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The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi: Laughter, Madness and the Story of Britain's Greatest Comedian
by Andrew McConnell StottThis biography offers a &“vivid portrayal&” of the eighteenth-century English entertainer who &“invented the figure of the classic clown that we know today&” (The Guardian). The son of a deranged Italian immigrant, Joseph Grimaldi (1778–1837) was the most celebrated of English clowns. The first to use white-face makeup and wear outrageous colored clothes, he completely transformed the role of the Clown in the pantomime with a look as iconic as Chaplin&’s Tramp. One of the first celebrity comedians, his friends included Lord Byron and the actor Edmund Kean—and his memoirs were edited by a young Charles Dickens. But underneath the stage paint, Grimaldi struggled with depression, and his life was blighted with tragedy. His first wife died in childbirth, and his son would go on to drink himself to death. The outward joy and tomfoolery of his performances masked a dark and depressing personal life, and instituted the modern figure of the glum, brooding comedian. In this &“exuberant, impassioned portrait,&” biographer Andrew McConnell Stott presents a man who left an indelible mark on the English theatre and the performing arts, but whose legacy is one of human struggle, battling demons and giving it his all in the face of adversity (The Guardian).
All My Favorite People (Cal Cassidy Romantic Suspense)
by Jill RiceWe often meet our destiny on the road we take to avoid it. When Eve Gardner was seventeen, she bought a bus ticket to California. The life her parents planned for her was nothing like the life she wanted. She wanted to be as far away from her parents as a road could take her. In less than a month, she had a new name, “Eva,” a new husband, and even a new country. Álvaro Castillo, the accountant for a dangerous drug cartel, had his own reasons for being on that bus. He was on the run, having just killed the man who threatened to expose him as an undercover DEA. The life Álvaro and Eva create in Taxco, Mexico, is a dream come true for both. When a famous silversmith takes her under his wing, Eva becomes a successful jeweler in her own right. As she works with force and fire to shape silver into her stunning jewelry designs, Eva comes to understand the process is akin to the alchemy of the human soul. The question of destiny looms large in her life: did she run away from her fate when she left Atlanta, or did she run headlong into the life she was meant to live? When their son, Azul, is born Álvaro and Eva believe they have reached the pinnacle of happiness. They were mistaken. The cartel put a three-million-dollar bounty on Álvaro’s head and one day an old enemy comes to collect it. The action Eva takes to keep Azul safe jeopardizes her marriage and her happiness. Álvaro cannot forgive her for sending their son to the family Eva abandoned twenty-six years ago. Eva examines her old beliefs and past actions after she is reunited with her family in Atlanta. When she and her mother are kidnapped by the cartel as revenge for Alvaro’s betrayal, they must reconcile and unite to stay alive. Together they use their wits and a little bit of magic to navigate their capture and eventual release. When devastating family secrets come to light, love can redeem the past if they will let it.
Emulating Alexander: How Alexander the Great's Legacy Fuelled Rome's Wars With Persia
by Glenn BarnettThis book gives an account of the Roman relationship with Persia and how it was shaped by the actions of Alexander the Great long before the events. Numerous Roman emperors led armies eastward against the Persians, seeking to emulate or exceed the glorious conquests of Alexander. Some achieved successes but more often the result was ignominious defeat or death. Even as the empire declined, court propagandists and courtiers looked for flattering ways to compare their now-throne-bound emperors with Alexander. All the while there was a small segment of the Roman intelligentsia who disparaged Alexander and his misdeeds.While the Romans dreamed of conquering the Persian realm, the Persians of the Parthian and Sasanian dynasties dreamed of regaining the lands of the eastern Mediterranean snatched from their Achaemenid ancestors by Alexander. Echoes of this revanchist policy can be seen in Iran's support of Shiites in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon. Glenn Barnett draws comparisons between the era-long struggle of Rome and Persia with the current wars in the Middle-East where they once fought.
Falkland Islanders at War
by Graham BoundFalkland Islanders were the first British people to come under enemy occupation since the Channel Islanders during the Second World War. This book tells how islanders' warnings were ignored in London, how their slim defenses gave way to a massive invasion, and how they survived occupation.While some established a cautiously pragmatic modus vivendi with the occupiers, some Islanders opted for active resistance, using banned radios to transmit intelligence and confuse the Argentines. Others joined advancing British troops, transporting ammunition and leading men to the battlefields. They often came under Argentine fire.Islanders' leaders and 'trouble makers' faced internal exile, and whole settlements were imprisoned, becoming virtual hostages. Those who remained in besieged Stanley found themselves in the same dangerous situation as their enemy, enduring British naval shelling, artillery attacks and bombing raids.
Undefeated: From Basketball to Battle
by Jim Noles“A provocative, arresting, put-you-there account of a forgotten 1940s Army basketball team that we now realize shouldn’t be forgotten” (Lars Anderson, New York Times–bestselling author).In 1943, the West Point basketball team, the Cadets, had only managed a 5-10 record, and for the 1944 season, coach Ed Kelleher’s hopes of reversing Army’s fortunes rested on his five starters. They consisted of three seniors—team captain “Big Ed” Christl, John “Three Star” Hennessey, and class president Bobby Faas—and two juniors, Dale Hall and Doug Kenna.As the new season opened in January of 1944, Kelleher’s strategy paid handsome dividends. By the end of January, West Point was 6–0; by the end of February, the team boasted a 13-0 record. Of course, during those weeks, it only took a glance at the newspaper headlines to be reminded that there were far bigger contests than intercollegiate basketball afoot in the winter of 1944. The world was at war. The US Army needed its finest on the front line more than on the court, and the three seniors were soon destined for other battles . . .In the years that followed, the Army’s basketball team would never again have a chance to play in the NCAA tournament, and in the modern era, few remember West Point’s perfect 1944 season. Although West Point’s home basketball court is named the Edward C. Christl Arena, and the National Invitational Tournament’s trophy is named after his coach, Edward A. Kelleher, too few people fully appreciate why. But after reading Undefeated, they will.“Hoosiers meets Band of Brothers.” —Col. Scott Maytan
The No. 2 Global Detective: A Parody
by Toby ClementsThe bestselling author of The Asti Spumanti Code offers a globe-hopping spoof of contemporary fiction&’s most famous detectives. Cuff College of Transgression and Pathology, Oxford, is the Alma Mater of the world&’s most famous fictional detectives. But when a body is discovered in the Cuff College library, the police are baffled. The only clues to the crime are the enormous spear sticking out of the victim&’s chest, and the price tag from an IKEA duvet. It looks like a case for junior lecturer Tom Hurst. Though, from Tom&’s perspective, it looks like a job for almost anyone else. Breaking every rule of the whodunnit genre, Tom recruits four of the College's most celebrated graduates to find the killer: from Botswana, Mma Delicious Ontoaste; from Sweden, Inspector Burt Colander; from Scotland, Inspector Scott Rhombus; from America, Doctor Faye Carpaccia. Together, perhaps these international supersleuths can solve the case—if only they can stop arguing and get to IKEA before it shuts. Revisiting—and rewriting—some of the most famous crime novels of recent times, Toby Clements offers four thrillers in one in this uproarious murder mystery that will seem oddly familiar to readers of Alexander McCall Smith, Henning Mankell, Ian Rankin and Patricia Cornwell.
The Changeling (Canongate Classics)
by Robin JenkinsA &“witty, affecting novel&” of a friendship between a troubled teenager and his well-meaning teacher—and the tragic path it sets them on (Financial Times). Thirteen-year-old Tom Curdie, the product of a Glasgow slum, is on probation for theft. His teachers admit that he is clever, but only one, Charlie Forbes, sees something in Tom and his seemingly insolent smile. So, Charlie&’s decides to take Tom on holiday with his own family…but his high-minded intentions lead to tragic consequences. From one of Scotland&’s greatest writers, The Changeling explores how goodness and innocence is compromised when faced with the pressures of growing up and becoming part of society. A modern Scottish classic, this edition includes an introduction by Alan Spence and an afterword by Andrew Marr.
The Life of Robert Burns (Canongate Classics #10)
by Catherine CarswellThis classic and controversial biography of Scotland&’s National Bard offers an unvarnished chronicle of the 18th century poet&’s life. First published in 1930 to an unprecedented storm of protest, Catherine Carswell&’s The Life of Robert Burns remains the standard work on its subject. Widely revered as Scotland&’s greatest poet, Burns&’s devotees were so upset by its contents that Carswell famously received a bullet in the mail, with instructions for its use. Carswell deliberately shakes the image of Burns as a romantic hero, exposing the sexual transgressions, drinking bouts and waywardness that other biographies chose to overlook. But Carswell&’s real achievement is to bring alive the personality of a great man: passionate, hard-living, generous, melancholic, morbid and, above all, a brilliant and inspired artist.&“Catherine Carswell&’s The Life of Robert Burns is still, apart from Burns&’ own account, the best.&”—Alasdair Gray, The Observer, UK&“It is not only an outlandishly good book, but one which raises questions about the nature of Scottish culture and cultural change.&”—Sunday Times, UK&“This is a book which makes you feel better for having read it. I only wish a few contemporary biographers wrote as well as Catherine Carswell did.&”—Allan Massie, Literary Review, UK
I'm Not Scared (Canons #46)
by Niccolò AmmanitiThe international bestselling novel &“of childhood innocence lost in rural Italy [is] a gripping read … a deft masterpiece with never a false note&” (The Guardian, UK).A BBC Two Between The Covers Book Club PickSouthern Italy, 1978. In the midst of a relentlessly hot summer, as the adults stay inside tending to their own business, six children explore the scorched wheat fields that enclose their tiny Italian village. When the gang find a dilapidated farmhouse, nine-year-old Michele Amitrano makes a discovery so momentous that he doesn&’t dare tell a soul. It is a secret that Michele doesn&’t fully understand, yet it will force him to question everything and everyone around him, and will bring his innocent world toppling down. Both &“an exquisite parable&” and a tense thriller, I&’m Not Scared has become a contemporary classic in Italian literature, read and celebrated the world over (Daily Telegraph, UK).
New Critical Spaces in Transitional Justice: Gender, Art, and Memory
by Edited by Arnaud Kurze and Christopher K. LamontSince the 1980s, transitional justice mechanisms have been increasingly applied to account for mass atrocities and grave human rights violations throughout the world. Over time, post-conflict justice practices have expanded across continents and state borders and have fueled the creation of new ideas that go beyond traditional notions of amnesty, retribution, and reconciliation. Gathering work from contributors in international law, political science, sociology, and history, New Critical Spaces in Transitional Justice addresses issues of space and time in transitional justice studies. It explains new trends in responses to post-conflict and post-authoritarian nations and offers original empirical research to help define the field for the future.
A Few Lawless Vagabonds: Ethan Allen, the Republic of Vermont, and the American Revolution
by David BennettThis surprising true story of Vermont&’s collusion with the British &“may be the best American Revolutionary War era book to come out in years&” (Military Review). This riveting work of political and military history provides an account of the three-way relationship between Ethan Allen, the Republic of Vermont (1777–1791), and the British in Canada during the American Revolution. Ethan Allen was a prime mover in the establishment of the Republic, then led the fight to maintain its independence from the &“predatory states&” of New Hampshire, New York, and Massachusetts; from the American Continental Congress; and from British attacks on the new state. In order to defend Vermont&’s independence, Ethan Allen even went so far as engaging in secret, unlawful negotiations with the British in Canada, aimed at turning Vermont into a &“separate Government under the Crown.&” The attempts of the Allen family to maintain Vermont&’s independence from its neighbors were unsuccessful: Vermont became the fourteenth state in 1791. A Few Lawless Vagabonds is the first systematic attempt, using archival sources, to show that the Allens were utterly serious in their aim to turn Vermont into a Crown colony, a project which came close to success in late 1781. The portrait of Ethan Allen that emerges in this book is not of a warrior hero of the American Revolution but of a successful Vermont nationalist who is justly celebrated as the principal founder of the State of Vermont—a rare combination of patriot and betrayer of the public trust.
A Question of Loyalties (Canongate Classics)
by Allan MassieA man returns to France to unravel the truth about his father&’s actions during WWII in &“a novel of scope, substance and strength all too rare today&” (Spectator). Widely acclaimed as Allan Massie&’s finest novel, A Question of Loyalties explores the complexities of loyalty, nationality, and family legacy after the horrors of World War II. Rife with the anguish of hindsight and the irony of circumstance, this powerful book is &“addictively narrated . . . Out of one broken man&’s story evolves the weighty history and treachery of a whole era&” (The Times). Etienne de Balafré, half French, half English, and raised in South Africa, returns to postwar France to unravel the tangled history of his father. Was Lucien de Balafré a patriot who served his country as best he could in difficult times, or a treacherous collaborator in the Vichy government? &“I have no hesitation in calling it a major novel . . . Massie here has vigorously pushed back the narrowing boundaries of English fiction.&” —Spectator
The Ice is Singing
by Jane RogersThe author of Mr. Wroe's Virgins &“writes about a woman writing about writing and gets triumphantly away with it . . . a novel of tremendous readability&” (Independent). Driving through the snowbound Yorkshire countryside, stopping at anonymous hotels, Marion is prepared to do anything to escape her memories. She begins to write stories, stories that take her into other people&’s lives. But as she is drawn back into her own world, she must face the things that made her long for escape. &“A brilliant and concentrated piece of writing.&” —The Guardian &“Her style is terse and ruthlessly graphic: her attitude is one of implacable honesty.&” —Times Literary Supplement. &“The writing sings and lives and spins its own magical life.&” —Financial Times
Bugatti Blue: Prescott and the Spirit of Bugatti
by Lance ColeThe British have had an affair with Bugatti for decades and perhaps Prescott Hill-Climb in Gloucestershire is the place where that relationship has reached its highlights across the decades. This collection of photographic images captures the brilliance of Bugatti design amid Bugatti blue at Prescott's wonderful natural amphitheatre in the Cotswolds to which visitors, Bugatti owners, enthusiasts and addicts have travelled from all over the world to gather and to race up the hill.The author has spent years around old cars, often visiting Prescott and its home to the Bugatti Owners Club which itself celebrates the 80th anniversary of its base at Prescott in 2018 and, the Clubs own 90th anniversary in 2019.In this collection of over 200 photographs, much of the masterworks of Molsheim are captured in action and at rest, at the altar of British Bugatti enthusiasm. Herein are wonderful moments and memories of old Bugatti cars, their owners and drivers, and other vintage and classic cars in VS-CC action at this revered location.This new collection of stunning images, allied to a concise narrative (with assistance from Bugatti experts), should provide the classic car enthusiast with something new to accompany their own memories amid a record of Prescott and the Bugatti Owners Club events and Veteran Sports-Car Club days.
Summit Fever
by Andrew GreigA &“wonderful&” memoir about mountain climbing—and the risk, joy, and adventure of being alive (Chris Bonington). Shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature When poet Andrew Greig was asked by Scottish mountaineer Mal Duff to join his ascent of the Mustagh Tower in the Karakoram Himalayas, he had a poor head for heights and no climbing experience whatsoever. The result is this unique book. Known for its candor and wit, and the beauty of its writing, Summit Fever is the story of a newcomer to mountain climbing facing a challenge beyond his expectations—&“an excellent read, one of the best expedition books so far&” (Climber).
Haig's Generals
by Steven J. CorviAn in-depth study of Douglas Haig's army commanders on the Western Front during the First World War. Assesses their careers and characters, looks critically at their performance in command and examines their relationship with their subordinates and with Haig himself. Chapters are devoted to Allenby, Byng, Birdwood, Gough, Horne, Monro, Plumer, Rawlinson and Smith-Dorrien. Offers a fascinating insight into the mentality of these men and into their methods as they sought a solution to the problem of war on the Western Front. A fascinating and original contribution to the history of the war in the trenches.Contributors include: John Bourne, Matthew Hughes, John Lee, William Philpott, Simon Robbins, Gary Sheffield, Peter Simkins, Ian F. W. Beckett, Steven J. Corvi.
Lethal Doses: The Story Behind "The Godfather Of Fentanyl"
by John MadingerOn a cold afternoon in February 1991, a frightening new drug hit the streets of New York City, a synthetic narcotic marketed in packets labeled “Tango & Cash.” As police scrambled to warn heroin users of the danger, the overdose victims began piling up in hospital emergency rooms and county morgues across three states. As a Drug Enforcement Administration agent said at the time, “We don’t know yet who’s putting this stuff out there, but whoever he is, he’s an ice-cold son of a bitch.” Fentanyl had come to America. In 2024, fentanyl is killing nearly 200 Americans every day, and not just heroin users, a seemingly unstoppable narcotic curse like none ever seen before. But few know that this plague began in the brilliant mind of the high-school dropout and chemistry prodigy that the DEA called “the best and most dangerous clandestine chemist” it has ever encountered. The clandestine chemist was George Erik Marquardt. Starting at just twelve years old, Marquardt used his extraordinary talents to make every illegal drug in the book, from bootleg booze to heroin. He brewed LSD for Timothy Leary and the Grateful Dead, methamphetamine for outlaw motorcycle gangs, nerve gas for Idaho Nazis, and even life-saving AZT for AIDS patients. But when that ice-cold son of a bitch turned to fentanyl, thousands of Americans would die. In LETHAL DOSES: The Story Behind ‘The Godfather of Fentanyl,’ award-winning author and former undercover agent for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics John Madinger, tells the remarkable story of DEA’s three-year pursuit, the genesis of our fentanyl problem today, and the uniquely dangerous evil genius he spent hundreds of hours interviewing. Now you can read the incredible book on which the hit docuseries, THE GODFATHER OF FENTANYL, is based!
Remedy Is None
by William McIlvanneyGeoffrey Faber Memorial Prize Winner: After his father&’s death, a young man struggles with darkness in this novel by &“one of Scotland&’s finest writers&” (The Independent, UK). Charlie Grant, an intense young student at Glasgow University, sits in the lecture hall worrying about the looming possibility that his girlfriend may be pregnant, waiting for her to send word. But when a message arrives for him, it&’s not about new life but about death. Charlie&’s father is dying from cancer—a fact he hid from his son so as not to interfere with his studies—and Charlie&’s world is about to change. As time passes, overwhelmed by the memory of the humble yet dignified death of a man who struggled so hard to provide for his family, Charlie is left to face his own fierce resentment toward his adulterous mother, who left several years ago and has a new, comfortable life. With shades of Hamlet and Camus, William McIlvanney&’s award-winning first novel is a revelatory portrait of youth, of society, and of family. &“As a stylist Mr. McIlvanney leaves most of the competition far behind.&” —The New York Times Book Review
British Railways in Transition: The Corporate Blue and Grey Period, 1964–1997
by Jim BlakeAn extensively illustrated history of the transition from steam to diesel and electric traction, and the last few decades before privatization.Jim Blake took a huge number of pictures capturing both the dramatic changes and decline of the railways pre-1997, both in the London area where he lived and around the country. This book provides a photographic history of the period, covering all aspects of the railway and its operations. It portrays the process of coming to terms with the post-Beeching, post-steam era, before a change of political will brought more rail investment. The volume looks not only at locomotives and trains, but also the overall railway scene during a tumultuous era.
Beaumont Hamel: Newfoundland Park (Battleground Somme)
by Nigel CaveDesigned to act as a diversion to the 'big push', Gommecourt was an attempt to force the Germans to commit their reserves to the front line before the main battle took place. This Battlefield Guide tells the reader what happened and relates it to the ground as it now stands today.
Captain Kidd: The Hunt for the Truth
by Graham A. Thomas Craig Cabell Allan RichardsThe execution of Captain William Kidd on 23 May 1701 is one of the most controversial and revealing episodes in the long history of piracy. The legend that has grown up around Kidds final voyage, his concealed treasure and the dubious conduct of his trial, has made him into one of the most intriguing and misunderstood figures from the golden age of piracy. For either Kidd was a legal privateer or he was a wicked pirate indeed he has been described as one of the most feared pirates to sail the high seas. But his story is complex and ambiguous. This timely new account of Kidds life and seafaring career reassesses the man and his legend it makes compelling reading.
British Type 3 Diesel Locomotives: Classes 33, 35, 37 and upgraded 31
by David CableThe Type 3 Diesel Locomotive album comprises over 200, mainly unpublished, full sized colour photographs of four classes of British engines, developed in the earlier years of the Modernisation Plan.The Type 3 included four classes of locomotive of medium power output, which undertook a wide range of duties from Main line and local passenger services, various freight duties and departmental work. Several are still in use on the national network, and can be seen in various parts of the countryThe Book has been compiled by David Cable, who has authored a range of very successful colour albums for Pen and Sword Books Ltd. The photos illustrate the many duties and colour schemes of the classes in a variety of locations and colour schemes of the classes in a variety of locations, using largely unpublished photographs from his extensive collection.
The Journal of Sir Walter Scott (Canongate Classics #87)
by Sir Walter ScottThis edition of the great Scottish author&’s personal journal is &“truly a classic . . . compelling right to the very last unfinished sentence&” (Scotland on Sunday, UK). The celebrated 18th and 19th century Scottish author of such classics as Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, and The Lady of the Lake delivers what many regard as his greatest work: a day-to-day account of the last six years of his life as he navigates financial ruin, bereavement, and increasing ill health. Laboring to pay off debts of more than £120,000, Scott emerges, not simply as a great writer, but as an almost heroic figure whose generosity and even temper shine through at all times. This edition of Scott&’s journals presents a complete edited text and notes drawing on a wealth of other material including correspondence, reminiscences and the memoirs of Scott&’s contemporaries. It remains one of the standards by which Scott scholarship is judged.&“Scott&’s Journal is a hugely important piece of Scottish, and indeed European literature, published here with an incisive introduction, brilliantly judicious annotation and appendices and an excellent index . . . Walter Scott has never been so readable.&” —The Herald, UK
Putting the Boot In: Duffy, Fiddle City, Putting The Boot In, And Going To The Dogs (Duffy #3)
by Dan Kavanagh&“There are too many ways of breaking a footballer&’s leg. Too many, that is, from the footballer&’s point of view. Others may find the freedom of choice encouraging.&”Third Division Athletic has been an unlucky club for ages, but things are about to get much worse. Danny Matson, Athletic&’s top scorer, is out for the season after a scuffle inexplicably leaves him with a ruptured Achilles tendon. The team&’s manager, Jimmy Lister, is convinced that someone is intentionally kicking the team while it&’s down, and he hires Nick Duffy to get to the bottom of it.Duffy has always been a worrier. He frets about his weight, about his burgeoning relationship with constable Carol Lucas, about his promiscuity with both men and women, and about the AIDS epidemic sweeping through London. This latest case gives him an opportunity to focus his attention elsewhere, on a list of suspects ranging from trophy-hungry supporters to hardcore skinheads bent on whitewashing England.
Separate Tracks
by Jane RogersThe first novel from the acclaimed author of Mr. Wroe's Virgins and The Voyage Home. Orph is a strange, silent, friendless young man. Emma meets him when she comes to work at the children&’s home where he lives. She offers him a room in her student flat. But there, amid the love affairs and politics of university life, Orph&’s alienation only grows deeper, and his lonely course has the most desperate of consequences. &“The writing has a bony strength, the descriptive scenes are compelling though impressionistic, like a documentary screen come true.&” —The Guardian &“There can be none better than Jane Rogers&’ harsh, lyrical and relentlessly realistic Separate Tracks . . . This is a sad and dramatic story, deeply felt though never stridently written. It is a remarkable first novel, breaking new ground.&” —Financial Times &“Deftly, powerfully done. It deserves to rank with The Collector.&” —New Society