THE OPERA COMPANION – GEORGE MARTIN   AMADEUS ISBN 9781574671681

Opera is a crucial part of the Western classical music tradition, involving singers and musicians as well as incorporating many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes dance. Opera started in Italy at the end of the 16th century and soon spread through the rest of Europe: Schütz in Germany, Lully in France and Purcell in England all helped to establish their national traditions in the 17th century. However, in the 18th century, Italian opera continued to dominate, with opera seria its the most prestigious form. Today the most renowned figure of late 18th century opera is Mozart, most famous for his Italian comic operas, and the first third of the 19th century saw the highpoint of the bel canto style, with Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini. The mid to late 19th century was another golden age of opera, led by Wagner in Germany and Verdi in Italy. This developed through the verismo era in Italy and contemporary French opera through to Puccini and Strauss in the early 20th century. Most recently, there have been experiments with modern styles, including works by Schoenberg, Stravinsky and Philip Glass. The Opera Companion is a most enjoyable and comprehensive guide for anyone interested in this rich tradition. The book is consists of three parts: the Casual Operagoer’s Guide, a glossary of operatic terms and miscellanea, and a section devoted to thorough synopses of the 47 most-performed operas. American author George Martin has written histories, biographies, and guides exploring not only opera, nineteenth-century Italy and Giuseppe Verdi but also New York and U.S. legal history. The Opera Companion is a classic reference book that will calm the nerves of any intimidated opera novice; while its incredible breadth and comprehensiveness will delight opera aficionados. From describing each instrument of the orchestra to explaining each major scene in Wagner’s Parsifal, The Opera Companion stands as a remarkable authority on much-loved art-form.

TIME: A USER'S GUIDE - STEFAN KLEIN   PENGUIN  ISBN 9780141034638

Time is a basic component of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the duration of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify the motions of objects. It has long been a major subject of religion, philosophy and science, but defining time in a non-controversial manner applicable to all fields of study has consistently eluded the greatest scholars. Ancient Greek philosophers often wrote on the nature of time, comparing it to the passing of sand through an hourglass. The sand at the top is the future, which flows through the present into the past. The past is ever expanding and the future ever decreasing, with future grains becoming the past through the present. St. Augustine asked, ‘What then is time? If no one asks me, I know: if I wish to explain it to one that asketh, I know not.’ Isaac Newton believed time and space form a container for events, which is as real as the objects it contains. In Existentialism, time is considered fundamental to the question of being. In Time: A User’s Guide, former Science Editor of Der Spiegel and bestselling author Stefan Klein explores the hidden dimensions of time, looking at everything from when the present becomes the past to the tribe that see the future backwards, from when sex is best, to why the years seem to speed by as we age. He reveals how we can learn to live in harmony with the secret clock within us, altering our perceptions to transform our lives. Why are there morning people and night people? How come time flies when you are having fun and three minutes can sometimes seem an eternity? Would time exist if we did not measure it - and why is there never enough? We race from one thing to the next, believing on some level that a mysterious cosmic force called ‘time’ is ticking on and is always in short supply. But is the time we live really like that? Could there in fact be another, alternative version, entwined with the official one? Stefan Klein brilliant book is a fascinating, accessible and enlightening study of one of life’s greatest mysteries.

BRYSON’S DICTIONARY – BILL BRYSON       DOUBLEDAY ISBN: 0385610440

Best-selling author William McGuire Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, but has been a resident of North Yorkshire most of his adult life before moving south to Norfolk in 2003. Most famous for books such as Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods and A Short History of Nearly Everything, he has become a national treasure in his adopted home and is now President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England. His Penguin Dictionary for Writers and Editors was first published in 1984 and catalogued some of the English language’s most commonly misused words and phrases in order to demonstrate correct usage. He had worked as a junior sub-editor for The Times in the 1970s and saw the need for an easy-to-consult, authoritative guide to avoiding the traps and snares in English, so he characteristically decided to write one. As the author says: ‘English is a dazzlingly idiosyncratic tongue, full of quirks and irregularities that often seem willfully at odds with logic and common sense. This is a language where ‘cleave’ can mean to cut in half or to hold two halves together; where the simple word ‘set’ has 126 different meanings as a verb, 58 as a noun, and 10 as a participial adjective; where if you can run fast you are moving swiftly, but if you are stuck fast you are not moving at all.’ What is the difference between cant and jargon, or assume and presume? What is a fandango? Is it hippy or hippie? These questions really matter to Bill Bryson, as they do to anyone who cares about the English language. Bryson’s Dictionary for Writers and Editors has now been completely revised and updated for the twenty-first century by Bill Bryson himself. Here is a very personal selection of spellings and usages, covering such head-scratchers as capitalization, plurals, abbreviations and foreign names and phrases. This is a book where you go to look up the difference between a metaphor and a simile or how to spell Nazism and find yourself diverted by the War of Jenkin’s Ear or the Italian Caribinieri. Bryson gives the difference between British and American usages as well as pieces of essential information you never knew you needed, like the names of all the Oxford colleges, the new name for the Department of Trade and Industry, and the correct spelling of Brobdingnag. Engagingly idiosyncratic and full of good sense, this is an indispensable companion to all those who write, work with the written word, or who just enjoy getting things right.

USA BY RAIL - JOHN PITT               BRADT  ISBN 1 84162 127 7

American trains have long had a firm hold on the popular imagination, inspiring countless stories, songs, scandals, films and legends. Attracted by the pace of life and an ever-changing view, more people are discovering the joys of taking to the rails to cross this vast continent in comfort, taking in attractions such as the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone Park and Disney World along the way. This latest, fully updated Sixth edition of the Bradt guide, USA by Rail, reveals in entertaining fashion the unique pleasures of North American train travel with Amtrak and VIA Rail. The book describes 25 long-distance rail journeys in the United States and Canada and features 500 destinations, including sightseeing and recommended accommodation in 38 cities. There are helpful maps and comprehensive route guides to trains such as the Coast Starlight and California Zephyr as well as all the practical information you need to make reservations, buy tickets and find your way about strange train stations. Details of Amtrak high-speed Acela trains are included, as well as useful advice on local transport, making this the ideal travel companion and essential reading when planning your itinerary. ‘The best guidebook for the journey’ - Sunday Telegraph. More information can be found on the USA by Rail website and at Amazon.co.uk.

HUNGRY? - LINDSEY BAREHAM     MICHAEL JOSEPH ISBN: 9780141031422

Cookery books are heaped up in every bookshop and regularly top the best-seller lists but how many are really of practical use? Lindsey Bareham is best known for her daily recipe column in the Evening Standard, which she wrote for eight years. As a freelance food writer and broadcaster she wrote the weekly ‘Cheat’s Dinner Party’ column in the Sunday Telegraph Stella magazine and now writes an after-work recipe column for The Times and contributes to Saga Magazine. She has written eleven cookery books, including In Praise of the Potato and A Celebration of Soup, and collaborated with Simon Hopkinson to produce The Prawn Cocktail Years. Her latest book, Hungry? Easy Food For Students and Beginners, was inspired when her son first went to university and wanted to take some of her recipes with him. Now this is the book of choice for students and beginners everywhere, full of simple, unpatronising, no nonsense recipes – the perfect first cookbook for people of any age but particularly for those who may not have the money or inclination to cook but still want really good food. As well as foolproof recipes for the likes of shepherd’s pie and risotto, there are invaluable tips on how to peel tomatoes, add oomph to baked beans and find inventive things to do with stale bread. ‘Lindsey Bareham is one of those food writers - like Elizabeth David or Jane Grigson before her - whose books have the power to change the way people cook and eat’ - Sunday Times.

BODY SIGNS – EGAN/LIEBMANN-SMITH             MICHAEL JOSEPH

The body constantly gives out signals that, if deciphered, can help to identify health problems at an early stage. Seeing stars, skin tags, spots before your eyes, a metallic taste in the mouth and clicking joints are some of the signs which suggest that all may not be well. As concerns about the state of the nation’s health increase, along with a greater understanding of what action we can take to improve our well-being, Body Signs explains how to tune into what your body is telling you, what it might mean and what can be done. Subtitled ‘How to be Your Own Diagnostic Detective’, this book will help you tune into what your body is telling you and read the signals. Based on the latest scientific research and expert opinions of leading physicians, this is a fascinating and essential reference book for anyone interested in their health. Should you worry about your misshapen ears or excessive yawning? What do creaky knees signify? These questions and many more are answered by authors Joan Liebmann-Smith, a medical sociologist and an award-winning medical writer, and Jacqueline Nardi Egan, who is a medical journalist. As well as being a fun read for the hypochondriac in us all, this book has some startling facts to go with the good advice. Did you know that the composer Chopin had a beard only on the right side of his face? And if you wake up one day with a foreign accent you probably have foreign accent/language syndrome. But if you have hiccups you may prefer to suffer for a while instead of accepting the cure suggested here.

THE CINEMA OF LARS VION TRIER – CAROLINE BAINBRIDGE     WALLFLOWER ISBN 9781905674435

Danish film director Lars von Trier was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1956. Raised by nudist communist parents, Trier has said that his parents did not allow much room for ‘feelings, religion, or enjoyment’ and also refused to make any rules for their children. He found in cinema an outlet to the outside world and began making his own films at the age of 11. During his time as a student at the Danish Film School (where peers nicknamed him ‘von Trier’ as a joke) he made the films Nocturne and Image of Liberation, both of which won Best Film awards at the Munich Film Festival. Lars von Trier has said that ‘a film should be like a rock in the shoe’ and that in order to create original art filmmakers need to distinguish themselves stylistically, often by placing restrictions on the filmmaking process. The most famous restriction is the cinematic ‘vow of chastity’ of the Dogme95 movement with which he is associated, although only one of his films, The Idiots, with its unsimulated sex and non-conformist politics, is an actual Dogme 95 film. The goal of the Dogme collective is to purify filmmaking by refusing expensive and spectacular special effects, postproduction modifications and other gimmicks. The emphasis on purity forces the filmmakers to focus on the actual story and on the actors’ performances. The audience may also be more engaged as they do not have overproduction to alienate them from the narrative, themes, and mood. In Dancer in the Dark, dramatically-different colour palettes and camera techniques were used for the ‘real world’ and musical portions of the film, and in Dogville everything was filmed on a sound stage with no set where the walls of the buildings in the fictional town were marked as a line on the floor. Caroline Bainbridge’s lucidly-written book is the first English-language study to analyse in depth this controversial figure, investigating the remarkable changes he has brought to modern film. Von Trier’s name has become a by-word for taboo-breaking cinema and he has worked with actresses such as Björk and Nicole Kidman, from whom he coaxed fine performances in Dancer in the Dark and Dogville respectively. More recently, von Trier has made a number of announcements suggesting that he may stop making films altogether. The book discusses von Trier’s entire output including recent films like The Five Obstructions and The Boss of It All and his other artistic projects, such as television special events, music videos and art installations. By taking a variety of perspectives - historical, cultural and psychoanalytical - the book explores the work’s recurring themes of betrayal, vengeance, salvation, femininity and goodness. This is an indispensable guide to understanding the work of one of modern cinema’s most intriguing auteurs.

THE CINEMA OF NEIL JORDAN - ZUCKER     WALLFLOWER  ISBN 9781905674411

The Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan was born in Sligo in 1950 his early career began as a writer. Since winning The Guardian Fiction Prize for his book of short stories, Night In Tunisia, he has gone on to publish three successful novels. In 1982 he wrote and directed his first feature film, Angel, followed by The Company Of Wolves (1984), Mona Lisa (1986, starring Michael Caine, Cathy Tyson and Bob Hoskins), The Crying Game (1992), Interview With the Vampire (1994) and Michael Collins (1996). The recent release of his golden-globe nominated film, The Brave One (2007), makes this comprehensive, illuminating study of Jordan’s work particularly timely. His diverse, often idiosyncratic output has ranged from gothic horror, Irish history and literary adaptation (The End of the Affair) to explorations of sexual identity. The first in-depth study of its kind, the book discusses Jordan’s entire oeuvre with a full, up-to-date analysis of The Brave One and foreword by the internationally renowned actor, Stephen Rea, who has acted in no less than nine Jordan films, receiving an Oscar nomination for his lead in The Crying Game. Author Carole Zucker is Professor of Film Studies at Concordia University, Montreal, and has published several volumes of interviews with American, British and Irish actors. Here she looks beyond ideological and national concerns to view Neil Jordan’s films through the prism of Celtic folklore, fairy tales, the gothic, romanticism and postmodernism. Incorporating discussion of Jordan’s literary work and benefiting from extensive access to his personal archives, this book explains the mythic and poetic impulses that suffuse the director’s work. Subtitled Dark Carnival, this is a welcome exploration of the work of a stylish and highly individual director.

FIVE WISHES – GAY HENDRICKS                 MICHAEL JOSEPH

A chance meeting and a powerful question inspired Gay Hendricks’s new book, subtitled How Answering One Simple Question Can Make Your Dreams Come True. In Five Wishes, Hendricks shares the conversation that changed his life and the powerful, yet simple process he discovered for turning dreams into a reality. An encounter at a party changed Gay Hendricks forever when a stranger asked him to imagine himself on his deathbed and to consider this question: ‘Was your life a complete success?’ If not, then ‘What would be the things you’d wish had happened that would have made it a success?’ The stranger said, ‘turn that wish into a goal, and put it in the present tense.’ Hendricks reveals the process he learned and refined for turning his wishes into attainable goals, and provides examples and stories of how others have used and benefited from the process. Forget about breakable New Year’s resolutions, this short, focused book promises to show you how to establish their own attainable five wishes for a lastingly fulfilled life. Gay Hendricks is a seminar leader, web entrepreneur, filmmaker and author of more than 20 books, including the bestseller, Conscious Loving. His new book is an easy read and by following the exercises included you could be inspired to make positive changes to your life. ‘With brilliance and clarity, Gay Hendricks shares this inspirational story from the heart. Five Wishes can help anyone find the power within to change their life.’ - John Gray, author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.

HAPPIER – TAL BEN-SHAHAR         MCGRAW-HILL

Earlier this year, Denmark came top in a world map of happiness (the UK ranked 41st out of 178 nations) and for more than thirty years it has ranked first in European satisfaction surveys. So what makes Danes so content? Suggestions range from the unlikely (hair colour, genes, food and language) to the more plausible, such as family life, health, a prosperous economy, winning the 1992 European Football Championship, or simply feeling satisfied because expectations are somewhat lower than those of people in other countries. ‘Happiness depends upon ourselves’, said Aristotle, but can we learn how to be happy? Tal Ben-Shahar teaches one of Harvard University’s most popular courses and is an expert in the new field of ‘positive psychology’. In this book, Ben-Shahar credibly combines scientific studies, scholarly research, self-help advice and spiritual enlightenment, weaving them together into a set of principles that you can apply to your daily life. Here you can discover whether you are a rat racer, a hedonist or a nihilist. Once you open your heart and mind to Happier’s thoughts, Ben-Shahar claims, you will feel more fulfilled, more connected and, consequently, happier. The book is divided into three sections: ‘What is Happiness?’, ‘Happiness Applied’ and ‘Meditations on Happiness’. Each offers the author’s personal reflections and considered insights, with exercises to help us unlearn bad habits and practices that undermine our ability to maximise personal happiness. Dr. Ben-Shahar stresses the need to live for both today and tomorrow, and to incorporate both pleasure and meaning into life. Happier is inspiring, uplifting and readable without being simplistic - one of those rare self-help books that really could change your life.

SO WHEN DOES THE FAT LADY SING? – MICHAEL WALSH       AMADEUS PRESS

‘No opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible’ - W. H. Auden. Opera is a form of musical and dramatic work in which singers convey the drama, with performances incorporating many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes dance. Jacopo Peri’s Dafne (1597) is commonly regarded as the first opera, but the first great composer of this art form was Claudio Monteverdi. Opera soon spread from Venice and Rome throughout Italy and the rest of Europe: Schütz in Germany, Lully in France, and Purcell in England all helped to establish their national traditions in the 17th century. In the 18th century, Italian opera seria was the most prestigious form of opera until Gluck reacted against its artificiality with his ‘reform’ operas in the 1760s. The most influential figure of late 18th century opera was Mozart, especially for his Italian comic operas, and the 19th century saw the highpoint of the bel canto style, with Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini, as well as the golden age of opera, led by Wagner in Germany and Verdi in Italy. This continued through the verismo era in Italy and contemporary French opera through to Puccini and Strauss in the early 20th century. At the same time, new operatic traditions emerged in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia and Bohemia. The 20th century saw many experiments with modern styles, such as atonality and serialism (Schoenberg and Berg), Neo-Classicism (Stravinsky), and Minimalism (Philip Glass and John Adams). With the rise of recording technology, singers such as Enrico Caruso became known to audiences beyond the circle of opera fans. It’s a rich and reward ing heritage, if a tad confusing and daunting for the newcomer. If you think opera’s just about starving artists, vengeful goddesses, randy noblemen, and adulterous lovers, think again. In ‘So When Does The Fat Lady Sing?’, Michael Walsh, the former music critic for Time magazine, takes audiences on a wise and witty dash through 400 years of operatic history and culture. More a freewheeling dialogue between author and reader than a traditional quiz book, ‘So When Does The Fat Lady Sing?’ (subtitled ‘Questions and Answers About Life, Sex, Love, and - oh yes – Opera’) poses irreverent and impertinent questions (sample: ‘Which beloved opera features not one but two heroines who are basically cheap, trampy, man-hunting gold diggers?’) designed not so much to test knowledge as to inspire and entertain both expert and novice alike. Highly recommended.

RIDDLES OF THE SPHINX – DAVID J. BODYCOMBE   PENGUIN ISBN: 9780141030371

A puzzle is a problem or enigma that challenges ingenuity. In a basic puzzle you piece together objects in a logical way in order to come up with the desired shape, picture or solution. Puzzles are often contrived as a form of entertainment, but they can also stem from serious mathematical or logistical problems - in such cases, their successful resolution can be a significant contribution to mathematical research. Solutions to puzzles may require recognising patterns and creating a particular order. People with a high inductive reasoning aptitude may be better at solving these puzzles than others. This unique book features ‘the puzzles, word games, brainteasers, conundrums, maps, mysteries, codes and ciphers that have baffled, entertained and confused the world over the last 100 years’. The world’s most popular brainteasers have fascinating stories behind them, from the original ‘riddles of the Sphinx’ via Lewis Carroll’s word ladders to the work of present-day puzzle compilers. Why are they so popular and how did the Times crossword win World War Two? David J. Bodycombe is an author and games show consultant, who has worked on television and radio shows such as The Crystal Maze and X Marks the Spot. Over two million people in the UK read his puzzles every day, and internationally his work is syndicated to over 180 newspapers. As well as thousands of intriguing puzzles - perfect ‘brain food’ -  his new book offers sound advice on how to find solutions (also included).

THE BOB DYLAN SCRAPBOOK, 1956-1966   SIMON & SCHUSTER ISBN: 0743228286

Born on 24 May 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota, Robert Alan Zimmerman grew up in nearby Hibbing. ‘The Greatest Songwriter Ever’ has released more than 40 albums since his 1962 debut began to change the world’s perceptions of popular music. Around five hundred songs later (Like a Rolling Stone was recently voted the best song of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine and the NME) Dylan continues to surprise, challenge, mystify and fascinate in equal measure as he pursues his ‘Never Ending Tour’, having performed thousands of shows around the world in a career spanning five decades. Not only is he an incredibly prolific recording artist with around 40 official albums to his credit, but a new book about him seems to be published almost every week. The Bob Dylan Scrapbook stands out from the rest as a highly collectable illustrated biography of Dylan’s life during the 1950s and 60s. Created in association with Dylan, the scrapbook is crammed with features including rare photographs, fascinating facsimiles of handwritten lyric sheets and rare memorabilia such as ticket stubs, posters, news pages and publicity cut outs. The excellent accompanying text by journalist and museum director Robert Santelli includes interviews with Dylan and his friends and fellow musicians to form a uniquely personal view of the great man. An invaluable audio CD contains sixty minutes of interviews, with some delightful self-mythologising. The Bob Dylan Scrapbook is packaged as an elegant slipcased hardback with over 100 photographs and illustrations, and is an indispensable treat for all self-respecting Dylanologists.

THE CINEMA OF TERRENCE MALICK – HANNAH PATTERSON     WALLFLOWER ISBN 9781905674251

In a career spanning decades, Malick has directed one short film (Lanton Mills, 1969) and four feature-length films: Badlands (1973), Days of Heaven (1978), The Thin Red Line (1998) and The New World (2005). His work is characterised by naturalist cinematography and a meditative directorial and editing style; his films being full of rich, lingering, repetitive images of natural beauty. He often makes extensive use of off-screen narration by his characters, as well as music, to illuminate, heighten and counterpoint the action on screen. Badlands and Days of Heaven are acclaimed masterpieces and Malick was nominated for an Academy Award for both Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director for The Thin Red Line (nominated for seven Academy Awards). Although notoriously withdrawn from public life, friends such as actor Martin Sheen have remarked that he is a very warm and humble man who prefers to work without media intrusion. His contracts stipulate that no current photographs of him are to be taken and he routinely declines requests for interviews. First published in 2003, The Cinema of Terrence Malick was the only book-length study to investigate the director, and this second edition updates the discussion with three new essays on The New World by Mark Cousins, Adrian Martin and James Morrison. In addition to this new material, the book continues its explorations of identity, place and existence in Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line. The collection discusses Malick’s work from a series of vantage points, including the poetics of cinema, the symbolic use of sound and representations of landscape, youth culture and the American West. Tracing his unique and under-explored filmmaking style from the ‘Golden Age’ of cinema to the present, each essay provides innovative ways of reading Malick’s films, thus highlighting the significance of this truly original director. Editor Hannah Patterson is a writer and critic, and co-editor of Contemporary North American Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide. The Cinema of Terrence Malick is an indispensable guide to one of cinema’s most enigmatic and original filmmakers.

THE STUDS TERKEL READER           NEW PRESS

The Pulitzer Prize-winning American author, historian and broadcaster Louis ‘Studs’ Terkel was born in 1912 in New York City. At the age of ten he moved with his family to Chicago, Illinois, where he has spent most of his life. From 1926 to 1936, his parents ran a rooming house that was a collecting point for people of all types, and Terkel credits his knowledge of the world to the tenants who gathered in the lobby of the hotel and the people who congregated in nearby Bughouse Square. After studying at the University of Chicago, he joined the Works Progress Administration's Federal Writers’ Project, working in radio, doing work ranging from voicing soap opera productions and announcing news and sports, to presenting shows of recorded music and writing radio scripts and advertisements. The one-hour Studs Terkel radio programme aired each weekday on WFMT Chicago between 1952 and 1997, featuring interviews with guests such as Bob Dylan and Leonard Bernstein. Terkel is the author of twelve outstanding books of oral history and the Studs Terkel Reader, originally published under the title My American Century, collects the best interviews from eight of these classic histories, together with his magnificent introductions to each work. Featuring selections from American Dreams, Coming of Age, Division Street, ‘The Good War’, The Great Divide, Hard Times, Race, and Working, this ‘greatest hits’ volume is a treasury that will delight his many fans and provide a perfect introduction for those who have not yet experienced the joy of reading this great American. The book includes an introduction by Robert Coles surveying Terkel’s work and a new foreword by Calvin Trillin. ‘The older you are, the freer you are, as long as you last’ - Studs Turkel at 95.

THE BUMPER BOOK OF LOOK AND LEARN     RANDOM HOUSE  ISBN 1846052912

Look and Learn was a weekly educational magazine for children published between 1962 and 1982 and featuring educational articles on topics as varied as volcanoes, bumble bees, rocket science, English literature and the Loch Ness Monster. The first issue sold 700,000 copies and contained features on, amongst many other things, Roman history, the Grand Canyon, Vincent van Gogh, and the first episodes of Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. The magazine’s excellent illustrators filled its pages with bright and beautiful pictures of the past, creating a kaleidoscopic journey through time. This lavishly produced book includes the best of the 1,049 issues of the classic magazine, taking a chronological look at human history from the dinosaurs to space travel. There are 256 pages of (actual size) illustration by British comic luminaries and Look and Learn stalwarts such as Ron Embleton, CL Doughty, Angus McBride, Peter Jackson and Patrick Nicolle. Inevitably sometimes quaint and occasionally over-earnest, this fascinating book takes the reader back to more morally certain and less anxious world. Find out the truth about Dick Turpin, Jesse James and the Amazing Pitts. Marvel at the Eddystone lighthouse and the tomb of King Mausolus. Full colour reproductions on thick, glossy pages make this inch-thick volume truly a bumper book (13 inches by 10 inches) that is sure to appeal to those nostalgic adults who turned The Dangerous Book for Boys into such a publishing phenomenon.

ARMED MADHOUSE – GREG PALAST           PENGUIN  ISBN 978-0141018270

Award-winning guerrilla journalist Greg Palast has gone where most have been too scared to venture to unearth the ugly truth about the haves and have-mores who rule our world…America. He reports from behind enemy lines to reveal just how bad it has become in a dangerous regime: how elections are bought and free speech comes at a price. How citizens are ruled by fear. And how our brave new globalised world means the poor get hammered, while corporations silently buy up the planet. It’s not pretty - but it’s all true. Palast takes the reader on a global tour from Baghdad to New Orleans, to expose the official mendacity and corporate piggery of America in this paperback edition of Armed Madhouse – accurately subtitled ‘undercover dispatches from a dying regime’.  These shocking reports from the frontline reveal facts - as brutal as they are funny - that you don’t get from the Powers That Be and what the Guardian describes as ‘investigations up there with Woodward and Bernstein’. This new edition, published on the second anniversary of the devastating Hurricane Katrina, tells in a new chapter how Palast’s uncovering of how the White House drowned New Orleans led to anti-terror charges being brought against him. Greg Palast has been described as ‘Bill Hicks with a press pass’ and like that great American comedian/subversive he is an angry,  passionate and fearless witness to the crimes and greed at the heart of his country’s social and political landscape. That he bases his charges on research and fact makes this shocking and sometimes darkly funny polemic all the more devastating. ‘Upsets all the right people’ - Noam Chomsky.

100 SECRET STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL INVESTING – RICHARD FARLEIGH  PENGUIN ISBN 9780141033426

Australian multi-millionaire Richard Farleigh is the nice, sensible member of television’s irresistible Dragon’s Den programme. He generally comes across as shrewd yet willing to take a calculated punt where necessary – just the sort of man to turn to for advice on how to become rich while remaining a decent human being. Now based in Monte Carlo, Farleigh studied economics and mathematics before managing a hedge fund in the 1980s and early 90s, after which he ‘semi-retired’ and has since operated as a business angel successfully backing early-stage companies, mostly in the UK. When he started his career in an investment bank in Sydney in his early twenties, he didn’t think that he could out-perform the markets. Investment and trading seemed to be just gambling. Gradually however he came to believe that market prices are predictable and he developed a repeatable methodology based on observation and reasoning. In this useful and easy to read guide, the self-confessed ‘deal junkie’ shares the techniques and strategies that propelled him to the top from an unpromising start in life. The ideas are presented as 100 different laws spread over ten chapters, exploring topics such as markets, risk, recognising patterns and anomalies, understanding trends, timing and, most importantly, ‘avoiding temptation’. Richard Farleigh writes fluently as he explains how obvious ideas can offer great opportunities, and giving much sound advice: ‘Experts are vastly over-rated. Most professionals in the markets are not actually outguessing the price, but are making money from clients, transactions and commissions.’ This easy to read book is one that no serious investor can afford to be without.

DIRECT CINEMA -DAVE SAUNDERS       WALLFLOWER ISBN 1905674152

Subtitled ‘Observational Documentary and the Politics of the Sixties’, this is the first comprehensive historical study of the seminal ‘direct cinema’ movement of 1960s America. A pivotal moment in both documentary cinema and modern American culture, filmmakers such as Robert Drew, D. A. Pennebaker and Frederick Wiseman used mobile cameras and synchronised sound to reveal the hidden side of 1960s America - behind the scenes of John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign (Primary, 1960), on the road with salesmen hawking bibles door-to-door (Salesman, 1969) and amongst the revellers at the legendary Woodstock festival (Woodstock, 1970). Outlining the methods and achievements of these pioneers who created the notion of the ‘fly on the wall’ documentary, this volume suggests that direct cinema was an integral part of the artistic and political revolutions of the 1960s, and a resurgence of the United States’ home-grown philosophical ideals. Dave Saunders, a writer, cameraman, editor and lecturer in film studies, has researched these ground-breaking documentaries in depth and shows convincingly how the films reflect the revolutionary politics and radically changing culture of the times. In particular, his analysis of D. A. Pennebaker’s iconic record of Bob Dylan’s 1965 UK tour in Dont Look Back provides shrewd insights into the complex relationship between director and subject. The author also reassesses the impact and relevance of Pennebaker’s effervescent Monterey Pop celebration (1967) and the Maysles bothers’ disturbing requiem for the 1960s counterculture, Gimme Shelter (1970).

AUSTERITY BRITAIN – DAVID KYNASTON     BLOOMSBURY ISBN 9780747579854

This revelatory best-seller is the first in a planned four-part series, Tales of a New Jerusalem, which will tell the story of the people of Britain from 1945 to Margaret Thatcher’s election in May, 1979. Austerity Britain takes the reader on an utterly absorbing journey from VE Day in 1945 to the general election of 1951, which returned Churchill and the Conservatives to power after six years of a Labour government that transformed the country. Through excerpts from diaries, letters, articles and through his own analysis, author David Kynaston shows the lives of ordinary citizens as well as ministers, consumers as well as producers, the country and the city, the regions as well as London, the everyday as well as the seismic, and Lords as well as Wembley, as everyone lived through six extremely hard years of unremitting postwar austerity while the building blocks of a new Britain were put in place. We see a Britain with ‘no supermarkets, no teabags, no lager, no Formica, no vinyl, no CDs, no trainers, no hoodies, no Starbucks. Shops on every corner, red telephone boxes, Lyons Corner Houses, trams, steam trains. Woodbines, Senior Service, smog. No washing machines, wash day every Monday. Central heating rare, chilblains common. Abortion illegal, homosexual relationships illegal, suicide illegal, capital punishment legal. White faces everywhere. Austin Sevens, Ford Eights. A Bakelite wireless in every home, television almost unknown, the family eating together. Heavy rationing. Make do and mend.’ David Kynaston travelled throughout the country in his researches and has uncovered many fascinating archival records to produce this original, illuminating and wonderfully readable social history. With many evocative photographs from the period, Austerity Britain is hugely entertaining and often questions the accepted notions about how people lived and thought in postwar Britain. ‘A classic; buy at least three copies’ – Guardian.

INFERNO – KEITH LOWE               VIKING  ISBN 0670915576

The Battle of Hamburg, codenamed Operation Gomorrah, was a series of air raids conducted by the RAF and USAAF starting at the end of July 1943 and lasting ten days. At the time it was the heaviest assault in the history of aerial warfare and at times the firestorm created reached temperatures of 800°C, causing asphalt on the streets to burst into flame and incinerating eight square miles of the large German port city. At least 50,000 people were killed, many of cooked to death in air-raid shelters, and over a million civilians were left homeless. Approximately 3,000 aircraft were deployed, 9,000 tons of bombs dropped and 250,000 houses destroyed. More than half a century later, the allied bombing of Germany’s cities remains a controversial topic. The campaign may have served no military purpose and been of little strategic value but it left an entire generation traumatised. As those who survived emerged from their ruined cellars and air-raid shelters, they were confronted with a unique vision of hell: a sea of flame that stretched to the horizon, the burned-out husks of fire engines that had tried to rescue them, charcoaled corpses and roads that had become flaming rivers of melted tarmac. This book is the first comprehensive narrative of the Hamburg firestorm for almost thirty years. Using many new first-hand acccounts, Keith Lowe gives the human side of an inhuman story, and the result is an epic tale of devastation and survival, and a much-needed reminder of the human face of war. The author combines the gripping eye-witness accounts with thorough research to tell the story of these appalling events with clarity, compassion and sensitivity.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS – ERNEST MATHIJS   WALLFLOWER 1904764827

J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy novel, The Lord of the Rings, began as a sequel to his earlier fantasy book The Hobbit and was written in stages between 1937 and 1949. Originally published in three volumes in 1954 and 1955, it has since been reprinted many times and been translated into dozens of languages, becoming one of the most popular works in 20th-century literature. Three film adaptations have been made, the first being by animator Ralph Bakshi in 1978 and the second an animated television special by Rankin-Bass in 1980. The third best-known and most ambitious film adaptation has been Peter Jackson’s extraordinarily successful live action trilogy, produced by New Line Cinema and released in three instalments as The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). This exhaustive study, edited by Ernest Mathijs, takes the release of the film trilogy as a point of departure for an overview of the international impact of The Lord of the Rings in a range of cultural environments (the US, the UK, New-Zealand and Europe). The book analyses thoroughly all aspects of merchandising, box office figures, distribution, critical reception, fan following and cult status of the films, showing how the different features of the phenomenon, such as trailers, DVD editions, websites, computer games, music, location tours, and even erotic spin-offs contributed to making The Lord of the Rings the most publicly recognised brand image of its time.

URBAN LEGENDS UNCOVERED – MARK BARBER       SUMMERSDALE 

Urban legend is a kind of modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them. The stories are not necessarily untrue, but they are often distorted, exaggerated or sensationalised. Despite the name, an urban legend doesn’t necessarily originate in an urban setting (the term is used to differentiate them from the traditional folklore of pre-industrial times). Urban legends have been repeated in news stories and distributed by e-mail but are most often tales that happened to a ‘friend of a friend’. Some urban legends have survived a long time, evolving only slightly over the years, as in the case of the story of a woman killed by spiders nesting in her elaborate hairdo. Newer legends tend to reflect modern circumstances, like the story of people ambushed, anaesthetised and waking up minus one kidney, which was surgically removed for transplantation. Other well-known urban legends tell of an old woman who attempted to dry a wet poodle in a microwave oven, the vanishing hitchhiker, and the alligators that allegedly live in New York City’s sewers. In this fascinating book, subtitle ‘An Investigation into the Truth Behind the Myths’, Mark Barber considers whether urban legends are merely harmless tales or whether there is something more sinister lurking beneath the surface. How and why do urban legends exist? Have they been created or manipulated for political, propaganda, or marketing reasons? From campfire classics that send shivers down the spine to the paranoia that followed the events of 9/11, the author considers hundreds of chilling stories, analysing their origins and what effects. He reveals how the creators of The Blair Witch Project used the power of urban legends as a clever marketing tool, and how Churchill and Hitler used urban legends in their wartime propaganda campaigns to play mind games with each other. Learn how urban legends are manufactured to target large corporations such as Microsoft and McDonalds, and how hoax e-mails and computer viruses have almost brought businesses and governments to their knees.

THE CONTINUUM ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BRITISH LITERATURE       ISBN: 0826418392

This huge one-volume encyclopedia from Continuum is a terrific guide to the literary tradition of Britain, including works written in English in Africa, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, India, Ireland and New Zealand. The book’s vast scale (over a thousand pages) means that subjects can be covered in extraordinary depth, from Aneirin and the poet of Widsith to Caedmon and the author of Beowulf; from Geoffrey of Monmouth to Geoffrey Chaucer; from Spenser to Shakespeare; from Donne to Milton to Dryden; from Dr. Johnson and Jane Austen to William Blake; from Thackeray, the Brontes, and Dickens to Virginia Woolf, Jonathan Coe, and Zadie Smith. The contributors, coming from the UK and USA, are all experts in their fields, and include: R. S. White on William Blake; W. H. New on Canadian Literature in English; Derek Brewer on Geoffrey Chaucer; Ian Ousby on Detective Fiction before 1945; David Kirby on Expatriates; Merryn Williams on Thomas Hardy; Sandie Byrne on Tony Harrison; Fred Marchant on Ted Hughes; Peter Barnes on Ben Jonson; Ian MacKillop on F. R. Leavis; Norman Kelvin on William Morris; Claire Tomalin on Samuel Pepys; and Peter Finch on Poetry since 1945. The whole massive enterprise is edited by Steven R. Serafin, a leading authority on modern world literature, and Valerie Grosvenor Myer, author of many biographies of major literary figures. This comprehensive encyclopedia is an invaluable addition to the bookshelf, both as a reference work and as an enjoyable way to learn about rewarding new writers, particularly from overseas. Superbly researched and authoritative - this is essential reading for anyone interested in the pleasures of British literature.

THE BOB DYLAN ENCYCLOPEDIA – MICHAEL GRAY CONTINUUM  ISBN 0826469337

Born on 24 May 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota, Robert Alan Zimmerman grew up in nearby Hibbing. ‘The Greatest Songwriter Ever’ has released more than 40 albums since his 1962 debut began to change the world’s perceptions of popular music. Around five hundred songs later (Like a Rolling Stone was recently voted the best song of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine and the NME) Dylan continues to surprise, challenge, mystify and fascinate in equal measure as he pursues his ‘Never Ending Tour’, having performed thousands of shows around the world in a career spanning five decades. His latest album, Modern Times, has already sold more than two million copies, and both Uncut and Mojo magazines recently named Dylan as their ‘Man Of The Year’. The first volume of his memoirs, Chronicles, was much acclaimed and Martin Scorsese’s ‘No Direction Home’ documentary also contributed to the great man’s renaissance. Despite countless words written about him over the years though, the coolest man on the planet remains, partly by his own choice, an enigma. Even Michael Gray’s weighty and phenomenally comprehensive encyclopedia can’t  hope to include every facet of a remarkable career that spans over 45 years of American history but the book is as definitive as any to date. It includes: Biographies of singers, musicians, songwriters and composers who have influenced Bob Dylan and/or worked with him; Critical assessments and factual details for all Dylan’s albums and for a large number of individual songs; Dylan’s key career and biographical moments; Biographies of writers, poets and other cultural figures who have impacted on Dylan’s work and/or who are mentioned within it, from William Blake to William Carlos Williams and from Lenny Bruce to Franz Kafka; Short biographies of music critics and authors of books and major websites on Dylan; Critical assessments and facts on Dylan’s own books and films; Discursive subjects, from Dylan Interpreters to Cowboy Heroes, and from The Use of Hollywood Dialogue in Dylan’s lyrics, to ‘frying an egg on stage’. This meticulously researched book with its many insights, shrewd opinions and rewarding digressions, is clearly a labour of love and will be avidly devoured by Dylan fans everywhere. If you want to know what became of Suze Rotolo, what Muhammad Ali talked to Dylan about  and whether Bob really did meet Elvis, this is the place to look. Indispensable!

THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS – CONN & HAL IGGULDEN   HARPER COLLINS

This phenomenally successful book is the perfect antidote to television and the ubiquitous computer game. Where else can you find out how to thrash someone at conkers, race your own go-cart and identify the best quotations from Shakespeare? The Dangerous Book for Boys is packed with information about such varied topics as the laws of football and cricket, astronomy, girls (it’s important to listen, apparently), famous battles, catapults, the seven wonders of the world (ancient and modern), patron saints, artillery, common British trees, chess, navigation and juggling with balls. Learn such things as how to make the world’s greatest paper plane, build a treehouse (a big job), skim stones, perform coin tricks, make an easy periscope, hunt and cook a rabbit, write in secret ink, decipher enemy codes, construct a pinhole camera, play marbles, grow sunflowers and teach a dog new tricks. Read inspiring stories of courage and bravery by people like Scott of the Antarctic, Lord Horatio Nelson, Douglas Bader and Robert the Bruce. The book’s Fifties-style retro Boys’ Own presentation only adds to the fun and it’s easy to see how this surprise best-seller has proved such an irresistible treat for boys – and quite a few girls – of all ages. ‘Just William would be proud’ - Daily Mail.

CINEMA OF STEVEN SPIELBERG - NIGEL MORRIS   WALLFLOWER ISBN 1904764886

Steven Allan Spielberg is the most financially successful movie director of all time, winning three Academy Awards as well as an Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. He has massive influence in Hollywood and at the end of the 20th century LIFE named him the most influential person of his generation. His films are sometimes portrayed as the archetype of modern Hollywood blockbuster film-making but in later years he has tackled such emotionally-charged issues as the Holocaust, slavery and war. Nigel Morris examines the director’s long and varied career, as well as considering his work as writer, producer and studio mogul. Best known for creating crowd-pleasing hits such as Jaws, E.T. and Jurassic Park, Spielberg has lately started to be reappraised by critics as a serious director. Later works such as Schindler’s List, Amistad, Saving Private Ryan and Munich all deal with adult themes and through detailed textual analyses of every film from Duel (1971) to Munich (2005), Morris argues that Spielberg’s movies have always demanded proper consideration. The author reveals how the films function as a self-reflexive commentary on cinema. Rather than straightforwardly consumed realism or fantasy, they invite divergent readings and self-conscious spectatorship. Morris makes a strong case against assumptions that Spielberg’s films tend towards ideological conservatism, cuteness, racism, triviality and escapism. The Cinema of Steven Spielberg: Empire of Light argues that triumphant marketing is not the only cause of Spielberg’s success; rather the powerful emotional appeal and ambiguities of the films themselves maximise audiences and generate media attention. This fascinating book puts forward a persuasive argument for taking this astonishingly successful director seriously as an auteur as well as a cinematic institution. Essential reading.

HOW TO BE FREE – TOM HODGKINSON       HAMISH HAMILTON ISBN 0241143217

Have you caught yourself wondering whether modern life might not be quite your cup of tea after all? Wondering why you bother to go to work, why consumer culture is so soulless and whether there might be a better, happier, freer way to live our lives? How To Be Free answers these questions and many more by drawing upon the various philosophies of William Blake, French existentialists, British punks and US beats, hippies, anarchists, medieval thinkers and back-to-the-landers. Author Tom Hodgkinson is the editor and co-founder of the excellent Idler and his latest subversive book sets out a simple, joyful blueprint for improving modern day life. With this survival guide you can learn how to throw off the shackles of anxiety, bureaucracy, debt, governments, housework, guilt, boredom, work and much else besides. Some pieces of advice (throw away your watch) are easier to do than others (play the ukelele) but there is much challenging food for thought here and many people will recognise all too well the author’s description of that ‘greedy monster’ called a career. Following on from the success of his earlier book, How to be Idle (Penguin ISBN 0141015063), Tom Hodgkinson has created an entertaining, intelligent and well-researched guide, packed with quotes to back up his arguments. The twenty-nine chapters have provocative titles urging us to ‘Reject career and all its empty promises’, ‘Forget government’ and ‘Stop working, start living’. This book is essential reading for anyone who feels out of step with modern life and is looking for a way to exchange their life for a merrier one. We have nothing to lose but our ID cards.

THE PENGUIN TV COMPANION - JEFF EVANS   PENGUIN ISBN 0141024240

This third edition of Penguin’s thoroughly enjoyable, nostalgic trip through the world of television features everything from Little House on the Prairie to Little Britain, The X Files to The X Factor, and Department S to Desperate Housewives. Try to catch the book out by looking up your old favourites and you will almost certainly fail. Broderick Crawford’s Highway Patrol is included, as are Whirligig (with early appearances by Mr Turnip, Sooty and Rolf Harris), Mike Hammer and the Cisco Kid. This huge and comprehensive book has over 900 packed pages covering 2,200 programmes, with full cast lists, transmission dates and detailed lively synopses. It also features more than 1,500 entries for important TV people - actors, writers, producers and others: from Lew Grade to Ricky Gervais, David Coleman to Simon Cowell, and Chris Tarrant to David Tennant. Star ratings reveal arguably the best and the worst of 70 years of viewing and DVD availability is included for the first time. From Sooty to The Simpsons, On the Buses to The Osbournes, The X-Files to Z Cars, Magnusson to Davina McCall, and from Dennis Potter to Jeremy Paxman, this wonderful companion gives you all you could wish to know about television: the programmes, the people, the companies and the history. No television addict should be without this marvellously compelling book.

THE PRAWN COCKTAIL YEARS – SIMON HOPKINSON & LINDSEY BAREHAM     PENGUIN ISBN 0718149807

The Prawn Cocktail Years celebrates dozens of restaurant favourites from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies - years when Britain was learning how to eat out. While Lindsey Bareham and Simon Hopkinson were putting together the best-selling book, ‘Roast Chicken and Other Stories’, they began to reminisce about hotel and restaurant dishes they had grown up with and loved. Classics such as Duck a l’Orange, Weiner Schnitzel, Moussaka, Garlic Mushrooms and, of course, Prawn Cocktail, have been neglected, derided and dismissed as hopelessly naff, yet when made with fine, fresh ingredients and prepared with care, they are fit to grace the most discerning of tables. This splendid book sets out to rehabilitate the food we once loved and found exciting. In so doing, the authors take us on a cook’s tour of the legendary post-war hotels and gentlemen’s clubs with their Mulligatawny and Shepherd’s Pie, as well as to the bistros of Swinging London, the first Italian trattorias and the ‘Continental’ restaurants with their exotic offerings of Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Kiev and Rhum Baba. Recipes for all these old favourites have been brought back to life as well as those classics that were once described as the Great British Meal - Prawn Cocktail, Steak Garni with Chips and Black Forest Gateau. Cooked as they should be, this much derided and often ridiculed dinner can still be something very special. From Victorian breakfast kedgeree to jam roly poly, from sole Veronique to profiteroles, each recipe is introduced with a brief but fascinating history of where it originated and how it became a ‘British’ favourite. Delicious!

THE CINEMA OF AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND       WALLFLOWER

Australia cinema has a long history. The first feature length narrative film in the world was a 1906 Australian production, The Story of the Kelly Gang, and one of the world’s earliest film studios was The Limelight Department, operated by the Salvation Army in Melbourne between 1891 and 1910. Australian film production declined after the 1920s and never fully recovered until the boom of the 1970s and 1980s, when government funding increased and the Australian Film Commission was created. Films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir) and The Getting of Wisdom (Bruce Beresford) initiated the ‘golden age’ of Australian cinema with many internationally successful actors (including Sam Neill, Mel Gibson, Guy Pearce, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Judy Davis, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe and Heath Ledger) and directors (Peter Weir, Baz Luhrmann, Phillip Noyce and Gillian Armstrong). The first New Zealand feature film, Hinemoa, was made in 1914 but it was only in the early 1990s that the country gained real international recognition with Jane Campion’s The Piano and Heavenly Creatures, directed by Peter Jackson, who has continued to make his films in New Zealand, including the hugely successful Lord of the Rings trilogy. Other films made in New Zealand include The Last Samurai, King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This revealing study, edited by Geoff Mayer and Keith Beattie, celebrates the commercially successful feature films produced by these countries as well as key documentaries, shorts and independent films. This coverage also invokes issues involving national identity, race, history and the ability of two small film cultures to survive the economic and cultural threat from Hollywood. As well as the more famous directors, the authors also consider less celebrated, but equally important, films and filmmakers such as Jedda (Charles Chauvel, 1955), They’re a Weird Mob (Michael Powell, 1966), Vigil (Vincent Ward, 1984) and The Goddess of 1967 (Clara Law, 2000). Expertly researched, this fascinating book is essential reading for anyone interested in the lively world of Australasian cinema.

ON SECOND THOUGHTS…  SIMON BRETT     SUMMERSDALE ISBN 1840245476

In this witty and brilliantly inventive book, Simon Brett invents what might have been found in the imaginary wastepaper baskets of the famous and great from history. Things could have been very different if King Arthur had figured out the seating plan for a square table, if Picasso hadn’t received the wrong prescription for his spectacles or if George W. Bush hadn’t misspelled ‘unclear’ as ‘nuclear’ in his email to Tony Blair. He reveals lost scenes from Hemingway, the true origins of the Bayeux Tapestry, the first draft of ‘Waiting for Godot’ - where Godot entered in Scene One - and the Freudian slips in Sigmund Freud’s more trivial correspondence. Just as revealing are the overdue library books of Bono, David Cameron and Boris Johnson, together with hilarious pastiches of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Simon Brett has published over 70 books including the Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter and the Fethering series of crime novels. His psychological thrillers include Dead Romantic, which was adapted for BBC2, and A Shock to the System, made into a feature film starring Michael Caine. His humorous books include How to be a Little Sod and the Baby Tips series. He is also the author of the radio series No Commitments and After Henry, which was adapted into a successful television series starring Prunella Scales. On Second Thoughts is one of his best yet – a wonderfully funny, clever and subversive commentary on ‘the great and the good’.

THE LORE OF THE LAND – JENNIFER WESTWOOD & JACQUELINE SIMPSON     PENGUIN ISBN 0141021039

A Welsh giant took a dislike to the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire and dug up a spadeful of earth with which to dam the River Severn and so drown the place. As he went looking for the town he met a cobbler carrying a sack of old, worn-out shoes and asked him how far he had to travel to Shrewsbury (foolishly adding his reason for wanting to know). The wily cobbler, forseeing a loss of customers, told the giant that he had used up all the shoes in his sack on his long journey from that very place. The giant promptly gave up his quest and dumped the earth where he stood before heading back to Wales, thus creating the famous Wrekin Hill that rises in isolation from the level land all around. This is just one of the many stories and legends gathered in this rich and endlessly engrossing collection. You may start out by looking up something sensible, such as the truth about Dick Turpin or Sweeney Todd, only to find yourself enjoyably distracted by tales of devils, ghosts, witches, strange beasts, hobgoblins and a hundred other mysteries. Compiled by folklorists Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson, The Lore of the Land is a meticulously researched county by county survey of English legends. Scarcely a corner of the country, it seems, is without its haunted house, buried treasure or fearsome dragon, and the authors are careful to sift fact from fiction without detracting from the essential charm of these stories. The book splendidly illustrated, with excellent photographs and maps as well as wonderfully eclectic essays on such subjects as Robin Hood, magicians, mermaids, Shakespeare and treacle mines. Elegantly written and meticulously researched, this is a fascinating and enjoyable collection that explores territory made popular by the likes of JRR Tolkien and Harry Potter.

THE PENGUIN GUIDE TO BLUES RECORDINGS         PENGUIN  ISBN 0140513841

The blues as a vocal and instrumental form of music evolved in the United States in the communities of former African slaves. Growing out of spirituals, praise songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, blue notes and the prominence of call-and-response patterns in the music and lyrics are indicative of the its West African pedigree. The phrase ‘the blues’ is a synonym for having a fit of the blue devils, meaning down spirits, depression and sadness. The first appearance of blues music is often dated between 1870 and 1900, coinciding with the emancipation of the slaves and the transition from slavery to sharecropping and small-scale agricultural production in the southern United States. Since then it has been a huge influence on American and Western popular music, finding expression in ragtime, jazz, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, hip-hop and country music, as well as in conventional pop songs. Recorded blues and country can be found as far back as the 1920s, when the record industry developed and created a marketing categories called ‘race music’ and ‘hillbilly music’ to sell music by and for blacks and whites, respectively. At the time, there was no clear musical division between ‘blues’ and ‘country’, except for the race of the performer, and even that was often documented incorrectly by record companies. From its roots in the American South to today’s world stage, the journey of the blues has encompassed countless artists and recordings so putting the best of them into an ordered framework must have been a daunting task. The splendid Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings, meticulously edited by Tony Russell and Chris Smith, is a uniquely informative and easy-to-use guide that surveys the recorded work of more than a thousand blues artists, from towering figures of the past like Charley Patton, Bessie Smith and Robert Johnson to stars of the modern era such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughan, providing expert and witty reviews of almost six thousand CDs. Whether you are a blues aficionado or just starting a collection, this is required reading. The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings also serves as an fascinating encyclopedia of the blues and its star ratings for each recording will provide endless scope for argument. This book is a magnificent achievement and the authors are to be congratulated on what has clearly been a labour of love.

LED ZEPPELIN: THE ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES   CHROME DREAMS ISBN 1842403451

The phenomenally successful English rock band Led Zeppelin consisted of Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals), John Bonham (drums) and John Paul Jones (bass guitar and keyboards). Formed in 1968, they were consistent innovators who never lost their mainstream appeal. Best known for hard rock and heavy metal, they also included elements of blues, rockabilly, bluegrass, reggae, soul, funk, Celtic, Indian, Arabic, folk, pop and Latin in their music. Over 25 years after disbanding, Led Zeppelin are still acclaimed for their artistic achievements, commercial success and influential role in the history of popular music. Although they sold more than 300 million albums, the band started humbly in the session studios and local beat groups of Wolverhampton and in London’s home counties. All four future members started their careers playing and singing for others, often without a label credit, and between them played on many pivotal recordings throughout the 1960s before becoming possibly the most important rock band ever. The golden age of Zeppelin has been comprehensively documented but the band’s genesis is less well known. For this book, subtitled ‘How, Why And Where It All Began’, music historian and official biographer of the Yardbirds Alan Clayson has traced every session, recording and live appearance made by each future member of Led Zeppelin and woven the results into a rich and insightful story of the future band and all their musical and professional colleagues. The book also serves as a revealing insight into the workings of the music industry during this period. With rare photographs and posters included, the book is an exciting and highly enjoyable read - essential for anyone interested in one of the most revolutionary times in popular music.

THE COMPLETE GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES       PANTHEON ISBN 0394709306

The Brothers Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm were born in Hanau, Germany. Their father died when they were young and their mother Dorothea struggled to pay their education. Wilhelm, who was the more sociable of the two worked as a secretary and Jakob served became a librarian. In 1812, the year their fairy tales were first published, the brothers were surviving on a single meal a day. Between 1821 & 1822 they raised extra money by publishing three volumes of folktales, showing with these that Germans shared a similar culture (they were ardent advocates for the unification of all the small independent kingdoms and principalities into a larger nation). Altogether about forty people delivered tales to the Brothers Grimm, including Dorothea Viehmann, who is credited with the Cinderella Story. Kinder-Und Hausmärchen was published in two volumes (1812-1815) and the final edition, published in 1857, contained 211 tales. The Brothers Grimm wrote of them down from oral narrations, collecting the material mainly from peasants in Hesse. The first edition included stories in ten dialects as well as High German, and spoke of magic, communication between animals and men, moral values, and teachings of social right and wrong. The brothers are generally regarded as a team, though Jakob concentrated on linguistic studies and Wilhelm was primarily a literary scholar. True to their times, all references to sexuality embarrassed the Brothers and were removed, although they left in unpleasant details and violent episodes, such as when doves peck out the eyes of Cinderella’s stepsisters or a woman decapitates her stepson in The Juniper Tree. For almost two centuries, these stories of magic and myth have been part of the way children - and adults - learn about the vagaries of the real world. Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow-White, Hänsel and Gretel, Little Red-Cap (or Little Red Riding Hood) and Briar-Rose (Sleeping Beauty) are just a few of more than 200 enchanting characters included here. Lyrically translated and beautifully illustrated by Josef Scharl, the tales are presented just as Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm originally set them down: bold, primal, just frightening enough, and endlessly engaging. ‘A splendid edition, admirably illustrated’ - The New Yorker.

THE CINEMA OF ROMAN POLANSKI     WALLFLOWER PRESS ISBN 1904764754

Polish-French film director and actor Roman Polanski was born in Paris in 1933. Because of growing anti-semitism, the family moved to Poland in 1937 but after the German occupation his family was the target of Nazi persecution. Along with thousands of other Polish Jews, Roman Polanski’s mother died in Auschwitz concentration camp and his father barely survived the Austrian concentration camp Mauthausen-Gusen. Polanski himself survived to become a celebrated director of films such as Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown, but is equally well known for his tumultuous personal life. In 1969, his wife Sharon Tate was murdered by the Manson Family and in 1978, after pleading guilty to a sexual offence, he fled to Europe. Unwilling to return to the United States and face arrest, Polanski has continued to direct films in Europe, including Tess, Frantic, the Academy Award-winning The Pianist and Oliver Twist. Most of his films are psychological thrillers in which a recurring theme is the relationship between victim and predator, depicting a world that is cruel, grotesque and filled with brutal sex and dark humour. This new book, subtitled ‘Dark Spaces of the World’ and ably edited by John Orr and Elzbieta Ostrowska, examines the film career of one of the great maverick figures of world cinema. The well-chosen and accessible essays form a comprehensive critical reassessment of his work, highlighting its bold and dazzling diversity as well as recurrent themes and obsessions that have had such a powerful impact on audiences throughout the world. Essential reading for anyone interested in the brilliant and often disturbing work of this enigmatic film-maker

ALTERNATIVE AGEING - SUZI GRANT           PENGUIN ISBN 0718148460

Ageing is the process of becoming older, specifically defined as the systematic deterioration of the body with time. This natural process is an important part of all human societies, reflecting the biological changes that occur as well as certain cultural and societal conventions. Considerable social pressure can be felt in many societies, including our own, to sustain a denial of the aging process. Consequently, huge amounts of energy, money and time are expended to hide signs of aging, especially among women. Their efforts may involve dyeing hair, using elaborate make-up, or even resorting to cosmetic surgery. In this fact-packed book, the nutritionist and TV presenter Suzi Grant clearly sets out her advice on how to combat the ageing process, revealing the latest scientific discoveries and various natural anti-ageing techniques. Her practical and easy plan takes you through twelve steps, showing how ageing works and how to stave off the physical and psychological signs effectively. Among her revelations are surprising and useful facts about which foods we should be eating (or avoiding), how to have great skin without surgery, the benefits of exercise, the effects of various hormones, how to keep the mind fit and alert, and the supreme importance of avoiding stress. Only occasionally does the advice begin to sound obsessive - never drink tapwater and sprinkle alfalfa shoots on everything. Mostly, the author’s recommendations are convincing and she includes a range of recipes and sensible diet plans to follow. Now in her fifties, Suzi Grant has clearly taken her own advice to heart and has written a no-nonsense guide that will help many of us to hold back the years.

CONSPIRACY THEORIES - ROBIN RAMSAY   POCKET ESSENTIALS ISBN 190404865X

The term ‘conspiracy theory’ may be a neutral term for a conspiracy claim but is often used to indicate a narrative genre that includes a broad selection of (not necessarily related) arguments for the existence of grand conspiracies, any of which might have far-reaching social and political implications. Many conspiracy theories are false, or lack enough verifiable evidence to be taken seriously, raising the intriguing question of what mechanisms might exist in popular culture that lead to their invention and subsequent uptake. Since the 1960s, when the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy provoked an unprecedented level of speculation, conspiracy theory has been of interest for sociologists, psychologists and experts in folklore. Did you think the X-Files is fiction and that Elvis is dead? Do you believe that US astronauts actually went to the moon, and don’t know that the ruling elites did a deal with extra-terrestrials after the Roswell crash in 1947? Conspiracy theories are all around us and many of them are considered in this entertaining book. It would be easy to ridicule or dismiss most such theories, and author Robin Ramsay often does, but he also tries to sort out the handful of wheat from the obscuring clouds of intellectual chaff. Among the nonsensical theories currently proliferating on the Internet, there are important nuggets of real research about real conspiracies waiting to be found. Fully sourced and referenced, this book is both a serious examination of conspiracy theories and the conspiracy theory phenomenon, as well as a guide to further explorations of the subject. You don’t have to be paranoid to believe that strange things are happening out there.

THE STEINWAY COLLECTION - PAINTINGS OF THE GREAT COMPOSERS AMADEUS ISBN 1574671154

This handsome, coffee-table book contains artistic impressions of 12 great composers with explanatory essays is an invitation to indulgence. The brilliant music critic James Huneker was commissioned by Steinway and Sons to write the texts to accompany paintings by American artists of famous composers for the pianoforte and other instruments. This flawless edition includes both paintings and essays, and is an ideal contribution to the study or browsing list of armchair devotees of classical music. Music lovers will delight in the beautiful colour paintings and eloquent prose portraits in the book, which was originally printed in 1919 as an in-house publication of Steinway & Sons but has never before been released to the public. Chopin, Wagner, Liszt, Beethoven, Berlioz, Mozart, Verdi, Mendelssohn, Handel and Schubert are among the composers celebrated. The accompanying essays are written to ‘evoke musical visions; for music is visionary, notwithstanding its primal appeal to the ear’. An introduction by the acclaimed broadcaster and writer David Dubal, Juilliard professor of piano literature, helps give the book its historical perspective. Also included: The Raindrop Prelude, a painting by award-winning artist A. I. Keller, which depicts Chopin’s reaction, as legend goes, upon discovering that novelist George Sand and her children, with whom he lived while composing his Preludes, were indeed alive following a stormy trip. Other paintings in the book include: Wagner & Liszt and Beethoven and Nature, both by N. C. Wyeth, father of contemporary realist painter Andrew Wyeth, The Death of Mozart by award-winning artist Charles E. Chambers, and Rubenstein Plays for the Czar by F. Louis Mora. The beautifully reproduced pictures are captivating and sometimes mysterious, and there is much to learn from the polished words of James Huneker. This long awaited book is the next best thing to seeing the paintings, which remain on display in the Steinway Collection in Steinway Hall in New York.

FOR LUST OF KNOWING - ROBERT IRWIN       PENGUIN ISBN 0713994150

Western art, science and philosophy owe a great debt to Islam and Arab-Islamic culture. Arab and Moslem scholars translated Greek works as well as previous scientific heritage, making Arabic the dominant language of science and culture for many years. Arab and Moslem scholars influenced the European Renaissance and Arab-Islamic culture was effective in many scientific, intellectual and cultural fields. They were also responsible, among other things, for the invention of numerals, the figure zero, the decimal system and the theory of evolution (more a hundred years before Darwin), as well as the discovery of pulmonary circulation (three hundred years before Harvey). They also discovered gravity centuries before Newton, measured the speed of light, calculated the angles of reflection and refraction, computed the circumference of the earth and determined the dimensions of heavenly bodies. They invented astronomical instruments, discovered the high seas and laid down the foundations of chemistry. Robert Irwin has spent a lifetime investigating and imagining the history of the Islamic world. In this new book, he charts the origins of Orientalism - in this case, the study of the Middle and near East - and its foremost practitioners, from Ancient Greece up to the present day. In doing so, he takes on Edward Said’s Orientalism, which branded this rich field of study a weapon of imperialism. Irwin shows that, whether making philological comparisons between Arabic and Hebrew, cataloguing the coins of Fatimid Egypt or establishing the basic chronology of Harun al-Rashid’s military campaigns against Byzantium, these scholars have been unified not by politics or by ideology but by their shared obsession. Irwin’s passionate book is a fascinating history of the study of Islamic - primarily Arabic - culture. For Lust of Knowing is a extraordinarily clever and often amusing book that makes the author’s scholarship remarkably accessible.

THE VICTORIAN FLOWER ORACLE     MAGIC REALIST PRESS ISBN: 190557200X

The beautiful deck of forty cards in The Victorian Flower Oracle is based on engravings by the famous artist J J Grandville, taken from an original 1847 hand-coloured copy of his Fleurs Animee. Featuring such characters such as the shy Miss Wallflower, sumptuous Lady Tulip and sad young Forget-me-not, the deck draws on age-old beliefs about the special magic and symbolism of flowers, with every flower exquisitely depicted as a woman and each card becoming a small work of art. The informative companion book by Sheila Hamilton includes the symbolic meaning of each flower, myths and beliefs about them, gardening notes, the history of the Grandville illustrations and instructions for using the deck as an oracle. These evocative cards, designed by Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov, provide a fascinating link with the past and are a pleasure to explore.

ITALIAN CINEMA - BARRY FORSHAW     POCKET ESSENTIALS  ISBN 1904048552

The first film ever made in Italy was a documentary short, Umberto and Margherita of Savoy Walking in a Park, by Vittorio Calcina, produced 1896. The first Italian sound film, The Song of Love, was made in but it wasn’t until the advent of Neo-realism that Italian cinema fully came into its own. De Sica, Rossellini and Visconti made masterpieces of universal subject matter and films such as Rome, the Open City and Paisà were acclaimed throughout the world. During the 1960s, Italian cinema became more experimental with directors such as Michelangelo Antonioni and the avant-garde works of Sergio Leone, Federico Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini. Barry Forshaw’s easy-to-use reference book, subtitled ‘Arthouse to Exploitation’, is a handy guide to every aspect of Italian Cinema, including such popular genress as Horror, Sword and Sandal epics, and Spaghetti Westerns. From the unbridled sensuality of the orgy scenes in silent Italian cinema, through a topless Sophia Loren in a 1950s historical epic and the image of Silvana Mangano, her skirt provocatively tucked into her underwear, in the neo-realist classic Bitter Rice, to the erotic obsessions of Fellini and the more cerebral but still passionate movies of Antonioni, eroticism is ever-present in Italian cinema. The popular movies reveal acres of tanned flesh (both male and female) and there is an an inextricable mix of sexuality and violence in the work of directors such as Mario Bava and Dario Argento. Italian cinema is celebrated here with astute analysis in the sharply informative essays of Barry Forshaw.

TOTAL STRESS RELIEF - VERA PEIFFER       PIATKUS  ISBN 0749926082

Individuals often respond very differently to stress. Methods of coping found to work well in childhood situations often become ingrained and habitual, following the child into adulthood. In the adult world, these skills may be inappropriate, and stress heightens as the person clings to obsolete behaviours. However, new skills can be learned, and poor coping methods replaced. There are currently many classes, books, and seminars available to help people develop better habits of managing stress, as well as approaches that include The Alexander Technique, Shiatsu, T’ai Chi Ch’uan, yoga and meditation. Among the psychological and sociological factors have been shown to moderate against stress are optimism or hope, social support, socioeconomic status and sense of community. Total Stress Relief is a valuable self-help guide which will help you tackle everyday challenges in a constructive way. As stress is unavoidable, we need to learn to deal with it rather than running away or turning to drugs or alcohol to cope. Author Vera Peiffer shows how stress resilience can be learned, even in the most challenging circumstances, with simple and effective exercises that form a holistic approach. The reader is guided to use the suggested programmes at different levels of intensity, according to his or her individual needs. The book considers stress management as a form of personal development that helps the reader grow stronger, more competent and ultimately more confident in dealing with the ups and downs of modern life.

MITCHUM: IN HIS OWN WORDS         LIMELIGHT EDITIONS ISBN 0879102926

Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1917. His father, James Mitchum, was a railroad worker of part Blackfoot indian descent who was was crushed to death in a train accident when Robert Mitchum was two. The boy and his siblings were raised by his mother Ann, a Norwegian immigrant and sea captain's daughter, and stepfather (a British army major) in Connecticut, New York and Delaware. After an adventurous early life that included a chain gang sentence for vagrancy and spells riding freight trains in search of work, Mitchum had a variety of jobs (including a stint at Lockheed Aircraft production line) before starting to get small roles in Hopalong Cassidy films. In 1945 he was cast in Story of G.I. Joe and received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor, after which he quickly became an icon of 1940s film noir, westerns and romantic dramas. Despite being a major star for over 40 years he remains underrated, partly because of his laid-back style and apparent air of disinterest. Highlights among more than a hundred films include Out of the Past (the archetypal noir), The Big Steal, River of No Return (with Marilyn Monroe), The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton’s only film as director), the original Cape Fear (Mitchum also had a part in the 1991 remake), Ryan’s Daughter and Farewell, My Lovely (perfectly cast as Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe). Mitchum died in 1997 and was cremated, his ashes being scattered at sea by his widow Dorothy and neighbour Jane Russell. At his request, no memorial service was held. Mitchum: In His Own Words, edited by Jerry Roberts with a foreword by Roger Ebert, brings together a selection of entertaining and revealing interviews and conversations that the actor had with David Frost, Dick Lochte, Richard Schickel and Charles Champlin, as well as Jerry Roberts himself. Robert Mitchum was a thoughtful, intelligent and wonderfully humorous raconteur so reading his words (‘Gaol is like Palm Springs - without the riffraff’) is the next best thing to hearing that distinctive voice speak. Brilliant!

HARPO SPEAKS!           LIMELIGHT EDITIONS  ISBN 0879100362

Adolph Arthur Marx, better known as Harpo Marx, was one of the Marx Brothers, a group of Vaudeville entertainers who later made a series of highly successful film comedies. Harpo’s distinctive trademarks were that he never talked, played the harp, and frequently used props in often outrageously surreal sight gags. He taught himself to play the harp and played it in an unconventional manner, with an idiosyncratic tuning of the strings. He changed his name to Arthur shortly before World War I, when there was a great deal of anti-German sentiment in America and he thought Adolph sounded ‘too German’. He became friends with theatre critic Alexander Woollcott and was a regular member of the famous Algonquin Round Table. Many people believed Harpo was actually mute but several recordings of his distinguished voice can be found on the internet and in documentaries. He published this enjoyable autobiography, Harpo Speaks! written with Roland Barber, in 1961, and the book provides fascinating insights into the work of a brilliant craftsman and his hilariously anarchic alter ego, as well as into a world that has now largely disappeared. ‘A funny, affectionate and unpretentious autobiography’ - New York Times Book Review.

THE UNKNOWN CALLAS - NICHOLAS PETSALIS-DIOMIDIS   AMADEUS 157467059X

Maria Callas was born Maria Anna Sofia Cecilia Kalogeropoulos to Greek parents in Brooklyn, New York, and moved with her mother to Athens at the age of 13. She studied with the soprano Elvira de Hidalgo at the Athens Conservatory and made her professional debut at the Athens Opera in 1941, as La Tosca. Combining an impeccable bel canto technique with great dramatic gifts, Callas became the most famous singing actress of the post-war era. An extremely versatile singer, her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria, such as Spontini's La Vestale to late Verdi and the verismo operas of Puccini. In this award-winning biography, with a foreword by the Earl of Harewood, historian Nicholas Petsalis-Diomidis explores Maria Callas’s life in Athens from 1937 to 1945. These years have been largely absent from previous works about Callas but were crucial to her professional and personal growth. The author examines her professional development, her studies, her concerts, and her work with the Greek National Opera. He also recounts Callas’s daily life, her friendships her rivalries at the conservatory, and her personal life. Though it is a detailed historical biography, the writing and pace are novelistic. Nicholas Petsalis-Diomidis studied law at Athens University and history at the London School of Economics. Concurrently with his historical research and writing, he ran a leading Athenian art gallery for fifteen years, until 1993. The Greek edition of The Unknown Callas (1998) won Greece’s National Biography Award in 1999 and like the Sybil Sanderson Story this book is part of the excellent Opera Biography series from Amadeus.

HOW TO PAY LESS FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING      READER’S DIGEST  ISBN 0276429478

Have you ever suspected that your neighbour on the plane or train paid half the fare you did? How did that couple having breakfast opposite you at the Hotel Splendide get a better room than you did for less money? This invaluable book shows how you can make sure you are the one with the bargain. Whether it’s a major purchase such as a car or house or you are looking the cheapest telephone deal, this thorough guide gives you with the inside knowledge you need to drive the best bargain. Discover when it’s worth haggling, why one almost identical product can cost twice as much as another, and the pros and cons of specialist outlets. The book covers all aspects of modern living and purchasing, from food and clothing, to holidays and leisure activities; furnishing, electronic equipment and home improvements to insurance; investments, pensions and mortgages. It has sensible ideas for saving on your shopping bill, paying less tax and obtaining a cheaper mortgage. There are chapters on food and drink, healthy living, leisure, travel, electronic equipment, home repairs and improvements, running a car, buying and selling property, household finance, tax and investments. If you have ever wondered how to make your own sangria or mend scratches on wood, this is the book to show you how.

THE WESTERN READER             LIMELIGHT EDITIONS ISBN 0879102683

The American West has long had a powerful hold on the world’s imagination. Stories about the mythic West have been told most powerfully in movies, and the Western is perhaps the most uniquely American of film genres, undergoing a slow evolution throughout the twentieth century. After Edwin S. Porter made The Great Train Robbery in 1903 the Western became a staple of the film industry, glorying in American frontier culture. This early phase culminated in the classic Stagecoach, directed by John Ford. Following World War II, Westerns such as High Noon and Rio Bravo became more ‘adult’, with greater budgets, bigger stars and more sophisticated psychology. The 1960s brought revisionist Westerns, which were less romantic and far less certain of the old morality (The Wild Bunch, McCabe and Mrs. Miller). Fewer Westerns have been made in recent years but the myth remains strong and Americans still believe in escaping civilisation to reinvent themselves in the open spaces of the West. The Western Reader, edited by Jim Kitses and Gregg Rickman, is an informative, comprehensive and most enjoyable guide to the genre. The book is an illustrated collection of writings about the Western, with almost a half-century of essays, commentary and interviews. History, mythology, landscape and psychology are fully explored in a wide ranging collage of impressions and insights. The well-chosen contributions are readable, authoritative, perceptive, stimulating and skillfully written throughout. Highly recommended.

THE SIBYL SANDERSON STORY - JACK WINSOR HANSEN   AMADEUS  1574670948

The beautiful American soprano Sybil Sanderson was born into a wealthy Sacramento family in 1864, and the operetta composers Gilbert and Sullivan were guests in her father’s house. After being educated privately, Sibyl was sent to Paris at the age of 16 to study at the Paris Conservatory, following the breakup of her engagement to the millionaire newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. A chance meeting with  Jules Massenet in 1887 resulted in a spectacular decade of success in Europe, where her image adorned everything from calendars to sets of china. Enraptured by the singer’s beauty, three-octave range, temperament and histrionic ability, Massenet wtrote Thaïs and Esclarmonde for her and allowed her to reconstruct his opera Manon to feature her high voice. Unfortunately, her meteoric rise to stardom was followed by an equally swift decline. By 1902, her voice and her health had deteriorated and  she died in 1903, aged only 38. Her doctor cited pneumonia as the cause of death and listed cirrhosis of the liver and eight other diseases as contributing factors. Poisoning also may have played a part, according to Jack Winsor Hansen in this authorised full-length biography. The author had full access to the Sanderson family archives and spent decades researching Sibyl’s life in Europe and the United States. The book includes previously unpublished correspondence, diaries and memoirs as well as interviews with the people who knew both Sanderson and Massenet, including Sanderson’s stepdaughter and opera star Mary Garden. This definitive and highly readable biography  tells a true story that has all the drama of period fiction, bringing to life one of the most remarkable talents ever to grace the operatic stage.

SHAGGY DOGS AND BLACK SHEEP - ALBERT JACK       PENGUIN ISBN 0140515739

Why are Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London called Beefeaters? Who was the first person to pour oil on troubled waters? The English language is full of odd phrases and sayings that we use without thinking. It's only when we're asked who Gordon Bennett, Smart Aleck or Billio (as in ‘go like Billio’) were, where feeling in the pink or once in a blue moon come from, or even what letting the cat out of the bag really means that we realize there is a lot more to English than we thought. Albert Jack has a wonderful talent for noticing these oddities and a passion for tracking them down to their origins. His research has taken all over the world, exploring the sources for hundreds of phrases and coming up with many fascinating stories along the way. Sayings have often originated in the navy, army and law, or been down to confidence tricksters and highwaymen, the practices of ancient civilizations, or been found at the Music Hall and in pubs. Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep is crammed with fascinating facts and educated conjecture, making it the perfect  book for anyone wishing to learn how to interrupt a party with enlightening information.

THE ROUGH GUIDE TO BOB DYLAN       ROUGH GUIDES ISBN 1843531399

Born on 24 May 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota, Robert Alan Zimmerman grew up in nearby Hibbing. ‘The Greatest Songwriter Ever’ has released more than 40 albums since his 1962 debut, Bob Dylan. His second release, 1963’s The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, featured many classic songs and began a series of albums that completely changed the world’s perceptions of popular music. Around five hundred songs later (Like a Rolling Stone was recently voted the best song of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine and the NME) Dylan continues to surprise, challenge, mystify and fascinate in equal measure as he pursues his ‘Never Ending Tour’. Despite countless words written about him over the years, the coolest man on the planet remains, partly by his own choice, an enigma. Nigel Williamson’s Rough Guide to Bob Dylan is an admirable survey of the man, the life, his music (50 essential Dylan songs and the stories behind them), the friends and lovers, the influences, the films, the unsurpassed lyrics, the legends, the trivia, ‘the wisdom of Bob’, and other assorted Dylanology. This is a concise, engrossing guide to the facts about an idiosyncratic genius who changed the way we see the world. ‘God, I’m glad I’m not me’ - Bob Dylan.

THE PAPERCRAFTER’S BIBLE       DAVID & CHARLES   ISBN  0715316656

Ever since paper became widely available in the 18th century, it has proved an irresitible medium for expression. Children instinctively use paper in creative ways, even if only to construct model gliders, and it requires no great skill in painting or drawing to produce satisfying results. Elizabeth Moad’s book makes an excellent guide, exploring a wide range of papercraft techniques and giving confidence to the beginner who is learning basics as well as inspiring those who wish to explore more advanced craft skills. Methods are demonstrated and married with modern papers, equipment and ideas at each stage Techniques are explained with step-by-step photographs and tips on specific materials and equipment. Taster projects allow a technique to be sampled, and there are tips throughout suggesting ways to combine techniques and materials for new and innovative looks and ways of working. Most of the techniques have an application for card making and there are gift boxes, gift bags, novelty gift wraps and simple stationery. The book is copiously illustrated, making the instructions very easy to follow, and includes advice from how to get started with a basic tool kit (you don’t need a vast amount of equipment) through to selling your work. Instant therapy.

THE STORY OF FILM - MARK COUSINS           PAVILION ISBN 1862055742

Mark Cousins, a former Director of the Edinburgh Film Festival, is a film historian and presenter of Scene-by-Scene on BBC television. As well as making documentary films on arts and political themes he has interviewed such luminaries as Martin Scorcese, Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Jeanne Moreau, the Coen Brothers, Bernardo Bertolucci and Jayne Russell. The Story of Film is an accessible and insightful history of the medium, showing how film-makers are influenced both by the historical events of their times, and by each other. The book is divided into three main epochs: Silent (1885-1928), Sound (1928-1990) and Digitial (1990-Present), and within this structure films are discussed within chapters reflecting both the stylistic concerns of the film-makers and the political and social themes of the time. Film is an international medium, so as well as covering the great American films and film-makers, the book explores cinema in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia and South America, and shows how cinematic ideas and techniques cross national boundaries. This not a book about the film business, so Cousins wisely leaves out the money-making side of movies to focus revealingly on the innovative aspects of film-making. Lucidly written, with more than 400 illustrations, The Story of Film is addictive reading for both film buffs and the average movie fan. ‘Mark Cousins is incapable of writing anything about cinema history without making it fascinating’- Sean Connery.

BREWER’S BRITAIN & IRELAND       WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON ISBN 030435385X

Manchester United was originally a railway workers’ team called Newton Heath, and only twenty people died in the great fire of London. Not many people know these things but John Ayto and Ian Crofton, compilers of this monumental 1,326-page book do. Brewer’s Britain and Ireland is an A-Z reference work about place-names and the historical associations of the places they designate. Somewhere between a traditional gazetteer and an ‘armchair companion’, it takes the reader on a fascinating tour of more than 7,500 places in every part of the islands of Britain and Ireland. Described as a ‘phrase and fable gazetteer’, it gathers together the linguistic, historical, folkloric and literary associations behind a myriad locations, both celebrated and obscure, from Ashby-de-le-Zouch to Blubberhouses, and from Wigton to Wetwang. As well as major towns and cities, you can explore strangely named villages, physical features such as rivers, mountains and forests, nicknames, fictional places and many other curiosities. This is an endlessly fascinating book to get absorbed in, so beware. You might pick up to see how Giggleswick got its name (from a chap called Gikel, apparently) but could still find yourself engrossed hours later in Ryme Intrinseca or the Strange World of Gurney Slade. ‘This lively tome is the perfect guide and companion for the arm chair rambler’ - Belfast Telegraph.

DAWN BRESLIN’S POWER BOOK             HAY HOUSE ISBN 1401905137

If you feel there is something missing in your life - and most of us do from time to time - then it’s likely that you need to change the way you feel about yourself. Dawn Breslin sees low self-esteem as the key to this and her inspiring book is a first aid kit for overcoming common problems such as fear, anxiety, depression, lack of self-confidence and addiction. The seven chapters focus on common emotional problems such as lack of self-esteem, too much self-criticism, emotional hangups, guilty feelings and fear. By thinking in a positive way, the author believes, you can kick those bad old habits and lead a more fulfilled life with a positive attitude. Each chapter helps you identify a problem, gives a consultation, a treatment and then a check up. Essentially, the advice is to adopt a positive outlook, trust your intuition and count your blessings. Occasionally a little repetitive, this book nevertheless leaves the reader feeling more hopeful and confident. ‘Breslin’s no-messing attitude is what has put her at the top of her game’ - The Scotsman.

PUBLIC ENEMIES - BRYAN BURROUGH       PENGUIN ISBN 014101993X

Charles Arthur ‘Pretty Boy’ Floyd was a notorious American killer and bankrobber, romanticised by the press and by Woody Guthrie in The Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd. He earned his nickname from Midwestern pros