Selvbiografier

The beautiful Anglo-Italian artist Maria Cosway was one of the most talented and dynamic women active in Regency England, but one whose achievements have been largely overlooked. Born in Florence in 1760, she was acclaimed at an early age as both a painter and a musician. She exhibited forty-one paintings at the Royal Academy summer exhibition between 1781 and 1801, and hosted regular musical soirees at the Pall Mall house she shared with her husband, Richard Cosway. They were attended by the political and cultural elite of London. Maria's extraordinary network of connections to the great and the good of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries, included friendships with, among others, Thomas Jefferson, the Prince of Wales, Pasquale Paoli, the artist Jacques-Louis David, the opera singer Luigi Marchesi, the Duchess of Devonshire, the actress and writer Mary Robinson, and members of the Bonaparte family. Estranged from her husband by 1801, Maria Cosway largely gave up painting and reinvented herself as a progressive educator, founding schools for young women: first in Lyon, later in Lodi, Italy. In recognition of her achievements at Lodi, the Emperor of Austria made her a baroness.

Lilly, a senior lady, would never have dreamt of doing the Camino de Santiago. Yet, one day, she just took off and started this arduous pilgrimage, walking 800 km all alone through the north of Spain. Lilly's handicaps, as a result of previous brain surgery, made traveling on her own sometimes hazardous.On these pages, she draws the reader into the beautiful, peaceful, and happy pilgrim world, relating some of the incredible stories she heard. She listens to Stuart when he talks about the agonizing search for his younger brother at Ground Zero, and to Alexander from Peru, who had twenty siblings, all by the same mother. We hear about the lady who was struggling to get away from an abusive, narcissistic partner.At an almost hidden level, this story lifts a few veils off Lilly's own marriage. We also get to know David, who saved Lilly's life during a night of thunderstorms, which was, by the way, not the first time her life was in danger. David returns in quite an unexpected manner in the last few pages of these Camino tales, adding more magic to an exceptional journey.

It never dawned on me that I was getting ill, but what was happening to me was very real. Living in a world of make-believe, I was convinced my imaginary visions were genuine. I had delusions of grandeur, thinking I was all-powerful and the centre of everything. But I was not a monster; I was a lost soul. My story involves a struggle with mania and depression in the context of my life in England and France. How, despite my handicap, I held down a job abroad for 8 years and how, after 8 years of marriage to a Frenchman, I supported my daughter as a single parent. My memoir gives insight into living with mental illness. It is an autobiography concerned with memories of childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

Inspired by the true story of Frankie Lucas, a young black boxer navigating the vibrant yet challenging world of 1970s London.

From the acclaimed biographer of Buckminster Fuller, a riveting biography of the Nobel Prize-winning experimental physicist hailed as "the greatest scientific detective of the twentieth century."

This is the story of a life that took an unexpected turn, leading to priceless treasures and profound awakenings. George Dexton's journey begins with the decision to emigrate to a distant land, followed by the commitments of marriage, raising a family, and starting a new business. As he battles for success and recognition, George's marriage collapses, plunging him into a period of overindulgence and recklessness that eventually leads to the downfall of his business.In the aftermath, an unexpected mystical experience brings confusion, spiraling George into depression and a deep philosophical quest. He explores the unknown depths of his mind, searching for meaning and freedom from what feels like a futile existence. Reluctantly pushing forward, he reaches a point of no return, still seeking a sense of purpose in a world that seems blind to his struggles.

Autobiography, medical bias

Working in Europe, across enemy lines in occupied China and in Washington D.C., Betty, Zuzka, Jane and Marlene forged letters and 'official' military orders, wrote and produced entire newspapers, scripted radio broadcasts and songs and even developed rumours for undercover spies and double agents to spread to the enemy.

The first biography to rescue the true story of Josiah Henson, restoring to history his role in the Underground RailroadJosiah Henson led a fascinating life-from the plantation fields of Maryland to the Georgetown Market to the plantations of Kentucky to escaping to freedom in Canada to being introduced to the Queen in England. Born enslaved, Henson eventually escaped and became a respected minister and famed secular leader. "My Name Is Not Tom" is a biography of Josiah Henson, the man catapulted into fame after Harriet Beecher Stowe noted that certain events in his life partially influenced the development of her fictional character Uncle Tom. While previous biographies have relied heavily on Henson's four autobiographies, which replicated the myth that he was the sole inspiration for Stowe's character, "My Name Is Not Tom" uses new primary source research to fill in the untold parts of his extraordinary life and examine his views of slavery and morality, which changed substantially over the course of his life.

Undaunted Mind tells the story of the development of Benjamin Franklin's intellect beginning with the earliest books he read as a child in Boston, his formal schooling and independent study, through his time in London, Paris, and Philadelphia, where he established himself as one of America's leading intellectuals and philanthropists. The story of Franklin's intellectual life is also the story of the friends he made in various stages of his life, so this book illuminates his circles of illustrious friends who encouraged his reading, his community improvement projects, and his scientific research.

A major new biography of Joe Meek, the legendary maverick engineer, songwriter, artist manager and record producer. Joe Meek. Wayward genius; the British Phil Spector, the first producer to treat the recording studio as an instrument; head of one of the earliest independent record labels; creator of some of the most incredibly influential pop music ever, including 'Telstar', the first American number one single by a British band; and a man tormented by mental health issues and financial battles.He was all these and more, as author Darryl W. Bullock reveals through numerous original interviews with friends and colleagues in his compelling biography of the legendary producer.Love and Fury takes readers on a guided tour of Meek's fabled Holloway Road studio, examines the recordings issued during his lifetime, looks at the wealth of unreleased material he left behind - the legendary Tea Chest tapes, rumoured to include recordings by David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Ray Davies of the Kinks and others - and examines that events which ultimately led to murder and suicide.