Essays Books

Book SynopsisThoughtful Gardening is based on Robin Lane Fox''s own selection from his widely admired FT column, which he has rewritten and amplified with new chapters to take readers on a highly enjoyable journey through each season of the gardening year. It draws on his lifetime of practical gardening, including his years as Garden Master of New College, Oxford, and contains many memories of fellow gardeners, from Christopher Lloyd to Nancy Lancaster.The book is essential reading for anyone setting out on a new garden or taking stock of one. It takes a critical look at fashions of the moment and is full of advice, ranging from problems with badgers to how to take root-cuttings or choose flowering trees, as well as examples of gardens at home and abroad which Robin Lane Fox has visited over many years. Thoughtful Gardening combines a principled view of the craft of gardening with dozens of new ideas for planting and visiting, and touching reminders of the power of l

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Book SynopsisSince The Paris Review was founded in 1953, it has given us invaluable conversations with the greatest writers of our age, vivid self-portraits that are themselves works of finely-crafted literature. The magazine has spoken with most of the world's leading novelists, poets and playwrights, and the interviews themselves have come to be recognised as classic words of literature in their own right. The series as a whole is indispensable for all writers and readers.This new volume in the series builds on the success and acclaim of the first two editions. The interviews:Ralph Ellison (1955)Georges Simenon (1955)Isak Dineson (1956)Evelyn Waugh (1963)William Carlos Williams (1964)Harold Pinter (1966)John Cheever (1976)Joyce Carol Oates (1978)Jean Rhys (1979)Raymond Carver (1983)Chinua Achebe (1994)Ted Hughes (1995)Jan Morris (1997)Martin Amis (1998)Salman Rushdie (2005)Norman Mailer (2007)Trade ReviewIndispensable reading for anybody interested in how writers work and why writing continues to work. * * Daily Telegraph * *If you want to get acquainted with your favourite writer, you could go to a reading or a book-signing. But to really know them, you should read a Paris Review interview. * * The Times * *I have been fascinated by the Paris Review interviews for as long as I can remember. Taken together they form perhaps the finest available inquiry into the 'how' of literature, in many ways a more interesting question than 'why'. * * Salman Rushdie * *For writing nerds, this is nirvana. -- Colin Waters * * Sunday Herald * *Anyone with the slightest pretension a literary life needs to read this collection. * * The London Paper * *this second collection [The Paris Review Interviews vol. 2] of the magazine's interviews with writers is rich in delight. -- Steven Poole * * Guardian * *...much like its predecessor is a bull's-eye...this is a bible both for readers and writers, the insider gossip for those who are truly passionate about their prose [vol. 2]. -- Francesca Segal * * Observer * *I have read all the copies of The Paris Review and like the interviews very much. They will make a good book when collected and that will be very good for the Review. * * Ernest Hemingway * *The Paris Review is the finest literary magazine of the moment, a great contradiction of the prevailing gloom over the status of literature in contemporary life, and its arrival in these islands is an event that calls for loud hurrahs. * * John Banville * *The distinguished reputation of The Paris Review's long-standing series of interviews with writers is upheld in this volume. * * Daily Telegraph * *

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Book SynopsisMorris's intimate journals, written for a friend, unconsciously explore questions of travel, noting his reaction to the idea of leaving or arriving, to hurry and delay, what it means to dread a place you've never been to or to encounter the actuality of a long-held vision. Poet Lavinia Greenlaw draws out these questions as she follows in the footprints of Morris's prose, responding to its surfaces and undercurrents, extending its horizons. The result is a new and composite work, which brilliantly explores our conflicted reasons for not staying at home.Trade ReviewMorris's journals... are precious and unique because they are so simply and beautifully written with the informed sense of wonder of a deeply learned and sophisticated man. No one except Ruskin has ever put the case for beauty with such vehemence and clarity. Ian McQueen, The Guardian; At a time of endless half-truths and moral shilly-shallying, Morris's eccentric integrity shines out. Fiona MacCarthy; Greenlaw has brilliantly found a new form for writing about Morris, and for this we can only be grateful. Tony Pinkney in William Morris Unbound; The best book of travel written by an English poet is William Morris's Icelandic Journal. Geoffrey Grigson

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Book SynopsisFrom the Booker-shortlisted author of The Mars Room, a career-spanning collection of spectacular essays about politics and culture.In The Hard Crowd, Rachel Kushner gathers a selection of her writing from over the course of the last twenty years that addresses the most pressing political, artistic, and cultural issues of our times - and illuminates the themes and real-life terrain that underpin her fiction.In razor-sharp essays spanning literary journalism, memoir, cultural criticism, and writing about art and literature, Kushner takes us from Jeff Koons and Marguerite Duras to a Palestinian refugee camp, from her love of classic cars to her young life in the music scene of San Francisco. The closing, eponymous essay is her manifesto on nostalgia, doom, and writing.'I'm glad to taste something this sharp, this smart' Olivia Laing'Wild, wide-ranging and unsparingly intelligent throughout' Vogue'An exciting book... Kushner writes from the inside out and gives us the true story, the real deal' Kevin Barry, New Statesman, Books of the YearTrade ReviewThe Hard Crowd is wild, wide-ranging and unsparingly intelligent throughout. * Vogue *One of America's most exciting writers . . . A brilliant collection of art and literary criticism, reportage, and autobiography. * Daily Telegraph *She writes as well as any writer alive about the pleasure of a good motor doing what it was designed to do . . . Cool and wise, with real power and control . . . This book has a real gallery of souls . . . As strong a statement about artistic purpose and sensibility as I've read in a while. -- Dwight Garner * New York Times *She seems to work with a muse and a nail gun, so surprisingly yet forcefully do her sentences pin reality to the page. -- Kathryn Schulz * New York Magazine *I honestly don't know how she is able to know so much (about motorcycle racing, Italian radical politics) and convey all of it in such a completely entertaining and mesmerizing way. -- George Saunders

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Book SynopsisWho gets to shape the narrative of our times? The current moment is a battle over that foundational power. Women, people of colour and non-straight people are telling other versions, and white men in particular are fighting to preserve their own centrality. In this outstanding collection of essays by one of the most prescient and insightful commentators today, Solnit appraises the voices that are emerging, why they matter and the obstacles they face in making themselves heard.

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Book SynopsisWoolf's fine character studies of several authors, among them Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who 'seems not a man, but a swarm, a cloud, a buzz of words, darting this way and that, clustering, quivering and hanging suspended'. He is, Woolf adds,so complex, so eccentric, that we 'become dazed in the labyrinth of what we call Coleridge'. He was incapable of adopting requisite social modes, of suppressing his obsessive urge to talk, of pandering to the expectations of others. Woolf tries to capture a 'clear picture' of Coleridge but this metaphor is skewed and what she really reveals is a voice - mad and beautiful - never to be heard again:Trade Review"The book explores the idea of the self in a very thought-provoking way and is a real treat for Woolf fans who like to analyze the more complex themes and ideas in her works.” —Virginia Woolf Blog “Underpinning all of the essays is the question of what it means to have a sense of self. A question that, in the age of the selfie, seems utterly topical.” —Julia Bell, Writers’ Hub, University College London “The essays...are sublime moments in intellectual history, while also being entertaining and accessible.” —Shiny New Books Table of ContentsIntroduction by Joanna Kavenna Note on the Text and Select Bibliography Modern Fiction Character in Fiction A Letter to a Young Poet How Should One Read a Book? The Man at the Gate Sara Coleridge William Hazlitt Professions for Women Evening over Sussex: Reflections in a Motor Car The Sun and the Fish Thoughts on Peace in an Air Raid The Humane Art From A Writer's Diary Notes

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Book SynopsisA pictoral essay by the great art critic, novelist and long-time smoker, John Berger, and Turkish writer and illustrator Selçuk Demirel. "Once upon a time, men, women and (secretly) children smoked." This charming illustrated work reflects on the cultural implications of smoking, and suggests, through a series of brilliantly inventive illustrations, that society's attitude to smoke is both paradoxical and intolerant. It portrays a world in which smokers, banished from public places, must encounter one another as outlaws. Meanwhile, car exhausts and factory chimneys continue to pollute the atmosphere. Smoke is a beautifully illustrated prose poem that lingers in the mind. "A cigarette is a breathing space. It makes a parenthesis. The time of a cigarette is a parenthesis, and if it is shared you are both in that parenthesis. It's like a proscenium arch for a dialogue." - John Berger (in interview)Trade Review"In these pages, Demirel rather brilliantly provides images of togetherness that make literal Berger’s language, albeit without sentimentalizing it; these pictures recall a world that once had coherent meaning...Berger and Demirel show that nearly anything can be part of shared experience...Smoke, [Berger] concludes, is a 'sign of mankind'—evidence not of man’s endurance but of the promise of companionship and stories shared." —Jonathon Sturgeon, Art in America “In contemporary English letters John Berger seems to me peerless. Not since D. H. Lawrence has there been a writer who offers such attentiveness to the sensual world with responsiveness to the imperatives of conscience.” —Susan Sontag “I love this small book of intricate insight.” —Michael Ondaatje, (on Cataract) “In his ceaselessly inventive work, Selçuk often uses parts of the body in ways that are characteristically Turkish...as if the comedy of the human condition were there in the human body, in the melancholy of anatomy.” —John Berger, on Selçuk Demirel

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Book SynopsisUranus is the coldest planet in the solar system, a frozen giant named after a Greek deity. It is also the inspiration for Uranism, a concept coined by the writer Karl Heinrich Ulrichs in 1864 to define the 'third sex' and the rights of those who 'love differently'. Following in Ulrichs's footsteps, Paul B. Preciado dreams of an apartment on Uranus where he can live, free of the modern power taxonomies of race, gender, class or disability. In this bold and transgressive book, Preciado recounts his transformation from Beatriz into Paul B., and examines other processes of political, cultural and sexual transition, reflecting on socio-political issues including the rise of neo-fascism in Europe, the criminalization of migrants, the harassment of trans children, the technological appropriation of the uterus, and the role artists and museums might play in the writing of a new social contract. A stepchild of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler, Preciado argues, with courage and conviction, for a planetary revolution of all living beings against the norm.Trade Review‘Paul B. Preciado has the magic ability to fire off imperatives that don’t feel bossy, but rather incite us to join him in whatever crackling energy, urgent curiosity, and dynamic nomadism is flowing through him. Reading these chronological missives offers the real pleasure of Preciado’s company in time, and inspires us not just to stay with our trouble, but to greet it with unstoppable speech, complex solidarity, glitter, and defiance.’ — Maggie Nelson, author of The Argonauts‘An arresting, bold and moving book about crossing boundaries — of body, sex, nation, species and language — by an important dissident of dualism.’ — Amia Srinivasan, author of The Right to Sex‘Like all of us, it turns out, Preciado was born on Uranus and dragged down to earth against his will. The language of that fall from grace won’t get us home, but at least Preciado helps us imagine what might.’ — Kevin Brazil, ArtReview

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Book Synopsis'Revisiting this selection of diaries and essay-reviews from the London Review of Books is restorative, an extended spa treatment that stretches tired brains and unkinks the usual habitual responses where Hitchens is concerned.' James Wolcott in his introduction Christopher Hitchens was a star writer wherever he wrote, and the same was true of the London Review of Books, to which he contributed sixty pieces over two decades. Anthologised here for the first time, this selection of his finest LRB reviews, diaries and essays (along with a smattering of ferocious letters) finds Hitchens at his very best. Familiar bêtes noires - Kennedy, Nixon, Kissinger, Clinton - rub shoulders with lesser-known preoccupations: P.G. Wodehouse, Princess Margaret and, magisterially, Isaiah Berlin. Here is Hitchens on the (first) Gulf War and the 'Salman Rushdie Acid Test', on being spanked by Mrs Thatcher in the House of Lords and taking his son to the Oscars, on America's homegrown Nazis and 'Acts of Violence in Grosvenor Square' in 1968. Edited by the London Review of Books, with an introduction by James Wolcott, this collection recaptures, ten years after his death, 'a Hitch in time': barnstorming, cauterising, and ultimately uncontainable.Trade ReviewAnd yet... there are few journalists who can match the verve and panache of Hitchens's prose. He mixes the loquaciousness of the barfly with the fluency of the literary artist, and could not pen a dull sentence if he tried. * Guardian on AND YET... *The range is remarkable... Literary criticism is often where he shines - the pieces on Orwell and Chesterton, in particular, are alert, nuanced and witty. * The Financial Times on AND YET *What you will find in And Yet..., is a body of work that offers some of the most various, nutritious and amusing prose you are likely to encounter, and that stands as a testament to the consolations of a phrase he cherished: litera scripta manet - the written word remains. * Daily Telegraph on AND YET... *A must-read for its laugh-out-loud consideration of Ian Fleming, alongside his thoughts on Charles Dickens, Salman Rushdie, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. How sad and dull it will be to follow the next American election without his coruscating commentary. * GQ on AND YET... *Table of Contents1: Introduction by James Wolcott 2: The Wrong Stuff: On Tom Wolfe, 1983 3: Diary: Operation Desert Storm, 1991 4: Oh, Lionel! On P.G. Wodehouse, 1992 5: Mary, Mary: On J. Edgar Hoover, 1993 6: Say what you will about Harold: On Harold Wilson, 1993 7: Diary: The Salman Rushdie Acid Test, 1994 8: Diary: Spanking, 1994 9: Who Runs Britain? Police Espionage, 1994 10: Lucky Kim: On Kim Philby, 1995 11: Diary: At the Oscars, 1995 12: Look over your shoulder: The Oklahoma Bombing, 1995 13: Letters: Richard Cummings, Christopher Hitchens 14: After-Time: On Gore Vidal, 1995 15: A Hard Dog to Keep on the Porch: On Bill Clinton, 1996 16: The Trouble with HRH: On Princess Margaret, 1997 17: Brief Shining Moments: Kennedy and Nixon, 1998 18: Letters: Arthur Schlesinger Jr, Christopher Hitchens, Mervyn Jones 19: Acts of Violence in Grosvenor Square: On 1968, 1998 20: Diary: The 'Almanach de Gotha', 1998 21: Moderation or Death: On Isaiah Berlin, 1998 22: Letters: Roger Scruton, Francis Wheen, Mark Lilly, Christopher Hitchens 23: What a Lot of Parties: On Diana Mosley 24: 11 September 1973: Pinochet and Britain

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Book Synopsis**SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020**From renowned, Pulitzer Prize-winning literary critic, Michiko Kakutani, comes an inspiring and gorgeously illustrated selection of the life-changing books that none of us should missWhy do we love books so much?'For legendary literary critic Michiko Kakutani, books have always been an escape and a sanctuary, the characters of some novels feeling so real to her childhood self that she worried they might leap out of the pages at night if she left the book cover open. In Ex Libris, she offers a personal selection of over 100 works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, with passionate essays on why each has had a profound effect on her life.From Homer's The Odyssey to The Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale to Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels, Ex Libris covers a rich and vast range of classics, old and new, that will help build a well-rounded reader and citizen of the world. With gor

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Book SynopsisAN NPR BOOK-OF-THE-DAY • A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STAFF PICK • A NYLON MUST-READ • A FORTUNE NEW BOOK TO READ IN AUGUST“And, at the center of it all, am I actually nice or am I just performing a role I think I’m expected to play?” Mia Mercado is a razor-sharp cultural critic and essayist known for her witty and hilarious dissections of the uncomfortable truths that rule our lives. In this thought-provoking collection of new essays, Mercado examines what it means to be “polite,” “agreeable,” and “nice.” She covers topics from the subtleties of the “Bad Bitch” and why women dominate the ASMR market, to what makes her dog an adorable little freak and how you know if you’re shy. This is a book about the unspoken trick mirror of our “good” intentions: the inherent performance of the social media apology, celebrating men when they do the bare minimum, and why we trust a Midwesterner to watch our stuff when we go pee.Throughout, she ponders her identity as an Asian woman and asks what “nice” even means—and why anyone would want to be it. With writing that is as precise as it is profound, and cultural references that range from trash reality television to the New York Times Sunday-morning crossword puzzle, Mercado uncovers weird, long-overdue truths about our frailties and failings. In the end, she sees them not as a source of shame but as a cause for celebration. Filled with revelations that range from the silly to the serious,She’s Nice Though offers a mind-bending glimpse into the illusions and delusions of contemporary life—and reveals who we *really* are when no one is watching.Trade Review"A sharp essay collection that celebrates our collective insecurities and failures." — New York Times Book Review "In these intimate and sharp explorations, Mercado interrogates the origins and edges of her own affability, probing the ways in which gender, race, geography, and other identity markers can shape—or warp—human personality." — Poets & Writers "She’s Nice Though is the latest showcase of Mercado’s searing humor and insight. In her new book, she explores the limitations of being nice and polite. Delving into the cultural expectations of shallow pleasantries, Mercado wonders if there is actual value in being endlessly accommodating and polite. In humorous, relatable essays, Mercado explores this moral conundrum along with participating in the bread craze during the peak of the pandemic, her unique dog, what it’s like to be an Asian American woman living in the Midwest, the less than impressive “social media apology,” and more. " — Shondaland “In this hilarious collection, Mercado explores the concept of what it’s like to be a “nice girl.” She plays with form, including essays written as lists: [e.g.] ways she’ll die because she’s too nice to ask for help. Mercado is half Filipino, and she examines the stereotype of the submissive Asian woman and how that has influenced her life. Mercado’s laugh-out-loud [stories] will delight readers.” — Booklist “Mercado returns with another collection of humorous essays exploring her experience as an Asian woman from the Midwest. . . . Mercado maintains her self-deprecating humor while offering serious reflections on American culture, and the mix hits home. Mercado’s fans will eat this up.” — Publishers Weekly “Mia Mercado's writing is hilarious, warm, relatable, confessional and emotional. Her writing leaps off the page!” — Megan Amram, writer/producer of The Good Place and The Simpsons “A millennial humorist takes on timely topics. . . . An often amusing romp through contemporary issues by a popular humorist.” — Kirkus Reviews "This is a truly funny book...She's Nice Though skewers the full range of definitions—and expectations—of behaving well." — Vanity Fair

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Book SynopsisErnest Hemingway''s classic portrait of the pageantry of bullfighting.''I was trying to learn to write, commencing with the simplest things, and one of the simplest things of all and the most fundamental is violent death''This is Hemingway''s classic portrait of the pageantry of bullfighting. Here are the sights, the sounds, the excitement, and above all, the knowledge, that fuelled Hemingway''s passion for Spain and the bullfight. This remarkable book contains some of his finest writing, inspired by the intense life, as well as the inevitable death, of those hot, violent afternoons.''Hemingway''s style, at its best, is a superb vehicle for revealing tenderness of feeling beneath descriptions of brutality'' GuardianTrade ReviewHemingway's style, at its best, is a superb vehicle for revealing tenderness of feeling beneath descriptions of brutality * Guardian *The most readable and the most nearly exhaustive account of the Spanish Bullfight that we have

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Book Synopsis''Between a bottle of Epsom salts or one of twenty-year-old cognac, which would you choose? Would you rather spend your vacation with an eighty-year old leper or with Demi Moore? Do you prefer being sprinkled with ferocious red ants or sharing a sleeping compartment with Claudia Schiffer?''From the celebrated author of The Name of the Rose, here is a dazzling compendium of advice offering the correct answers to these and many other important questions. Tackling topics as diverse as the coffee pot from hell, eating on an aeroplane, how not to use a cellular phone and recognising porn movies, Umberto Eco guides us with all his customary wit and brilliance through the complexities of the modern world.

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Book SynopsisReflections by the creator of the essay form display the humane, skeptical, humorous, and honest views of Montaigne, revealing his thoughts on sexuality, religion, cannibals, intellectuals, and other unexpected themes. Included are such celebrated works as On Solitude, To Philosophize Is to Learn How to Die, and On Experience.Table of ContentsEssaysIntroductionTo the ReaderBook One7. That our actions should be judged by our intentions8. On idleness9. On liars10. That no man should be called happy until after his death21. On the power of the imagination22. That one man's profit is another's loss26. On the education of children27. That it is folly to measure truth and error by our own capacity28. On friendship31. On cannibals36. On the custom of wearing clothes47. On the uncertainty of our judgement50. On Democritus and Heraclitus55. On smellsBook Two8. On the affection of fathers for their children10. On books11. On cruelty17. On presumption28. All things have their season32. A defence of Seneca and PlutarchBook Three2. On repentance3. On three kinds of relationships6. On vehicles8. On the art of conversation12. On physiognomy13. On experience

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Book SynopsisWritten in the late sixteenth century, at the pinnacle of the English Renaissance, the rich and ingenious works of Thomas Nashe uniquely reveal the ambivant nature of the Elizabethan era. Mingling the devout and the bawdy, scholarship and slang, they express throughout an irrepressible, inexhaustible wit and an astonishing command of language. This collection of Nashe''s finest works includes The Unfortunate Traveller, the sharp and grotesque tale of Jack Wilton, an Englishman travelling through Europe; Pierce Penniless, a biting satire on the society of his age; Terrors of the Night; Lenten Stuff; the sensual poem The Choice of Valentines; and extracts from Christ''s Tears over Jerusalem and other works. Wide-ranging in subject, all capture the unique voice and fantastic ingenuity of one of the most entertaining Elizabethan writers - a man regarded by his contemporaries as the ''English Juvenal''.

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Book SynopsisIn his essay, Locke rejects all appeals to authority and the theory of innate knowledge, arguing that knowledge derives from sense, perceptions and experience, as analysed and developed by reason.Table of ContentsIntroductionFurther ReadingBibliographical AbbreviationsA Note on the TextTitle-page of the Fifth EditionAN ESSAY CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDINGThe Epistle DedicatoryThe Epistle to the ReaderThe ContentsBook I: Of Innate NotionsI IntroductionII No Innate Principles in the MindIII No Innate Practical PrinciplesIV Other Considerations concerning Innate Principles, both Speculative and PracticalBook II: Of Innate NotionsI Of Ideas in General, and their OriginalII Of Simple IdeasIII Of Ideas of One SenseIV Of SolidityV Of Simple Ideas of Divers SensesVI Of Simple Ideas of ReflectionVII Of Simple Ideas of both Sensation and ReflectionVIII Some further Considerations concerning our Simple IdeasIX Of PerceptionX Of RetentionXI Of Discerning, and other Operations of the MindXII Of Complex IdeasXIII Of Simple Modes; and first, of the Simple Modes of SpaceXIV Of Duration, and its Simple ModesXV Of Duration and Expansion, considered togetherXVI Of NumberXVII Of InfinityXVIII Of other Simple ModesXIX Of the Modes of ThinkingXX Of Modes of Pleasure and PainXXI Of PowerXXII Of Mixed ModesXXIII Of our Complex Ideas of SubstancesXXIV Of Collective Ideas of SubstancesXXV Of RelationXXVI Of Cause and Effect, and other RelationsXXVII Of Identity and DiversityXXVIII Of other RelationsXXIX Of Clear and Obscure, Distinct and Confused IdeasXXX Of Real and Fantastical IdeasXXXI Of Adequate and Inadequate IdeasXXXII Of True and False IdeasXXXIII Of the Association of IdeasBook III: Of WordsI Of Words or Language in GeneralII Of the Signification of WordsIII Of General TermsIV Of the Names of Simple IdeasV Of the Names of Mixed Modes and RelationsVI Of the Names of SubstancesVII Of ParticlesVIII Of Abstract and Concrete TermsIX Of the Imperfection of WordsX Of the Abuse of WordsXI Of the Remedies of the Foregoing Imperfections and AbusesBook IV: Of Knowledge and OpinionI Of Knowledge in GeneralII Of the Degrees of Our KnowledgeIII Of the Extent of Human KnowledgeIV Of the Reality of KnowledgeV Of Truth in GeneralVI Of Universal Propositions, their Truth and CertaintyVII Of MaximsVIII Of Trifling PropositionsIX Of our Knowledge of ExistenceX Of our Knowledge of the Existence of a GodXI Of our Knowledge of the Existence of ThingsXII Of the Improvement of our KnowledgeXIII Some further Considerations concerning our KnowledgeXIV Of JudgmentXv Of ProbabilityXVI Of the Degrees of AssentXVII Of ReasonXVIII Of Faith and Reason, and their Distinct ProvincesXIX Of EnthusiasmXX Of Wrong Assent, or ErrorXXI Of the Division of the SciencesAppendix: John Locke's Debate with Edward Stillingfleet, Bishop of Worcester, as it figures in footnotes in the Fifth Edition of the EssayIndex to the Fifth EditionNotes

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Book SynopsisTravelling on horseback through southern England in the early 19th century, William Cobbett provides evocative and accurate descriptions of the countryside, colourful accounts of his encounters with labourers, and indignant outbursts at the encroaching cities and the sufferings of the exploited poor. Ian Dyck''s new edition places these lively accounts of rural life in the context of Cobbett''s political and social beliefs and reveals the volume as his platform for rural radical reform.

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Book SynopsisHis last work, regarded by many as the greatest work of contemporary scholarship, Tacitus' The Annals of Imperial Rome recount with depth and insight the history of the Roman Empire during the first century A.D. This Penguin Classics edition is translated with an introduction by Michael Grant. Tacitus' Annals of Imperial Rome recount the major historical events from the years shortly before the death of Augustus up to the death of Nero in AD 68. With clarity and vivid intensity he describes the reign of terror under the corrupt Tiberius, the great fire of Rome during the time of Nero, and the wars, poisonings, scandals, conspiracies and murders that were part of imperial life. Despite his claim that the Annals were written objectively, Tacitus' account is sharply critical of the emperors' excesses and fearful for the future of Imperial Rome, while also filled with a longing for its past glories. Michael Grant's translation vividly captures the emotional patriotism of TacituTable of ContentsThe Annals of Imperial RomeTranslator's Introduction1. The Life and Works of Tacitus2. What Tacitus Inherited3. Tacitus on Empire and Emporers4. Tacitus and the World5. The Style of Tacitus: Translator's NoteImperial RomePart One: Tiberius1. From Augustus to Tiberius (Bk, I. 1-15)2. Mutiny on the Frontiers (I. 16-49)3. War with the Germans (I. 49-II. 26)4. The First Treason (II. 27-52)5. The Death of Germanicus (II. 52-III. 19)6. Tiberius and the Senate (III. 19-76)7. Partner of My Labours (IV, V)8. The Reign of Terror (VI)Part Two: Claudius and Nero9. The Fall of Messalina (XI)10. The Mother of Nero (XII)11. The Fall of Agrippina (XIII, I-XIV. 13)12. Nero and his Helpers (XIV. 14-65)13. Eastern Settlement (XV. 1-32)14. The Burning of Rome (XV. 32-47)15. The Plot (XV. 48-74)16. Innocent Victims (XVI)List of Roman EmporersLists of Some Eastern MonarchsKey to Technical TermsKey to Place-NamesGenealogical TablesFurther Readingindex of Personal Names

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Book SynopsisA military leader of legendary genius, Caesar was also a great writer, recording the events of his life with incomparable immediacy and power. The Civil War is a tense and gripping depiction of his struggle with Pompey over the leadership of Republican Rome - a conflict that spanned the entire Roman world, from Gaul and Spain to Asia and Africa. Where Caesar''s own account leaves off in 48 BC, his lieutenants take up the history, describing the vital battles of Munda, Spain and Thapsus, and the installation of Cleopatra, later Caesar''s mistress, as Queen of Egypt. Together these narratives paint a full picture of the events that brought Caesar supreme power - and paved the way for his assassination only months later.Table of ContentsThe Civil WarIntroductionHistorical backgroundCaesar - the man and his aimsThe Civil War and the continuationsBibliographical NoteTranslator's NoteCaesar: The Civil WarPart I: The Struggle Begins1. Intransigence at Rome2. Caesar reacts3. The Seige of Corfinium4. Pompey leaves Italy5. Caesar's Senate6. Resistance at Massilia7. The First Spanish campaign - Ilerda8. A naval fight at Massilia9. Spain - a war of attrition10. The Pompeians capitulatePart II: Securing the West1. The Seige of Massilia2. Spain - the surrender of Varro3. Massilia capitulates4. Africa - Curio's campaign5. Curio's last standPart III: The Great Confrontation1. Caesar in Italy - Pompey's preparations2. Negotiations in Epirus3. Trouble in Italy4. Antony runs the gauntlet5. The Lieutenants in Macedon6. Stalemate at Dyrrachium7. Setbacks for Caesar8. Caesar moves to Thessaly9. Pompey follows10. The battle of Pharsalus11. The death of Peompey12. Caesar at AlexandriaThe Alexandrian WarI. Events in Egypt1. Miltary preparations2. The water supply poisoned3. Naval engagements4. The last stagesII. Events in AsiaIII. Events in IllyricumIV. Events in SpainV. Caesar Chastens Pharnaces: ZelaThe African War1. Initail landings in Africa2. Waiting at Ruspina3. Consolidation4. Caesar takes the offense5. The Pompeians lose the initiative6. Thapsus7. The settlement of AfricaThe Spanish War1. Caesar pursues the Pompeians2. The victory of Munda3. 'Mopping-up'NotesThe Civil WarThe AlexandrainThe African WarThe Spanish WarAppendixesI. The TextII. The Ultimate DecreeIII. PharsalusIV. Chronological Outline of the Careers of Pompey and CaesarGlossary or Persons and PlacesIndex of MapsMaps and Sketch-Plans

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Book SynopsisA far-ranging, invigorating and irrepressible collection of essays on literature, cinema, art - and everything in between - from the MAN BOOKER PRIZE- and WOMEN''S PRIZE-SHORTLISTED author of Feel Free and Swing Time''Alarmingly good'' Metro''Striding with open hearted zest and eloquence between fiction (from EM Forster to David Foster Wallace) and travel, movies and comedy, family and community in a self-portrait that charts the evolution of a formidable talent'' Independent''Supremely good. Smith writes with such infectious zeal and engaging accessibility that it makes you want to turn up at her house and demand tutoring'' Dazed''Brilliant'' Vogue

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Book SynopsisCalling on diverse examples from Ancient Greek sculpture to contemporary paintings, this title creates a witty, paradoxical world in which the only art worth loving is that built on complete untruths.

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Book SynopsisTagore was a fierce opponent of British rule in India. In this work he discusses the resurgence of the East and the challenge it poses to Western supremacy, calling for a future beyond nationalism, based instead on cooperation and racial tolerance.GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

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Book SynopsisThis selection brings together the best prose writings of the great early nineteenth-century essayist Charles Lamb, whose shrewd wit and convivial style have endeared him to generations of readers. These pieces include early discussions of Hogarth and Shakespeare; masterly essays written under the pen-name ''Elia'' that range over such subjects as drunkenness, witches, dreams, marriage and the joy of roast pig; and letters to Lamb''s circle of contemporaries, among them Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. Wryly amused by the world, allusive, searching and endlessly inventive, these are the essential works of a master of English prose.In his introduction Adam Phillips discusses how Charles Lamb''s tragic life and sainted reputation, caring for his mentally ill sister Mary, belied the quality of his work. This edition also includes a biographical index of Lamb''s correspondents.Charles Lamb (1775-1834) was an English essayist best known for his humorous Essays of Elia from which the essay ''A Dissertation Upon Roast Pig'' is taken. Lamb enjoyed a rich social life and became part of a group of young writers that included William Hazlitt, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron and Samuel Taylor Coleridge with whom he shared a lifelong friendship. Lamb never achieved the same literary success as his friends but his influence on the English essay form cannot be underestimated and his book, Specimens of the English Dramatic Poets is remembered for popularising the work of Shakespeare''s contemporaries.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewFor those of us who are Vladimir Nabokov completists perhaps we finally have closure ... Now we have the full Nabokovian ex cathedra pronouncements in all their typical vim and vigour. -- William Boyd * Times Literary Supplement *Masterly, hilarious, truly insightful ... Vladimir Nabokov's views are of compelling interest - paradoxically, because he regularly insisted that his novels sent no message, made no moral case and presented no argument ... His non-fiction stands up astonishingly well. -- Philip Hensher * The Spectator *A rich treat for Nabokov's admirers. * Kirkus *The writer's genius for nailing a subject in a sentence lives on in his stinging reviews and defensive interviews. -- Christian Lorentzen * Financial Times *A fuller, and maybe truer, image of Nabokov ... The greatest pleasure in reading this book is the impression you get that you're opening your presents underneath the Christmas tree ... A lovely blend of literary elements and of personal details pertaining to Nabokov: you experience intellectual marvel when you detect the premises of a famous quote or a literary pattern, and you feel particular pleasure when you get a glimpse of the man hiding behind the famous writer and becoming suddenly relatable. -- Julie Loison-Charles * Transatlantica *

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Book SynopsisWriting in an age when the call for the rights of man had brought revolution to America and France, Mary Wollstonecraft produced her own declaration of female independence in 1792. Passionate and forthright, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman attacked the prevailing view of docile, decorative femininity, and instead laid out the principles of emancipation: an equal education for girls and boys, an end to prejudice, and for women to become defined by their profession, not their partner. Mary Wollstonecraft''s work was received with a mixture of admiration and outrage - Walpole called her ''a hyena in petticoats'' - yet it established her as the mother of modern feminism.Trade Review"We hear [Mary Wollstonecraft's] voice and trace her influence even now among the living."

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Book SynopsisBenjamin Franklin''s writings represent a long career of literary, scientific and political efforts over a lifetime which extended nearly the entire eighteenth century. This volume includes Franklin''s reflections on such diverse questions as philosophy and religion, social status, electricity, American national characteristics, war, and the status of women. Nearly sixty years separate the earliest writings from the latest, an interval during which Franklin was continually balancing between the puritan values of his upbringing and the modern American world to which his career served as prologue. This edition provides a new text of the Autobiography, established with close reference to Franklin''s original manuscript. It also includes a new transcription of the 1726 journal and several pieces which have recently been identified as Franklin''s own work.

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Book SynopsisNikola Tesla''s life is as interesting for his idiosyncrasy as it is for his brilliance. The inventor''s mind knew no limits and his incredible sense of possibility rings through his memoir. This authorative volume of My Inventions includes three additional articles by Tesla which were published in The Electrical Experimenter magazine and represent the breadth of his interests: ''Tesla would pour Lightning from Airships to Consume Foe'' (1916), ''The Action of The Eye'' (1893), ''The Problem of Increasing Human Energy'' (1900). Samantha Hunt, author of The Invention of Everything Else, contributes an introduction to Tesla''s works, separating fact from fiction (there are published works out there that attest Tesla was an alien), while maintaining the natural awe of Tesla''s eccentric existence.

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Book Synopsis''The mystery of Life, the mystery Of Death, I see Darkly as in a glass...''Christina Rossetti (1830-94) is perhaps the most contradictory of the great Victorian poets. She writes of the world''s beauty, but fears that it may be deceptive, even deadly. She is a religious poet, but much of her work is driven by uncertainty. Her poems are restrained, even secretive, but they seek nothing less than the mystery of Life and Death.This edition contains Rossetti''s strongest and most distinctive work: poetry (including ''Goblin Market'', ''The Prince''s Progress'', and the sonnet sequence ''Monna Innominata''), stories (including the complete text of Maude), devotional prose (with nearly fifty entries from the ''reading diary'' Times Flies), and personal letters. Those poems which Rossetti published, and those which she withheld from publication, are here brought together in chronological order, allowing the reader to observe her poetic trajectory. This edition also records the major revision

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Book SynopsisAlexandre Dumas''s novels are notable for their suspense and excitement, their foul deeds, hairsbreadth escapes, and glorious victories. In The Black Tulip (1850), the shortest of Dumas''s most famous tales, the real hero is no Musketeer, but a flower. The novel - a deceptively simple story - is set in Holland in 1672, and weaves the historical events surrounding the brutal murder of John de Witte and his brother Cornelius into a tale of romantic love. The novel is also a timeless political allegory in which Dumas, drawing on the violence and crimes of history, makes his case against tyranny and puts all his energies into creating a symbol of justice and tolerance: the fateful tulipa negra.This new edition reprints the first, classic English translation. David Coward sets the novel in the context of its author''s life, the turbulent history of the Dutch Republic, and the amazing `tulipmania'' of the seventeenth century which brought wealth to some and ruin to many. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

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Book SynopsisHow the modern world has understood the ancient Greeks and why they matter todayThe study of ancient Greek history has been central to the western conception of history since the Renaissance. The Muse of History traces the shifting patterns of this preoccupation in the last three centuries, in which each generation has reinterpreted the Greeks in the light of their contemporary world, through times of revolution, conflicting ideologies and warfare. It aims to offer a new history of Greek historiography from the Enlightenment to the present, and to acknowledge the continuing spiritual importance of the ancient Greeks for European culture in the twentieth century under totalitarian persecutions. Through the study of different historians, many of them unjustly forgotten, it shows the problematic nature of the Anglo-Saxon tradition and the importance of ideas from the continent of Europe, the ambiguities of democracy, and the impossibility of understanding the past or the present outside our common European heritage. It ends by offering suggestions for the future of the study of the Greeks in the context of world history.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWonderful. Charmingly miscellaneous in structure, the book is jam-packed with useful tips . . . It celebrates the joy of home cooking, and shows how small tweaks can make a dish stand out * Telegraph *My idea of the perfect cookbook . . . You want to make every single thing in it . . . Utterly delicious. Reading the book feels exactly like sitting in the kitchen, chatting cosily to a friend while she makes exactly the food you want to eat and dispenses excellent tips -- India Knight * Sunday Times *Foodies will love this joyful cookbook full of must-try recipes and funny anecdotes * Good Housekeeping *This sumptuous collection of recipes is at once wildly aspirational and fully down-to-earth. Robertson is like a brilliant aunt - no nonsense, funny, acerbic - so you know the recipes from a life split between London and the Languedoc will work * Great British Food, '10 of the Best Cookbooks of 2022' *I want to eat every single recipe in this book - even the two for dogs! -- Nigella LawsonI am so greedily impatient for this book. I want to read it. I want to cook from it. * Nigella Lawson *Nobody else writing about food in this country has a voice like Debora Robertson's. She is sharp, witty and warm. * Diana Henry *Debora's food knowledge is exceptional. Her understanding of the food world, writers, cookbooks, chefs and producers, is encyclopaedic. On top of that she's genuinely lovely! * Tom Kerridge *Debora Robertson is that rare thing: a food writer who combines wit and wisdom. * Lisa Markwell, Food Editor, The Sunday Times *Debora is the real deal - a proper home cook, writing for home cooks. * India Knight, Columnist and Author *

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Book SynopsisGlimpse into the life of one of Britain''s best-loved comic writers - Sue Townsend - with this hilarious collection of her anecdotes and musings. ___________Enter the world of Susan Lilian Townsend - all our welcome! This sparkling collection of Sue Townsend''s hilarious non-fiction covers everything from hosepipe bans to Spanish restaurants, from writer''s block to slug warfare, from slob holidays to the banning of beige.These funny, perceptive and touching pieces reveal Sue, ourselves and the nation in an extraordinary new light. Sit back and chortle away as one of Britain''s most popular and acclaimed writers takes a feather to your funny bone.Witty, and laugh-out-loud funny, The Public Confessions of a Middle-Aged Woman (Aged 55) is essential reading for any Sue Townsend fan. _____________''Anyone who loved The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole will enjoy this collection of witty and sharply observed jottinTrade ReviewAnyone who loved The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole will enjoy this collection of witty and sharply observed jottings from the inimitable Sue Townsend. Great stuff * OK! *Full of homely, hilarious asides on the absurdities of domestic existence . . . What a fantastic advertisement for middle-age - it can't be bad if it's this funny * Heat *'It's as if Townsend has caught our idiosyncrasies on candid camera and is showing a rerun of all the silly clips ... the ideal dip-in-and-out book' * Time Out *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of the year's funniest books ... witty, wise and worth returning to again and again * i Paper *Funny, smart, soulful and sometimes devastating, this book shows life in all its shades. It made me laugh and cry -- Emilie Pine, author of Notes to SelfWarm, wry, charming, absorbing ... It's the most gorgeous and heartbreaking book about humans and why we need each other -- Daisy Buchanan * via Twitter *Funny and adorable -- Nina StibbeI was reminded - very happily reminded - of Kurt Vonnegut. But Patrick Freyne is his own writer and this book is clever, lovely and great, great fun -- Roddy DoylePatrick Freyne has a distinct and enviable gift for story-telling ... Full of humour and tenderness, this book is an absolute JOY -- Sinéad Gleeson, author of ConstellationsOne of the best-written, smartest and gosh-darn-it funniest books I've read in a very long while -- Séamus O'ReillyHilariously, painfully, Freynefully brilliant -- Joseph O'ConnorWhether he's writing about his childhood on a military base, working in a kebab shop with a nazi in his teens, playing in punk bands in his twenties, or grappling with the question of whether to have children, Patrick Freyne is a writer of rare humour, depth, and humanity. These essays are a delight -- Mark O'Connell, author of To Be a MachineA cracking, sad, funny, honest, brave and hilarious read -- Liz Nugent * via Twitter *No one makes me laugh like Patrick Freyne -- Paul HowardSuperb ... The stories move from breathtakingly vulnerable to extraordinarily funny, and all with such skill and lightness of touch. I loved it -- Louise O'NeillI don't know another writer who could balance poignancy and hilarity with such grace ... Goosebumps! Guffaws! It's got it all. I love this book -- Doireann Ní Ghríofa * via Twitter *Guffaw-out-loud funny * Business Post *A riotous read from the get-go ... An absolute tonic for our times * RTÉ Guide *F*cking fantastic. Patrick is a brilliant writer -- Blindboy Boatclub * via Twitter *Lovely ... It's very worth reading -- Dara Ó Briain * via Twitter *A wonderful book ... done with a gorgeous twist of humour and great emotional insight ... One of my books of the year -- Ryan Tubridy * RTÉ Radio 1 *Exquisite ... One of the funniest writers in Ireland * Irish Examiner *Immensely readable, warm, human and very, very funny * Irish Daily Star *Pixies were loud-quiet-loud. Patrick Freyne is funny-sad-funny. I really loved his new book -- Ed O'Loughlin * via Twitter *Readers are sure to find themselves touched by Freyne's writing ... Delightful * Journal.ie *Freyne's thoroughly entertaining debut is a flash of warmth and wit in the darkness * Totally Dublin *Genuinely moving ... [It] will evoke warmth in anyone who isn't totally sociopathic * Hot Press *A delightful insight into the mind of the hilarious Patrick Freyne * Irish Country Magazine *So honest, so funny, and most importantly, 11/10 for self-deprecation -- Sarah BreenBrilliant ... An absolute mind hug -- Niall BreslinFreyne's radar is precision-honed to find the madness within the mundane * Sunday Independent *More moving that I ever expected and somehow funnier than I assumed -- Emer McLysaght * Irish Times, Best Books of 2020 *

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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 SynopsisIn this eagerly awaited follow-up to his international bestsellers Anam Cara and Eternal Echoes, John O''Donohue turns his attention to the subject of beauty - the divine beauty that calls the imagination and awakens all that is noble in the human heart.In these uncertain times of global conflict and crisis, we are riven with anxiety; our trust in the future has lost its innocence, for we know now that anything can happen from one second to the next. In such an unsheltered world, it may sound naive to suggest that this might be the moment to invoke and awaken beauty, yet this is exactly the claim that this book seeks to explore.DIVINE BEAUTY is a gentle but urgent call to awaken. O''Donohue opens our eyes, hearts and minds to the wonder of our own relationship with beauty. Rather than ''covering'' this theme, he uncovers it, exposing the infinity and mystery of its breadth. His words return us home to the dignity of silence, the profundity of stillness, the power of thought and perception, and the eternal grace and generosity of beauty''s presence. In this masterful and revelatory work, O''Donohue encourages our greater intimacy with beauty, and celebrates it for what it really is: a homecoming of the human spirit.As he focuses on the classical, medieval and Celtic traditions, on art, music, literature, nature and language, O''Donohue reveals how beauty''s invisible embrace invites us towards new heights of passion and creativity. DIVINE BEAUTY is an exquisite treasury of Forms of the Beautiful. Its surface employs narrative, image, anecdote and myth, while into the silence of its subtext are sown seeds of reflection that gradually blossom in the heart.Trade Review'A thinker who seamlessly weaves philosophy and theology, O'Donohue stops us in our tracks, reminding us that we might be alive for reasons other than productivity or consumption' * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisA passionate and provocative defence of art from the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being.Are we living in an era that no longer values art or beauty? This is Kundera''s passionate defence of the creators who remain viscerally important to him, and whose work - especially the blazing newness of modernism - helps us better understand our world. From Francis Bacon''s paintings to the films of Federico Fellini, novels by Philip Roth or Fyodor Dostoyevsky - as well as writers who are unjustly obscure, such as Anatole France and Curzio Malaparte - Kundera spiritedly champions these artists for a new generation. Startlingly original and provocative - and always elegant, witty and ironic - Kundera''s argument that art is all we have to cleave to in the face of human evil grows more powerful by the day.''I can't imagine reading this book without being challenged and instructed, amused, amazed and aroused, and ultimately delighted.'' New York Times

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Book Synopsis'A true genius of comedy' Grayson PerryAs a Metropolitan Elitist Snowflake, Stewart Lee was disappointed by the EU referendum result of 2016.

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Book Synopsis''A pointed, svelte but diverse work.'' Irish TimesPart memoir, part manifesto, Some Answers Without Questions is an elegant, important and spirited work of self-investigation; the result of decades of answering questions that don''t really matterand not being asked the ones that do.''A delight: approachable, rigorous and omnivorous in its frame of reference. . . a timely, lyrical investigation into what it means to create.'' Observer

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Book SynopsisA stunning visual homage to Black bookstores, featuring a selection of shops around the country alongside essays that celebrate the history, community, activism, and culture these spaces embody, with an original foreword by Nikki Giovanni.Black literature is perhaps the most powerful, polarizing force in the modern American zeitgeist. Today?as Black novels draw authoritarian ire, as Black memoirs shape public debates, as Black polemics inspire protest petitions?it?s more important than ever to highlight the places that center these stories: Black bookstores. Traversing teeming metropolises and tiny towns, Prose to the People explores a these spaces, chronicling these Black bookstore''s past and present lives. Combining narrative prose, eye-catching photography, one-on-one interviews, original essays, and specially curated poetry, Prose to the People is a reader?s road trip companion to the world of Black books. Thoughtfully curated by writer and Black bookstore owner Katie Mitchell, Prose to the People is a must-have addition to the shelves of anyone who loves book culture and Black history. Though not a definitive guide, this dynamic book centers profiles of over fifty Black bookstores from the Northeast to the mid-Atlantic, the South, and the West Coast, complete with stunning original and archival photography. Interspersed throughout are essays, poems, and interviews by New York Times bestsellers Kiese Laymon, Rio Cortez, Pearl Cleage, and many more journalists, activists, authors, academics, and poets that offer deeper perspectives on these bookstores'' role throughout the diaspora. Complete with a foreword by world-renowned poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, Prose to the People is a beautiful tribute to these vital pillars of the Black community.

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Book SynopsisPlutarch (ca. AD 45–120) wrote on many subjects. His extant works other than the Parallel Lives are varied, about sixty in number, and known as the Moralia (Moral Essays). They reflect his philosophy about living a good life, and provide a treasury of information concerning Greco-Roman society, traditions, ideals, ethics, and religion.

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Book SynopsisStunning account of conversations between these two great intellectuals of our timeTrade Review‘A beautifully poised series of dialogues about literature, music and politics, and they're a testimony to the enormous gifts and courage of both men' * Tom Paulin, Guardian *‘Without question, the most original book of the year. A marvellous eavesdrop on the discourse of exchange between two great intellects' * Nadine Gordimer, TLS *‘A fascinating exchange of ideas on music, politics and literature' * Classic FM Magazine *‘An extraordinary meeting of minds in troubled times' * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisTold in three parts - SEX, FOOD, CANCER - this is a short, powerful memoir about one woman's relationship with her body and a universally relatable story for anyone who has ever had, or lost, breasts

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