Published diaries, letters and journals Books

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Book SynopsisAuthor of the first gothic novel and son of the first prime minister of Great Britain, Horace Walpole had wide-ranging interests that included literature, politics, world affairs, collecting, antiquities, and architecture, and to his numerous correspondents he wrote on these and other topics in prose that is celebrated for its charm, eloquence, and wit. This new Everyman's edition offers an extensive selection of Walpole's letters, helpfully arranged by subject so the reader can choose from themes including social life, the Court, politics, literature, and the evolution of his Gothic castle and art and book collections at Strawberry Hill. This edition offers new annotations throughout, with introductions to its various sections and a general introduction on Walpole as a letter writer. In addition, the text of the letters has been corrected and previously excised passages have been restored.

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Book SynopsisBY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA INTRODUCED BY ALISON LIGHT'The genuine, thoughtful voice of a woman whose works have been loved by millions' NEW YORK TIMES'Daphne du Maurier has no equal' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'Du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings' STEPHEN KING The Rebecca Notebook provides an unparalleled insight into the mastery of a writer's craft and the inner vision that made du Maurier a household name. One of the great international bestsellers, Rebecca also inspired a film, a play and television dramas. This perfect companion volume, The Rebecca Notebook, outlines just how Rebecca came to be written, tracing its origins, developments and the directions it might have taken. The author reveals how she first came upon the secret house, hidden deep in the Cornish woodland, that was to become the romantic setting for her most famous novel: a house which stood derelict, and which she lovingly restored to create her own home. The accompanying Memories introduce other members of her family: her father Gerald, the famous actor; her grandfather George, whose Punch drawings made him world famous; and her cousins, for whom J. M. Barrie wrote Peter Pan.Trade ReviewIn her heartfelt memories ... one hears the genuine, thoughtful voice of a woman whose works have been loved by millions * New York Times *Daphne du Maurier has no equal * Sunday Telegraph *Du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings -- Stephen KingDame Daphne's wise and attractive new book will enchant her many readers * Sunday Express *

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Book Synopsis'A delightful book, full of amusing and charming stories' THE TIMES'Daphne du Maurier has no equal' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'An intimate view of a creative personality . . . as richly evocative as any of her novels' LOS ANGELES TIMESIn Myself When Young, based on diaries that she kept from 1920-1932, the most famous du Maurier probes her own past, beginning with her earliest memories and encompassing the publication of her first book and her subsequent marriage.Here, the writer is open and sometimes painfully honest about the difficult relationship with her father; her education in Paris; early love affairs; her antipathy towards London life and the theatre; her intense love for Cornwall and her desperate ambition to succeed as a writer. The resulting portrait is of a captivating and complex character. Both her novels and her non-fiction reveal Daphne du Maurier's overwhelming desire to explore her family's history.Trade ReviewA delightful book, full of amusing and charming stories, pinpointing the literary influences and the first stirrings of books to be written in later years, and with a happy and romantic ending * The Times *The girl we meet, a strong-winged bird homing in to the steep banks of a Cornish river, is herself no mean romantic enigma * Sunday Times *An intimate view of a creative personality ... as richly evocative as any of her novels * Los Angeles Times *Daphne du Maurier has no equal * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisHenry Swanzy (1915-2004) has an unrivalled position as the midwife of Caribbean writing in the post 1950s period. As the editor of the BBC Caribbean Voices programme (initiated by Una Marson) between 1946 and 1956, he was there as the careers of George Lamming, Edgar Mittelholzer, Jan Carew, V.S. Naipaul, Sam Selvon and many others took off in London. As a programme aimed in the first place at a Caribbean listenership, Swanzy encouraged writing that was authentic to its Caribbean roots, in language, theme and social concern. As an Irishman, Swanzy retained enough of a post-colonial sensibility to be positively sympathetic to the nationalist thrust of the writing. He was evidently well-respected by the writers to whom he offered both literary and personal support – and not least for his awareness of their pecuniary needs. Once Caribbean Voices was well established, it was left in the hands of Caribbean editors (including Mittelholzer and V.S. Naipaul) and Swanzy himself went off to Ghana in 1956 to encourage and support writers and broadcasting there. Thanks to the generosity of Swanzy’s heirs, his private and often amusingly indiscreet diaries of this period (known as “Ichabod”) have been made available and carefully edited and documented by the team of Niblett, Campbell and Smith. With an introduction that puts Swanzy and these radio programmes in context, this is both an essential, entertaining and highly readable book for anyone even remotely interested in the development of Caribbean writing. Not least of its value is the extensive appendix where Niblett et al. have documented all the writers mentioned in the diary. This, in itself, is a salutary reminder of the wealth of writing talent in both the Caribbean and Ghana that flowered in this period but then, in the absence of other opportunities, in many cases undeservedly disappeared from view.Table of ContentsIntroduction The Diaries Appendix Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisAcclaimed author Andrey Kurkov gives powerful insight into life in Kyiv following the 2013 protests and before the 2022 Russian invasion.-16°C, sunlight, silence. I drove the children to school, then went to see the revolution. I walked between the tents. Talked with rev­olutionaries. They were weary today. The air was thick with the smell of old campfires. Ukraine Diaries is acclaimed writer Andrey Kurkov's first-hand account of the ongoing crisis in his country. From his flat in Kyiv, just five hundred yards from Independence Square, Kurkov can smell the burning barricades and hear the sounds of grenades and gunshot. Kurkov's diaries begin on the first day of the pro-European protests in November 2013, and describe the violent clashes in the Maidan, the impeachment of Yanukovych, Russia's annexation of Crimea and the separatist uprisings in the east of Ukraine. Going beyond the headlines, they give vivid insight into what it's like to live through - and try to make sense of - times of intense political unrest, on the path to the current crisis.Trade ReviewAndrey Kurkov's Ukraine Diaries offer a unique personal insight into one of the world's most complex trouble spots. The fact that Kurkov lives in the heart of Kiev, and the fact that he can write so well, give an eloquence and immediacy to his account of day to day life in the teeth of a crisis. This is history, with feeling -- Michael Palin[Kurkov writes] in the style of an informed but convivial flaneur, and his entries crackle with irony and humour -- Marcus Tanner * Independent *Controlled rage and wry wit, nicely captured in Sam Taylor’s translation… Kurkov’s diaries are valuable * The Economist *As his diaries make clear, real life has outstripped his blackly comic fiction for surreal detail, political cynicism and latent menace -- Ben Hoyle * The Times, Book of the week *The power...lies in the interweaving of the extraordinary and the mundane -- John Thornhill * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisWhen he turned sixty-five, the playwright Simon Gray began to keep a diary: not a careful honing of the day's events with a view to posterity but an account of his thoughts as he had them, honestly, turbulently, digressively expressed. The Smoking Diaries was the result, in which one of Britain's most beloved and original writers reflected on a life filled with cigarettes (continuing), alcohol (stopped), several triumphs and many more disasters, shame, adultery, friendship and love. Few diarists have been as frank about themselves, and even fewer as entertaining.

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Book SynopsisCompelling and intimate, this collection of letters between the celebrated art critic and essayist John Berger and his son Yves, an artist, is a moving look at their musings on art, memory, life, death, and beyond. Composed of letters written between 2015 and 2016, some of the last written by John Berger, along with images of works by old masters and contemporary art and some of the Bergers' own drawings and watercolours, Over to You is an informal back-and-forth not unlike the ping-pong games father and son used to play in the barn of their house. It begins when John, who is in a Parisian suburb, sends Yves, who is in Haute-Savoie, an envelope of reproductions of art that have moved him. And so they begin to reveal their thoughts, looking at works by Goya, Watteau, Twombly, Joan Mitchell, Dürer, Caravaggio, Manet, and Euan Uglow, among many others. But the art is just a way to summon shared emotions and memories, as well as deepen their understanding of the world and its mysteries. John, at eighty-nine, is the more formal teacher; Yves, at thirty-nine, is the younger, philosophical artist. There are John's thoughts on everything from the use of colour, light and space in, say, a Dürer or a Beckmann to the question of 'staying fully alive.' Yves notes how much in life exceeds our understanding, the gap between our consciousness and our feeling, between the said and the unsaid. 'That's the zone where I would like us to meet. Are you coming?' he asks his father. 'I may need other eyes to confirm what is really there. Like your eyes always did.'This is an exceptional and moving tribute to a relationship between a father and a son, and between two artists, as well as a thought-provoking look at questions we all have about work, time, the universe, life and death.

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Book Synopsis`I send you fondest thoughts on your birthday. On this day I will think a lot of all the beautiful things which were, and are contained in our work together, and which now always stand so beautifully before my inner eye when I describe them. Let me assure you that I write this description with love.’ – Rudolf Steiner to Marie Steiner, 13 March 1925 Containing all the correspondence between Rudolf and Marie Steiner to be found in their respective estates, this volume provides unique insight into the couple’s pivotal relationship. The years 1901-25 were a time of struggle, as Rudolf Steiner – faithfully supported by the young Marie von Sivers (later to become Marie Steiner in 1914) – endeavoured to build a completely new spiritual movement on earth. Their letters cover everything from the esoteric view of evolution and human advancement to dealing with organizational details, challenging personalities and, of course, their own relationship. In addition to the correspondence, a number of documents have been inserted chronologically throughout the text. The famous `notes’ written by Rudolf Steiner for Edouard Schure, for example, provide a unique introduction to the volume, giving profound insights into the development of the anthroposophical movement. Also included are the many versions of Rudolf Steiner’s will. Comprehensive notes are provided, as well as an index of persons and an itinerary giving dates of relevant lectures and eurythmy performances.

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Book SynopsisThis story has its roots in the life of George Owen Millum, who at the turn of the 19th century was the head gardener at Maytham Hall in Kent, the home of Frances Hodgson Burnett, long celebrated for her timeless classic The Secret Garden. The garden in the story was based upon that at Maytham Hall, and George Millum was the model for Ben Weatherstaff, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s fictional gardener. George’s son, George Charles Millum, who like his father was born in the gardener’s cottage at Maytham, also grew up to be a country house gardener – hence the title of this book, written and compiled by his own son with detailed extracts from his diaries.Table of ContentsIntroduction: a life in gardening 1 The American writer and the English garden 3 George Charles Millum, Son of The Secret Gardener 15 Promotion and marriage 27 The diary for 1935 30 The war years and beyond 70 A new position 76 The diary for 1949 80 Epilogue 117 About the Author 118 Acknowledgement 119

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Book SynopsisLike her five literary sisters, Diana Mitford has written widely not only on her own fascinating, controversial life, but has recorded her intimately-placed observations of friends who also happened to have been leading political and social figures of the day. The majority of these scintillating articles circulated privately to a small group of people are published for the very first time in this volume.Trade Review"'Roar with laughter.' Laura Thompson"

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Book SynopsisDear Nana (sketch design) is an award-winning journal filled with over 60 fun and inspiring questions carefully created to inspire any grandmother to tell her story - probably one of the most valuable gifts you will ever buy. Everyone has stories to share about their own amazing life and it is so important to find ways to capture and treasure them. Dear Nana contains 60 carefully designed questions to ask her about her life. Ask her to complete it carefully, adding photos and memorabilia along the way. Find out how things have changed throughout her life, what things did she do as a child that are different from today. What were her own parents really like and what adventures has she had in her life. Discover what your own mum or dad was like when they were young! What about your own relationship with your grandmother, what are her favourite memories of the times you have spent together and is there any advice she would like to give you? When you get her completed journal returned to you, this will be one of the most emotional presents you have ever received. A great gift for Mother's Day, Grandparent's Day, her birthday, an anniversary, Christmas or just because you care ...

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Book SynopsisMark Girouard has, he claims, scarcely ever thrown away a letter that he has received, and here he selects and reproduces 29 of them, ranging from his early childhood during the war to recent years, and uses them to characterise and memorialise their authors who range from the grand, the distinguished and the once or still famous, to the entirely ordinary, and from minor British gentry to Belgian monks, from American businessmen to African street traders. In the process a selective autobiography emerges as he discusses his relationship with this diverse crowd, and at the same time he paints a riveting picture of Bohemian cultural life in post-war Britain and Ireland. And the point of it all is that friendship has nothing at all to do with fame, success or wealth, but entirely with that sudden click of reciprocity, or pleasure in companionship, that makes life worth living. So the reader can savour walks with John Betjeman through the ruins of blitzed London, or with Denys Lasdun through the concrete dramas of the National Theatre; be regaled with stories about the Gorbals by Ruby Milton, champion child dancer from Glasgow; eat disgusting rook pie off Bourbon gold plate with the Duke of Wellington; be touched by the surprising love life of Sir John Summerson, loftiest of scholars; grieve at the decline of Mariga Guiness, gifted, drunken and loveable queen of the Irish Georgians; and hear how a Chelsea landlady modelled half-naked for the figure of Fame riding her chariot on top of the arch at Hyde Park Corner, and myriad other life stories, poignant, moving and compelling in turn.

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Book SynopsisThe Tudor Book of Days is a beautifully produced perpetual diary inspired by The Tudor Book of Hours, designed for keeping important dates, events and seasonal notes in a personal day book. Important events from Tudor history are listed alongside each day and at the start of each month, with ample space for all of your own notes and reminders throughout the year.

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Book SynopsisWilliam Young was the son of gentleman farmer Henry Young who owned Cotchford Farm in the mid-nineteenth century. At the age of just twenty-three William left the farm for what we might now term a 'gap year’ working in Canada. This book, based on his own diary from 1854/5, tells the fascinating story of his journey via Liverpool and onwards on a three-masted schooner to New York, Buffalo and eventually Lake Erie. The voyage had its own perils, a long way from transatlantic travel today. Unbeknown to our diarist, the ship he travelled on was part of a criminal enterprise and eventually suffered both mutiny and wreck. In the mill towns on Lake Erie Young proves an indispensable worker both on crops and stonework. Just as he is about to return to England he is beset with difficulties..... His is a young, clear voice on life a hundred and sixty years ago.

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Book SynopsisChiltern Publishing creates beautifully crafted editions of the World's finest literature. Their extraordinary and unique classic cover designs have evolved into exquisite, handcrafted writing journals of a high art form. Put simply: they are the finest writing journals on the market.

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Book SynopsisConscious that the culture of letter-writing has largely been lost, Diana Miserez felt urged to share in print some of the letters exchanged mainly between herself and her parents throughout the years she worked as a humanitarian aid worker with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Red Cross. Illustrated with photographs reflecting the reality of two of her assignments in Africa and Asia (and some unusual handicrafts), We Still Wrote Letters Then gives readers insights into situations across the world so far removed from the lives of family members living in peaceful Britain. It is also a testimony to the author’s parents, whose letters demonstrate their dignity, modesty and open-mindedness, and whose support buoyed the author throughout her many years working on fascinating and potentially alarming assignments overseas.

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Book SynopsisThe name Cliff Slade will be instantly recognised as a frequent and indefatigable correspondent to the Letters to the Editor columns. This book is written in the first person, as being most appropriate for someone who is speaking directly to his audience. This is a very personal journey in letters. It is touching and different insofar as it provides detailed insight into the life and mind of a man, the author, his relationships with his family and his take on local society, business, and politics. This is accomplished through the sharing of letters, only some of which have previously been published. However, this is not just a book of letters, along the lines of `The Times Great Letters’ as there is depth, emotion, pain, laughter, joy, sadness, and a progressive personal and emotional journey of accomplishment and enlightenment. Each correspondence is introduced, and most have accompanying explanations and information about the background and reason for each of the letters that have been included. Beginning with what motivated his writing, he reflects on his upbringing by delving into his childhood and the reasons that explain why he finds it easier to communicate through the written word, rather than verbally. An excellent sense of humour is clearly evident in the self-depreciatory letters written to the paper under a pseudonym and in his letters to himself. The account of when the author met his wife and their marriage, ups and downs and all, along with his thoughts about life as a parent and his children, is very touching in its openness and honesty. He doesn’t claim celebrity status and claims to be from an ordinary walk of life. In this remarkable book, Cliff shares his life and part of himself with the audience with a great deal of emotion. With an auto-biographical narrative, we are regularly moved from tears to amusement and back again.

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Book SynopsisA LONG FRIENDSHIP IN ART AND IDEAS THROUGH LETTERSThis substantial book of letters selected by esteemed Colin McCahon scholar Peter Simpson shines a light on one of the most remarkable relationships in New Zealand art.The painter Colin McCahon and the librarian Ron O'Reilly first met in 1938, in Dunedin, when McCahon was 19 and O'Reilly 24. They remained close, writing regularly to each other until 1981, when McCahon became too unwell to write. Their 380 letters covered McCahon's art practice, the contemporary art scene, ideas, philosophy and the spiritual life. Dazzling in their range, intensity and candour, the letters track a unique friendship and partnership in art.The book is illustrated with 64 images, all discussed in the letters. Simpson's selection represents the first time these letters have been transcribed and collected in what is an act of great generosity to future scholars. It adds a new dimension to an understanding of McCahon and his career and is a rich and lively addition to any art lover's McCahon library.O'Reilly's son Matthew O'Reilly and McCahon's grandson Finn McCahon-Jones contribute insightful essays that round out the unique perspective the letters afford.

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Book SynopsisSeattle, Washington, 1990. It was a cold February day when eight-year-old Jennifer Pinky'' Francis stepped on the American soil for the first time,ittle knowing that herife was to change forever. Her Indian passport contained noast name. Unbeknown to her poor and illiterate parents, she had been illegally trafficked into the US under the garb of adoption by the very people who had been entrusted with her care. What ensues for Jennifer from then on isife in a foreignand where she is thrust into the nightmarish world of foster care, sexual abuse, drugs and crime. But, her heartbreaking story does not end there. Two decades after her so-called adoption, Jennifer is deported to India with no money or contacts. She must start at the very bottom again, building up herife one tiny step at a time. Indeed, Jennifer is not only a representation of the millions of illegal inter-country adoptees, but also a representation of human suffering. Nandita Puri''s brilliant book is an utterly gut-wrenching and unforgettable story of courage and survival.

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Book SynopsisLong before he set foot on the islands, Big Cat Diary and Springwatch presenter, Simon King, fell in love with Shetland. This extraordinary northern wilderness is home to otters and a vast seabird colony, but it was a chance encounter with a killer whale that compelled him to spend a year getting to know the place of his boyhood dreams for a BBC series. With his wife and young daughter, Simon experienced Shetland through the changing seasons and discovered the wildlife and the warmth of community in these islands battered by the North Sea. Their journey is filled with adventure, beauty, humour and occasional hardship as Simon discovers the true voice of Shetland.Trade ReviewIf you love the Shetland Isles, or love the wildlife of the Scottish islands, then this is the book for you * Highland News *The TV Shetland Diaries are now accompanied by a book, which sheds light on King's attachment to the natural world. As a little boy, the diaries reveal, games of hide and seek in the woods developed the patience he would later require to while away the hours in hides in the field or, as he says, happily "lost in a world of otter spraint". * Countryfile *Brilliant observations of animal behaviour. Whether he's describing otters playing or gannets plunging off the cliffs of Noss, King slows down the action to enjoy every last, sinuous twist. * BBC Wildlife Magazine *Heartwarming and candid * Daily Mail on WILD LIFE *His book is packed with wild encounters * Independent on WILD LIFE *This is a heart-warming, engagingly honest read * Scotsman on WILD LIFE *Whether in front of the camera explaining the mysteries of the natural world ... or behind it as a skilled operator, King is one of the most engaging of natural history presenters and the prose in his autobiography, Wild Life, is every bit as addictive. * Scotsman on WILD LIFE *Fascinating...Simon's passion is infectious, as anyone who's watched his programmes knows, and his enthusiasm pours from every word in his new book * Beautiful Britain on WILD LIFE *

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Book SynopsisTennis Whites and Teacakes brings together the best of Betjeman''s poetry, private letters, journalism and musings to present a fully rounded picture of what he stood for. From his arguments for new steel buildings to his amusement about the etiquette of village teashops, it reveals Betjeman not just as a sentimentalist but as a passionate observer with a wonderful sense of humour and an acute eye.

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Book SynopsisDuring the Second World War, across the frontline as well as on the Home Front, millions of people recorded their thoughts of their experiences - whether in letters, their personal diaries or those prosecuting the war giving speeches. Much as Letters of Note celebrated the great letters written through history, so Words of War allows the Imperial War Museum to showcase its incredible array of first-hand material to shine a light on how people journeyed through the 1939-45 conflict.Ten chapters take the reader chronologically through the key moments of the war: from the retreat to Dunkirk to the battle of the Atlantic; the savage fighting in the jungles of the far East to the RAF Bomber Command's campaign in Europe; the discovery of the Nazi's concentration camp system to the war's ultimate conclusion at the Nuremburg trials. One hundred documents are researched and selected by the Imperial War Museum's expert archivists, with commentary from thTrade ReviewIt is a remarkable treasure trove, beautifully assembled, and a snapshot testimony to the incredible breadth and extent over which the war was fought and experienced first-hand. -- James HollandExtraordinarily powerful and mesmerising - there is a haunting intimacy and immediacy about these recovered letters, documents and images that opens a window directly into the past, vividly summoning the darkest days but also the greatest courage and endurance and the fascinating quirks and passions of human nature in war. -- Sinclair McKay

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Book SynopsisWhen Nashville identified its first case of coronavirus in March 2020, the city was between directors of public health and as unprepared as the rest of the world for what was to come. Dr. Alex Jahangir, a trauma surgeon acting at that time as chair of the Metro Nashville Board of Health, soon found himself in front of the cameras and eventually in the unenviable position as head of the city's Coronavirus Task Force. What followed was a year of unprecedented challenge and scrutiny. Jahangir, a first-generation Iranian immigrant, grew up in Nashvillebut that didn't stop ethnic, racial, and cultural tensions around masking, schools, vaccines, and the very reality of the virus from dominating what should have been a collective effort at keeping Nashville healthy and safe. Hot Spot is Jahangir's narrative derived from his actual op notes (the journal-like entries surgeons often keep following operations) and expanded to include his personal reflections and a glimpse into the inner sanctTrade ReviewI will only assert that my friend Alex Jahangir's pandemic memoir is a touchstone for anyone who led through or lived through the pandemic. More crucially, his account gives us a template for leadership when there is none to be had."—from the foreword by Dr. James HildrethTable of Contents Foreword by Dr. James E. K. Hildreth Prologue Surge One: March 8, 2020 – May 31, 2020 Surge Two: June 1, 2020 – September 30, 2020 Surge Three: October 1, 2020 – March 7, 2021 Epilogue: Surge Four

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Book Synopsis''The best of England'' The New Statesman''A powerful open letter about racism'' The SunI just want equality, equality for all of us. At the moment, the scales are unfairly balanced and I just want things to be fair for my children, my grandchildren and future generations.'On 13 June 2020, Patrick Hutchinson, a black man, was photographed carrying a white injured man to safety during a confrontation in London between Black Lives Matter demonstrators and counter-protestors. The powerful image was shared and discussed all around the world.Everyone versus Racism is a poignant letter from Patrick to his children and grandchildren. Writing from the heart, he describes the realities of life as a black man today and why we must unite to inspire change for generations to come.

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Book SynopsisThe Practical Witch''s Guided Journal is a charming hardcover journal that includes guided prompts for recording thoughts, spells, and potions for love, joy, prosperity, work, money, and health and healing, as well as a handful of spells and rituals throughout. With gorgeous watercolor art from The Practical Witch''s Spell Book (Fall 18), beginners and seasoned witches alike will soon be on their way to love, happiness, and success. The package includes a stunning design using high-quality materials and a ribbon marker for safe-keeping your spot.

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Book SynopsisSasha Frere-Jones?s evolution as a writer and musician with the deceptively casual intelligence that marks all of his work.Shuttling between his first year of life (1967) and the year he wrote the book (2020), Earlier is a glorious sequence of moments, a record of the experiences that set the shape of a life. Frere-Jones?s prose floats between clinically precise fragments and emotional impressions of revelations, pleasures, and accidents. It?s a book about how lives happen and sensibilities form.As fellow music critic Alex Ross observes, ?It is weird to write a book about yourself, as this book is well aware. Gazing in the mirror is not mass entertainment. Sasha Frere-Jones, a writer of nonchalant, rope-a-dope power, drops the illusion of self-knowledge and instead offers up a kaleidoscope of memory shards, faithful to the chaos of inner and outer worlds. Earlier is funny, cool, raw, wise, and secretly sublime.?Begun in 2010, Earlier was completed at the request of Deborah Holmes, to whom the book is dedicated. Holmes is the mother of Frere-Jones?s two boys, Sam and Jonah. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July of 2020, Holmes died in January of 2021. Earlier is the last book she read. Frere-Jones says, ?Deborah was the most enthusiastic reader I?ve ever met. She read when she wasn?t doing something else, and that never changed. She asked me to write this when we met, in 1990. I am sorry I made her wait so long.?

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Book SynopsisInspired by the Wanted Posters of fan-favorite characters, this pocket notebook collection invites fans to celebrate the magic of the beloved Harry Potter™ films!Show your love for the magical world of Harry Potter with this collectible set of three pocket notebooks, each with a unique design based on a famous character’s Wanted Poster from the films. The notebooks feature a flexible cover and sixty-four lined, acid-free pages of high-quality, heavy stock paper, perfect for jotting down notes, making lists, or simply recording your thoughts! The Harry Potter: Wanted Posters Pocket Notebook Collection is one of a new line of mini notebook collections inspired by the cinematic Wizarding World. Fans can choose their favorite designs or collect them all!

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Book SynopsisBranded `the rough-spoken Yorkshire Rasputin', Bernard Ingham served as Margaret Thatcher's press secretary for virtually all of her eleven-year premiership, adroitly steering the government's relationship with the media - and the Prime Minister's relationship with the nation. Known for his unswerving loyalty, he robustly defended Thatcher from her critics in both the press and the political jungle, earning him friends and foes in equal measure, as she went on to win three consecutive elections. Thatcher's last days in power, however, saw some of the most remarkable events in British political history, and Ingham was, for once, helpless to turn the tide. These eagerly anticipated diaries cover two turbulent years from January 1989 to December 1990 - a period Ingham terms `the long, slow assassination' - detailing the succession of crises that led to the Prime Minister's resignation in November 1990, and the critical roles played by the big political beasts of the time. With his trademark gruff candour and wry wit, Ingham's spirited diaries shed new light on Thatcher's final months in No. 10, charting the dramatic downfall of one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century.Trade Review"Entertainingly written and fulfils the first requirement of any political memoir, giving a tantalising glimpse of the hem of the black petticoat of power." The Tablet

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Book SynopsisThis four-month guided journal, drawn from the author’s best-selling works and more than 50 years of coaching clients, will help readers tap into their intuition with five-minute daily entries.If you want to experience a more meaningful, successful, productive, body- and soul-satisfying life, it all comes down to trusting your innate sixth sense—your “vibes,” short for “vibrations.” This is what intuition is: a natural intelligence we all possess that tunes in to energy in motion and uses this information to successfully navigate toward the best outcomes in all areas of life.The truth is we are always sensing our intuition. The problem arises when we ignore it, challenge it, dismiss it, or altogether tune out this incredible natural super-awareness. Just as ignoring any one of our other functioning senses would compromise our life, tuning out your intuitive guidance leads to equally, if not even more, potentially disastrous results.In all her years of teaching people, Sonia Choquette found the most empowering tool for activating intuitive intelligence comes from regularly writing down intuitive impulses. Once you do in a very short period, you will have undeniable evidence, written in your own hand, that your intuitive intelligence, the voice of your divine spirit, is exceptionally capable of guiding you to living the most extraordinary, beautiful life possible.The good news is you don’t have to put a lot of time into writing your intuitive impulses. In fact, the less time you think about it, the better. Writing quickly by hand a few minutes a day is all you need to activate this extraordinary superpower.That is the purpose of this journal. In it, you will find simple prompts that will help you turn inward to recognize and acknowledge the subtle guidance coming from your spirit. Spending just five minutes a day answering the prompts and questions in this journal will activate and strengthen your intuition and empower you with the most life-changing and extraordinary awareness you could ever imagine.

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Book Synopsis`I was very grateful for today’s near perfect visibility and, despite the late hour, just had to sit down to take it all in.’ On a late April morning, lover of landscapes and professional geologist John Sutcliffe, approaching his 70th birthday, sets out on a backpacking trek from Cape Cornwall in South West England to Cape Wrath on the north-westerly tip of Scotland: a breathtaking 1,250-mile-long walk. Starting out along the sea cliffs of Cornwall and heading inland across the remote moor country of Dartmoor, Exmoor and the marshy Somerset Levels, John crosses into Wales and follows the delightful Welsh border to Shropshire. Continuing into the limestone dales of Derbyshire, he then treads the Pennine Way for 250 miles to the Scottish Borders, often sharing his campsite with the creatures of the night, facing unforeseen challenges and making new friends along the way. After traversing the Southern Uplands of Scotland and the Pentland Hills – hidden gems that many walkers overlook – he then follows the West Highland Way to Fort William where he clocks up 1,000 miles and takes a brief pause for his mother’s 100th birthday. Celebrations over, he sets out across the rugged and wonderfully remote North West Highlands of Ardgour, Knoydart, Torridon and Sutherland, exploring the bothy network along the Cape Wrath Trail and pitting himself against the elements with the onset of Hurricane Bertha. Whether wild camping with curlews or indulging in the occasional hot-shower luxury of a guest house en route, John furnishes his story with details of the cultural and political heritage and the geology underpinning the stunning landscapes encountered on his journey. Cape to Cape is an inspiring story of one man’s celebration of the diverse British countryside.Trade Review`An incredible feat, not just of tenacity and endurance but also of observation and narrative. Stories along the way abound in this one-man mission to straddle an island. I am deeply envious.’ (Mike Harding); `An entertaining story of a walk from Cape Cornwall to Cape Wrath. Captures well the spirit of solo backpacking. The author carries you along with him on his adventure. Lovely photos too.’ (Chris Townsend).Table of ContentsPreamble; Chapter 1 Cornwall to the Tamar; Chapter 2 Devon and Somerset to the Severn Bridge; Chapter 3 The Welsh Borders; Chapter 4 The Midlands; Chapter 5 The Derbyshire Dales; Chapter 6 The South Pennines; Chapter 7 The North Pennines and Cheviots; Chapter 8 Southern Scotland; Chapter 9 The West Highland Way; Chapter 10 The Cape Wrath Trail; Appendix 1 Equipment List; Appendix 2 Daily Log; Acknowledgements; List of Maps: Map 1 Cape to Cape, Map 2 South West England, Map 3 Welsh Borders to Derbyshire Dales, Map 4 The Pennine Way, Map 5 Southern Uplands to Scottish Highlands, Map 6 The Cape Wrath Trail.

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Book SynopsisSaturday, December 14thFeel led to keep a diary. A sort of spiritual log for the benefit of others in the future. Each new divine insight and experience will shine like a beacon in the darkness!Can't think of anything to put in today.Still, tomorrow's Sunday. Must be something on a Sunday, surely?Adrian Plass is hilarious, pure and simple. His readers are legion and this is the bestselling book that started it all, converting thousands of people who love to laugh into avid Plass readers.The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass (aged 37 ) is merriment and facetiousness at its best a journal of the wacky Christian life of Plass's fictional alter-ego, who chronicles in his sacred' diary the daily goings-on in the lives of ordinary-but-somewhat-eccentric people he knows and meets. Reading it will doeth good like a medicine!

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Book Synopsis"The book of the moment" Sunday TimesA Guardian Book of the Year"Highly entertaining . . . subtle and complex" Guardian"Despentes at her very best" New European"Full of emotional suspense" FT"Brilliant - funny, wise and completely addictive - a work of angry, outrageous and hilarious genius" VICTORIA HISLOP"Full of energy and blistering rationality" LISA McINERNEYAn FT Best books of 2024Dear Dickhead,I read the piece you posted on Insta. You''re like a pigeon shitting on my shoulder as you flap past. It''s shitty and unpleasant. Congratulations: you''ve had your fifteen minutes of fame! You want proof? Here I am writing to you.Rebecca Latté is a famous actress in her fifties, perhaps past the peak of her career.Oscar Jayack is a middle-aged, moderately successful author who, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, has been accused of sexual harassment by his former publicist-turned-feminist blogger Zoé Katana.When Oscar insults Rebecca''s appearance on Instagram, she sends a scorching reply and the pair fall into a spiral of mutual antipathy. In back-and-forth emails, they vie for the last word, finding common ground in their experiences of addiction, assessing the changing world around them as Covid locks down Paris, and reluctantly beginning to lean on one another.A novel of rage, irreverence and vulnerability, exploring ageing, gender, privilege, addiction and consent, Dear Dickhead is an excoriating encapsulation of our times and of the broken human beings trying to make sense of it.Translated from the French by Frank Wynne

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Book Synopsis''The book is remarkable .... one of the most striking personal records of the period.'' - Max HastingsAs a 24-year-old lieutenant in the King''s Own Scottish Borderers, Peter kept an unauthorised journal of his regiment''s advance through the Low Countries and into Germany in the closing months of the war in Europe. Forbidden by his commanding officer from doing so for security reasons, Peter''s boyhood habit of diary keeping had become an obsession too strong to shake off. In this graphic evocation of a soldier at war, the images he records are not for the faint hearted.There are heroes aplenty within its pages, but there are also disturbing insights into the darker sides of humanity - the men who broke under the strain and who ran away; the binge drinking which occasionally rendered the whole platoon unable to fight; the looting, the rape, and the callous disregard for human life that happens when death is a daily companion. Hidden away for more than 50 years, this is a rare opportunity to read an authentic account of the horrors of war experienced by a British soldier in the greatest conflict of the 20th century.

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Book SynopsisIn 1890, the thirty-year-old Chekhov, already knowing that he was ill with tuberculosis, undertook an arduous eleven-week journey from Moscow across Siberia to the penal colony on the island of Sakhalin. Now collected here in one volume are the fully annotated translations of his impressions of his trip through Siberia and the account of his three-month sojourn on Sakhalin Island, together with his notes and extracts from his letters to relatives and associates. Highly valuable both as a detailed depiction of the Tsarist system of penal servitude and as an insight into Chekhov’s motivations and objectives for visiting the colony and writing the exposé, Sakhalin Island is a haunting work which had a huge impact both on Chekhov’s career and on Russian society.Trade ReviewAs a work of literature, Sakhalin Island is a masterpiece of restrained, dignified, unsentimental prose … a work of complete seriousness, full of clear, humane, practical suggestions for reform. * The Observer *Mr Reeve’s work reminds one that Chekhov was as great a master of the documentary genre – and also of the best academic prose – as of drama and narrative fiction … Sakhalin Island will never eclipse The Cherry Orchard. But it is every bit as impressive a masterpiece, and this new version will surely make its merits more widely known. * TLS *

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