A revelatory history of humanity - spanning thousands of years and ranging across the world - told through the lens of a misunderstood disease. 'Remarkable .
Playfully blending personal memoir, criticism and candid new interviews with filmmakers from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum, Ryan Gilbey's engaging and dynamic It Used to be Witches is a non-chronological treasure-hunt through queer cinema past and present.
'Tremendous.' David Hare 'An absorbing, necessary book.' Ahad Akthar 'Fascinating and energising.' Financial Times From the 'Winner of Winners' of the Baillie Gifford Prize, a timely and dramatic story of a utopian American experiment, and the self-serving politicians that engineered its downfall. In 1935 the American public was presented with a radical opportunity. Established under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the Federal Theatre Project would employ 12,000 artists, writers, and actors; stage more than 1,000 productions; and reach over 30 million people. Its output included Orson Welles' directorial debut, a landmark modern dance programme, and shows that sought to shed light on the reality of racism, inequality and the dangers of fascism. But within three years, an opportunistic Texas congressman had embarked on a campaign to destroy it, inventing a playbook that echoes into the culture wars of today. From one of the world's great storytellers, The Playbook is an illuminating account of a terrifyingly prescient moment in twentieth-century American cultural history.
'An enthralling narrative of the rise and fall of Britain's republican experiment.'DOMINIC SANDBROOK, The Times 'Best History Books of 2024''A gripping tale of political and cultural crisis but also one of joy and hopeful innovation, told with eloquence and passion.'MALCOLM GASKILL'Magisterial, compelling and eye-opening.'SUZANNAH LIPSCOMBEvents moved with giddying speed in the 1650s. After the execution of Charles I, 'dangerous' monarchy was abolished and the House of Lords was dismissed, sending shock waves across the kingdom. These revolutionary acts set in motion a decade of bewildering change and instability, under the leadership of the soldier-statesman Oliver Cromwell. England's unique and distinctive republican experiment may have been short-lived, but it changed the course of British history. It transformed the relationship between England, Scotland and Ireland, reset the compact between the monarch and the people, and re-fashioned the story the British told - and continue to tell - about themselves. REPUBLIC is a richly engrossing year-by-year account of this exhilarating and daring period. It tells the story of what Britain's republic was really like: why it failed, but also, what it got right.
From the techy kind of virus that shut down computer mainframes and brings total panicTo the going viral global fame type of virus (that also creates total panic)To the snotty variety of virus which creates a different sort of Must-go-to-bed now sort of panic .
In this beautifully illustrated collection of letters, Josie George, well-being guru, shows readers that the world is full of magic and mystery if you only look hard enough. Because Wonderland exists outside of stories - it's in the cracks between the pavement, in neglected urban spaces, in overgrown gardens, in weeds and upturned flower pots . . . It's the wonder we all experience as very small children but that we grow out of as time goes on. Reading it is to feel bewitched - and transported to a happier place. She gives readers the tools they need to navigate through life and retain an inner peace and joy.
In this stunning sequel to the critically acclaimed Alyssa and the Spell Garden, Alyssa is transported to Jamaica and must rediscover the magic of her ancestors.
The Jealous One (1964), Celia Fremlin's fifth novel, opens on its protagonist Rosamund as she wakes from a mid-morning nap to find, to her delight, that she is running a temperature. Surely that explains her blinding headache, and even the weird, delirious dream in which she had murdered her overly seductive neighbour, Lindy? A great relief, then, to find this was merely the work of a fevered imagination. Until her husband exclaims, 'Rosamund! Have you any idea what's happened to Lindy? She's disappeared!...''A tense situation, ultimately resolved by a beautifully fitting plot-twist. Even more memorable than the suspense story is the witty and acute comedy.' New York Times'A brilliant example of the psychological thriller. The little worm of jealousy devours its way into the mind, gradually, page by page.' Hampstead & Highgate Express
By its nature, folk is ephemeral: tricky to define, hard to preserve and even more difficult to resurrect. But folk culture is all around us; sitting in our churches, swinging from our pubs and dancing through our streets, patiently waiting to be discovered, appreciated, saved and cherished. In The Lost Folk, Lally MacBeth is on a mission to breathe new life into these rapidly disappearing customs. She reminds us that folk is for everyone, and does not belong to an imagined, halcyon past, but is constantly being drawn from everyday lives and communities. As well as looking at what folk customs have meant in Britain's past, she shines a light on what they can and should mean as we move into the future - encouraging us to use the book as an inspiration, and become collectors and creators of our very own folk traditions.
Bernard O'Donoghue investigates the idea of anchorage as a place we build for ourselves out of memory and story. The Ireland of his youth is rich in colour and precise in detail, and while he acknowledges the power of the past, he also brings it into question: 'I wish I'd never started on this story;/It may have been a dream, or maybe not . . .' O'Donoghue's informal, even playful tone is that of a poet disarming themselves as well as their reader. He is neither plaintive nor nostalgic but confronts the possibility that what you are most attached to can be, in the end, what ties you down. The poems also enact the reluctance to return that arises out of a fear of finding yourself locked out.
FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHORTill Death Do Us Part"What are you smiling about?" Thom said. "Just murder," she said back. "Your murder."After forty years, Thom Graves has become an incredible disappointment to his wife, Wendy - he drinks too much, flirts with other women, and worst of all, is in danger of revealing their dark secret. But how far is Wendy willing to go to stop him?Starting at the end, and ending at the beginning, Kill Your Darlings is an ingenious mystery about two people's life together, and the secrets which fatally bind them. PRAISE FOR PETER SWANSON:'Swanson is a genius.' Sunday Independent'A killer read with twist after twist.' JANICE HALLETT (on A Talent for Murder)'One of the world's best crime writers. Nobody writes psychopaths like Swanson.' MARK EDWARDS'Delicious . . . I defy you to stop reading once you begin.' New York Times (on The Christmas Guest)
From the streets of Petrograd during the heady autumn of 1917, to Mao's stunning victory in October 1949, and Fidel's triumphant arrival in Havana, in January 1959, the history of the twentieth century was transformed in dramatic and profound ways by the Russian, Chinese and Cuban revolutions.Here, the stories of these epoch-defining events are told together for the first time. At the heart of each revolution was an epic journey: Lenin's 1917 return to Russia from exile in Switzerland; Mao's 'Long March' of 1934-35, covering some 6,000 miles across China; and Fidel Castro's return to Cuba in 1956 following his exile in Mexico. Told in tandem with these are the corresponding journeys of three extraordinary journalists - John Reed, Edgar Snow and Herbert L. Matthews - whose electric testimony from the frontlines would make a decisive contribution to how these revolutions were understood in the wider world. Together, these six journeys changed the course of the twentieth century. Here, in Simon Hall's masterful retelling, these exhilarating events are brought vividly to life. Featuring a stellar cast, extraordinary drama and an epic sweep, Three Revolutions raises fundamental questions about the nature of political power, the limits of idealism and the role of the journalist - questions that remain of utmost urgency today.
In North Seamus Heaney found a myth which allowed him to articulate a vision of Ireland - its people, history and landscape. Here the Irish experience is refracted through images drawn from different parts of the Northern European experience, and the idea of the north allows the poet to contemplate the violence on his home ground in relation to memories of the Scandinavian and English invasions which have marked Irish history so indelibly.
Here is the definitive edition of Seamus Heaney's poetry, with illuminating critical notes, including uncollected poems and a selection of previously unseen material. This is the long-awaited, definitive edition of Seamus Heaney's poetry.
Definitive and comprehensive, this is the actual story of Factory Records' Peter Saville In 1978, a 'Factory for Sale' sign gave Alan Erasmus and Tony Wilson a name for their fledgling Manchester club night. Though they couldn't have known it at the time, this was the launch of one of the most significant musical and cultural legacies of the late twentieth century. The club's electrifying live scene soon translated to vinyl, and Factory Records went on to become the most innovative and celebrated record label of the next thirty years. Always breaking new musical ground, Factory introduced the listening public to bands such as Joy Division, whose Unknown Pleasures was the label's first album release, New Order, Durutti Column and Happy Mondays. Propelled onwards by the inspirational cultural entrepreneur, Tony Wilson, Factory always sought new ways to energise the popular consciousness, such as the infamous Hacienda nightclub, which enjoyed a chequered 15-year history after opening in 1982. Now fully revised and expanded with a new chapter, Shadowplayers is the most complete, authoritative and thoroughly researched account of how a group of provincial anarchists and entrepreneurs saw off bankers, journalists and gun-toting gangsters to create the most influential record label of modern times. Based on both archive and contemporary sources, the book tells the full story of Factory's heroic struggles, its complex web of inventive, idiosyncratic and tragic personalities, and ultimately, the acclaimed and much-loved music it produced.
'Can a planet have legal rights? Could it be defended in a court of law?' A revolution is taking place. Around the world, ordinary people are turning to courts seeking justice for environmental damage. At the forefront of this movement, pioneering barrister Monica Feria-Tinta advocates not only for the people fighting for their homes and livelihoods, but also for those who have no voice: for rivers, forests and endangered species. In A Barrister for the Earth, Monica takes us behind the scenes of ten real cases - as she argues against the destruction of cloud forests in the world's first Rights of Nature case, to holding Sovereign states to account for inaction in addressing climate change in a landmark win for the Torres Strait Islanders. Each of these hopeful stories are landmarks signalling that we are at an important juncture, in which the law can be a powerful tool for the lasting change that we need.
Dare to be brilliant with this entertaining guide that will teach an astonishing range of circus tricks, juggling skills, comedy sets, magic, spy manoeuvres and science tricks. Mat Ricardo never used to see himself as a performer, in fact he was always on the outskirts and incredibly shy - but through practice and dedication, he found his confidence to become one of the country's greatest and most widely respected showmen. In this book, for the first time, he reveals with humour and practical steps exactly what you can do to discover the magic in you.
It's hand to hand combat. 11 December 1997. The Kyoto Conference Centre, 5 a.m. The nations of the world are in deadlock. And agreement feels a world away. Their prize: the world's first legally binding emissions targets.
THE LOUDER THAN WAR #1 BOOK OF THE YEARA ROUGH TRADE, THE TIMES, MOJO, UNCUT, THE HERALD BOOK OF THE YEARThis is not a book about a rock band. This is not even a book about Mark E Smith. This is a book about The Fall group - or more precisely, their world. 'To 50,000 Fall Fans: please buy this inspired & inspiring, profound & provocative, beautiful & bonkers Book of Revelations.'DAVID PEACE'Mind blowing . . . there is so much to enjoy in this brilliant book.'TIM BURGESS'A container sized treasure trove . . . I strongly advise you to buy it.'MAXINE PEAKE'The most wonderful, unashamedly intellectual, pretentious, ridiculous, exciting hymn to this incredible group.'ANDY MILLER, BACKLISTEDOver a prolific forty-year career, the Fall created a world that was influential, idiosyncratic and fiercely original - and defied simple categorisation.Their frontman and lyricist Mark E. Smith spun opaque tales that resisted conventional understanding; the Fall's worldview was an education in its own right. Who wouldn't want to be armed with a working knowledge of M. R. James, shipping-dock procedures, contemporary dance, Manchester City and Can? The group inspired and shaped the lives of those who listened to and tried to make sense of their work.Bringing together previously unseen artwork, rare ephemera and handwritten material, alongside essays by a slate of fans, EXCAVATE! is a vivid, definitive record - an illumination of the dark corners of the Fall's wonderful and frightening world.
This gorgeously illustrated collection of poems illuminates and reimagines the ingenious, fragile dwellings of the living creatures around us. Poet Laureate Simon Armitage was inspired to write these poems by the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, an ambitious restoration project where history and mystery combine.
Danny McGee goes to the seaside with his sister and makes a bet that he can drink the sea all up!And he does. He drinks it all through a straw. And then he eats a tree, and then he eats a cat drinking some tea, and then he eats a man learning to ski .
**AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW**'A hugely gifted writer.' ANN PATCHETT'Cole's storytelling rings so true.' MAGGIE SHIPSTEAD 'A deft, agile, intricate portrait of family life and midlife crisis.' LUCY CALDWELLThe stunning, timely second novel, effortlessly blending the intimate and the wide-screen, from this emerging, must-read US author. Three's a crowd. Emmett and Joel are half-brothers, but they couldn't be more different: Emmett is single and working in a vast Cargo Distribution Centre in Kentucky, while Joel is a married academic and published writer. For the first time in years, the two of them are back together in the family home, just as Joel's wife, Alice, starts to yearn for a different kind of lifestyle. Both wide-screen and intimate, Fulfillment is a beautifully written and absorbing portrayal of three people's changing hopes and dreams, further marking Lee Cole out as one of today's must-read, young authors. 'Markovits' writing makes the ordinary unforgettable.' NEW YORK TIMES'A great new talent.' NICKOLAS BUTLER 'An exciting new voice.' WASHINGTON POST
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