Biography Books

Book SynopsisA prismatic look at the meeting of Marie Curie and Albert Einstein and the impact these two pillars of science had on the world of physics, which was in turmoil. In 1911, some of the greatest minds in science convened at the First Solvay Conference in Physics. Almost half of the attendees had won or would go on to win the Nobel Prize. Over the course of those few days, these minds began to realise that classical physics was about to give way to quantum theory, a seismic shift in our history and how we understand not just our world, but the universe. At the centre of this meeting were Marie Curie and a young Albert Einstein. In the years preceding, Curie had faced the death of her husband. She was on the cusp of being awarded her second Nobel Prize, but scandal erupted all around her when the French press revealed that she was having an affair with a fellow scientist, Paul Langevin. The subject of vicious misogynist and xenophobic attacks in the French press, Curie found herself in a storm that threatened her scientific legacy.Albert Einstein proved a supporter in her travails. He was young and already showing flourishes of his enormous genius. Curie had been responsible for one of the greatest discoveries in modern science. Utilising never before seen correspondence and notes, Jeffrey Orens reveals the human side of these brilliant scientists, one who pushed boundaries and demanded equality in a man’s world, no matter the cost, and the other, who was destined to become synonymous with genius.

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Book SynopsisRaymond Geuss is a critic of liberalism, a politics so pervasive in the West that it goes unnoticed. His attention sharpened by his own unorthodox intellectual journey, Geuss locates what we fail to see in the status quo: its shallowness and futility. Rejecting both authoritarian horror and liberal complacency, Geuss looks to genuinely new ideas.Trade ReviewBy intertwining autobiography and conceptual critique, Geuss underlines the idea that in order to gain a critical perspective on liberalism, it is necessary to become almost bilingual: able to speak the language of liberalism while also becoming fluent in the vocabulary of its critique. -- George Hoare * Times Literary Supplement *Thought-provoking…Though he doesn’t propose an alternative to liberalism, Geuss lucidly analyzes its shortcomings and sheds valuable light on how the critical mind is formed. This probing intellectual memoir will appeal to those who believe philosophy can change the world. * Publishers Weekly *Fascinating…Not Thinking like a Liberal deserves to be a classic. It is at once relatable and profound, humane and auspicious. In his best moments, Geuss offers his own life as a challenge to readers to think differently and more imaginatively. -- Matt McManus * Jacobin *Geuss’s bleak philosophical anthropology, or his broad, skeptical account of human powers and interests that is aimed at challenging the hubris of abstract theorizers, is compelling. His account of the unusual formation of his own intellectual and political sensibility is both moving and illuminating. -- Richard Eldridge * Los Angeles Review of Books *Over the past few decades, Raymond Guess has cultivated a reputation as one of the left’s most iconoclastic and individual thinkers. As a result, Not Thinking like a Liberal provides a timely autobiographical account of Guess’ intellectual development, sketching out his discomfort with the idea of liberalism and how his history and his thinking have converged…It is the ideal introduction to Geuss’ thought. -- Theo Stone * Marx & Philosophy Review of Books *There are many who regard themselves as liberal when it comes to opposition to the usual dogmatic authorities but who can’t identify with the liberalism of either contemporary Western capitalism or a dominant trend in recent political philosophy. Raymond Geuss’s remarkable book will be a clarificatory opportunity. It’s no straightforward polemic against liberalism but rather a typically insightful and persuasive guide to the philosophical resources that have guided Geuss himself toward his very distinctive position. -- Brian O’Connor, University College DublinOver the past few years, Raymond Geuss has attained striking mastery in positioning himself within current political philosophy by reviewing autobiographically the stations of his own intellectual development. In this new book, the talent this sort of writing needs undoubtedly hits its peak: by recollecting his upbringing in a small Catholic boarding school and his encounters with a few ingenious philosophers, Geuss eloquently and pointedly sums up the canon of aversions he has developed over the years to prevent him from becoming a liberal and persevering instead with the viewpoint of an estranged participant. There is more to learn about ethics, politics, and philosophy from this acute, expertly paced and plotted book than from dozens of scholarly studies on the same themes. -- Axel Honneth, Columbia UniversityRaymond Geuss’s philosophical memoir is an instant classic—a profound and iconoclastic story of how his fascinating formation evades any form of liberalism or authoritarianism! Geuss is the last great figure of the second golden age of American philosophy, yet his Hungarian Catholic beginnings and his Adorno- and Celan-influenced philosophy put him in a class of his own. This book is an intellectual feast and an existential feat! -- Cornel West, Union Theological Seminary, New York City

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Book SynopsisA head-to-head comparison of the two greatest soccer stars of their generation - and perhaps of all time.One, diminutive and reserved; the other, tall and theatrical. One with six Ballons d''Or, and the other with five. There''s no doubt about it - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the best. But which one is better? This lively book compares every aspect of the legendary rivals'' careers, to let the reader decide. It compares their stats, including their ten years of matchups in El Clásico, their club trophies, and their individual awards and milestones. It analyses their style of play, and how it has evolved throughout their careers. And, it looks at how their rivalry continues off the field, in terms of endorsement deals, social media followings, and philanthropic endeavors. Packed with colour photos of the champions in action, Messi and Ronaldo will spark discussion among both players'' partisans.

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Book SynopsisHave you ever wondered why God uses ordinary people to accomplish His work and to spread the good news? Join bestselling author and Bible teacher John MacArthur as he takes a closer look at the everyday lives of the men and women that God trusted to carry His message and lead His people. 40 Lives in 40 Days is a brand-new devotional compilation of MacArthur''s extensive studies of the Bible characters who show us that we don''t have to be perfect to do God''s work. From the twelve disciples to the Samaritan woman, MacArthur shares that Jesus chose average people--fishermen, tax collectors, doubters, political zealots--and gave them a remarkable mission.These encouraging stories, based in Scripture, help shed light on these real men and women who endured struggle, pain, and heartache, just like us. They were perfectly ordinary sinners--living proof of God''s kindness--who went on to serve an extraordinary purpose in spreading the gospel.

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Book SynopsisIn this bold and exhilarating mix of memoir and writing guide, Melissa Febos tackles the emotional, psychological, and physical work of writing intimately while offering an utterly fresh examination of the storyteller’s life and the challenges it presents.How do we write about the relationships that have formed us? How do we describe our bodies, their desires and traumas? What does it mean to have your writing, or living, dismissed as “navel-gazing”—or else hailed as “so brave, so raw”? And to whom, in the end, do our most intimate stories belong?Drawing on her journey from aspiring writer to acclaimed author and writing professor—via addiction and recovery, sex work and academia—Melissa Febos has created a captivating guide to the writing life, and a brilliantly unusual exploration of subjectivity, privacy, and the power of divulgence. Candid and inspiring, Body Work will empower readers and writers alike, offering ideas—and occasional notes of caution—to anyone who has ever hoped to see their true self reflecting back from the open page.Trade ReviewOne of Glamour Magazine's 'Top 30 books that everyone will be reading in 2022'One of Lit Hub's 'Most Anticipated Books of 2022'One of NPR's 'Books We Love 2022''Melissa Febos declaws shame in this stunning shrine to memoir and the art of confession. A book to thump whenever someone questions your audacity to gaze upon your own navel.'Jenny Valentish, author of Everything Harder Than Everyone Else and Woman of Substances‘Melissa Febos has written one of the most liberating books on the subject of writing that I can think of. A tender, urgent intelligence, a wisdom that is hard-won, and a rigor born from a love for the craft preside. [...] I learned so much reading Body Work that I can’t wait to teach and use on the page.’Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel‘Ferociously smart and piercingly insightful, Body Work is an instant classic of the how-and-why-do-we-write form. With candor and clarity, Melissa Febos explores the complexities of writing courageously and honestly about our lives. It’s a book I’ll return to again and again.’Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild‘Body Work is the most necessary book about memoir I’ve read. Daring, honest, psychologically insightful, and absolutely whip smart. A must read for anybody shoving a pen across paper or staring into a screen or a past.’Mary Karr, author of The Liars' Club and The Art of Memoir'As far as I am concerned any new book by Melissa Febos is an event, such is her power to reconfigure the way you see things. Body Work is no different. In wrestling down the hows and whys of writing the self, the accountability it calls for and the veil-tearing it demands, Febos displays characteristic fearlessness. Best of all is the company of her voice, which manages to be at once tender and searching, urgent and insightful. Reading Body Work, you suspect Febos might just be able to see into your soul.' Marina Benjamin, author of Insomnia'Exhilarating. A book that fuses the art of writing with the politics of being, the body's witnessing. Essential reading for anyone who writes, anyone who reads, anyone who breathes.'Helen Mort, author of Black Car Burning'A deft, fearless assertion of the right and to tell our own stories. Melissa Febos shows us just how necessary this is.' Katherine May, author of Wintering' Febos dedicates this volume to her students, but it will be of interest to all readers, writers and potential writers of personal narrative, as well as anyone interested in the mysterious way the creative spirit moves through an artist brave enough to engage it, and embrace it in return.'Carmel McMahon, The Irish Times 'This is a wonder.'Publishers Weekly 'Sharp insights from a passionate practitioner and champion of memoir.'Kirkus Reviews'Unlike most craft books that are either lacking in practicality and process or personality, this book is the best balance of both. A must for non-fiction writers and essayists.'The Rumpus'Wide-ranging in its theoretical and historical breadth yet intimate in all ways, Febos's book offers the tools readers need to identify, access, process, and articulate hard-won stories of trauma and of love that their flesh holds.'Library Journal'In Body Work, Febos offers a compelling rebuttal of the accusation that a memoir is simply a diary in print.'Oprah Daily 'I read Body Work much as I read her third book, Girlhood: feverishly, drinking up the frankness and nuance with which Febos documents the subtle and secreted pains of living in an unequal world.'Electric Lit 'This book was a liberating and validating experience – one that I did not realise that I needed, and which will embolden my own writing.'Lucy Cathcart Frödén, The Sociological Review -- .Table of Contents1 In Praise of Navel Gazing2 Mind Fuck: Writing Better Sex3 A Big Shitty Party: Six Parables for Writing About Other People4 The Return

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Book SynopsisBased on select writings from an exceptional Amsterdam archive containing more than two thousand Dutch diaries from World War II, The Diary Keepers illuminates a part of history we haven't seen in quite this way before. Nina Siegal, an accomplished journalist and novelist, weaves together excerpts from the daily journals of collaborators, resistors, and the persecuteda Dutch Nazi police detective, a Jewish journalist imprisoned at Westerbork transit camp, a grocery store owner who saved dozens of livesinto a braided nonfictional narrative of the Nazi occupation and the Dutch Holocaust, as individuals experienced it day by day.Siegal provides the context, both historical and personal, while she tries to make sense of her own relationship to this past. As a second-generation survivor born and raised in New York, she attempts to understand what it meant for her mother and maternal grandparents to live through the war in Europe in those times. When Siegal moved to Amsterdam, those questionTrade Review Praise for The Diary Keepers ‘A beautiful, poignant book about the darkest period in modern Dutch history…This book gives a powerful voice to forgotten witnesses’ David de Jong, author of Nazi Billionaires ‘Nina Siegal has accomplished a remarkable feat. She has given us a day-by-day narrative of the Holocaust in the Netherlands by splicing together excerpts from a few of the hundreds of diaries stored in an Amsterdam archive…With thoughtful and insightful observations of her own, Siegal helps us understand how 75 percent of the 140,000 Jews of Holland, a prosperous and cultivated Western European country, could have been murdered, posing a warning for our own deeply fractured country’ Joseph Berger, author of Elie Wiesel: Confronting the Silence ‘The Diary Keepers is an astonishing, essential book that asks us to bear witness to an unbearable history, even as it invites us to think hard about what history is—how it gets written, and what stories it tells. This book is powerfully moving and necessarily terrifying. By way of rigorous research and intimate storytelling, Nina Siegal brings us close to her diary keepers—making it impossible to turn away from the difficult, necessary questions their lives raise about survival, suffering, complicity, and memory’ Leslie Jamison, author of The Empathy Exams ‘Like an archaeologist excavating an ancient temple, Nina Siegal has dug up hundreds of stories of life under the unprecedented horror of Nazism, revealing the changing thoughts and shifting moods of heroes, villains, and victims. Until now, we only had a black-and-white image of these lives. Now, thanks to Siegal, we see them in living color’ Benjamin Moser, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Sontag ‘This moving and masterful book tells the history of those fateful war years, and their aftermath, in a wonderfully intimate way’ Margot Livesey, author of The Boy in the Field

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Book SynopsisSunday Times bestseller'When I see something old, that I think is beautiful, special, valuable, it's not about the money. It's about being in another time and place.'Star of TV's Salvage Hunters, Drew Pritchard will go to the greatest lengths for the best deals. He discovered the casts Lord Elgin made of his infamous marbles in a school garage, and broke the bank to buy the tool box Malcolm Campbell used when he set the water speed record in 1934. He made a million. Lost it. And made it again.The face of the compulsively fascinating business of finding and restoring lost treasures, visionary Drew takes us up and down the country, into garages, factories, schools and pubs, digging out incredible items from that 'other time and place'. Then by lovingly restoring them, he brings our history back to life.A flat cap among silver spoons and old school ties, our favourite no-bullshit expert may be a one-off, but his story makes us all dream of that obscure piece of antiquity gathering dust in the garden shed...

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Book Synopsis'Stunning, timely and timeless.' -Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray LoveRenowned activist, filmmaker and civil rights lawyer Valarie Kaur made headlines when her 'Breathe and Push' speech on how to survive in a time of rage went viral with 30 million views worldwide. In this inspiring and timely debut, she shows you how to reclaim love as a force for justice.When we practise love in the face of fear or rage, it has the ability to transform an encounter, a relationship, a community, a culture, even a country. Love becomes revolutionary. Revolutionary love is the call of our time. A radical, joyful practice that extends in three directions: to others, to our opponents and to ourselves. It invites you to see no stranger but instead look at others and say: You are part of me I do not yet know.Grounded in Valarie's own personal experience of practising love in the face of political oppression, sexual assault, wrongful arrest, detention, racism and murder, See No Stranger is an important and urgent manifesto that shows us a way to build movements that leave no one behind. You will learn to love others without prejudice or judgement, love your opponents through empathy and forgiveness, and ultimately to love yourself.Trade ReviewValarie Kaur is a prophetic voice of our generation. Her wisdom ignites and inspires me, lighting the way through the darkness. This book will do the same for you. -- America Ferrera, actress and activistValarie Kaur is a visionary worker for justice and this book is her radiant offering. -- Eve Ensler, author of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUESSee No Stranger is rooted in radical honesty, vulnerability, and fierce commitment to building a world in which we all belong. -- Michelle Alexander, author of THE NEW JIM CROWValarie Kaur is a revolutionary for justice who shows us how to labor for the world we dream. In my darkest moments, I remember my Sikh sister's call to "breathe and push!" Her wisdom inspires us to build movements and seek the change that love demands. -- Rev. William J. Barber, II, president of Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral RevivalIn a world ravaged by anger and hatred, Valarie Kaur offers a vision of 'Revolutionary Love,' not as platitude or panacea, but rather as a powerful weapon against intolerance and injustice. It may well be our only hope for peace and understanding in these troubled times. -- Reza Asian, author of ZEALOT: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JEASUS OF NAZARETHThis is the book we have been waiting for. It calls us up and calls us into the hard and necessary work to heal our wounds and reimagine the world. -- Van Jones, CEO of REFORM Alliance and CNN hostLove-firebrand...Part personal history, part inspiring manifesto, Kaur's immensely readable book implores and inspires us toward love as "sweet labor: bloody, fierce, imperfect, and life-giving." -- Rainn Wilson, actorThis book and the woman who gave birth to it have so much to offer the struggle for peace and justice as we move into a most complex and crucial century. Open up your heart as you open these pages and let yourself be inspired and invigorated by the way Ms Kaur breaks it down. -- Ani DiFrancoInspires us to become who we believe we are. -- Lawrence Lessig, legal scholarTested and tempered by suffering, but rising up with hope and joy, Kaur shows us how to love others, opponents, and ourselves in ways that will bring us closer to the Beloved Community. This book will change your life. -- Parker J. Palmer, author of LET YOUR LIFE SPEAKA book of remarkable courage and deep insight...Kaur maps singularly personal experiences of suffering and shared collective agonies of inequality as she seeks to understand the terrain of our humanity. -- Melissa Harris-Perry, Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest UniversityThe intimate, raw stories in See No Stranger will break and awaken your heart; the profound teachings and compelling vision will inspire you to serve and savor our precious world. -- Tara Brach, author of RADICAL ACCEPTANCE

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Book SynopsisA major new look at how Africa's geological history, climate, geography and biology resulted in the wonderful diversity of life found there. It is also the story of how it was the crucible for the evolution most extraordinary species on Earth Homo sapiens.Africa has properties that ensure that most of human evolution could have occurred nowhere else. A greater diversity of mammal, bird and many other forms of life has forced more and more species to squeeze into narrower and narrower niches. Human complexity has evolved directly in response to this, the most complex of continents. On offer here is an intensely personal portrait of a continent bolstered by Jonathan Kingdon''s own animal senses, the same excited set of senses he was born in Africa with. Senses that look, listen, scent and grasp at the mother-continent. Not just his personal motherland but the birthplace of all humanity.Trade Review‘Magnificent. So rich, moving with ease through deep time and biological place, using a lifetime of thought’ Redmond O’Hanlon ‘Africa from the inside … Extremely good stuff’ Paul Theroux ‘Lovely … and the pictures are magnificent’ Richard Dawkins Praise for Jonathan Kingdon 'Jonathan Kingdon's work is one of the things that make the present day such an exciting time for anyone with the slightest intellectual curiosity. His subject matter is our profound and thrilling human origins, and his stance toward it makes his work unique and priceless' Philip Pullman 'Jonathan Kingdon is a subtle amalgam of artist and scientist. He has a deep and up-to-date knowledge of human prehistory, and of the topology and geography of Africa, the continent where most of human prehistory happened. But he is also our leading zoological artist, and I think it must be his artist's eye that gives his writing style its vividness' Richard Dawkins, Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisThe world’s leading expert on Osama bin Laden delivers for the first time the “riveting” (The New York Times) definitive biography of a man who set the course of American foreign policy for the 21st century and whose ideological heirs we continue to battle today.In The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden, Peter Bergan provides the first reevaluation of the man responsible for precipitating America’s long war with al-Qaeda and its decedents, capturing bin Laden in all the dimensions of his life: as a family man, as a zealot, as a battlefield commander, as a terrorist leader, and as a fugitive. The book sheds light on his many contradictions: he was the son of a billionaire yet insisted his family live like paupers. He adored his wives and children, depending on his two wives, both of whom had PhDs, to make critical strategic decisions. Yet, he also brought ruin to his family. He was fanatically religious but willing to kill thousands of civilians in the name of Islam. He inspired deep loyalty, yet, in the end, his bodyguards turned against him. And while he inflicted the most lethal act of mass murder in United States history, he failed to achieve any of his strategic goals. In his final years, the lasting image we have of bin Laden is of an aging man with a graying beard watching old footage of himself, just as another dad flipping through the channels with his remote. In the end, bin Laden died in a squalid suburban compound, far from the front lines of his holy war. And yet, despite that unheroic denouement, his ideology lives on. Thanks to exclusive interviews with family members and associates, and documents unearthed only recently, Bergen’s “comprehensive, authoritative, and compelling” (H.R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty and Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World) portrait of Osama bin Laden reveals for the first time who he really was and why he continues to inspire a new generation of jihadists.Trade Review"Meticulously documented, fluidly written and replete with riveting detail... Equally revealing about the Americans and their pursuit of him." — The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) "Of the raft of books that are marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and its aftermath, few are likely to be as meticulously documented, as fluidly written or as replete with riveting detail as Peter Bergen’s The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden... A page-turner." — The New York Times Book Review "The portrait [Bergen] draws is intimate and detailed."— The Washington Post "The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden does much more than reveal a human side to a mass murderer, offering the general reader an authoritative and convincing portrait of a man whose misdeeds changed all our lives in many ways, none for the better." — The Guardian "Comprehensive, authoritative, and compelling." — H.R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty and Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World

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Book Synopsis THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Otto Rosenberg is 9 and living in Berlin, poor but happy, when his family are first detained. All around them, Sinti and Roma families are being torn from their homes by Nazis , leaving behind schools, jobs, friends, and businesses to live in forced encampments outside the city. One by one, families are broken up, adults and children disappear or are 'sent East'.Otto arrives in Auschwitz aged 15 and is later transferred to Buechenwald and Bergen-Belsen. He works, scrounges food whenever he can, witnesses and suffers horrific violence and is driven close to death by illness more than once. Unbelievably, he also joins an armed revolt of prisoners who, facing the SS and certain death, refuse to back down. Somehow, through luck, sheer human will to live, or both, he survives.The stories of Sinti and Roma suffering in Nazi Germany are all too often lost or untold. In this haunting account, Otto shares his story with a remarkable simplicity. Deeply moving, A Gypsy in Auschwitz is the incredible story of how a young Sinti boy miraculously survived the unimaginable darkness of the Holocaust.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBryant has an encyclopedic knowledge of public affairs and popular culture ... The result is riveting, often revelatory, crammed with facts … The great strength of Bryant’s book is his ability to make large structural changes vivid through outsized personalities and his own personal experiences … Readable, powerful and instructive. * Washington Post *A masterclass from an outstanding chronicler of modern America ... Insightful, thoughtful, and beautifully written. -- Orla GuerinNick Bryant writes like a dream, and is one of those very rare things on TV - a man who makes you want to turn up the sound. His eye for description is sublime, and he has a way of showing you what you’ve been missing from the whole story, whilst never leaving you feeling stupid. -- Emily MaitlisAn absolutely belting achievement ... An elegy for a lost nation and a lost cause. -- Justin WebbThere are all too many people who can opine about the United States but there are very few with Nick Bryant’s depth of knowledge, experience and empathy for the country and his ability to communicate intelligently, engagingly and entertainingly. -- Nick RobinsonBryant is a genuine rarity, a Brit who understands America. * Washington Post *A scathing indictment of the polarization and degradation that has transformed the US … [A]n adroit political critique. * Kirkus Reviews *Few outsiders explain America better than Nick Bryant or write about it as well. This is a must-read guide to an extraordinary time. -- Katty Kay[Bryant] has a deeper understanding than many of the ebb and flow of history ... [His] breezy prose displays a keen eye for good quotations and telling anecdotes. * TLS *Listeners who want a perspective that’s both outside and inside and crucially, that comes from a place of love for the US, should look out for When America Stopped Being Great. * The New Statesman *Terrific. Very much recommended. * The Monocle Daily *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Face to Face with ‘The Donald’ 1 It’s Morning Again in America 2 Goodbye to the Greatest Generation 3 Bill and Newt 4 The Three Convulsions 5 No You Can’t 6 The Donald Trump Show 7 American Carnage 8 The Descent into January 6th Conclusion: Present at the Destruction Afterword: Code Red for American Democracy Acknowledgements Notes Index

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Book SynopsisFind out all you need to know about how John, Paul, George, and Ringo became the most influential band of all time. This book charts the Fab Four''s musical evolution through the sixties and includes a fascinating biography of each member of the band and an introduction to the members'' early years as Rock and Roll loving school kids. There is also information about the different members of The Beatles before settling on the Fab Four, the Fifth Beatle, Beatlemania, their films, The Beatles'' White Album, the band''s split and their lives after The Beatles, including the murder of John Lennon and the untimely death of George Harrison. Enjoy the immeasurable legacy of the Beatles as it lives on in their music and books.

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Book SynopsisContemporary cultural style boosts transparency and instantaneity. These are values absorbed from our current economic conditions of "disintermediation": cutting out the middleman. Like Uber, but for art. Immediacy names this style to make sense of what we lose when the contradictions of twenty-first-century capitalism demand that aesthetics negate mediation. Surging realness as an aesthetic program synchs with the economic imperative to intensify circulation when production stagnates. "Flow" is the ultimate twenty-first-century buzzword, but speedy circulation grinds art down to the nub. And the bad news is that political turmoil and social challenges require more mediation. Collective will, inspiring ideas, and deliberate construction are the only way out, but our dominant style forgoes them. Considering original streaming TV, popular literature, artworld trends, and academic theories, Immediacy explains the recent obsession with immersion and today's intolerance of representation, and points to alternative forms in photography, TV, novels, and constructive theory that prioritize distance, impersonality, and big ideas instead.Trade ReviewThis brilliantly written, wild ride of a book is an enthralling, gloves-off critical intervention urgently needed in this moment. -- Jonathan Crary, author of 24/7 and Scorched EarthKornbluh offers a swift -- and much needed -- kick to one of the most insidious symptoms of our time: the demand for the now, the immediately felt, the one-off. Armed with a strong imperative: "Think!" which she reiterates in an uncommonly rich vocabulary and from a variety of perspectives, she succeeds at the very least in holding up this runaway trend. Together with her previous critiques of capitalism, Immediacy establishes Kornbluh as one of the most inventive new voices in the field. -- Joan Copjec, Brown University, author of Read My DesireAnna Kornbluh brilliantly reinvigorates critique for an age drowning under the deluge of self-presentation. Embracing structure over style, representation over personalization, and collectivity over narcissism, she creates a space for thinking -- the necessary space for politics. -- Jodi Dean, author of The Communist HorizonThe sensation of reading Anna Kornbluh's Immediacy is of someone turning on the light in a dark room. Suddenly one beholds a world one had only been stumbling through and can begin, with Kornbluh's help, to trace a whole new set of relations between the disparate phenomena that define contemporary culture. The shocking conceptual clarity and rightness of its dialectical reversal of everything we thought we knew about life lived under conditions of postmodern hyper-mediation should make this book the starting point of future discussions of the nature of the present. -- Mark McGurl, Stanford University, author of Everything and Less: The Novel in the Age of AmazonTo the things themselves! Fuck no, that's precisely the problem. In this book on the poetics of social forms, Kornbluh has expertly diagnosed the contemporary yen for immediacy and immanence, presence and reality, the indistinct blurs and liquid flows of seemingly authentic experience. Taking it all as a kind of social pathology, she reads contemporary style through the deterritorializations of hyper capitalism, and the crushing lateness of an economic logic that insists on no alternative for society and no future for the planet. What results is a plea for the labor of mediation, and an insistence on dialectics as the central mechanism of art and culture. -- Alexander R. Galloway, author of Uncomputable: Play and Politics in the Long Digital AgeImmediacy masterfully exposes the common core of many different problems and phenomena that we do not necessarily think of as related. The imperative of immediacy and its suffocating logic are the hallmarks of what Kornbluh calls "too late capitalism". Drawing on philosophy, psychoanalysis and art she makes a vivid, passionate, and most compelling case for mediation that creates the much-needed capacity to imaginatively break with the merely given. An extremely precious book that goes far beyond purely academic concerns. -- Alenka Zupancic, author of Let Them RotAnna Kornbluh simply nails it in this fearless, witty, and conceptually powerful indictment of contemporary capitalist culture's desire to annihilate negation-while also "negating the negation" by showing how things might be otherwise. A stunning and unignorable book. -- Sianne Ngai, author of Theory of the Gimmick: Aesthetic Judgment and Capitalist Form

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Book Synopsis'I want to eat everything in this book every single day for the rest of my life' - James Acaster'Sweet and funny and weird...as well as genuinely insightful about cooking' - Hadley Freeman, The Sunday Times'As touching as it is delicious' - The Evening StandardFrom Spaced and Hot Fuzz to Paul and Truth Seekers, Nick Frost has lit up our screens for decades with his perfectly observed, just-the-right-side-of-absurd sketches and films. He's also a keen, self-taught cook: so keen, in fact, that in lockdown, he personally delivered pies to his Instagram followers.This book is his love letter to food, to kitchens and the people in them.Nick's favourite thing to eat aged 10 was his mother's stroganoff and as her alcoholism worsened, he began to learn to cook it himself, gradually taking over and using it as a magic trick to conjure up the very best bits of her - the stable, sober bits, which became harder to find as the years went on. This was the beginning of a lifelong love of process and technique, of escaping into a world of hisses, blips and thunks of a knife on a board.A Slice of Fried Gold is a delicious mixture of hearty recipes, stories and digressions from one of Britain's most loved actors and writers.

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Book SynopsisThe iconic fashion designer offers unprecedented access into her career and personal history with this once-in-a-lifetime publishing event. The complete, official retrospective, designed by Irma Boom-one of the world's leading book designers-in close collaboration with Jil Sander herself, is packed with special features, that will make it a highly coveted collectors' item. For decades the name Jil Sander has evoked the philosophy of less is more-a minimalist aesthetic using highest quality materials and employing exquisite craftsmanship to the effect of poetic purity. Designed and produced as impeccably as her clothing, this beautiful book offers unprecedented access into Sander's remarkable history as a designer, and international businesswoman. Rich in archival material, and glimpses into the life of its famously publicity-shy subject, this book tells how Sander started in the 1960s and quickly established herself as a discriminating designer unfazed by trends. When the world finally caught up to her brand, in the late 80s and 90s, the Sander name became one of the most prestigious in all of fashion. Adhering to her core principles was the key to success with her own label. The book recapitulates her foray into the world of cosmetics and her later partnership with Uniqlo, where she created the special line +J. A further focus is given to her cooperation with leading architects on the architecture and interior design of her multinational flagship stores. Every aspect of Sander's career is interwoven in this fascinating story. The result is an elegant manifestation of the Jil Sander name-a story of integrity and grit, sumptuously packaged and timeless.

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Book SynopsisWho Could Ever Love You is an intimate, heartbreaking memoir of a father, a mother, and a family's exile.Mary Trump grew up in a family divided by its patriarch's relentless drive for money and power. The daughter of Freddy Trump, the highly accomplished, dashing eldest son of wealthy real estate developer Fred Trump, and Linda Clapp, a flight attendant from a working-class family, Mary lived in the shadow of Freddy's humiliation at the hands of his father.Fred Trump embodied the ethos of the zero-sum game and among his five children, there could only be one winner. That was supposed to be Freddy, his namesake, but Fred found him wantingtoo sensitive, too kind, too interested in pursuits beyond the realm of the real estate empire he was meant to inherit. In Donald, Fred found a kindred spirit, a killer, who would stop at nothing to get his own way.Even after Freddy's short-lived career as a professional pilot for TWA came to an end, he never st

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Book SynopsisLeading football journalist Nick Miller lifts the lid on football club ownership: the defining issue shaping the modern game.The landscape of football club ownership has changed. Long gone are the days when clubs were dominated by local factory proprietors or millionaire boyhood fans. This clear, insightful and thought-provoking guide provides serious football fans with a unique and timely account of modern football ownership: the central issue shaping the game.Fascinating for supporters looking to understand their club's and its rivals' strategy and methods, and those curious about finance and power in football, Who Owns Football? reveals how the game''s custodians operate. Football club owners can take teams to the heights of the Champions League or financial oblivion. Still, in a world of super leagues, rapidly escalating wages, transfer fees, Financial Fair Play and an increasingly profitable women's game, they tread a precarious tightrope. This boo

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Book SynopsisDISCOVER THE TRUTH BEHIND THE HEADLINES, THE REVELATORY ROYAL BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEARFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author and Royal correspondent, Robert Jobson - with his extensive connections within the royal household - this revelatory new biography tells the full story of how Catherine, the Princess of Wales, became the woman she is today.Kate Middleton's life's story seems like a modern-day fairy-tale.An attractive, clever, and ambitious girl from unexceptional beginnings meets and falls in love with a wealthy prince destined to be King when they are both university undergraduates. Now, with the British monarchy in transition, Catherine is Princess of Wales and is set to become Queen.Since her wedding on 29 April 2011, Catherine has endeared herself to the people of the UK, the Commonwealth and worldwide on her extensive travels, with her infectious smile, sense of style and down-to-earth nature. Her s

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Book Synopsis'Fascinating' Sunday Times'Deeply sourced and rich with anecdotes' The Times'Like a nonfiction version of The Devil Wears Prada' Elizabeth Day'Odell's extensive reporting dredges up a wealth of delightful details' New York TimesThis definitive biography of Anna Wintour chronicles the steep climb of an ambitious young woman who would, with singular and legendary focus, become the most powerful woman in media.As a child, Anna Wintour was a tomboy with no apparent interest in clothing but, seduced by the miniskirts and bob haircuts of swinging 1960s London, she grew into a fashion-obsessed teenager. Her father, the influential editor of the Evening Standard, loomed large in her life, and once he decided she should become editor in chief of Vogue, she never looked back.Impatient to start her career, she left high school and got a job at a fashionable boutique in London - an experience that would be the first of many defeats. Undeterred, she found work in the competitive world of magazines, eventually moving to New York. Before long, Anna's journey to Vogue became a battle to ascend, no matter who or what stood in her way. Once she was crowned editor in chief - in one of the stormiest transitions in fashion magazine history - she continued the fight to retain her enviable position, ultimately rising to dominate all of Condé Nast.Based on extensive interviews with Anna Wintour's closest friends and collaborators, including some of the biggest names in fashion, journalist Amy Odell has crafted the most revealing portrait of Wintour ever published. Weaving Anna's personal story into a larger narrative about the hierarchical dynamics of the fashion industry and the complex world of Condé Nast, Anna charts the relentless ambition of the woman who would become an icon.Trade ReviewLike a nonfiction version of The Devil Wears Prada -- Elizabeth DayAn impressively detailed portrait that reveals much about Wintour's management style and early career * Financial Times, Books of the Year *Fascinating * Sunday Times *Odell's book is deeply sourced and rich with anecdotes. Although she's clearly sympathetic to her subject, she's direct in addressing Wintour's missteps. * The Times *Odell's extensive reporting dredges up a wealth of delightful details...You'll walk away knowing every step - and misstep - in Wintour's famous ascent to the heights of magazinedom. * New York Times *The secret to [Anna's] longevity is the subject of Odell's biography, which is drawn from interviews with Wintour's tightknit inner circle. Given that she's famously private and notoriously aloof, the participation of intimates in the book's reporting indicates a green light from Wintour herself. But Odell is unsparing, detailing Wintour's ambitious rise and ruthless power grabs, dotting the narrative with a healthy amount of gossip and color. * Bloomberg Businessweek *A dissection of one of fashion's most controversial figures and a window into the glossy pages of Vogue, Amy Odell's definitive Anna Wintour bio balances criticism with understanding and stories of true sadism: Imagine telling Oprah to lose 20 pounds for a cover * Rolling Stone *A fascinating portrait of the secretive queen of fashion. The devil is in the detail. -- Andrew MortonOdell takes her readers behind Wintour's iconic bob and sunglasses in this deeply researched account, delivering a close-up view of the most powerful woman in fashion. -- Sara Gay Forden, author of THE HOUSE OF GUCCIThe details of Anna Wintour's life have been kept as tantalizingly hidden as her eyes behind her trademark sunglasses. This book tells her stunning story. Extraordinarily sweeping, astute and unputdownable. -- Sheila Weller, New York Times bestselling author of CARRIE FISHER: A LIFE ON THE EDGE and GIRLS LIKE USAnna is brilliantly written and well-researched, full of the kinds of details you've always wanted to know about Wintour's early life, and the ways in which she used her considerable gifts to amass astonishing, and enduring, power and influence. -- Laurie Woolever, author of BOURDAIN, THE DEFINITIVE ORAL BIOGRAPHYTable of Contents1: Origins 2: Beyond School Uniforms 3: Fired and Hired 4: Anna Wintour, Fashion Assistant 5: A New Start in New York City 6: Viva la Vida 7: A Savvy Move 8: In Vogue 9: Second Best 10: A Tale of Two Vogues 11: House & Garment 12: Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief 13: Calculated Risk 14: "In" versus "Out" 15: First Assistant, Second Assistant 16: A New Project, an Old Friend 17: Follow the Money 18: The Divorce 19: Dot.Com 20: A New Alliance 21: Mutual Benefit 22: Big Vogue 23: The Crash 24: Politics and Pain 25: Anna Wintour, Artistic Director 26: Changes 27: The Met Gala Epilogue: The Pandemic

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Book SynopsisLIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION that includes Marie’s 2004 English-language solo album The Change on CD—previously unreleased in any physical format in North America—as well as bonus track “Sea of Love” (2017), the last song that Marie recorded. This edition also contains foil gilded page edges and a satin ribbon marker.Listen to My Heart is a completely candid and passionate, heartbreaking yet often witty life story of one of rock music’s most resilient lead singers, Marie Fredriksson from Roxette ("It Must Have Been Love," "Listen to Your Heart," "The Look," "Joyride").Given only a few months to live following a harrowing diagnosis in 2002, Marie boldly forged ahead into a life with newfound courage and inspiration. She continued as both a solo singer and with Roxette, where she performed over 550 concerts, sold 75 million records, and released over 50 singles including several global hits. In all, Roxette is Sweden’s biggest music group—second only to ABBA.Filled with behind-the-scenes stories involving everyone from Tina Turner and Elton John to The Rolling Stones and Frank Sinatra, Listen to My Heart also explores her humble family beginnings, an early tragedy in the sudden loss of Marie’s sister, her transition into the music industry as a solo artist, and the formation and challenges of being in one of the world’s most successful pop groups. All while trying to maintain a stable marriage and being a mother to two young children in the face of a life-altering illness. Marie passed away in the aftermath of her diagnosis in December, 2019.Heart-wrenching yet winning, and told with exceptional energy and sincerity, Listen to My Heart sheds new and revelatory light on the life and work of one of our generation’s most talented and courageous artists.Contains a foreword by Marie’s longtime friend, director Jonas Akerlund (Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, U2) and over 100 personal photographs, live and backstage shots, and memorabilia images.Trade Review"Singer-songwriter Marie Fredriksson (1958–2019) offers a heartbreakingly candid recollection of her early life, pop career [including many years with Roxette], and struggle with illness in this posthumous memoir. Fredriksson more than delivers on her stated mission to ‘share her moments of transcendence and offer consolation to those full of doubt’ by cataloging her favorite performances and refusing to let her diagnosis overshadow her career. Anecdotes about celebrities from Elton John to Frank Sinatra are just the cherry on top. Pop music fans will treasure this." — Publishers Weekly"Fredriksson's frustration at being discounted in the men-dominated music industry and her attempts to find alternative lifesaving treatments makes for an engaging read. Most poignant is her vulnerability as she opens her closets and photo albums that showcase a life well lived." — Library Journal

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Book SynopsisAfter first meeting over sixty years ago while filming a costume drama for the BBC, Prunella Scales and Timothy West have enjoyed a partnership like no other; from appearing together in hit sitcoms to bringing up two children, they have chalked up an almost endless list of professional triumphs.In this book, Tim traces their united steps through life professionally and personally, and covers the highs and lows of caring for Pru since her dementia diagnosis, twenty years ago. As with all things in life, she and Tim have tackled it together, often with a glass of wine in hand and almost always with a smile.Trade ReviewHeartening and heartfelt. Exudes West's characteristic warmth * The Times, Books of the Year *A joyous portrait of a unique partnership — uplifting, highly moving and packed with stories of the highs and lows of showbusiness, from what happened when Fawlty’s Sybil appeared nude to how he saw off his love rival Peter Sellers. A love story like few others. Riveting * Daily Mail *A beautiful, witty, moving and joyful portrait of marriage * Red *A memoir laden with laughter and love * Daily Mail *A deeply moving, poignant and enthralling memoir * Mail on Sunday *Charming. An act of loving reclamation, a gentle tribute to a woman of every importance. * Sunday Telegraph *Shows most movingly that what will survive of them is love * Oldie *

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Book Synopsis''The most explosive, mind-blowing business book I''ve ever read'' Bradley Hope, New York Times bestselling author of Billion Dollar Whale''Jaw-dropping . . . well-told, well-structured and exquisitely reported'' Financial TimesDiscover the unauthorized, unvarnished story of famed Wall Street hedge-fund manager Ray Dalio.Ray Dalio is the billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world''s largest hedge fund. In The Fund, Rob Copeland draws on hundreds of interviews with those inside and around the firm to reveal what really goes on with Dalio and his cohorts behind closed doors.Tracing more than fifty years of Dalio''s leadership, The Fund peels back the curtain to reveal a rarefied world of wealth and power, where former FBI director Jim Comey kisses Dalio''s ring, recent Pennsylvania Senate candidate David McCormick sells out, and countless Bridgewater acolytes describe what it''s like to work at this fascinating firm.When Dalio announced in October 2022 that he was stepping down from the company he founded forty-seven years ago, the news made headlines around the world. Dalio achieved worldwide fame thanks to a mystique of success cultivated in frequent media appearances, celebrity hobnobbing, and his bestselling book, Principles.Dalio has stepped down from Bridgewater before; will the legacy of his Principles continue to chart the course of the firm? The Fund provides unique insight into the story of Dalio and Bridgewater, past, present and future.''A taut, nonfiction thriller'' Bryan Burrough, bestselling author of Barbarians at the Gate''Manages to both shock and entertain at the same time'' Philipp Meyer, bestselling author of American Rust and The Son

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Book SynopsisIn her long-awaited debut memoir, award-winning poet Maggie Smith explores in lyrical vignettes the end of her marriage and the beginning of a surprising new life. It is a story about a mother''s fierce and constant love for her children, and a woman''s love and regard for herself.Above all, this memoir is an argument for possibility. Smith reveals how, in the aftermath of loss, we can discover our power and make something new. Something beautiful.

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Book SynopsisThe book that inspired major motion picture ONE LIFE, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham Carter.''Remarkable'' - GuardianSir Nicholas Winton rescued 669 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia at the brink of World War II. Most never saw their parents again; nearly all left behind were murdered. This is his story.In 1938, 29-year-old ''Nicky'' cancelled a ski holiday and instead spent nine months masterminding a seemingly impossible plan to rescue hundreds of Jewish children and find them homes in the UK. Over 6,000 people are alive today because of his efforts.What motivated an ordinary man to do something so extraordinary? This book, written by his daughter, Barbara, explores the 106-year life of an incredible humanitarian, a man whose legacy only came to public light decades later.His life story is a clarion call to choose action over apathy in the face of injustice, and a reminder that every one of us ca

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Book SynopsisA moving and inspirational memoir about true love, the darkness of grief—and learning how to find your way back into the light.A work of staggering grace.—Women''s HealthThe ultimate book about what it is to be human.—Stacey HealeRaw, brave, deeply moving and powerful.—Angela ScanlonFrom the moment Lotte first met Ben, she knew they were meant to be together. And for a few years, their life was truly idyllic: flourishing careers, adored friends, and travel to every corner of the planet.But when Ben was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Lotte was catapulted into the uncharted landscape of cancer medicine, becoming his caregiver overnight. With the world around them in lockdown, they refused to give up the fight for his survival, travelling from London to Mexico in hope of a cure at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.When Ben lost his life, many miles from home, Lotte found herself askin

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Book SynopsisThe lives of Tudor women often offer faint but fascinating footnotes on the pages ofhistory. The life of Catherine or Katryn as her husband would one day pen her name Carey, the daughter of Mary Boleyn and, as the weight of evidence suggests, Henry VIII, isone of those footnotes.As the possible daughter of Henry VIII, the niece of Anne Boleyn and the favourite ofElizabeth I, Catherine's life offers us a unique perspective on the reigns of Henry and hischildren. In this book, Wendy J. Dunn takes these brief details of Catherine's life and turns theminto a rich account of a woman who deserves her story told. Following the faint trailprovided of her life from her earliest years to her death in service to QueenElizabeth, Dunn examines the evidence of Catherine's parentage and views her worldthrough the lens of her relationship with the royal family she served.This book presents an important story of a woman who saw and experienced muchtragedy and political turmoil during the reigns of Hen

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Book SynopsisThis modern, beautifully designed guided journal based on Louise Hay''s inspiring teachings will take you through the powerful exercises and uplifting affirmations you need to feel more empowered in all areas of your life.We have the power of our thoughts and words. As we change our thinking and our words, our experiences also change. No matter where we came from, no matter how difficult our childhood was, we can make positive changes today. Louise HayLouise Hay firmly believed that our thoughts create our life. She knew that each of us has the ability to improve our circumstances, but it can be a challenge to know where or how to begin. That's where this beautifully designed guided journal comes in! Through the transformative exercises and affirmations contained within, you will learn how to tap into the power within you that already knows how to make the rest of your life the best of your life.Louise's timeless wisdom is on every page, as she shows y

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Book SynopsisPaused in Cosmic Reflection is the definitive story of The Chemical Brothers. Told in the voices of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, with contributions from friends and collaborators, it is fully illustrated with 30 years of mind-bending visuals.Trade ReviewA ROUGH TRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023Rich in anecdotes, the book chronicles their evolution from DJing in basements to shaping modern electronic music. Complemented by archival photos and unseen visuals, it's a visual feast for fans, an intimate journey into the pulsating heart of The Chemical Brothers' world * Clash *An abundance of yarns... the visual presentation is exceptional, as-photoshoot outtakes, video stills, ecstatic snapshots and assorted ephemera sumptuously encapsulate the Chemicals' mind-altering universe * MOJO *Sumptuous new graphic autobiography * Daily Telegraph *A block-rockin' coffee-table tome... the definitive story of this groundbreaking duo * Electronic Sound *Excellent * Creative Boom *

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Book SynopsisExquisite Dreams is the first full account of Dorothea Tanning's art and life. Rather than only focusing on her well-known surrealist paintings, this book gives equal weight to Tanning's lesser-known but equally powerful sculptures, abstract paintings and films. Setting Tanning's writings, biography and art into the contexts of advertising, fashion, popular culture and art in New York and Paris, Lyford brings Tanning's ideas and feelings to life. Using new archival sources and analyses of Tanning's work in a variety of media, Lyford broadens our understanding of the artist. This amply illustrated book is an important contribution to the history of women artists, gender and sexuality studies, as well as the history of Surrealism. It will appeal to art historians and art lovers alike.Trade Review'Amy Lyford has shaped a plethora of archival information into a story of Dorothea Tanning's life and works. Exquisite Dreams is a highly readable page turner that engages fully with Tanning's canny critiques of gender and sexuality and illuminates the complexities of Tanning's life showing Tanning to be one of the most intriguing artists of the twentieth century.' - Jennifer Shaw, Sonoma State University, author of Exist OtherwiseTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Refashioning Surrealism Chapter 2: Screening Female Desire Chapter 3: Miseducated Girls Chapter 4: Aux environs de Paris and Historical Memory Chapter 5: Sculpture and Narrative: Body Hauntings Chapter 6: No Exit: Tanning's Cinematic Vision Epilogue References Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index

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Book Synopsis#17 on the PW Bestseller Trade Paper Frontlist Growing up amid addiction and chaos in a Minnesota trailer park, Tyler Zed and his two brothers broke the cycle of abuse and forged a different path.“Attempted murder victim told the Brainerd Dispatch she believes her sixteen-year-old son saved her.” This is the news article detailing the event that would drastically change Tyler Zed’s life and that of his family forever. Growing up in a small town in Minnesota, Tyler and his two brothers filled their days with chaotic fun, from playing hockey to building forts to making their own home movies. The household was also full of addiction and abuse that ultimately led to their father attempting to murder their mother on Christmas Eve 2007. Trailer Park Parable follows Tyler and his family before Christmas Eve 2007, the events leading to that night, and the years afterward. It trails the boys as they deal with

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Book SynopsisAn inspirational collection of letters, notes, and conversations among friends, celebrities, experts, and the September Letters community. A guide to help us clearly see that we are not alone, and that sharing your story is powerful and healing.When actress and activist Brittany Snow was a teenager, she read an article about another woman?s hardship that made her feel seen and less alone. She carried that story in her back pocket for a long time. This experience was a gift that Brittany then paid forward when she revealed her own experience in a published article. Brittany?s story resonated with a young reader, who kept that story in her back pocket, where it was when the two crossed paths serendipitously. In September Letters, Brittany Snow and close friend and SL cofounder Jaspre Guest show us how sharing our stories reveals our greater connection. This book features a collection of original letters and notes from Hannah Bronfman, Lily Cornell Silver, Kid Cudi, Maria Menounos, and more, alongside interviews with mental health experts like David Kessler, Gretchen Rubin, Mark Epstein, Jay Shetty, and Wendy Suzuki. Equal parts guide and resource, September Letters is for anyone seeking to feel more connected with themselves and others. The book you hold is meant to be dog-eared and highlighted, to help you reflect on your personal story. Included within is a symbolic pocket, inspired by Brittany?s story, to hold your very own letter.

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Book SynopsisImagine going from neurologist to dermatologist, orthopaedic surgeon to obstetrician, assassin to saviour all in one day. Welcome to the extraordinary world of veterinary medicineIn Never Work with Animals, vet Gareth Steel shares the moments of humour, horror and heroism across his 20-year career caring for creatures great and small, from bulls to stick insects.Thought-provoking, heartwarming and often laugh-out-loud funny, this unforgettable memoir reveals what life is really like for our vets.Trade Review‘A great book by an incredible guy’ – Bear Grylls ‘Packed with self-deprecating and darkly comic anecdotes… but there’s plenty of warmth, too.’ – The Sunday Times ‘In this fascinating and humorous memoir, Gareth reveals the unfiltered truth of life as a vet and the desperate lengths we go to for the love of animals.’ – Sunday Express ‘Gareth Steels shows the challenging reality of his day-to-day life in this informative and entertaining account of his career.’ – Daily Mirror ‘This gritty yet tender-hearted book is essential reading for anyone thinking of training as [a vet]. It will leave you with renewed respect for Britain’s vets and the difficult, emotionally draining work they carry out.’ – Daily Mail

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Book Synopsis“A truly inspiring journey that celebrates the healing power of adventure. A must-read.” – Levison Wood “Wonderfully relatable on so many levels. Simon’s wanderlust, mental roller coaster and reactions to a fast-changing world had me enthralled in his journey, but very much reflecting on my own over the past few years. A brilliantly crafted book which holds a mirror up to the world we live in.” - Mark Beaumont "Simon’s cycle ride around his own country is a fine demonstration that adventure and transformation begins on your own doorstep.” - Alastair Humphreys The remarkable and inspirational true story of how one man battled grief and anxiety, one pedal stroke at a time, on a 3,500-mile adventure around Britain In March 2020, as Britain entered its first lockdown, Simon Parker’s life fell apart; his travel journalism career vanished overnight and shortly afterwards he received the tragic news that a close friend had died. With a long-suppressed anxiety disorder starting to rear its head, he turned to the only therapies he knew and trusted: travel and exercise. Setting off on his bike from the northernmost point of Shetland with only a sleeping bag and a camping stove, Simon would end up cycling 3,427 miles around Britain. En route, he would meet hundreds of resilient Britons, who were all, in their own way, riding out the storm just like he was. Even in his gloomiest moments he began to see that a chink of light was never too far away. Riding Out is a story of optimism and hope, and a ground-level portrait of Britain as it transforms from a country in crisis to a nation on the mend. From Shetland to the Scillies, Dover to Durness, Simon learns that life’s sharpest corners are best navigated at the gentle pace of a bicycle.Trade ReviewIf you've recently bought a 'lockdown bike' and realise you've not been using it enough, this inspirational, down-to-earth and touching book may give you a few ideas. * Tom Chesshyre *Simon's cycle ride around his own country is a fine demonstration that adventure and transformation begins on your own doorstep. * Alastair Humphreys *[Riding Out is] both hugely inspirational yet still relatable... Simon's vulnerability at times will show many readers - myself included - that they aren't alone in feeling lost these past 18 months. How he has managed this vulnerability with humour throughout the book drew me in, as did his ability to capture the spirit of the people he met along the way. His ability to describe challenging moments with honesty makes it feel like you're hearing an old friend regale the trip over dinner. * Alex Outhwaite *A truly inspiring journey that celebrates the healing power of adventure. A must-read. * Levison Wood *In Riding Out, Simon Parker holds a humane mirror to a fractured Britain as it adjusts to a strange, isolated new world. * Jon Dunn, author of The Glitter in the Green *Wonderfully relatable on so many levels. Simon's wanderlust, mental roller coaster and reactions to a fast-changing world had me enthralled in his journey, but very much reflecting on my own over the past few years. A brilliantly crafted book which holds a mirror up to the world we live in. * Mark Beaumont *

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.The only advice, indeed, that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions.In her second volume of essays, Virginia Woolf delves deeper into the delights of reading. Here, she explores the novels of Thomas Hardy and Daniel Defoe, and recounts the fascinating lives of Christina Rossetti and Mary Wollstonecraft. In How Should One Read a Book?' she offers sage advice for the common reader, and sheds light on the lessons and pleasures literature can provide.Published in 1932, The Common Reader: Second Series is a wise and illuminating companion collection to her 1925 First Series. Woolf's enduring appeal and ideas continue to resonate with readers in the twenty-first century.

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Book SynopsisThe Blind Woodsman is an inspiring and motivational autobiography about a man who finds true joy after struggling with depression, drug addiction, anxiety, financial despair and a failed suicide attempt at the age of 16. John Furniss, more famously known today as The Blind Woodsman, along with his wife, inspiration and fellow artist Anni share their amazing story with the mission to help others. Despite being blind, John is now a highly skilled woodworker creating incredible pieces of art in complete darkness. Chapter one starts with how John and Anni met preceded by John sharing his experiences as a young teen and challenges along the way. Be inspired by the amazing images of John''s work and many inspirational messages that will make you laugh and smile along the way. A story that will give hope and inspiration to those dealing with depression, addiction and the many anxiety driven stresses in our lives.

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Book SynopsisHeidi Mavir is a late-identified, neurodivergent adult. She is a public speaker, advocate, author of Your Child Is Not Broken, podcaster, and parent to an autistic/ADHD teenager. A trained Mental Health First Aider and CPD Accredited Trauma-Informed Professional, Heidi uses her knowledge, learning, and experience to help other parents and carers to become powerful advocates for their neurodivergent kids. She has built an online community of over 6000 families, supported by parent professionals and SEN advocates, who want to improve opportunities for autistic learners. Heidi has been featured in The Sunday Times, The Guardian , and BBC National News. She founded EOTAS MATTERS to support families like hers whose children and young people need education outside a school setting.

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Book SynopsisA collection of writings by the author of the 2022 Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker''His work has a symphonic quality unique in fiction'' THE TIMESThe autobiography of one of the most distinct and profound writers we have'GUARDIANIn this rich collection of writings, spanning more than twenty years, Alan Garner, the Booker shortlisted author of Treacle Walker, explores his interest in a dazzling range of subjects; from archaeology, myth and language, to education, literature, film, music and philosophy, as well as mental health and our most profound quest for the spiritual.The Voice That Thunders serves as an early poetic autobiography of one of England''s best-loved but least public writers. These essays chart how, after hearing himself declared dead at the age of six, he went on to become the writer he is today: one drawing on the deep well of a rural working-class childhood and one inspired by a family of craftsmen who instilled in him the passion for excellence and innovation and humour that guides him to this day.Candid and illuminating, The Voice That Thunders is an enchanting collection from one of Britain's greatest living writers.A brilliant collection of essays' INDEPENDENT

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Book Synopsis'An amazing read! I galloped through it' Lady Antonia Fraser'Lawrence has done an excellent job of recreating this eccentric gardening guru's life' The Times'My pick for gardening book of the year is this page-turning life story of Ellen Willmott' The Sunday Times'Sandra Lawrence tells her story with brio and affection' Daily Mail'Simply brilliant and a joy to read' The English GardenEllen Ann Willmott was a remarkable woman whose achievements in horticulture, botany, landscape architecture, photography and more, should have made her one of the most well-known trailblazers of her age. Yet, both posthumously and within her lifetime, she instead became known as a bitter, cantankerous and eccentric miser, and her reputation has been forever stained by the image of her maliciously seeding other people's gardens with thorns.The beginnings of this prickly myth can be traced back to her conspicuous absence at what should have been the pinnacle of her career: the Royal Horticultural Society's inaugural Victoria Medal of Honour Award ceremony, at which she was due to be one of only two female recipients. Universally interpreted as the rudest of snubs, nobody has ever stopped to question why Ellen wasn't there, or if she was really as difficult and mean as she has been portrayed ever since. Author, Sandra Lawrence, has been granted unparalleled access to her archives, and with it has uncovered the secrets behind this thorniness. This is a book with it all: gossip, sisters, rivalry, squandered inheritance, forbidden love, bad marriages and, at the heart of it all, trailblazing talent.Trade ReviewAn amazing read! I galloped through * Lady Antonia Fraser *Excellent * The Times *'Simply brilliant and a joy to read' -- Clare Foggett * The English Garden *

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Book SynopsisAn intimate and electrifying collection of essays from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Delights.

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Book SynopsisThe history of humankind has always been marked by natural catastrophes, migrations, discoveries, revolutions, and wars. But there have also been speeches that marked an era; instilling hope in crucial moments, reawakening the collective conscience of a population—or of all humanity. In homes throughout the world, millions of people watched these speeches on television or listened to them on the radio, fascinated by the charismatic words, by the moral integrity, by the tireless passion and sacrifice of the orators, by those who dedicated their entire existence to the causes they believed in. The thirty-eight speeches featured in this book were delivered over a period that ranges from immediately following World War II to today, and the authors include politicians and brilliant orators, as well as scientists, a writer, a missionary, a businesswoman, a talk-show host, and a young girl. From Charles de Gaulle’s announcement of the end of World War II in 1945, Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” in 1963 and Stephen Hawking’s 2022 speech at his 60th birthday symposium, to Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address in 2022, Speeches That Changed Our Times invites you to read these masterpieces of oratory without restraining the emotions they provoke, in the hope that learning from the past will help build a better world for the present and the future.

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary true story of a West African girlâs upbringing in North Korea.Trade Review'A fascinating glimpse into life in North Korea’ New Statesman‘Monica's is an evocative memoir of a remarkable childhood followed by a decades-long search around the globe for her identity and the truth about her father. But beyond that, it is a stunning treatise on politics, power and culture' Florence Olajide, bestselling author of Coconut'A fascinating account of a woman’s quest for autonomy, and her bravery and determination to find the truth. It’s an investigative story to understand her true father, a powerful but controversial figure, the real man behind his many personas. A woman who was raised between countries, in search of her true home' Lily Dunn, author of Sins of My Father‘A testament to the power of survival, and the strength it takes to interrogate the world you're born into, Black Girl from Pyongyang is a beautiful and startling coming of age story’ Ali Millar, author of The Last Days‘Monica Macias challenges readers in her remarkable memoir to interrogate the modalities of truth in our modern world, to closely examine and dismantle what we think we know and what the powers that be would have us believe. Hers is a weighty inheritance, one that she explores with grace, compassion, and enormous courage’ Ly Tran, author of House of Sticks‘With intimate knowledge through some of the world’s least-known places, Monica Macias leads us on an extraordinary journey. Her perspective as an African, Asian and European woman is absolutely singular as she searches for home, for her history and for her own identity. Her story is told with clear-eyed honesty and self-reflection, as she seeks to better understand herself, the circumstances of her birth and upbringing, and the world she travels around so bravely. You have never read a book like Black Girl From Pyongyang, and you won’t soon forget it’ Marcia de Sanctis, author of A Hard Place to Leave'Black Girl from Pyongyang tells a heart-warming story of conflicting emotions. A delight to read' Dr J. E. Hoare, Centre of Korean Studies, SOAS

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Book SynopsisThis is the complete story of long-distance runner Lizzy Hawker’s journey from a school girl running the streets of London to a world record-breaking athlete racing on mountains. Scared witless and surrounded by a sea of people, Lizzy Hawker stands in the church square at the centre of Chamonix on a late August evening, waiting for the start of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. The mountains towering over the pack of runners promise a gruelling 8,600 metres of ascent and descent over 158 kilometres of challenging terrain that will test the feet, legs, heart and mind. These nervous moments before the race signal not just the beginning of nearly twenty-seven hours of effort that saw Lizzy finish as first woman, but the start of the career of one of Britain’s most successful endurance athletes. She went on to become the 100km Women’s World Champion, win the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc an unprecedented five times, hold the world record for 24 hours road running and become the first woman to stand on the overall winners’ podium at Spartathlon. An innate endurance and natural affinity with the mountains has led Lizzy to push herself to the absolute limits, including a staggering 320 kilometre run through the Himalayas, from Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu in Nepal. Lizzy’s remarkable spirit was recognised in 2013 when she was a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. These ultimate challenges ask not just what the feet and legs can do, but question the inner thoughts and contemplations of a runner. Lizzy’s astonishing story uncovers the physical, mental and emotional challenges that runners go through at the edge of human endurance – inspiring us to get out of the chair and go running in the mountains. Trade Review‘Need inspiration? This book tells ultra-athlete Lizzy Hawker’s story. From winning the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc to becoming the 100K Women’s World Champion, Lizzy’s story is truly moving.’‘A book that will make you think and, of course, want to go running in the mountains.’ ‘Runner is beautifully written and as packed with pure inspiration (and possibility) as any book ever written on the subject, destined to become a classic of the genre.’ ‘Runner is beautifully written and as packed with pure inspiration (and possibility) as any book ever written on the subject, destined to become a classic of the genre.’'Britain’s most distinctive female ‘ultra runner’, coming first in the UTMB five times, taking gold in the Women’s 100km World Championships in Korea in 2006, setting a new women’s world record for 24 hours on the road in the 2011 Commonwealth Championships and a new course record at the sunbaked 246 km Spartathlon in 2012.But Hawker’s inspirational memoir does not focus on the figures. She’s more interested in why she is able to push herself beyond normal limits, and how running makes her feel. Her book is strong on Buddhist philosophy and the peace that comes with living fully in the now.''She's held the world record for distance covered in 24 hours and is a five-time winner of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. Runner follows her through that 100 mile race, breaking off to explore what driver her, and the physical, mental and emotional challenge of pushing the limits.'‘The astonishing Lizzy Hawker’s story provides a much-needed female slant on the sport. Where this could have been an insufferable list of extremes endured, Hawker’s generosity of spirit and faith in what running can do for one’s soul makes it a rather moving tribute to what all of us might be capable of.’'About what it means to be a runner, facing the highs and the lows, being full of doubt, but also determined. This book will inspire and enthuse you to move outside of your comfort zone and live life.'‘A book that will make you think and, of course, want to go running in the mountains.’‘Need inspiration? This book tells ultra-athlete Lizzy Hawker’s story. From winning the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc to becoming the 100K Women’s World Champion, Lizzy’s story is truly moving.’

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Book SynopsisThe controversial and revealing new biography of legendary golfer Phil Mickelson.

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER'Tony is a champion who knows the hardest battle is always with yourself. Everyone who reads this book will find a change to make in their own life ' ANT MIDDLETON**THE PULL-NO-PUNCHES GUIDE TO LIFE**"When your job is to stand in front of a very big man who wants to knock you unconscious, you learn what's important in life. In the ring there's nowhere to hide. I was never the biggest or the strongest but I made the most of what I had - I had heart and I had grit and I always put time into the mental game. Now I want to take readers into the ring and help them understand that even though it's an extreme environment and somewhere they're unlikely to ever be, there's plenty they can learn there"Over 12 rounds (chapters), former world champion boxer Tony Bellew will take the reader inside the world of elite boxing to reveal what we can all learn about performance. From what the boxing gym can teach us all about being honest about our strengths and weaknesses to how to hit the canvas and get back up again, this is the closest thing to having a world champion boxer in your corner.Trade ReviewTony worked incredibly hard to get to the top. He has tremendous self-belief and in his new book he tells it how it is. A must read * Ricky Hatton *A great read * Dan Walker *The story of an aggressive kid who, though boxing, found the best version of himself * The Times *A great read for anyone: hard-won advice given by a truly hard bloke. Tony's story shares both the blood, sweat and years that went into becoming world champion AND how you can apply his philosophy to your everyday battles * John Hudson, The UK Military's Chief Survival Instructor *

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