Biography Books
Penguin Books Ltd Francis War The incredible true story of one
Book SynopsisWhat are you willing to do to survive? What are you willing to endure if it means you might live?'Achingly moving, gives much-needed hope . . . Deserves the status both as a valuable historical source and as a stand-out memoir' Daily Express'A story that needs to be heard' 5***** Reader Review Entering Terezin, a Nazi concentration camp, Franci was expected to die. She refused. In the summer of 1942, twenty-two-year-old Franci Rabinek - designated a Jew by the Nazi racial laws - arrived at Terezin, a concentration camp and ghetto forty miles north of her home in Prague. It would be the beginning of her three-year journey from Terezin to the Czech family camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau, to the slave labour camps in Hamburg, and finally to Bergen Belsen. Franci, a spirited and glamorous young woman, was known among her fellow inmates as the Prague dress designer. Having endured the transportation of her parents, she never forgot her mother's parting words:'Your only duty to us is to stay a
£13.49
Europa Editions (UK) Ltd. The Fire
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£13.49
Canongate Books Ltd. Words Are My Matter
£11.25
Yale University Press Nuremberg The Translators Tale
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£12.88
Simon & Schuster Ltd The Book of Sheen
Book Synopsis
£21.25
Penguin Books Ltd A Month in Siena
Book SynopsisFROM THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AND MAN BOOKER-SHORTLISTED AUTHOR''Sparkles with brilliant observations on art and architecture, friendship and loss'' Guardian''Everybody should get to spend a month with Mr. Matar, looking at paintings'' Zadie Smith, Wall Street Journal, Books of the Year_______________________________________________Matar was nineteen years old when his father was kidnapped. In the year following he found himself turning to art, particularly the great paintings of the Sienese School. They became a refuge and a way to think about the world outside the urgencies of the present.A quarter of a century later, having found no trace of his father, Matar finally visits the birthplace of those paintings. A Month in Siena is the encounter between the writer and the city. It is an immersion in painting, a consideration of love, grief and a profoundly moving contemplation of the relationship between art and life. _______________________________________________''A dazzling exploration of art''s impact on his life and writing, and a moving contemplation of grief'' Financial Times''I can think of no better expression of the humane than this economical, modest, yet altogether breathtaking book'' New Statesman, Books of the Year''Bewitching, intensely moving'' The Economist, Books of the YearTrade ReviewAn intensely moving book, at once an affirmation of life's quiet dignities in the face of loss and a portrait of a city that comes to stand for all cities * The Economist *This slim, beautifully produced book, sparkles with brilliant observations on art and architecture, friendship and loss. Matar's prose is exquisitely measured and precise - not unlike one of the paintings from the Sienese school that he has admired for so many years * PD Smith, Guardian *This book tells us much about the extraordinary power of art to inspire * Literary Review *What a jewel this is, driven by desire, grief, yearning loss, illuminated by hope, the kindness of strangers continually making tribute to the delicacy and grace of the Arab home the author lost so many years ago * Peter Carey, The Australian, Books of the Year *A fluid series of meditations on the big questions of life, on love, faith, time and on the nature and purpose of art, the influence of architecture and, most important of all to this author, grief, mourning and memory * Spectator *Mingles insightful and often moving art history with frank personal recollection in a way that reminds us of the communality we share not only with our contemporaries, but with all historical epochs. I can think of no better expression of the humane than this economical, modest, yet altogether breathtaking book * New Statesman *Hisham Matar is a brilliant narrative architect and prose stylist, his pared-down approach and measured pace a striking complement to the emotional tumult of his material * Wall Street Journal *What interests him in this art is the human knowledge the painter is trying to convey. The description is exact and graceful, as Matar's prose tends to be * New York Times, 11 New Books We Recommend This Week *A Month in Siena bears all the hallmarks of Matar's writing: it is exquisitely constructed and the use of language is precise and delicately nuanced without pretension. And there is a deceptive simplicity to his endeavour: to look at art. What emerges is an altogether more complex philosophical exploration of death, love, art, relationships and time * Financial Times *A deeply moving, engrossing book. Written in elegant, concise prose, it is a remarkable mediation on life, loss, mourning, exile, friendship and the power of art * Wall Street Journal *Hisham Matar has the quality all historians - of the world and the self - most need: he knows how to stand back and let the past speak * Hilary Mantel *A thing of beauty and wisdom * Monocle *A dazzling exploration of art's impact on his life and writing, and a moving contemplation of grief * Financial Times *An exquisite, deeply affecting book * Evening Standard *Everybody should get to spend a month with Mr. Matar, looking at paintings * Zadie Smith *Bewitching . . . Meditating on art, history and the relationship between them, this is both a portrait of a city and an affirmation of life's quiet dignities in the face of loss * The Economist, Books of the Year *
£10.44
Octopus Publishing Group Stories of Hope from Auschwitz
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£10.44
Canongate Books The Living Mountain
Book Synopsis''The finest book ever written on nature and landscape in Britain'' GuardianIntroduction by Robert Macfarlane. Afterword by Jeanette WintersonIn this masterpiece of nature writing, Nan Shepherd describes her journeys into the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland. There she encounters a world that can be breathtakingly beautiful at times and shockingly harsh at others. Her intense, poetic prose explores and records the rocks, rivers, creatures and hidden aspects of this remarkable landscape. Shepherd spent a lifetime in search of the ''essential nature'' of the Cairngorms; her quest led her to write this classic meditation on the magnificence of mountains, and on our imaginative relationship with the wild world around us. Composed during the Second World War, the manuscript of The Living Mountain lay untouched for more than thirty years before it was finally published.Trade ReviewThe finest book ever written on nature and landscape in Britain * * Guardian * *Most works of mountain literature are written by men, and most of them focus on the goal of the summit. Nan Shepherd's aimless, sensual exploration of the Cairngorms is bracingly different -- ROBERT MACFARLANEReading [The Living Mountain] seems to me to explain why reading is so important. And odd. And necessary. And not like anything else. There is no substitute for reading * * Jeanette Winterson * *If you read it, you too will feel changed. This is sublime, in the 18th-century sense, when landscapes like these were terrifying. And she achieves it in language that is almost incantatory, like a spell -- Nicholas Lezard * * Guardian * *A masterpiece . . . Amongst the greatest works of nature writing to come out of Britain -- Chitra Ramaswamy * * The Scotsman * *An impressionistic and weather infused memoir of her experiences of walking and living in the wild landscape of the Cairngorms . . . A key influence on modern nature writers such as Robert Macfarlane * * Herald * *I absolutely loved The Living Mountain - part memoir, part field notebook, part lyrical meditation on nature and our relationship with it, evocative of Rachel Carson and Henry Beston and John Muir -- MARIA POPOVA, ‘Brain Pickings’ * * New York Times * *
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Penguin Random House Children's UK My Family and Other Animals
Book SynopsisDurrell has an uncanny knack of discovering human as well as animal eccentricities'' Sunday TelegraphTen-year-old Gerald doesn''t know why his older brothers and sisters complain so much. With snakes in the bath and scorpions on the lunch table, the family home on the Greek island of Corfu is a bit like a zoo so they should feel right at home... Gerald joyfully pursues his interest in natural history in the midst of an unconventional and chaotic family life - all brilliantly retold in this very funny book.Trade ReviewA bewitching book—Sunday TimesDurrell has an uncanny knack of discovering human as well as animal eccentricities—Sunday TelegraphWickedly funny—Jojo Moyes
£7.59
Penguin Books Ltd Great Spanish Stories
Book SynopsisA riveting selection of short stories in Spanish alongside their English translations This new dual-language edition of ten stories selected from The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories celebrates some of the very best twentieth-century literature from Spain. Each story appears in Spanish alongside an expert English translation, providing unique cultural insight and literary inspiration for language learners. Ranging from a poignant tale of betrayal to a darkly humorous exchange between wedding guests, this captivating collection includes works from authors such as Leopoldo Alas (Clarín), Cristina Fernández Cubas, Medardo Fraile, Carmen Martín Gaite, Karmele Jaio, Carmen Laforet, Javier Marías, Carme Riera, Manuel Rivas, and Esther Tusquets.
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Eland Publishing Ltd Naples 44 An Intelligence Officer in the Italian
Book SynopsisNorman Lewis arrives in war-torn Naples as an intelligence officer in 1944. The starving population has devoured all the tropical fish in the aquarium, respectable women have been driven to prostitution and the black market is king. Lewis finds little to admire in his fellow soldiers, but gains sustenance from the extraordinary vivacity of the Italians. There is the lawyer who earns his living bringing a touch of Roman class to funerals, the gynaecologist who specializes in the restoration of lost virginity and the widowed housewife who times her British lover against the clock. Were I given the chance to be born again, writes Lewis, Italy would be the country of my choice.Trade Review"Norman Lewis is one of the greatest of twentieth century British writers and Naples '44 is his masterpiece" Will Self
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The Indigo Press Good Woman
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£11.69
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Tart
Book SynopsisThe hilarious, gutsy account of misadventures in the kitchen and in the bedroom by anonymous chef Slutty Cheff.
£15.29
Pan Macmillan Finding Hildasay
Book SynopsisOn 1 August 2017, former paratrooper Christian Lewis set off from Swansea to walk the entire coastline of the UK. Christian's search for self-discovery, and to raise awareness and funds for the veterans charity SSAFA, would become a journey beyond his or anyone's expectations. From raising over a quarter of a million pounds to adopting a dog called Jet, to finding love with fellow adventurer, Kate, he had no idea that when he started this once-in-a-lifetime experience he would be crossing the finish line (some five and a half years later) with a fiancee, a baby and renewed sense of purpose. His story is one of survival and hope, but it's also proof that, with the right mindset, anything is possible. Finding Hildasay is Christian's first book about his journey, which has already received worldwide attention, a BAFTA-nominated documentary and more.Trade ReviewThe word “inspiration” is often overused; Chris really is an inspiration. I urge you to read his tale -- Sir Andrew Gregory, CEO of the SSAFA charityExhilarating * The Observer *The real journey here is one of self-discovery * The Mail on Sunday *
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HarperCollins Publishers Its Complicated
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£10.44
Biteback Publishing Beyond A Fringe
Book SynopsisA Times Political Book of the Year A Daily Mail Political Book of the Year A Guardian Political Book of the Year An Independent Political Book of the Year Veering from the hilarious to the tragic, Andrew Mitchell's tales from the parliamentary jungle make for one of the most entertaining political memoirs in years. From his prep school years, straight out of Evelyn Waugh, through the Army to Cambridge, the City of London and the Palace of Westminster, Mitchell has passed through a series of British institutions at a time of furious social change - in the process becoming rather more cynical about the Establishment. Here, he brilliantly lifts the lid on its inner workings, from the punctilio of high finance to the dark arts of the government Whips' Office, and reveals how he accidentally started Boris Johnson's political career - an act which rebounded on him spectacularly. Engagingly honest about his ups and downs in politics, Beyond a Fringe is crammed with riotous political anecdotes and irresistible insider gossip from the heart of Westminster.Trade Review"A cracking good read - full of mischief and shrewd observation. Mitchell lifts the lid on so many layers of the British Establishment, and what he reveals will often make you laugh and occasionally make you want to weep. A human and political must-read." Gyles Brandreth
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Transworld I Swear
Book SynopsisJohn Davidson MBE was born in 1971 in Galashiels. After leaving school without qualifications, he began work as a caretaker at Langlee Community Centre in Galashiels, where since 2002 he has also been a part-time youth worker.Aged sixteen, John was the subject of a BBC documentary, John's Not Mad, about living with Tourette's syndrome, and he has since been an ambassador for the condition, giving talks and workshops in schools and to the police, and running residential camps for young people with Tourette's. Since 1989 he has featured in several follow-up documentaries; Kirk Jones's 2025 film I Swear is based on John's life.In 2019 John joined the board of Tourette Scotland and was awarded an MBE in recognition of his efforts to increase understanding of the condition and helping families deal with it across the country'. He has also gained international recognition for his online support for families all over the world.
£17.09
Random House Bookish
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£10.44
Vintage Publishing On Morrison
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£19.80
Scala Publishers Ltd Guinness A Family Succession
£16.14
Vintage Publishing Queens at War
Book SynopsisAlison Weir is one of Britain's top-selling historians. She is the author of numerous works of history and historical fiction, specialising in the medieval and Tudor periods. Her bestselling history books include The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth of York and The Lost Tudor Princess. Her novels include Innocent Traitor, Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen and Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession. She is an Honorary Life Patron of Historic Royal Palaces and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She lives and works in Surrey.
£21.25
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Hustle Harder Hustle Smarter
Book Synopsis
£10.44
Pushkin Press The World of Yesterday
Book SynopsisStefan Zweig's seminal memoir recalls the golden age of pre-war Europe - its seeming permanence, its promise and its devastating fall. Through the story of his life and his relationships with the leading literary figures of the day, Zweig's fervent, evocative prose paints a stunning portrait of an era that danced brilliantly on the brink of extinction. This translation by the award-winning Anthea Bell captures the passionate fluency of Zweig's writing in arguably his most important work, completed the day before his suicide in 1942 - a unique elegy for a lost world of security and peace.
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HarperCollins Publishers The Devils Chessboard
Book SynopsisBased on explosive new evidence, bestselling author David Talbot tells America's greatest untold story: the United States' rise to world dominance under the guile of Allen Welsh Dulles, the longest-serving director of the CIA.America's rise to world dominance under the guile of the CIA's longest-serving director, Allen Dulles, is its greatest untold story. Acting beyond the law, Dulles manipulated presidents, protected German war criminals and colluded with Mafiosi, all in pursuit of his interests and those of his friends. As David Talbot's shocking new evidence reveals, Dulles' tactics at home and abroad would include the fixing of assassinations, and even culminate in the death of his political enemy, John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert. This disturbing expose of American power is a gripping story of the rise of the national security state and the battle for America's soul.Trade Review“A Cold War villain of realpolitik whose successes and blunders were unrivaled. As framed by Talbot, Dulles’s extra-legal interventions, coups, slush funds, and ex-Nazi collaborations were as much pro-corporate as anti-Communist, more Cheneyish than Nixonian…. He’d fit right into our globalized, subcontracted, and hypersurveilled era.” (New York Magazine) “Dulles is unmasked as the backstage manipulator of US policy (foreign and domestic) from the Cold War up to his skillful defense of the highly suspect Warren Commission report. Those who scoff at conspiracy theories might have a change of mind after reading this book.” (Boston Globe, Pick of the Week) “A frightening biography of power, manipulation, and outright treason…The story of Allen Dulles and the power elite that ran Washington, D.C., following World War II is the stuff of spy fiction…All engaged American citizens should read this book and have their eyes opened.” (Kirkus, starred review) “A damning biography—of the CIA’s longest standing director—and an exposé of American politics…. One would be hard pressed to find a book that is better at evoking the strange and apocalyptic atmospherics of the early Cold War years in America…. Neither le Carré nor Graham Greene could do any better.” (Daily Beast) “Offers a portrait of a black-and-white Cold War-era world full of spy games and nuclear brinkmanship.” (Mother Jones) “This year’s best spy thriller isn’t fiction — it’s history…. By the time ‘The Devil’s Chessboard’ eventually climaxes with the events that unfolded in Dallas in 1963, Talbot’s argument that Dulles had both the power and temperament to execute such a plot is more than believable.” (Salon) “A chilling psychological depiction…. The vast surveillance system so dramatically revealed to the world by Edward Snowden could never have come to pass without the culture of fanatical secrecy and habitual lawlessness handed down by Dulles and his loyal agents.” (Justyn Dillingham, Bookslut.com)
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Penguin Books Ltd Why I Write
Book SynopsisWhether puncturing the lies of politicians, wittily dissecting the English character or telling unpalatable truths about war, Orwell's timeless, uncompromising essays are more relevant, entertaining and essential than ever in today's era of spin.
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Dorling Kindersley Ltd My Gardening Life
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£21.25
Little, Brown Book Group Girl Interrupted
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Biteback Publishing Gun Barons: The Weapons That Transformed America
Book SynopsisIt's the nineteenth century. As America prepares for civil war, five men living within ninety miles of one another will change the course of history. The invention and refinement of the repeating firearm-the precursor to today's automatic weapons-means life in America and beyond will never be the same again. In this riveting work of narrative history, veteran reporter John Bainbridge, Jr. vividly brings to life the five charismatic and idiosyncratic men at the heart of the story: the huckster and hard-living Samuel Colt; the cunning former shirt-maker Oliver Winchester; the constant tinkerer Horace Smith; the resilient and innovative businessman Daniel Wesson; and the skinny abolitionist Christopher Spencer. As the men competed ferociously, each trying to corner the market for repeating weapons, invention and necessity collided in a perfect storm: America was crashing violently towards furious sectarianism, irrevocable tensions, and, of course, bloodthirsty war. Though capable of firing many times without reloading, astonishingly, the new guns faced a government backlash for using too much ammunition. Sold directly to soldiers, sometimes just as they were walking into battle, they quickly became coveted possessions, both during the Civil War and in the conquering of the West-and thus America's romance with personal firearms was born. Wide-ranging and vividly told, this is a gripping story of tenacity, conviction, innovation, and pure heartless greed.
£15.00
Little Toller Books The Book of Bogs
£17.00
Headline Publishing Group Friends Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing
Book Synopsis''There''s never been a more honest or raw memoir . . . and it may just save lives'' Daily Mail''Funny, fascinating, compelling . . . also a wonderful read for fans of Friends'' The Times''HI, MY NAME IS MATTHEW, although you may know me by my full name. My friends call me Matty.''So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who travelled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us . . . and so much more.In an extraordinary story that only
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Vintage Publishing The Power of the Powerless
Book SynopsisVáclav Havel’s remarkable and rousing essay on the tyranny of apathy, with a new introduction by Timothy Snyder Cowed by life under Communist Party rule, a greengrocer hangs a placard in their shop window: Workers of the world, unite! Is it a sign of the grocer’s unerring ideology? Or a symbol of the lies we perform to protect ourselves? Written in 1978, Václav Havel’s meditation on political dissent – the rituals of its suppression, and the sparks that re-ignite it – would prove the guiding manifesto for uniting Solidarity movements across the Soviet Union. A portrait of activism in the face of falsehood and intimidation, The Power of the Powerless remains a rousing call against the allure of apathy.'Havel’s diagnosis of political pathologies has a special resonance in the age of Trump' Pankaj MishraTrade ReviewHavel’s diagnosis of political pathologies has a special resonance in the age of Trump -- Pankaj MishraFew voices did more to undermine the foundations of the Berlin Wall and the entire edifice of Soviet-imposed totalitarianism than this shy bourgeois, this sly, reticent, playwright and essayist -- David Remnick * New Yorker *In gentle, ironic but scathing prose, Havel's The Power of the Powerless exposed the lies and cowardice that made possible the communist grip on power * The Economist *In his now iconic 1978 essay, which circulated in underground editions in Czechoslovakia and was smuggled to other Warsaw Pact countries and to the West, Havel foresaw that the opposition could eventually prevail against the totalitarian state * The New York Times *
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Simon & Schuster Ltd Untitled MOST
Book SynopsisFor the first time, director Rob Reiner and co-creators Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer provide the full behind-the-scenes story of the making of the groundbreaking mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap and its upcoming sequel. Since its original release in 1984, This Is Spinal Tap has evolved from a beloved cult film into a cinematic landmark: an all-time comedy classic that pioneered an entire genre: the mockumentary. Now, director Rob Reiner and his co-writers and co-stars, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, tell the complete story of the movie and its fictitious band – how they met, how Spinal Tap came to be, and how their low-budget indie film took on a life of its own. Years after the movie first came out, the Library of Congress selected This Is Spinal Tap for inclusion in the National Film Registry and Tap went on to play the Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Stadium, and to over 100,000 fans at Glastonbury. Reiner, Guest, McKean and Shearer provide the backstories to the movie’s famous lines – among them 'Hello, Cleveland!,' 'None more black,' 'You can’t dust for vomit' and 'These go to eleven' – and to such Tap anthems as 'Big Bottom' and 'Stonehenge'. Featuring never-before-seen photographs, band memorabilia and personal reminiscences of their enduring creative partnership, A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever will delight Tap-heads of all ages – just as the long-awaited Spinal Tap sequel is hitting theatres. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever also comes with a bonus memoir by Reiner’s directorial alter ego, Marty DiBergi, in which he interviews Tap band members Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls about their musical journey and their drummers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to the rock gods.
£21.25
Omnibus Press Long Shadows, High Hopes: The Life and Times of
Book SynopsisMatt Johnson – founder, songwriter and visionary lynchpin of iconic band The The – created some of the most vital music of his era, be it the intense visual feast of Infected or the prescient politics of Mind Bomb. Then he walked away from it all. In this authorised biography, with free access to the The The archives, Neil Fraser draws on hundreds of hours of interviews with Johnson and his contemporaries and colleagues, including Johnny Marr, Johanna St Michaels, JG Thirlwell and Tim Pope. From the early days in the East End to glory days on a global stage, through Johnson’s retreat from public life and return with The The in 2017, this updated edition addresses the 2018 Comeback Special Tour and beyond. Long Shadows, High Hopes examines the enigma that is Matt Johnson – outspoken political lyricist but intensely private man – and what prompted him to step out of the shadows after so long.
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Free
Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE ONDAATJE PRIZE''The best book I read last year by a mile. . . so beautifully written that anyone would be hooked'' Laura Hackett, Sunday Times, Best Summer Books''Wonderfully funny and poignant. . . a tale of family secrets and political awakening amid a crumbling regime'' Luke Harding, Observer''We never lose our inner freedom; the freedom to do what is right''Lea Ypi grew up in one of the most isolated countries on earth, a place where communist ideals had officially replaced religion. Albania, the last Stalinist outpost in Europe, was almost impossible to visit, almost impossible to leave. It was a place of queuing and scarcity, of political executions and secret police. To Lea, it was home. People were equal, neighbours helped each other, and children were expected to build a better world. There was community and hope.Then, in December 1990, everything changed. The statues of Stalin and Hoxha were toppled. Almost overnight, people could vote freely, wear what they liked and worship as they wished. There was no longer anything to fear from prying ears. But factories shut, jobs disappeared and thousands fled to Italy on crowded ships, only to be sent back. Predatory pyramid schemes eventually bankrupted the country, leading to violent conflict. As one generation''s aspirations became another''s disillusionment, and as her own family''s secrets were revealed, Lea found herself questioning what freedom really meant.Free is an engrossing memoir of coming of age amid political upheaval. With acute insight and wit, Lea Ypi traces the limits of progress and the burden of the past, illuminating the spaces between ideals and reality, and the hopes and fears of people pulled up by the sweep of history.THE SUNDAY TIMES MEMOIR OF THE YEARWINNER OF THE SLIGHTLY FOXED BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONSHORTLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZECHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, FINANCIAL TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, TLS, DAILY MAIL, NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATORTrade ReviewIf you read one memoir this year, let it be this * Sunday Times, Books of the Year *A magical, timeless and important account of what life was really like under communism. Free brims with diamond-studded details, it lays bare the compromises, fear and betrayals of a secret police state, but is also an uplifting and humorous reminder of how much the human spirit can endure -- Alec Russell * Financial Times *Lea Ypi's Free is the first book since Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend that I have pressed on family, friends and colleagues, insisting they read it. . . a truly riveting memoir and a profound meditation on what it means to be free -- Ruth Scurr * Spectator, Books of the Year *Enthralling. . . a classic in the making -- David Abulafia * TLS, Books of the Year *Ypi's deliciously smart memoir of her Albanian girlhood at the end of the Cold War is a brilliant disquisition on the meanings of freedom - its lures, false hopes, disappointments and possibilities - in our time -- Lyndsey Stonebridge * New Statesman, Books of the Year *A tart and tender childhood memoir. But also a work of social criticism, and a meditation on how to live with purpose. . . A quick read, but like Marx's spectre haunting Europe, it stays with you * The New Yorker, Best Books of 2021 *An absorbing memoir of Ypi's Albanian childhood and its ideological delusions. The freedom she discovers is far more complex than we might expect -- Terri Apter * TLS, Books of the Year *A strange world and its legacy is now stunningly brought to life. Lea Ypi offers a moving and compelling memoir of growing up in turbulent times, as well as a frank questioning of what it really means to be "free" -- Frederick Studemann * Financial Times, Books of the Year *Lea Ypi's Free: Coming of Age at the End of History is a beautifully written account of life under a crumbling Stalinist system in Albania and the shock and chaos of what came next. In telling her story and examining the political systems in which she was raised, the author and LSE professor asks tough questions about the nature of freedom * Guardian, Books of the Year *An astonishing and deeply resonant memoir about growing up in the last days of the last Stalinist outpost of the 20th century. . . What makes it so unforgettable is that we see this world, one about which we know so little, through the eyes of a child.. . It is more fundamentally about humanity, and about the confusions and wonders of childhood. Ypi weaves magic in this book: I was entranced from beginning to end -- Laura Hackett * Sunday Times *Utterly engrossing . . . Ypi's memoir is brilliantly observed, politically nuanced and - best of all - funny. An essential book, just as much for Britons as Albanians -- Stuart Jeffries * Guardian *Riveting. . . A wonderfully funny and poignant portrait of a small nation in a state of collapse. . . gloriously readable. . . One of the nonfiction titles of the year, it is destined for literary accolades and popular success -- Luke Harding * Observer *Gripping. A book of political reality as lived from day to day by a young girl coming of age. It shows what can arrive all too easily in the void left by a suddenly discarded political system. Unforgettable * Daily Mail *A wonderful memoir. . . a uniquely engaging and illuminating account of a young life during a period of intense turmoil. So readable, yet Ypi does not sacrifice profound observations about politics and culture. Detailing the absurdities of the regime from a child's perspective, she pulls off the remarkable feat of emphasizing their cruelty with a light and often humorous touch -- Misha Glenny * TLS *Fantastically engaging. . . A breakout book. . . Such an engrossing story that it is (almost) unsurprising that it is already being translated into eleven languages. If a film follows, don't be surprised -- Tim Judah * Financial Times *Five stars. . . deserves to be added to the history curriculum * Daily Telegraph *Lea Ypi's experiences inspire a moving and profound reflection on the nature of freedom that avoids either liberal triumphalism or Stalinist nostalgia. She is most concerned with the futures that were lost in between -- George Eaton, * The New Statesman *With its delicious sour-sweet comedy and pages of precise observation, Free opens a window on to one of the most bleakly isolationist regimes in human history -- Ian Thomson, * Spectator *Free is a rare and nuanced glimpse into the history of Albania, offering the personal perspective of a childhood spent in the shadow of an oppressive regime, and the long and turbulent transition that came after * Geographical, Books of the Year *A really fascinating and wonderful book, and beautifully written too. Not many writers could have pulled this off with such grace and elegance. You won't regret buying this one, for sure -- Nigel Warburton * Five Books, Best Philosophy Books of 2021 *Ypi excels at describing the fall and aftermath of Albanian communism from the perspective of her childhood . . . rich and remarkable * Literary Review *Essential reading. Lea Ypi's gorgeously written text - part memoir, part bildungsroman - tells a very personal story of socialism and postsocialism. Poignant and timely -- Kristen Ghodsee * Jacobin *Vital . . . an extraordinary memoir of social upheaval and historical change in 1990s Albania * Huck *A powerful and thought provoking memoir . . . wonderfully human, it is a story of missed opportunities, disillusionment and hope that ultimately invites readers to ask themselves what it means to be free -- Katja Hoyer * History Today *This vivid rendering of life amid cultural collapse is nothing short of a masterpiece * Publishers Weekly *Remarkable and highly original . . . Both an affecting coming-of-age story and a first-hand meditation on the politics of freedom -- Caroline Sanderson * Editor’s Choice, Bookseller *A probing personal history, poignant and moving. A young life unfolding amidst great historical change - ideology, war, loss, uncertainty. This is history brought memorably and powerfully to life -- Tara Westover, author of EducatedUnique, insightful, and often hilarious. . . Albania on the cusp of change, chaos and civil war is the setting for the best memoir to emerge from the Balkans in decades -- Craig Turp-Balazs * Emerging Europe *A lyrical memoir, of deep and affecting power, of the sweet smell of humanity mingled with flesh, blood and hope -- Philippe Sands, author of East West StreetFree is astonishing. Lea Ypi has a natural gift for storytelling. It brims with life, warmth, and texture, as well as her keen intelligence. A gripping, often hilarious, poignant, psychologically acute masterpiece and the best book I've read so far this year -- Olivia Sudjic, author of Asylum RoadLea Ypi's teenage journey through the endtimes of Albanian communism tells a universal story: ours is an age of collapsed illusions for many generations. Written by one of Europe's foremost left-wing thinkers, this is an unmissable book for anyone engaged in the politics of resistance -- Paul Mason, author of PostcapitalismThis extraordinary coming-of-age story is like an Albanian Educated but it is so much more than that. It beautifully brings together the personal and the political to create an unforgettable account of oppression, freedom and what it means to acquire knowledge about the world. Funny, moving but also deadly serious, this book will be read for years to come -- David Runciman, author of How Democracy EndsA new classic that bursts out of the global silence of Albania to tell us human truths about the politics of the past hundred years. . . It unfolds with revelation after revelation - both familial and national - as if written by a master novelist. As if it were, say, a novella by Tolstoy. That this very serious book is so much fun to read is a compliment to its graceful, witty, honest writer. A literary triumph -- Amy Wilentz, author of Farewell, Fred VoodooIlluminating and subversive, Free asks us to consider what happens to our ideals when they come into contact with imperfect places and people and what can be salvaged from the wreckage of the past -- Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in TehranA young girl grows up in a repressive Communist state, where public certainties are happily accepted and private truths are hidden; as that world falls away, she has to make her own sense of life, based on conflicting advice, fragments of information and, above all, her own stubborn curiosity. Thought-provoking, deliciously funny, poignant, sharply observed and beautifully written, this is a childhood memoir like very few others -- a really marvellous book -- Noel Malcolm, author of Agents of EmpireFree is one of those very rare books that shows how history shapes people's lives and their politics. Lea Ypi is such a brilliant, powerful writer that her story becomes your story -- Ivan Krastev, author of The Light that FailedLea Ypi is a pathbreaking philosopher who is also becoming one of the most important public thinkers of our time. Here she draws on her unique historical experience to shed new light on the questions of freedom that matter to all of us. This extraordinary book is both personally moving and politically revolutionary. If we take its lessons to heart, it can help to set us free -- Martin Hägglund, author of This LifeI haven't in many years read a memoir from this part of the world as warmly inviting as this one. Written by an intellectual with story-telling gifts, Free makes life on the ground in Albania vivid and immediate -- Vivian Gornick, author of Unfinished BusinessLea Ypi has a wonderful gift for showing and not telling. In Free she demonstrates with humour, humanity and a sometimes painful honesty, how political communities without human rights will always end in cruelty. True freedom must be from both oppression and neglect -- Shami Chakrabarti, author of On LibertyA funny and fascinating memoir * White Review, Books of the Year *A rightly acclaimed account of loss of innocence in Albania from a master of subtext . . . Precise, acute, often funny and always accessible * The Irish Times *A remarkable story, stunningly told -- Emma Duncan * The Times *A vivid portrayal of how it felt to live through the transition from socialism to capitalism, Ypi's book will interest readers wishing to learn more about Albania during this tumultuous historical period, but also anyone interested in questioning the taken-for-granted ideological assumptions that underpin all societies and shape quotidian experiences in often imperceptible ways -- Hannah Proctor * Red Pepper *A classic, moving coming-of-age story. . . Ypi is a beautiful writer and a serious political thinker, and in just a couple hundred readable pages, she takes turns between being bitingly, if darkly, funny (she skewers Stalinism and the World Bank with equal deadpan) and truly profound * New York Times *Beguiling. . . the most probing memoir yet produced of the undefined 'transition' period after European communism. More profoundly a primer on how to live when old verities turn to dust. Ypi has written a brilliant personal history of disorientation, of what happens when the guardrails of everyday life suddenly fall away. . . Reading Free today is not so much a flashback to the Cold War as a glimpse of every society's possible pathway, a postcard from the future -- Charles King * Washington Post *
£10.99
Penguin Books Ltd Ask Me How It Works
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£10.79
Birlinn Ltd Eve Muirhead Ice Queen
Book SynopsisEric Nicolson is a journalist from Perth, Scotland who has been a sports editor and writer with The Courier newspaper since the mid-1990s. He has covered golf's Ryder Cup and Open Championship, the Commonwealth Games, the Davis Cup in tennis, the finals of a football World Cup and European Championship and more Scottish club matches than he cares to remember, including St Johnstone FC's golden era of three national trophy wins. Follow him on Twitter: @C_ENicolson
£18.00
John Blake Publishing Ltd Solitary Fitness - The Ultimate Workout From
Book SynopsisCharlie Bronson has spent three decades in solitary confinement, and yet has stayed as fit as a fiddle, gaining several world strength and fitness records in the process. Now, in this no-nonsense guide to getting fit and staying fit, he reveals just how he's done it. Forget fancy gyms, expensive running shoes and designer outfits, what you need are the facts on what really works and the motivation to get on with the job. From his cell at Wakefield Prison, Charlie has complied this perfect guide to show you the best way to burn those calories, tone your abs and build your stamina giving you the know-how you need to be at the peak of mental and physical form.
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd Dark Days
Book Synopsis''So the club rose, the blood came down, and his bitterness and his anguish and his guilt were compounded''Drawing on Baldwin''s own experiences of prejudice in an America violently divided by race, these searing essays - Dark Days, The Price of the Ticket and The White Man''s Guilt - blend the intensely personal with the political to envisage a better world.Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York''s underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.
£5.63
Penguin Books Ltd Challenger
Book Synopsis''Gripping'' ED CAESAR ''Masterly'' GEOFF DYER ''Incredible'' TIM HARFORD ''A universal story that transcends time'' NEW YORK TIMES ''Superb'' DAILY TELEGRAPH ''We know what's going to happen, but feel the suspense nonetheless'' THE TIMES** THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER **** WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD 2024 **** WINNER OF THE KIRKUS BOOK PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2024 **The definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger space shuttle disaster based on fascinating in-depth reporting and new archival research this is riveting history that reads like a thriller.On the freezing-cold morning of 28 January 1986, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Millions around the world witnessed the tragic deaths of the crew, which included New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Yet the full story of what happened that day and the ominous warning signs recognized but then ignored in the years before has never been told.Following a handful of central protagonists from the astronauts and their families to the rocket engineers who tried to stop the fateful launch Challenger is a gripping tale of human over-reach; of cynicism and cost-cutting; of hubristic go fever'; and of an investigation driven by heroic leakers and whistle-blowers determined to bring the truth to light. Blending human drama with fascinating science and political infighting, Challenger is a masterpiece of non-fiction storytelling. The result is a story even more extraordinary and terrifying than any of us remembered or thought possible.Finalist for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction 2024A Daily Mail Best Science Books of 2024A New York Times Notable Book of the Year 2024A Washington Post Notable Book of the Year 2024One of the New Yorker's dozen Essential Reads of 2024One of the Atlantic''s Ten Best Books of 2024An Amazon Best Book of the Year 2024An Apple Best book and Best Audiobook of 2024A Spotify Best Audiobook of 2024Goodreads' nominee for Readers'' Favourite History and Biography 2024
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURED DIRECTED BY AND STARRING CHIWETEL EJIOFOR AVAILABLE ON NETFLIXWhen William Kamkwamba was just 14 years old, his family told him that he must leave school and come home to work on the farm they could no longer afford his fees. This is his story of how he found a way to make a difference, how he bought light to his family and village, and hope to his nation.Malawi is a country battling AIDS, drought and famine, and in 2002, a season of floods, followed by the most severe famine in fifty years, brought it to its knees. Like the majority of the population, William''s family were farmers. They were totally reliant on the maize crop. By the end of 2001, after many lean and difficult years, there was no more crop. They were running out of food had nothing to sell and had months until they would be able to harvest their crop again.Forced to leave school at 14 years old, with no hope of raising the funds to go again, William resorted to borrowing books from the sTrade Review‘THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND is the inspiring story of a young man in Africa who used the only resources available to him to build a windmill and elevate the lives and spirits of those in his community. William Kamkwamba's achievements with wind energy should serve as a model of what one person, with an inspired idea, can do to tackle the crisis we face. His book tells a moving and exciting story.’Al Gore, former Vice President and Nobel Laureate ‘A moving, touching, important story. One more reminder of…how powerful the human spirit can be.’Seth Godin, author ‘One of the best books I have ever read.’Mark Frauenfelder, boingboing.net “William is one of the bright young stars of the future and serves as an inspiration for other young people who want to know what they can do to help.” Bishop Desmond Tutu
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Elements of Marie Curie
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group The Care Home Swindler
£19.80
Polaris Publishing Limited Roger Federer: The Biography
Book SynopsisRené Stauffer has been closely covering Roger Federer’s career for nearly 25 years. In this comprehensive biography, Stauffer talks at length to the man himself, his family, friends, coaches and rivals to paint an unrivalled picture of the greatest male tennis player of all time. From his early life in Basel, Switzerland, where he first picked up a tennis racquet, to the heights of his 20th Grand Slam victory and all points in between, Stauffer reveals the secrets to Federer’s success, the hardships and doubts that he has faced and examines the legacy that Federer has created in the modern game.Trade Review'excellent' -- Simon Briggs * The Telegraph *'among the world’s leading authorities on Federer' -- Mike Dickson * The Mail on Sunday *'René Stauffer's comprehensive biography of Roger Federer is full of interesting insights into one of the greatest sportsmen of modern times' -- Martin Chilton * The Independent *'A comprehensive account of the life of the greatest – and most elegant – tennis player of his generation. From his earliest days to his recent record-breaking triumphs, Federer’s rise to the top of the world game has been watched by his compatriot René Stauffer every step of the way. Now we can relive his journey from Basel ball boy to Grand Slam legend, told in vivid detail, by one of the tennis writers who knows him best' -- Victoria Gaiger * Rakesprogress Magazine *
£12.34
Penguin Books Ltd Diddly Squat Pigs Might Fly
Book SynopsisGet tucked in to a third bestselling helping of Clarkson's Farm from our favourite wellie-wearing wannabe farmer, Jeremy Clarkson'Brilliant . . . laugh-out-loud' Daily Telegraph 'Outrageously funny . . . will have you in stitches' Time Out---After three years, Jeremy Clarkson has discovered the golden rule of farming:whatever you hope will happen, won't. Enthusiastic schemes to diversify face defeat at the hands of the Council Planning department, or derision from Kaleb. Jeremy's plans for a business empire founded on rewilding and nettle soup are doubted by Lisa. And the stifling thickets of red tape keep only one person smiling Cheerful Charlie, who charges by the hour. But the animals couldn't be happier. A rented bull called Break-Heart Maestro is delighting the cows. The pigs are bringing home the bacon. And the goats are . . . most probably psychopaths. Yet on the good days it hard not to be optimistic. Where else do you get to harvest blackberries with a vacuum clea
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers The Walnut Tree
Book SynopsisA Waterstones Best History Book 2024''Compulsively readable'' Times Literary Supplement''An outstanding work'' Philippa Gregory''A powerful narrative told with frankness and sensitivity'' Helen Fry, historian and author of Women In Intelligence''A woman, a dog and a walnut tree, the more they are beaten, the better they'll be.''So went the proverb quoted by a prominent MP in the Houses of Parliament in 1853. His words intended ironically in a debate about a rise in attacks on women summed up the prevailing attitude of the day, in which violence against women was waved away as a part and parcel of modern living a chilling seam of misogyny that had polluted both parliament and the law. But were things about to change?In this vivid and essential work of historical non-fiction, Kate Morgan explores the legal campaigns, test cases and individual injustices of the Victorian and Edwardian eras which fundamentally re-shaped the status of women under British law. These are seen through the untold stories of women whose cases became cornerstones of our modern legal system and shine a light on the historical inequalities of the law.We hear of the uniquely abusive marriage which culminated in the dramatic story of the Clitheroe wife abduction'; of the domestic tragedies which changed the law on domestic violence; the controversies surrounding the Contagious Diseases Act and the women who campaigned to abolish it; and the real courtroom stories behind notorious murder cases such as the Camden Town Murder'.Exploring the 19th- and early 20th Century legal history that influenced the modern-day stances on issues such as domestic abuse, sexual violence and divorce, The Walnut Treelifts the lid on the shocking history of women under British law and what it means for women today.
£10.44
Parthian Books The Literary Business
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£13.50
Scribe Publications The Doctor Who Fooled the World
Book SynopsisA reporter uncovers the secrets behind the scientific scam of the century. The news breaks first as a tale of fear and pity. Doctors at a London hospital claim a link between autism and a vaccine given to millions of children: MMR. Young parents are terrified. Immunisation rates slump. And as a worldwide anti-vax' movement kicks off, old diseases return to sicken and kill. But a veteran reporter isn't so sure, and sets out on an epic investigation. Battling establishment cover-ups, smear campaigns, and gagging lawsuits, he exposes rigged research and secret schemes, the heartbreaking plight of families struggling with disability, and the scientific deception of our time. Here's the story of Andrew Wakefield: a man in search of greatness, who stakes his soul on big ideas that, if right, might transform lives. But when the facts don't fit, he can't face failure. He'll do whatever it takes to succeed.
£11.69
Chronicle Books Nordic Tales
Book Synopsis
£17.09
