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One Soul We Divided: A Critical Edition of the Diary of Michael Field
by Michael FieldThe first book-length selection from the extraordinary unpublished diary of the late-Victorian writer “Michael Field”—the pen name of two female coauthors and romantic partnersMichael Field was known to late-Victorian readers as a superb poet and playwright—until Robert Browning let slip Field’s secret identity: in fact, “Michael Field” was a pseudonym for Katharine Bradley (1846–1914) and Edith Cooper (1862–1913), who were lovers, a devoted couple, and aunt and niece. For thirty years, they kept a joint diary titled Works and Days that eventually reached almost 10,000 pages. One Soul We Divided is the first critical edition of selections from this remarkable unpublished work.A fascinating personal and literary experiment, the diary tells the extraordinary story of the love, art, ambitions, and domestic life of a queer couple in fin de siècle London. It also tells vivid firsthand stories of the literary and artistic worlds Bradley and Cooper inhabited and of their encounters with such celebrities as Browning, Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats, Aubrey Beardsley, and Bernard Berenson. Carolyn Dever provides essential context, including explanatory notes, a cast of characters, a family tree, and a timeline.An unforgettable portrait of two writers and their unexpected romantic, literary, and artistic marriage, One Soul We Divided rewrites what we think we know about Victorian women, intimacy, and sexuality.
Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and finding myself
by Crystal HefnerA fascinating demythologising of the Playboy brand and Hefner himself - Pandora Sykes'I was 21 years old when I found myself on the front stoop of the Playboy Mansion. I want to tell the real story of my time there - the good and the bad, the dark and the light.'In 2008 the Playboy mansion became Crystal Harris's sanctuary - a shimmering vestige of opportunity. Within months she had ascended its hierarchy to become Hugh Hefner's top girlfriend. But her new home came at a cost. Forced to follow strict rules that governed everything from her appearance to behaviour, she began to lose her identity. By the time she married Hef in 2012, the mansion had become her prison.Having made a promise to Only Say Good Things, for years Crystal suppressed the truth of what really happened behind the mansion's closed doors. Now, in this raw and honest memoir, she's finally ready to expose it all.Laying bare the devastating impact that a culture of relentless objectification and misogyny had on her health, Crystal's extraordinary story carries powerful lessons that are relevant to us all.
Our Fight: The new inspirational memoir from the UFC and WWE icon for 2024
by Ronda RouseyFrom Sunday Times bestselling author, British Sports Book of the Year Award winner, and trailblazing athlete Ronda Rousey, an unfiltered and entertaining chronicle of her last decade, tackling not only UFC and WWE but also parenthood, overcoming adversity, and finding meaning in life’s journey. ‘Rousey has rewritten her story arc, and along the way learned that self-reliance and independence is real freedom.’ Guardian'Gripping and, at its best, offers a raw personal history of concussion.' Donald McRae, Guardian From the moment she burst onto the MMA scene, Ronda Rousey was unbeatable. She repeatedly strung together back-to-back flawless victories, racking up a collection of records and forever changing the face of sports as the UFC’s first female champion. A superstar in her sport, she transcended athletics, appearing in blockbuster films and becoming a role model for women everywhere. Then, on November 15, 2015, it all came crashing down.In OUR FIGHT, Rousey explores the greatest challenge of her life and, ultimately, how she rebuilt her career into something better in the aftermath. She recounts how she replaced her pursuit of perfection with the pursuit of happiness and found a blessing in disguise amongst the wreckage. Following Rousey’s relatable journey, OUR FIGHT is a courageous narrative of career changes, marriage, motherhood, and facing your fears.
Paranoia: A Journey Into Extreme Mistrust And Anxiety (Maudsley Ser.)
by Daniel Freeman'A TRULY IMPORTANT BOOK’ JOHN HUMPHRYS 'FASCINATING… SHOCKING' SPECTATOR What is paranoia? What makes us mistrustful? How can this be overcome?
Parcels in the Post: Growing Up With Fifty Siblings
by Fiona NearyWelcome to the house of fun. It's the early 1980s and Fiona Neary and her family have recently moved back from England to the family farm. Fiona's huge-hearted mum decides to take in foster children – a decision that will change all their lives. Over the next decade, a procession of faces passes through the house. Every child has their own story, and each story claims a little piece of Fiona's heart. Some stay a few weeks; some months, and then years. All these children, as well as Fiona and her family, must pass through a chaotic system: where a judge's decision can alter a child's life, for better or worse; where emergency placements can break up siblings; where the foster family are often left in the dark and with little back-up. Filled with pathos and humour, Parcels in the Post is both a memoir of a loving household and snapshot of the fostering system in Ireland, from someone at the very heart of it all.
PDA in the Family: Life After the Lightbulb Moment
by Steph CurtisIn this honest and open account of life with her PDA daughter, Sasha, Steph Curtis reveals the everyday struggles and explores the milestones of raising a child diagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance. This book guides you through the Curtis family's 'lightbulb moment' of recognising Sasha's PDA profile following her autism diagnosis at the age of two, their experiences of various education settings and attempts to access support, everyday life at home and relationships with family and friends. Bursting with practical takeaways and advice from creating personal profiles for your child to help them transition through schools and other settings to the reasonable adjustments you can actually ask for to help make life easier for your PDA child.With unique insights from Sasha's father, sister, and Sasha herself, this book offers insider knowledge, understanding and advice from one family to another. It would also be helpful for those in education, healthcare or other settings to gain a better understanding of Pathological Demand Avoidance.
PDA in the Family: Life After the Lightbulb Moment
by Steph CurtisIn this honest and open account of life with her PDA daughter, Sasha, Steph Curtis reveals the everyday struggles and explores the milestones of raising a child diagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance. This book guides you through the Curtis family's 'lightbulb moment' of recognising Sasha's PDA profile following her autism diagnosis at the age of two, their experiences of various education settings and attempts to access support, everyday life at home and relationships with family and friends. Bursting with practical takeaways and advice from creating personal profiles for your child to help them transition through schools and other settings to the reasonable adjustments you can actually ask for to help make life easier for your PDA child.With unique insights from Sasha's father, sister, and Sasha herself, this book offers insider knowledge, understanding and advice from one family to another. It would also be helpful for those in education, healthcare or other settings to gain a better understanding of Pathological Demand Avoidance.
People Who Lunch: On Work, Leisure, and Loose Living
by Sally OldsA riveting investigation of the utopian experiments attempting to resist the unrelenting demands of late-stage capitalism—only to end up living comfortably alongside it What do post‑work politics, the cult of crypto, clubbing, and polyamory have in common? All have spawned thriving subcultures united in their rejection of the patriarchal capitalist order: from wage labor, to the reign of the shareholder class over capital markets, to romantic relationships that feel like contractual arrangements to be negotiated, and more.People Who Lunch is about hating work and needing to work, intimacy and technology, labor and leisure, and the challenge of living our ideals in a less than ideal world. In it, Sally Olds brings her &“unsparing scrutiny to bear…as she grapples with the sense of entrapment in the machinery of capitalism and remorseless logic of commodification&” (ABC Arts). In one essay, Olds&’s brief flirtation with post-monogamy forces her to confront the emotional prison of the &“open relationship&”; in another, a multi-hour viewing of a critically acclaimed performance art piece highlights how even the highest forms of culture exist to convert pleasure into capital. In the end, her forays into these colorful worlds betray a deep irony: escaping a system built on the exchange of wage labor is, quite simply, a lot of work.
Performance: An electrifying memoir from the dark heart of London's Soho
by Ruth Ivo'Stunning . . . a love letter to the aliveness of London and its nightlife' SOPHIE MACKINTOSH'A wild night of a book' OCTAVIA BRIGHTAs 'Ruby', Ruth Ivo was a successful burlesque performer, living in blissful bohemian squalor on a decommissioned military boat and spending her evenings unfolding from a Fabergé egg in various London clubs. Her life changes when she is asked to become show director at 'The Club', a place as secretive as it is notorious. Before long, she's trawling Soho back streets for props and knocking back shots with movie stars and billionaires. But as her nights unravel in a maelstrom of glamour and chaos behind the scenes, she feels her grasp on reality slipping through her fingers, and her soul wrung out by decadence. Under pressure to produce shows each more shocking than the last, she watches the performers under her care contort themselves before baying crowds. When a devastating event leaves her unmoored, Ruby has to wonder if she's sold her soul to the devil . . . or become him. Performance is a visceral and exquisitely written portrait of a place that has come to embody the excesses of late capitalism; of tumbling willingly down the rabbit hole, only to lose yourself in the dark.______'Performance is theatrical, immersive and utterly heartbreaking. An astonishing debut' CHRISTIE WATSON'A story this addictive, it's hard not to consume it in one go' RHYANNON STYLES'I devoured this book in two days, all of its twisting corners and dark alleyways. I know Soho like the back of my hand and this brought that lost world back in vivid colours' JODIE HARSH
Personal Best: From Rock Bottom to the Top of the World
by Adele Roberts'Adele's inner strength is truly remarkable. Personal Best will light a fire of hope and determination in us all.' -Lorraine KellyAward-winning BBC broadcaster, TV personality and DJ, Adele Roberts, was diagnosed with bowel cancer on the first of October 2021. In the months that followed, with her partner Kate Holderness alongside her, she fought very publicly through the challenges of chemotherapy and life with a stoma, whom she named Audrey. Adele's legions of fans avidly followed this remarkable journey, struck by her determination, her stoicism, and above all the resolute positivity that she and Kate demonstrated despite the many hurdles they faced along the way. 18 months on - she ran across the finish line of the London Marathon, setting a new Guinness World Record as the fastest female with an ileostomy.Personal Best is the story of those months but it's also a tremendously valuable, life-enhancing guide to surviving and thriving through life's challenges and setbacks, illuminating a path that anyone can follow to get back on track, go further than they thought and achieve their personal best in the marathon of life - punctured with inspirational quotes and playlists along the way. Personal Best will help you to take on whatever challenge you may be facing with enough resolution to give yourself the strongest possible chance of success.
Phryne: A Life in Fragments
by Melissa FunkeHow did Mnesarete, a girl from Boeotia, turn into Phryne the famous beauty, and how did she end up as an enduring symbol of ancient Greek culture? This book pieces together the story of the notorious fourth-century Athenian sex worker, Phryne. It considers her early life and her development into a cultural figure, whose influence and legacy have lasted from her own lifetime to the present day. It also investigates her infamous nude courtroom appearance, her influence on one of the most well-known statues from antiquity and her connection to celebrated figures from Alexander the Great to the artist Apelles. Her appearances in modern culture, ranging from Belle Epoque cabaret shows to 1950s Italian film, are also analysed, offering an account of how the real life of a woman turned into the biography of a dream girl. Nothing but fragmentsremain of Phryne's story, short anecdotes passed on and on again in literary compendia, that tell the story of a witty and beautiful woman who amassed great wealth, associated with some of the most well-known historical figures of ancient Greece. They create an image of a life that is glamorous and titillating, yet they also hint at the tenuous position of a foreign-born sex worker in a society structured to privilege male citizens above all others.
Pink Camouflage: One soldier's story from trauma and abuse to resilience and leadership
by Gemma MorganThis is a fascinating insight into a macho, male-dominated world where reality is so grotesquely distorted from the public perception. Read it, believe it, because sometimes the truth is far more incredible than fiction.TERRY BUTCHER, Captain of England Football Team Her husband found her by the roadside, delirious and choking on her own vomit. Gemma Morgan was 33, happily married with two young children, an outstanding army service record and a first-class international sporting career. But underneath she was a wreck, surviving on a cocktail of vodka, Valium and sleeping pills. Misogyny, sexual abuse and toxic masculinity had been the daily realities of her Army career long before being deployed unarmed and unsupported to the blood and mayhem of a war zone. When Gemma gave birth to a baby girl, motherhood left her lost and alienated, a soldier who had deliberately suppressed her femininity with no idea how to cope. Together, these experiences triggered a mental health crisis that led her to become suicidal, battling PTSD, betrayed and abandoned by the institution to which she had devoted seven years of her life. With the support of her family Gemma has been on a long, hard and bumpy road to recovery. This is her story in her own words. She has told it to inspire a fierce and urgent call for change. Gemma speaks with powerful vulnerability – you could hear a pin drop. JODIE KIDD Model, Racing Driver and TV Personality
Plínio Salgado: A Brazilian Fascist (1895–1975) (Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right)
by João Fábio BertonhaPlínio Salgado covers the life trajectory of the far-right Brazilian political leader between 1895 and 1975. The book initially follows his life from his birth, including political and cultural training and political activities between 1895 and 1930. The focus then shifts to his period as leader of the Brazilian fascist movement between 1932 and 1938, with attention to his performance as a leader, his role within the movement, and in the rise and fall of the Integralist Action. His period of exile in Portugal between 1939 and 1947 is also emphasized, with a special focus on his contacts with the Portuguese radical right and German and Italian agents. The final part addresses his return to Brazil, his efforts to reposition himself politically and his performance as a parliamentarian and supporter of the military coup of 1964. This book will be of interest to researchers of Latin American history, Brazilian history and politics, the transnational far right, and comparative fascism studies.
Plínio Salgado: A Brazilian Fascist (1895–1975) (Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right)
by João Fábio BertonhaPlínio Salgado covers the life trajectory of the far-right Brazilian political leader between 1895 and 1975. The book initially follows his life from his birth, including political and cultural training and political activities between 1895 and 1930. The focus then shifts to his period as leader of the Brazilian fascist movement between 1932 and 1938, with attention to his performance as a leader, his role within the movement, and in the rise and fall of the Integralist Action. His period of exile in Portugal between 1939 and 1947 is also emphasized, with a special focus on his contacts with the Portuguese radical right and German and Italian agents. The final part addresses his return to Brazil, his efforts to reposition himself politically and his performance as a parliamentarian and supporter of the military coup of 1964. This book will be of interest to researchers of Latin American history, Brazilian history and politics, the transnational far right, and comparative fascism studies.
Polly: The True Story Behind 'Whisky Galore'
by Roger HutchinsonEarly on a wartime winter's morning in 1941, the 8,000-ton cargo ship SS Politician ran aground in the beautiful but treacherous seas of Scotland's Outer Hebrides. Among its cargo were 260,000 bottles of whisky destined for the American market – a godsend to the local Eriskay islanders whose home-grown supply had dried up due to wartime rationing. News quickly spread and boats came from as far as Lewis, and before local excise officer Charles McColl could intervene, more than 24,000 bottles had been 'rescued'. Villages were raided as bottles of whisky were hidden in the most ingenious ways – or simply drunk to get rid of the evidence. Meanwhile, official salvage operations foundered, and in order to pre-vent what the islanders themselves regarded as legitimate salvage, the hull of the Politician was dynamited. The story is well known through Compton Mackenzie's bestselling book Whisky Galore and the famous 1949 Ealing comedy of the same name. In this book, acclaimed journalist and Hebridean expert Roger Hutchinson tells the true story of one of the most bizarre events ever to have happened in Scottish waters.
Power and Glory: Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty
by Alexander LarmanPower and Glory brings us to the dramatic conclusion of Larman's 'Windsors trilogy'.It begins with the fallout from the revelation of the Duke of Windsor's wartime treachery, and ends with the Coronation of Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. In between, it depicts a monarchy - and a country - struggling to cope with the aftermath of World War Two, in an era where old certainties have been replaced by the rise of a new, uncertain world, and where love, tragedy and modernity battle for supremacy.The book draws on extensive unpublished correspondence between major members of the Royal Family including George VI, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Windsor, the Prime Ministers Clement Attlee and Winston Churchill, and previously unseen diaries and memoranda from courtiers, personal secretaries and leading politicians, exploring everything from the King's declining health to the (often negative) reactions to Elizabeth's marriage to Prince Philip and Coronation.Power and Glory features the same intricately researched and incisively written account of Britain's most famous family as Larman's previous books, but on an epic international scale. It covers everything from the end of British rule in India to the foundation of the United Nations, and the crucial role that monarchy played in the ever-shifting era - as well, naturally, as the way in which the Duke and Duchess of Windsor attempted to return to relevance, whatever the cost might be to the wider Royal Family.
The Prison Officer
by Gen Glaister'Honest and unflinching, an important contribution to our understanding of how prisons work.'Rory Stewart, bestselling author of Politics On the Edge and former Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation'A shocking and gripping read.' James Timpson, OBEThe Prison Officer challenges everything you thought you knew about people in prison.Becoming a prison officer was Gen's burning ambition despite her background making this an unlikely career choice.At twenty-three, full of hopes and dreams of helping those that needed it most within the prison system, she discovered the reality of life behind bars that no training could possibly have prepared her for.In this searing account of her years as a prison officer, Gen shares how she learned to use her heart, her humour and sheer bloody-mindedness to make a difference to the men who lived by a different set of rules, finding her place amongst gangsters, killers and traffickers.
Private Equity: 'A vivid account of a world of excess, power, admiration and status'
by Carrie SunNamed a most-anticipated book of 2024 by the Sunday Times, Financial Times, Stylist, Vogue, NPR.org, Oprah Daily, Town & Country and more.'A moving story of how easily a life can be submerged by work, and what it takes to regain one's soul' Oliver Burkeman, bestselling author of Four Thousand WeeksWhat are you willing to sacrifice to get to the top?What it might take to break free and leave it all behind?Carrie Sun can't shake the feeling that she's wasting her life. At twenty-nine, she's left her job, dropped out of an MBA program and is trapped in an unhappy engagement. So when she gets the opportunity to work at one of the most prestigious hedge funds in the world, she can't say no. Carrie is the sole assistant to the ¬firm's billionaire founder: she manages his work life, becomes his right hand and learns that money can solve nearly everything.But amid the ultimate winners in our winner-take-all economy, Carrie soon¬ finds her identity swallowed whole. With her physical and mental health deteriorating, she begins to rethink what it actually means to waste one's life. A searing examination of our relationship to work, Private Equity is a universal tale of self-invention from a dazzling new voice.----------------------'A penetrating but all the more necessary critique of extreme wealth and toxic work culture as [Sun] questions what it really means to waste one's life' Oprah Daily, The Most Anticipated Books of 2024'Bound to fascinate and terrify titans of finance in equal measure. That's because Sun writes of her own experience as the right hand to a billionaire banker, and shares incredible insights from the world that he inhabited, and in which she herself got lost. It's an observant, fascinating look at a rarefied space of power and privilege that's rarely on public view, and an unparalleled peek inside a system that shapes us all, whether we know it or not.' Town & Country, Must-Read Books of Winter 2024
The Promised Party: Kahlo, Basquiat and Me
by Jennifer ClementAN iNEWS BEST BOOK TO READ THIS MONTH 'Clement has lived a life like no other, and made of it a shimmering mosaic, a masterpiece, which is this book' Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less Growing up in Mexico City, Jennifer Clement lived next door to Frida Kahlo’s house. It was an unorthodox and bohemian childhood, living alongside artists, communists, revolutionaries and poets, and one that allowed an awakening of creative freedom and curiosity about the world. Leaving behind the revolutions in Latin America for the burgeoning counter-culture scene in ’80s New York, Clement quickly became a fixture on the art scene, inhabiting the world of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Colette Lumiere and William Burroughs, and frequenting The Mudd Club, Danceteria and Studio 54. From the author of cult classic Widow Basquiat, this memoir is a tale of two cities and their artists. It recreates the fury, ecstasy and danger that made ’70s Mexico City and ’80s New York two of the greatest places to be young, free and alive.
Provincials: Postcards from the Peripheries
by Sumana RoyAn enchanting and joyous exploration of life and creativity at the geographical edges of the modern world Who is a provincial? In this subversive book, Sumana Roy assembles a striking cast of writers, artists, filmmakers, cricketers, tourist guides, English teachers, lovers and letter writers, private tutors and secret-keepers whose lives and work provide varied answers to that question. Combining memoir with the literary, sensory, and emotional history of an ignored people, she challenges the metropolitan’s dominance to reclaim the joyous dignity of provincial life, its tics and taunts, enthusiasms and tragicomedies. In a wide-ranging series of “postcards” from the peripheries of India, Europe, America, and the Middle East, Roy brings us deep into the imaginative world of those who have carried their provinciality like a birthmark. Ranging from Rabindranath Tagore to William Shakespeare, John Clare to the Bhakti poets, T. S. Eliot to J. M. Coetzee, V. S. Naipaul to the Brontës, and Kishore Kumar to Annie Ernaux, she celebrates the provincials’ humor and hilarity, playfulness and irony, belatedness and instinct for carefree accidents and freedom. Her unprecedented account of provincial life offers an alternative portrait of our modern world.
Queen Victoria and her Prime Ministers: A Personal History
by Anne SomersetIt is generally accepted that Queen Victoria reigned but did not rule. This couldn’t be more wrong.
Queer Villains of Myth and Legend
by Dan JonesEvery good hero needs a villain! Explore the hidden world of magnetic and mysterious villains, often cast aside and misunderstood in tales of mythology and folklore. Through the pages of Queer Villains of Myth and Legend, discover a diverse community of fascinating characters, ranging from seductive and cunning to powerful and awe-inspiring.Experience the dark allure of Circe and Medusa through to David Bowie's Jareth in Labyrinth and delve into their complex and multifaceted personalities and motivations. Take a deep dive into the intersection of queerness and villainy, re-examine some of our favourite characters, and discover why so many 'bad' characters are queer-coded. From ancient mythology to contemporary pop culture, Queer Villains of Myth and Legend celebrates the fascinating stories of these often-overlooked characters. Join Dan Jones on a journey of discovery, as he explores the hidden depths of queer villainy and sheds light on the queer identities of these compelling figures. It's a powerful celebration of queerness through the ages in all its legendary complexity.
The Quizmaster: From Life on the Streets to a Global Quizzing Sensation
by Jay Flynn** Available to pre-order now **THE HEART-WARMING, REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF THE QUIZMASTER JAY FLYNN, WHOSE VIRTUAL PUB QUIZ BECAME AN ONLINE SENSATION DURING COVID.Jay Flynn was down on his luck when the Covid pandemic struck. He had just lost the tenancy of the pub he ran in Lancashire - and with it the loyal community of locals who loved his quirky weekly quiz.As the world closed down, he sensed the quiz could now be a lifeline both for him and the locals - so he sent them invites to an online version. But he had forgotten to mark the event 'private', and on the night, a disbelieving Jay played quizmaster to half a million teams, from Kenya to Canada, New Zealand to the Ukraine. This was to be the start of a global online quiz sensation, earning more than £1 million for charity and Jay an MBE, as well as his own slot on Zoe Ball's BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.It was all the more incredible because, as a lost and troubled young man, Jay had spent two years homeless, sleeping on a bench on the Embankment in London, almost taking his own life. Rescued by a homeless charity, he'd learnt how a simple community can save lives. It proved a priceless lesson.Now, in his inspiring memoir, Jay shows how, sometimes, you can find the answers you're seeking in the most unexpected places.
Racing Legends: Lewis Hamilton (Racing Legends #1)
by Maurice HamiltonRace through fun facts, stats and stories about one of your favourite drivers Lewis Hamilton, with F1 expert, Maurice Hamilton.Find out how Lewis Hamilton went from playing with remote-controlled cars to becoming one of the world's greatest ever RACING LEGENDS! Covering speed records and epic rivalries, as well as Hamilton's heroes and charity work, this book shows just how legendary Lewis Hamilton is, on and off the track, and celebrates the unsung heroes of racing, from the pitstop crew to the engineers.Easy to read, fun to share and packed with illustrations, Racing Legends: Lewis Hamilton is perfect for fast and curious minds, whatever their reading ability. Check out the rest of the Racing Legends series for more books to speed through!
Racing Legends: Max Verstappen (Racing Legends #2)
by Maurice HamiltonRace through fun facts, stats and stories about one of your favourite drivers Max Verstappen, with F1 expert, Maurice Hamilton.Find out how Max Verstappen went from go-karting to becoming one of the world's best RACING LEGENDS! Detailing his super-fast rise to fame this book shows just how much of a legend Max Verstappen is, as well as shedding light on the team that helped him become number 1 in F1.Easy to read, fun to share and packed full of illustrations, Racing Legends: Max Verstappen is perfect for fast and curious minds, whatever their reading ability. Check out the rest of the Racing Legends series for more books to speed through!