Biography Books

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Book SynopsisIn 2015, climber and documentary maker Joe French was about to fulfil a dream of a lifetime – to climb Everest and film it. Then tragedy struck and Joe found himself at the epicentre of an earthquake which killed nearly 9,000 people. Only a few years previously, his team of Sherpa had been killed in another avalanche, and soon after that, Julie, his wife, was diagnosed with cancer. The accumulation of trauma took its toll: suffering from post-traumatic stress, Joe was haunted by the horrors he’d witnessed. In an attempt to find a resolution, he turned to his love of the outdoors. Running barefoot through the forests and glens around his house in Scotland, Joe discovered the means to find a return to health and peace of mind.Trade Review‘Thrilling and utterly honest. This book transports its reader to the audacity, bravery and tragedy of climbing in the theatre of Everest.’Disastrously, unputdownably readable. This isn’t just derring-do, but a deeply intelligent and moving reflection on the sort of creatures we are, and how we should live.‘This book took me to dark edge of fear... An utterly compelling read.’

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Book SynopsisPeter Upton's evocative account of growing up in Wiltshire, told in words and drawings and beautifully capturing a lost world through the eyes of youthful imagination and curiosity.

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Book SynopsisIt has the privacy and immediacy of a diary but holds the interest like a novel. It follows the adventures, trials and tribulations of Nuibin Amhlaigh who keeps getting into trouble in his good soldier’s progress through army life. A lost treasure of Irish writing translated for the first time into English.Trade Review“Mac Amhlaigh sought to record every pub and dancehall, every sunset, stone wall and rainbow in his mind, to pack the city in his suitcase so that she remained with him forever, so he could all at once hear her lost voice everywhere.” Colum McCann; “Mícheál Ó hAodha has done the literary world a huge service by translating Dónall Mac Amhlaigh's work into English.” Gillian Mawson; "a work that exudes authenticity and immediacy.” Liam Harte

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Book SynopsisA collection of letters discovered by chance in an old trunk, accompanied by cartoons and news clippings: the great historical interest of this collection gradually became apparent. The letters provide a vivid, first-hand account of life in the office of Sir Edwin Lutyens as told by those who worked there. The letters, comical and entertaining, were written by the young architects who had served in Lutyens' office as architectural assistants or apprentices. Some of these young men went on to have very distinguished careers of their own - Sir Basil Spence, for example. Others might be more obscure, but all share and describe the great sense of fun that was had working for the great architect. The letters are illustrated with cartoons of the period, making this book a unique and fascinating historical record, of great appeal to anyone interested in Lutyens.

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Book SynopsisJeffrey Weeks has been called 'the 'most significant British intellectual working on sexuality to emerge from the radical sexual movements of the 1970s'. Yet behind the titles and acclaim lies the story of a hugely fascinating, inspirational life - one both immersed in love and blighted by pain and loss. Growing up in a tight-knit mining community in the post-war Rhondda Valleys, Weeks knew from a young age that he was different. However, grappling with his burgeoning gayness amid this hotbed of sexual conservatism and traditional gender divisions, his initial explorations into this uniqueness led to little more than isolation and shame. Finding salvation in his studies, university brought with it a life-defining opportunity to thrive within the radical culture of late sixties and seventies London. He soon found himself at the forefront of the new gay liberation movement, and his work as its pioneering historian would spark a long career as a researcher and writer on sexuality, with widespread national and international recognition.Trade Review"A revelation . . . Humorous, passionate, insightful and written with literary flair" - Daryl Leeworthy, author of A Little Gay History of Wales

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Book SynopsisTeeming with life and compulsively readable, the pieces gathered together in The Tribe aggregate into an extraordinary mosaic of Cuba today. Carlos Manuel Álvarez, one of the most exciting young writers in Latin America, employs the crónica form – a genre unique to Latin American writing that blends reportage, narrative non-fiction, and novelistic forms – to illuminate a particularly turbulent period in Cuban history, from the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with the US, to the death of Fidel Castro, to the convulsions of the San Isidro Movement. Unique, edgy and stylishly written, The Tribe shows a society in flux, featuring sportsmen in exile, artists, nurses, underground musicians and household names, dissident poets, the hidden underclass at a landfill, migrants attempting to make their way across Central America, fugitives escaping the FBI, dealers from the black market, as well as revelers and policemen in the noisy Havana night. It is a major work of reportage by one of Granta’s Best of Young Spanish-Language novelists.Trade Review‘There is magic in these pages…[T]his book tells the actual story of Cuba as it exists today.’ — Jon Lee Anderson‘Álvarez is very good on the absurdist rituals of zombie totalitarianism…The Tribe vividly explores the more offbeat milieus and people of an extended Cuba.’ — Lorna Scott Fox, TLS ‘A journalistically rigorous picture of Cuban life, The Tribe is characterized by the gaps between Álvarez’s subjects. Using interviews and on-site reportage, Álvarez profiles people from various socioeconomic backgrounds, with contrasting political affiliations. The sketches he compiles demonstrate a wide range of experiences and perceptions of Cuba. Álvarez allows the juxtapositions between these profiles to reveal a country that looks different from person to person.... A nation is, after all, nebulous— the only way to make an honest portrait is to approach it from myriad perspectives. In The Tribe, the resulting mosaic is rich for its nuance and contradictions.’ — Morgan Graham, Chicago Review of Books‘Àlvarez has smuggled an important ethnographic work inside the form of an entertaining and well-written crónica.’ — Alex Payne, Buzz Magazine ‘Álvarez does not try to instruct or speculate. He does not write on whether the Revolution succeeded or failed. He does not determine whether the leader was a hero or a tyrant. His book is not an explanation: it is …. the history of a country told through its people.’ — María Teresa Hernández, AP News‘That rarest of books about a people that achieves a restorative function without idling in a documentarian mode, The Tribe’s gift to its subjects is not raising them as a hot topic, but by preserving their dignity in spite of the headlines.’ — Words Without Borders ‘This is one of those books you'll read in a single sitting. Conveying readers to the turbulent landscapes of Cuba's recent political past, it offers a refreshing assessment of the country outside of typical historic tropes, giving voice to ordinary Cubans, from artists and nurses to underground musicians and dissident poets.’ — Lucy Kehoe, Suitcase Magazine

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Book SynopsisIn the title story, Inspector Dreadlock Holmes and his sidekick Rudeyard Fly are sent for by the Criminal Investigation Department of Middleham-by-Sea - a little town known for tea shops, pet shops, and florists - in short, a rustic retreat for naughty weekends. Keen to kick-start their diversity policy, the Department sends for two Black cops who see this as a chance to prove their cross-cultural mettle and solve the brutal attack on Lord Montagu, a controversial political figure found unconscious with a courgette by his side. In other stories, an Anansi spider stows away on the Windrush, Cod and Chips are usurped by Chicken Tikka Marsala, and a white landscape gardener who admires Capability Brown has a mixed-race child, Cosmopolitan Brown, who is dispossessed by voices from history, including that of Martin Luther King. Surreal and playful, John Agard's stories reveal hidden truths that subtly change our view of who we are and where we come from.Trade Review'... If Agard had not already been forged in the roller-coaster aftermath of empire, there would be an urgent need for society to invent someone like him' FINANCIAL TIMES

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Book SynopsisIn this clear and absorbing memoir John Sam Jones writes of a life lived on the edge. It is story of journeys and realisation, of acceptance and joy. From a boyhood on the coast of Wales to a traumatic period studying at Aberystwyth, to a scholarship at Berkley in California as the AIDS epidemic began to take hold before returning to Liverpool and north Wales to work in community engagement and sexual health. A journey of becoming a writer and chronicler of his experiences with award-winning books and the desire to become a campaigner for LGBT rights in Wales. The adventure of running a guest house in Barmouth where he eventually became Mayor with his husband, a German academic, who he had married after a long partnership. Three weeks after the European Referendum they put the business on the market and moved to Germany. John is still on that journey.Trade Review“The Journey is Home is elegantly woven together, enormously readable and engaging... there is great value in this book. I found much tranquillity, amusement and love in its pages.” – Nation.Cymru; “...an incredibly important insight into the lives of individuals who had to inhabit the far less hospitable and more openly homophobic world of the recent past.” – The Welsh Agenda

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Book SynopsisRichard and Fred Fairbrass, better known as Right Said Fred, scored a global Number 1 hit in 1991 with their debut single 'I'm Too Sexy', selling 30 million albums, being showered with industry awards, and earning plaudits from admirers such as Madonna and Prince. Before that breakthrough, though, the brothers spent over a decade in London and New York, trying to make it in the music industry. Fred played guitar with Bob Dylan and Richard played bass in several David Bowie videos, with the brothers appearing on stage with Joy Division and Suicide, and on film with Mick Jagger. Once fame hit, the good times rolled, the substances mounted up and the groupies formed an orderly queue, but it wasn't long before the brothers realised that fame and fortune is not for everyone. Still Too Sexy is their story, with a foreword by the legendary stunt motorcyclist Eddie Kidd, OBE.Trade Review'Salacious, candid, funny and shocking. The book captures the anarchy of sudden celebrity' The Independent

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Book SynopsisThis collection brings together leading voices from female writers, artists, commentators and academics to reflect on how devolution has affected them and altered our political and social landscapes. Here,a series of creative and personal responses explore the true impact of devolution on the lives of women living and working in Wales.

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Book SynopsisA collection of twelve new contemporary short stories by Welsh writers, representing the winners of the 2024 Rhys Davies Short Story Competition. Including short biographical notes on the authors.

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Book SynopsisA wry, intelligent, and unputdownable look at class and national identity today. Alberto Prunetti arrives in the UK, the twenty-something-year-old son of a Tuscan factory worker who has never left home before. With only broken English, his wits, and an obsession with the work of George Orwell to guide him, he sets about looking for a job and navigating his new home. In between long, hot shifts in pizzerias and cleaning toilets up and down the country, he finds his place among the British precariat. His comrades form a polyglot underclass, among them an ex-addict cook, a cleaner in love with opera, an elderly Shakespearean actor, Turks impersonating Neapolitans to serve pizzas, and a cast of petty criminals ‘resting’ between bigger jobs. Stuck between a past haunted by Thatcher and a future dominated by Brexit, Down and Out in England and Italy is a hilarious and poignant snapshot of life on the margins in modern-day Britain.Trade Review‘A hallucinatory and savage account of modern working life. Both surreal and instantly recognisable.’ -- Jeff Sparrow, author of No Way But This and Trigger Warnings‘Raw, mischievous, funny, and vulgar … engaging.’ -- John Mulqueen * Irish Examiner *‘Humour and sarcasm abound in Prunetti’s slim, fast-paced account, but these do not lessen the anger and poignancy of his analysis of a society in which the workers are sacrificed at the altar of profit.’ -- Giglioa Sulis * TLS *‘Alberto Prunetti's scatalogical, sociological, phantasmagorical, novel Down and Out in England in Italy might have George Orwell spinning in his grave and chuckling in recognition at the kitchen workers, toilet cleaners, and children of miners and steel workers ... A deep poignancy here too.’ -- Anthony Cartwright, author of How I Killed Margaret Thatcher‘So funny and full of swagger ... a joy.’ -- Cash Carraway, author of Skint Estate‘Down and Out in England and Italy is funny, honest, and literary. Prunetti’s memoir reveals what life is really like for those in low-paid jobs around England while celebrating the bonds that exist between the have-nots. All of this and the history of bolognese too!’ -- Paul McVeigh, author of The Good Son‘A very sweary, grizzled old Italian Lefty … The cast of characters around him is often superbly drawn.’ -- Will Heaven * Mail on Sunday *‘In the span of a year and a half (the period of time the author himself spent in the UK) Prunetti condenses three decades of neoliberalism, deindustrialisation, attacks on workers’ rights and their wages.’ -- Wu Ming 1/Luther Blissett, author of Q‘Alberto Prunetti is a brother to every dispossessed wage slave in the UK. This is what’s happening and it’s only getting worse. Prunetti writes like a cross between John Fante and Jason Williamson. Surreal, defiant, and very very funny.’ -- Howard Cunnell, author of The Painter’s Friend‘Move over Orwell. Down and Out in England and Italy is (first word to last) the most exciting book on working-class experience, casual labour, and serious love (and cost) of book-learning I've ever read. Funny, fierce. I want to read it aloud in public.’ -- Tanya Shadrick, author of The Cure for Sleep‘Increasingly imaginative, experimental, and polyphonic’ -- Federico Picerni * Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics *‘Bitterly funny, lyrical, and often scatological … a foulmouthed, hallucinatory, and often surreal account of the contemporary landscape of class.’ -- John Merrick * Jacobin magazine *‘An urgent examination of class in a 21st-century context.’ * Happy Magazine *‘The book has a nightmarish Lovecraftian undertone — a creative ploy to underline the unspeakable horrors that workers today face under capitalism.’ -- Ivan Franceschini * Made in China Journal *‘A working-class story full of humour, misery, and solidarity.’ -- Angelo Boccato * Tribune *‘An emphasis on language, on dark humour, and critical observations makes [Down and Out in England and Italy] an enjoyable read.’ -- AM Robeson * Reading School Headmaster’s Bulletin *‘If you ever thought Down and Out in Paris and London would be a much better book if it was set in Bristol, Livorno, and Dorset and rewritten by a working class Italian communist with a taste for football, scatology, and codeine linctus — and who hasn’t — then is this the one for you.’ -- Owen Hatherley, author of Landscapes of Communism‘Poignant ... in the writing of his experiences, Prunetti finally finds his salvation, offering his readers some deeply uncomfortable glimpses into a world that it’s far cheerier not to contemplate too closely while tucking into that delicious pizza.’ -- Caroline Wyatt * Italian Riveter *‘The impetuousness and cheerfulness of the story go hand in hand with social indignation. This makes Prunetti’s novel not only unique but also extremely fun to read.’ -- Magnus Nilsson, editor of Working Class Literature(s)

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Book SynopsisA TLS and a Prospect Book of the Year A revelatory, explosive new analysis of the military today. Over the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Britain has changed enormously. During this time, the British Army fought two campaigns, in Iraq and Afghanistan, at considerable financial and human cost. Yet neither war achieved its objectives. This book questions why, and provides challenging but necessary answers. Composed from assiduous documentary research, field reportage, and hundreds of interviews with many soldiers and officers who served, as well as the politicians who directed them, the allies who accompanied them, and the family members who loved and — on occasion — lost them, it is a strikingly rich, nuanced portrait of one of our pivotal national institutions in a time of great stress. Award-winning journalist Simon Akam, who spent a year in the army when he was 18, returned a decade later to see how the institution had changed. His book examines the relevance of the armed forces today — their social, economic, political, and cultural role. This is as much a book about Britain, and about the politics of failure, as it is about the military.Trade Review‘Akam’s beautifully written, from the inside out, account of the British Army’s reluctance to engage with the realities of recent small wars, in Afghanistan in particular, is a must-read for every serious student of modern military history. At one level, it explains how and why we managed to turn victory over Al Qaeda in Afghanistan into defeat at the hands of the Taliban. But this book is about much more than the army in Afghanistan — it is a parable about failure, the failure of a revered institution, with a proud history and an uncritical public, to come to terms with a changed and changing world.’ -- Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, former British ambassador to Afghanistan‘Simon Akam has written a perceptive, challenging and passionate book that looks at modern soldiering. In doing so, Akam provides an invaluable look at how the British Army works — and how the changing world in the 21st century is asking new and complex questions for soldiers and military strategy alike.’ -- Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads‘This brave, absorbing and prodigiously well-researched tour de force renders every previous account of the British Army in its disastrous recent campaigns obsolete. Akam makes an unanswerable case that we are no longer very good at fighting wars, building his arguments with panache and good sense. In doing so he has done his country, and the army, a great service — although the Generals may not see it quite that way just yet. Put away the self-serving autobiographies and the obsequious histories of in-house academics; this is the definitive account of the British Army in its 21st Century misadventures.’ -- Frank Ledwidge, author of Losing Small Wars‘Simon Akam delivers a devastating indictment of Britain’s military chiefs for overseeing the shocking decline of the nation’s armed forces. His book is compulsory reading for every patriot.’ -- Tom Bower, biographer‘A brilliant book … Gets right to the heart of so many of the British Army’s problems.’ -- Simon Scarrow, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Eagles of the Empire series‘A new book looks at the changes the British Army has undergone and roles it has played as an almost volunteer sidekick to the American military in the war on terror.’ -- CJ Chivers * The New York Times *‘The truth about the British Army’ -- Jason Burke * The Guardian *‘Akam is an angry young man and the book is better for it.’ * The Times *‘A blockbuster critique … with heaps of evidence.’ -- Matthew Paris * The Times *‘A passionate book.’ -- Max Hastings * The Sunday Times *‘It’s compellingly written — I got through all 500-plus pages in two sittings — and it is certainly worth the effort.’ -- Adrian Weale * Mail on Sunday *‘Detailed and well structured.’ -- Anthony Loyd * New Statesman *‘Impassioned … It is a valuable addition to analysing the past, present and future of a venerated institution.’ -- Kim Sengupta * The Independent *‘A blistering account … Akam’s research, including interviews with 260 individuals, is formidable.’ -- Richard Norton-Taylor * Declassified UK *‘A scathing account of the British army in the years after 9/11 … Akam has not just done his homework, interviewing 260 people, but also shows his working in 89 pages of footnotes, full of forensic detail — and delicious gossip.’ -- Shashank Joshi * Spectator Australia *‘Akam makes many important points and reports in depth on officers’ recollections of specific episodes.’ -- Helen Parr * Prospect *‘The Changing of the Guard is a major book that provides the first serious analysis of the effectiveness of the modern British Army … With a particular focus on the failure of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he gives a brunt assessment of the Army as an institution and its role in society. There is lots of interesting material here and some relevant lessons for Australia.’ -- Jeff Popple * Canberra Weekly *‘It is a review of the British Army … It does not tell a ‘pretty’ story — rather, it is a ‘warts and all’ tale … Simon Akam has written a fine book on how and why the British Army has changed, between 2001 and 2020. For those who have seen military service, it will provide a broad picture of the conditions some soldiers have faced in the early 21st Century. For those who have not, it shows clearly the true face of war, as it is fought in this day and age, and may, possibly, be fought in the near future and within current social value sets.’ -- Rob Ellis * RUSI VIC Library *‘[In] beautifully written, evocative and passionate prose, [Akam places] you in the boots of British soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan suddenly discovering the mission they’ve volunteered for isn’t the war they’re fighting at all … He begins asking questions at ground level, 260 interviews probing everyone from commanders, medal winners to those convicted of war crimes … This breadth of research gives Akam’s book immense power.’ -- Nicholas Stuart * The Canberra Times *‘Simon Akam … has written a timely, elegant and important book, The Changing of the Guard, about the British army’s failures in Afghanistan and Iraq.’ -- David Patrikarakos * The Spectator *‘Full of gripping reportage and compelling personal stories … the story he tells is profoundly important.’ -- David French * TLS *‘A powerful, compelling, and fascinating polemic. Essential reading.’ -- William Boyd‘A “state-of-the-nation” book of resounding power, deep conviction, and far-reaching significance.’ -- Richard Davenport-Hines * TLS *‘Akam contends that there was as little accountability within the military hierarchy as there was outside it … The military would obviously like to avoid a close examination of this unbroken string of catastrophes, but Akam’s book is a gentle account — critical, but not unsympathetic.’ -- Tom Stevenson * London Review of Books *‘Gripping and thoroughly disheartening.’ -- Al Murray‘[A] valuable and salutary read.’ * Foreign Affairs *‘The Changing of the Guard has contributed to the ongoing debate over how the British Army might change further as it enters a post-pandemic world where security challenges demand considerable flexibility of mind… Anything that provokes such self-awareness is good for institutions.’ * War on the Rocks *‘This is an unofficial oral history, created by hundreds of interviews as well as documents and personal observations by the author … This is a well written, organised and researched book … It reads well and is dynamic keeping the reader engaged … I commend Simon Akam for creating an accurate book that could be used as a Leadership discussion case study for the British Army as well as other militaries … It should become required reading at Sandhurst and the UK Joint Services Command and Staff College as well as the Defence Academy of the UK.’ -- Preston McLaughlin * Small Wars Journal *

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Book SynopsisChiltern Publishing creates beautifully crafted editions of the World's finest literature. Their extraordinary and unique classic cover designs have evolved into exquisite, handcrafted writing journals of a high art form. Put simply: they are the finest writing journals on the market.

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Book SynopsisA powerful personal testimony and an urgent call for Israel to change direction, from an unexpected source: the former director of the internal security service, Shin Bet. Raised on a kibbutz by parents who had fled the Holocaust, Ami Ayalon’s life exemplified the Zionist dream. His commitment to his country propelled a meteoric career, culminating in being named commander of the navy and receiving the Medal of Valour, Israel’s highest military decoration. All the time, he remained a staunch supporter of his country’s policies. Then he was appointed director of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, and the unexpected happened. Forced to try and understand the lives and motivations of Palestinians for the first time, he gained empathy for ‘the enemy’ and learned that when Israel carries out anti-terrorist operations in a political context of hopelessness, the Palestinian public will support violence, because they have nothing to lose. He came to understand that his patriotic life had blinded him to the self-defeating nature of policies that have undermined Israel’s civil society while heaping humiliation upon its neighbours. In this deeply personal journey of discovery, Ami Ayalon seeks input and perspectives from Palestinians and Israelis whose experiences differ from his own, and draws radical conclusions about what Israel must do to achieve relative peace and security.Trade Review‘How can a staunch Zionist who was raised on one of Israel’s earliest settlements and trained as a kill-or-be-killed elite commando spearhead a campaign for peace with his enemies? The answer, in Ami Ayalon’s captivating narrative, is an eye-opener for Palestinians and Israelis alike.’ -- Sari Nusseibeh, author of Once Upon a Country: a Palestinian life, former president of the Al-Quds University and former Palestinian National Authority representative in Jerusalem‘Remarkable.’ -- Andrew Mueller * Monocle *‘Fascinating and well-written.’ -- Ahron Bregman * Jewish Chronicle *‘[Friendly Fire] is a personal, intellectual and philosophical journey.’ -- Yossi Melman * Haaretz *‘[Ayalon’s] aims and accomplishments are … undeniably impressive … Hope finds a prominent presence in what so many think is a hopeless, endless conflict.’ * Kirkus Reviews *‘Ami Ayalon discusses how he came to see a two-state solution with the Palestinians as the best way to ensure Israel's security, not just through analysing numbers and statistics, but through a humanistic approach. He discusses … how his humanist paradigm not only allowed him to see how the Palestinians’ grievances and aspirations are intertwined with Israel’s security, but also how he still acknowledges and sympathises with the narratives of those in Israel whom he may disagree with.’ -- Jonah Naghi * The Times of Israel *‘Friendly Fire is not simply a critique, but a strong mandate for a complete overhaul of Israel's policy toward countering Palestinian terrorism — with clear lessons for counterterrorism policy far beyond the region … [A] powerful critique of the Israeli politicians on both the left and right … [A] story of immense bravery: bravery to speak truth to power; bravery to speak out against injustice — even when it is committed on one’s behalf and in one's name; bravery to acknowledge one’s own participation in and responsibility for such injustice; and, finally, bravery to demand accountability from oneself and from others.’ -- Molly Ellenberg, Modern War Institute‘Friendly Fire is full of fascinating anecdotes from a life lived on the sidelines of some of the most momentous events in the recent history of the Middle East.’ -- TJ Collins * Dubbo Mailbox Shopper *‘[A] compact, compelling memoir … [S]moothly written … [A]fter Ayalon retired as head of Shin Bet he decided almost everything he had done as a soldier and a supervisor of secret agents had actually reduced the prospects for peace and security.’ -- Charles Kaiser * The Guardian *‘[A]n idealistic, yet sober and realistic, vision of what is needed to advance the prospects of peace.’ -- Sheldon Kirshner * The Times of Israel *‘Reading Ayalon’s revealing book, one can see that he has come a long way. Perhaps his most commendable conclusion is that Israel will never achieve peace until “we change the narrative about the past and admit to ourselves that the Palestinians have a right to their own country alongside Israel, and on land we claim as ours”.’ -- Raja Shehadeh * The Nation *

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Book SynopsisMary Seacole’s remarkable life began in Jamaica, where she was born a ‘free person,’ the daughter of a black mother and white Scottish army officer. Ron Ramdin – who, like Seacole, was born in the Caribbean and emigrated to the UK – tells the remarkable story of a woman celebrated today as a pioneering nurse. But Seacole’s time in the Crimea, for which she is best-known, was only the pinnacle of a life of adventure and travel. Refused permission to serve as an army nurse, Seacole took the remarkable step of funding her own journey to the Crimean battlefront and there, in the face of sometimes harsh opposition, she established a hotel for wounded soldiers. Unlike Florence Nightingale – whose exploits saw her venerated as the ‘lady with the lamp’ for generations afterwards – Seacole cared for soldiers perilously close to the fighting. Her short-lived fame back in Britain was the work of soldiers and the press who campaigned to have her exploits acknowledged. Her book, The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands, became a bestseller. Then she was forgotten, dying 25-years later in obscurity, and unjustly written out of history for over a century.Trade Review'Contains important lessons for those of us who care, and demonstrates why she was voted the greatest black Briton'-Church Times

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Book SynopsisThe Prison Psychiatrist's Wife is a gripping true story of a Herculean project. Sue Johnson's psychiatrist husband Bob, recruited to work with notorious offenders at Parkhurst Prison, sets out to discover whether he can change dangerous and violent men. What begins as a bold and enlightened experiment leads him into clashes with prison culture and eventually to the High Court with threats to invoke the Official Secrets Act. From her unique point of view as an unfettered outsider, the author casts a searingly moving eye onto the workings of our deepest dungeons and the politics that feed them. This book is an unforgettable account from the perspective of the unseen wife. A rare 'outsider' view of prison which casts new light on hidden events. Of wide professional, penal and general interest - a woman's voice in a strongly male setting.Trade Review'A beautifully written account of the experience of working creatively in a top security setting of control'-- Prison Service Journal; 'Wonderful book... beautifully written as well as presenting the tragic face of humanity versus this country's inhumane penal system'-- Dr Felicity de Zulueta, Emeritus Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy; 'A tremendous book. A perspective that needs to be heard'- Oliver James, author, broadcaster and clinical psychologist; 'A rollercoaster ride of emotion, courage, and political chicanery ... I was held by the power of the narrative'- Dave Marteau, former Head of the Prison Drug Addiction Service; 'I was gripped ... a great read I would recommend to Prison Service colleagues'- Tim Newell, former Governor of HMP Grendon; 'Captivating and most beautifully written'- Jerome Carson, Professor of Psychology, Bolton University; 'I nearly stood up and clapped'- Andrew Holden, film and TV scriptwriter; 'I read this wonderful book with joy and appreciation. It's probably among the very best Waterside Press has ever published in all the years and I have read dozens of Waterside books .... The author is a natural writer full of empathy and understanding, I shall let people know how very good the book is'- John Harding CBE, Formerly Chief Probation Officer, Inner London.Table of ContentsForeword Charles Bronson; Prologue; The Beginnings; The Strong Man; Early Days; A Tea Party; Trust and Change; The Man in the Blue Jumper; A Hopeful Time; A Swimming Party; A Barbecue; The Hospital Wing; The Guardian; New Man on the Wing; Grendon; Prison Politics; Murder Threat; The Inspectorate Calls; A Breaking Storm; Resignation; Panorama; The High Court; After-days...; After-shocks; Epilogue.

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Book SynopsisWhen Abraham Lincoln said, ‘You can be anything you want to be,’ Americans, and eventually everybody everywhere, lifted their sights. Nowadays anybody can aspire to be a leader, and nearly everybody has to lead sometimes. In Leadership, Simon McDonald assumes that thinking about leadership before you lead helps you to lead better. No matter the circumstances in which we might be called to lead – be it at work, on the sports field, or in the community – the example of top leaders in politics and public service (both their successes and shortcomings) can help you figure out your own approach. As the head of HM Diplomatic Service, McDonald was responbile for over 14,000 staff in 270 posts worldwide, worked for six foreign secretaries, and saw five prime ministers operate at close quarters. Observing these people undertaking the most important and often the most difficult work in the country, he saw the behaviours that helped them to achieve their objectives, and those which hindered them.Trade Review‘Leadership displays the virtues you might expect of a top diplomat: it is elegantly written, discreet and observant.’ Gideon Rachman, Financial Times; ‘An enjoyable read packed with insights from someone who was ‘‘on the spot’’ when the United Kingdom responded to significant international challenges.’ House Magazine; ‘An original, very well-written, and serious book which adds to the quality of public discussion.’ Anthony Seldon; ‘This is a book full of riches – a despatch from deep inside the British state about how it really operates and how it could be run better. In places, Simon McDonald wields his fluent pen like a blowtorch. His candour burns the page. Some of the most eminent in the land will rush to the index. Some will be right to tremble if they find their name.’ Peter Hennessy; ‘The author’s observations are widely applicable and strengthened by a strong understanding of history.’ The Edge, Malaysia;

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Book SynopsisA unique portrait of one of the great British statesmen of the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisEncounterism is a joyous immersion into the everyday pleasure and shared humanity we stand to lose in an increasingly digital world. Andy Field explores both different kinds of and different venues for human encounters, from the hairdressers to the cinema, from nightclubs to eateries, shops staffed by people and free-form urban parks; these are the everyday yet invaluable spaces that allow for human encounters that enrich our lives. Field writes with tenderness and wit - born out of twenty years as a performance artist creating scenarios in which people are encouraged to see and interact with each other afresh. In Encounterism he not only examines how we physically encounter both strangers and friends - in all our human grace and awkwardness - but builds to a manifesto for the importance of real-world interaction. A rousing reminder that our cities, our residential and work places, must still allow for the possibility of spontaneity and shared, in-person joy.

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Book SynopsisAn innovative memoir connecting ideas of grief, memory, and animals to illustrate the importance of storytelling.When his mother died, Timothy C. Baker discovered that there was almost no record of her existence, and no stories that were his to tell: the only way to bring her back was through reading. Reading My Mother Back is a genre-bending memoir that explores a life marked by trauma, illness, religion, and abuse through a focus on the books Baker and his mother shared. The book combines accounts of rereading childhood classics with true and apocryphal stories of a quiet life, marked by great sorrow and great joy. The book is about grief and memory and how our childhood reading shapes the way we see the world; it’s about loneliness and the search for belonging; it’s about how ordinary lives are transfigured by storytelling. Moving from accounts of American evangelical communities to kidney failure, from literary criticism to psychoanalysis, and from guilt to love, Baker shows how literature provides a framework for understanding our experiences, and offers a way of connecting with everything we have lost. The book illustrates how children’s animal stories bring us into a love of the world, and how acts of rereading become a way not of assuaging grief, but of bringing the past and present together. Reading My Mother Back offers a bold and personal view of why the stories we read and share matter so much. And there are bunnies.

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Book SynopsisFrom streets to cars, parks to barbers, nightclubs to restaurants, these nine exuberant essays explore how we meet fellow humans, how we share space and what we gain from the physical presence and interactions of others. ''I have spent most of the last sixteen years creating unusual performances in everyday locations - in cafes and cinemas, on rooftops, in parks and out on the crowded streets of towns and cities. Doing so has meant spending a lot of time thinking carefully about these everyday spaces and the kinds of encounters we have in them. Encounterism draws from this history of messing around in everyday life to tell stories about a range of ordinary human encounters. The kind of interactions - with hairdressers, nightclubbers or strangers we pass on the street - that would normally disappear unnoticed into the great ocean of activity occurring around them. Our lives are littered with these little interactions, occupying a grey space between ritual and routine. Ways of meeting we

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Book SynopsisCancer, tumour, cancer. The words fizzle and dissolve into nothing like aspirin in water. I exist in the third person. The room is blue. When Graham Caveney was a child the word ''cancer'' was unspeakable, only uttered in jokes told by people too frightened to say the word in any other context. Now the boy with perpetual nervousness is a fifty-something man, and the oncologist in front of him is saying words evacuated of all meaning: Inoperable. Incurable. In this startling and deeply moving memoir from one of the great chroniclers of British working-class life, Graham Caveney charts a year of disease from diagnosis to past ''original sell-by-date''. Shot through with Northerness, tenderness, and Caveney''s trademark humour, The Body in the Library reflects on an unfinished lifetime filled with books and with love. What''s it like to realise that the books on your shelf will remain unread? That the book you are writing will be your last - that you have become your own deadline?

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Book Synopsismicrobursts is a collection of hybrid, lyric essays about the places between life and death; memoir and poetry; making and letting go. Originally written by Reeder as an intense text-based collection of lyric and experimental essays responding to the illnesses and deaths of her parents, it confronts the raw emotions of crisis, grief and creativity. Through collaboration with Thomson, the project expanded to consider how design and visual intervention might alter the nature and impact of the text.The outcome is a book which explores the subjects of illness, crisis, creativity, caring, death and grief, alongside the aesthetic and formal concerns of cross-genre writing, including how image, formatting and text work together to create tension, understanding and pace, expanding the possibilities of the essay and the artist’s book.Formally audacious, linguistically fluid, sensitive and intricate in its visual presentation, microbursts uses the potential and elasticity of the essay form to explore intensely personal, yet universal, experiences and considers the ways in which we can express and communicate these through spatial and linguistic form. Crucially, it achieves these things effortlessly, with its accessible, poetic language and engaging narrative of family, love, care, grief, dying, death and creativity.

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Book Synopsis "Catherine Horwood's book is a triumph, beautifully crafted by an author who has thoroughly researched and understood her subject. From start to finish, this publication gives us a real understanding of Beth's life. There is so much here to keep the reader gripped." - Gardens Illustrated Beth Chatto: A life with plants tells the story of the most influential British plantswoman of the past hundred years. Beth Chatto was the inspiration behind the ‘right plant, right place’ ethos that lies at the heart of modern gardening. She also wrote some of the best-loved gardening books of the twentieth century, among them The Dry Garden, The Damp Garden, and Beth Chatto’s Gravel Garden. Some years before her death in May 2018, aged ninety-four, Beth authorized Catherine Horwood to write her biography, with exclusive access to her archive. Beth Chatto: A life with plants also includes extracts from Beth’s notebooks and diaries, never previously published, bringing Beth’s own distinctive and much-loved voice into the book. Most of the photographs, from Beth’s personal archives, have also never been seen in print before. For Beth’s legions of fans, Beth Chatto: A life with plants is the personal story behind her beliefs and the struggles and determination that brought her success. Trade Review"A fascinating portrait of one of the true gardening greats from her early childhood in rural Essex to her groundbreaking work as a nursery owner, award-winning author and multiple gold-medal-winner exhibitor at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show." * Irish Times Gardening Books of the Year *"Full of tales of Chelsea shows, of travels with Christopher Lloyd and of Cedric Morris's artists' colony at Benton End in Suffolk. Fascinating stuff." * The Times *"Not a gardening book per se but a book about a gardener who created a garden of distinction on a dry, windswept site, earning her a reputation as an international influencer. The book brings its subject back to life, enabling those previously unfamiliar with Chatto's work and influence to understand the context in which her ideas were formulated and excelled." * Irish News Best Gardening Books of the Year *"Beth loved autumn, and for me, Beth Chatto: A Life with Plants shines most in this season of transition, as her later years are chronicled...[It] tells a complete and intimate portrait of Chatto's professional and personal life." * Leaflet - Massachussets Horticultural Society *"Beth Chatto...died last year having handed over her gardening notebooks to Catherine Horwood. Perhaps more pertinently for Horwood, and for non-gardeners whose eyes glaze over at the mention of horticultural triumphs, Chatto also entrusted Horwood with her private diaries. As Horwood's detailed and rigorous Beth Chatto shows, plantspeople have passions beyond their garden beds." * Sunday Times Gardening Books of the Year *"Beth Chatto, who died last year, was singularly forward-thinking and knowledgeable, and her gardens and nursery near Elmstead Market in Essex have been a continual draw to enthusiasts for half a century. Catherine Horwood’s authorised biography, based on diaries, notes and conversations, is a faithful, workmanlike account of a truly remarkable plantswoman and artistic gardener." -- Ursula Buchan * Spectator *"Catherine Horwood's book is a triumph, beautifully crafted by an author who has thoroughly researched and understood her subject. From start to finish, this publication gives us a real understanding of Beth's life. There is so much here to keep the reader gripped." -- Fergus Garrett * Gardens Illustrated *"The life story of this elegant plant guru contains enough drive and determination to inspire any modern woman...To meet, Beth was an inscrutable coiled spring of a person, beautifully composed, a brilliant lecturer and writer and, of course, a terrific grower...This book shows what a remarkable woman she was." -- Mary Keen * Country Life *"A compelling and revealing read, enhanced by Catherine's talents for research and tellling a good story." * The English Garden *"Brilliant, charming and beautiful, she was a horticultural pioneer whose impact continues to this day. Her gardening genius made her the darling of pop stars, aristocrats and royalty — yet as this sympathetically written biography reveals, her apparently gilded life was far more turbulent than anyone could have suspected." * Daily Mail *"Catherine Horwood more than does justice to this iconic gardening legend...a delightful memoir of a remarkable woman. Beautifully illustrated and superbly written...a fitting tribute to one of horticulture's most iconic women." * Reckless Gardener *"This fascinating, beautifully-written biography paints a fond and intimate portrait of one of the true greats of the gardening world." * Irish Times *"Impeccably researched." * House & Garden *

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Book SynopsisSeven Rooms brings together highlights from Hotel, a magazine for new approaches to fiction, non-fiction & poetry which, since its inception in 2016, provided a space for experimental reflection on literature's status as art & cultural mediator. Co-published by Tenement Press and Prototype, this anthology captures, refracts, and reflects a vital moment in independent publishing in the UK, and is built on the shared values of openness, collaboration, and total creative freedom.Table of ContentsFeaturing, in order of appearance ... Mario Dondero, Erica Baum, Jess Cotton, Rebecca Tamas, Stephen Watts, Helen Cammock, Salvador Espriu, Lucy Mercer, Lucy Sante, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Ryan Choi, John Yau, Nicolette Polek, Chris Petit, Sascha Macht, Amanda DeMarco, Mark Lanegan, Vala Thorodds, Richard Scott, Joshua Cohen, Hannah Regel, Nick Cave, Daisy Lafarge, Holly Pester, Matthew Gregory, Olivier Castel, Emmanuel Iduma, Joan Brossa, Cameron Griffiths, Imogen Cassels, Hisham Bustani, Maia Tabet, Raul Guerrero, Velimir Khlebnikov, Natasha Randall, Edwina Atlee, Matthew Shaw, Aidan Moffat, Lesley Harrison, Oliver Bancroft, Lauren de Sa Naylor, Will Eaves, Sandro Miller, Jim Hugunin, Levina van Winden, Aram Saroyan, Glykeria Patramani, Will Oldham, Antonio Tabucchi, Yasmine Seale, Elizabeth Harris, Nina Mingya Powles, Isabel Galleymore, Makiko Faruichi, Jason Shulman, Jeffrey Vallance, Preti Taneja, Stanley Schtinter, the Wayne Koestenbaum papers ( Yale's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library), Sophie Seita, Ralf Webb, Jonathan Chandler, Iain Sinclair, SJ Fowler, Cass McCombs, David Grubbs, Agustin Fernandez Mallo, Pere Joan, Thomas Bunstead, Adrian Bridget and John Divola. With a foreword by Dominic J. Jaeckle & Jess Chandler, and an afterword by Gareth Evans.

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Book SynopsisREVISED & EXPANDED 2nd EDITIONRenowned internationally for her lyrically unsettling novels Book of Clouds, Asunder and Sea Monsters, the Mexican writer Chloe Aridjis crosses borders in her work as much as she traverses them in life. Now, collected here for the first time, her stories, essays and pen portraits reveal an author as imaginatively at home in the short form as in her longer fiction. At once fabular and formally innovative, acquainted with reverie and rigorous report, sensitive to the needs of a wider ecology yet familiar with the landscapes of the unconscious, her texts are both dream dispatches and wayward word plays infused with the pleasure and possibilities of language. Conversations with the presences who dwell on the threshold of waking and reverie, flâneuses of the dusk and dawn, these pieces will stay with you long after the lamps have flickered out.

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Book Synopsis'Making a garden together, in which to live and work, through thick and thin, fair and foul, is what we like to do best. Everything else is a sideshow. Since spring 2019 Julian and I have been making a garden at Ashington Manor Farm, a garden that we think of as our last principal private escapade, but you never know . . .' Isabel and Julian Bannerman have made scores of lauded gardens for a host of famous clients, and three special, much-loved gardens of their own surrounding the houses which they have restored and lived in since they married, starting at The Ivy, Chippenham, in 1982; then Hanham Court, Bristol, in 1993; and Trematon Castle, Cornwall, in 2012. Now as they embark on a new adventure, creating a garden at their Elizabethan farmhouse in Somerset, Isabel reflects on the garden they are making and the others they have made as a couple, about the 'thousand tiny decisions about which we fight like hooting chimpanzees' and, especially, the fundamentals of what Julian, Mr B, thinks about the key things that go into making a garden for living in – a jumble of eating, drinking and sitting places, fruit cages, vegetable and cutting gardens, pelargoniums in giant pots, rose arches, tools and sheds, fences, formality and topiary, pools and meadows, and not least the importance of one's peripheral vision of how the garden joins on to the landscape.Trade Review"The magic they bring to every project is elusive, but it is always built upon the solid foundations of a deep understanding of the history of a house and its relationship with the land. Happily, this book lifts the lid of the process that produces such warm yet thrilling results...This sharp and funny, warts-and-all approach does the great service of leaving the reader enthused and encouraged, not overawed by technicalities and hardcore...it imparts all that really useful practical stuff so often left unsaid. And all is told with that same chaos and charm that underpins their enchanting gardens." -- Tiffany Daneff * Country Life *"So beguiling in its content, so poignant in its perceptions, that when I had finished it, I started at the beginning again, to read it all over again." -- Anna Pavord * Gardens Illustrated *"If you like gardens, houses, charm and other people's husbands then get this book. Nothing and no one keeps me awake till three in the morning apart, it seems, from Isabel Bannerman. Her style of writing is all her own and I love it." -- Jasper Conran"Broad in scope, Husbandry is beautifully and evocatively written...The Bannermans are original thinkers yet this is a useful and practical book. A garden like a marriage is ‘for pleasure and living in’ and Husbandry has a wellspring of ideas on the possibilities of place." -- Lucy Bellamy * Garden & House *"Beautifully written, achingly honest and sometimes irreverent, revealing all sorts of useful snippets on garden design." -- Clare Foster * House and Garden *"The real story of a garden and a relationship. It would make a wonderful gift for the gardening person in your life or just buy it for yourself. It feels a little like a hidden gem that might get overlooked as it is not a big or a flashy book, but treat yourself, you will not regret it." * blackberrygarden.co.uk *"Warm, candid and enormously entertaining, this book is as much about a marriage as a garden. There are gems of observation, thought-provoking statements and some really useful advice. It’s clear the gardens created by the designers Isabel and Julian Bannerman for clients, and their own home gardens, are tightly woven into their relationship and part of the fabric of life for a couple for whom garden-making is akin to breathing." -- Anna Pavord * Sunday Times Gardening Books of the Year *"This intimate and entertaining tasty morsel ruminates on love, marriage and garden-making. I felt that I'd lounged beneath the trees at Ashington Manor with a soul-mate." -- Rachel de Thame * The Garden (RHS) *"So out of the ordinary, so fantastically written, clever and very funny, that I might get two of them: husband-and-wife copies." -- Jason Goodwin * Country Life *"A wonderful gift for the gardening person in your life or just buy it for yourself. It feels a little like a hidden gem that might get overlooked as it is not a big or a flashy book, but treat yourself, you will not regret it." * blackberrygarden.co.uk *

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Book Synopsis5 September, 1972. 4.30 a.m. The Munich Olympic Village. Black September, a group of Palestinian terrorists, break into the Israeli team's apartments. It is the beginning of the most tragic event in Olympic history and, after twenty hours, the day will end in a massacre, with the deaths of eleven Israelis, five Palestinians and a German policeman. This is the story of the race-walker Shaul Ladany: a survivor. But more than just a member of the Israeli team from those terrible events in Munich, Ladany was a survivor of the darkest period in twentieth century history, having been interred as a child at the Nazi concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen, the camp where Anne Frank died. For the second time in his life, Ladany has survived history. Ladany, the world record holder in the fifty-mile walk and a professor of industrial engineering, is one of Israel’s most successful athletes, having won dozens of national championships and competed at both the 1968 and 1972 Olympics; he was a student at Columbia University in New York, a soldier in the Six Days War and the Yom Kippur War. From Eichmann to Sharon, from Bikila to All Blacks, from Nixon to Thatcher: they are all a part of Ladany’s walk through the twentieth century. Award-winning author and journalist Andrea Schiavon tells Ladany's extraordinary life and, walking with him, chronicles a whole century of events in this astonishing, touching and epic biography.

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Book SynopsisScotland’s greatest export. The world’s first super spy. Voted the sexiest man on the planet. Sir Sean Connery was a titanic figure on screen and off for over half a century. Behind the son of a factory worker, growing up in near-poverty on the harsh streets of pre-war Edinburgh, lay a timeless array of motion pictures that spanned multiple decades and saw Connery work across the globe with directors as diverse as Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay. And amongst them his greatest role, whether he liked it or not – Bond, James Bond. Author A. J. Black delves into Connery’s life for more than mere biography, exploring not just the enormously varied pictures he made including crowd pleasing blockbusters such as The Untouchables or Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, serious-minded fare in The Hill or The Offence, and his strange sojourns into eclectic fantasy with Zardoz or Time Bandits, but also the sweep of a career that crossed movie eras as well as decades. From skirmishes with the angry young men of the British New Wave, via becoming the cinematic icon of the 1960s as 007, through to a challenging reinvention as a unique older actor of stature in the 1980s, this exploration of the Cinematic Connery shows just how much his work reflected the changing movie-going tastes, political realities and cultural trends of the 20th century, and beyond . . .Trade Review'Both the definitive chronicle of a movie icon's career and a thrilling overview of postwar Hollywood cinema as a whole, Black's meticulously researched and insightful volume gets to the heart of the legend that is Sean Connery' -- Waterstones

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Book Synopsis'The Flight of The Arctic Fox' tells the riveting story of the lives of thirty-one passengers and crew on board a BEA Vickers Viscount flying from London to Naples in October 1958. Following a mid-air collision with a jet fighter over Nettuno in Italy, everyone on board died, including the author's brother, who was a member of the crew.Table of ContentsList of Plates 9 Maps 14 1958 Timeline 15 Preface 19 1. FATALITÀ 25 2. THE CREW 38 Captain Frank Foster First Officer Geoffrey Wright Radio Officer James Bannon Flight Attendants Rosemary Bevan Terence O’Grady 3. THE PASSENGERS 90 The Group 90 Eugenie Kawaja Patricia Watson Brian Fogaty Leslie King Couples 132 Charles and Diana Cubitt William and Margaret Buchan Mary Mathieson and Robert Allan Friends 166 Lady Jenny Weir and Frances Miller Colston Luxton and Robert Bruce Colleagues 196 John Prince and Reuben Silburn Singles 221 John Booth Robert Chalmers Arnold Davies Richard Golden George Kimble Sheila Lane Mary La Rosa Garth Marshallsay John Vella Eveline Yuille 4. AFTERMATH 308 5. THE INQUIRY 314 6. CLOSURE 327 Acknowledgements 334 Bibliography 347 Index 350 About the author 362

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Book SynopsisGiorgio Gomelsky was at the centre of the counterculture in 60s' London and 70s' Paris before running a studio for avant-garde musicians in New York. He was the original manager of the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds in London, then managed the French supergroup Magma and developed the career of Gong. Dumaurier recounts his friend Gomelsky's love of life, his dynamism, and the creativity that made him "push the envelope". With a keen eye for talent, Gomelsky's ideas helped shape the rock music we know and love today - acting as a catalyst for change and innovation. With recollections from colleagues, friends and musicians: Larry Birnbaum, Madeleine Carr, Raul Gonzalez, Brian Gooding, Bob Gruen, Roman Iwasiwka, Amy Madden, Jesse Malin and Bradley Rim.Trade Review"At last! A biography of the man who did more than most to shape rock music in the 60s and 70s. Francis was a close friend and admirer of his subject in his later years, and his book captures Gomelsky's brilliant butterfly mind; a labour of love." - Ralph Brookfield, musician and writer of books on music ; "If you have an interest in the way the music industry evolved, an interest in the 1960's British blues and 1970's Prog scene, then I'd thoroughly recommend this book. The author does a wonderful job bringing the story to life." - Roger Tichborne, The Barnet Eye; "a great tribute and recollection of Giorgio Gomelsky's life and his influences on culture and music as told by close friends and those that knew and worked with him, such as musicians Jesse Malin, Brad Rim, Amy Madden and Raul Gonzalez. It is a genuine and interesting read to discover more about Giorgio and his life as well as the history of the music era of the 60s and 70s rock. Now, thanks to this English edition, more can read about Giorgio's life and influences that helped shape rock music so he can get the remembrance he deserves." - Carina Lawrence, Mad About Rock ; "In his biography 'Life', Keith Richards says of Gomelsky: 'He pushed us forward, found us concerts, at a time when there was nothing else to hope for.' A creative, inspired poet, passionate impresario, Giorgio Gomelsky lived in New York where the author Francis Dumaurier met him and then rubbed shoulders with him for a long time. From their friendship was born this moving testimony that (finally) does justice to the man." **** --Maryline Stan, Amazon; "If you're a big classic rock nerd who wants to learn about the behind the scenes people, it's a good read with many interesting stories from those who were close to Giorgio throughout his life - an honest look, warts and all... There are lots of cool photos of Giorgio and the bands that he worked with throughout the book. It paints a vibrant picture of what it was like in Swinging London, 60s and 70s Paris, and 80s New York City... Pick up this book and you'll find he was more than just The Yardbirds manager. What a journey!" - Angie Moon, The Diversity of Classic Rock; "Dumaurier, through his friendship with Giorgio and interviews with those who knew him, paints a vivid picture of Gomelsky's life and legacy, exploring his complex relationships with the musicians he worked with, his impact on the music industry, and his lasting influence on the cultural landscape of the 1960s and beyond." - Jason Barnard, The Strange Brew; "A fascinating biography featuring one of the British blues most unsung heroes, via vital associations with the Stones and Yardbirds amongst others." - Craig Campbell, Louder Than War; "Gomelsky’s true talent, in Dumaurier’s reckoning, was always finding his way to where the interesting people were...A loving account of a life lived across music scenes." - Kirkus Reviews

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Book Synopsis‘The Diary and Memoirs of an Incarcerated Granny’ is a frank ‘lockdown diary’ full of anecdotes, musings, reminiscences and irreverent commentary. Author Angela Lister has looked at an unprecedented year through the prism of lockdown, to produce a remarkable book that is both a diary and an autobiography. She eloquently contrasts her incarceration at home during lockdown with memories of spending five years living in the Dordogne with her late husband, James. She combines charm, warmth and a mischievous sense of humour in this candid and entertaining read. The author’s witty and vibrant pen covers subjects such as downsizing, family, friendships, dogs called Poppy and Violet, food, politics and Zoom. ‘The Diary and Memoirs of an Incarcerated Granny’ is a cathartic romp through the seasons of a unique year. In Angela’s own words, it’s necessary to ensure that ‘positive thoughts abound’.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Sports Book Awards Football Book of the YearUnknown in Scotland upon his arrival and unheralded in the English game, Ange Postecoglou revelled in his status as an outside agitator. He transformed a Celtic team in turmoil into serial winners, sweeping up five trophies over the course of two spectacular seasons. His appointment by Tottenham Hotspur made him the first Australian manager to take charge of a Premier League club and he had immediate success there.Revolution charts the dramatic story of Postecoglou's instant impact on British football and explores his life and times in the sport, through the eyes of those who know him best.Examining the traits that set him apart from his peers, Revolution provides an insight into the making of a man and the unique football philosophy that has reinvigorated teams and transformed playing styles at a succession of clubs across the globe.

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Book SynopsisJessica returns home after four years in hospital to a world changed beyond recognition.Everyone has moved on, but her battle with the M.E. Monster is far from over.Number 1 Amazon bestseller.

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Book SynopsisA memoir

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Book SynopsisAfter twelve years of being trapped in a world of one room by the M.E. Monster, Jessica's dreams start to come true. She's pregnant! But Jessica has to adjust to being a disabled mum in an inaccessible world and face the critics who doubt her abilities.

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

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Book SynopsisExplorers, Dreamers and Thieves is an adventure through memory and archives. This book is an exercise in invention that emerges from the complex history of encounter between Europe and the Americas. Following the success ofUntold Microcosms which saw ten Latin American authors write stories inspired by objects from their countries held by the British Museum the curatorial team at the Museum and at Hay Festival have joined forces again, this time with a slightly different proposal.Six writers Selva Almada ,Rita Indiana ,Josefa Sánchez ,Philippe Sands ,Juan Gabriel Vásquez andGabriela Weiner were invited to examine a series of ethnographic documents: a profusion of diaries, letters, drawings, thoughts and transactions, all referring to the acquisition of works for the collection. Using this material as a starting point, they were asked to imagine narratives about the people involved in bringing those pieces to the museum. The journey through these texts is not unlike the one that, i

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