Reportage, journalism or collected columns Books

Book SynopsisThe best, the fastest, the hippest and the most unorthodox account ever published of the US presidential electoral process in all its madness and corruption.In 1972 Hunter S. Thompson, the creator and king of Gonzo journalism, covered the US presidential campaign for Rolling Stone magazine alongside the establishment newsmen of Washington. The result is a classic piece of subversive reportage and a fantastic ride on the rollercoaster of Hunter's uniquely savage imagination. In his own words, written years before Watergate: It is Nixon himself who represents that dark, venal and incurably violent side of the American character almost every other country in the world has learned to fear and despise.'Trade Review‘The best stuff on the campaign I’ve read anywhere.’Nicholas Von Hoffman, Washington Post ‘Obscene, horrid, repellent … driving, urgent, candid, searing … a fascinating, compelling book!’New York Post ‘Hunter S. Thompson is the most creatively crazy and vulnerable of the New Journalists. His books are brilliant and honorable and valuable … the literary equivalent of Cubism: all rules are broken.’Kurt Vonnegut Jr ‘Gaze in awe … Hunter Thompson does in his own mad way betray a profound democratic concern for the polity. And in its own mad way, it’s darned refreshing.’New York Times ‘Shocks you into laughter.’Detroit Free Press ‘Unnerving!’Newsweek

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Book SynopsisAs European empires crumbled in the 20th century, the power structures that had dominated the world for centuries were up for renegotiation. Yet instead of a rebirth for democracy, what emerged was a silent coup namely, the unstoppable rise of global corporate power.Exposing the origins of this epic power grab as well as its present-day consequences, Silent Coup is the result of two investigative journalists'' reports from 30 countries around the world. It provides an explosive guide to the rise of a corporate empire that now dictates how resources are allocated, how territories are governed, and how justice is defined.

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION A spectacular, definitive portrait of ordinary life within one of the world's most repressive states - North Korea. 'A most perceptive and eye-opening account of everyday life in North Korea' Jung Chang North Korea is Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four made reality: it is the only country in the world not connected to the internet; where Gone with the Wind is a dangerous, banned book; and where during political rallies, spies study your expression to check your sincerity. Nothing to Envy weaves together the stories of adversity and resilience of six residents of Chongin, North Korea's third-largest city. From extensive interviews and with tenacious investigative work, Barbara Demick has recreated the concerns, culture and lifestyles of North Korean citizens in a gripping narrative, and vividly reconstructed the inner workings of this extraordinary and secretive country. Includes an updated afterword by the author. 'Impossible to put down... Helps restore humanity to some of the world's most oppressed people' ObserverTrade ReviewA rare and valuable insight ... Nothing to Envy is a searchlight shining on a country cloaked in darkness -- Alastair Mabbott * Herald *Barbara Demick's achievement is to restore a measure of humanity to 23 million human beings. Many scholars have pored over North Korea's atrocious history, its fearful politics, abysmal economics and blood-curdling propaganda. No writer I know has done a better job of clothing these academic concerns with the rich detail of the lives of ordinary people - explaining, simply, what it feels like to be a citizen of the cruellest, most repressive and most retrograde country in the world -- Richard Lloyd Parry * The Times *A most perceptive and eye-opening account of everyday life in North Korea -- Jung ChangThis report on the lives of six of the citizens of totalitarian penal colony is unputdownable and deeply affecting, a worthy winner this week of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction -- David Sexton * Evening Standard *Taking the cases of six individuals and their families, Demick constructs a harrowing narrative of the North's slide into famine following the death of the elder Kim in 1994 ... The Kim dynasty, whose Stalinist cruelty Demick graphically chronicles, has shown remarkable staying power -- Simon Scott Plummer * Daily Telegraph *I loved it - I couldn't pull myself away. This is the first book I've read which tells me about the inner lives of individual North Koreans and the universal cruelty of that regime. Reading this book, I've learnt something about how it feels to be North Korean - it's not unimaginable anymore, but it's even more painful than I could have predicted -- Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor, Channel 4 NewsDemick weaves stories derived from interviews and conversations, conducted over a number of years, into a compelling narrative. Her book is a reminder that oral history is one of our greatest resources. Its use in Nothing to Envy makes for a valuable contribution to the literature on North Korea -- Charlotte Middlehurst * New Statesman *A fascinating study in the oral history of Korea in the last decade of the twentieth century ... Nothing to Envy is a fascinating work which highlights in the lives of the individuals concerned the triumph of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity -- Oliver Rafferty * Irish Times *The shroud of silence and misinformation surrounding North Korea means these stories of six lives inside the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as told to Los Angeles Times journalist Barbara Demick by "defectors", are a revelation -- Emmanuelle Smith * Financial Times *Barbara Demick, the Beijing bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times, has occasionally been to the north, but on visits so strictly controlled as to be worthless. Talking with émigrés and escapees now living in the south has provided the material for this terrific, often gruelling work of reportage. It gives a harrowing, surreal glimpse of what she calls "this hermit kingdom", which is so secretive and little known that it is the only country on earth not connected to the internet -- Christopher Hart * Sunday Times *A fair, modest and informative book about North Korea, a country little known and less understood ... most of what her informants say is repeated in indirect speech, and I found their testimonies varied and convincing ... There is much to learn form this carefully written book that draws few conclusions beyond well-grounded individual cases. Barbara Demick says that in satellite pictures of the Far East, North Korea is an "area of darkness". She makes this black hole at least medium grey -- Jonathan Mirsky * Literary Review *Beijing-based journalist Demick draws on extensive interviews with North Koreans who have defected to the South, revealing the truth of ordinary life within Kim Jong-Il's bizarre and repressive Stalinist state * New Humanist *A lovely work of narrative non-fiction ... that offers extensive evidence of the author's deep knowledge of this country while keeping its sights firmly on individual stories and human details -- Dwight Garner * Scotland on Sunday *Eye-opening portrait of the downtrodden and monochrome lives of six ordinary citizens of North Korea ... Granta's comparisons with Stasiland are apt and you keep having to remind yourself this isn't fiction -- Caroline Sanderson * Bookseller *Nothing To Envy is based on her in-depth interviews with defectors - and their accounts are as harrowing as you would expect -- Siobhan Murphy * Metro *Writing a properly researched book on North Korea seems next to impossible. But in Nothing to Envy, Barbara Demick has done it ... Demick is thorough and fair on the troubled history of Korea -- Roger Hutchinson * Scotsman *In a detailed account of North Korea, Demick looks beyond the country's politics to engage with the human experience and suffering of its residents * Sunday Times *This remarkable book confirms our fears but does much more and is the deserving winner of the 2010 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize ... Barbara Demick is a reporter of impressive tenacity and thoroughness ... Many of those who defected have found their freedom hard to handle. Theirs have been lives twice blighted. But Demick does them proud -- Joan Bakewell * The Times *Barbara Demick, who has an easy winning style, introduces us to a county of suppressed impulses and state propaganda ... This compelling book, a worthy winner of the BBC Samuel Johnson prize, details the experiences of six North Koreans who defected to China or South Korea -- Ian Pindar * Guardian *I've never read anything quite like it ... Demick has unearthed some heartbreaking human stories -- William Leith * Evening Standard *Awarded this year's Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction, this book by the former Korea correspondent of the Los Angeles Times uses the accounts of six defectors to reconstruct everyday life under the secretive communist regime * New Statesman *A fascinating portrait of a population bred from birth to be state automatons ... Alongside the daring prison breaks and midnight escapes through icy rivers to reach China, the tales of everyday love and loss make Nothing to Envy impossible to put down ... Demick's important book, by illuminating previously hidden aspects of North Korean life, helps restore humanity to some of the world's most oppressed people -- Imogen Carter * Observer *This is an extreme book ... I've never read anything like it ... Demick has unearthed some heartbreaking human stories * Scotsman *This compelling account of life and death in Korea is eye-opening and often heart-rending. Demick's perceptiveness in describing the inner life of individual North Koreans both enthrals and horrifies. One of the most fascinating books of the year * Independent on Sunday *An elegant, honourable and meticulously referenced account of a country the author calls "grimly dysfunctional". It is an inspiring read. -- Celia Brayfield * The Times *Thoroughly deserving winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize. * Independent on Sunday *Much-praised 2010 winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction, this is a painstakingly researched and gruelling account of the hardships and cruelties of life in the world's most isolated, eccentric and oppressive state -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times *A story of epic stoicism and suffering and illuminated by such jaw-dropping details as the doctors who have to donate their own skin to conduct operations -- Brian Schofield * Sunday Times *A brilliant, timely work of very modern history and a deserving winner of the 2010 BBC Samuel Johnson prize -- Rob Attar * BBC History Magazine *Amy Bloom turned her unflinching gaze on the map of the human heart, finding solace in our ability to love no matter what -- Claire Allfree * Metro *gripping, revealing, enraging and unexpectedly inspiring -- Ursula Doyle, editorial director of Virago as the 2010 book she wished she had published * Guardian *A vivid picture of life in the Hermit Kingdom. It deserved the awards it has been winning * The Times *Redolent and disturbing, an account of real lives drawn from interviews with defectors from the shadowy (actually dark) and sinister world of North Korea -- Pete Irvine * Scotland on Sunday *A rare light on so hidden a country, and all the more remarkable for its unfailingly engaging humanity * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisJames Cameron admired Martha Gellhorn above all other war-reporters 'because she combined a cold eye with a warm heart'. The Chicago Times described her writing as 'wide ranging and provocative, a blend of cool lyricism and fiery emotion, alternately prickly and welcoming, funny and stern'. But make your own judgements, and in the process find yourself plunged straight back into Madrid during the Spanish Civil War, feel the frozen ground of the Finno Russian war, the continent-wide Japanese invasion of China, the massacres in Java, the murderously naive intervention in Vietnam and the USA's dirty little wars in Central America. You will also experience the process of the Second World War by the seat of your pants. It is a tough way to learn history, but also one created in bite-sized chunks, that inspire just as often as they shock.

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Book Synopsis‘China’, Napoleon once remarked, ‘is a sleeping lion. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will shake the world.’ In 2014, President Xi Jinping triumphantly declared that the lion had awoken. From holding its ground in trade wars with the US, to presenting itself as a world leader in the fight against climate change, a newly confident China is flexing its economic muscles for strategic ends. With the Belt and Road initiative, billed as a new Silk Road for the 21st Century, China is set to extend its influence throughout Eurasia and across the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. But with the Chinese and US militaries also vying over the Pacific, does this newfound confidence put China on a collision course with the US? Combining a geopolitical overview with on-the-ground reportage from a dozen countries, this new edition of China’s Asian Dream engages with the most recent developments in the ongoing story of China’s ascendency, and offers new insights into what the rise of China means not only for Asia, but for the world.Trade Review[A] vivid and useful guide to China’s unfolding strategy and its economic and diplomatic ramifications. * ChinaDialogue *A lively work … particularly strong on the role that Chinese-backed infrastructure development will play in fulfilling [China’s regional] ambition. * Financial Times *A terrific combination of data and pavement-pounding local investigation, with discussions between academics, market traders and officials from Laos to India. * Hong Kong Review of Books *Superbly organised ... Miller deftly combines the plethora of data points and statistics with vivid local colour. * South China Morning Post *Understanding the philosophy behind China’s national aspirations will be a defining task of 21st-century diplomacy. In that vein, China’s Asian Dream will prove essential reading. * Wall Street Journal *Excellent … Tom Miller has voyaged around China’s periphery [and] his long experience of analysing the Chinese economy enables him to puncture a few over-inflated myths. * Bill Hayton, author of South China Sea: The Struggle for Power in Asia *One of the best accounts we have of what China’s rise really means for the world. * Hugh White, author of The China Choice *An indispensable guide... brimming with telling insights and arresting stories, China's Asian Dream really hits the ball out of the park. * James Kynge, Emerging Markets Editor for The Financial Times *A uniquely well informed view of the opportunities, and the huge risks, of China's bold ambitions in the region. * Kerry Brown, author of China and the New Maoists *Tom Miller tackles the central question of our time: whether China can translate its economic power into geopolitical clout, and execute its breath taking plan to dominate its Asian neighbours. * Richard McGregor, author of The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers *One of the best researched volumes on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s driving vision, his ‘dream’ to return his country to the dominant position it had held in Asia since ancient times. * William R. Hawkins, Selous Foundation for Public Policy Research *A must read for those interested in whether President Xi’s reincarnated “Silk Road” will succeed in restoring the grandeur of the Middle Kingdom. * Yukon Huang, former World Bank Director for China *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction 1. “One Belt, One Road”: Financing the New Silk Road Belt and Road Initiative Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Asia’s infrastructure arms race 2. Marching West: The Economics of Power in Central Asia Xinjiang Central Asia Russia 3. In the Heat of the Sun: Advancing Down the Mekong Laos Cambodia 4. California Dreamin’: How China “Lost” Myanmar Gateway to the Bay of Bengal 5. A String of Pearls: Fear and Loathing in the Indian Ocean Indian Ocean Pakistan India Sri Lanka 6. Fiery Waters: Mapping the South China Sea Vietnam Conclusion

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Book Synopsis''Quite simply the best and most powerful book I've read this year'' David Peace''A magnificent book . . . beautifully written and passionately argued'' Dominic Sandbrook''A remarkable eye-witness account of Russia's descent into authoritarianism and war'' Catherine BeltonA unique, personal insight into Vladimir Putin's Russia and the devastating impact his rule has had on his own people and those of neighbouring Ukraine. In 2021, BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford set out to write a book about how Russians who dared to think differently to the Putin regime were being labelled as enemies, foreign agents and even traitors. It was to chart Russia''s slide from democracy and warn of where the crushing of liberties could lead. She had experienced something of that herself when she was expelled from Moscow as a supposed ''security threat''. Then, in February 2022, Putin began his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, moving faster than

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Book SynopsisSamanth Subramanian studied journalism at Pennsylvania State University and international relations at Columbia University. He has written for, among other publications, the Guardian, the New Yorker, the New York Times, Mint, the Far Eastern Economic Review, Foreign Policy, New Republic, Foreign Affairs, The National and The Hindu. His first book, Following Fish: Travels Around the Indian Coast, was published by Atlantic Books.Trade ReviewA remarkable book by one of India's most talented young writers of non-fiction... This Divided Island - balanced, observant, good-natured, discursive and frequently witty - is a searingly angry and deeply moving portrayal of the agonies of this conflict... This is a major work, containing oral testimonies from all sides of the conflict, and will stand as a fine literary monument against the government's attempt at imposed forgetfulness. -- William Dalrymple * Observer *In this extraordinary book, Subramanian exposes the fallibility of human beings, forcing us to see how superficial is the veneer of civilised life. This Divided Island is a book of our times, about us and about what we are capable of doing to each other. -- Roma Tearne * Independent *Excellent... The book leaves us with a tantalising sense of the ambiguity of peace and victory: of the new and incongruous conservatism of Sinhalese Buddhism. Subramanian withholds judgement, but the precision of the final descriptions is searing. -- Amit Chaudhuri * Guardian *Excellent, powerful... Subramanian tells this sorry story with verve and compassion, relentlessly tracking down survivors of, and witnesses to, Sri Lanka's agonies * Literary Review *Brutal majoritarians and ruthless insurgents have long monopolised our sense of Sri Lanka. Samanth Subramanian's sensitive account makes us aware of a missing human dimension. Exploring a war-ravaged landscape, he is bracingly alert to the role of ambiguity as well as ideology in human affairs. In This Divided Island, one of our finest young writers of non-fiction reveals the complicated lives lived in their shadow. -- Pankaj MishraThe powerful human stories in This Divided Island - told lucidly and vividly - show what Sri Lankans have won and lost * TLS *With the humility of a truly gifted writer, Samanth Subramanian sets out, not to find firm answers to the reasons behind Sri Lanka's civil war, but rather to be changed and opened up by his journey through this war-ravaged land. His journey becomes ours. The things he discovers, the people he meets, haunt us long after we have closed the pages of this sensitive, poignant book. -- Shyam SelvaduraiThere is only one word to describe this book: it's a masterpiece, a Book of the Year, even possibly the decade. -- Mani Shankar Aiyar * India Today *A tour de force. Written with journalistic prowess and integrity, the book succeeds in bringing the war uncomfortably close, so close you can smell the blood. -- Vaishna Roy * The Hindu *Like Philip Gourevitch's account of the genocide in Rwanda, We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families, this is a superbly reported book. -- Rahul Jacob * Business Standard *This is narrative journalism at its most literary, diligently researched reportage presented with poetry and flair. -- Shehan Karunatilaka * Mint *The best book on the subject and, what is more, a book different in kind from nearly all that have appeared this far. -- Shyam Tekwan * Tehelka *

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Book SynopsisJoe Sacco, one of the world's foremost cartoonists, is widely hailed as the creator of war-reportage comics. He is the author of Palestine, Safe Area Gorazde, The Fixer, Notes from a Defeatist and Footnotes in Gaza, all published by Jonathan Cape.Trade ReviewA political and aesthetic work of extraordinary originality, quite unlike any other in the long, often turgid and hopelessly twisted debates that have occupied Palestinians, Israelis, and their respective supporters... With the exception of one or two novelists and poets, no one has ever rendered this terrible state of affairs better than Joe Sacco -- Edward SaidThe bar is set extremely high when it comes to graphic books and the Middle East: one thinks of Joe Sacco's Palestine * Observer *Palestine is a unique take on the Isreali/Palestinian conflict… The illustrator/reporter provides a unique perspective: there is an intimacy to Sacco’s interviews that cannot be translated into photography and text. His drawings make his subjects relatable to in a way that I think is difficult to achieve with a photograph. * Bleeding Cool *Palestine is utterly compelling, and as affecting as the work of any war photographer or poet. -- Annie Forbes * Varsity *

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Book SynopsisFrom the writer of Knocked Up, Pineapple Express and Superbad, and the director of This is 40 and Trainwreck, comes a collection of intimate, hilarious conversations with the biggest names in comedy from the past thirty yearsTrade Review'The funniest man in Hollywood' Sunday Times'Hilarious and informative... my representatives assure me I will appear in a future edition' Will Ferrell'I can't stop reading it... I don't want this book to end' Jimmy Fallon'Anyone interested in comedy should invest' Heat'It's funny (natch), gossipy, page-turningly readable and packed with hard-won observations about showbusiness and life' GQ'Open this book anywhere, and you're bound to find some interesting nugget from someone who has had you in stitches many, many times' New York Times'These are wonderful, expansive interviews-at times brutal, at times breathtaking-with artists whose wit, intelligence, gaze, and insights are all sharp enough to draw blood' Michael Chabon

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Book SynopsisManderley Press is delighted to announce the publication of a brand-new edition of Helene Hanff's Letter from New York - another literary jewel from the author of 84, Charing Cross Road. To showcase this wonderful book, we commissioned the New York Times bestselling author Jean Hanff Korelitz (The Plot) to pen a new introduction - she is a cousin of Helene Hanff's, and was inspired to become a writer after meeting her as a teenager. The front cover was specially designed by New Yorker illustrator Bruce Eric Kaplan, also a fan of the author and a resident of New York City too. Over several years, Helene Hanff read aloud these stories of her life in New York for BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. This book is a collection of selected scripts from this series, composed with a British audience in mind, in which the author offers us a glimpse into her own everyday tales of the city. Written in her trademark whimsical and upbeat style, Helene Hanff transports us right to the heart of Manhattan in the 1980s, describing her favourite places, people and pets with gentle humour, and introducing the reader to the ups and downs of life in a high-rise apartment building in New York City ("the last small town in America"). We are introduced to Bentley, the Old English Sheepdog belonging to a neighbour who captured the author's heart; we take a stroll through the beautiful Shakespeare's Garden in Central Park; and we join the author to enjoy annual city parades down Fifth Avenue - especially the St Patrick's Day parade, when the whole of New York turned green. And we meet Helene's friends: Arlene, whose glamorous social life - and wardrobe - puts Hanff's tiny apartment and simple writer's life into perspective, and Nina, whose garden on the sixteenth-floor overflows with flowers and fruit trees. Finally, we accompany the author as she travels to London to celebrate the opening night of the dramatisation of her best-selling book 84, Charing Cross Road. What started out as a six-month trial in 1978 eventually turned into a six-year project, during which time Helene Hanff captivated radio audiences with her monthly broadcasts - each one a love letter to her beloved NYC. Long before the cast of Friends - and Sarah Jessica Parker's iconic evocation of life in the city - recreated a New York existence for us to experience vicariously, these 5-minute vignettes were the perfect way for native New Yorkers and international readers alike, to revel in the quotidian as well as the glamour of city life, and to discover the unexpected hidden gems - and treasured traditions - of New York City. Letter from New York is still a delight to read, 40 years after it was first written - a timeless and beguiling tale of everyday life in this great city, by one of the best-loved authors of the 20th-century.Trade Review'A witty account of the adventures of Hanff and friends ... Hanff's love of her adopted city is reflected in upbeat anecdotes describing New Yorkers at their best - as good neighbours and charming eccentrics." Publishers Weekly

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Book Synopsis*Standard hardback edition*The most famous sports book in the world, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack has been published every year since 1864. Home to some of the finest sports writing of the year from the likes of Lawrence Booth, Gideon Haigh, Rob Smyth, Patrick Collins, Simon Wilde, Osman Samiuddin, Tony Cozier, Benj Moorehead, Raf Nicholson and Dileep Premachandran Wisden includes the thought-provoking Notes by the Editor, the famous Cricketers of the Year awards, and the authoritative obituaries. And, as ever, there are reports and scorecards for every Test, together with forthright opinion, compelling features and comprehensive records.There can''t really be any doubt about the cricket book of the year, any year: it''s obviously Wisden. Andrew Baker, The Daily Telegraph @WisdenAlmanack

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERONE OF BARACK OBAMA''S FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2023 A searing study of American poverty from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of EvictedThe United States is the richest country on earth, yet has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. One in seven Americans live below the poverty line, a line which hasn''t shifted over the last fifty years, despite the efforts of successive governments. Why is there so much scarcity in this land of dollars?In Poverty, by America, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond examines American poverty today and the stories we tell ourselves about it. Spanning social isolation, mass incarceration, the housing crisis, domestic violence, crack and opioid epidemics, welfare cuts and more, Desmond argues that poverty does not result from a lack of resources or good policy ideas. We already know how to eliminate it. The hard part is getting more of us to care.To do so, we need a new story. As things stand, liberals explain poverty through insurmountable structural issues, whereas conservatives highlight personal failings and poor life choices. Both abdicate responsibility, and ignore the reality that the advantages of the rich only come at the expense of the poor. It is time better-paid citizens put themselves back in the narrative, recognizing that the depth and expanse of poverty in any nation reflects our failure to look out for one another. Poverty must ultimately be met by community: all this suffering and want is our doing, and we can undo it.

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Book SynopsisJames Bloodworth is a journalist whose work has appeared in The Times, New York Review of Books, Guardian, Prospect and elsewhere. He is also the author of The Myth of Meritocracy and Hired: Six Months in Low-Wage Britain.

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Book SynopsisIn 1945, Indonesia's declaration of independence promised: 'the details of the transfer of power etc. will be worked out as soon as possible.' Still working on the 'etc.' seven decades later, the world's fourth most populous nation is now enthusiastically democratic and riotously diverse - rich and enchanting but riddled with ineptitude and corruption. Elizabeth Pisani, who first worked in Indonesia 25 years ago as a foreign correspondent, set out in 2011, travelling over 13,000 miles, to rediscover its enduring attraction, and to find the links which bind together this disparate nation. Fearless and funny, and sharply perceptive, she has drawn a compelling, entertaining and deeply informed portrait of a captivating nation.Trade ReviewPisani is relentlessly curious and her ability to pitch up anywhere and grasp the essence of the place is truly impressive. [Indonesia Etc.] gives a vivid sense of what Indonesia feels, smells and tastes like. For anyone about to visit the country, her book is an essential companion -- Misha Glenny * Guardian *Truly memorable... Pisani is a force of nature... vastly intelligent, doggedly curious, spectacularly multilingual... [This is] a treasure of a volume -- Simon Winchester * Wall Street Journal *Pisani takes on many big themes [but] her erudition is never dull... Beautifully written and richly entertaining * Economist *A sharply written, politically infused travelogue. [Full of] comic mishaps, punchy insights and [a] journalist's eye for the telling detail -- Ben Bland * Financial Times *Pisani writes well and has an outsider's eye for the extraordinary and the idiosyncratic... Sharp [and] enjoyable -- Richard Cockett * Literary Review *A lively condensation of some of her encounters with a country that is as disparate in its politics as it is in its geography and people * New Statesman *Pisani's perceptiveness is as honed as her wit is wise -- Tom Adair, ‘Travel book of the year’ * Scotsman *An affectionate portrait of a diverse, dynamic and eccentric country -- Tom Robbins * Financial Times *Lucidly analytical but affectionate... a colourful and entertaining travelogue -- Maria Misra * Prospect *Read it, even if you don't think you're interested in Indonesia-it's inspiring on so many levels, from the boundless curiosity and warmth of the author to the country's spectacular miracle of geo-political confidence and experimentation -- Emma Larkin, author * Everything is Broken *Pisani not only travels a dizzying amalgam of the 13,500 islands that comprise Indonesia, but she also follows their history from the seventh century forward with fluidity and ease. There are few other books - or authors - to attempt such a daunting task -- Eliza Griswold, author * The Tenth Parallel *Intrepid and passionate, Elizabeth Pisani takes readers on board a hilarious series of jury-rigged forms of transportation, from bustling, insane Djakarta to the smallest and remotest islands and country villages of Indonesia. By the end, exhausted, dusty, thirsty, and laughing, we feel we know this idiosyncratic country in all its moving complexity. Profound, lasting, a masterpiece of its genre-and so much fun! -- Amy Wilentz, author * The Rainy Season *A clear-eyed and smart look at a rising Asian giant that has defied all conventional wisdom -- Vali Nasr, author * The Dispensable Nation *A brave, lively writer opens up a wondrous, changing nation * Kirkus *Great * Wanderlust *Pisani is an erudite and adventurous travelling companion. This is a humane, intelligent travelogue that makes an initially daunting subject come gloriously alive * Sunday Business Post *A fascinating travelogue.... Indonesia Etc. is surely the richest account of contemporary Indonesia yet to be published * IndonesiaExpat *An absorbing 13,000-mile ramble around this sprawling, little-known archipelago -- Christopher Hirst * Independent *[Full of] clarity, wit and style -- Duncan Graham * Jakarta Post *Pisani brings to life a beguiling picture of Indonesia... [with] exquisite imagery * Sydney Morning Herald *Pisani is a one-woman word torrent -- Susan Mansfield * Scotsman *Accessible, entertaining [and] vividly described -- Sophie Ibbotson * Geographical Magazine *A warm and punchy travelogue -- Tom Chesshyre ‘Travel book of the year’ * Times *A richly entertaining account -- Books of the year * Economist *

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Book SynopsisThe renowned World Press Photo Foundation (“Connecting the world to the stories that matter”) publishes a compilation of prizewinning press photographs each year. Carefully selected from thousands of entries, they present the most celebrated, powerful, moving, and often disturbing images from around the world, often putting a face on conflicts in far-flung places and reminding us of our shared humanity. The 2022 Yearbook, bringing together the best press photographs from 2021, will reflect the joy, anguish, and upheaval of this incredible year.

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER'A delight!' Zoe Ball, BBC Radio 2'Very entertaining.' Irish Times**From UKIP surge to Brexit shambles, horsemeat lasagne to Trump in the White House: bestselling comedian David Mitchell brilliantly tackles the dumbfounding times we live in.As facts are downgraded to opinions, as customers are preyed upon by algorithm-wielding websites, voters by targeted lies, cinema-goers by superheroes and children by measles, it is probably socially irresponsible even to try to cheer up.But if you're determined to give it a go, you might enjoy this eclectic collection (or eclection) of David Mitchell's attempts to make light of all that darkness. Scampi, politics, the Olympics, terrorism, condiments, proportional representation and rude street names are all touched upon by Mitchell's unremitting laser of chit-chat. Read this book and slightly change your life!

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Book SynopsisTrade Review[A] Kenyan writer and LGBT activist who made a revolutionary impact on literature from and about the African continent -- Margaret Busby * Guardian *Barbed, playful, inventive . . . African literature would never be the same . . . An outsize figure on the literary landscape, his omnivorous brilliance matched by ambition and vision on a continental scale -- Anderson Tepper * The New York Times *A collection of brilliant writing - essays, stories, journalism, and even recipes. I admire Wainaina's humour, flamboyance and intelligence and the way he skewers the usual stereotypes about Africa -- Deborah Levy * Times *[An] award-winning Kenyan writer whose humorous, incisive books and essays explored themes of post-colonialism, gender and sexual identity . . . with wit and humour he took apart the paternalism of certain writers who talk of Africa as one country * Independent *He was an intellectual . . . Someone who could have become the Edward Said of Africa or the James Baldwin of our time -- Leila AboulelaAn uncompromising commentator . . . [Binyavanga Wainaina] shines a light on his continent without cliché -- Nesrine Malik * Guardian *[A] barrier-shattering presence in African literature * Washington Post *Unflagging in his generosity, unflinching and direct in his criticism, [Binyavanga] produced work in his short life that will have impact longer lasting than those whose time here is twice as long -- Ellah Wakatama AllfreyA trail-blazing Kenyan legend * Al Jazeera *Hilarious, worldly, biting, flippant, and meaningful -- Achal Prabhala * Africa is a Country *[A] Kenyan literary icon . . . [Binyavanga Wainaina's] work continues to challenge stereotypes and prejudices about Africa * The Stream *[Binyavanga Wainaina's] writing dances beyond the borders of language, lineage, genre, containment . . . [His] imagination hops, skips and jumps, in that space of infinite possibilities and worlds waiting to be made and unmade * Bubblegum Club *Everything that made Binyavanga so great was there on the page - his righteous passion, his biting wit, his eye for hypocrisy, his arch turn of phrase -- Matt WeilandCutting and incisive, witty and confrontational, and deeply revealing -- Remy NgamjieWainaina's sharp wit and penetrating analysis . . . shows off his talent for withering satire * Publishers Weekly *Both an ode and an introduction to one of the continent's most inimitable literary geniuses -- Edith Amoafoa-Smart * Africa is a Country *Provocative . . . A lively selection of work that well represents the scope of this fine author * Kirkus *How to Write About Africa gathers vivid, powerful essays and fiction by the late Kenyan icon * Open Country *Glimmering, strobe-lit language . . . a complex, cosmopolitan African experience too rarely depicted in books -- Teju Cole, author of Open City, on One Day I Will Write About This Place[A] standup-and-cheer coming-of-age memoir * New York Times Book Review on One Day I Will Write About This Place *

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.In 1936, George Orwell volunteered as a soldier in the Spanish Civil War. In Homage to Catalonia, first published just before the outbreak of World War II, Orwell documents the chaos and bloodshed of that moment in history and the voices of those who fought against rising fascism.His experience of the civil war would spark a significant change in his own political views, which readers today will recognise in much of his later literary work; a rage against the threat of totalitarianism and control.

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Book SynopsisIn 1959, Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, was commissioned by the Sunday Times to explore fourteen of the world's most exotic cities. Fleming saw it all with a thriller writer's eye. An unforgettable and uniquely personal journey through the sights, sounds, food and drink of some of the thrilling cities in the world.

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Book SynopsisPassionate, independent-minded nonfiction from the international bestselling author of The Corrections'.Jonathan Franzen''s Freedom' was the literary sensation of 2010, whilst The Corrections' was the best-loved and most written-about novel the previous decade. How to be Alone', is a collection of the personal essays and painstaking, often humorous reportage that have earned Franzen a wide and loyal readership, including what has come to be known as ''The Harper''s Essay'', Franzen''s controversial 1996 look at the fate of the novel. From the sex-advice industry to the way a supermax prison works, from his father''s struggle with Alzheimer''s disease to a rueful account of Franzen''s brief tenure as an Oprah Winfrey author, each piece wrestles with Franzen''s familiar themes: the erosion of civic life and private dignity, and the hidden persistence of loneliness, in postmodern imperial America.These collected essays record what Franzen calls ''a movement away from an angry and frightenTrade Review‘Compelling and invigorating.’The Times ‘A passionate and compelling piece of work … Each page is studded with irresistible writing which leaves you breathless for more. Franzen’s strength is his ability to combine a rigorous intellectual appraoch with an upbeat energy, using language which touches the heart as surely as the head.’Time Out ‘Oprah was right. Franzen is conflicted. That’s what makes him a trustworthy, sceptical essayist.’FT

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBryant has an encyclopedic knowledge of public affairs and popular culture ... The result is riveting, often revelatory, crammed with facts … The great strength of Bryant’s book is his ability to make large structural changes vivid through outsized personalities and his own personal experiences … Readable, powerful and instructive. * Washington Post *A masterclass from an outstanding chronicler of modern America ... Insightful, thoughtful, and beautifully written. -- Orla GuerinNick Bryant writes like a dream, and is one of those very rare things on TV - a man who makes you want to turn up the sound. His eye for description is sublime, and he has a way of showing you what you’ve been missing from the whole story, whilst never leaving you feeling stupid. -- Emily MaitlisAn absolutely belting achievement ... An elegy for a lost nation and a lost cause. -- Justin WebbThere are all too many people who can opine about the United States but there are very few with Nick Bryant’s depth of knowledge, experience and empathy for the country and his ability to communicate intelligently, engagingly and entertainingly. -- Nick RobinsonBryant is a genuine rarity, a Brit who understands America. * Washington Post *A scathing indictment of the polarization and degradation that has transformed the US … [A]n adroit political critique. * Kirkus Reviews *Few outsiders explain America better than Nick Bryant or write about it as well. This is a must-read guide to an extraordinary time. -- Katty Kay[Bryant] has a deeper understanding than many of the ebb and flow of history ... [His] breezy prose displays a keen eye for good quotations and telling anecdotes. * TLS *Listeners who want a perspective that’s both outside and inside and crucially, that comes from a place of love for the US, should look out for When America Stopped Being Great. * The New Statesman *Terrific. Very much recommended. * The Monocle Daily *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Face to Face with ‘The Donald’ 1 It’s Morning Again in America 2 Goodbye to the Greatest Generation 3 Bill and Newt 4 The Three Convulsions 5 No You Can’t 6 The Donald Trump Show 7 American Carnage 8 The Descent into January 6th Conclusion: Present at the Destruction Afterword: Code Red for American Democracy Acknowledgements Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THE INSPIRATION FOR THE FEATURE FILM THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY 'Screamingly addictive' STEPHEN FRY 'Superb ... Thrilling story-telling' NAOMI KLEIN 'A powerful contribution to an urgent debate' GUARDIAN What if everything we’ve been told about addiction is wrong? One of Johann Hari’s earliest memories is of trying to wake up one of his relatives and not being able to. As he grew older, he realised there was addiction in his family. Confused, he set out on a three-year, thirty-thousand mile journey to discover what really causes addiction – and how to solve it. Told through a series of gripping human stories, this book was the basis of a TED talk and animation that have been viewed more than twenty million times. It has transformed the global debate about addiction.Trade ReviewScreamingly addictive. The story it tells, jaw-droppingly horrific, hilarious and incredible, is one everyone should know -- Stephen FryIntoxicatingly thrilling -- Russell BrandSuperb journalism and thrilling story-telling -- Naomi KleinA wonderful book ... I hope everyone will read it -- Sam HarrisAn absolutely stunning book. It will blow your mind, and blow you away -- Elton JohnWonderful. I couldn't put it down * Noam Chomsky *One of the world's most important and most enlightening thinkers and social critics -- Glenn Greenwald, winner of the Pulitzer PrizeBreathtaking … A powerful contribution to an urgent debate * Guardian *Incredibly powerful -- Caroline LucasA testament to Hari's skill as a writer * New York Times *Incredibly entertaining. It’s enormously emotionally affecting … It really is an extraordinary book -- Vanessa Feltz * BBC London *Gripping * Financial Times *Amazing and bracing and smart. It’s really revolutionary -- Dan Savage

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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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Book SynopsisIn The Future is History Masha Gessen follows the lives of four Russians, born as the Soviet Union crumbled, at what promised to be the dawn of democracy. Each came of age with unprecedented expectations, some as the children or grandchildren of the very architects of the new Russia, each with newfound aspirations of their own - as entrepreneurs, activists, thinkers and writers, sexual and social beings. Gessen charts their paths not only against the machinations of the regime that would seek to crush them all (censorship, intimidation, violence) but also against the war it waged on understanding itself, ensuring the unobstructed emergence of the old Soviet order in the form of today's terrifying and seemingly unstoppable mafia state. The Future is History is a powerful and urgent cautionary tale by contemporary Russia's most fearless inquisitor.Trade ReviewIndispensable -- Pankaj Mishra * Guardian *The Future is History is a beautifully-written, sensitively-argued and cleverly-structured journey through Russia's failure to build democracy. The difficulty for any book about Russia is how to make the world's biggest country human-sized, and she succeeds by building her story around the lives of a half-dozen people, whose fortunes wax and wane as the country opens up, then closes down once more. It is a story about hope and despair, trauma and treatment, ideals and betrayal, and above all about love and cynicism. If you want to truly understand why Vladimir Putin has been able to so dominate his country, this book will help you -- Oliver BulloughMasha Gessen is a brave and eloquent critic of the Putin regime -- Edward Lucas * The Times *Impassioned * Daily Telegraph *In The Future is History, Masha Gessen demonstrates how nostalgia has changed the fabric of Russian society. More than 25% of Russians believe that Stalin's rule was good for the country. Gessen's analysis reveals how imperial nostalgia goes hand in hand with an increase in nationalism, isolationism, sexism and homophobia... Memory is a responsibility. We ought to remember the past, not only in its polished glories but also its atrocities and injustices -- Elif Shafak * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisIntended for the fans of Anthony Bourdain, this is a collection of his journalism. Containing stories from his worldwide misadventures, it talks about scrounging for eel in the backstreets of Hanoi, the unglamorous aspects of making television, calling for the head of raw food activist Woody Harrelson, and confessing to lobster-killing guilt.Trade Review'Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and aioli.' Daily Telegraph 'Bawdie, bolshy and bursting with energy.' Daily Mail

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Book Synopsis‘A vaulting triumph of a book’ Isabella Tree, author of Wilding'A master storyteller, Weidensaul communicates so much joy in the sheer act of witnessing and such exhilaration in the advances of the science behind what he sees that we are slow to grasp the extent of the ecological crisis that he outlines.' ObserverBird migration remains perhaps the most singularly compelling natural phenomenon in the world. Nothing else combines its global sweep with its inherent ability to engender wonder and excitement.The past two decades have seen an explosion in our understanding of the almost unfathomable feats of endurance and complexity involved in bird migration – yet the science that informs these majestic journeys is still in its infancy.Pulitzer Prize-shortlisted writer-ornithologist Scott Weidensaul is at the forefront of this research, and A World on the Wing sees him track some of the most remarkable flights undertaken by birds. His own voyage of discovery sees him sail through the storm-wracked waters of the Bering Sea; encounter gunners and trappers in the Mediterranean; and visit a forgotten corner of north-east India, where former headhunters have turned one of the grimmest stories of migratory crisis into an unprecedented conservation success.As our world comes increasingly under threat from the effects of climate change, these ecological miracles may provide an invaluable guide to a more sustainable future for all species, including us. This is the rousing and reverent story of the billions of birds that, despite the numerous obstacles we have placed in their path, continue to head with hope to the far horizon.Trade ReviewA vaulting triumph of a book. Scott Weidensaul unravels the miracles and mysteries of bird migration like an ace detective. Compelling and often deeply moving, this is a summons for international co-operation and global conservation like no other. -- Isabella Tree, author of WildingAs much as the book is upbeat and celebratory, Weidensaul is fearless in describing the acute challenges that face the birds he loves . . . a superb globetrotting survey of avian restlessness that reaches one core conclusion. Migrants may seem like here-today-gone-tomorrow nomads but they are really inhabitants of a single place and one living system, on which they and humans depend equally: the entire Earth. -- Mark Cocker * Spectator *A master storyteller who is also profoundly involved in scientific ornithology . . . Weidensaul communicates so much joy in the sheer act of witnessing and such exhilaration in the advances of the science behind what he sees, that we are slow to grasp the extent of the ecological crisis that he outlines * Observer *In vivid prose that conjures up the rich spell of each landscape, Scott Weidensaul takes us on exhilarating expeditions that crisscross the globe and travel deep into the heart of nature. For lifelong experts and backyard birders alike, he’s a superb guide to the winged marvels that share our planet and our lives. -- Diane Ackerman, author of The Zookeeper’s WifeWeidensaul’s dispatches are fascinating. Chapter by chapter, my jaw dropped and my eyes widened. The science of bird migration has reached a golden age, and we’re lucky to have such a graceful guide. This book is instantly among my all-time favorites, and one I’ll keep to re-read. -- Noah Strycker, author of Birding Without BordersThe miracle of birds meets the miracle of technology in Scott Weidensaul’s wondrous new book A World on the Wing. While there are huge gaps in our knowledge of migration, and despair in our race to save species, advances in technology from microscopic transmitters to agile drones are changing the equation and making the future look hopeful. This is a book you won’t want to put down. -- Jane Alexander, actress, writer and wildlife conservationistScott Weidensaul, one of our finest nature writers, has produced another instant classic. In A World on the Wing he takes a pair of highly complex subjects—global patterns of bird migration, and the research into those patterns—and brings them to life with his own amazing adventures around the world. Here is proof that a book of solid science can also be a page-turner. Highly recommended for anyone curious about the natural world. -- Kenn Kaufman, author of the Kaufman Field GuidesA World on the Wing brims with spectacle . . . As the birds flit through these pages, but with ever less frequency through our lives, we can only hope that birders and non-birders alike take inspiration and a call to action from A World on the Wing. This is the kind of book we’ve been waiting for. * New York Times *Mr. Weidensaul takes us to places we’ll likely never go, then deftly steps back to let us experience the scene. In an era when travel, for most, has sputtered to a stop, A World on the Wing is a bracing tonic. The author slips in facts and figures so painlessly, so richly embedded in emotional context, that you can absorb and truly appreciate their import * Wall Street Journal *Many mysteries of bird life and migration are revealed in this compelling and illuminating in-the-field narrative complete with maps and photographs. * Booklist *Based on recent scientific research and his own research and bird observations . . . Each chapter on the different bird species and migration experiences will vibrantly inform readers about the habits of migratory birds * Library Journal *As in many of his previous books, Weidensaul is a peerless guide, sharing his intoxicating passion and decadeslong experience with countless bird species all over the world . . . Another winner from Weidensaul that belongs in every birder’s library * Kirkus Reviews *Remarkable . . . Bird enthusiasts and fans of nature writing shouldn’t miss this * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments xix About the Authors xxi Introduction xxiii 1Grammar 1 Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects 1 Definitions Noun Verb Subject Gerund Using verbs to find subjects Multiple subjects and verbs in a sentence Infinitives You as an understood subject Subject-Verb Agreement 4 Singular vs. plural verbs Finding subjects before phrases beginning with of With or, either/or, and neither/nor Two singular subjects One singular and one plural subject With and With interrupting expressions With here or there With distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc. With portion words such as a lot, a majority, percent, some, all With collective nouns such as group, family, staff The subjunctive mood Irregular Verbs 9 Clauses and Phrases 9 Definitions Clause Independent clause Dependent clause Phrase Pronouns 10 Definition: Pronoun Subject pronouns As the subject of the sentence Renaming the subject When who refers to a personal pronoun Object pronouns Subject and verb agreement with who, that, and which Subject and verb agreement with anyone, someone, each, etc. Following than or as Possessive pronouns Its vs. it’s; who’s vs. whose Reflexives: the -self pronouns Consistency with singular pronouns The singular they Pronouns linked with nouns by and Possessive adjectives vs. possessive pronouns Who vs. Whom 16 They/Them method Common whom pitfall Whoever vs. Whomever 17 Agreement with the verb in the dependent clause Dependent clause as the subject of the verb following the clause Who, That, Which 18 Who, that, and which with people, groups, and things That with essential clauses Which with nonessential clauses When which can be used with essential clauses Adjectives and Adverbs 19 Definitions Adjective Adverb Adjectives modifying nouns and pronouns Adverbs modifying verbs, adjectives, and adverbs When to add -ly Sense verbs: taste, smell, look, feel, etc. Good vs. well Well as an adjective when referring to health Comparisons, such as -er vs. -est and more vs. most This, that, these, and those Prepositions 22 Definition: preposition Ending a sentence with a preposition Avoiding extra prepositions Like As, as if, as though, the way of vs. have Different from vs. different than In vs. into Effective Writing 25 Concrete vs. vague language Active vs. passive voice Overuse of there is, there are, it is, it was, etc. Double negatives Parallel construction Dangling modifiers Misplaced modifiers Fragments Dialogue 2 Punctuation 31 Spacing with Punctuation 31 Periods 31 With complete sentences With abbreviations at the end of a sentence Replacing periods with question marks and exclamation points Commas 32 To separate three or more items To separate adjectives With two independent clauses Run-on sentences or comma splices Joined by connectors such as and, or, but, etc. When the subject does not appear in front of the second verb With because Starting a sentence with a dependent clause vs. an independent clause With nonessential words, clauses, and phrases With sufficiently identified noun With introductory words To set off interrupting expressions With names With dates With city and state With Jr. and Sr. With degrees and titles With quotations To introduce or interrupt quotations Following quotations To separate statements from questions To separate contrasting parts of a sentence With certain introductory words When followed by a series of items When the series of items ends with etc. Semicolons 39 To replace a period in two closely linked sentences With such words as namely, however, therefore, etc., when they introduce a complete sentence To avoid confusion where commas already exist With sentences that have multiple clauses Capitalization following a semicolon Colons 41 To introduce a series of items Except when a series of items directly follows a verb or preposition With lists With two independent clauses when the second explains the first Capitalization following a colon With long quotations After the salutation in a business letter Quotation Marks 43 Use of double quotation marks Capitalization with quotations Commas introducing, interrupting, and ending quotations Periods and commas ALWAYS inside quotation marks —Question marks and exclamation marks with quotation marks follow logic With titles of magazines, books, plays, etc. Use of single quotation marks for quotations within quotations Spacing between single and double quotation marks With nonstandard expressions With technical terms and terms used in an unusual way Avoiding single quotation marks With quoted material of more than one paragraph Question Marks 46 With direct questions Replacing periods Capitalization following a question mark Indirect questions Rhetorical questions With sentences that are half statement and half question With quotation marks Parentheses and Brackets 48 Not interchangeable Parentheses For clarification and asides With complete sentences Punctuation inside and outside parentheses Subject-verb agreement Comma placement with parentheses Brackets With interruptions Use of [sic] With quotations Apostrophes 50 Singular nouns Possession with singular nouns Possession with common nouns ending in s Possession with proper nouns ending in s Possession by inanimate objects Plural nouns Plural possession with regular nouns No apostrophe with plural regular nouns Plural possession with irregular nouns Plural possession with names ending in s No apostrophe with plural names Possession with singular compound nouns To show joint or separate possession Contractions With initials, capital letters, and numbers used as nouns With time or money With personal pronouns Apostrophes vs. single quotation marks False possessives With nouns ending in y Hyphens 56 No spaces around hyphens Not the same as dashes Hyphens between words With compound adjectives Suspended hyphens With compound verbs With compound nouns With very and -ly adverbs With ages For clarification With spans of time, distance, or other quantities With units, abbreviations, or symbols With compound numbers With spelled-out fractions With double last names Avoiding overuse Proper nouns of more than one word as compound adjectives Well-known expressions Look it up Hyphens with prefixes and suffixes Prefixes with proper nouns or proper adjectives With family relations Prefixes with double vowels With self-, ex-, and all- With re- To avoid confusion Suffixes not usually hyphenated Suffixes and double letters Using discretion and a dictionary Dashes 63 Em dashes Em dashes and subject agreement In place of other punctuation Spacing En dashes With number ranges With open compound adjectives Forming dashes Ellipses 65 Definition and three-dot method Spacing With omitted words or sentences To express hesitation, changes of mood, etc. Exclamation Points 66 To show emotion, emphasis, or surprise Replacing periods and mid-sentence commas Avoidance in formal business writing Justifiable use Slashes 66 Technical term: virgule In formal writing use hyphen or the word or 3 Capitalization 69 First word of a document and after a period Proper nouns and adjectives derived from proper nouns Reference list of capitalized categories Reference list of lowercase categories Thorny aspects of capitalization Titles Titles vs. occupations Titles in direct address Kinship names Nicknames Geographic regions vs. points of the compass The before proper nouns City, town, county, etc., before a proper name First word of a quotation Midsentence independent clauses or questions Course titles vs. academic subjects Art movements Lists following colons Lowercase the national anthem Titles of books, plays, films, songs, etc. Subtitles Gray areas 4 Writing Numbers 79 Using figures vs. spelling out numbers Numbers beginning a sentence Hyphenating compound numbers Hyphenating fractions Figures of four or more digits Sums less than a dollar Noon and midnight Time of day Mixed fractions Large numbers Decimals Writing out numbers of three or more digits When to use and Do not use commas Dates Decades Use lowercase when spelling out Using apostrophes with incomplete numerals Avoiding apostrophe + s with complete numerals Apostrophes with numbers 5 Confusing Words and Homonyms 85 Good vs. well Imply vs. infer Its vs. it’s Lay vs. lie Their vs. there vs. they’re Hundreds more words and homonyms that perplex and confound 6 Quizzes 155 Grammar Pretest 155 Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 1 157 Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 2 157 Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 1 158 Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 2 159 Irregular Verbs Quiz 1 160 Irregular Verbs Quiz 2 160 Pronouns Quiz 1 160 Pronouns Quiz 2 161 Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 1 162 Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 2 163 Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 1 163 Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 2 164 Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 1 164 Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 2 165 Prepositions Quiz 1 166 Prepositions Quiz 2 166 Affect vs. Effect Quiz 1 167 Affect vs. Effect Quiz 2 167 Lay vs. Lie Quiz 1 168 Lay vs. Lie Quiz 2 168 Advice vs. Advise Quiz 1 169 Advice vs. Advise Quiz 2 169 Their vs. There vs. They’re Quiz 1 170 Their vs. There vs. They’re Quiz 2 170 More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 1 171 More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 2 171 Effective Writing Quiz 1 172 Effective Writing Quiz 2 172 Grammar Mastery Test 173 Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Pretest 175 Commas and Periods Quiz 1 177 Commas and Periods Quiz 2 178 Semicolons and Colons Quiz 1 179 Semicolons and Colons Quiz 2 180 Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 1 181 Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 2 181 Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 1 182 Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 2 182 Apostrophes Quiz 1 183 Apostrophes Quiz 2 184 Hyphens Between Words Quiz 1 184 Hyphens Between Words Quiz 2 185 Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 1 186 Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 2 186 Capitalization Quiz 1 187 Capitalization Quiz 2 187 Writing Numbers Quiz 1 188 Writing Numbers Quiz 2 188 Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Mastery Test 189 7 Answers to Quizzes 193 Grammar Pretest Answers 193 Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 1 Answers 195 Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 2 Answers 195 Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 1 Answers 196 Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 2 Answers 196 Irregular Verbs Quiz 1 Answers 197 Irregular Verbs Quiz 2 Answers 197 Pronouns Quiz 1 Answers 198 Pronouns Quiz 2 Answers 199 Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 1 Answers 199 Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 2 Answers 200 Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 1 Answers 201 Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 2 Answers 201 Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 1 Answers 202 Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 2 Answers 202 Prepositions Quiz 1 Answers 203 Prepositions Quiz 2 Answers 204 Affect vs. Effect Quiz 1 Answers 204 Affect vs. Effect Quiz 2 Answers 205 Lay vs. Lie Quiz 1 Answers 205 Lay vs. Lie Quiz 2 Answers 206 Advice vs. Advise Quiz 1 Answers 206 Advice vs. Advise Quiz 2 Answers 206 Their vs. There vs. They’re Quiz 1 Answers 207 Their vs. There vs. They’re Quiz 2 Answers 207 More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 1 Answers 208 More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 2 Answers 208 Effective Writing Quiz 1 Answers 209 Effective Writing Quiz 2 Answers 210 Grammar Mastery Test Answers 211 Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Pretest Answers 213 Commas and Periods Quiz 1 Answers 215 Commas and Periods Quiz 2 Answers 216 Semicolons and Colons Quiz 1 Answers 216 Semicolons and Colons Quiz 2 Answers 217 Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 1 Answers 218 Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 2 Answers 219 Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 1 Answers 219 Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 2 Answers 220 Apostrophes Quiz 1 Answers 220 Apostrophes Quiz 2 Answers 221 Hyphens Between Words Quiz 1 Answers 222 Hyphens Between Words Quiz 2 Answers 222 Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 1 Answers 223 Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 2 Answers 223 Capitalization Quiz 1 Answers 224 Capitalization Quiz 2 Answers 224 Writing Numbers Quiz 1 Answers 225 Writing Numbers Quiz 2 Answers 226 Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Mastery Test Answers 226 Index 229

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Book SynopsisLike most all of Rebecca West's reportage, A Train of Powder approaches great literature. Written between 1946 and 1954, these accounts of four controversial trials explore the nature of crime and punishment, innocence and guilt, retribution and forgiveness. The centerpiece of the book is "Greenhouse with Cyclamens," a three-part essay on the Nuremberg trials written with precision, clarity, and daring insight. She also reports on two particularly brutal murder trials — one for a lynching in North Carolina, the other for a "torso murder" in England — and the espionage trial of a British telegrapher. Throughout, the question of guilt inspires Ms. West to feats of psychological detection wherein unerring craftsmanship and a powerful narrative sense combine to a high purpose — the pursuit of truth. "An astonishing book.... As compelling as Court TV but without the frisson of voyeurism (and with the compensatory satisfactions of West's breathtakingly lucid prose style), these elegant narratives remind us of the preciousness and fragility of our right to trial by jury."—Francine Prose. "It is her unique magic to combine impressionism and precision, as if Monet and Ingres could somehow be fused. Time and again a passage begins as a sort of iridescent cloud, and culminates in a diamond point."—Telford Taylor, Saturday Review. "Rebecca West...has raised journalism to a high art, breathing into it a depth, a poetry, a subtlety, and an understanding and compassion for human beings and their endless follies and tragedies that give it a legitimate place in contemporary literature."—William L. Shirer.Trade ReviewAn astonishing book...Elegant narratives with lucid prose. -- Francine ProseA beautiful example of journalism transformed into great art. -- Carl RollysonBrilliant and thought-provoking. * The Christian Science Monitor *West is a powerful and deadly serious writer, aware that our age has a beast in view...this belongs to the art of the really superb journalist. -- Maurice Dolbier * Harpers Wine & Spirit *Indisputably the world's Number 1 woman writer. * Time *

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Book Synopsis*Standard hardback edition*The most famous sports book in the world, Wisden Cricketers'' Almanack has been published every year since 1864. Highlights from this year''s edition include Gideon Haigh on the men''s Ashes, former England captain Mike Brearley on the captaincy of Ben Stokes, Jonathan Liew on the departure of Stuart Broad, Michael Collins on English cricket''s equity problem, as well as articles by Ebony Rainford-Brent, Emma John, Harry Pearson, Sir Hilary Beckles and many more of the world''s best sportswriters.As usual, Wisden includes the thought-provoking Notes by the Editor, the famous Cricketers of the Year awards, and the authoritative obituaries. And, as ever, there are reports and scorecards for every Test, together with forthright opinion, compelling features and comprehensive records.There can''t really be any doubt about the cricket book of the year, any year: it''s obviously Wisden. Andrew Baker in The Daily Telegraph

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Book Synopsis'A brave writer whose books open up fundamental questions about life and art' – TelegraphIn this inspiring collection of essays, acclaimed writer and critic Olivia Laing makes a vivid and politically-engaged case for the importance of art – especially in the turbulent weather of the twenty-first century.We are often told art can’t change anything. In Funny Weather, Laing argues that it can. It changes how we see the world, it exposes inequality, and it offers fertile new ways of living.Across a diverse selection of essays, Laing profiles Jean-Michel Basquiat and Georgia O’Keeffe, interviews Hilary Mantel and Ali Smith, writes love letters to David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, and explores loneliness and technology, women and alcohol, sex and the body. Written with originality and compassion, Funny Weather is a celebration of art as a force of resistance and repair – and as an antidote to a frightening political moment.Trade ReviewA brave writer whose books open up fundamental questions about life and art * Telegraph *Olivia Laing is my new favourite non-fiction writer -- Nick HornbyLike all great critics, Olivia Laing combines formidable intelligence with boundless curiosity and fabulous taste, but she also has a rare quality of intimacy; an ability to connect the reader to a work of art or literature with a directness that lights it up like nothing else. It’s why I read her -- James LasdunHer observations and poetic incisiveness on art, writers and politics are a gift. This is a fascinating, excursive, tonic of a book -- Sinéad Gleeson, author of ConstellationsA thought-provoking, inspiring collection that you can go back to whenever the weather takes a funny turn * Evening Standard *Funny Weather gives the reader a tangible sense of the sprawling garden of work which Laing has planted. She is to the art world what David Attenborough is to nature: a worthy guide with both a macro and micro vision, fluent in her chosen tongue and always full of empathy and awe * Irish Times *Laing has acted as a kind of cultural sage for the past four years, an accidental literary grande dame of the emotional havoc wrought by late capitalism and digital disconnect * New York Magazine *Laing writes of her creative subjects in a winning, passionate voice that proves both soothing and galvanizing, especially amid a panic . . . It’s not just art we need in an emergency, but writers, like Laing, who gently guide our eyes to what’s out there -- Alina Cohen * Observer *The hospitality of world view in Olivia’s writing is a vital force in our disputatious present -- Maria Balshaw, director of TateLaing combines passion and curiosity in a collection of art-based essays and profiles that reflect the uncertainty of our age * Guardian *Never has a publication been more timely * Dazed *A warm, thinking, enticing sweep of a book, like spending the afternoon with your brainiest friend -- Kate Mosse, author of The Burning ChambersA fine writer’s embrace of the artists who preceded her, friendly visits with their lives and loving acknowledgement of their foundational contributions. A work of joy in recognition -- Sarah SchulmanThe book to help you make sense of the world . . . [a] mesmerizing collection of essays . . . this unique and compassionate book is a mind-expanding opportunity to rethink how we live, and what we can do to change things for the better. * Stylist *A light-footed tour of enriching stories, lives, and ideas * Dazed and Confused *Her gift as a critic is her ability to imaginatively sympathize with her subjects in a way that allows the art and life of the artist to go on radiating meaning after the book is closed * Elle *Breathtaking, beautiful, funny, shocking, sad, revealing, and timely -- Nina Stibbe, author of Love, NinaI yield to absolutely no one in my admiration of Olivia Laing; her essays are magical liberations of words and ideas, art and love; they're the essence of great 21st century literature: brilliantly expressed, wildly uncontained, wilful and wonderfully unbound. -- Philip Hoare, author of RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAROlivia Laing shines the light for art writing. Funny Weather urges us to humanise art, and listen to what artists say about life, love and crisis. -- Charlie PorterAn incivisive meditation on the value of heartfelt, messy art in our paranoid times * Telegraph *It’s not just art we need in an emergency, but writers, like Laing, who gently guide our eyes to what’s out there * Observer *Vibrant commentary on art and society by a writer with a sharp eye for the offbeat * Kirkus *Laing’s essays are urgent, compassionate, enlivening and acutely perceptive, and that’s true whether or not we encounter them “in an emergency” * the arts desk *Her words seem balefully accurate, given what has now overtaken us * Financial Times *Laing is an intelligent and acute writer, and this book is certainly interesting and assuredly well-written * Scotsman *Laing’s arts writing is sharp-minded, and her manner is generous toward both subject and reader * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisSecond-hand Time is the latest work from Svetlana Alexievich, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature. Here she brings together the voices of dozens of witnesses to the collapse of the USSR in a formidable attempt to chart the disappearance of a culture and to surmise what new kind of man may emerge from the rubble. Fashioning a singular, polyphonic literary form by combining extended individual monologues with a collage of voices, Alexievich creates a magnificent requiem to a civilization in ruins, a brilliant, poignant and unique portrait of post-Soviet society out of the stories of ordinary women and men.Trade Review‘In this spellbinding book, Svetlana Alexievich orchestrates a rich symphony of Russian voices telling their stories of love and death, joy and sorrow, as they try to make sense of the twentieth century, so tragic for their country.’ — J. M. Coetzee, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature‘Absolutely fantastic.’ — Karl Ove Knausgaard‘The non-fiction volume that has done the most to deepen the emotional understanding of Russia during and after the collapse of the Soviet Union of late is Svetlana Alexievich’s oral history Second-hand Time.’ — David Remnick, New Yorker‘Second-Hand Time is [Alexievich’s] most ambitious work: many women and a few men talk about the loss of the Soviet idea, the post-Soviet ethnic wars, the legacy of the Gulag, and other aspects of the Soviet experience.... Through her books and her life itself, Alexievich has gained probably the world’s deepest, most eloquent understanding of the post-Soviet condition.’ — Masha Gessen, New Yorker‘A series of monologues by people across the former Soviet empire, it is Tolstoyan in scope, driven by the idea that history is made not only by major players but also by ordinary people talking in their kitchens.’ — Rachel Donadio, New York Times‘Alexievich’s work follows the strands of thought and emotion wherever her voices take her – through nightmares, but also flashes of joy … The work is unique in the intimacy of the experience transmitted through the writing: which is, after all, only the ability to have a human ear, to listen, and to publish.’ — John Lloyd, Financial Times‘I am engrossed in Svetlana Alexievich’s extraordinary Second-hand Time, an oral tapestry of post-Soviet Russia.’ — Julian Barnes, Guardian

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Book SynopsisThe Road to Wigan Pier is a book in two parts: the first half is Orwell’s description of working-class life in industrial communities of the north of England, the second examines his own political views.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is introduced by journalist and author Amelia Gentleman.The Road to Wigan Pier is an insightful and powerful account of lives lived in poverty and deprivation in a time of low wages and meagre government support. Orwell describes dismal housing (including the lodging house where he stays), harsh working conditions and the devastating effects of unemployment. And he also vividly describes the courage and dignity of the people he meets. In the second half of the book, Orwell examines his own political and social affiliations with an impressive ability to provoke and to question. He defends middle-class values whilst critiquing the failures of his own class, he advocates socialism whilst criticizing the socialist movement in England.Trade ReviewWith absolute confidence, after several false starts, the mature George Orwell takes charge of this idiosyncratic account of working-class life from his first page. -- Robert McCrum, '100 best nonfiction books of all time' * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisIn The Beekeeper of Sinjar, the acclaimed poet and journalist Dunya Mikhail tells the harrowing stories of women from across Iraq who have managed to escape the clutches of ISIS. Since 2014, ISIS has been persecuting the Yazidi people, killing or enslaving those who won't convert to Islam. These women have lost their families and loved ones, along with everything they've ever known. Dunya Mikhail weaves together the women's tales of endurance and near-impossible escape with the story of her own exile and her dreams for the future of Iraq. In the midst of ISIS's reign of terror and hatred, an unlikely hero has emerged: the Beekeeper. Once a trader selling his mountain honey across the region, when ISIS came to Sinjar he turned his knowledge of the local terrain to another, more dangerous use. Along with a secret network of transporters, helpers, and former bootleggers, Abdullah Shrem smuggles brutalised Yazidi women to safety through the war-torn landscapes of Iraq, Syria, and Eastern Turkey. This powerful work of literary nonfiction offers a counterpoint to ISIS's genocidal extremism: hope, as ordinary people risk torture and death to save the lives of others.Trade ReviewIt is not for the faint-hearted, but they should read it anyway. We should all read it. -- Peter Stanford * Observer *Remarkable ... With this short book, the tragedies and the heroism of this time of horror will survive intact. -- Louise Callaghan * Sunday Times *Rare and powerful ... Mikhail has created a searing portrait of courage, humanity and savagery, told in a mosaic of voices. ... [her] gifts as a poet infuse these narratives with unexpected beauty * The New York Times *Mikhail bears witness to women in war-torn Iraq, women who have scarcely known peace throughout their lives. That she is a poet is clear on each page. * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisThe son of one of the greatest writers of our timeNobel Prize winner and internationally best-selling icon Gabriel García Márquezremembers his beloved father and mother in this tender memoir about love and loss.I find myself remembering that my father used to say that everyone has three lives: the public, the private, and the secret.On a weekday morning in March 2014, Gabriel García Márquez, one of the most acclaimed writers of the twentieth century, came down with a cold.In this intimate and honest account on grief and death, Rodrigo Garcia not only contemplates his father's mortality and remarkable humanity, but also his mother's tremendous charm and tenderness. Mercedes Barcha, Gabo's constant companion and creative muse, was one of the foremost influences on his life and art.A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes is a revelatory portrait of a family coping with loss and a rich depiction of a son's love.Trade Review‘a powerfully written memoir…García Márquez maintained that his novels were inspired not by magic but by reality. His son’s memoir shows that, when it comes to his father’s life, it is impossible to separate the two.’ Daniel Rey, Spectator ‘Rodrigo Garcia finds the words that cannot be said, the moments that signal all that is possible to know about the passage from life to death, from what love brings and the loss it leaves. With details as rich as any giant biography, you will find yourself grieving as you read, grateful for the profound art that remains a part of our cultural heritage’ Walter Mosley, New York Times bestselling author of Down the River Unto the Sea ‘You read this short memoir with a feeling of deep gratitude. Yes, it is a moving homage by a son to his extraordinary parents, but also much more: it is a revelation of the hidden corners of a fascinating life. A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes is generous, unsentimental and wise.’–Juan Gabriel Vásquez, author of The Sound of Things Falling ‘Garcia’s limpid prose gazes calmly at death, registering pain but not being overcome by it … the result is a moving eulogy that will captivate fans of the literary lion’ Publishers Weekly “A warm homage filled with both fond and painful memories.” Kirkus ‘This is a beautiful farewell to two extraordinary people. It enthralled and moved me, and it will move and enthrall anyone who has ever entered the glorious literary world of Gabriel García Márquez’ Salman Rushdie

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Book SynopsisJoanna Lillis is a Kazakhstan-based journalist reporting on Central Asia whose work has featured in the Guardian, The Economist and the Independent newspapers, the Eurasianet website and Foreign Policy and POLITICO magazines. Prior to settling in Kazakhstan in 2005, she worked for BBC Monitoring, the BBC World Service's global media tracking service. She studied Russian in the Soviet republics of Belorussia and Ukraine before the collapse of the USSR.Trade ReviewLillis traveled widely across the country, carried out an impressive number of interviews, and followed several key events… She also closely explored the stories and experiences of numerous [people]... Her work demonstrates that [Kazakhstan] has become more secretive, authoritative, and oppressive. * CHOICE *Astute, refreshing and revelatory; it is also surprisingly tender, showing not only her affection but her care in trying to make sense of a country that needs to be understood warts and all ... It is not easy to look beneath the surface and make sense of a country of such contrasts and complexities, especially one that is in transition. You don’t need a book about Kazakhstan to realise that the world is changing; but reading Dark Shadows is a great place to start for anyone wanting to see how and why Central Asia matters in the 21st century. -- Peter Frankopan * The Spectator *Dark Shadows reads like a thriller. Lillis knows exactly how to investigate and tell stories, which characters readers will relate to or abhor, and how sources need to be interrogated & balanced. * Asian Affairs *This is a fine book, beautifully written and with just the right blend of affection and censure. Lillis has rendered a great public service by dispelling some of the myths and caricatures that have gathered around Kazakhstan, which remains one of the world’s least well-understood countries. * Eurasianet *Through in-depth interviews and good access to a range of Kazakh public figures, the book presents a powerful tale of injustice, corruption and fear ... An interesting and comprehensive addition to scholarship on Eurasia and post-Soviet and Central Asian studies at a time of renewed interest in the region at the crossroads between China and Russia. * Europe-Asia Studies *The best book in English in the last decade on developments in Kazkahstan -- William Courtney, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the RAND Corporation, and former US ambassador to KazakhstanThis is the essential book about an increasingly important, but highly secretive, country. With a keen eye and sharp analysis, Joanna Lillis goes beyond the 'post-Soviet' cliches to explore the depths of Kazakhstan's politics, history and money -- Peter Pomerantsev, author of Nothing is true and Everything is Possible: Adventures in Modern RussiaTable of ContentsMap of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan historical timeline Note on transliteration and names Introduction I. The Making of a Potentate 1 Arise, Kazakhstan 2 A Family Affair 3 Don’t Mess With the Boss 4 Fault Lines in the Feel-Good Factor 5 Publish and Be Damned 6 Trials and Tribulations 7 Back to the USSR 8 Stop the Presses 9 Bread and Circuses 10 End of an Era II. Identity Crisis 11 Kingdom of the Kazakhs 12 Mother Russia 13 Death to the Past 14 The Gulag Archipelago 15 Exile of the Innocents 16 Sparks of Tension 17 December of Discontent 18 Lure of the Land 19 Homeward Bound 20 Behind the Red Wall III. Stories from the Steppe 21 Keeping the Faith 22 Opium of the People 23 Culture Wars 24 The Curse of Corruption 25 The Shrinking Sea 26 The Wasteland 27 The Ranch 28 The Slumbering Steppe 29 The Collective Farm Notes Bibliography Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisA rare look at an underappreciated and pioneering figure in Japanese free jazzAspirations of Madness, Blank Forms? fifth collection of archival, unpublished, or newly translated texts, takes its title from a series of interviews with Japanese free jazz pioneer Masayuki Takayangi that were published in Japanese in 1975?76 and are published here in English for the first time. The interviews provide a rare look at Takayanagi?s eccentric practice and personality, both long under-recognized by audiences outside (and often, inside) of Japan. The postwar Japanese history that Takayanagi describes also surfaces in this publication?s opening piece, a poetic tribute by the writer and artist Louise Landes Levi to one of Takayanagi?s contemporaries, the poet Kazuko Shiraishi. Aspirations of Madness includes a second Levi poem as well, ?A Deep River,? written while at La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela?s Dream House in 2003. Complementing this tradition of Japanese free improvisation and poetry is the republication of a 1977 interview with Joseph Jarman, the great composer, poet, and multi-instrumentalist. We also feature Charles Stein?s introduction to Being = Space x Action. Further along, Aspirations of Madness features an excerpt from The Tree of Music, a cross-cultural treatise by the Russian musicologist Genrich ?Henry? Orlov, the English translation of which has never been published before. Aspirations of Madness closes with one of Maryanne Amacher?s final pieces of writing, ?The Agreement,? from 2009. The text takes the form of a letter between Amacher and the Open Ended Group, with whom she had planned to collaborate on her final, unfinished project, Lagrange: A Four Part Mini Series.

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Book SynopsisThis sensational 1941 memoir of life on wartime Europe's frontline by a trailblazing female reporter is an 'unforgettable' (The Times) rediscovered classic, introduced by Christina Lamb.Paris as it fell to the NazisLondon on the first day of the BlitzBerlin the day Germany invaded PolandMadrid in the Spanish Civil WarPrague during the Munich crisisLapland as the Russians attackedMoscow betrayed by the GermansVirginia Cowles has seen it all.As a pioneering female correspondent, she reported from the frontline of 1930s Europe into WWII always in the right place at the right time. Flinging off her heels under shellfire; meeting Hitler ('an inconspicuous little man'); gossiping with Churchill by his goldfish pond; dancing in the bomb-blasted Ritz ... Introduced by Christina Lamb, Cowles' incredible dispatches make you an eyewitness to the twentieth century as you haveTrade Review'A brilliant describer with an uncanny ability to be present in the right country when it falls into the abyss ... One of the most atmospheric war descriptions I've read ... Unforgettable.' - The Times'An amazingly brilliant reporter ... One of the most engrossing [books] the war has produced in all its diverse richness of drama and compassion and penetration and wit.' - New York Times

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Book SynopsisThe first essay collection from one of the most acclaimed writers of our time.This trenchant, unrepentant collection reminds you that she's a brilliant writer Order a copy in case she's cancelled by Christmas' THE TIMES (Book of the Year)You may disagree with Lionel Shriver's bracing journalism, but her right to spark disquiet goes to the heart of the freedom of expression issue' Rachel Cooke, OBSERVERMutinous essays about modern politics and culture An independent mind and a sense of humour are dangerous things to possess. The spiky, politically incorrect novelist Lionel Shriver has them in abundance' THE TIMESTestament to the fierce intelligence of a writer who wants us to think more, probe more, challenge more and who also makes it fun' THE SUNDAY TIMESNovelist, cultural observer and social satirist Lionel Shriver is among the sharpest talents of our age. A writer who embraces under-expressed, unpopular or downright dangerous' points of view, she regularly deplores the conformity oTrade Review‘This trenchant, unrepentant collection reminds you that she’s a brilliant writer… Order a copy in case she’s cancelled by Christmas’ THE TIMES (Book of the Year) This trenchant, unrepentant collection reminds you that she’s a brilliant writer on writing’ THE TIMES ‘Abominations is a refreshing mix of the personal and the political. Shriver’s essays beat with deliciously, dangerous opinions, but the cadence is catchingly humane. The world and my mind feel a little bigger and a little clearer’ Laura Dodsworth ‘Provocative, funny, original and pithy’ THE TIMES ‘Testament to the fierce intelligence of a writer who wants us to think more, probe more, challenge more — and who also makes it fun’ SUNDAY TIMES ‘You may disagree with Lionel Shriver’s bracing journalism, but her right to spark disquiet goes to the heart of the freedom of expression issue’ Rachel Cooke, OBSERVER ‘Mutinous essays about modern politics and culture… An independent mind and a sense of humour are dangerous things to possess. The spiky, politically incorrect novelist Lionel Shriver has them in abundance’ THE TIMES

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Book SynopsisThe Diamond Smugglers is the true story of an operation responsible for smuggling millions of pounds worth of precious gems out of Africa. Ian Fleming drew on interviews with the reluctant hero of the diamond companies' counter-attack to explore the world of the real master criminals of his time. The result rivals Fleming's greatest spy novels.

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Book SynopsisA lively and spontaneous interview with Etel Adnan about her absolute belief in the beauty of the world and the beauty of art.  In these interviews with journalist and editor Laure Adler, conducted in the months before her death in November 2021, Etel Adnan traces with depth and emotion the founding experiences of her artistic approach, between poetry and painting. From her youth in Lebanon, her American years in New York and California, to her late recognition at Documenta in 2012 and her life in France, the conversation covers philosophy, painting, poetry and aesthetics, as well Adnan''s views on history and politics in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. These transcripts usher the experiences and observations of Adnan''s long and rich life into an intimate and spontaneous conversation with a dear friend—a window on the “universe” of her imagination.

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Book Synopsis ‘One of the greatest writers of our time.’ Toni Morrison ‘You Don’t Know Us Negroes adds immeasurably to our understanding of Hurston … her words make it impossible for readers to consider her anything but one of the intellectual giants of the 20th century.’ The New York Times Book ReviewTrade Review‘Reading Hurston, you always wonder what shape her dignity will take next. Her style and spark were her own.’ The New York Times ‘Fierce, insightful and often devilishly funny, her satirical writing is particularly biting.’ The Observer ‘In these essays, which cover themes of race, gender and politics, her writing is characterised by an impish relish that remains both shocking and invigorating today.’ Financial Times Online ‘You Don’t Know Us Negroes adds immeasurably to our understanding of Hurston, who was a tireless crusader in all her writing, and ahead of her time. Though she was often misunderstood, sometimes maligned and occasionally dismissed, her words make it impossible for readers to consider her anything but one of the intellectual giants of the 20th century. Despite facing sexism, racism and general ignorance, Hurston managed to produce a written legacy that, thanks to enduring collections like this one, will engage readers for generations to come.’ The New York Times Book Review ‘This collection recognises one of the finest writers of the 20th century.’ The Sunday Express

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Book SynopsisAs European empires crumbled in the 20th century, the power structures that had dominated the world for centuries were up for renegotiation. Yet instead of a rebirth for democracy, what emerged was a silent coup namely, the unstoppable rise of global corporate power. Exposing the origins of this epic power grab as well as its present-day consequences, Silent Coup is the result of two investigative journalist's reports from 30 countries around the world. It provides an explosive guide to the rise of a corporate empire that now dictates how resources are allocated, how territories are governed, and how justice is defined.Trade ReviewThis wide-ranging inquiry—based on intensive on-the-ground investigation—unearths ‘a parallel world, outside of scrutiny…with very real consequences’. An ugly world, out of control, unaccountable, but with overwhelming power. It ranges from investor-state legal systems to intricate systems of corporate welfare that aid elites and investors. Always concealed in elaborate devices of seeming to do good. Silent Coup is a highly revealing exposé of the hidden real world. * Noam Chomsky *SIlent Coup opens a window onto multiple battlefields on which brave communities resist irresistible conglomerates world-wide. Because these momentous clashes remain under the radar of global public opinion, reading this book constitutes, in itself, an act of precious resistance. * Yanis Varoufakis *Silent Coup is a crime story: a gripping description of the murky legal, and regulatory structures and policy changes that privilege big corporations. It’s a tragedy, outlining the terrible consequences for people and nature, for democracy and accountability. It’s a lesson in economics, providing fascinating and important insights into the functioning of global capitalism today. But finally it’s also a story of hope, about apparently powerless people resisting these trends in the struggle for better and more just futures. Don’t miss this. * Jayati Ghosh *Silent Coup shows us how corporations have insulated themselves from democratic decision-making and stolen our collective power. Through impressive and important investigative journalism, the authors reveal how, why and where corporate power has hijacked democracy. We have to understand this world-spanning corporate power to build a global movement so powerful that we can take back our democracies and secure our collective future. * Jeremy Corbyn *Silent Coup is a ground-breaking piece of work. Through personal journeys and encounters, it reveals the truth about how little our votes mean when corporations and dirty dealers are pulling their corrupt strings in the background. This book needs to be read aloud. Silent Coup shows us where we’re heading to if we do nothing. This book is not about theories, it’s about reality. It’s what real investigative journalism should be about, but it’s written in a no nonsense, engaging, and accessible style. This is stuff we really need to know. * Benjamin Zephaniah *Silent Coup is investigative journalism at its best. It shows us how corporations rule the world: suing sovereign, democratic governments in invisible courts to erode constitutions and the democratic rights they enshrine—and writing laws and treaties to privatise the earth’s resources and public goods. Sovereign communities and countries are being displaced by sovereign companies and the supranational systems they have built to establish their control, creating in the process our age of corporate colonialism. The book is vital reading for all who care for human freedom, human rights and democracy. * Vandana Shiva *Silent Coup is an outstanding work of secrets revealed: all the more so for its classic eyewitness reporting. It shows that democracy's true enemy is within, a dark alliance of rapacious capital and corrupt law. We have been warned. * John Pilger *This brilliant book presents an entirely innovative framework to understand why the world looks like it does and not what it is. It explains why the media is largely ignoring the most important story of our generation. It explains how civic society around the world is being systematically dismantled by greedy corporations, governments, judicial bodies, and international institutions. It crackles by exposing hypocrisy at every level of officialdom. It demonstrates that voting in Western democracies is only the window dressing that hides power that few see with the naked eye but that this book reveals in startling and grotesque detail. If you read only one book this year, this should be it. * Steven Donziger *Quite an eye-opening look at the various abuses of corporate power across the globe and how they have caused quite a bit of harm and perhaps unintended consequences . . . absolutely worthy of reading and could enhance the overall discussion of related topics. Recommended. * BookAnon.com *Silent Coup is investigative journalism at its best, charting the rise of corporate power after World War II, where the freedoms fought for were redefined. -- Jan Woolf * The Morning Star *This book is detailed, but highly readable. It’s written for a broad audience with clear explanations and a very visual style. We go with the authors as they travel to different locations, investigate local issues, meet community activists and policy insiders, and delve into archives and history. * Foreign Control Watchdog *Table of ContentsBiographies Acknowledgements Introduction: The meeting Part One: Corporate justice 1 Democracy on Trial 2 Corporate Courts 3 Secret Insurance 4 Capitalist Magna Carta 5 The Boomerang Part Two: Corporate Welfare 6 Aid-funded Business 7 Financing ‘Development’ 8 Buying Power 9 Aiding Elites 10 A New Continent Part Three: Corporate Utopias 11 Fences Up 12 Irish Invasion 13 Rights Suspended 14 Private Cities 15 Finance is King Part Four: Corporate Armies 16 Peace Without Democracy 17 Profits Versus Peasants 18 Private Borders 19 Private Protection 20 Lucrative Threats Epilogue: Ugly Truths Bibliography Notes Index

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Book Synopsis'Just incredible' Naomi Klein'Gripping and shocking...with the pace of a thriller' The TimesA New York Times bestseller, The Outlaw Ocean is a riveting, adrenalin-fuelled tour of a vast, lawless and rampantly criminal world that few have ever seen: the high seas.The oceans are some of the last untamed frontiers on our planet.Too big to police, and under no clear international authority, these treacherous waters play host to the extremes of human behaviour and activity.From traffickers, smugglers and pirates to vigilante conservationists, stowaways and seabound abortion-providers, Ian Urbina introduces us to the inhabitants of this hidden world and their risk-fraught lives. Through their extraordinary stories, he uncovers a globe-spanning network of crime and exploitation that emanates from the fishing, oil and shipping industries - but to which all of us are connected.LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2019'An astonishing book about a world most of us don't even know exists' Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland'An outstanding investigation of a global criminal culture on the high seas' Guardian'Truly important... A complex portrait of an unseen and disturbing world' New York TimesTrade ReviewGripping and shocking by turns … Most of the book clips along with the pace of a thriller … stomach-churningly tense … as outlandish and as thrilling as a heist film * The Times *Just incredible -- Naomi KleinUrbina has written an astonishing book about a world most of us don't even know exists. These are dispatches from the lawless ocean - of traffickers, slaves, heroes, gangsters, crooks and scoundrels - which will amaze, enthral and appal you -- Oliver Bullough, author of MoneylandA riveting, terrifying, thrilling story of a netherworld that few people know about, and fewer will ever see. As Ian Urbina ventures into the darkest folds of the high seas, his courage—and his prose—are breathtaking' SUSAN CASEY, author of The Wave -- Susan Casey, author of The WaveAn outstanding investigation of a global criminal culture on the high seas … His rendezvous with contacts on at least one occasion was arranged for 100 miles offshore through mountainous waves … Little wonder the stories he tells have not been told before * Guardian *Not just a stunning read, this book is a gripping chronicle of the watery wild west and it shows us—frankly unlike anything I've read before—how the vast ocean has become a danger zone, and ultimately how we all pay a price for this mayhem and mistreatment' JOHN KERRY, former Secretary of State and founder of the Our Ocean Conference -- John Kerry, former Secretary of State and founder of the Our Ocean ConferenceTranscendent, rendering a complex portrait of an unseen and disturbing world. Urbina pursues a depth of reportage that’s rare because of the guts and diligence it requires ... The result is not just a fascinating read, but a truly important document. It is also a master class in journalism" New York Times * New York Times *Revelatory … there is no lack of danger in Urbina’s travels; impressively, he never shies away from it … gripping … this drama is riveting, but so is the endemic abuse Urbina finds … if you want to be a crook, there is no better place to do it than at sea … the laxness of enforcement makes Urbina’s investigations essential -- Rose George * New Statesman *Incredible, readable, riveting -- Sam Walker * Wall Street Journal *It’s this kind of hard-assed reporting that can ultimately change the world for the better -- Chris Dixon * Scuttlefish *You simply have to read this -- Karen Tumulty * Washington Post *Staggering -- Oliver Franklin-Walles * Wired *

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Book SynopsisBased on the acclaimed RTE documentary, 'Shooting the Darkness', this landmark book presents the stories of leading photographers - Alan Lewis, Paul Faith, Martin Nangle, Stanley Matchett, Trevor Dickson, Hugh Russell and Crispin Rodwell - whose images captured some of the most important events of the Troubles. They talk, many of them for the first time, about the photographs they took - how they got the shot; what it cost them to take the photograph; and reflect on whether it was worth it. More broadly, they talk about what it was like to be a photographer during the Troubles: how the paramilitary groups dealt with them, the ethical dilemmas they faced, and the emotional fallout they experienced. The book includes the stories behind iconic images such as Bishop Edward Daly waving a blood-stained handkerchief on Bloody Sunday, Sean Downes being shot and killed by an RUC plastic bullet in Andersonstown in 1984, and the brutal attack of corporals Derek Wood and David Howes in March 1988.

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