Biografier

Brought to you by Penguin. The remarkable untold story of the mercurial cycling prodigy Frank Vandenbroucke, written by William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath. They called him God. For his grace on a bicycle, for his divine talent, for his heavenly looks. Frank Vandenbroucke had it all, and in the late Nineties he raced with dazzling speed and lived even faster. The Belgian won several of cycling's most illustrious races, including Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Paris-Nice and Ghent-Wevelgem. He was a mix of poise and panache who enthralled a generation of cycling fans. Off the bike, he only had one enemy - himself. Vandenbroucke dabbled in nocturnal party sessions mixing sleeping pills and alcohol and regularly fell out with team managers. By 1999 his team had suspended him and this proved to be the start of a long, eventful fall from grace. Depression, a drug ban, addiction, car crashes, divorce and countless court appearances subsumed his life. He threatened his wife with a gun. He tried to commit suicide twice. And when police found performance-enhancing drugs at his house, Vandenbroucke said they were for his dog. It seemed he had finally learned from his mistakes. Then, on 12 October 2009, aged just 34, Vandenbroucke was found dead in a hotel room in Senegal. Guided by exclusive contributions from his family, friends and team-mates, William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath lays bare Vandenbroucke's chaotic, complicated life and times. God is Dead is the remarkable biography of this mercurial cycling prodigy. (c) Andy McGrath 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

The first biography of rapper Mac Miller, the Pittsburgh cult favorite¿turned¿rap superstar who touched the lives of millions before tragically passing away at the age of 26¿now in paperbackMalcolm James McCormick was born on January 19, 1992. He began making music at a young age and by 15 was already releasing mixtapes. One of the first true viral superstars, his early records earned him a rabid legion of die-hard fans¿as well as a few noteworthy detractors. But despite his undeniable success, Miller was plagued by struggles with substance abuse and depression, both of which fueled his raw and genre-defying music, yet ultimately led to his demise. Through detailed reporting and interviews with dozens of Miller¿s confidants, Paul Cantor brings you to leafy Pittsburgh, seductive Los Angeles, and frenzied New York, where you will meet Miller¿s collaborators, producers, business partners, best friends, and even his roommates. Traveling deep into Miller¿s inner circle, behind the curtain, the velvet ropes, and studio doors, Most Dope tells the story of a passionate, gifted young man who achieved his life¿s ambition, only to be undone by his personal demons.Most Dope is part love letter, part cautionary tale, never shying away from the raw, visceral way Mac Miller lived his life. Praise for Most Dope"A tender, studious remembrance." ¿The New York Times"An insightful exploration of his life . . . painstakingly reported by Cantor, who interviewed more than 100 people during a three-year process." ¿USA Today "An inside look at Miller's life through the eyes of his friends and industry peers, tracking the musician's life journey as he quickly ascended the ranks." ¿Daily Beast

"e;Sheer joy!"e; - Patrick Barclay"e;Fascinating, funny and poignant."e; - Henry Winter"e;Brilliant, non-judgemental, superbly researched and anecdote-laden."e; - Guillem Balague"e;Wonderfully evocative."e; - Michael Cox, The Athletic"e;Cracking tales from the terraces amid betrayal in the boardrooms."e; - Tim Marshall, author of "e;Dirty Northern B*st*rds!"e; and Other Tales from the Terraces: The Story of Britain's Football Chants"e;If 1970s football is due a reappraisal, Get It On is an exhilarating place to start."e; - Tom Lines, When Saturday Comes***Four years after the crowning glory of 1966 and a decade after the abolition of the maximum wage, a brash new era dawned in English football. As the 1970s took hold, a new generation of larger-than-life footballers and managers came to dominate the sport, appearing on television sets in vivid technicolour for the first time.Set against a backdrop of three-day weeks, strikes, political unrest, freezing winters and glam rock, Get It On tells the intriguing inside story of how commercialism, innovation, racism and hooliganism rocked the national game in the 1970s. Charting the emergence of Brian Clough, Bob Paisley and Kevin Keegan, and the fall of George Best, Alf Ramsey and Don Revie, this fascinating footballing fiesta traces the highs and lows of an evolutionary and revolutionary era for the beautiful game.Jon Spurling has been interviewing footballers for twenty-five years, including legends George Best and Jack Charlton, European Cup-winning captains Emlyn Hughes and John McGovern and pioneering black footballers Cyrille Regis and Brendon Batson. Get It On presents these heroes of the era in their unvarnished and uncompromising glory and explores how the 1970s was the most groundbreaking decade in English football history.

The definitive biography of guitar icon and Grammy Award-winning artist Bill Frisell.FEATURING EXCLUSIVE LISTENING SESSIONS WITH: Paul Simon; Justin Vernon of Bon Iver; Gus Van Sant; Rhiannon Giddens; The Bad Plus; Gavin Bryars; Van Dyke Parks; Sam Amidon; Hal Willner; Jim Woodring; Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill'A beautiful and long overdue portrait of one of America's true living cultural treasures . . . a brilliant book.'JOHN ZORN'Wonderful. It captures exactly the Bill I know.'GAVIN BRYARS'The perfect companion-piece to the music of its subject.'MOJOOver a period of forty-five years, Bill Frisell has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential musicians at work today.Growing up playing clarinet in orchestras and marching bands, Frisell has progressed through a remarkable range of musical personas - from devotee of jazz master Jim Hall to 'house guitarist' of estimable German label ECM, from edgy New York downtown experimentalist to plaintive country and bluegrass picker. He has been a pioneering bandleader and collaborator, a prolific composer and arranger and a celebrated Grammy Award winner.A quietly revolutionary guitar hero who has synthesised many disparate musical elements into one compellingly singular sound, Frisell connects to a diverse range of artists and admirers, including Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Gus Van Sant, Marianne Faithfull and Justin Vernon, many of whom feature in this book.Through unprecedented access to the guitarist and interviews with his close family, friends and associates, Philip Watson tells Frisell's story for the first time.'A revelatory, roots and branches portrait of one of America's greatest synthesisers of musical ideas.'IAN PATTERSON, ALL ABOUT JAZZ

THE TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLERAN IRISH INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR'A gripping story in which Justine Picardie brilliantly contrasts the cruel Old World of wartime France with the hopeful New World epitomised by Christian Dior's New Look.'ANTONIA FRASER'An incredible story of courage, endurance and passion.'MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI, Creative Director of Dior'An extraordinary biography.'SUNDAY TIMES'Exceptional . . . Miss Dior is so much more than a biography.'DAILY TELEGRAPHMiss Dior is a story of freedom and fascism, beauty and betrayal, roses and repression, and how the polished surface of fashion conceals hidden depths. It paints a portrait of the enigmatic woman behind the designer Christian Dior: his beloved younger sister Catherine, who inspired his most famous perfume and shaped his vision of femininity. Justine Picardie's journey takes her to Occupied Paris, where Christian honed his couture skills while Catherine dedicated herself to the French Resistance, until she was captured by the Gestapo and deported to the German concentration camp of Ravensbruck.With unparalleled access to the Dior family homes and archives, Picardie's research into Catherine's courageous life shines a new light on Christian Dior's legendary work, and reveals how his enchanting 'New Look' emerged out of the shadows of his sister's suffering.Tracing the wartime paths of the Dior siblings leads Picardie deep into other hidden histories, and different forms of resistance and sisterhood. She explores what it means to believe in beauty and hope, despite our knowledge of darkness and despair, and discovers the timeless solace of the natural world in the aftermath of devastation and destruction. The result is an exquisite and unforgettably moving book.*A beautiful, full colour illustrated book featuring exclusive images from the Dior archives*'Catherine's story is beautifully, hauntingly told in spare and elegant prose by Picardie . . . moving and evocative.'THE TIMES'The juxtaposition of the terrible shadows and dazzling light is one of the great strengths of this book . . . A very personal, very passionate book.'ARTEMIS COOPER, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT'Picardie writes: 'The vestiges of Catherine's presence remain as a powerful reminder of the importance of freedom, and why it is worth fighting for.' There are few truer words.'THE SPECTATOR'Picardie's book is of the moment, celebrating an unsung hero at a time when female influences are earning new acclaim.'VOGUE'Miss Dior ensures the bravery of the women at Ravensbruck is not merely a distant echo.'i'Beautiful.' OBSERVER'Moving and beautifully illustrated.' NEW STATESMAN'Stunning.' RED'Not just beautifully written, this is also a stunningly beautiful book.' NOON

A heartfelt, humorous personal memoir and relatable guide to overcoming obstacles, wising up about romance, and getting ahead in your career from the star of Netflix's hit reality show Selling Sunset.In this engaging, witty, and inspirational memoir, Chrishell Stause shares her story of living an unconventional childhood in small-town Kentucky marked by periods of homelessness, family addiction struggles and dreams of one day being on a daytime soap, all while managing the local Dairy Queen. Through resilience and grit, she overcame obstacles and pushed past every barrier in her path to become one of the most envied luxury realtors in Los Angeles and buzzworthy cast members in reality TV.She takes us behind the scenes of Selling Sunset, reveals never-before-told stories from her life in soaps, and even pulls back the curtain on her highly publicised love life, offering insight not before shared. With her signature honesty and charm, Stause also gives tangible advice based on the lessons she's learned over the years and offers unique insight about how to stay resilient and positive no matter how many times life knocks you down. Under Construction is for anyone who wants to remember that no matter what happens or how, you have to get up, dress up and show up - and walk back into the room stronger than ever before.

'Nobody owes us anything, but the Simple Minds story has been too condensed. After Live Aid and 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' there hasn't been quite the credit for those first few records. I think they contain some really special music. I can hear the flaws but there's something about the spirit and imagination in them that feels good. They draw from such a wide range of influences ... but the spirit of it was always Simple Minds.' Jim Kerr, to the authorAn illuminating new biography of one of Britain's biggest and most influential bands, written with the full input and cooperation of Simple Minds, shedding new light on their dazzling art-rock legacy.Themes for Great Cities features in-depth new interviews with original band members Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil and Derek Forbes, alongside key figures from within their creative community and high-profile fans such as Bobby Gillespie, James Dean Bradfield and Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite. The book reclaims and revivifies the magnificence of Simple Minds' pioneering early albums, from the glitchy Euro-ambience of Real to Real Cacophony and Empires and Dance to the pulsing, agitated romance of Sons and Fascination, New Gold Dream and beyond.Emerging in 1978 from Glasgow's post-punk scene, Simple Minds transitioned from restless art-rock to electro futurism, mutated into passionate pop contenders and, finally, a global rock behemoth. They have sold in the region of 60 million records and remain a worldwide phenomenon. The drama of their tale lies in these transformations and triumphs, conflicts and contradictions.Themes for Great Cities tells the inside story of a band becoming a band. Inspiring, insightful and enlightening, it celebrates the trailblazing music of one of Britain's greatest groups.

Beeswing is the autobiography from world-renowned artist Richard Thompson, co-founder of the legendary folk rock group Fairport Convention.

"Spanning nearly 50 years of albums, EPs, B-sides, and more, read the full story behind all of the songs that Prince ever released. Moving chronologically through his epic back catalogue, expert author Benoãit Clerc analyses everything there is to know about each song and session. With a career as mythologized as Prince, this book is an exhaustive compendium that shines a light on every corner of Prince's magnificent, otherworldly career. No stone is left unturned across more than 600 pages, illustrated with incredible photography throughout. From the inspiration behind the lyrics and melody to the recording process and even the musicians and producers who worked on each track, uncover the stories behind the music in this truly definitive book--a must-have for every Prince fan"--

A pocket-sized, illustrated book depicting the work and life of Valentino Garavani.

With the death of her aunt, Maria Stepanova is left to sift through an apartment full of faded photographs, old postcards, diaries, and heaps of souvenirs: a withered repository of a century of life in Russia. Carefully reassembled, these shards tell the story of how a seemingly ordinary Jewish family managed to survive the twentieth century.

The ferociously talented Hideo Kojima, creator of Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding, shares his perspective on the stories and movies that influence his work!

A fully updated and illustrated edition of the bestselling story of the world's most famous graffiti artist

Reveals how Qassem Soleimani became the military mastermind who established Iran as a major power in the Middle East

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed: ten lessons on overcoming barriers, building confidence and finding new inspiration and motivation. In the course of his distinguished career Admiral William H. McRaven has met some truly exceptional people, from the men and women he served alongside in the Navy SEALS, to inspiring doctors, scientists, politicians and philanthropists. Drawing on stories of their incredible strength, humility and courage, Admiral McRaven has distilled the Hero Code - the ten habits that make ordinary people capable of extraordinary things.This book will show how we can all persevere to rise above our failures, use humour as a source of strength and inspire trust through integrity, as well as offering practical advice on rising to the occasion, coping with setbacks and becoming our best selves. Above all, this book offers simple and practical wisdom that we can all use to find encouragement, inspiration and optimism for the new year.

Early evening on Saturday 13th September, 1958, Cliff Richard and The Drifters appeared on ITV's pop show Oh Boy!, electrifying living rooms across the nation with their now legendary performance of 'Move It'.

*PRE-ORDER NOW* 'Our incredible story under a supreme manager shared in all its glory.' Jordan Henderson The definitive account of Jurgen Klopp's astonishing revival of Liverpool Football Club.