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Sheridan: The Track of a Comet (Routledge Revivals)
by Madeleine BinghamFirst published in 1972, Sheridan is primarily a rounded, colourful portrait of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, his triumphs and failures, his ferocious duels and sudden romances, and his rise to oratorical fame in the arena of politics. But it is also something more: a wide canvas – sometimes frightening, sometimes amusing – depicting the extraordinarily turbulent and violent theatrical world of London and Dublin in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when an irate audience could destroy a theatre. In this book, Madeleine Bingham explains why Sheridan relegated to second place that field of activity where his wit and satirical mind could have assured him an even greater measure of immortality, and even more of that money which he always needed and always spent so lavishly. Sheridan, his family and his whole world are vividly brought to life; and while his actions can sometimes be condemned, at other times it is clear that he was a prisoner of his heredity, his upbringing and his family’s past. This book will be of interest to students of history and literature.
Sibelius Volume II: 1904-1914
by Erik TawaststjernaErik Tawaststjerna embarked on his monumental and acclaimed study of Jean Sibelius's life and music in 1960 and it occupied him for over a quarter of a century. His study differs from other work on the composer in one important respect: he had unrestricted access to the composer's papers, diaries and letters as well as the advantage of numerous conversations with the composer's widow and other members of the family. Thus his researches can justifiably claim to have thrown entirely fresh light on the great Finnish composer. Far from the remote personality of the Sibelius legend, Sibelius emerges as a highly colourful figure. This second volume covers the crucial period from 1904 and the beginning of the Third Symphony through to the outbreak of the First World War ten years later. During this period Sibelius began keeping a diary which, together with his letters to his wife, Aino, and to his friend, Axel Carpelan, helped the author give us a day-by-day, intimate account of the turbulent years that saw the gestation and completion of many of his finest works, culminating in the Fourth Symphony. Translated by Robert Layton, himself a Sibelius specialist, this is a compelling and insightful account of the music of one of the twentieth century's greatest composers.
Aneurin Bevan: Volume 2: 1945-1960
by Michael FootMichael Foot's two-volume biography of Aneurin 'Nye' Bevan (1897-1960) - arguably Britain's greatest socialist, indelibly associated with the founding of the National Health Service - is one of the major political biographies of the last century. It is the life of an inspirational politician, written by one who knew and unabashedly admired him. Volume II, first published in 1973, begins with Bevan's role in the founding of a comprehensive National Health Service - this while he was also tasked with addressing the country's severe post-war housing shortage. It takes in his 1951 resignation from the cabinet in protest at the introduction of prescription charges, and his subsequent leadership of a 'Bevanite' Labour left; his publication in 1952 of In Place of Fear; his service as Shadow Foreign Secretary during the Suez crisis in 1956; his controversial reversal of opposition to nuclear weapons in 1957; and his death from cancer in 1960.
As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me (Tom Thorne Novels #369)
by Josef M. BauerOriginally published in 1955, this must be one of the most dramatic adventures of our time. Clemens Forell, a German soldier, was sentenced to 25 years of forced labour in a Siberian lead mine after the Second World War. Rebelling against the brutality of the camp, Forell staged a daring escape, enduring an 8000-mile journey across the trackless wastes of Siberia, in some of the most treacherous and inhospitable conditions on earth.Bauer's writing brilliantly evokes Forell's desperation in the prison camp, and his struggle for survival and terror of recapture as he makes his way towards the Persian frontier and freedom.
Behavioral Embryology: Studies on the Development of Behavior and the Nervous System
by Gilbert GottliebBehavioral Embryology deals with the theoretical, philosophical, and empirical problems of behavioral embryology. The book is composed of studies on prenatal neural and behavioral development. The text discussed various topics on behavioral embryology such as the genetic aspects of neuro-embryology; prenatal ""organizing"" effect of gonadal hormones on the brain and later behavior; sensory, motor, or central neural function; overt embryonic or fetal sensitivity; and overt motility and actual behavior. Embryologists, anatomists, cell biologists, physiologists, physicians, and medical researchers will find the book invaluable.
The Berbers: Their Social and Political Organisation
by Robert MontagneFrance entered the North African world in 1830. Its overt political role there ended in 1962. The interpenetration of cultures and languages which resulted from the colonial conquest has not ended yet. No doubt a time will come when an intellectual balance sheet of this epoch comes to be drawn up. When this is done, Robert Montagne’s name will head the list of those Frenchmen who have made a study of Berber society. The brilliance of his ideas, the thoroughness and perceptiveness of his documentation, the range of his historical and comparative vision, and (a trait not always found in scholarly writing on North Africa) the simplicity and vigour of his style, all help to make plain that we have here a social thinker and observer of the very first rank, and one who deserves to be far better known outside the French-speaking world than he is at present.
The Berbers: Their Social and Political Organisation (Routledge Revivals Ser.)
by Robert MontagneFrance entered the North African world in 1830. Its overt political role there ended in 1962. The interpenetration of cultures and languages which resulted from the colonial conquest has not ended yet. No doubt a time will come when an intellectual balance sheet of this epoch comes to be drawn up. When this is done, Robert Montagne’s name will head the list of those Frenchmen who have made a study of Berber society. The brilliance of his ideas, the thoroughness and perceptiveness of his documentation, the range of his historical and comparative vision, and (a trait not always found in scholarly writing on North Africa) the simplicity and vigour of his style, all help to make plain that we have here a social thinker and observer of the very first rank, and one who deserves to be far better known outside the French-speaking world than he is at present.
Call-out: A climber's tales of mountain rescue in Scotland
by Hamish MacInnesCall-out is the definitive collection of tales about early mountain rescue in the Highlands of Scotland from Hamish MacInnes – Everest pioneer and arguably the most famous Scottish mountaineer of the twentieth century.In the late 1960s, MacInnes led the Glencoe Mountain Rescue team and together they developed innovative techniques and equipment in order to save lives – often risking their own in the process – whether night or day, and always at a moment’s notice. He was a central figure in the rescue during the 1963 New Year tragedy in the Cuillins on the Isle of Skye, and led groundbreaking rescues on Buichaille Etive Mor, Ben Nevis, Bidean nam Bian and many other legendary Scottish mountains.At the heart of the stories in Call-out are the unique characters in the team and wider Glencoe community who demonstrate faultless camaraderie, and – by virtue of MacInnes’s engaging storytelling – inject an almost comical slant into these sometimes-grim accounts of misadventure in the mountains.The dark allure of the frozen Scottish peaks provides a foreboding backdrop against which we learn of Hamish MacInnes’s concern for human life under even the most extreme conditions. Call-out offers an inspiring portrayal of responsible and dedicated mountaineering practice, which is as pertinent today as ever.
The Conquest of New Spain
by Bernal Diaz del CastilloVivid, powerful and absorbing, this is a first-person account of one of the most startling military episodes in history: the overthrow of Montezuma's doomed Aztec Empire by the ruthless Hernan Cortes and his band of adventurers. Bernal Díaz del Castillo, himself a soldier under Cortes, presents a fascinatingly detailed description of the Spanish landing in Mexico in 1520 and their amazement at the city, the exploitation of the natives for gold and other treasures, the expulsion and flight of the Spaniards, their regrouping and eventual capture of the Aztec capital.
Lady Sings the Blues: Lady Sings The Blues (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Billie Holiday"I've been told that no one sings the word 'hunger' like I do. Or the word 'love'."Lady Sings the Blues is the inimitable autobiography of one of the greatest icons of the twentieth century. Born to a single mother in 1915 Baltimore, Billie Holiday had her first run-in with the law at aged 13. But Billie Holiday is no victim. Her memoir tells the story of her life spent in jazz, smoky Harlem clubs and packed-out concert halls, her love affairs, her wildly creative friends, her struggles with addiction and her adventures in love. Billie Holiday is a wise and aphoristic guide to the story of her unforgettable life.
Let Sleeping Vets Lie
by James HerriotWith two years experience behind him, James Herriot still feels privileged working on the beautiful Yorkshire moors as assistant vet at the Darrowby practice. Time to meet yet more unwilling patients and a rich cast of supporting owners. Full of hilarious tales of his unpredictable boss Siegfried Farnon, his charming student brother Tristan, the joys of spring lambing, a vicious cat called Boris and James' jinxed courtship of the lovely Helen, Let Sleeping Vets Lie, the third volume of memoirs, is sure to delight hardened fans and new readers of James Herriot titles alike.
Macaulay (Routledge Revivals)
by Jane MillgateFirst published in 1973 Macaulay explores important aspects of the interrelationship between Macaulay’s literary and political careers, sets his achievements as an author within the context of his achievements as a public man, and examines some of the sources of his popularity and success. In doing so, it draws extensively on Macaulay’s journals and other papers at Trinity College, Cambridge and elsewhere. The emphases of the book are critical, not biographical, its essential aims the exploration of the range and quality of Macaulay’s writing and the demonstration of the validity of continuing to approach him- above all in mature essays and the History of England - as a narrative artist. This book is a must read for students of education, history of education, and British history.
Macaulay (Routledge Revivals)
by Jane MillgateFirst published in 1973 Macaulay explores important aspects of the interrelationship between Macaulay’s literary and political careers, sets his achievements as an author within the context of his achievements as a public man, and examines some of the sources of his popularity and success. In doing so, it draws extensively on Macaulay’s journals and other papers at Trinity College, Cambridge and elsewhere. The emphases of the book are critical, not biographical, its essential aims the exploration of the range and quality of Macaulay’s writing and the demonstration of the validity of continuing to approach him- above all in mature essays and the History of England - as a narrative artist. This book is a must read for students of education, history of education, and British history.
The Pound Era
by Hugh KennerA critical discussion of Pound’s poetry and an insightful analysis of his sources.
Gideon Welles: Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy
by John NivenA full-scale life and times biography of an important Civil War figure.
All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business
by Mel BrooksAVAILABLE NOW'Delightful. A great, fun read.' DAVID JASON'Mel Brooks is the king of comedy.' DAVID BADDIEL'A comic genius.' SIMON PEGG'Convivial and chirpily amusing...Wisecracking Mel's journey from tragedy to comedy.' TELEGRAPH'Riotous' DAILY MAILAt 95, the legendary Mel Brooks continues to set the standard for comedy across television, film, and the stage. Now, for the first time, this EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner shares his story in his own words.'Not since the Bible have I read anything so powerful and poignant. And to boot - it's a lot funnier!' - M. BrooksFor anyone who loves American comedy, the long wait is over. Here are the never-before-told, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and remembrances from a master storyteller, filmmaker, and creator of all things funny.All About Me! charts Mel Brooks's meteoric rise from a Depression-era kid in Brooklyn to the recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Whether serving in the United States Army in World War II, or during his burgeoning career as a teenage comedian in the Catskills, Mel was always mining his experiences for material, always looking for the perfect joke. His iconic career began with Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, where he was part of the greatest writers' room in history, which included Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, and Larry Gelbart. After co-creating both the mega-hit 2000 Year Old Man comedy albums and the classic television series Get Smart, Brooks's stellar film career took off. He would go on to write, direct, and star in The Producers, The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Silent Movie, High Anxiety, and Spaceballs, as well as produce groundbreaking and eclectic films, including The Elephant Man, The Fly, and My Favorite Year. Brooks then went on to conquer Broadway with his record-breaking, Tony-winning musical, The Producers.All About Me! offers fans insight into the inspiration behind the ideas for his outstanding collection of boundary-breaking work, and offers details about the many close friendships and collaborations Brooks had, including those with Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Gene Wilder, Madeleine Kahn, Alfred Hitchcock, and the great love of his life, Anne Bancroft.Filled with tales of struggle, achievement, and camaraderie (and dozens of photographs), readers will gain a more personal and deeper understanding of the incredible body of work behind one of the most accomplished and beloved entertainers in history.
Anansi's Gold: The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed Washington, and Swindled the World
by Yepoka YeeboThe astounding, never-before-told story of how an audacious Ghanaian con artist pulled off one of the 20th century's longest-running and most spectacular frauds.When Ghana won its independence from Britain in 1957, it instantly became a target for home-grown opportunists and rapacious Western interests determined to snatch any assets that colonialism hadn't already stripped. A CIA-funded military junta ousted the new nation's inspiring president, Kwame Nkrumah, then falsely accused him of hiding the country's gold overseas. Into this big lie stepped one of history's most charismatic scammers, a con man to rival the trickster god Anansi. Born into poverty in Ghana and trained in the United States, John Ackah Blay-Miezah declared himself custodian of an alleged Nkrumah trust fund worth billions. You, too, could claim a piece--if only you would “invest” in Blay-Miezah's fictitious efforts to release the equally fictitious fund. Over the 1970s and '80s, he and his accomplices-including Ghanaian state officials and Nixon's former attorney general--scammed hundreds of millions of dollars out of thousands of believers. Blay-Miezah lived in luxury, deceiving Philadelphia lawyers, London financiers, and Seoul businessmen alike, all while eluding his FBI pursuers. American prosecutors called his scam “one of the most fascinating--and lucrative--in modern history.” In Anansi's Gold, Yepoka Yeebo chases Blay-Miezah's ever-wilder trail and discovers, at long last, what really happened to Ghana's missing wealth. She unfolds a riveting account of Cold War entanglements, international finance, and postcolonial betrayal, revealing how what we call “history” writes itself into being, one lie at a time.
Anansi's Gold: The Man who swindled the world
by Yepoka Yeebo'Fabulously entertaining' Daily Telegraph 'This astonishing book reveals some of the most important global events of the twentieth century' Afua Hirsch'Perfect for fans of Frank Abignale Jr.'s Catch Me If You Can' Publishers WeeklyThe astounding, never-before-told story of how an ingenious Ghanaian con artist ran one of the 20th century's longest and most audacious frauds.When Ghana declared independence from Britain in 1957, it immediately became a target for opportunists determined to lay hold of whatever assets colonialism hadn't already stripped. The military ousted the new nation's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, then falsely accused him of stealing the country's gold and hiding it overseas.Into this story stepped one of history's most charismatic scammers, John Ackah Blay-Miezah – a con man to rival the trickster god Anansi. Born into poverty, Blay-Miezah declared himself the custodian of an alleged Nkrumah trust fund worth billions. You, too, could claim a piece, if only you would help him rescue it – with a small investment. Over the 1970s and '80s, he grew his scam to epic proportions, amassing hundreds of millions of pounds from thousands of marks all over the world. He baffled Henry Kissinger, scandalised Shirley Temple-Black, and had Nixon's former attorney-general at his beck and call. Many tried to stop him, but Blay-Miezah continued to live in luxury, protected by ex-SAS soldiers while he deceived lawyers, businessmen and investigators around the globe.In Anansi's Gold, Yepoka Yeebo chases the ever-wilder trail of Blay-Miezah – and unfolds a riveting account of Cold War entanglements and African dreams – revealing the untold story of the grifter who beat the West at its own thieving game.
Edward IV (The English Monarchs Series)
by Charles RossIn his own time Edward IV was seen as an able and successful king who rescued England from the miseries of civil war and provided the country with firm, judicious, and popular government. The prejudices of later historians diminished this high reputation, until recent research confirmed Edward as a ruler of substantial achievement, whose methods and policies formed the foundation of early Tudor government. This classic study by Charles Ross places the reign firmly in the context of late medieval power politics, analyzing the methods by which a usurper sought to retain his throne and reassert the power of a monarchy seriously weakened by the feeble rule of Henry VI. Edward's relations with the politically active classes—the merchants, gentry, and nobility—form a major theme, and against this background Ross provides an evaluation of the many innovations in government on which the king's achievement rests.
Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy
by Anne Sebba"Totally riveting. I couldn't put it down" VICTORIA HISLOP"Masterful, original and painfully gripping" PHILIPPE SANDS"A heart-piercingly brilliant book about a woman whose personal life put her in the cross-hairs of history" HADLEY FREEMAN"I don't think I've ever read a book that has moved me more" ANTHONY HOROWITZ"A brilliant and fresh take on a famous case" SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIOREEthel Rosenberg's story has been called America's Dreyfus Affair: a catastrophic failure of humanity and justice that continues to haunt the national conscience, and is still being played out with different actors in the lead roles today.On 19th June 1953 Ethel Rosenberg became the first woman in the US to be executed for a crime other than murder. She was thirty-seven years old and the mother of two small children. Yet even today, at a time when the Cold War seems all too resonant, Ethel's conviction for conspiracy to commit espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union makes her story still controversial. This is an important moment to recount not simply what FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover called the 'trial of the century', but also a timeless human story of a supportive wife, loving mother and courageous idealist who grew up during the Depression with aspirations to become an opera singer. Instead, she found herself battling the social mores of the 1950s and had her life barbarically cut short on the basis of tainted evidence for a crime she almost certainly did not commit.Anne Sebba's masterly biography makes full use of the dramatic prison letters Ethel exchanged with her husband, lawyer and psychotherapist over a three-year period. Sebba has also interviewed Ethel's two sons and others who knew her, including a fellow prisoner. Ethel's tragic story lays bare a nation deeply divided and reveals what happens when a government motivated by fear tramples on the rights of its citizens.
Full Hearts And Empty Bellies: A 1920s Childhood from the Forest of Dean to the Streets of London
by Winifred FoleyWinifred Foley grew up in the 1920s, a bright, determined miner's daughter - in a world of unspoilt beauty and desperate hardship, in which women were widowed at thirty and children died of starvation. Living hand-to-mouth in a tumbledown cottage in the Forest of Dean, Foley - 'our Poll' - had a loving family and the woods and streams of a forest 'better than heaven' as a playground. But a brother and sister were dead in infancy, bread had to be begged from kindly neighbours and she never had a new pair of shoes or a shop-bought doll. And most terrible of all, like her sister before her, at fourteen little Poll had to leave her beloved forest for the city, bound for a life in service among London's grey terraces.
Keith Douglas, 1920-1944: A Biography
by Dr Desmond GrahamKeith Douglas was almost certainly the greatest poet of the Second World War. He was killed in Normandy three days after D-Day. He was only twenty-four. His short life was one of contradictions: the gifted artist and romantic, always in love with the wrong girl also enjoyed soldiering and was quick to volunteer at the beginning of the war. The brave and resourceful tank commander with the Sherwood Rangers in the Western Desert, in the campaign of which his Alemein to Zem Zem is the classic account, was also an outspoken critic of the military establishment and often in trouble with his superiors. There was always another side to Keith Douglas: difficult, even arrogant, he was at the same time, as Desmond Graham, observes in his original preface, 'generous, sensitive to the difficulties of others, remorselessly honest, energetic, and passionately, innocently open.' Douglas made in his brief life some friends who never forgot him, and whose memories of him have contributed much to this book.For this biography, Desmond Graham had access to much private and unpublished material. From that, interviews, Keith Douglas' own poems, letters and drawings emerges a definitive biography.'An almost unqualified success . . . Mr Graham has used his material with great skill and tact.' Roy Fuller'It is difficult to imagine a better biography than this being written about Keith Douglas . . . Desmond Graham provides us with an astonishing amount of information.' Stephen Spender'Extremely well-done . . It is written with authority and it will be standard.' Peter Levi'Sumptuously evocative' John Carey
The Lost Children: Part 1 of 3
by Mary MacCrackenThe Lost Children can either be read as a full-length eBook or in 3 serialised eBook-only parts. This is PART 1 of 3 (Chapters 1-4 of 25). You can read Part 1 two weeks ahead of release of the full-length eBook and paperback.
The Lost Children: Part 2 of 3
by Mary MacCrackenThe Lost Children can either be read as a full-length eBook or in 3 serialised eBook-only parts. This is PART 2 of 3 (Chapters 5-11 of 25). You can read Part 2 one week ahead of release of the full-length eBook and paperback.
The Lost Children: Part 3 of 3
by Mary MacCrackenThe Lost Children can either be read as a full-length eBook or in 3 serialised eBook-only parts. This is PART 3 of 3 (Chapters 12-25 of 25). You can read Part 3 on release of the full-length eBook and paperback.