THE postcard on the cover of this book says it all. The card was written by John Lennon and sent to his friend Chris Hutchins. On the card's photograph of the Beatles, John had drawn a fifth member - the founder of the group Stuart Sutcliffe who John went on to describe as the best friend he ever had. This is the kind of confidence John, Paul George and Ringo shared with writer Hutchins who...

When the wind is from the north the old woman manages my meals with fair regularity; but on the other days she often makes my tea at three o'clock instead of six. If I refuse it she puts it down to simmer for three hours in the turf, and then brings it in at six o'clock full of anxiety to know if it is warm enough.... The general ignorance of any precise hours in the day makes it impossible...

In February 1991, Robert Maxwell made a triumphant entrance into Manhattan harbour on board his yacht, the Lady Ghislaine. He had come to complete his purchase of the ailing New York Daily News. Crowds lined the quayside to watch his arrival. Taxi drivers stopped their cabs to shake his hand, children asked for his autograph and when Maxwell went to dine in the most fashionable Chinese...

Monika Osiecka’s Mirror Fragments is a fascinating record of a woman’s experience, an artist’s self-reflection. It is an intimate diary composed of words, sculptures, and the author’s own photographs. Don’t be misled by the impression that the central focus of this unusual publication, this album, yet not album, is the image. Subtle nudes, female figures emerging out of stone, rugged...

Shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award ‘What a remarkable book this is; tender, funny, brave, heartfelt, radiant with love and life. It brought me often to laughter and – several times – to tears. It sings with joy and kindness’ Robert Macfarlane From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Your Life in My Hands comes this vibrant, tender and deeply personal...

The Dalai Lama’s message of peace and compassion resonates with people of all faiths and none. Yet, for all his worldwide fame, he remains personally elusive. Now, Alexander Norman, acclaimed Oxford-trained scholar of the history of Tibet, delivers the definitive biography—unique, multi-layered, and at times even shocking. The Dalai Lama illuminates an astonishing odyssey from isolated...

According to Yeats the fear gorta walks the earth during times of famine, seeking alms from passers-by. In this version the fear gorta can be a potential source of good luck for generous individuals. If you are a stranger, you will not readily get ghost and fairy legends, even in a western village. You must go adroitly to work, and make friends with the children and the old...

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea novels are some of the most acclaimed and awarded works in literature—they have received prestigious accolades such as the National Book Award, a Newbery Honor, the Nebula Award, and many more honors, commemorating their enduring place in the hearts and minds of readers and the literary world alike. Now for the first time ever, they’re all together in one...

Depuis le XIIe siecle, Aliénor d’Aquitaine a sa légende. On l’a décrite libre, sorciere, conquérante : « le roi disait que j’étais diable », selon la formule de l’éveque de Tournai… Clara Dupont-Monod reprend cette figure mythique et invente ses premieres années comme reine de France, aux côtés de Louis VII. Leurs voix alternent pour dessiner le portrait poignant d’une Aliénor...