Published diaries, letters and journals Books

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPoignant, witty, comic, and self-deprecating. A laugh-out-loud, lightning quick journey through the years that will resonate with anyone who's ever been young and in love. * Daily Express *Very, very, very funny. Don't hate me when I tell you that Everything I Know About Love is Sex And The City for millennials, because I mean it as high praise * Red *I loved it so much, I wanted it to go on forever, Dolly Alderton is so gifted at making people care. A rare talent * Marian Keyes *Alderton is an old soul - she has learned life lessons while not yet out of her twenties that many of us post-menopausal matrons are still struggling with. A wonderful writer, who will surely inspire a generation the way that Caitlin Moran did before her. * Julie Burchill *I thought I knew a lot about love. Not as much as Dolly. Read as soon as possible. * Sharon Horgan *

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisCreate a beautiful record of baby's first year in this gorgeously illustrated book. With places to note important dates and milestones, add photos and prints of baby's hands and feet, plus two pockets to store precious mementoes and letters to your child in the future, this will be a keepsake your family can treasure forever.

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Book Synopsis''What matters is to live everything. Live the questions for now.''A hugely influential collection for writers and artists of all kinds, Rilke''s profound and lyrical letters to a young friend advise on writing, love, sex, suffering and the nature of advice itself.One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics'' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

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Book SynopsisA Major BBC Series Starring Ben Whishaw. The multi-million copy bestseller and Book of the Year at The National Book Awards.‘Painfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable.' - Stephen FryWelcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you.Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know – and more than a few things you didn't – about life on and off the hospital ward.Sunday Times Number One Bestseller for over eight months and winner of a record FOUR National Book Awards: Book of the Year, Non-Fiction Book of the Year, New Writer of the Year and Zoe Ball Book Club Book of the Year.This edition includes extra diary entries and an afterword by the author.Trade ReviewI’d prescribe this book to anyone and everyone. It's laugh-out-loud funny, heartbreakingly sad and gives you the lowdown on what it’s like to be holding it together while serving on the front line of our beloved but beleaguered NHS. It’s wonderful -- Jonathan RossPainfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable. -- Stephen FrySo clinically funny and politically important for supporters of the NHS that it should be given out on prescription * Guardian *Finally a true picture of the harrowing, hilarious and ultimately chaotic life of the junior doctor in all its gory glory, dark comedy and unavoidable sadness. A blisteringly funny account shot through with harrowing detail, many pertinent truths and the humanity we all hope doctors conceal behind their unflappable exteriors -- Jo BrandAs hilarious as it is heartbreaking – and it IS heartbreaking (also hilarious) -- Charlie BrookerBlisteringly funny, politically enraging and often heartbreaking . . . hilarious . . . brimming not just with humour but with humanity . . . This should be a wake-up call to all who value the NHS -- Hannah Beckerman * Sunday Express *A funny, excoriatingly revealing, beautiful book -- Dawn FrenchHorrifyingly hilarious and hilariously horrifying -- Danny WallaceA ferociously funny book -- Mark WatsonSuperb -- Pam AyresAs a hypochondriac I was worried about reading Adam Kay’s book. Luckily it’s incredibly funny – so funny, in fact, that it gave me a hernia from laughing -- Joe LycettBy turns witty, gruesome, alarming, and touching. Always illuminating and searingly honest -- Jonathan DimblebyBrilliant -- Mark HaddonTable of ContentsIntroduction - i: Introduction Chapter - 1: House Officer Chapter - 2: Senior House Officer Post 1 Chapter - 3: Senior House Officer Post 2 Chapter - 4: Senior House Officer Post 3 Chapter - 5: Registrar Post 1 Chapter - 6: Registrar Post 2 Chapter - 7: Registrar Post 3 Chapter - 8: Registrar Post 4 Chapter - 9: Senior Registrar Chapter - 10: Aftermath Section - ii: An Open Letter to the Secretary of State for Health Acknowledgements - iii: Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisDelve into a legendary literary love affair'I am reduced to a thing that wants Virginia. I composed a beautiful letter to you in the sleepless nightmare hours of the night, and it has all gone. I just miss you...'At a dinner party in 1922, Virginia Woolf met the renowned author, aristocrat - and sapphist - Vita Sackville-West. Virginia wrote in her diary that she didn't think much of Vita's conversation, but she did think very highly of her legs. It was to be the start of almost twenty years of flirtation, friendship, and literary collaboration. Their correspondence ended only with Virginia's death in 1941.Intimate and playful, these selected letters and diary entries allow us to hear these women's constantly changing feelings for each other in their own words. Eavesdrop on the affair that inspired Virginia to write her most fantastical novel, Orlando, and discover a relationship that - even a hundred years later - feels radical and relatable.WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION FROM ALISON BECHDEL, AUTHOR OF FUN HOME AND CREATOR OF THE BECHDEL TEST.Trade Review"A deliciously tactile volume of love letters; I've been carrying them around the house, dipping in and out, and finding new things each time. As Vita said of Mrs Dalloway, they bewilder, illuminate and reveal" - Nino Strachey, author of Rooms of Their Own -- Nino Strachey, author of Rooms of Their Own

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Book SynopsisAn invaluable collection of wisdom penned by the ancient philosopher Seneca. This compendium of insightful correspondence offers a road map to a more fulfilled existence, inviting readers to adopt the stoic mindset and attain greater resilience, wisdom, and serenity. Seneca's words resonate across centuries, guiding modern minds to live purposefully and confront the complexities of existence with grace and wisdom.

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Book SynopsisStart each day with intention and find your purpose with a year of creative living. Offering wisdom we can turn to any day of the year, this pocket-book of guidance from the best selling author of The Artist's Way is the perfect addition for anyone who seeks meaning and direction in their life. A beautiful companion to Cameron's life-changing creative process, The Daily Artist's Way features 366 page-a-day quotations, minute meditations and journal prompts to follow throughout the year. Helping us start each page anew, Julia's sage wisdom will inspire and guide readers from all walks of life in finding the possibility that each day brings.

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Book Synopsis''It is philosophy that has the duty of protecting us ... without it no one can lead a life free of fear or worry''For several years of his turbulent life, in which he was dogged by ill health, exile and danger, Seneca was the guiding hand of the Roman Empire. This selection of Seneca''s letters shows him upholding the ideals of Stoicism - the wisdom of the self-possessed person immune to life''s setbacks - while valuing friendship and courage, and criticizing the harsh treatment of slaves and the cruelties in the gladiatorial arena. The humanity and wit revealed in Seneca''s interpretation of Stoicism is a moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.Selected and translated with an Introduction by Robin CampbellTable of ContentsLetters from a Stoic - Seneca IntroductionSeneca's LifeSeneca and PhilosophySeneca and Literature: His letters and other writings; his style; his influence and appealNote on translation and textPostscriptLettersNotesBibliographyAppendix: Tactitus' account of Seneca's deathIndex of persons and places

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Book Synopsis This fascinating anthology is a dive into the personal letters of some of the brightest literary minds in history. This collection is a look into the personal lives of some of the world''s most beloved poets, novelists, and playwrights. Take a peek into their correspondence, where you might be surprised what you learn. The letters contain wisdom and life lessons from the likes of John Keats and Oscar Wilde, as well as shared feelings of loneliness from CharlotteBrontë, loss from Ovid, and love from George Eliot. With one letter for every day of the year, you can start or end your day with words from some of the brightest minds that ever put pen to paper. This is a collection with emotional, historical and literary significance, helping us to understand some of our favourites even further. This anthology spans the centuries from the classic to the contemporary, and includes Ignatius Sancho, Jane Austen, William Wordsworth, the Brontës, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Gaskell, Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, Maya Angelou, and many more.

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Book SynopsisOver the last fifteen years of his life, Tolstoy collected and published the maxims of some of the world’s greatest masters of philosophy, religion and literature, adding his own contributions to various questions that preoccupied him in old age, such as faith and existence, as well as matters of everyday life. Banned in Russia under Communism, A Calendar of Wisdom was Tolstoy’s last major work, and one of his most popular both during and after his lifetime. This new translation by Roger Cockrell will offer today’s generation of readers the chance to discover, day by day, these edifying and carefully selected pearls of wisdom.Trade ReviewSomeone who can see so much and so fully does not need to invent anything; someone who observes so poetically does not need to compose anything. For Tolstoy beauty and truth are one and the same thing. -- Stefan Zweig

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Book Synopsis''A Latin American James Dean or Jack Kerouac'' Washington Post''It''s true; Marxists just wanna have fun... a revolutionary bestseller'' GuardianAt the age of twenty-three, Ernesto ''Che'' Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado set out from their native Argentina to explore their continent, with only a single 1939 Norton motorcycle to carry them, nicknamed La Poderosa (''the powerful one''). They travelled not to visit the usual tourist attractions, but to meet ordinary people and understand Latin American life. In amidst the tales of youthful adventures - of women, wine, thrilling escapes and the power of friendship - the young Che also learns first-hand about poverty, philosophy and philosophy and forms himself into the man who would become the world''s most famous and admired revolutionary and freedom fighter. ''For every comic escapade of the carefree roustabout there is an equally eye-opening moment in the development of the future revolutionary leader. By the end of the journey, a politicized Guevara has emerged to predict his own legendary future'' TimeTrade ReviewIt's true; Marxists just wanna have fun...A revolutionary bestseller * Guardian *For every comic escapade of the carefree roustabout there is an equally eye-opening moment in the development of the future revolutionary leader. By the end of the journey, a politicized Guevara has emerged to predict his own legendary future * Time *The vision of the noble loner, whether freedom-fighter or biker...gives hope to world-weary revolutionaries and non-revolutionaries alike. * Telegraph *A Latin American James Dean or Jack Kerouac * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisRead this meditative and inspiring diary of Derek Jarman's famous garden at Dungeness, which is also a powerful account of his life as an HIV positive man in the 1980s. In 1986 Derek Jarman discovered he was HIV positive and decided to make a garden at his cottage on the barren coast of Dungeness. Facing an uncertain future, he nevertheless found solace in nature, growing all manner of plants. While some perished beneath wind and sea-spray others flourished, creating brilliant, unexpected beauty in the wilderness. Modern Nature is both a diary of the garden and a meditation by Jarman on his own life: his childhood, his time as a young gay man in the 1960s, his renowned career as an artist, writer and film-maker. It is at once a lament for a lost generation, an unabashed celebration of gay sexuality, and a devotion to all that is living. 'An essential - urgent - book for the 21st Century' Hans Ulrich Obrist This new edition features an introduction from Olivia Laing, the author of CrudoTrade ReviewThe most beautiful & furious book of all time -- Olivia LaingAn essential – urgent – book for the 21st Century -- Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director of the Serpentine GalleryA marvellous, moving book * Sunday Telegraph *Jarman gave his garden a certain narrative; perhaps he treated it a bit like a film or theatre set. His films were visionary, eccentric, romantic and rebellious, all of which could also be said about his garden * Guardian *It's hard not to warm to the man who, in the face of all the personal and professional hardships described in this book, can still regard himself as 'the most fortunate film-maker of my generation * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisTHE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERINDIE BOOK AWARDS NON-FICTION WINNER'EXTRAORDINARY' The Times, 'BEAUTIFUL' Dolly Alderton, 'SHATTERING' Observer, 'INCREDIBLE' Benjamin Zephaniah, 'UNPUTDOWNABLE' Sunday Times, 'ASTOUNDING' Matt Haig, 'POWERFUL' Elif Shafak At the age of seventeen, after a childhood in a foster family followed by six years in care homes, Norman Greenwood was given his birth certificate. He learned that his real name was not Norman. It was Lemn Sissay. He was British and Ethiopian. And he learned that his mother had been pleading for his safe return to her since his birth.This is Lemn's story: a story of neglect and determination, misfortune and hope, cruelty and triumph.Sissay reflects on his childhood, self-expression and Britishness, and in doing so explores the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home. Written with all the lyricism and power you would expect from one of the nation's best-loved poets, this moving, frank and timely memoir is the result of a life spent asking questions, and a celebration of the redemptive power of creativity.Trade ReviewA lyrical, painful and yet hope-filled memoir . . . Shattering, light-searching * * Observer * *Searing . . . Unputdownable . . . My Name Is Why is authentic and beautiful, a potential game-changer in public attitudes to children raised in care. It's about bureaucratic cruelty and what happens when love is absent. Don't miss it * * The Times * *An extraordinary story * * Sunday Times * *The most amazing thing about this book is that it's not made up. This actually happened. It is an incredible story -- BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAHI have never read a memoir like it. A blistering account of a young life in the hands of neglectful authorities. It's a quest for understanding, for home, for answers. Grips like a thriller. Astounding -- MATT HAIGThe great triumph of this work comes from its author's determination to rail against what he rightly diagnoses as this institutionally endorsed disremembering of black and marginalised experience. It is a searing and unforgettable re-creation of the most brutal of beginnings -- Michael Donkor * * Guardian * *Utterly devastating and beautiful . . . Breathtakingly written -- DOLLY ALDERTONThis is a deeply moving memoir that speaks with incredible poeticism. A staggering exposé of colonial theft and abandonment, this book is grippingly heartbreaking -- DAVID LAMMYA fascinating memoir . . . So powerful -- ELIF SHAFAKThe engaging transfiguring truth of My Name Is Why is like a baptism of truth - leaving you washed clean of lies and reborn in love. Profound in its kindness, intelligence and unselfish heart, this book is important and unputdownable -- JESSICA HYNES

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Book Synopsis'You are the knife I turn inside myself'Franz Kafka's letters to his one-time muse, Milena Jesenska - an intimate window into the desires and hopes of the twentieth-century's most prophetic and important writerKafka first made the acquaintance of Milena Jesenska in 1920 when she was translating his early short prose into Czech. Their relationship quickly developed into a deep attachment. Such was his feeling for her that Kafka showed her his diaries and, in doing so, laid bare his heart and his conscience.While at times Milena's 'genius for living' gave Kafka new life, it ultimately exhausted him, and their relationship was to last little over two years. In 1924 Kafka died in a sanatorium near Vienna, and Milena died in 1944 at the hands of the Nazis, leaving these letters as a moving record of their relationship.Trade ReviewPerhaps the most interesting writer of his generation- a strange and disconcerting genius -- Edwin Muir

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Book SynopsisA moving account of life in Palestine in the wake of the events of October 7th. 'Who Will Tell My Story? finds beauty and grace amongst the rubble while never shying away from the brutal realities of living through such relentless and cruel oppression.' NIKESH SHUKLAIt was a sleepless night full of tears and fear . . . I am not sure - if I make it out alive - if I will still possess what makes me, me. And I wonder: will I be there in the future, or will I be someone to be remembered in a diary or over a cup of tea by a friend after I am gone?Who Will Tell My Story? presents an ordinary existence interrupted by unfathomably seismic and unjust events. On the ground during the first months of the assault on Gaza following the events of 7 October, the author of this diary - first published in The Guardian - maps out the physical and psychological terrain of a life under siege. Traversing the bombed ruins of his country, we see him as he searches for foodstuffs and power to charge devices, maintaining contact with the outside world, checking in with his friends and family along the way; we see his heart swing between despair and faith, fear and optimism, his mind imagining different futures and confronting the brutal truth of his present. Shining a light on the fate of all those living through war and occupation, Who Will Tell My Story? conveys with astonishing clarity how seeds of hope might linger amid the most trying of times.

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Book SynopsisShare lots of encouragement with this inspiring colouring book! Decorate the pictures, tear them out, then hang them up with the included rainbow wool. Each page makes the perfect gift for a friend too!Includes 16 banners to colour in, plus 7 metres of wool to hang up your artwork. - Encourages positivity- Perfect mindfulness activity- Promotes creativity- Decorate your home with beautiful banners- Makes a wonderful gift

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA WATERSTONES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR 2023A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2022: ENTERTAINMENTA MAIL ON SUNDAYS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022Alan Rickman remains one of the most beloved actors of all time across almost every genre, from his breakout role as Die Hard's villainous Hans Gruber to his heart-wrenching run as Professor Severus Snape, and beyond. His air of dignity, his sonorous voice and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate new audiences today. But Rickman's artistry wasn't confined to just his performances. Rickman's writing details the extraordinary and the ordinary in a way that is anecdotal, indiscreet, witty, gossipy and utterly candid. He takes us behind the scenes on films and plays ranging from Sense & Sensibility, the Harry Potter series, Private Lives, My Name Is Rachel Corrie and many more.The diaries run from 1993 to his death in 2016 and offer insight into both a public and private life. Here is Rickman the consummate professional actor, but also the friend, the traveller, the fan, the director, the enthusiast: in short, the real Alan Rickman. Here is a life fully lived, all detailed in intimate and characteristically plain-spoken prose. Reading the diaries is like listening to Rickman chatting to a close friend. Madly, Deeply also includes a foreword by Emma Thompson and a selection of Rickman's early diaries, dating from 1974 to 1982, when his acting life first began.Trade ReviewMesmerising . . . Witty and debonair, caustic and fretful, for which some readers may like him less, others love him more. Madly, deeply and, better, truly he writes about what it is to be an actor * * Telegraph * *Fascinating . . . Mostly pithy, always frank * * The Times * *The star's thoughts reveal a man unwilling to suffer fools or mince his words - most of the time Alan Rickman's voice was a purr, but it masked sharp claws . . . I got the feeling he was wonderful company. These diaries confirm it -- Anthony Quinn * * Observer * *Insightful, moving and entertaining . . . The posthumously released diaries of Alan Rickman showcase both the late actor's self-doubt and savage film criticism -- The Guide 2022 * * Guardian * *His merciless verdicts on showbiz idiocy are tempered by a deep loyalty and humanity . . . So much of Rickman's character as it was preserved on screen cannot be captured in words - his unmistakable voice, his towering presence and charisma. But on the page, six years after his death, new parts of him can be found * * New Statesman * *Rickman's diaries reveal the frenetic lifestyle and frequent fretting of an actor at the height of his fame . . . Just when you think Rickman might be becoming insufferable, he has a knack of bursting the actorly bubble and saying something profound * * Guardian * *Astute and entertaining . . . [Rickman] offers a fascinating guide to life as an actor and what it's like to be at the centre of fame. One distinct thrill is reading Rickman's short, sharp film appraisals . . . These diaries are a reminder of a warm and witty man, one who could see the quirks of life and his own part in the absurd drama of existence * * Independent * *The reader gets a real sense of the rhythms of [Rickman's] working life. He is forever on the move. [. . . ] Fully, openly, joyfully - truly, madly and, yes, deeply - he put his energies into the present moment . . . For fans, these supplementary diaries are a pure delight from start to unforgivably early finish * * Times Literary Supplement * *Rickman belonged to that anointed group whose name alone would entice you to watch a film . . . His diaries look set to enthral us still * * Herald * *You feel he always wanted to do what was right, even if it was inconvenient to himself, and that is a rare character trait . . . There is true gold in [t]here * * i * *

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Book SynopsisBenedictine nun, poet and musician, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was one of the most remarkable figures of the Middle Ages. She undertook preaching tours throughout the German empire at the age of sixty, and was consulted not only by her religious contemporaries but also by kings and emperors, yet it is largely for her apocalyptic and mystical writings that she is remembered. This volume includes selections from her three visionary works, her treatises on medicine and the natural world, her devotional songs, and fascinating letters to prominent figures of her time. Dealing with such eternal subjects as the relationship between humans and nature, and men and women, Hildegard''s works show her to be a wide-ranging thinker who created such fresh, startling images and ideas that her writings have been compared to Dante and Blake.Table of ContentsSelected Writings - Hildegard of Bingen - Translated by Mark Atherton Introduction:I. Life and CareerII. Hildegard in Her TimeIII. Hildegard's WritingsFurther ReadingSelect DiscographyChronologyTranslator's NoteKnow the Ways1. Letter to Bernard of Clairvaux2. The Action of the Will (from Scivias)3. Redemption (from Scivias)4. Letter to Odo of Soissons5. The Trinity (from Scivias)6. Letter to Pope Eugenius IIIStruggles for Independence7. Songs for Saint Disibod8. Letter to Hartwig of Bremen9. Song for Saint Ursula10. The Trials of the Soul (from Scivias)11. Songs for Saint Rupert12. The Departure of Richardis of Strade13. The First Version of The Play of the Virtues (from Scivias)The Sibyl of the Rhine14. Three Political Letters15. Songs for the Dedication of a Church16. Teachings on the Church (from Scivias)17. Letter to Elisabeth of Schönau18. Gertrud of Stahleck19. Letter to the Abbess of BambergIn Praise of Creation20. The Cosmic Egg (from Scivias)21. The Cosmos (from Causes and Cures)22. Gemstones (from Physica)23. Songs from Symphonia24. Two Christmas HomiliesAllegories of Justice and Love25. The Iron Mountain (from Scivias)26. The Man Looking East and South (from The Book of Life's Merits)27. The Seven Vices and Virtues (from The Book of Life's Merits)28. The Voice from Heaven (from The Book of Life's Merits)29. The Unknown Language30. Allegorical Letters31. A Vision of Love (from The Book of Divine Works)Hildegard's Life and Influence32. Queries and Requests: Selected Letters to Hildegard33. From The Life of Hildegard, Book 2, by Theoderich of Echternach34. Gebeno of Eberbach: The Pentachronon35. From the Canonization ProtocolNotesGlossary

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Book SynopsisCompiled and published after Fitzgerald's death by his friend, the prominent critic and editor Edmund Wilson, The Crack-Up is a collection of writings that chronicle the author's state of mind and personal perspective on events, fellow writers and public figures of the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to articles and essays such as the celebrated title piece, this volume includes a selection of Fitzgerald's notebooks, which - as well as being a repository of anecdotes and witty lines - provide a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the novelist's creative process, with passages that would be reworked into his fiction.Trade ReviewHe was better than he knew, for in fact and in the literary sense he invented a generation. * The New York Times *

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Book Synopsis'The Queen was at the next table. I caught her staring at me during the national anthem and half-wondered whether someone had pointed me out as the author of that incident which the Mail on Sunday had splashed all over the front page of its review section, about which she would not have been too pleased.' No longer in the tent, but not quite out of it, celebrated diarist Chris Mullin gives his take on the twelve turbulent years since he left Parliament. With his trademark wit and keen eye for the absurd, he recounts events from the fall of New Labour to the death of the Queen. Rich in anecdote, this candid new volume includes encounters with movers and shakers from all political parties and with citizens from all walks of life, from dustmen to dukes. "One of Mullin's charms is his readiness to like people who don't echo his politics." Jenni Russell, Sunday Times

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Book Synopsis 'Totally addictive.'' Alice Loxton, The Daily Telegraph ''An intriguing, highly snackable guide to women's experiences.'' Independent ''A modern classic.'' Alison Weir, author and historian ''The sort of book you return to again and again.'' Tracy Borman, author and historian A captivating collection of daily extracts from women''s diaries, looking back over four centuries to discover how women''s experience of men and children, sex and shopping, work and the natural world has changed down the years. And, of course, how it hasn''t. Organised around the calendar year, in this engaging anthology you'll find Lady Anne Clifford in the seventeenth century and Loran Hurnscot in the twentieth both stoically recording the demands of an unreasonable husband; Joan Wyndham and Anne Frank, at much the same time, but in wildly different settings, describing their first expe

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Book Synopsis''Birkin''s diary entries ultimately expose the toxic reality behind one of the 20th century''s most glamorous couples'' Sunday TimesJane Birkin - actor, singer, songwriter and model - may have shot to worldwide fame through her relationship with Serge Gainsbourg and their controversial hit ''Je t''aime ... moi non plus'', but it would be her wide-ranging acting career and effortless Gallic cool that was to truly cement her legacy as an enduring international icon. In Munkey Diaries, the first volume of Birkin''s diaries, we''re transported to the flamboyant world of London in the Swinging Sixties and Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the 1970s. There are intimate revelations about Jane''s tumultuous life with her first husband, the composer John Barry, and her romantic and professional collaboration with Gainsbourg, as well as keen insights into her working life as an actor, singer and songwriter.Far from an ordinary memoir, Munkey DiariesTrade ReviewBirkin's diary entries ultimately expose the toxic reality behind one of the 20th century's most glamorous couples * Sunday Times *Painfully honest * Daily Mail *Birkin's diary entries ultimately expose the toxic reality behind one of the 20th century's most glamorous couples. * The Sunday Times *touching memoir * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThis extraordinary book tells the story of a remarkable family caught in Japan at the outbreak of the Second World War in the Pacific. With letters, journal extracts and notes from Hamish Brown’s parents, as well as his own recollections, it brings the era to life: not only life in the dying days of the British Empire, but also the terrible reality of the invasion of Singapore into which they escaped.Trade Review`An insight into history before it became history.’-Michael Pye;` Hamish Brown is a legendary figure.’-Alistair Moffat

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Book SynopsisAn intimate and inspiring collection of letters revealing some of the greatest queer love stories in history "What this charming, moving and fascinating collection proves is that the [letter] form itself - a scribbled note, a declaration of love, an outpouring of passion, a bitter word - has always been with us." - Mark Gatiss A good love letter can speak across centuries, and reassure us that the agony and the ecstasy one might feel today have been shared by lovers long gone. InThe Love That Dares, queer love speaks its name through a wonderful selection of surviving letters between lovers and friends, confidants and companions. Alongside the more famous names coexist beautifully written letters by lesser-known lovers. Together, they weave a narrative of queer love through the centuries, through the romantic, often funny, and always poignant words of those who lived it.Including letters written by: John Cage Audre Lorde Benjamin Britten Lorraine Hansberry Walt Whitman Vita Sackville-West Radclyffe Hall Allen Ginsberg

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Book SynopsisBump to Birthday - a beautifully designed, colour illustrated, combined pregnancy and first year baby journal - will inspire any parent-to-be to capture the unique story of the journey of pregnancy and baby's precious first year. During pregnancy Bump to Birthday provides week- by-week information on the developing bump and provides prompts to enable parents to tell their own remarkable story and record unique, unrepeatable experiences. The pregnancy journey, hopes and dreams, the birthing experience, and all the special moments with the new baby - from first movements to first smile, first Christmas to first birthday - with spaces for photos and scan images, will all be treasured forever in one beautiful journal.

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Book SynopsisDiscover the extraordinary diaries of the real Anne Lister: the inspiration for Gentleman Jack and Emma Donoghue's new novel Learned By Heart'Engaging, revealing, at times simply astonishing' SARAH WATERS'[Anne Lister's] sense of self, and self-awareness, is what makes her modern to us . . . The diaries gave me courage' JEANETTE WINTERSON'The Lister diaries are the Dead Sea Scrolls of lesbian history' EMMA DONOGHUEWhen this volume of Anne Lister's diaries was first published in 1988, it was hailed as a vital piece of lost lesbian history. The editor, Helena Whitbread, had spent years painstakingly researching and transcribing Lister's extensive journals, much of which were written in an elaborate code - what Lister called her 'crypthand', which allowed her to record her life in intimate, and at times, explicit, detail. Until then, Anne Lister's lesbianism had been supressed or hinted at; this was the first time her story had been told. Anne Lister defied the role of nineteenth century womanhood: she was bold, fiercely independent, a landowner, industrialist, traveller and lesbian - a woman who lived her life on her own terms.These diaries include the years 1816-1824. The second volume, continuing Anne's story, THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS ANNE LISTER: NO PRIEST BUT LOVE, is now available.Trade Review[Anne Lister's] sense of self, and self-awareness, is what makes her modern to us. She was a woman exercising conscious choice. She controlled her cash and her body. At a time when women had to marry, or be looked after by a male relative, and when all their property on marriage passed to their husband, Anne Lister not only dodged the traps of being female, she set up a liaison with another woman that enhanced her own wealth and left both of them free to live as they wished . . . The diaries gave me courageThe Lister diaries are the Dead Sea Scrolls of lesbian history; they changed everything. By resurrecting them and editing them with such loving attention and intelligence, Helena Whitbread has earned the gratitude of a whole generation

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Book SynopsisA brand-new collection of Mary Shelley's work, written during and inspired by the short yet influential time she spent in the literary city of Bath.

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Book SynopsisThe perfect guide to getting your personal finances in order, The Budgeting Journal is undated and can be started at any point in the year. Packed with tips and advice for how to keep on top of a budget and find peace of mind through managing your money.

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Book SynopsisTravel is good for us. It makes us happy!Escape more, celebrate more, "weekend" more with DK travel guides and create memories that last a lifetime.Each of our books is jam-packed with gorgeous pictures, helpful maps and expert insights, making them totally comprehensive, really easy to use, and full of ideas and inspiration. And we know what we're doing we've been publishing guides for over 30 years.So forget the ordinary. Travel extraordinary.

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Book SynopsisThe instant Sunday Times top ten bestsellerA Guardian Book of the YearAn Evening Standard Book of the YearAn Independent Book of the YearNetgalley's non-fiction Book of the YearA national treasure's journey to the brink and back.'Will I wake up?''There's a 50:50 chance.'Michael Rosen wasn't feeling well. Soon he was struggling to breathe, and then he was admitted to hospital, suffering from coronavirus as the nation teetered on the edge of a global pandemic.What followed was months on the wards: six weeks in an induced coma, and many more weeks of rehab and recovery as the NHS saved Michael's life, and then got him back on his feet. Throughout Michael's stay in intensive care, a notebook lay at the end of his bed, where the nurses who cared for him wrote letters of hope and support. Embarking on the long road to recovery, Michael was soon ready to start writing about his near-death experience.Combining stunning new prose poems by one of Britain's best loved poets and the moving coronavirus diaries of his nurses, doctors and wife Emma-Louise Williams, this is a beautiful book about love, life and the NHS. Featuring original illustrations by Chris Riddell, each page celebrates the power of community, the importance of kind gestures in dark times, and the indomitable spirits of the people who keep us well.Trade ReviewAn astonishingly original and moving book * David Walliams *Harrowing, beautiful and sometimes very funny * Roddy Doyle *Emotional...impossible to read without a lump in the throat * Observer *Intimate, desolate and sometimes very funny * The Telegraph *Touching and, at times, surprisingly amusing * Independent *

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Book SynopsisLove, Nina meets Black Books: a wry and hilarious account of life in Scotland's biggest second-hand bookshop and the band of eccentrics and book-obsessives who work there 'The Diary Of A Bookseller is warm (unlike Bythell's freezing-cold shop) and funny, and deserves to become one of those bestsellers that irritate him so much.' (Mail on Sunday) 'Utterly compelling and Bythell has a Bennett-like eye for the amusing eccentricities of ordinary people ... I urge you to buy this book and please, even at the risk of being insulted or moaned at, buy it from a real live bookseller.' (Charlotte Heathcote Sunday Express) Shaun Bythell owns The Bookshop, Wigtown - Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop. It contains 100,000 books, spread over a mile of shelving, with twisting corridors and roaring fires, and all set in a beautiful, rural town by the edge of the sea. A book-lover's paradise? Well, almost ... In these wry and hilarious diaries, Shaun provides an inside look at the trials and tribulations of life in the book trade, from struggles with eccentric customers to wrangles with his own staff, who include the ski-suit-wearing, bin-foraging Nicky. He takes us with him on buying trips to old estates and auction houses, recommends books (both lost classics and new discoveries), introduces us to the thrill of the unexpected find, and evokes the rhythms and charms of small-town life, always with a sharp and sympathetic eye.Trade ReviewWarm, witty and laugh-out-loud funny, this gently meandering tale of British eccentricity will stay long in the memory. * Daily Mail *Funny and fascinating in equal measure - a must for all those of us who haunt the sepulchres where old books are laid to rest. * Anthony McGowan *The Diary Of A Bookseller is warm (unlike Bythell's freezing-cold shop) and funny, and deserves to become one of those bestsellers that irritate him so much. -- Jon Dennis * Mail on Sunday *Peopled with fascinating characters ... a sarcastic reminder of the struggles of small business ownership, the importance of community and the frustration of dealing with customers ... occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. * Herald *Wonderfully entertaining. * Observer *Tempted to follow your dream and open a second-hand bookshop? Don't do anything before you read Shaun Bythell ... second-hand bookshops are alive because of people like him. * The National *Utterly compelling and Bythell has a Bennett-like eye for the amusing eccentricities of ordinary people ... I urge you to buy this book and please, even at the risk of being insulted or moaned at, buy it from a real live bookseller. -- Charlotte Heathcote * Sunday Express *I tore through the pages, but I was also rather sad when it finished - I could have read much, much more. Any bibliophiles should race to get a copy. * Shiny New Books *A book and bookshop lover's delight. * Red magazine *Laconic, droll, opinionated and unconvincingly misanthropic ... Wigtown's Pepys. -- Alan Taylor * Times Literary Supplement *

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