complex Arabic calligraphy by sight. Although he lived in the lands of Islam he also knew all the artistic treasures of Christendom. His curious combination of talents scholar, linguist, musician, translator and teacher - were duplicated by an international network of friendships with poets, spies, aid-workers, diplomats, artists and writers. Speaking Iranian and Afghan Persian with a dazzling, poetic fluency, he could also talk in Arabic, Pushtu, Urdu, Swahili and could lecture fluently in French, Italian, English or German. In the last fifteen years of his life he lived for a third of the year in Delhi with William Dalrymple, hunting down unpublished Mughal histories and providing the author with translations of historical documents. It was an extraordinarily successful double act, which produced four revisionist south-Asian histories that were also international best sellers. The rest of the year was balanced by other travels, working as a dragoman-guide or pursuing his own esoteric researches, based in the modest footprint of a tiny attic in York, triple-lined with books. It was worthy of a medieval wandering scholar or a bare footed Dervish. Bruce had a number of identities, which gives this collection of original essays from trusted friends and old colleagues a dazzling diversity. They give a fascinating insight into a remarkable and diverse life. He was a man who could quote Hafiz from memory, rustle up a lethal cocktail, lose himself in Brahms, open any door, organise a concert within days of arriving in a foreign city or walk across a mountain with just walnuts and dried mulberries in his pocket.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is the first full-length study devoted to Roger Laporte, whose lifelong exploration of the stakes of writing has produced a body of work on the borderline of literature and philosophy. Charting the development of Laporte's writing in relation to the work of Heidegger, Levinas, Blanchot and Derrida, this study offers both a comprehensive reading of Laporte's oeuvre and a new perspective on an important strand of recent thinking about literature. In particular, it is claimed here that the imperfect reflexivity of Laporte's 'Ophic' texts effects a singular opening to reading, and that in doing so it illuminates the ethical dimension of literature which has been the subject of much recent discussion.Table of Contents1: Orphic Writing; 2: Writing the Unknown; 3: Writing as Fugue; 4: Writing Bio–graphy: A Matter of Life and Death; 5: Giving Reading

Read more less

Book SynopsisKaren Blixen's works are explored in the light of a passionate insistence on living out a double nature of the divine and the demonic. The 'aristocratic' is examined as her depiction of a conduct of life that is faithful to destiny: the aristocratic viewpoint is in tune with eternity, and places no obstructive morality between self and life. Vitality has its source in direct access to the ocean of inexhaustible opportunities with which life presents us. The 'world' of Africa, for example, plays a key role as the consummate illustration of an aristocratic culture. The aesthetic guidelines for literary form (as well as art) as advocated by KB are discussed, and her view of art is similarly defined and explained as 'aristocratic'. Her private correspondence (including the recently published Karen Blixen in Denmark: Letters, 1931-62) is drawn upon to shed new light on her life and work.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTaken over a period of two to three years, this work presents accounts of children, as adults themselves and in their own words, of a childhood blighted by the violation and horror of sexual abuse at the hands of a member of the Catholic clergy.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTells the story of the Adomnan of Iona, author of the early medieval classic "Life of Columba" and revered composer and promulgator of the seventh century 'Law of the Innocents' ensuring the protection of non-combatants in times of war.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe true story of an adoption and an adoption breakdown, bravely told by the adoptive mother.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less