Biografier

A terrifically engaging and original biography about one of England's greatest novelists, and the glamorous, eccentric, debauched and ultimately tragic family that provided him with the most significant friendships of his life and inspired his masterpiece, 'Brideshead Revisited'.Evelyn Waugh was already famous when 'Brideshead Revisited' was published in 1945. Written at the height of the war, the novel was, he admitted, of no 'immediate propaganda value'. Instead, it was the story of a household, a family and a journey of religious faith - an elegy, in many ways, for a vanishing world and a testimony to a family he had fallen in love with a decade earlier.The Lygons of Madresfield were every bit as glamorous, eccentric and compelling as their counterparts in 'Brideshead Revisited'. In this engrossing biography, Paula Byrne takes an innovative approach to her subject, setting out to capture Waugh through those friendships that mattered most to him. Far from the snobbish misanthropist of popular caricature, she uncovers a man as loving and complex as the family that inspired him - a family deeply traumatised when their father was revealed as a homosexual and forced to flee the country.This brilliantly original biography unlocks for the first time the extent to which Waugh's great novel encoded and transformed his own experiences. In so doing, it illuminates the loves and obsessions that shaped his life, and brings us inevitably to a secret that dared not speak its name.

A powerful account of the life of Tamerlane the Great (1336-1405), the last master nomadic power, one of history's most extreme tyrants, and the subject of Marlowe's famous play. Marozzi travelled in the footsteps of the great Mogul Emperor of Samarkland to write this wonderful combination of history and travelogue.The name of the last great warlord conjures up images of mystery and romance: medieval warfare on desert plains; the clash of swords on snow-clad mountains; the charge of elephants across the steppes of Asia; the legendary opulence and cruelty of the illiterate, chess-playing nemesis of Asia. He ranks alongside Alexander as one of the world's great conquerors, yet the details of his life are scarcely known in the West.He was not born to a distinguished family, nor did he find his apprenticeship easy - at one point his mobile army consisted only of himself, his wife, seven companions and four horses - but his dominion grew with astonishing rapidity. In the last two decades of the fourteenth century and the beginning of the fifteenth, he blazed through Asia. Cities were razed to the ground, inhabitants tortured without mercy, sometimes enemies were buried alive - more commonly they were decapitated. On the ruins of Baghdad, Tamerlane had his princes erect a pyramid of 90,000 heads.During his lifetime he sought to foster a personal myth, exaggerating the difficulties of his youth, laying claim to supernatural powers and a connection to Genghis Khan. This myth was maintained after his death in legend, folklore, poetry, drama and even opera, nowhere more powerfully than in Marlowe's play - he is now as much a literary construct as a historical figure. Justin Marozzi follows in his path and evokes his legacy in telling the tale of this fabulously cruel, magnificent and romantic warrior.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER PERFECT FOR FANS OF OUTLANDERThe true story of one of Scotland's most notorious and romantic heroes.He was a spy, a clan-chief, a traitor. A polyglot, a deserter and a man of philosophy.Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, was the last of the great Scottish chiefs - and the last nobleman executed for treason. In life, his wit, ambition and dubious sense of morality kept him in the thick of political intrigue. With a taste for risk and determined to make his fortune, Lovat made pacts with Catholics and Protestants, Scots and Englishmen.Lovat found his famous end a turncoat and a martyr: he threw himself in with the '45 rebellion and fought for Prince Charles against the crown. His execution in Tower Hill, at the age of 80, was the last of its kind.Lovat was one of Scotland's most notorious and romantic figures: a man whose loyalty had no home, whose sword had a price. This is the swashbuckling account of his life, and a brilliant portrayal of nation in revolt.

The amazing true story of how London became home to the Russian super-rich - told for the first time ever. A dazzling tale of incredible wealth, ferocious disputes, beautiful women, private jets, mega-yachts, the world's best footballers - and chauffeur-driven Range Rovers with tinted windows.A group of buccaneering Russian oligarchs made colossal fortunes after the collapse of communism - and many of them came to London to enjoy their new-found wealth. Londongrad tells for the first time the true story of their journeys from Moscow and St Petersburg to mansions in Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Surrey - and takes you into a shimmering world of audacious multi-billion pound deals, outrageous spending and rancorous feuds.But while London's flashiest restaurants echoed to Russian laughter and Bond Street shop-owners totted up their profits, darker events also played themselves out. The killing of ex-KGB man Alexander Litvinenko in London to the death - in a helicopter crash he all but predicted - of Stephen Curtis, the lawyer to many of Britain's richest Russians, chilled London's Russians and many of those who know them.This is the story of how Russia's wealth was harvested and brought to London - some of it spent by Roman Abramovich on his beloved Chelsea Football Club, some of it spent by Boris Berezovsky in his battles with Russia's all-powerful Vladimir Putin. Londongrad is a must-read for anyone interested in how vast wealth is created, the luxury it can buy, and the power and intrigue it produces.

A beautifully illustrated compendium of plant discovery and exploration - where horticulture and adventure collide.

The Secret Barrister returns to debunk the biggest legal lies of our time. Taking you from your own home to the halls of Westminster, this is the truth about justice in an age of fake law.

Provocative, funny and brilliantly reported, join Jenny Kleeman as she meets the strange people who are creating our future and changing what it means to be human today.

Of all the games mountaineers play, the hardest - and cruellest - is climbing the fourteen peaks over 8,000 metres in winter. Award-winning author Bernadette McDonald tells how Poland's ice warriors made winter their own, perfecting what they dubbed 'the art of suffering'. Winter 8000 is the story of true adventure at its most demanding.

Prince Albert Victor is heir presumptive to the British throne. Handsome and good-hearted, he is regarded as disastrously inadequate to be the king. By contrast, a renowned intellectual, Jem Stephen is a golden boy worshipped by all. He is appointed as Prince Albert's tutor - the relationship that will change both of their lives.

A leading scientist describes his life, his gender transition, his scientific work, and his advocacy for gender equality in science.Ben Barres was known for his groundbreaking scientific work and for his groundbreaking advocacy for gender equality in science. In this book, completed shortly before his death from pancreatic cancer in December 2017, Barres (born in 1954) describes a life full of remarkable accomplishments—from his childhood as a precocious math and science whiz to his experiences as a female student at MIT in the 1970s to his female-to-male transition in his forties, to his scientific work and role as teacher and mentor at Stanford. Barres recounts his early life—his interest in science, first manifested as a fascination with the mad scientist in Superman; his academic successes; and his gender confusion. Barres felt even as a very young child that he was assigned the wrong gender. After years of being acutely uncomfortable in his own skin, Barres transitioned from female to male. He reports he felt nothing but relief on becoming his true self. He was proud to be a role model for transgender scientists.As an undergraduate at MIT, Barres experienced discrimination, but it was after transitioning that he realized how differently male and female scientists are treated. He became an advocate for gender equality in science, and later in life responded pointedly to Larry Summers''s speculation that women were innately unsuited to be scientists. Privileged white men, Barres writes, “miss the basic point that in the face of negative stereotyping, talented women will not be recognized.” At Stanford, Barres made important discoveries about glia, the most numerous cells in the brain, and he describes some of his work. “The most rewarding part of his job,” however, was mentoring young scientists. That, and his advocacy for women and transgender scientists, ensures his legacy.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Eddie Redmayne as Hawking and Felicity Jones as his wife Jane. It chronicles their relationship, from his early development of ALS to his success in physics.

'Utterly fascinating' Daisy Goodwin, Sunday TimesBenjamin Franklin took daily naked air baths and Toulouse-Lautrec painted in brothels. Edith Sitwell worked in bed, and George Gershwin composed at the piano in pyjamas. Freud worked sixteen hours a day, but Gertrude Stein could never write for more than thirty minutes, and F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in gin-fuelled bursts - he believed alcohol was essential to his creative process. From Marx to Murakami and Beethoven to Bacon, Daily Rituals by Mason Currey presents the working routines of more than a hundred and sixty of the greatest philosophers, writers, composers and artists ever to have lived. Whether by amphetamines or alcohol, headstand or boxing, these people made time and got to work.Featuring photographs of writers and artists at work, and filled with fascinating insights on the mechanics of genius and entertaining stories of the personalities behind it, Daily Rituals is irresistibly addictive, and utterly inspiring.

The book gives a unique, first-hand account of the undercover police operation targeting the violent hooligans who followed the England football team around the world in the 1990s.

A revealing look at President Trump's behaviour at his Palm Beach resort - and the national security risks, financial graft, and other scandals that result from it.

Gripping memoir of one of the most senior Polish commanders during WW2 and a true patriot. A unique insight into the Arnhem operation as the Author commanded the Polish Parachute Brigade. Records the author's full war including fighting the Germans in 1939, his escape and subsequent contribution.

A full and detailed biography of Roger Keyes, Admiral of the Fleet and Lord of Zeebrugge and Dover. Lord Keyes was Churchill's trusted friend. He participated in the Boxer Rebellion, the First World War and the Second World War, during which he worked especially closely with Churchill.

Adam Walker is not your everyday record-breaking sportsman. He took on arguably the toughest extreme sport on the planet - to swim non-stop across seven of the world's deadliest oceans wearing only swim trunks, cap and goggles. Always intriguing, sometimes terrifying, and occasionally very funny, Adam's story is about sport in its truest form.

They Found the SecretA life of grater power can be yours! James Gilchrist Lawson examines the ways in which some of the most famous Christians of the ages reached a greater experience of God's love and power. The impact and influence of John Bunyan, Fnelon, Madame Guyon, D. L. Moody, and many others are here intimately revealed--mostly in their own words.You will discover how you can* Obtain victory over sin* Be filled with the Spirit* Find perfect peace and rest* Have your every need met* Overcome the enemy* Acquire boldness to witness for Christ* Grow closer to God than ever beforeThere is a life of spiritual fullness beyond salvation, and God is waiting for you to be receptive so that He can pour out this blessing to you. You, too, can experience the Spirit-filled life today!

From George Mller's amazing personal experiences, you will find the secret to receiving miraculous answers to your prayers.

The amazing story of champion cyclist Gino Bartali. How he helped save the lives of 800 Jews during WW2.

From the SAS to a headline-making solo journey across Antarctica - this is a story of courage, grit and determination.

That Will Be England Gone is a tour d'horizon of cricket in England from April to September.