Biography Books

Book SynopsisBorn into Hollywood aristocracy in 1937, the daughter of actor Henry Fonda and sister of Peter Fonda, Jane Fonda's childhood was marked with unhappiness and tragedy. Her relationship with her father Henry Fonda was never loving even though she followed his profession, studying acting with Lee Strasberg in New York, then living in Paris. Jane Fonda's award winning films include Barbarella, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Klute and Coming Home for which she won two oscars. Her credits, as film producer, include Nine to Five and On Golden Pond. In the 1980s she revolutionised the fitness industry with a series of workout videos. Her political protests against the Vietnam War caused much controversy in the States, and she continues to be an active advocate on environmental issues, human rights and the empowerment of women.Trade ReviewSuch candidness ... you're left with something less frequently inspired by a Hollywood star autobiography - respect * The Times *This book redefines autobiography. It's not just an autobiography, it's a journey -- Lord PuttnamShe didn't just live through changing times, she embodied them * Guardian *Endearingly earnest, honestly intelligent * Sunday Times *This book has an almost uncomfortable sincerity. It refuses to be afraid of the truth ... intense, intelligent, supremely committed. Always worthy of our time and attention * Daily Telegraph *

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this warm, wonderfully evocative and often hilarious memoir one of the best-loved men in Britain, Alan Titchmarsh, brilliantly recalls his childhood in 1950s Yorkshire. Alan Titchmarsh grew up, and developed hispassion for nature in the wild and beautiful landscape of Yorkshire. A real treat for his millions of fans,the ever-popular presentervividly depicts a childhood of simple pleasures like climbing trees and fishing in streams, in a time of post-war austerity. It was not a deprived childhood, yet neither was the garden eternally rosy and Alan''s colourful portrait of a bygone era brings poignant moments and others that leave you aching with laughter. Alan''s sharp eye for detail brings to life various family members and their memorable quirks, as well as local characters, childhood haunts and significant events that have shaped his life.Filled with Alan''s inimitable down-to-earth humour and heart-warming tales, this memoir is guaranteed to be every biTrade Review'A gentle exercise in nostalgia.' * Financial Times *'Filled with beautifully textured, wonderfully astute observations on the characters that peopled his childhood in the Fifties... very much an anti-misery memoir.' * Daily Express *'Britain's favourite TV presenter recalls his happy childhood in '50s Yorkshire. With a great eye for detail, he paints an affectionate portrait of a bygone era.' * Woman & Home *

Read more less

Book Synopsis_________________________The first three volumes of Anthony Powell''s remarkable A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME sequence: A QUESTION OF UPBRINGING; A BUYER''S MARKET; THE ACCEPTANCE WORLD''One of the greatest pleasures of my reading life. The cool elegance of the prose, the deliciously dry humour, the confident choreography of his characters make for an incomparable treat.'' - Michael PalinAnthony Powell''s brilliant twelve-novel sequence chronicles the lives of over three hundred characters, and is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England. It is unrivalled for its scope, its humour and the enormous pleasure it has given to generations. These first three novels in the sequence follow Nicholas Jenkins, Kenneth Widmerpool and others, as they negotiate the intellectual, cultural and social hurdles which stand between them and the ''Acceptance World''.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPeter Ackroyd is an award-winning historian, biographer, novelist, poet and broadcaster. He is the author of the acclaimed non-fiction bestsellers London: The Biography, Thames: Sacred River and London Under; biographies of figures including Charles Dickens, William Blake, Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock; and a multi-volume history of England. He has won the Whitbread Biography Award, the Royal Society of Literature's William Heinemann Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award and the South Bank Prize for Literature. He holds a CBE for services to literature.Trade ReviewIt would be no exaggeration to say that Peter Ackroyd's 'biography' of our capital is the book about London. It contains a lifetime of reading and research-but this huge book is light and airy and playful-[He] leads us on a journey both historical and geographical, but also imaginative. Every street, alley and courtyard has a story, and Ackroyd brings it to life for us - marvellous -- A N Wilson * Daily Mail *Nothing can quite match the huge strange echo chamber of life-stories, folktales, and urban myths conjured up in Peter Ackroyd's epic vision of his native city. Sparkling, witty scholarship is constantly transformed into smoky mystical street-history, with dark hypnotic meditations on fog, fire, sewage, suicide and civic resurrection -- Richard Holmes * Daily Telegraph *Ackroyd is the most effortless guide. You wander by his side through the streets of the old city, savouring its bustle, colours and its smells, the stink of living. This is much more than history; it is a tapestry of inspiration and love. You will not find a better, more visionary book about a place we take for granted * Observer *It's this decade's finest work of non-fiction -- Jude Rogers * The Word *[London] may be several years old but it remains one of the leading narratives as he cleverly weaves through centuries of history to reveal to us the hundreds of different cities within a city -- Fiona Hamilton * The Times *

Read more less

Book Synopsis“A thorough account of Harriman’s rise which also manages to be a brisk, twisty read … riveting and revelatory.” —The New Yorker“Rigorous but rollicking.” —The New York TimesNamed a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by Apple Books, The Economist, Town & Country, The Guardian, The Spectator, The Telegraph, The Oldie, and The Times Literary Supplement and a Must-Read Book of Fall 2024 by People MagazineFrom the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, an electrifying re-examination of one of the 20th century’s greatest unsung power playersWhen Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997, the obituaries that followed were predictably scathing – and many were downright sexist. Written off as a mere courtesan and social climber, her true legacy was overshadowed by a glamorous social life and her infamous erotic adventures. Much of what she did behind the scenes – on both sides of the Atlantic - remained invisible and secret. That is, until now: with a wealth of fresh research, interviews and newly discovered sources, Sonia Purnell unveils for the first time the full, spectacular story of how she left an indelible mark on the world today.At age 20 Churchill’s beloved daughter-in-law became a “secret weapon” during World War II, strategically wining, dining, and seducing diplomats and generals to help win over American sentiment (and secrets) to the British cause against Hitler. After the war, she helped to transform Fiat heir Gianni Agnelli into Italy’s ‘uncrowned king’ on the international stage and after moving to the US brought a struggling Democratic party back to life, hand-picking Bill Clinton from obscurity and vaulting him to the presidency.Picked as Ambassador to France, she deployed her legendary subtle powers to charm world leaders and help efforts to bring peace to Bosnia, playing her part in what was arguably the high-water mark of American global supremacy.There are few at any time who have operated as close to the center of power over five decades and two continents, and there is practically no one in 20th Century politics, culture, and fashion whose lives she did not touch, including the Kennedys, Truman Capote, Aly Khan, Kay Graham, Gloria Steinem, Ed Murrow, and Frank Sinatra. Written with the novelistic richness and investigative rigor that only Sonia Purnell could bring to this story full of sex, politics, yachts, palaces and fabulous clothes, KINGMAKER re-asserts Harriman’s rightful place at the heart of history.

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A truly remarkable writer, one of the most gifted non-fiction authors alive'' Simon Schama, Financial TimesRobespierre was only thirty-six when he died, sent to the guillotine where he had sent thousands ahead of him. Robespierre and the Revolution were inseparable: a single inflexible tyrant. But what turned a shy young lawyer into the living embodiment of the Terror at its most violent? Admirers called him ''the great incorruptible''; critics dubbed him a ''monster'', a ''bloodthirsty charlatan''. Ruth Scurr sheds new light on this puzzle, tracing Robespierre''s life from a troubled childhood in provincial Arras to the passionate idealist, fighting for the rights of the people, and sweeping on to the implacable leader prepared to sign the death warrant for his closest friends.Trade ReviewThere is a dazzling light of intellect as much as a thunderous darkness of reality in her fine, humanising portrait * The Times, Ten Best Books of 2006 *Scurr has an important tale to tell, and she tells it judiciously -- Lucy Hughes-Hallett * Sunday Times *Ruth Scurr's aim, in this well written first book, is to provide an accessible, up - to date biography that draws on all this work, and represents Robespierre as a human being rather than as a monster of legend. She succeeds impressively -- Munro Price * Sunday Telegraph *This splendidly balanced account of an unbalanced mind proves that there are monsters of virtue as well as monsters of vice -- Graham Robb * Daily Telegraph *It is judicious, balanced, and admirably clear at every point....It is quite the calmest and least abusive history of the Revolution you will ever read -- Hilary Mantel * London Review of Books *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe shrunken space of the pandemic. A broken relationship. Grief for a dying mother and the creeping shadow of illness.

Read more less

Book Synopsis_____________________________At Ronnie Kray''s funeral, London crime expert John Pearson saw a man he didn''t recognise - but who all the notorious criminals present deferred to.This is the remarkable true story of that man: ''the Englishman''.Investigations revealed that the Englishman was never mentioned in any of the previous books on organised crime, not because he wasn''t involved, but because everyone was too scared to speak his name. Moreover, he was as legendary a figure on the streets of New York as on the streets of London.Pearson persuaded the mysterious criminal leader to talk to him - and the result was a story even more extraordinary than that of the Kray twins. Here Pearson reveals the true story of the Englishman who became the adopted son of Joey Pagano, the head of one of the major New York crime families. Here the Englishman tells the story that no-one else dared to tell._____________________________<Trade ReviewStraight out of The Godfather ... this insight into the hidden world of the mafia is well worth reading * The Oldie *Brilliantly thrilling * Heat *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAnthony Powell''s brilliant twelve novel sequence chronicles the lives of over three hundred characters, and is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England. It is unrivalled for its scope, its humour and the enormous pleasure it has given to generations.Volume 4 contains the last three novels in the sequence: Books do Furnish a Room; Temporary Kings; Hearing Secret Harmonies.

Read more less

Book SynopsisApsley Cherry-Garrard (1886-1959) was one of the youngest members of Captain Scott''s final expedition to the Antarctic. Cherry undertook an epic journey in the Antarctic winter to collect the eggs of the Emperor penguin. The temperature fell to seventy below, it was dark all the time, his teeth shattered in the cold and the tent blew away. ''But we kept our tempers,'' Cherry wrote, ''even with God.''After serving in the First War Cherry was invalided home, and with the zealous encouragement of his neighbour Bernard Shaw he wrote a masterpiece. In The Worst Journey in the World Cherry transformed tragedy and grief into something fine. But as the years unravelled he faced a terrible struggle against depression, breakdown and despair, haunted by the possibility that he could have saved Scott and his companions. This is the first biography of Cherry. Sara Wheeler, who has travelled extensively in the Antarctic, has had unrestricted access to new material and the Trade ReviewAccomplishes what only the best biographies can * The Times *Beautiful...written with unfailing eloquence and grace, and great admiration for its subject * Independent *Brilliantly succeeds not only in bringing this modest man disarmingly to life but also in recreating the England of his time and social setting...a formidable accomplishment * Sunday Telegraph *Beautifully written... Wheeler's vocabulary to evoke this luminous and cruel continent appears limitless * New York Times *With this wonderful biography Sara Wheeler has now vaulted into the front rank of modern British writers...this volume is so much more than a story of one remarkable man. It is among other things an exploration of the mind, a tour through the notions of national identity and pride, and a celebration of the tensile strength of the human spirit -- Simon Winchester

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe book opens on the day Hemingway''s close friend Pop, a legendary hunter, leaves him in charge of the camp. Tensions have heightened among the various tribes and news arrives of a potential attack on the hunters, forcing Hemingway not only to take on his new role of leader but, equally important, to assist his wife Mary in pursuing the great lion she is determined to kill before Christmas. Passionately detailing the African landscape, the excitement of the chase, and the heartfelt relationships with his African neighbours, Hemingway, a master of dramatic fiction, weaves a tale that is rich in laughter, beauty and insight.Written when Hemingway returned from his 1953 safari, and edited by his son Patrick, True At First Light is a rich blend of autobiography and fiction, a breathtaking final work from one of this century''s most beloved and important writers.Trade ReviewCaptures the beauty of the African landscape and the thrill of the hunt, in true Hemingway style * Red *This is writing of a high order; sympathetic, luminous, hypnotic, humane * Caledonia *

Read more less

Book SynopsisDecidedly absurd, and always entertaining, revel in the very best letters to The Times.From tinned prime ministers to hiccup remedies, this collection lets you in on more than a few inside jokes from one of Britain's longest-running correspondences.While the other pages of the newspaper chronicle the pressing issues of the day, the Letters page often muses on the things that really matter. Sir: The year in letters is a selection of the best of these letters, an elegant and erudite display of Times readers at their most whimsical and droll.The perfect gift for anyone with a shrewd sense of humour, this book features: An absurdly entertaining round up of the year's happenings More than 400 letters featured in The Times, curated by Letters editor Andrew Riley Original cartoons by Royston Robertson

Read more less

Book SynopsisAfter Hurricane Higgins crashed out of snooker''s top league, Jimmmy White has been the `People''s Champion'' even though he never quite made the top World spot, pipped at the post in 1995 by Stephen Hendry, after missing one single black. Aged 16, White was the youngest player to win the English Amateur Championship. At 18, he won the World Amateur title. By 1984, he''s a professional success, married but not at all settled. He''s the kind of man who goes out for a packet of cigarettes and comes home two weeks later. Gambling, women, marathon binges with showbiz friends like Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones, have threatened the stability of his marriage. But somehow White has survived, to tell in candid detail, a most unusual, often outrageous story of a very sporting life.Trade ReviewMercurial, enigmatic, exciting -- Alex HigginsHe may play a spellbinding game, full of invention and dash. He may even be the "best snooker player in the world" - but he is loved because he is naughty . . . and therein lies his abiding appeal -- Sue Mott * Sunday Telegraph *Jimmy's harum-scarum attitude to life has never altered, even though he is now a household name. One of the loveliest things about him is his naturalness. Stardom has come and touched him and left him exactly the way he was * Sunday Mirror *Jimmy's the ultimate player's player. He thrills the public . . . but the players get even more enjoyment out of watching him because he strikes the ball so well * Daily Express *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WHAT I LOVED AND A WOMAN LOOKING AT MEN LOOKING AT WOMEN''Provocative but often funny, encyclopedic but down to earth . . . an extraordinary double story'' Oliver Sacks''It is Hustvedt''s gift to write with exemplary clarity of what is by necessity unclear'' Hilary Mantel, GuardianWhile speaking at a memorial event for her father, the novelist Siri Hustvedt suffered a violent seizure from the neck down. Was it triggered by nerves, emotion - or something else entirely?In this profoundly thought-provoking and revealing book, Hustvedt takes the reader on her journey through psychiatry, philosophy, neuroscience and medical history in search of a diagnosis. Conveying the often frightening mysteries of illness, she illuminates the perennially mysterious connection between mind and body and what we mean by ''I''.''She has an enviable ability to digest aTrade ReviewProvocative but often funny, encyclopedic but down to earth...Hustvedt's erudite book deepens one's wonder about the relation of body and mind. * Oliver Sacks *Readers of Oliver Sacks will rate this book highly; as with Sacks, scientific knowledge and a powerful capacity for empathy are closely linked...It is Hustvedt's gift to write with exemplary clarity of what is by necessity unclear. * Hilary Mantel, Guardian *She thinks her way through complex subject matter with the effortless clarity of a poised and sceptical outsider...a short book with an encyclopaedic breadth * Lisa Appignanesi, Independent *She has an enviable ability to digest and reframe her discoveries into clear, accessible prose * Melanie McGrath, Sunday Telegraph *Fascinating...what gives the book its originality is that she wavers on the edge of the various disciplines, preferring her own imaginative, deeply personal reflections to the potential certainty that might be offered by doctors...Although a desire for clear-cut answers is understandable, Hustvedt suggests that this is often far from possible. And she leaves the reader thinking about his or her own bouts of illness in a thoroughly fresh way. * Lorna Bradbury, Daily Telegraph *

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisMonty Roberts is a real-life horse whisperer-an American original whose gentle Join-Up® training method reveals the depth of communication possible between man and animal. He can take a wild, high-strung horse who has never before been handled and persuade that horse to accept a bridle, saddle, and rider in thirty minutes. His powers may seem like magic, but his amazing “horse sense” is based on a lifetime of experience. In The Man Who Listens to Horses, Roberts reveals his unforgettable personal story and his exceptional insight into nonverbal communication, an understanding that applies to human relationships as well. He shows that between parent and child, employee and employer, abuser and abused, there are forms of communication far stronger than the spoken word that are accessible to all who will learn to listen. This new edition features engaging photographs, a chapter that traces Roberts’s amazing experience gentling with a mustang in the wild, and an Afterword about the remarkable impact this book has had on the world.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe winning philosophy for creating and inspiring success that will help you triumph at work and in life from renowned football coach Nick Saban—with a foreword by Bill BelichickExcellence doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from hard work, consistency, the drive to be the best, and a passion for what you do. Few understand this better than Nick Saban. With more than three decades of experience as a player and coach, Saban has worked alongside some of the game’s legends and has seen firsthand how great leaders encourage greatness in others. In this candid and thoughtful guide, he shares his unique wisdom:• Organization, Organization, Organization: Create an environment where everybody knows his or her responsibilities—and each is responsible to the entire group.• Motivate to Dominate: Understand the psychology of teams and individuals, and use that knowledge to breed success.• No Other Way than Right:

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe memoirs of a legendary figure in TV and the arts, beautifully written, honest and fascinating.Trade ReviewMesmerising * Caroline Gascoigne, Books of the Year, Sunday Time *A beautifully written, fascinating glimpse into the childhood and personal life of the woman who was one of the pioneers for equality for women in the BBC. * Lesley Pearse, Daily Mail *She has the rare ability to observe her life from a semi-detached position and to lace her own story into the social history of our times * Michael Cockerell, Daily Mail *Few can match Bakewell for the qualities that abound in her book: class and composure and a deeply unfashionable concern for more than her own career. * Lesley White, Sunday Times *Wise and wry * The Times *Bakewell's level-headed discussion of her ambivalent response to the tag (the 'thinking man's crumpet') makes fascinating reading...as does her calm but moving account of her lengthy affair with Harold Pinter. * The Sunday Times *Like the devil in the Rolling Stones' song, Joan Bakewell was everywhere at every stage: reporting on the Cuban missile crisis, interviewing Allen Ginsberg and Vaclav Havel, taking chunks out of the Berlin Wall when it fell...draped in the kaftan of Sixties sophistication...her evocations of grief [are] powerful and honest. * Independent on Sunday *vividly believable and tinged with sadness...a tender, unshowy memoir * Casilda Grigg, The Telegraph *Joan Bakewell's superb autobiography is honest and intriguing, but it is also beautifully-written...Contemplating her gender, Cambridge, politics, ideas, she appears charming without being self-righteous. Well conveyed is the tension she felt between seizing opportunities finally available to women like herself and the enduring expectations of motherhood and the perfect family. * The Observer *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe extraordinary life and supernatural times of one of the UK''s top psychics - star of Psychic School, Street Psychic and Psychic Detective.Even as a child, Tony Stockwell knew that he was different and that he had been born to do something special with his life. His first out-of-body experience was when he was a baby and he met his first spirit person when he was seven. He has been working as a medium for 18 years and, in his hugely successful TV series Street Psychic, he used his astonishing gift to deliver accurate, deeply personal messages from loved ones in the world of spirit to randomly picked passers-by. Tony''s autobiography answers ageless questions like:`What happens to us after we die?'', `What happens to animals and pets?'', `Are there such things as evil spirits?'', `How can we overcome our fear of death?'' and `Can we all communicate with our loved ones in the life hereafter?'' With this fascinating insightTrade ReviewA psychic detective to be reckoned with. * Daily Express *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs a young girl in China Xinran heard a rumour about a soldier in Tibet who had been brutally fed to the vultures in a ritual known as a sky burial: the tale frightened and fascinated her. Several decades later Xinran met Shu Wan, a Chinese woman who had spent years searching for her missing husband who had been serving as a doctor in Tibet; her extraordinary life story would unravel the legend of the sky burial. For thirty years she was lost in the wild and alien landscape of Tibet, in the vast and silent plateaus and the magisterial mountain ranges, living with communities of nomads moving with the seasons and struggling to survive.In this haunting book, Xinran recreates Shu Wen''s remarkable journey in an epic story of love, loss, loyalty and survival. Moving, shocking and, ultimately, uplifting Sky Burial paints a unique portrait of a woman and a land, both at the mercy of fate and politics.Trade ReviewA romantic epic of loss and redemption, of stoic constancy in the face of the vagaries of fate * Financial Times *Part family story, part mystical adventure in an alien culture, it's like Wild Swans crossed with Seven Years in Tibet * Condé Nast Traveller *This little-known culture has been brought vividly to life through the incredible love story of Shu Wen. This story of an extraordinary woman written by an extraordinary woman will stay with you long after closing the book * Sunday Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisSarah Bakewell had a wandering childhood, growing up on the "hippie trail" through Asia and in Australia. She studied philosophy at the University of Essex, and worked for many years as a curator of early printed books at the Wellcome Library, London, before becoming a full-time writer. Her books include How to Live: a life of Montaigne, which won the Duff Cooper Prize and the US National Book Critics Circle Prize, and At the Existentialist Café, a New York Times Ten Best Books of 2016. She was also among the winners of the 2018 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize. She still has a tendency to wander, but is mostly to be found either in London or in Italy with her wife and their family of dogs and chickens.www.sarahbakewell.comTrade ReviewWith this splendidly conceived and exquisitely written double biography - of both Montaigne the man and Montaigne the book - Sarah Bakewell should persuade another generation to fall in love with Montaigne * Sunday Times *How to live is a superb, spirited introduction to the master, and should have its readers rushing straight to the essays themselves -- Adam Thorpe * Guardian *Sarah Bakewell has written a marvellously confident and clear introduction to Montaigne...a rare achievement. Sarah Bakewell deserves congratulations for opening Montaigne to new readers so very appealingly * Evening Standard *Illuminating and humane book... It's rare to come across a biographer who remains so deliciously fond of her subject... How to Live will delight and illuminate * Independent *Bakewell writes with verve. This is an intellectually lively treatment of a Renaissance giant and his world * Daily Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisValentino Rossi is the greatest living motorcyclist. His legions of fans adore him (over 4,000 turned up to see him in Leicester Square last March). He has fought through the 125 and 250 class groups to win the World Championships five times and has been ranked in the top three places at the World Championships for the last nine years. He is currently the MotoGP World Champion, and has won on a Honda bike - considered the best - and most recently on a Yamaha - considered the worst. He is arguably the greatest racer ever - and certainly the most entertaining - his post race antics and cheeky personality have won him as many fans as his on-track prowess. He is the kind of star who only comes along once in a while - a Muhammad Ali or Pele - hugely talented, massively driven, yet also scorching charismatic, unnervingly rebellious and totally endearing - a twentieth-century version of the hell-raisers of old.All who know Rossi say he is a consummate professional, that he works haTrade ReviewWhile the autobiography details everything you could want to know about him and his career, you don't need to be a bike fan to enjoy it. It is truly inspiring stuff ... to remain true to yourself and instead of following where the path may lead, to go where there is no path and leave a trail. -- Emma Parker Bowles * The Sun *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Fascinating and hugely entertaining'' Daily Telegraph''It''s not like other comedians'' memoirs. It''s funny'' GuardianThe Sayles might not have been the only Jewish atheist communist family in Liverpool, but Alexei knew from an early age that they were one of the more eccentric.Born on the day egg rationing came to an end, Alexei was the only child of Joe, an affable trade unionist who led the family on railway expeditions across eastern Europe, and Molly, a hot-tempered red-head who terrified teachers and insisted Alexei see the Red Army Choir instead of the Beatles.Perceptive and hilarious, this is a portrait of a family, a city, a country and a continent going through enormous changes.''Sayle''s book has charm and substance, both as memoir and history'' Times Literary SupplementTrade ReviewIt's not like other comedians' memoirs. It's funny. * Guardian *As strange and fascinating as any fiction . . . This would be excellent even if it weren't by someone famous * The Times *'Fascinating and hugely entertaining' * Telegraph *Sayle's book has charm and substance, both as memoir and history. * Times Literary Supplement *'A great memoir of a strange childhood. "Just let me read you this bit" funny.' * Frank Cottrell Boyce *'The brilliant satires on modern life of Alexei Sayle (the only comedian worth his salt as a novelist) are contemporary gems.' * Tim Lott, Independent *'This touching, elegantly written memoir stands out... He looks back on his unconventional youth with comic bewilderment' * Independent on Sunday *'A fascinating and entertaining memoir about growing up with parents who were staunch communists' * Daily Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1978, the US government waged a war against organised crime. One man was left behind the lines. From 1976 until 1981, Special Agent Pistone lived undercover with the Mafia. Only able to visit his young family once every few months, Pistone - under the alias Donnie Brasco - ate, drank, partied, worked and sometimes killed with the wiseguys. He got so close that his Mafia partner, Lefty Ruggiero, asked him to officiate as best man at his wedding. Pistone''s eventual testimony, in such spectacular prosecutions as ''the Pizza Connection'' and ''the Mafia Commission'' resulted in more than 200 indictments and 100 convictions of members of organised crime.Trade ReviewSo entertaining you have to remind yourself it's deadly serious * Boston Globe *Compelling and gripping . . . Raw, hard-hitting non-fiction at its best . . . A revealing investigative work * Toronto Star *A penetrating look into the inner circle of the Mafia . . . There's no shortage of real-life drama * Detroit News *Courageous and extraordinary * New York Times Book Review *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisMeghan and Harry The Real Story: Persecutors or Victims provides the reader with genuine insight into the consequences of the couple's choices through her recognition of what it has taken them to get there, including infuriating the late Queen and jettisoning close family as well as friends and colleagues.

Read more less

Book SynopsisNow published in English, this work takes a structuralist approach to the relation between Nietzsche's thought and his life. The author emphasizes the centrality of the notion of "eternal return" for understanding Nietzsche's propensities for self-denial, self-reputation and self-consumption.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSandtown is one of the deadliest neighbourhoods in the world; it earned Baltimore its nickname Bodymore, Murderland, and was made notorious by ''The Wire.'' Drug deals dominate street corners and ruthless, casual violence abounds.Montana Barronette grew up in the centre of it all. The leader of the gang ''Trained to Go,'' or TTG, when he was finally arrested, he had been nicknamed ''Baltimore''s Number One Trigger Puller.'' Under Tana''s reign, TTG dominated Sandtown. When a string of murders were linked to TTG, each with dozens of witnesses too intimidated to testify, three detectives set out to put Tana in prison for life. For them, this was never about drugs: It was about serial murder.Acclaimed journalist Mark Bowden, who spent his youth in the white suburbs of Baltimore, returns to the city with exclusive access to the FBI files and unprecedented insight into one of the city''s deadliest gangs and its notorious leader. As he traces the rise and fall of TTG, Bowd

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis work reveals German artist Max Beckmann's experience of life from the first years of his career in Berlin and Paris through his final years in the United States. The collection of Beckmann's writings serves as a companion to his art and a testament to the complexities of his life.

Read more less

Book SynopsisCline recounts the development of quantum theory, capturing the atmosphere of argument and discovery among physicists in the 1920s. She explores the backgrounds of the major figures--Rutherford, Bohr, Planck, Einstein--separately, but draws them together as they begin to consider each other's questions about the nature of matter.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis highly revelatory book, based on original research and completely new analysis, presents a compelling new suspect as the most notorious serial killer of all time: Jack the Ripper.Using a different analytical approach, for the first time, Sarah Bax Horton identifies a named perpetrator as Jack the Ripper by linking eye-witness accounts of the killer’s distinctive physical characteristics to his official medical records. It argues that his broken left arm, which left him unable to work in early 1888, was one of his triggers to kill as part of a serious physical and mental decline caused by severe epilepsy.This new perpetrator fits the profile as stated by the police of the day: a local man of low class of whom they became aware after the final murder, when they launched an unsuccessful surveillance operation against him. As has never been done before, the author - an experienced former government researcher with specific expertise in research a

Read more less

Book Synopsis'An insightful and explosive exposé' - Stephen Breen, author of The Cartel and The HitmenIreland's top crime journalist traces the flood of cocaine into Ireland and those behind its unprecedented growth. From the first smugglers and their adventures on the high seas to the modern-day Instagram-loving gangsters, COCAINE COWBOYS weaves an intricate tale where high society and the criminal underworld collide.COCAINE COWBOYS tells the story of Ireland's love affair with cocaine since it first washed ashore on Cork's rugged coast to the billion-euro trade it has become. From Ireland's first cocaine lord and his attempts to establish a direct route from Miami to Dublin to the modern-day violence that led to the brutal dismemberment of teenager Keane Mulready Woods, the book will follow the stories and the increasing chaos that has engulfed those desperate for a slice of this modern day gold rush. Along the way it det

Read more less

Book SynopsisINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this funny and honest feel-good memoir, social media star Kacie Rose offers a refreshingly honest take on navigating a new life abroad.In 2021, Kacie decided to leave her life as a pro dancer in New York City and move to Italy and she never looked back. Okay, that isn''t strictly true In You Deserve Good Gelato, Kacie reflects on everything from travel fails and homesickness to the joy of culture shocks and the power of doing the s*** that scares you. Because life is too short not to.In this joyful memoir, you will find: Personal essays that tell Kacie's story and empower you to challenge yourself A candid outlook on life as an expat, covering everything from the terror of driving on Italian roads to the trials of speaking a new language and the genuine beauty of a slower pace of life Inspirational quotes that encourage you to step out of your comfort zone By sharing her personal stories of life under the Tuscan sun, Kacie explains how travel is a privilege, why cultural differences are the coolest things in the world, and how there''s a positive you can take away from literally any situation. You Deserve Good Gelato will have you taking the leap and embracing this big beautiful world that we call home.New York Times Bestseller - June 2024

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe only Vatican sanctioned illustrated biography of the beloved pontiff filled with rarely seen photographs and 50 removable document facsimiles.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis collection of poems, parables, and stories explores the mysterious territory that lies between the dreams of the creative artist and the "real" world.Trade ReviewOne feels in Dreamtigers a calm, an intimation of a truce, a tranquil fragility. Like so many last or near-last works... Dreamtigers preserves the author's life-long concerns, but drained of urgency; horror has yielded to a resigned humorousness -- John Updike * New Yorker *Table of Contents Introduction Part I To Leopoldo Lugones The Maker Dreamtigers Dialogue on a Dialogue Toenails The Draped Mirrors Argumentum Ornithologicum The Captive The Sham Delia Elena San Marco Dead Men's Dialogue The Plot A Problem A Yellow Rose The Witness Martin Fierro Mutations Parable of Cervantes and Don Quixote Paradiso, XXXI, 108 Parable of the Palace Everything and Nothing Ragnarök Inferno, I, 32 Borges and I Part II Poem about Gifts The Hourglass The Game of Chess Mirrors Elvira de Alvear Susana Soca The Moon The Rain On the Effigy of a Captain in Cromwell's Armies To an Old Poet The Other Tiger Blind Pew Referring to a Ghost of Eighteen Hundred and Ninety-Odd Referring to the Death of Colonel Francisco Borges (1835-1874) In Memoriam: A. R. The Borges To Luis de Camoëns Nineteen Hundred and Twenty-Odd Ode Composed in 1960 Ariosto and the Arabs On Beginning the Study of Anglo-Saxon Grammar Luke XXIII Adrogué Ars Poetica Museum On Rigor in Science Quatrain Limits The Poet Declares His Renown The Magnanimous Enemy The Regret of Heraclitus Epilogue Appendix: Some Facts in the Life of Jorge Luis Borges

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe fruit of four years'' work, Lawrence published his translation of Homer''s epic under the pseudonym of T. E. Shaw, after George Bernard Shaw. Reading like a novel, it was described in the New York Herald Tribune as `perhaps the most interesting translation of one of the world''s most interesting books'', while the Book of the Month Club News called it `one of the notable books of our time''.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn order to produce one kilogram of rose oil, one million flowers must be picked, by hand. This book is my homage to the harvesters of the world.When it comes to nature, Dominique Roques is a unique authority. He has spent the last thirty years working closely with local communities across the globe to establish a sustainable supply of natural ingredients crucial to perfume making. From resin cultivated by traditional methods in El Salvador to rose oil distilleries in India as old as the Taj Mahal, his network reveals an elusive trade built on the fault lines of tradition and modernity.With In Search of Perfumes, Roques takes us on a fragrant journey from Andalusia to Somaliland, revealing seventeen of the industry''s most precious ingredients and the vast but delicate ecosystem sustained by the artisans who are its caretakers.Roques shows us the beauty and mysteries of a familiar trade. This is a return to the source of the

Read more less

Book Synopsis''An ideal summer read'' EVENING STANDARD''Equal parts insightful and entertaining - whatever your take on influencers, Bad Influence is a great read'' YOMI ADEGOKEOenone didn''t set out to become an influencer. The word barely existed when she started posting on Instagram at university to document her ''fitness journey'' after a toxic relationship came to a messy end.In this humorous meditation on her digitized life, Oenone chronicles the pits and peaks of coming of age online. Grappling with modern-day issues on a public stage - from body image and personal boundaries to the limitations of online activism, Bad Influence examines what happens when your day-to-day reality becomes #content - and that #content pays your bills.It asks: can you truly be authentic online? Can social media be a force for good? Is it necessarily bad for our mental health?Written with wit, warmth and honesty, this is a

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less