Entertainment Books

Book SynopsisPuccini's operas are among the most popular and widely performed in the world, yet few books have examined his body of work from an analytical perspective. This volume remedies that lack in lively prose accessible to scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.Trade Review"A serious, long-overdue analysis of all of Puccini's great operas, filled with fascinating detail." - Reed Woodhouse, Boston Book Review "Girardi takes us through the operas, act by act, showing us how cleverly they're put together, and how thoroughly they are conversant not just with Wagner but also Berg, Schoenberg, Mahler, Stravinsky, Strauss, Debussy and others.... We also get a sampling of Puccini's correspondence, and the discreetest possible hint of the amorous embarrassments that he was forever getting involved in." - Jerry Fodor, London Review of Books "The most comprehensive Puccini study to date.... A major accomplishment, this book adds new dimensions to Puccini research and formal criticism." - Choice "It is high time for a biography worthy of Puccini, and that is what Michele Girardi has given us.... This is likely to remain definitive for a long time." - Richard Freed, Washington Post Book World

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Book SynopsisDaniel Albright investigates musical phenomena through the lens of monism, the philosophical belief that things that appear to be two are actually one. Trade Review"This is vintage Albright, a work of original, engaging criticism shot through with interpretive flair and sparkling erudition. This is criticism born of boundless sympathy and enthusiasm, not just of deep understanding."-- "Stephen Hinton, Stanford University" "Music's Monisms celebrates the power of music to transcend the oppositions of verbal language and, indeed, of everyday life. Albright presents brilliantly original readings of major works in twentieth-century music. He takes on some of the most imposing figures in music history with a wonderfully humane, and wonderfully personal, touch."-- "Arman Schwartz, King's College London"

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Book SynopsisA moving portrait of the contemporary experiences of migrant Moroccan men. Umbria is known to most Americans for its picturesque rolling hills and medieval villages, but to the many migrant Moroccan men who travel there, Umbria is better known for the tobacco fields, construction sites, small industries, and the outdoor weekly markets where they work. Marginalized and far from their homes, these men turn to Moroccan traditions of music and poetry that evoke the countryside they have left l-arubiya, or the rural. In this book, Alessandra Ciucci takes us inside the lives of Moroccan workers, unpacking the way they share a particular musical style of the rural to create a sense of home and belonging in a foreign and inhospitable nation. Along the way, she uncovers how this culture of belonging is not just the product of the struggles of migration, but also tied to the reclamation of a noble and virtuous masculine identity that is inaccessible to Moroccan migrants in Italy. The VoiceTrade Review“This is a fascinating and entirely original piece of work. I know of no work in the field that deals in such depth with how critically important music from the home country is to the lives of migrant workers from the Middle East. Ciucci offers us a detailed and fascinating investigation of the multiple ways in which this musical tradition carries meaning for these migrants.” -- Ted Swedenburg, author of Memories of Revolt: The 1936-39 Rebellion and the Palestinian National Past“Voicing the Rural is more than a book about North African migration to Europe. With one foot firmly in the vast, phosphate-rich plains region of central Morocco and the other planted in the “urbanized countryside” of central Italy, Alessandra Ciucci vividly explores how Moroccan migrant men use earthy fragments of sung colloquial poetry to open paths between the rural lives they have left in North Africa and the other kinds of rural lives they are creating in Europe.” -- Jonathan Glasser, author of The Lost Paradise: Andalusi Music in Urban North Africa"By maintaining geography, nationalism, race, gender, class, labor exploitation, culture preservation, and loss of the music and voice traditions of the Moroccan old country within the frame, Ciucci paves a new way of understanding the anthropology of work as a distinct realm of scholarship. The book’s social and linguistic perspectives on the psychology of trauma and the persistent musical habits inherent to migration are novel lenses through which one can view agrarian labor anthropologically. Indeed, Ciucci describes for anthropologists, ethnomusicologists, and migrant laborers a way to, together, hold knowledge and build understanding across cultures." * Society for the Anthropology of Work *Table of ContentsList of Figures and Tables Note on Names and Transliteration Introduction 1 The Engendering and the Othering of l-ʿarubi and l-ʿarubiya in Morocco 2 The Voyage: Voicing l-ʿarubiya in the Crossing 3 Spectral Guests, Marocchini, and “Real Men” 4 Longing (ḥnin), Intimacy (rasi rasək), and Belonging (intima): Voicing l-ʿarubiya Conclusion: Returns Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisRelive childhood excitement and celebrate more than 30 years of He-Man, She-Ra, Skeletor and all the Masters of the Universe!By the Power of Grayskull! The war for Eternia begins again in 2021! Officially licensed by Mattel, this stunning guide is a visual celebration of Masters of the Universe''s enduring legacy, including artworks, sketches, posters and merchandise from the official archives.With the continuation of He-Man''s epic story, and a new CGI animated series both scheduled to release on Netflix in 2021, it''s the perfect time to familiarise yourself with all the heroes, villains, amazing battles and incredible locations from your childhood. Explore the full history of the toys, minicomics, TV series and movies. Meet characters including Skeletor, Man-At-Arms, Teela, Battle Cat, Beast Man and She-Ra and track how they change through the decades, from 1982 to today. Go behind-the-scenes to discover what it took to create a franchise with phenomenal wo

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARWinner of Non-Fiction Book of the Year, British Book Awards (Nibbies), 2022A self-portrait in 154 songs, by our greatest living songwriter''More often than I can count, I''ve been asked if I would write an autobiography, but the time has never been right. The one thing I''ve always managed to do, whether at home or on the road, is to write new songs. I know that some people, when they get to a certain age, like to go to a diary to recall day-to-day events from the past, but I have no such notebooks. What I do have are my songs, hundreds of them, which I''ve learned serve much the same purpose. And these songs span my entire life.''In this extraordinary book, with unparalleled candour, Paul McCartney recounts his life and art through the prism of 154 songs from all stages of his career - from his earliest boyhood compositions through the legendary decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his solo albums to the present. Arranged alphabetically to provide a kaleidoscopic rather than chronological account, it establishes definitive texts of the songs'' lyrics for the first time and describes the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now. Presented with this is a treasure trove of material from McCartney''s personal archive - drafts, letters, photographs - never seen before, which make this also a unique visual record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.We learn intimately about the man, the creative process, the working out of melodies, the moments of inspiration. The voice and personality of Paul McCartney sings off every page. There has never been a book about a great musician like it.Each volume is 480 pp, not available separatelyTrade ReviewThe Lyrics is a triumph. It is hugely readable, devoid of rock cliché, and full of fresh stories and opinions that even devoted fans won't have encountered before. The pictures of McCartney and of handwritten lyrics, many of them never previously published, are worth the entry ticket on their own and the quality of the boxed product makes it a tactile pleasure and fun to possess. All that, and its highly original organisation, means you never get bogged down in a period of his life you don't find interesting ... The Lyrics is McCartney at his best. -- Daniel Finkelstein * The Times *I know it all... or so I thought until I read Paul McCartney's magical treasure trove of a book ... Touching... bountiful -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *His composing methodology is revealed as a kind of innocent and endless curiosity ... this mighty tome is billed as the closest thing to an autobiography McCartney will ever write. It comprises 154 songs, with hundreds of fascinating photos and handwritten lyrics from McCartney's collection, and an informal, thoughtful text assembled from conversations conducted with acclaimed Irish poet Paul Muldoon ... McCartney is a playful and brilliant wordsmith ... His book of lyrics is charming -- Neil McCormick * Daily Telegraph *Reading "The Lyrics" is like standing in a master chef's kitchen as he prepares a dish, adding a dash of this and a spoonful of that and talking to us so winningly ... there's nothing like listening to Macca (as McCartney was known in his Liverpool days) talk about the rise of a band composed largely of working-class teens who changed the world forever ... charming -- David Kirby * Washington Post *With a gravity, reverence and sense of occasion that hasn't been seen since the Levites rolled out the Ark of the Covenant, the complete lyrics of Paul McCartney are published at last ... This vast, absorbing book is studded with McCartneyisms that make you rub your eyes -- John Walsh * Sunday Times *Describing it as a book doesn't quite capture the object. It is two books, two separate volumes, in a gorgeous box. It weighs 8kg on my bathroom scales. It's a big thing of great beauty, and going back and forth through it is a hugely satisfying experience ... no matter where you start, or continue, McCartney seems to be waiting, ready to continue his warm, vivid, erudite stroll through his life and lyrics ... the life - McCartney's - seems more believable when examined in these glimpses. There is a modesty hiding in the book's bulk, and raw, gentle honesty ... There are 154 sets of lyrics in this book, and it's almost impossible to read most of them without hearing the melodies and trumpet bits. But it is well worth trying. Read, not heard, Lady Madonna is a different experience. I read it and thought of Zola's best novels. -- Roddy Doyle * Irish Times *he provides a fascinating new insight into his life at the time they were written, and the lives of his fellow Beatles ... This, then, is a book for dipping into and sampling at leisure. It allows us to see some of the most familiar songs ever written in new and surprising ways ... [it] will not only thrill Beatles obsessives but fascinate anyone who has ever sung along to a Lennon and McCartney tune. Which must, surely, include half the world or more. -- Christopher Stevens * Daily Mail *a feast for the eyes. Dyed-in-the-wool Beatles fans will be bowled over by the sheer profundity of unpublished photographs, previously unseen lyrics sheets, journal entries, paintings, and the like. Indeed, The Lyrics easily represents the finest collection of illustrations associated with McCartney's life and work. And it's beautifully rendered, to boot. Drop-dead gorgeous as books go -- Kenneth Womack * Salon *the two things it reveals - an unrelenting work ethic and the picture-painting imperative of the storyteller - are the twin pillars of his life's work, as revealed here in random reflections on 154 selected songs spanning 64 years ... it's this up-front abdication of control, of responsibility and ultimately of authorial meaning that makes McCartney's story, and his open-handed attitude to a monumental body of work, so engaging. -- Michael Dwyer * Sydney Morning Herald *Nothing comes close to Paul McCartney's breezeblock of a title ... Combine this monumental lyrics collection with Peter Jackson's Get Back and many Beatles fans won't come out again until the clocks go forward. Paul McCartney says this is as close as he will get to an autobiography and no wonder - his life is in every line of these songs. Each alphabetical entry (a smart arrangement that opens up a trove of lesser known McCartney lore) is not only accompanied by a wealth of wonderful photographs and memorabilia (the lyrics to Carry That Weight on Apple notepaper!), but also McCartney's own recollections and analysis. "Mostly, we were writing to the world," McCartney says about I Want to Hold Your Hand. The Lyrics makes it a pure joy to reach out for these songs once again. -- Victoria Segal * The Sunday Times Book of the Year *a rich, enjoyable and beautifully presented treat -- John Aizlewood * i Newspaper *To read over the words to these 154 songs is to be impressed not merely with McCartney's productivity but with the fertility of his imagination and the potency of his offhand, unfussy style ... giddy playfulness and unguarded experimentation. They're a joy to read because they exude the joy their maker took in their making. -- David Hajdu * The New York Times *The text is accompanied by beautifully reproduced illustrations, including personal snapshots, formal portraits and memorabilia. The result is a hybrid of collected lyrics, memoir and picture book, a composite form resembling the all-round character of McCartney's musicality ... The Lyrics is a rewarding portrait of an exceptional songwriter. -- Ludovic Hunter-Tilney * Financial Times *From All My Loving to Your Mother Should Know, the former Beatle illuminates a life spent puzzling how to get from the beginning of a song to its end -- David Hepworth * Observer *Paul McCartney's storied career has been a long and winding road paved with songwriting gold. Thankfully, these fab volumes do it justice -- The Sunengrossing ... reading it is like watching genius - which McCartney undoubtedly was and fitfully remains - in the process of creation, summoning something out of nothing -- David Honigmann * Spectator *The Lyrics is stunningly beautiful and a masterpiece of book design, a true joy for bibliophiles. Paul McCartney has fashioned, through the explorations of his songs with the poet Paul Muldoon, a fascinating insight into his life and creative genius. The booksellers of Waterstones are proud to celebrate this magnificent and deeply original book. -- James Daunt, WaterstonesThis lavishly produced two-volume boxed-set, which took five years to compile, is destined to be under many Christmas trees. -- Roger Lewis * Daily Mail *The Beatles used to chuck lyric sheets in the wastebasket after recording a song: Linda McCartney fished them out and saved them. The Lyrics is the deluxe version of her scrapbook, a ... handsome, two-volume compendium of Paul McCartney's work as a lyricist, accompanied by photos and Macca's engaging reminiscences. -- Ludovic Hunter-Tilney * Financial Times, Best books of 2021 *Paul McCartney never wrote an autobiography. He argued that his remarkable life story is "all in the songs" - the hundreds upon hundreds of timeless, instantly engrossing classics that have become the soundtrack to Western culture. One hundred and fifty-four of these musical gems are gathered in The Lyrics - a gripping commentary on the inspiration for the tunes, their making and the characters they portray. ... McCartney's commentary throughout feels candid, enlightening and at times philosophical. His insight into the makeup and meaning of the lyrics is illuminating and entertaining, adding layers of depth to the already rich texture. -- Hannah Gal * The Critic *Sir Paul has arranged 154 favourite compositions alphabetically, with lots of glossy photos. But in the essays that accompany each song, his underlying purpose is to affirm his status as a writer ... what fan will not enjoy a meander that feels like a long private audience with one of the Fab Four? * Economist *Paul McCartney's delicious The Lyrics is a treasure trove. Gloriously illustrated with old snaps, posters with the Beatles' bottom-of-the-bill, handwritten set lists, lyrics on scraps and exhausting tour lists criss-crossing Britain. -- Celia Imrie * Waitrose Weekend *The Lyrics is sumptuously made to a standard associated with high-end art publishers. It is lovely to hold and to touch and to look at. There are countless beautifully reproduced photographs, of McCartney - who in his younger years ravished the lens - his mother, father, brother and aunties, his wives, his children, his friends and notable collaborators. Many of the pictures are published for the first time. There are also handwritten lyric sheets festooned with doodles, scribbled diary entries, gig posters, newspaper reports, pictures of first pressings ... This book is ... more like an autobiography, done McCartney's way. Rather than publish a conventional life story, he has opted to tell this life through songs and pictures ... His eloquence is found in his art: next to the splendour of the songs ... The book showcases McCartney's lyrics ... the songs make up a larger canvas, or mosaic, that the artist himself is only now stepping back to contemplate. -- Ian Leslie * New Statesman *Stating in the introduction to this two-volume gift edition that he has no intention of writing a memoir, Paul McCartney presents his songs as the next best thing, leaving us to mine their words as a guide to his life and world view. -- Will Hodgkinson * The Times *These two beautifully produced hardbacks give a lot of bang for your buck. Macca recalls the inspiration behind 154 of his songs and the collaborative process of writing them, his stories taking in Lennon, Linda and fame, and there's a trove of photographs and memorabilia from his personal archive. He says the time has never been right to write a full memoir, but this collection is brimming with insights into the man and the music. -- Charlotte Heathcote * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING HILARIOUS AND HEARTFELT MEMOIR FROM LINDA ROBSON__________Linda Robson?s nickname is Baggy Mouth for good reason.She may be one of the nation?s favourite TV personalities ? whether playing Tracey Stubbs in Birds of a Feather or being a regular on Loose Women ? but she can?t help hilariously oversharing. Luckily, this is an ideal trait for her first-ever memoir . . .Taking us back to the very beginning, growing up in a North London council house, Linda explains how she came to attend theatre school aged nine, where she met Pauline Quirke.As their friendship blossomed and evolved into a professional partnership, small parts in theatre and film productions culminated in the pair being cast in the enduring and beloved sitcom Birds of a Feather.With a wicked glint in her eye, Linda recounts the twists and turns of an actor?s life, sharing tales of backstage antics, on-set stories and demanding co-stars from across her her varied and celebrated career.However, it has not all been laughter, and she candidly talks about the struggles she?s faced in her personal life and the battles she has had to overcome. Yet her determination to pull herself back from the brink shows us that the tough times really do make us stronger.Truth Be Told is funny, warm and loose-lipped about a remarkable life well-lived.__________PRAISE FOR TRUTH BE TOLD''Searingly honest'' The Mail

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Book Synopsis''An absolutely brilliant read'' Patrick Kielty, Late Late Show, RTÉ‘Blisteringly honest . . . hilarious, traumatic, joyful and terrifying. Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy read!’ Liz Nugent''Gloriously unabashed . . . vibrant, poignant and surprisingly hopeful'' Irish Times I grew up in a psychiatric experiment crossed with an alcoholic experiment. . . . a place run by two people who were extraordinarily drunk and guarded by a potentially vicious dog with a brain tumour.PJ Gallagher spent much of his childhood knocking back Lucozade with the local alcoholics in his parents'' northside pub. But the chaos that reigned for his first ten years was nothing compared to what happened when - having lost the pub - his mum took in six psychiatric patients from the local hospital to give them ''care in the community''.Worst. Idea. Ever.Madhouse is PJ''s riotous life story. Covering everything from dogs, motorbikes and the art of small talk, to the lessons of mental breakdown and finally figuring out love, this is PJ unbound. Most surprising - to PJ more than anyone - is the prospect of becoming a dad in his late forties, when he always thought of ''family'' as a trap.Madhouse is the funny, insightful and moving story of someone just trying to keep his head above water - and how he is making sense of it all at last!''Terrifically honest, as well as a being funny and sad'' Matt Cooper, The Last Word, Today FM''Delivered in Gallagher’s brilliantly blunt northside brogue, evoking a shade of Roddy Doyle'' Irish Independent''Tells his story with humour and insight making it feel as though you are chatting with an old friend'' Irish Examiner''Bold, anarchic . . . relates wild antics and traumas from his tumultuous life with both humour and perceptive clarity'' Business Post''So open . . . amazing for understanding and trying to destroy the stigma [of mental health struggles] . . . a great read'' Elaine Crowley, Ireland AM, Virgin Media

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Book SynopsisA funny, fierce, and uninhibited musical chronicle of the convulsive recent past, from one of our finest cultural criticsTrade Review“Mr. Marcus is a world-class cultural spelunker . . . More Real Life Rock [is] a one-of-a-kind guide to rock music’s resonance in every aspect of our lives.”—David Kirby, Wall Street Journal “For decades, Greil Marcus has attempted to define the whole of American culture as his life’s work. From hip-hop to opera, from outer space to political unrest, from black to white, from a thousand years ago until tomorrow. This collection of essays, critiques, questions, and revelations shows how far a brilliant, active, open and observant mind can go toward understanding an amalgamated culture that has never understood itself.”—Walter Mosley“This new collection of Marcus’ long-running column continues his role as a great chronicler of the highways and byways of American culture. This book feels like reading the diary of a friend who had noticed things I’d missed and seen deeper into what I‘d noticed.”—Morgan Neville“The world is moving so fast that some days it feels impossible to stop, listen and look. In ten years, fifty years, or tomorrow, Greil Marcus’s Real Life Rock Top 10 will be there for you, pointing the way to things you missed, but even better, opening doors to new ways of thinking about everything you thought you knew.”—Stephanie Zacharek“Marcus’ enthusiasm is contagious; he doesn’t only share his knowledge, he wants you to go out and experience it firsthand. This record of short reviews and previews reads like a poetry volume and connects the dots between so many contemporary subjects.”—Christian Marclay“Marcus brings an acute, intellectually dexterous, aesthetically and politically informed attention to the music in question. These essays are an astounding contribution to both music and cultural history.”—Thomas Lutz, Los Angeles Review of Books

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Book SynopsisBeast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin is the first-ever biography of the iconic John Bonham, considered by many to be one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) rock drummer of all time. Bonham first learned to play the drums at the age of five, and despite never taking formal lessons, began drumming for local bands immediately upon graduating from secondary school. By the late 1960s, Bonham was looking for a more solid gig in order to provide his growing family with a more regular income. Meanwhile, following the dissolution of the popular blues rock band The Yardbirds, lead guitarist Jimmy Page sought the company of new bandmates to help him record an album and tour Scandinavia as the New Yardbirds. A few months later, Bonham was recruited to join the band who would eventually become known as Led Zeppelin-and before the year was out, Bonham and his three bandmates would become the richest rock band in the world.In their first year, Led Zeppelin released two

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Book SynopsisThe second instalment of his famed unreliable memoirs, Falling Towards England sees Clive James set sail for London – a long way from the acclaimed author, poet and broadcaster he would one day become . . .'A comic triumph' – Ian Hamilton, London Review of BooksWaving goodbye to Sydney, Clive James arrives in 1960s England with nothing much besides the clothes on his back, in search of fame and fortune. Idealistic and uncompromising, if short on cash, he plans to get a low-paying menial job by day and compose poetical masterpieces by night. London is beginning to swing, but our hero is flat broke. The menial job proves elusive, with steady employment as hard to find as a room of his own.In a succession of more or less unsatisfactory digs, which include a bedsit, a barge, and a large paper bag, he attempts to stay warm, knuckle down, practise the Twist, plan those poetical masterpieces and improve his unsatisfactory warTrade ReviewA comic triumph, full of terrific jokes and brilliantly sustained setpieces. -- Ian Hamilton * London Review of Books *James’ wickedly funny jokes and jibes make you laugh out loud and feel warm to the man. No wonder women wanted to feed him greens, and men lend him money. * The Times *

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Book SynopsisThe honest and revealing story of John Lennon's childhood by his sister Julia. Trade Review'A tragic story . . . also a tenderly evoked memoir of a Liverpool childhood' * The Independent *'Honest and poignant, this enjoyable read offers fans a new perspective on their idol' * The Sun *'A moving account of the Beatle's childhood by his half-sister . . . fascinating' * Observer Music Monthly *'Philip Larkin's much-quoted lines about sex being invented in 1963 "between the end of the Chatterley ban/ And the Beatles first LP" stand corrected here. Perhaps life was dull in Hull and Coventry, but on this account there was plenty of passion in Liverpool' * The Irish Times *'A poignant powerful tale that throws new light on the Lennon legend' * The Scottish Sunday Post *'An unusual treat' * Aberdeen Evening Express *'His sister's important new account chronicles the pivotal childhood years that provided the source of both Lennon's rich creativity and personal vulnerability' * Good Books Guide *

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Book Synopsis''Excellent . . . A celebration of peculiarity'' VOGUE''Humour-packed, irreverent, eccentric'' ELLEHave you ever wondered what it would be like talk to Parker Posey? On an airplane, with Posey as your seat companion, perhaps? In this ingenious, hilarious, and enchanting memoir, actress and star of movies such as Dazed and Confused and Party Girl, Parker takes us into her colorful southern childhood home, behind the scenes of the indie film revolution in the 90s, shows us the delightful absurdity of big-budget genre thrillers, and shares the creativity that will always be part of both her acting and her personal life.With whimsical how-tos, recipes, and beautiful handmade collages, Parker gives the reader a feeling of traveling by her side, exploring and celebrating what it means to be an artist.Trade Review[Parker Posey] has deigned to bless us with her infinite wisdom and enough personal anecdotes to satiate even her most rabid fans. Glory be: she has a narrative voice! And it's just as funny and insouciant as you might hope! * Booklist *Excellent . . . a celebration of peculiarity * Vogue *Irreverent in the best way possible * HelloGiggles *[Parker] writes hilariously and thoughtfully * Kirkus *[You're on an Airplane] plays out on the page like an intimate performance you're privileged by chance to have caught . . . sublimely entertaining * Weekly Standard *A humour-packed, irreverent, eccentric book packed with personal stories, whimsical how-tos and recipes, as well as collages made by her * Elle *As original, refreshing, and funny as her most recognizable characters * Esquire *Genuinely funny * The Herald Christmas Gift Guide *Unlike anything else; a trippy, intimate read filled with illustrations, recipes and witty anecdotes. It's also full of mourning for an independent film industry that no longer exists, and the specific pain of feeling as if you're on adifferent wavelength to everyone else. * Independent *

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Book SynopsisThe story of how three tumultuous decades changed American music

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Book SynopsisThe latest edition of this definitive book in the field of family therapy—the first update in ten years.

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Book SynopsisThe most intriguing stories of creative endeavour, volatile relationships, excessive lifestyles and bizarre events from the world of rock, as told by Hipgnosis co-founder, creative designer, photographer and filmmaker Aubrey Powell in twenty thematic chapters.Trade Review'Powell is an engaging raconteur' - Literary Review'Brutally honest, entertaining and revealing insider stories' - Creative Review'Gorgeously designed... Excess runs through most of these stories the way drugs flowed through the veins and lungs of the musicians back then' - New York Journal of Books'Adventures in the golden age of the gatefold' - UncutTable of ContentsPreface – The Initial Spark Syd Barrett – Laying Ghosts To Rest Space Cowboys Working With Animals – Dead Or Alive One Giant Step – Led Zeppelin, Houses Of The Holy Going Over To The Dark Side Peter Gabriel – The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway and Going It Alone Paul McCartney – Venus And Mars 10cc – Life Is A Minestrone Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here Americana – A Brutal Landscape The Grand Tour Peter Grant – The Gatekeeper If Pigs Could Fly – Pink Floyd, Animals Moroccan Roll On High With Paul McCartney Miami Vice/Hawaii Versa – 10cc, Look Hear? (or: Are You Normal) Tragedy – Barry Gibb Designs That Slipped Through The Net The Icing On The Cake – Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains

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Book SynopsisGeorgetown, Washington D.C., 1973. Actress and divorced mother Chris MacNeil starts to experience ''difficulties'' with her usually sweet-natured eleven-year-old daughter Regan. The child becomes afflicted by spasms, convulsions and unsettling amnesiac episodes; these abruptly worsen into violent fits of appalling foul-mouthed curses, accompanied by physical mutation. Medical science is baffled by Regan''s plight and, in her increasing despair, Chris turns to troubled priest and psychiatrist Damien Karras, who immediately recognises something profoundly malevolent in Regan''s distorted fetures and speech. On Karras''s recommendation, the Church summons Father Merrin, a specialist in the exorcism of demons . . .William Peter Blatty scripted this version of his own best-selling novel for director William Friedkin, and was rewarded with an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay of 1973. This publication also includes the texts of the film''s legendary ''lost scenes'' and excise

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Book SynopsisWhat was Mozart really like? Wild? Sublime? Responsible? Fun-loving? Bright? Foul-mouthed? Reading these sparkling new translations of Mozart''s letters, we learn in his own words that he was all of these and much more. Here is the composer at his most intimate and unguarded, expressing his feelings about life, love, music and the world around him.

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Book SynopsisThis volume uniquely combines a lively biography of one of the best-loved composers of the nineteenth century with a detailed chronological guide to much of his oeuvre, from the most popular - Swan Lake or the 1812 Overture - to the lesser known pieces. David Brown enthusiastically and sensitively guides the reader through Tchaikovsky''s music in the context of his life. His writing on the music is accessible and informative, both for the professional musician and the keen amateur listener. The biographical writing includes fascinating quotations from the composer''s letters, and those of his friends; the Tchaikovsky that emerges is, despite his periodic struggle with depression, a man with a positive attitude to life, and a kind and supportive friend to many around him. This is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Tchaikovsky, his music, or the culture of the time.''One of the finest one-volume biographies to have appeared in recent years, written Trade Review"'One of the finest one-volume biographies to have appeared in recent years.' Classic FM Magazine"

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Book SynopsisIn The Dark Stuff Nick Kent profiles twenty-two of the most gifted and self-destructive talents in rock history. From Brian Wilson to Syd Barrett, the Rolling Stones to Neil Young, Iggy Pop to Lou Reed, he offers intimate portraits that are unimaginable in the world of today''s market driven music business.Trade Review"'The Dark Stuff is a mighty tome, containing some of the best music journalism ever written." Spectator

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Book SynopsisFor two hundred years after William Shakespeare''s death, no one thought to argue that somebody else had written his plays. Since then dozens of rival candidates - including The Earl of Oxford, Sir Francis Bacon and Christopher Marlowe - have been proposed as their true author. Contested Will unravels the mystery of when and why so many people began to question whether Shakespeare wrote the plays (among them such leading writers and artists as Sigmund Freud, Henry James, Mark Twain, Helen Keller, Orson Welles, and Sir Derek Jacobi)Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro''s fascinating search for the source of this controversy retraces a path strewn with fabricated documents, calls for trials, false claimants, concealed identity, bald-faced deception and a failure to grasp what could not be imagined. If Contested Will does not end the authorship question once and for all, it will nonetheless irrevocably change the nature of the debate by confronting what''s re

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Book SynopsisIn this indispensable guide to digital film-making, leading film-maker Mike Figgis offers the reader a step-by-step tutorial in how to use digital technology so as to get the best from it. Mike Figgis, with experience from films such as Miss Julie and Leaving Las Vegas - for which he received two Oscar nominations - is an authoritative and insightful guide through the details of film-making. He outlines the equipment and its uses, and provides an authoritative guide to the shooting process - from working with actors to lighting, framing, and camera movement. He further dispenses wisdom on the editing process and the use of sound and music, all the while establishing a sound aesthetic basis for the digital format. This handbook is essential whether your goal is to make no-budget movies, or simply to put your video camera to more use than just holidays and weddings.

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Book SynopsisIn smoky rooms above pubs, bare rooms with battered stools and beer-stained tables, where the stage was little more than a scrap of carpet and sound systems were unheard of, an acoustic revolution took place in Britain in the 1950s and ''60s. This was the folk revival, where a generation of musicians, among much drink and raucous cheer, would rediscover the native songs of their own tradition, as well as the folk and blues coming from across the Atlantic by artists such as Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie and Big Bill Broonzy. Singing from the Floor is the story of this remarkable movement, faithfully captured in the voices of those who formed it by JP Bean. We hear from luminaries such as Shirley Collins, Martin Carthy, Peggy Seeger and Ralph McTell, alongside figures such as Billy Connolly, Jasper Carrott and Mike Harding, who all started their careers on the folk circuit. The book charts the revival''s improvised beginnings and its ties to the CND movement, through the he

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Book SynopsisBased on his critically-acclaimed BBC Radio 3 programme The Listening Service, in which Tom Service takes an idea on an ear-opening and mind-expanding walk through the musical landscape every week, this book is a celebration of music's multi-dimensional power in our lives. With 101 short chapters based on the programmes and grouped thematically the book will open ears and imaginations to find answers to the questions we all have about why and how music - from Toots and the Maytals and J S Bach, Gustav Mahler and Miley Cyrus, to Anna Meredith and Mozart - works its magic over us. With direct links to the programmes using a QR code, the chapters draw on powerful and communicative anecdotes and analogies, as well as the latest scientific research, and above all, a spirit of discovery and connection across genres, cultures, and histories. At its heart is the conviction that music changes us.

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Book SynopsisIn The Faber Book of French Cinema, Charles Drazin explores the rich film culture and history of the country that first established the cinema as the most important mass medium of the twentieth century.Offering portraits of such key figures as the Lumière brothers, Georges Méliès, Charles Pathé and Léon Gaumont, he looks at the early pioneers who transformed a fairground novelty into a global industry. The crisis caused by the First World War led France to surrender her position as the world''s dominant film-making power, but French cinema forged a new role for itself as a beacon of cinematic possibility and achievement. Suggesting a Gallic attitude that has always considered the cinema to be as much a cause as a business, Drazin looks at the extraordinary resilience of the French film industry during the Second World War when, in spite of the national catastrophe of defeat and occupation, it was still able to produce such classics as Le Corbe

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Book SynopsisThe sound of Wichita Lineman' was the sound of ecstatic solitude, but then its hero was the quintessential loner. What a great metaphor he was: a man who needed a woman more than he actually wanted her. Written in 1968 by Jimmy Webb, Wichita Lineman' is the first philosophical country song: a heartbreaking torch ballad still celebrated for its mercurial songwriting genius fifty years later. It was recorded by Glen Campbell in LA with a legendary group of musicians known as the Wrecking Crew', and something about the song's enigmatic mood seemed to capture the tensions in America at a moment of crisis. Fusing a dribble of bass, searing strings, tremolo guitar and Campbell's plaintive vocals, Webb's paean to the American West describes a telephone lineman's longing for an absent lover, who he hears singing in the wire' and like all good love songs, it's an SOS from the heart. Mixing close-listening, interviews and travelogue, Dylan Jones explores the legacy of a recor

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Book SynopsisTHE FRENCH DISPATCH brings to life a collection of stories from the final issue of an American magazine published in a fictional 20th-century French city. It stars Bill Murray, Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Stephen Park, and Owen Wilson.

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Book SynopsisFrom the acclaimed author of Art Sex Music comes a vital meditation on womanhood, creativity and self-expression, and a revelatory exploration into the lives of three visionary artists.''A fascinating tale of the interlinking lives of three legendary trailblazers.''SALENA GODDEN''Re-sisters emanates an enthralling power.''JUDE ROGERS, MOJO''Cosey Fanni Tutti has lived the life and has the stories to tell: not just hers, but those of two other still unheralded female pioneers.''JON SAVAGEMyself , Delia and Margery a trinity of the sacred and profane , sinners and saints of a kind. Three defiant women with our individual, unconventional attitude to life. Untameable spirits, progressive thinkers living within the inherent societal constraints of our times.In 2018, boundary-breaking visual and sonic artist Cosey Fanni Tutti received a commission to write the soundtrack to a film about Delia Derbyshire, the pioneering electronic composer who influenced the likes of Aphex Twin and the Chemical Brothers. While researching Delia's life, Cosey became immersed in Derbyshire's story and uncovered some fascinating parallels with her own life. At the same time Cosey began reading about Margery Kempe, the 15th century mystic visionary who wrote the first English language autobiography.Re-sisters is the story of three women consumed by their passion for life, a passion they expressed through music, art and lifestyle; they were undaunted by the consequences they faced in pursuit of enriching their lives, and fiercely challenged the societal and cultural norms of their time.''An impeccably researched meditation on womanhood as viewed through the lives of three firebrands.''FIONA STURGES, GUARDIAN''Awe-inspiring. Read these revelatory portraits: this book is for anybody who wants to discover the work of three women who, without fanfare, have enriched our world.''ROBERT WYATT''Passionate, original and fiercely defiant.''RUPERT THOMSON

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Book SynopsisWill fascinate and enthrall anyone interested in music.' Stephen FryWho dreams of becoming a conductor?What does it take to get there and stay in the game?In Good Hands: The Making of a Modern Conductor invites us to think anew about one of the signature roles in classical music.In a frank, fascinating portrait, Alice Farnham, one of Britain's leading conductors, explores what modern conducting really entails, and what it takes to lead, unite and inspire people.Takes readers behind the scenes of the eccentric world of classical music.' GuardianConducting, Alice Farnham writes, is an elusive art. Her book, part memoir and part study of the craft, pins it down . . . Accessible [and] engaging.' Matthew Giley, New StatesmanAlice Farnham's enchanting blend of insight, experience, musical understanding, sparkling good sense and intelligence brings alive and demystifies what it i

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Book SynopsisA passionate and illuminating memoir by the celebrated Music Director of the Royal Opera House.''Mesmerising.'' DANIEL BARENBOIM Sir Antonio Pappano is one of the best known and most celebrated conductors alive today. His deeply held belief in the power of music to inspire and enlighten is the motivation behind this long anticipated memoir.In 1969, decades before he was chosen to conduct the music at the Coronation of King Charles, Sir Antonio Pappano was a ten-year-old boy accompanying his father's singing lessons. My Life in Music tells the moving tale of a legendary conductor who, nurtured in childhood by his parents and their dedicated work ethic, goes on to conduct at many of the most influential opera houses of Europe and North America. Pappano skilfully evokes an extensive selection from his wide-ranging repertoire operas and orchestral works spanning from Mozart to Birtwistle and Mark Anthony Turnage, as well as art song and cham

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Book SynopsisOne of our best contemporary writers.' Sunday TelegraphIt's those around you who make you who you are.Michael Frayn would like to say a brief word about a few of the people who have formed hisown particular world. Some were friends, some were not; some were more than friends.Some have had a profound effect, some only a passing one. Some he now wonders if he everreally knew. But each has had a formative effect on his own remarkable life.Among Others is a patchwork memoir of a lifetime's encounters. Truthful and loving,sometimes elegiac, sometimes comic, it is a celebration of the endlessly intriguing othernessof others.The most philosophical comic writer and the most comic philosophical writer of ourtime.' Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsA La Mode De France; Adson's Saraband; All In A Garden Green; Aye Me; Blue Cap; Boatman; Bobbing Joe; Broom, Broom, The Bonny, Bonny Broom; Cast A Bell; Cheerily And Merrily; Chestnut; Confess His Tune; Cuckolds All A Row; Dull Sir John; The Bath; The Beggar Boy; The Chirping Of The Lark; The Country Coll; The Wedding Night

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsBalancing Three Lines (Czerny, Carl); Couplets And Repeated Notes (Stamaty, Camille); Fluency Between The Hands (Czerny, Carl); Fluency Between Thumb And Fourth Finger (Gretchaninov, Alexander); Fluent Triplets (Czerny, Carl); Hand Over Thumb (Berens, Hermann); Hands Precisely Together At The Octave (Goedicke, Alexander); Left-hand Independence (Goedicke, Alexander); Left-hand Melody With Syncopated Accompaniment (Gurlitt, Cornelius); Left-hand Singing Tone (Gurlitt, Cornelius); Left-hand Staccato/Dynamic Levels (Bartok, Bela); 'Leger Line' Brilliance (Czerny, Carl); Lightness Of Touch (Burgmuller, Friedrich); Melodic Passagework (Czerny, Carl); Melodic Runs (Gurlitt, Cornelius); Neatness And Co-ordination (Goedicke, Alexander); Parallel Chords (F.W. (After Verdi); Rests And Repeated Notes (Gurlitt, Cornelius); Right-hand chords (Czerny, Carl); Right-hand Passagework (Czerny, Carl); Rotary Movement And Fifth Finger (Czerny, Carl); Rotary Movement In Contrary Motion (Goedicke, Alexander); Singing Tone (Duvernoy, Victor); Staccato And Slurs (Gnyesina, E.); The Five Fingers (Czerny, Carl); The Thumb Plays The Tune (Gurlitt, Cornelius)

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsEmma (Rachel Portman): Frank Churchill Arrives; End Titles; Sense & Sensibility (Patrick Doyle): My Father’s Favourite; Devonshire; All The Better For Her; Excellent Notion; The Dreame; Pride & Prejudice (Carl Davis): Theme; Canon Collins; The Gardiners; Summary; Persuasion (Jeremy Sams): Theme; Tristesse; Italian Aria

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsCall It A Day; Survivor; Greenlands; In The Gardens Of Giverney; The Gypsy King; My Valentine; Remember When; Icicles; Cafe De Paris; The Window Seat; Pastimes; Nympheas; No Worries; Come Dance With Me; Clouds

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Book SynopsisOffers some of the best of the grade 1 pieces selected by the major examination boards. This book also provides quality music that is suitable as a sight-reading resource for more advanced students.Trade ReviewEvery teacher and pupil have favourite pieces in their yearly programmes and Anthony Williams has certainly made excellent choices in these new compilations from old, forgotten examination syllabuses. There are five separate volumes, one for each grade, with twenty of the old favourites in each of grades 1, 2 and 3. These pieces usually disappear into oblivion once out of date, with new generations of pupils unable to experience the thrills and delights of ten years worth of fun repertoire. Now, they are able to relive many old favourites as well as forgotten gems in their early days of piano lessons. Although selected by grades, the entire collection would make excellent sight reading material for more advanced players. Piano Professional, Summer 2008 All these pieces are tried and tested favourites of exam-takers, so whatever your tastes you're statistically bound to find a motivating choice. These volumes can be strongly recommended as repertoire books. Pianist Magazine, May 2008 Table of ContentsSonata In F (Attwood); Menuet In G (attrib. Bach); Quasi Adagio (Bartok); Air From Little Russia (Beethoven); Air (Blow); Flying Above The Clouds (Bullard); The Swinging Sioux (Gillock); Creepy Crawly (Gritton); German Dance (Haydn); The Quiet Wood (Head); Piano Piece For The Young (Henkel); Eeyore's March (Jackson); Allegro In F (Mozart); Menuett In F (Mozart); Allegretto (Neefe); Air (Purcell); Melody (Schumann); Soldier's March (Schumann); Gavotte (Telemann); Allegretto In F (Witthauer).

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Book SynopsisOffers a flexible and adaptable course that is suitable for beginner violin players. This title intends to support various combinations of string instruments the teacher may encounter. It features a CD of backing tracks designed to add a third dimension to practice sessions or performance when an accompanist is not available.Table of ContentsTuning note – E, A, D, G 1 -; A handsome lad; A little march; All night, all day; Allegro; Amazing grace; At dusk; Au clair de la lune; Autumn; Bavaria; Blow the wind southerly; Bonjour!; By the Rhine; Chanson; Chiming bells; Chitty chitty bang bang (Sherman & Sherman) ; Congratulations (Martin & Coulter); Coronation march; Dance; Daydreams; Donkey riding; Edelweiss (Rodgers & Hammerstein); Eliza; Falling leaves; Flamingo; Folk song; G and D together; G, D and A; Gallop; German tune; Gospel song; Go tell Aunt Rhody; Going home; Good King Wenceslas; Happy birthday to you (Hill & Hill); I gave my love a cherry; Irish jig; Jamaican dance; Jingle bells; Kingston; Kol dodi; Kum ba yah; London bridge; Love me tender (Matson & Presley); Lucy; Magic spells; Merrily we roll along; Michael row the boat ashore; Minuet; Mongoose; Now the day is over; O come, all ye faithful; O little town of Bethlehem; Ode to joy; Oh Susannah; Okushiri; Old Macdonald; Old Texas; On the lake; Oranges and lemons; Past three o’clock; Poor Tom ; Pop goes the weasel; Popular song; Procession; Promenade; Quick march; Rigaudon; Round go the mill wheels; Ruthin gardens; Scarboro’ fair; Schottisch; Shady grove; Silent night; Song and dance; Sorrow; Starlight; Summer song; The astronomer; The carousel; The clowns; The first Nowell; The grand old Duke of York; The magic carpet; The muffin man; The night sky; The piper; The prospector; The rolling heather; The shepherd; The Skye boat song; The traveller; The white cliffs of Dover (Kent & Burton); The willow tree; The wizard; This old man; Tramping; Twelve bar blues; Twinkle, twinkle little star; Tyrolean song; Valse; Village song; When the saints go marching in; Who’s that yonder?; Workin’ on the railroad; Yankee doodle; Ye banks and braes

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Book SynopsisPresenting a selection of the movie themes, this title offers an introduction to the film music.Table of ContentsBeauty And The Beast (Main Theme); Do-Re-Mi (The Sound Of Music); Raider’s March (Raiders Of The Lost Ark); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Main Theme); My Name Is Tallulah (Bugsy Malone); You’ve Got A Friend In Me ((Toy Story); Greased Lightnin’ (Grease) **Trinity R&P recommended song, Keys Grade 4; Over The Rainbow (The Wizard Of Oz); Star Wars (Main Theme); Summer Holiday (Main Theme); We’re All In This Together (High School Musical); Chariots Of Fire (Main Theme); Goldfinger (Title Theme)

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE BEST PRINT RESOURCE AWARD AT THE 2015 MUSIC TEACHER AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE Paul Harris's highly successful Simultaneous Learning approach is an entirely positive and imaginative way to teach, which embraces the understanding that all the elements of music are connected.Trade ReviewThroughout the book there are clear headlines and steps, explanations backed up with relevant quotes from researchers and educationalists, and practical advice for improving our teaching and our pupils’ learning. Reading it gave me several answers to some of my teaching challenges and left me feeling refreshed and positive about the coming term. Fiona Lau, Music Teacher Magazine, January 2015

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Book SynopsisJoin the superhero world of Lang Lang and come on a piano adventure with The Lang Lang Piano Method Level 4. Level 4 progresses with the following: *extending technique, rhythms and keys through progressive repertoire *featuring fun original pieces, classic themes and evocative world tunes.Trade Review…the author is to be highly complemented for creating a comprehensive method that will appeal to inquisitive children and help them to develop sound technical and musical skills over several years of rewarding study. Andrew Eales, Pianodao (Online Blog)

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Book SynopsisA piece a week. Piano Grade 2 is ideal to be used alongside the Improve your sight-reading! graded piano books to support and improve the reading skills so fundamental to successful sight-reading. These fun, short pieces are specifically written to be learnt one per week.Trade ReviewSo, just when you thought that Paul Harris has covered every possible music education angle, he comes up with something new; something you did not realise you needed. Improve your sight-reading! A piece a week is a collection of short-pieces designed to support and improve sight-reading by developing note-reading skills and hand-eye coordination….Of course, as thoughtful teachers, we know that our pupils can lose their sight-reading skills when they are focusing on grade exams or other pieces, and so we find easier pieces in order to keep these skills alive. However, this saves us the bother of searching…Yet again, Mr Harris has done the work so we don’t have to. Music Teacher Magazine, January 2016. Admirably fills a gap in the market for outstanding “quick study” material. A Piece a Week lives up to the excellent standards Paul Harris and Faber Music have previously set, and for which they are so well known. I would say that the series is a genuine “must have” for all piano teachers. Andrew Eales, Pianodao.com, January 2016.Table of ContentsIndian Chief; Watercolours; Skipping and hopping; Machines; Day dreaming; Three-legged race; Pebble skimming; Spooks; Dancing round the maypole; Spies on a mission; Rushing around; Lonely; China Town; Lost; Traffic jam; Danger ahead!; Elephants take a stroll; Busy people; Kites in the sky; Rolling hills; The magical mirror; Catch me if you can!; Butterflies; Waterfall; In the clouds; Secret agent TX9 saves the day

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