Search results for ""author holly"
Hodder & Stoughton What Have We Here: Portraits of a Life
WHAT HAVE WE HERE? follows Billy Dee Williams from his childhood growing up in Harlem to his days on Broadway and in Hollywood before landing the role in George Lucas' space opera that would win him everlasting fame.Over a 60-year career spanning Broadway, music, movies, and television, Billy's tales and travels include Lawrence Olivier, Marlon Brando, James Baldwin, Henry Fonda, Duke Ellington, Berry Gordy, Diana Ross, Richard Pryor, Sylvester Stallone, Diahann Carroll, and a world of less famous but no less colourful characters.And that's just his life on this planet. As hundreds of millions of Star Wars fans worldwide know, Williams is and always will be Lando Calrissian, the double-dealing, outlandishly handsome rogue from George Lucas' classic Star Wars adventures The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi, a role he reprised in 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
£22.50
Hodder & Stoughton Nora Goes Off Script: The unmissable summer romance for fans of Beth O'Leary and Rosie Walsh!
'Smart, fresh and romantic . . . I loved this book with my whole heart' BETH O'LEARY'Absolutely irresistible - funny, addictive and deliciously romantic' ROSIE WALSH*****Nora's life is about to get a rewrite . . .Nora Hamilton knows the formula for love better than anyone. As a romance channel screenwriter, it's her job. But when her husband leaves her and their two kids, Nora turns the collapse of her marriage into the best script of her life. When it's picked up for the big screen and set to film on location at her picturesque Hudson Valley home, Nora's life will never be the same - especially after world-famous Hollywood actor and former 'Sexiest Man Alive' Leo Vance is cast as her ex-husband.The morning after the crew leaves, Nora finds Leo on her porch with a half-empty bottle of tequila and a proposition. He'll pay a thousand dollars a day to stay for an extra week. Seven days: it's the blink of an eye or an eternity, depending on how you look at it. It's enough time to fall in love. Enough time to break your heart . . .Filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom, Nora Goes Off Script is the best kind of love story - the real kind where love is complicated by work, kids, and the emotional baggage that comes with life. For Nora and Leo, this kind of love is bigger than the big screen.*****Readers love Nora Goes Off Script!'You will want to read this in one sitting! Gorgeous!'***** Reader Review'A perfect beach read'***** Reader Review'A five-star rom com!'***** Reader Review'This book will have you laughing one minute and shedding a tear the next'***** Reader Review'A lovely treat of a read'***** Reader Review
£19.80
John Blake Publishing Ltd Robin Williams: When the Laughter Stops
With his twinkling eyes, boundless energy and unrivalled natural wit, Robin Williams was the comedian who brought laughter to a generation. Through roles in cherished films such as Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, Aladdin and Hook, he became the genial face of family comedy. His child-like enthusiasm was infectious, sweeping viewers away. Allied to his lightning-quick improvisation and ability to riff lewdly off any cue thrown at him, Robin was that rare thing - a true comic genius who appealed to adults and children equally. He could also play it straight, and empathetic depth came to him naturally. A poignant performance in Good Will Hunting won him an Academy Award whilst his masterfully chilling turn in psychological thriller Insomnia shocked audiences and hinted at a darker side. What truly caught the imagination, though, was his good-heartedness. Warmth radiated from him on-screen, but he was legendary for his off-screen acts of selfless generosity. Where most Hollywood A-listers demand outrageous pampering in their contract riders, he always insisted that the production company hire a full quota of homeless people to help make his movies. But behind the laughter lay a deeply troubled man, and tragedy would follow. At midday, on 11 August 2014, Robin Williams was pronounced dead at his California home. The verdict was suicide. He had battled depression and addiction for many years and was allegedly beset by financial difficulties. Emily Herbert's sensitive and thoughtful biography celebrates his genius and warmth, but also attempts to understand what could have driven such a gentle and gifted man to so tragic an end. This is Robin Williams, the life, the laughter, and the deep sorrow of the man who made the world smile.
£9.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Byrds' The Notorious Byrd Brothers
By the time Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke entered the studio to begin work on this album, they were basically falling apart at the seams. 'Ladyfriend', a song written by Crosby, had just failed miserably as a chart single despite the fact that he lobbied hard to get it released. This - coupled with the fact that he made what the rest of the band considered an embarrassing political speech onstage during their set at the Monterey Pop Festival, and then sat in with rivals the Buffalo Springfield the following day - pushed McGuinn and Hillman in particular to the limits of their patience. A few too many studio flare-ups later, and McGuinn and Hillman finally screeched up into the Hollywood Hills in their Jaguars and fired Crosby on the spot. Also brooding during this period was drummer Michael Clarke, who had always borne the brunt of the other band members' rage while recording. He was by far the least accomplished member of the band musically, and when they suggested bringing in a studio drummer to embellish some tracks (Jim Gordon, later of Derek and the Dominos fame), he finally declared he'd had enough and moved to Hawaii to get away from the music scene altogether. So, McGuinn and Hillman were left to cobble together an album with the help of producer Gary Usher (known for his work with Brian Wilson, the Millennium, Sagittarius and many others). The fact that it turned out to be one of the defining albums of the 60s psychedelic pop experience was either a sheer stroke of luck, or testament to McGuinn and Hillman's determination to prove that they didn't need Crosby's help to construct their masterpiece.
£9.99
Transworld Publishers Ltd You, With a View: A hilarious and steamy enemies-to-lovers road-trip romcom
'An electrifying debut, and the perfect summer read... A million out of five stars!' Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis'Swoony, sexy, funny, and profoundly moving' Ava Wilder, How to Fake it in Hollywood'This road trip romance is guaranteed to sweep you off your feet!' Amy Lea, Set on You'Stunningly heartfelt and sexy beyond words' Rachel Lynn Solomon, The Ex Talk---Two weeks on the road... stuck in a car with your high-school enemy.Noelle Shepard is grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos and letters that hint to a forbidden love in her gram's past. Needing to know the full story, she creates a TikTok video appealing for information - and it goes viral.Through her video, she manages to track down her grandmother's secret love, Paul, who offers to take her on the honeymoon road-trip he and Gram planned but never got to go on.Noelle jumps at the chance to make this one last connection with her grandmother. There's just one problem - Paul's grandson is Noelle's frustratingly handsome high-school rival Theo.And Theo has to come, too.It's only two weeks. Surely Noelle can survive that long? But with one car between them - and often only one bed - it doesn't take long for things to heat up...---Readers are loving You, With a View'I can't wait for everyone to scream about this... Absolute romance perfection''This was a couldn't-put-it-down/read-almost-in-one-sitting read for me... A true romance novel where my heart was left a mushy happy mess''EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK IS PERFECT TO ME''An absolute stunner of a debut. The banter between the two characters is top-notch and hilarious''Do yourself a favour and add this to your TBR immediately!'
£9.99
Oxford University Press Inc The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation
"The American Dream" is one of the most familiar and resonant phrases in our national lexicon, so familiar that we seldom pause to ask its origin, its history, or what it actually means. In this fascinating short history, Jim Cullen explores the meaning of the American Dream, or rather the several American Dreams that have both reflected and shaped American identity from the Pilgrims to the present. Cullen begins by noting that the United States, unlike most other nations, defines itself not on the facts of blood, religion, language, geography, or shared history, but on a set of ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and consolidated in the Constitution. At the core of these ideals lies the ambiguous but galvanizing concept of the American Dream, a concept that for better and worse has proven to be amazingly elastic and durable for hundreds of years and across racial, class, and other demographic lines. Cullen then traces a series of overlapping American dreams: the quest for of religious freedom that brought the Pilgrims to the "New World"; the political freedom promised in the Declaration; the dream of upward mobility, embodied most fully in the figure of Abraham Lincoln; the dream of home ownership, from homestead to suburb; the intensely idealistic-and largely unrealized-dream of equality articulated most vividly by Martin Luther King, Jr. The version of the American Dream that dominates our own time--what Cullen calls "the Dream of the Coast"--is one of personal fulfillment, of fame and fortune all the more alluring if achieved without obvious effort, which finds its most insidious expression in the culture of Hollywood. For anyone seeking to understand a shifting but central idea in American history, The American Dream is an interpretive tour de force.
£14.99
Running Press,U.S. The Recipe for Radiance: Discover Beauty's Best-Kept Secrets in Your Kitchen
Want to know the secret to growing gorgeous hair or how your favourite celebrities have such flawless skin? Introducing the power of food into your beauty routine in a whole new way, you'll uncover the recipes that promote beauty from within (with beauty-boosting foods you'll salivate for!) as well as topical DIY beauty recipes (for facial masks, body scrubs, and more that are, well, good enough to eat,literally!). Dubbed the Female Beauty MacGyver" by Access Hollywood, Alexis Wolfer shares with you 131 easy, all-natural, affordable, and effective recipes that feed your beauty. Combining the best recipes from her personal archives with DIY beauty secrets and food recipes shared with her by chefs, beauty editors, and celebrities (including Kristen Chenoweth, Brooklyn Decker, Vanessa Williams, Molly Sims, Byrdie Bell, Donna Karan, and more), The Recipe For Radiance will take you into your kitchen to discover the food-based beauty secrets even the most well-pampered women rely on to look their best. Each chapter in The Recipe for Radiance addresses a different beauty concern,acne, fine lines and wrinkles, brittle nails, lackluster hair, sun spots, cellulite, chapped lips, under-eye circles, and more,giving you the inside scoop on the causes and symptoms of the most common beauty concerns along with their food-based solutions. Sample recipes include:Strawberry + champagne serum to fight wrinklesAvocado + oatmeal revival mask to heal dry skinSweet potato chips + cumin dip to even skin toneCreamy kale and walnut salad to reduce under-eye circlesSweet watermelon serum to soothe sunburn Be prepared to cook yourself beautiful, all the while saving money on products and keeping your beauty routine chemical free.
£16.19
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The Best of British Arts & Crafts
More than 100 years after the death of designer William Morris, the Arts and Crafts Movement is enjoying a revival, becoming more popular than it was during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Attracted by its attention to quality and design, admirers–from Hollywood stars to young people furnishing their first home–are appreciate the designs from Morris, De Morgan, Dresser, Tinworth, Marshall, Barlow, Pearson, Bell, and many more. This new book celebrates the very best designs in ceramics, furniture, metalwares, and the fine arts. With over 250 color photographs it is a treasure trove of visual information. Some of the world’s most renowned experts have contributed their scholarship, including Stephen Calloway, Francis King, Andrew Barlow, John Catleugh, Max Donnelly, Mark Golding, Harry Lyons, Barbara Morris, and Peter Rose. Honesty of purpose, fine craftsmanship, and respect for good design are as valued now as when they first became the tenets of Arts & Crafts philosophy in late-Victorian England. This book is a source of inspiration and education for collectors around the world.
£57.59
HarperCollins Publishers Molly’s Game: The Riveting Book that Inspired the Aaron Sorkin Film
A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY AARON SORKIN, AND STARRING JESSICA CHASTAIN, IDRIS ELBA, KEVIN COSTNER AND MICHAEL CERA The true story of the 26-year-old woman behind the most exclusive, high-stakes underground poker game in the world When Molly Bloom was a little girl in a small Colorado town, she dreamed of a life without rules and limits, a life where she didn’t have to measure up to anyone or anything – where she could become whatever she wanted. She ultimately got more than she ever could have bargained for. In Molly’s Game, she takes you through her adventures running an exclusive private poker game catering to Hollywood royalty like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck, athletes, billionaires, politicians and financial titans. With rich detail, Molly describes a world of glamour, privilege and secrecy in which she made millions, lived the high life and fearlessly took on the Russian and Italian mobs – until she met theone adversary she could not outsmart: the UnitedStates government.
£10.99
Quercus Publishing Living My Best Life, Hun
'A hilarious must read.' -Jameela Jamil'I loved the chutzpah and the honesty.' - Graham Norton'Funny, frank and inspiring.' - Lenny Henry All her life, London longed to be a badass, an awesome bulletproof star nobody could mess with - someone who takes no shit - and in Living My Best Life, Hun, she lifts the lid on how she went from secretly writing Frasier fan fiction alone in her bedroom to taking Hollywood by storm.It hasn't been an easy journey; from birthday parties gone wrong and dealing with bullies every step of the way, to getting blocked by Foxtons (long story) and being mistaken for the cleaner at a comedy competition (true story), London leaves no stone unturned. It took London some time to find her voice and her people, but now that she has, she's mentally high-fiving her fourteen-year-old self every day.Frank, fearless and funny, Living My Best Life, Hun will inspire you to ditch the self-loathing, start the self-loving and engage with your inner winner.
£20.00
Orion Publishing Co The Great Zoo Of China
'Jurassic Park with dragons' NEIL OLIVER'Completely believable' WASHINGTON POSTGET READY FOR ACTION ON A GIGANTIC SCALEThe Chinese government has been keeping a secret for forty years: they have found a species of animal no one believed even existed.Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed. A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time. Among them is Dr Cassandra Jane 'CJ' Cameron, a writer for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and an expert on reptiles.The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will marvel at these beasts, that they are perfectly safe, that nothing can go wrong . . .READERS LOVE THE GREAT ZOO OF CHINA'A thrill-a-minute rollercoaster ride''Reilly delivers every time''Sit back and escape into the world of Matthew Reilly''Reads like a Hollywood blockbuster from start to finish''The master of high octane thrillers''Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride!'
£10.99
Little, Brown Book Group Scar Tissue
In SCAR TISSUE Anthony Kiedis, charismatic and highly articulate frontman of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, recounts his remarkable life story, and the history of the band itself. Raised in the Midwest, he moved to LA aged eleven to live with his father Blackie, purveyor of pills, pot, and cocaine to the Hollywood elite. After a brief child-acting career, Kiedis dropped out of U.C.L.A. and plunged headfirst into the demimonde of the L.A. underground music scene. He formed the band with three schoolfriends - and found his life's purpose. Crisscrossing the country, the Chili Peppers were musical innovators and influenced a whole generation of musicians. But there's a price to pay for both success and excess and in SCAR TISSUE, Kiedis writes candidly of the overdose death of his soul mate and band mate, Hillel Slovak, and his own ongoing struggle with an addiction to drugs.SCAR TISSUE far transcends the typical rock biography, because Anthony Kiedis is anything but a typical rock star. It is instead a compelling story of dedication and debauchery, of intrigue and integrity, of recklessness and redemption.
£10.99
APA Publications Insight Guides Explore Los Angeles (Travel Guide with Free eBook)
Insight Explore Guides: pocket-sized books to inspire your on-foot exploration of top international destinations. Experience the best of Los Angeles with this indispensably practical Insight Explore Guide. From making sure you don' tmiss out on must-see attractions like Disneyland and Hollywood, to discovering hidden gems, the easy-to-follow, ready-made walking routes will help you plan your trip, save you time, and enhance your exploration of this thrilling city.· Practical, pocket-sized and packed with inspirational insider information, this will make the ideal on-the-move companion to your trip to Los Angeles· Enjoy over 15 irresistible Best Routes to walk, from Downtown LA, Little Tokyo and the Arts District to Beverley Hills and Santa Monica· Features concise insider information about landscape, history, food and drink, and entertainment options· Invaluable maps: each Best Route is accompanied by a detailed full-colour map, while the large pull-out map provides an essential overview of the area· Discover your destination's must-see sights and hand-picked hidden gems· Directory section provides invaluable insight into top accommodation, restaurant and nightlife options by area, along with an overview of language, books and films · Includes an innovative extra that's unique in the market - all Insight Explore Guides come with a free eBook· Inspirational colour photography throughoutAbout Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as phrasebooks, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.
£8.99
Surrey Books,U.S. The Wisconsin Supper Clubs Story: An Illustrated History, with Relish
In The Wisconsin Supper Clubs Story: An Illustrated History, with Relish, the third in his popular series, Ron Faiola invites readers to pull up a chair as he regales us with more than a century of history behind this beloved dining tradition, guiding readers from London to Hollywood, to New York City, and finally, to his own home state. The journey begins with the world’s very first supper clubs, which emerged in London in the mid-1800s. The phenomenon was adopted by New York’s restaurant and saloon owners in the late 1800s, and soon spread to suburban and rural areas. Across the United States, supper clubs enhanced culinary and dining traditions, and greatly influenced the evolution of live entertainment such as cabaret, comedy, and jazz, and dance crazes such as “The Charleston,” “Turkey Trot,” and the eyebrow-raising “Wiggle Wiggle.” Faiola unfolds the history of Wisconsin’s supper clubs with stories of its most iconic establishments, such as Ray Radigan’s, Hoffman House, and Fazio’s on Fifth. He reveals the remarkable durability of the supper club tradition as it withstood WWI, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, Prohibition, the Great Depression, WWII, as well as the mid-twentieth century advent of fast food franchises and casual dining chains. Through their innovation and determination, supper club owners and their staff have managed not only to survive, but to maintain generations-spanning restaurants that remain prominent features of their communities to this day. Bursting with full-color photographs, newspaper clippings, and first-hand interviews, The Wisconsin Supper Clubs Story: An Illustrated History, with Relish offers a hearty buffet of the history of Wisconsin’s most iconic supper clubs and the folks who keep the cocktails poured, the relish trays fresh, and ensure there’s always an open seat at the table.
£23.39
Hodder & Stoughton My Squirrel Days
Comedian and star of The Office and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Ellie Kemper delivers a hilarious and uplifting collection of essays about one pale woman's journey from Midwestern naïf to Hollywood semi-celebrity to outrageously reasonable New Yorker.There comes a time in every sitcom actress's life when she is faced with the prospect of writing a book. When Ellie Kemper's number was up, she was ready. Contagiously cheerful, predictably wholesome, and mostly inspiring except for one essay about her husband's feet, My Squirrel Days is a funny, free-wheeling tour of Ellie's life-from growing up in suburban St. Louis with a vivid imagination and a crush on David Letterman to moving to Los Angeles and accidentally falling on Doris Kearns Goodwin.But those are not the only famous names dropped in this synopsis. Ellie will also share stories of inadvertently insulting Ricky Gervais at the Emmy Awards, telling Tina Fey that she has "great hair-really strong and thick," and offering a maxi pad to Steve Carell. She will take you back to her childhood as a nature lover determined to commune with squirrels, to her college career as a benchwarming field hockey player with no assigned position, and to her young professional days writing radio commercials for McDonald's but never getting paid. Ellie will guide you along her journey through adulthood, from unorganized bride to impatient wife to anxious mother who-as recently observed by a sassy hairstylist-"dresses like a mom." Well, sassy hairstylist, Ellie Kemper is a mom. And she has been dressing like it since she was four.Ellie has written for GQ, Esquire, The New York Times, McSweeney's and The Onion. Her voice is the perfect antidote to the chaos of modern life. In short, she will tell you nothing you need to know about making it in show business, and everything you need to know about discreetly changing a diaper at a Cibo Express.
£10.04
Thames & Hudson Ltd The Mysteries of Cinema: Movies and Imagination
People who saw the first moving pictures at the end of the nineteenth century were delighted by a new art that communicated without words – yet they were also alarmed to be witnessing events in a strange, mute, spectral realm, where the laws of time and space were suspended and magical transformations could occur. Some early commentators hailed cinema as a blessing and praised it for resurrecting the dead; others likened it to a hypnotic trance or a hallucinogenic drug. The medium has always been excited by speed, and it enjoys sending the body on furious kinetic chases; at the same time, it stealthily probes our minds, invading our dreams and titillating our desires. Although this is an art kindled by light and inflamed by colour, it is nurtured by darkness and can reduce life to an insubstantial shadow play. Either way, as Peter Conrad argues in this brilliant book, the movie camera has given us new eyes and changed forever our view of reality. The Mysteries of Cinema sets out to map this ambiguous territory by taking readers on a thematic roller-coaster ride through movie history. Directors and critics speculate about the nature of cinematic vision, and there are contributions to the debate from writers like Kafka, Virginia Woolf and Joan Didion, artists including Salvador Dalí, George Grosz and Fernand Léger, and the composers Arnold Schoenberg and Dmitri Shostakovich. The book begins from the audacious innovations of silent film, and examines the influence of French surrealism and German expressionism; it accounts for the appeal of Hollywood genres like the Western, the horror film and the musical, and ends by considering the fate of the moving image in our visually glutted society. Combining contagious enthusiasm with an eye for the subjective quirks of filmmakers and the allure of favourite performers, Conrad delivers an astonishing addition to the literature on the seventh art. With 61 illustrations
£22.50
Dorling Kindersley Ltd The Film Book: A Complete Guide to the World of Cinema
Immerse yourself into the world of cinema and discover action-packed chases, epic journeys, and tear-jerking moments.Get the popcorn popping and keep the movies coming! From box office hits and cult classics to romcoms and thrillers, this is your go-to guide to movies, directors, genres and styles.This ultimate movie guide profiles more than 100 of the most significant films ever made and brings cinema to life in true blockbuster fashion. Discover the behind-the-scenes stories about timeless classics like Citizen Kane and The Godfather, and take a front-row seat at lavish blockbusters like Star Wars or Titanic.- Lists of top 10 film recommendations - What to watch boxes that explore specific plot lines, scenes, and images- Trivia sections to test your knowledge on Oscar-winning movies, biggest flops and banned films- Explains complex methods of film-making in familiar, non-technical jargon- High-resolution photography and stills allow for a deeper understanding of the nature of film-makingEach page of this film book takes you on a journey through the ever-changing landscape of cinema - from Hollywood to Bollywood and everything in between. It includes every film-making school from across the globe, behind-the-scenes shots, profiles of 100 influential directors, and lists more than 100 of the greatest movies ever made!Lights. Camera. Action!Whether you enjoy art films or sci-fi, going to the cinema or watching movies on Netflix, The Film Book covers it all. It's perfect for inspiring your next movie night!This updated version covers the best films and directors of the last 10 years, along with new discoveries in the history of cinema since the last edition from 2011. It's the ultimate gift for any film buff or critic.
£20.00
Firefly Books Ltd Zeppelins: The Golden Age of Airships
Every day there are tens of thousands of transoceanic flights. In the 1930s, the invention of planes able to traverse the Atlantic changed the world. However, there were already aircraft crossing vast oceans over a decade earlier. Lighter than air, these vehicles were called dirigibles, or, as the Germans named them, Graf Zeppelins. Illustrated with period photographs, vintage travel posters, blueprints, advertisements and colorful brochures, Zeppelins: The Golden Age of Airships covers every aspect of these fascinating and oft overlooked airships, from their initial designs through to the height of their popularity during the Golden Age of Aviation. At the beginning of the 20th Century, dirigibles transported passengers, mail and other cargo from Europe to the Americas, forever changing the world’s concept of time and space. Zeppelins: The Golden Age of Airships is a thorough exploration of these awe-inspiring feats of aviation, including: The story of Ferdinand von Zeppelin, inventor of the Zeppelin, and his surprising involvement in the US Civil War; The military role of airships; much has been said about the aerial bombing of Britain in World War II, but little has been written of how, during the first World War, the Zeppelin was employed as a “terror weapon”; The expedition of the dirigible The Norge, the first craft to cross the North Pole; The many flights of the Graf Zeppelin, including the first ever round-the-world trip, funded largely by William Randolph Hearst; The dirigibles of the US navy and the United Kingdom; Hollywood’s fascination with dirigibles, and the role film played in romanticizing the aircrafts in the minds of the public; The infamous tragedy of the Hindenburg. Zeppelins is not simply the illustrated history of an aircraft; it is the story of a changing world. It is the story of the 20th Century, one of imagination, exploration, idealism and tragedy.
£31.50
New Island Books The New Frontier: Reflections From the Irish Border
The New Frontier is a landmark publication of writing from the Irish Border, composed of non-fiction, fiction and poetry – it is a chorus of voices from some of the island’s greatest writers, that conveys in its multiplicity the true meaning of our border. At a time when the division of our shared island has once again become an international concern, the Border now a threshold between Europe and the United Kingdom, The New Frontier seeks to explore the meaning of this partition in the 21st century for those people that inhabit that divide. This collection of writing ultimately poses the question: What does it mean to be Irish, Northern Irish, or British in the modern age, and what does it mean to live on a threshold between a kingdom and a republic? The New Frontier will undoubtedly become a key cultural and literary touchstone. This anthology considers the border, and our historical divisions, through literature, by inviting writers from border areas to respond imaginatively and instinctively. By writing the land, writing the body, writing the lived experiences of this complex and misunderstood part of Ireland, The New Frontier looks to reclaim the border region from decades of misinterpretation and misunderstanding. Featuring writing from: Conor O’Callaghan, Darran Anderson, Garrett Carr, Luke Cassidy, Nidhi Zak, Kerri ní Dochartaigh, Michael Hughes, Séamas O’Reilly, Pat McCabe, Lias Saoudi, Maureen Boyle, Emily Cooper, Dean Fee, Jill Crawford, Annemarie ní Chuirrean, Peter Hollywood, John Kelly, Michelle Gallen, Marcel Krueger, Eoghan Walls, Orla McAlinden, Bronagh McAtasney, Mícheál McCann, Jess McKinney and Maria McManus
£19.99
Hodder & Stoughton Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians
'We're all now self-makers, whether we like it or not - and this witty, sceptical book is the thought-provoking story of how we got here' GUARDIAN'This funny, startling, insightful story of the selfie, from Dürer to the Kardashians, is a must read if you want to understand how we reinvent ourselves every time we reveal ourselves' PETER POMERANTSEVToday's defining celebrities have crafted public personae that walk the tightrope between authenticity and artificiality. Ordinary people now follow suit: lovingly tending our 'personal brands' for economic gain and self-expression alike.Instagram culture is part of a story that goes back centuries. The vision that we not only can but should 'make' our own selves to shape our own destiny is an inextricable part of the formation of the modern world.As traditional powers of pre-modernity - church and throne - waned, a new myth took their place: that of the 'self-made man', whose unique powers of personality - or canny self-presentation - give him not just the opportunity, but the obligation, to remake reality in the image of what he wants it to be.From the Renaissance genius to the Regency dandy, the American prophets of capitalism to the aspirational übermensch of European fascism, Hollywood's Golden Age to today's Silicon Valley, Self-Made takes us on a dazzling tour of modern history's most prominent self-makers, uncovering both self-making's liberatory power, and the dangers this idea can unleash.'Both revelatory and a warning about the ways that focus on the self distorts our individual lives and the broader society' FRANCIS FUKUYAMA
£19.80
John Murray Press Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OF THE JAZZ AGE NOW AN AMAZON ORIGINALS SERIES STARRING CHRISTINA RICCI'If ever a couple ... became an era, it was F Scott Fitzgerald and his glamorous "flapper" wife, Zelda. They were the Jazz Age' Independent When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a country club dance in 1918, she is seventeen and he is a young army lieutenant. Before long, Zelda has fallen for him, even though Scott isn't wealthy or prominent or even a Southerner and keeps insisting, absurdly, that his writing will bring him both fortune and fame. When he sells his first novel, she optimistically boards a train to New York, to marry him and take the rest as it comes.What comes, here at the dawn of the Jazz Age, is unimagined success and celebrity that will make Scott and Zelda legends in their own time. Each place they go becomes a playground:New York City, Long Island, Hollywood, Paris, and the French Riviera - where they join the endless party of the glamorous, sometimes doomed Lost Generation that includes Ernest Hemingway, Sara and Gerald Murphy, and Gertrude Stein.Everything seems new and possible, but not even Jay Gatsby's parties go on forever. Who is Zelda, other than the wife of a famous - sometimes infamous - husband? With brilliant insight and imagination, Therese Anne Fowler brings us Zelda's irresistible story as she herself might have told it.'Utterly compulsive reading' Stylist'Brilliant' Daily Mail'Superb' Independent*Therese Anne Fowler's bestselling novel of the Gilded Age, A Well-Behaved Woman, is out now*
£9.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band
"Without a doubt, it is the most detailed account of the awesome pleasures and perils of rock and roll stardom I have ever read. It is completely compelling, and utterly revolting". ("Rolling Stone"). Ten years ago, Motley Crue's bestselling "The Dirt" - penned with collaborator extraordinaire Neil Strauss - set a new bar for rock 'n' roll memoirs. A runaway bestseller and genuine cultural phenomenon, this turbocharged blockbuster is still flying off shelves a decade after its initial publication. The book takes readers along for the whole wild ride of Motley Crue - the voice of a barely pubescent Generation X, the anointed high priests of backward-masking pentagram rock, pioneers of Hollywood glam, and the creators of MTV's first power ballad. Their sex lives claimed celebrities from Heather Locklear to Pamela Anderson to Donna D'Errico. Their scuffles involved everyone from Axl Rose to 2LiveCrew. Their hobbies include collecting automatic weapons, cultivating long arrest records, pushing the envelope of conceivable drug abuse, and dreaming up backstage antics that would make Ozzy Osbourne blanch with modesty. Now, in time for Motley's 30th anniversary - and a new tour! - comes a deluxe collector's hardcover edition of the book, complete with a dazzling new effects - laden cover and all - new extra material from the band inside.
£18.00
Duke University Press Yellow Music: Media Culture and Colonial Modernity in the Chinese Jazz Age
Yellow Music is the first history of the emergence of Chinese popular music and urban media culture in early-twentieth-century China. Andrew F. Jones focuses on the affinities between "yellow” or “pornographic" music—as critics derisively referred to the "decadent" fusion of American jazz, Hollywood film music, and Chinese folk forms—and the anticolonial mass music that challenged its commercial and ideological dominance. Jones radically revises previous understandings of race, politics, popular culture, and technology in the making of modern Chinese culture.The personal and professional histories of three musicians are central to Jones's discussions of shifting gender roles, class inequality, the politics of national salvation, and emerging media technologies: the American jazz musician Buck Clayton; Li Jinhui, the creator of "yellow music"; and leftist Nie Er, a former student of Li’s whose musical idiom grew out of virulent opposition to this Sinified jazz. As he analyzes global media cultures in the postcolonial world, Jones avoids the parochialism of media studies in the West. He teaches us to hear not only the American influence on Chinese popular music but the Chinese influence on American music as well; in so doing, he illuminates the ways in which both cultures were implicated in the unfolding of colonial modernity in the twentieth century.
£82.80
Simon & Schuster Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise
Film historian and acclaimed New York Times bestselling biographer Scott Eyman has written the definitive, “captivating” (Associated Press) biography of Hollywood legend Cary Grant, one of the most accomplished—and beloved—actors of his generation, who remains as popular as ever today.Born Archibald Leach in 1904, he came to America as a teenaged acrobat to find fame and fortune, but he was always haunted by his past. His father was a feckless alcoholic, and his mother was committed to an asylum when Archie was eleven years old. He believed her to be dead until he was informed she was alive when he was thirty-one years old. Because of this experience, Grant would have difficulty forming close attachments throughout his life. He married five times and had numerous affairs. Despite a remarkable degree of success, Grant remained deeply conflicted about his past, his present, his basic identity, and even the public that worshipped him in movies such as Gunga Din, Notorious, and North by Northwest. This “estimable and empathetic biography” (The Washington Post) draws on Grant’s own papers, extensive archival research, and interviews with family and friends making it a definitive and “complex portrait of Hollywood’s original leading man” (Entertainment Weekly).
£11.69
Turner Publishing Company Historic Photos of San Francisco Crime
Long after the gold rush had faded into history, San Francisco was still earning its title as the capital of the Wild, Wild West. Beneath its cosmopolitan, urbane veneer, the city at the dawn of the twentieth century still seethed with crime. Raucous crowds still gathered at the Old Barbary Coast dives and dance halls, hangouts for thieves and prostitutes, and by 1906, San Francisco’s elected officials had embarked on a spree of corruption that would eventually result in grand jury indictments, a kidnapping, bombings, and at least one murder.With over 200 high-quality images, Historic Photos of San Francisco Crime sifts through the city’s misdeeds, murder, and mayhem, from the tongs and hatchet men of Old Chinatown to civil disobedience and protests at City Hall in the 1960s. The Preparedness Day Bombing of 1916, the trials of Roscoe "Fatty” Arbuckle for murder of Hollywood starlet Virginia Rappe, the lynching of the Howard Street Gang, the lethal Longshoremen’s strike and street riots of 1934, and the 1946 "Battle of Alcatraz” are just a few of the stops along the route of this riveting tour of San Francisco’s underworld.
£26.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Terminator
Made on a low budget, The Terminator was one of the most influential films of the 1980s. Combining explosive special effects and an intricate time-travel plot, it set Arnold Schwarzenegger on the road to superstardom and allowed its director, James Cameron, to go on to make some of the most expensive films of all time. The Terminator quickly found a cult following who appreciated its deadpan humour, comic-book violence and elaborate variations on standard science fiction themes. Resolutely populist, accomplished and instantly memorable, The Terminator has dramatically outlived its humble beginnings. Sean French’s insightful study traces the film’s production history, its sources and the extent of its influence. He argues that The Terminator’s visual flair, stylised acting and choreographed violence are so compelling not so much because they offer intellectual rewards but because they traffic in the darker, more visceral pleasures of moviegoing. In his foreword to this new edition, Sean French reflects on Terminator sequels and reboots, suggesting that the original film has more in common with the gritty visions of the New Hollywood than present-day action blockbusters.
£12.99
Pan Macmillan Agent to the Stars
From New York Times bestseller and Hugo Award-winner John Scalzi, Agent to the Stars is a brilliantly witty first-contact story unlike any other.Showbiz is about to go interstellarAs an ambitious young agent, Thomas Stein knows all about the art of the deal, even if his actors aren’t quite A-list material. But he’s about to receive some out-of-this-world clients – literally. The space-faring Yherajk have come to Earth to talk interstellar peace. One problem: they’re also hideous, and smell like rotting fish.For Stein, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the hottest name in Hollywood. Or on the planet. Yet it’s one thing to land a client’s blockbuster film role – and quite another to negotiate for an entire alien race. He’ll need every ounce of his charm, wit and wiles. But even with these considerable talents, can he really give the Yherajk the makeover they need to shine on the world’s stage?Praise for John Scalzi:‘John Scalzi is the most entertaining, accessible writer working in SF today’ – Joe Hill‘Scalzi is one of the slickest writers that SF has ever produced’ – Wall Street Journal
£8.99
Faber & Faber Altman on Altman
In Altman on Altman, one of American cinema's most incorrigible mavericks reflects on a brilliant career.Robert Altman served a long apprenticeship in movie-making before his great breakthrough, the Korean War comedy M*A*S*H (1969). It became a huge hit and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, but also established Altman's inimitable use of sound and image, and his gift for handling a repertory company of actors. The 1970s then became Altman's decade, with a string of masterpieces: McCabe and Mrs Miller, The Long Goodbye, Thieves Like Us, Nashville . . . In the 1980s Altman struggled to fund his work, but he was restored to prominence in 1992 with The Player, an acerbic take on Hollywood. Short Cuts, an inspired adaptation of Raymond Carver, and the Oscar-winning Gosford Park, underscored his comeback.Now he recalls the highs and lows of his career trajectory to David Thompson in this definitive interview book, part of Faber's widely acclaimed Directors on Directors series. 'Hearing in his own words in Altman on Altman just how much of his films occur spontaneously, as a result of last-minute decisions on set, is fascinating . . . For film lovers, this is just about indispensable.' Ben Sloan, Metro London
£15.29
Reaktion Books Animals in Film
From Salvador Dali to Walt Disney, animals have been a constant yet little-considered presence in film. Indeed, it may come as a surprise to learn that animals were a central inspiration to the development of moving pictures themselves. In "Animals in Film", Jonathan Burt points out that the mobility of animals presented technical and conceptual challenges to early film-makers, the solutions of which were an important factor in advancing photographic technology, accelerating the speed of both film and camera. The early filming of animals also marked one of the most significant and far-reaching changes in the history of animal representation, and has largely determined the way animals have been visualized in the twentieth century. Burt looks at the extraordinary relation-ship between animals, cinema and photography (including the pioneering work of Eadweard Muybridge and Jules-Etienne Marey) and the technological developments and challenges posed by the animal as a specific kind of moving object. "Animals in Film" is a shrewd account of the politics of animals in cinema, of how movies and video have developed as weapons for animal rights activists, and of the roles that animals have played in film, from the avant-garde to Hollywood.
£17.41
Brewin Books This is More Than I Can Stand: A Biography of Charlie Hall
"This Is More Than I Can Stand" is a detailed biography of Charlie Hall, a little known man from Birmingham who worked with some of the biggest stars of the silver screen. Charlie was born into a working class family in the Ward End district of Birmingham, in 1899. In 1920 he left England to start a new life in New York. Incredibly, within a few years he had moved to Hollywood, and was appearing in films with some of the greatest silent comedy stars of all time. How did this come about? And why did Charlie find himself working back in a factory in Birmingham in 1938? These and many other questions will be answered in this new book about the life of Charlie Hall. The book contains interviews with family and friends who knew him and remember meeting him when he returned to Birmingham in the late '30s. Plus some of Charlie's personal letters, written at this time, giving a unique insight into his thoughts, his memories and what it was like to work with Laurel and Hardy. From humble beginnings, Charlie experienced the early movie industry, the birth of the talkies, and the advent of television. Not bad for a lad from Ward End.
£16.50
Quercus Publishing The Secret Paris Cinema Club
Alain Bonnard, the owner of a small art cinema in Paris, is a dyed-in-the-wool nostalgic. In his Cinema Paradis there are no buckets of popcorn, no XXL colas, no Hollywood blockbusters. Alain holds firm to his principles of quality - to show films that bring dreams to life, make people fall in love. And Alain would do anything for his clientele - particularly the mysterious woman in the red coat who, for some time now, has turned up every Wednesday and always sits in row seventeen. What could her story be? Finally one evening Alain plucks up courage to invite the unknown beauty to dinner. But just as the most tender of love stories is getting under way, something happens that turns Alain's life upside down, shoving his little cinema unexpectedly into the public eye. So when the woman in the red coat suddenly vanishes from his life, the cinema owner can't help but wonder if it is more than a coincidence. Taking matters into his own hands, Alain sets off in search of the stranger he has come to love - roll the opening credits for a timeless cinematic romance worthy of the Parisian silver screen!
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton Trust No One: Inside the World of Deepfakes
Deepfake technology can create video evidence of just about anything: Hollywood superstar Margot Robbie in an orgy.Chinese president Xi Jinping declaring nuclear war.Basketball legend Michael Jordan winning the World Cup. The only limit is the imagination. In a time where fake news and disinformation is becoming harder and harder to identify, it is more essential than ever to understand the dark origins of deepfakes. Journalist Michael Grothaus goes down the rabbit hole as he interviews the often morally dubious, yet incredibly skilled creators of this content. It's a journey that opens a window into the communities transforming reality. Challenging, enlightening and terrifying, Trust No One asks the question other people are too scared to: what happens when you can no longer believe your own eyes?'An alarming look at deepfakes' Sunday Times'Michael Grothaus takes a hard look at the growth of deep fakes, examining cases that demonstrate the threats presented by morally dubious creators. From the personal to political, the impact of deep fakes is considered carefully by Grothaus, both on the victims and on society as a whole, creating an essential picture of a growing trend in disinformation' Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat
£18.99
Pan Macmillan The Right Time: A Compelling Story Of Betrayal And Triumph From The Billion Copy Bestseller
Filled with heartbreak, betrayal and triumph, The Right Time is an uplifting story about pursuing your passion – from the world’s favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel.Abandoned by her mother at age seven, Alexandra Winslow takes solace in the mysteries she reads with her devoted father. Soon she is writing them herself, with a talent far beyond her years. After her father’s untimely death, Alex is taken in by the nuns of a local convent, who encourage her to follow her dream.Alex writes in every spare moment and completes her first novel in college. It’s quickly snapped up by a publisher, but Alex, remembering her late father’s advice, insists on writing under a male pseudonym, with her true identity known only to a few.Success comes easily to Alex, but its toll is heavy. Her secret life as the mysterious Alexander Green exposes her to the envious, the arrogant, and the Hollywood players who have no idea who she really is.The right time to open up always seems just out of reach. But once Alex's double life is revealed, the truth could have devastating consequences . . .
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co Dolce Vita Confidential: Fellini, Loren, Pucci, Paparazzi and the Swinging High Life of 1950s Rome
SUNDAY TIMES FILM BOOK OF THE YEAR'Uproariously readable ... Levy is a master of the group biography' Sunday Times'Teeming with satisfying gossipy details' Guardian'Exalts the intoxicating, beguiling dreaminess of Rome in its celluloid heyday' TLS1950s Rome. From the ashes of war, the Eternal City is reborn as the epicentre of film, style, boldfaced libertinism and titillating journalism. It's the heyday of fashion icons such as Pucci and Brioni, and the height of 'Hollywood on the Tiber', when a dizzying array of stars flock to Cinecittà, the huge movie studio on the outskirts of Rome. At the bars on Via Veneto the likes of Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor mix with blue bloods and bohemians, while behind them trail street photographers in pursuit of the most unflattering and dramatic portraits of fame.In a fast-paced, kaleidoscopic narrative, Shawn Levy shows how all roads lead to Federico Fellini's world-conquering movie La Dolce Vita, starring Marcello Mastroianni and the Swedish bombshell Anita Ekberg. He recreates Rome's stunning ascent with vivid and compelling tales of its glitterati and artists, down to every last outrageous detail of the city's magnificent transformation.
£12.99
Hodder & Stoughton Matilda & The Ramsay Bunch: Tilly's Kitchen Takeover:
Inspired by the third series of hit CBBC cookery show Matilda & The Ramsay Bunch and the family's adventures around California, comes the first cookbook from Tilly Ramsay, including 60 simple, delicious recipes and nourishing recipes to make at home for family and friends - plus tips and tricks from Tilly's superstar chef dad, Gordon. Start your day the Tilly way, with a nourishing Smoothie Bowl, followed by some Vitamin Packed Power Balls for a late morning pick-me-up. Cool down mid-afternoon with a Fro-Yo Cooler, followed by some Lean Machine Chicken and Super Light Raspberry Macaroons. Impress all your friends with a Green Goodness Picnic or throw a fun-filled Ramsay-style Feast of Pulled Pork and Smokey American Beans, with Surprise Rainbow Cake and Hollywood Raspberry Fizz for dessert!The book will encourage Tilly's fans, tweens & teens to start cooking and have some fun with easy-to-follow recipes, that can be enjoyed by all.Chapters will include: Brunch; Sleep-over Feasts; Cook Your Own Dinner; Health Kick; Big Bakes.
£19.80
Hodder & Stoughton Truths, Half Truths and Little White Lies
'No life can really be all black, right? Even during the darkest times, what got me through that bleakness was laughter and time. With enough of both of these things I reckon you could get over just about anything.'Nick Frost burst onto our screens in a blaze of camo fatigues and weaponry as the Territorial Army obsessed loveable idiot Mike Watt in the hit cult comedy Spaced. Since then, fans around the world have watched him with a fervent devotion as he fought zombies, rescued aliens and salsa'd his way to box office smash after smash.It's quite a story. But it's not this story. This story isn't the romp from movie set to Hollywood party. This is a story of a life like no other.With blistering candour Frost recounts his childhood growing up in Essex in a household full of love and optimism but tragically blighted by alcoholism, illness and sudden life shattering misfortune. Dogged by his own personal demons, Nick tells of the hilarious, jaw dropping and at times heartbreaking experiences that have punctuated his tumultuous life. This is exhilarating, joyful and unforgettable storytelling and unlike any memoir you're likely to read.
£12.99
Hodder & Stoughton What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
The literary classic that inspired the iconic film - the story of two sisters and the hell they made their home.Once an acclaimed child star of vaudeville, Baby Jane Hudson performed for adoring crowds before a move to Hollywood thrust her sister, Blanche, into the spotlight. As Blanche's film career took off, a resentful Jane watched from the shadows as her own career faded into obscurity - until a tragic accident changed everything. Now, years later, the two sisters live in a decaying mansion, isolated from the outside world. Crippled by the accident, Blanche is helpless under the control of her abusive sister, who is slowly descending into madness. And when Baby Jane decides it's time to revive her childhood act, she won't let anything - or anyone - stand in her way. This edition features exclusive extra material: three previously unpublished short stories by Henry Farrell, including the inspiration for the movie Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, and an introduction that reveals how the original novel came about as well as the behind-the-scenes drama of the iconic film starring Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, now recreated in the TV show Feud.
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co The Royal Show
By Royal invitation, join us to celebrate The Royal Show!Prodigal son and loyal daughter...The Forsyth Variety Company has been given the opportunity of a lifetime - to entertain Her Majesty at 1962''s Royal Variety Performance.Keen to rehearse, the company heads to the Seagate Theatre under the tutelage of the company''s owner, Ed Forsyth. This is Ed''s last hoorah before retiring and he''s keen to leave on a high. But his son, Cal, has absconded, leaving his twin sister, Evie, to help manage the company after their mother''s death. Hoping to display her best trapeze performance ever, she''s also desperate that the entire troupe should succeed. If only her father hadn''t brought in another old-timer... Billy Rich has come all the way from Hollywood, invited to be their main star. Billy is full of bluster and ego and his much younger wife, the mysterious Magdalene, doesn''t help.Can this troupe of old-time crooners, dancing girls and ma
£9.99
i2i Publishing In the Big Scheme of Things
Following up on an opportunity to get his book published, David Jones becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue following a murder linked to his publisher and then, the police who investigate it. While trying to establish the right thing to do, Jones finds himself getting drawn into the world of DS Paul Craven, an officer with a chequered past. But Jones and Craven have their own agendas to follow and as one works to attain his ambition to have his book published, the other, unbeknown to Jones or colleagues, tries to bring down a branch of the European mafia while fending them off as they seek their revenge. The two very different strands of the story involve a possible involvement with Hollywood on the one hand and Interpol on the other as both men try to balance the achievement of their aims alongside a deepening involvement with the important women in their lives. Jones and Craven find their lives going in directions and ending up in places they never imagined.
£9.95
North Star Editions Superhero Superstars: Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth captivated audiences as Marvel’s Thor. With compelling images, fun facts, and an Inside Hollywood special feature, this book provides an engaging overview of Hemsworth’s life, acting career, and experience playing Thor.
£28.79
Penguin Random House Children's UK Young Bond: Shoot to Kill
Before the man Became the Legend. Before the Boy Became the Man. James Bond hits Hollywood...Lights. Camera. Murder. Young Bond is back - in his most action-packed, explosive adventure yet.
£8.42
North Star Editions Superhero Superstars: Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa captivated audiences as DC's Aquaman. With compelling images, fun facts, and an Inside Hollywood special feature, this book provides an engaging overview of Momoa’s life, acting career, and experience playing Aquaman.
£10.99
Rare Bird Books Camgirl
From the “former sex worker taking Hollywood by storm” (The Daily Beast), comes a candid and hilarious memoir of sex work, shame, and self-discovery set in the colorful world of live-streaming camgirls.At twenty-three, Isa Mazzei was just like any other college graduate: broke, lacking purpose, and searching for an identity. She was also a compulsive seductress with a reputation as a slut and heartbreaker. One day, while working a low-paying retail job, she had a revelation: why not embrace her salacious image and make some money off of it?She began stripping, dancing, masturbating, playing games, making art––and broadcasting it all online for money as a camgirl. In her first month, she racked up hundreds of nightly viewers, and within a year she ranked in the top fifty girls on a site featuring tens of thousands of performers. Over the course of her career, Isa built her own business, explored BDSM, attended a porn convention, slept with a fan, and pushed herself further than she thought possible. And yet, despite her success, she struggled to fit into the community she so desperately wanted to belong to.Camgirl is a relatable look at confronting our past traumas and accepting ourselves for who we are. It masterfully explores the complexities of digital life, sexuality and the tensions between our private and public selves. Mazzei’s biting humor and raw vulnerability ensure you’ll never think about sex work—or sex—the same way again.
£14.99
Santa Monica Press Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles (Revised September 2020)
Revised and Updated in September 2020!Containing walks and detailed maps from throughout the city, Secret Stairs highlights the charms and quirks of a unique feature of the Los Angeles landscape, and chronicles the geographical, architectural, and historical aspects of the city’s staircases, as well as of the neighborhoods in which the steps are located.From strolling through the classic La Loma neighborhood in Pasadena to walking the Sunset Junction Loop in Silver Lake, to taking the Beachwood Canyon hike through Hollywoodland” to enjoying the magnificent ocean views from the Castellammare district in Pacific Palisades, Secret Stairs takes you on a tour of the staircases all across the City of Angels.The circular walks, rated for duration and difficulty, deliver tales of historic homes and their fascinating inhabitants, bits of unusual local trivia, and stories of the neighborhoods surrounding the stairs. That’s where William Faulkner was living when he wrote the screenplay for To Have and Have Not; that house was designed by Neutra; over there is a Schindler; that’s where Woody Guthrie lived, where Anais Nin died, and where Thelma Todd was murdered . . .Despite the fact that one of these staircases starred in an Oscar-winning short filmLaurel and Hardy’s The Music Box, from 1932these civic treasures have been virtually unknown to most of the city’s residents and visitors. Now, Secret Stairs puts these hidden stairways back on the map, while introducing urban hikers to exciting new trails” all around the city of Los Angeles.
£12.99
ACC Art Books Luxury Trains: Splendour, Elegance & Extravagance
"The magnificent photos invite you to enjoy the luxurious ambience, the views and the very special flair and to let the constant rattling of the train wheels carry you to distant lands." — Lovely Books "Hopefully history's extravagant chariots serve as inspiration for the trains of the future. Newly published book Luxury Trains is full of elegant examples of how to travel in real style." — Hoom Magazine "Transports you back ot the golden age of travel, with pictures of 25 of the most elegant trains in the world." — Good Housekeeping UK Luxury trains have always fascinated and excited our imaginations. A great source of style, romance and exoticism, they have long held starring roles in literature and in Hollywood movies. This wonderful book evokes long-lost days of travel, where trains marked international railway history, from the Orient Express to the Train Bleu. Today, train companies around the world are creating new palaces on rails and these pages offer a journey into that extravagant and luxurious world. Whether comfortably seated in the restaurant car of the Venice Simplon - Orient-Express as you glide past the Venetian Lagoon, travelling through the Highlands of Scotland on the famed Royal Scotsman, or admiring the ancient splendours of Machu Picchu at the Hiram Bingham bar aboard the Andean Explorer, this book traverses the globe in celebration of these wonderful locomotives. A superb gift for the travel enthusiast and anyone interested in the decadent features of these trains.
£40.50
Faber & Faber Neil LaBute: Plays 2: The Shape of Things; Fat Pig; In a Dark Dark House; In a Forest, Dark and Deep
'LaBute takes us to shadowy places we don't like to talk about, sometimes even to think about.' NewsdayObsession with surface and secrets runs through this second collection of Neil LaBute's work. The Shape of Things peels back the skin of modern-day relationships to ask how far someone might change themselves for love, or for art. In Fat Pig, a man confronts his friends' - and his own - fixation with Hollywood ideals of beauty when he falls for a 'plus size' young woman. In a Dark Dark House and In a Forest, Dark and Deep are twin tales of sibling conflict. In the first, estranged brothers must reconcile conflicting memories, after one asks for corroboration of childhood abuse. In the second, a man's offer to help his sister clear out her cottage brings a terrible confession into the light.The Shape of Things'What initially seems a touching study of student romance develops instead into a passionate discussion about the way art feeds on life.' Daily TelegraphFat Pig'As large as Helen is, the tender heart of the play is easily twice as big.' VarietyIn a Dark Dark House'LaBute toys with expectations and takes pleasure in our discomfort... The play does lead to a pretty dark place - but the ending is not without hope.' Daily MailIn a Forest, Dark and Deep 'It is billed as being about sibling rivalry, but in fact majors on far deeper, dangerous things: the yearning to be understood, female manipulation, and fascinated male disgust at a sister's lurid sexuality.' The Times
£17.09
Headline Publishing Group The Little Book of Weed: Smoke it up
Bill Hicks asks: 'Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn't the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit... unnatural?' The Little Book of Weed looks at marijuana use from its first ever references to parents naming their children after their favourite varietals and asks the same question. Ganja, weed, cannabis, Mary Jane, blunt, chronic. The list of nicknames for marijuana is as numerous and varied as the users it appeals to. Grown in fields and hotboxes around the world, weed's influence on culture is far beyond teenagers trying pot for the very first time or chronic hippies fully immersed in the lifestyle. Howlers from politicians struggling to balance reality with perception, hilarious stand-up comedians in smoke-filled clubs, musicians whose albums defined eras and movies that put it all on film owe much of their infamy to the infamous herb. So sit back, chill out and roll up roll up for the Little Book of Weed as it emblazons the leafs. 'Herb is the healing of the nation, alcohol is its destruction.' Television interview with Bob Marley. 'When I was a kid, I inhaled, frequently. That was the point.' Barack Obama, when running for president in 2008. 'After 25 years of being fake weed dealers, it feels nice to be real weed dealers.' Kevin Smith on the launch of three new varieties of 'Snoogans' weed ahead of the long-awaited launch of the Jay and Silent Bob sequel, The Hollywood Reporter, 2020.
£7.15
Little, Brown Book Group Mr Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder
No one knows more about everything - especially everything rude, clever, and offensively compelling - than John Waters. The man in the pencil-thin mustache, auteur of the transgressive movie classics Pink Flamingos, Polyester, the original Hairspray, Cry-Baby, and A Dirty Shame, is one of the world's great sophisticates, and in Mr. Know-It-All he serves it up raw: how to fail upward in Hollywood; how to develop musical taste from Nervous Norvus to Maria Callas; how to build a home so ugly and trendy that no one but you would dare live in it; more important, how to tell someone you love them without emotional risk; and yes, how to cheat death itself. Through it all, Waters swears by one undeniable truth: "Whatever you might have heard, there is absolutely no downside to being famous. None at all."Studded with cameos of Waters's stars, from Divine and Mink Stole to Johnny Depp, Kathleen Turner, Patricia Hearst, and Tracey Ullman, and illustrated with unseen photos from Waters's personal collection, Mr. Know-It-All is Waters's most hypnotically readable, upsetting, revelatory book - another instant Waters classic.'Waters doesn't kowtow to the received wisdom, he flips it the bird . . . [Waters] has the ability to show humanity at its most ridiculous and make that funny rather than repellent' Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post'Carsick becomes a portrait not just of America's desolate freeway nodes - though they're brilliantly evoked - but of American fame itself' Lawrence Osborne, The New York Times Book Review
£9.99