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Plínio Salgado: A Brazilian Fascist (1895–1975) (Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right)
by João Fábio BertonhaPlínio Salgado covers the life trajectory of the far-right Brazilian political leader between 1895 and 1975. The book initially follows his life from his birth, including political and cultural training and political activities between 1895 and 1930. The focus then shifts to his period as leader of the Brazilian fascist movement between 1932 and 1938, with attention to his performance as a leader, his role within the movement, and in the rise and fall of the Integralist Action. His period of exile in Portugal between 1939 and 1947 is also emphasized, with a special focus on his contacts with the Portuguese radical right and German and Italian agents. The final part addresses his return to Brazil, his efforts to reposition himself politically and his performance as a parliamentarian and supporter of the military coup of 1964. This book will be of interest to researchers of Latin American history, Brazilian history and politics, the transnational far right, and comparative fascism studies.
Moving Mountains
by Claire BertschingerOne of the most enduring images of the Ethiopian famine that shocked the world in 1984 was that of the young International Red Cross nurse who, surrounded by thousands of starving people and with limited supplies, had the terrible task of choosing which children to feed, knowing that those she turned away might not last the night. That nurse was Claire Bertschinger, and those pictures inspired Live Aid, the biggest relief programme the world had ever seen. 'In her was vested the power of life and death,' Bob Geldof said. 'She had become God-like, and that is unbearable for anyone.' Michael Buerk, whose BBC documentary first showed those pictures, persuaded Claire to return to Ethiopia almost twenty years later. For all those years she had been haunted by the terrible choices she had been forced to make. But when she met them again, the survivors welcomed her back with open arms.Born in Essex, Claire Bertschinger had to overcome dyslexia to qualify as a nurse. When she joined the International Red Cross, she fulfilled a zest for adventure and a passionate vocation for relief work. She has worked with the war-wounded and hostages in Lebanon, with the Mujahidin in Afghanistan, and with victims of civil war and displaced persons in Uganda, Sierra Leone and the Sudan. Working in war zones she often came under fire herself while trying to save the lives of others.
The Last Overland: Singapore to London: The Return Journey of the Iconic Land Rover Expedition (with a foreword by Tim Slessor)
by Alex Bescoby* NOW A MAJOR DOCUMENTARY SERIES ON ALL 4 *‘This is a fabulous adventure – reckless, insanely ambitious and filled with sweat, tears and laughter ... irresistible reading.’ Joanna Lumley ‘Alex Bescoby weaves travel, adventure, history and the contemporary together like no one else. His great gift is to take us on a journey through past and present. By its end we have learned more about the world and ourselves.’ Dan Snow_______________________________________________________________‘A journey that I don’t think could be made again today’. It was this comment by Sir David Attenborough on the fiftieth anniversary of the iconic First Overland expedition that became an irresistible challenge for filmmaker and adventurer Alex Bescoby.In 1955, Attenborough, then a young TV producer, was approached by six recent university graduates determined to drive the entire length of ‘Eurasia’, from London to Singapore. It was the unclimbed Everest of motoring – many had tried, none had succeeded. Sensing this time might be different, Attenborough gave the expedition enough film reel to cover their attempt. The 19,000-mile journey completed by Tim Slessor and the team captivated a nation emerging from postwar austerity. Tim’s book, The First Overland, soon became the bible of the overlanding religion.Inspired by the First Overland, Alex made contact with now eighty-six-year-old Tim and together they planned an epic recreation of the original trip, this time from Singapore to London. Their goal was to complete the legendary journey started more than sixty years ago in the original ‘Oxford’ Land Rover.In awe of the unstoppable Tim, and haunted by his own grandfather’s declining health, Alex and his team soon find themselves battling rough roads, breakdowns and Oxford’s constantly leaky roof to discover a world changed for the better – and worse – since the first expedition.
Billie Eilish: From e-girl to Icon: The Unofficial Biography
by Adrian BesleyWith number one songs all over the world, a Bond theme, an armful of Grammys and over 70 million Instagram followers to her name, Billie Eilish is a global star. She has collaborated with Justin Bieber and Khalid, headlined Glastonbury and Coachella, and appeared in Calvin Klein ad campaigns. In her short career she has become an icon for Generation Z. Her postponed world tour is already sold out, spanning North and South America and Europe. Billie grew up in a close-knit family– her brother Finneas still writes and produces her songs – in Highland Park, a suburb of LA. Home-schooled and encouraged to express herself, she was a promising dancer until musical success came literally overnight in 2015. ‘Ocean Eyes’, a song uploaded to SoundCloud for her dance tutor, received a thousand plays in twenty-four hours. The thirteen-year-old’s ethereal singing voice was intoxicating and the track went viral.But she was no one-hit wonder; over the next year, Billie and Finneas produced a series of eclectic tracks resulting in the Don’t Smile at Me EP which broke the top twenty in over a dozen countries. She followed up with a record-smashing full length album, When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?, featuring the now-iconic ‘Bad Guy’. Her legions of new fans discovered an artist who, undaunted and even emboldened by her youth, had something to say about independence, veganism, mental health, body image, love and the maelstrom of teenage life.This book follows her journey from singing in her bedroom to performing in massive arenas around the globe, winning Grammys and launching her own fashion line. It reveals the story behind the hits and explores what makes Billie Eilish the most extraordinary teenage star in the world.
Blackpink: K-Pop's No.1 Girl Group
by Adrian BesleyA comprehensive guide to the K-pop girl group who are taking the music world by storm. The sassiest, most stylish girls around – BLACKPINK!‘Blackpink in Your Area!’ The K-pop girl group are taking their catchphrase literally; they have just finished a sell-out stadium world tour. Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa, all beautiful and supremely talented women in their early 20s, are the hottest thing in pop right now – and they only have a dozen songs! If Blackpink were ever a secret, the secret was out by April 2019, when they headlined Coachella, and their fandom – known as Blinks – suddenly included Ariana Grande and Harry Styles. They are the first female K-pop group to have had four #1 singles on Billboard's World Digital chart, and their single ‘Ddu-Du Ddu-Du’ became the most viewed music video by a K-pop group on YouTube – take that, BTS!This book is the perfect unofficial guide to Blackpink. It relates their days as trainees, their debut, their hits and success in the US, examines the personalities of each of the members and details their choreography, fashion and style triumphs and reveals why they are ‘the only gang to run the game in high heels’.
BTS: Icons of K-Pop
by Adrian BesleySeven men. Seven years. 31 million Twitter followers. 11 billion YouTube views. 13 billion Spotify streams. Sold out world tours. BTS are a global phenomenon – this is their story. This fully revised and updated edition of the bestselling biography covers their journey from debut to Map of the Soul: 7, and looks at how this group of guys from South Korea have taken over the world. RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook can sing, dance and rap, and write and produce their own music too. From humble beginnings at a small agency to topping charts all over the world, their story is truly incredible, and testament to the amazing talent and hard work of each of the members. Their dedicated fanbase, ARMY, have supported them through thick and thin, celebrating triumphs alongside their idols and pushing them to ever-greater heights. Extensively researched, and written in an upbeat and accessible style, this book interweaves the backstories of each of the members with the narrative of the band as a whole, their modest debut and their astonishing rise to fame in their home country and beyond. It also includes 16 pages of full colour photographs of the band performing, posing and having fun.
EXO: K-Pop Superstars
by Adrian BesleyA K-pop band like no other, EXO have been dominating charts and stealing hearts since they debuted in 2012. For the first time, this unofficial biography will tell their extraordinary story. Extensively researched, this book weaves in the backstories of each of the nine individual members with the story of the band as a whole, as well as detailing the support from their incredible fanbase, EXO-L. As any EXO-L knows, EXO come from an alien planet and possess superpowers – not hard to believe when you see how talented they are! They record their songs in Korean, Mandarin and Japanese, they have millions of fans all over the world, their music videos clock up hundreds of millions of views, and a captivated global audience watched this Korean-Chinese band close the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. No wonder Dazed magazine called them the ‘biggest Korean boyband in the world’.Featuring biographies of each of the nine current members – Suho, Xiumin, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun – as well as previous members Luhan, Kris and Tao, and taking an in-depth look at what makes them stand out from the K-pop crowd, this accessible and upbeat book is a must for all fans of one of the biggest bands on the planet.
Realism, Utopia, and the Mushroom Cloud: Four Activist Intellectuals and their Strategies for Peace, 1945-1989--Louise Weiss (France), Leo Szilard (USA), E. P. Thompson (England), Danilo Dolci (Italy) (Phoenix Fiction Ser.)
by Michael Bess"Two world wars, concentration camps, the obliteration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and continued preparations for nuclear war illustrate the modern world's propensity for mass destruction. . . . Yet there have been important signs of resistance to this trend. These have included not only the emergence of mass-based peace and disarmament movements but activist intellectuals grappling with the growing problem posed by mass violence among nation-states. . . . Bess examines the lives and ideas of four of these intellectuals: Leo Szilard of Hungary and (later) the United States, E. P. Thompson of England, Danilo Dolci of Italy, and Louise Weiss of France. . . . Realism, Utopia, and the Mushroom Cloud is a powerful, important scholarly work, casting new light upon some of the great issues of modern times. Readers will learn much from it."—Lawrence S. Wittner, Peace and Change "Bess seeks to understand the way in which the creation of the atomic bomb has changed the social and political situation of humankind. Are we to be held hostage by military forces or can we transform our situation? He describes the lives of four very different activists, each with different views on what causes conflict and how best to address conflict. . . . Overall, this book offers an interesting perspective on life after the atomic bomb. . . . In asking ourselves what the possibilities of our future are, we can turn to these lives for some guidance. . . . This book is informative, provocative, and encourages one to consider carefully how s/he chooses to live."—Erin McKenna, Utopian Studies "These four lives, researched and skillfully presented by historian Michael Bess, make fascinating stories in themselves. They also serve as useful vehicles for examining major cross-currents of Cold War resistance. . . . From Weiss the cynical pragmatist to Szilard the high-level fixer to hompson the social reformer to Dolce the spiritual street organizer, Michael Bess has woven an illuminating tapestry of human efforts to cope with life under the mushroom cloud."—Samuel H. Day Jr., The Progressive
Our George: A Family Memoir of George Best
by Barbara BestIt’s a story everyone thinks they know … about the young boy from the back streets of Belfast who grew up to be the most famous footballer in the world, a legend who was the first superstar of the sport but whose troubled personal life, as much as his sporting genius, came to dominate the headlines. But Barbara and Carol, George’s sisters, and Dickie, his father, know more. Our George reveals for the first time the real story of George Best – as told by those who knew him best and loved him most. It’s the inside story of the ordinary Belfast family whose love for, and contact with, their famous son and brother never wavered through the years. It’s the story of a family desperately helping him as he battled the illness that also claimed the life of their beloved wife and mother. Our George is a searingly honest book about the influences that moulded the legend – and the demons that haunted his life. Speaking for the first time, the intensely private Best family reveals how George really felt about the people and the events that shaped his life. Barbara Best is frank in confronting George’s own failings and those of some of the people who were close to him, as well as offering a unique perspective on the many pressures to which he was subject. Our George is illustrated with a wealth of previously unseen family photographs, documents and correspondence (much of it deeply poignant) between George and his family.
Second Best: My Dad and Me
by Calum BestTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLERCalum Best should have had it all. As the only son of world-famous footballing legend George Best and his first wife Angie, a gorgeous English model, Calum was born into a world of privilege and opportunity.But his father’s fame came at a price, and George’s playing career was soon overshadowed by his playboy lifestyle and an increasing dependence on the comforting embrace of alcohol. Whilst his tumultuous later years could never diminish the memories of the peerless, often breathtaking, quality of his football, they had a profound effect on Calum.Growing up with his mother in California, Calum’s visits to see his father in England were all too rare, and he cherished every moment he could spend in the company of the man he adored. But as George’s alcoholism spiralled out of control, inebriation frequently led to violence and George’s self-destruction spilled over onto his son.Vivid, deeply moving, brave and honest, Second Best is the heart-breaking story of their relationship. It is a powerful tale of love and suffering, of an absent father and his wayward son, and of a family torn apart by addiction.
Blessed - The Autobiography: The Autobiography
by George BestGeorge Best needs little introduction. A legend in his own lifetime, he is undoubtedly the greatest footballer the UK has ever produced. Blessed with an extraordinary gift he brought a beauty and grace to the game never before seen. But Best was unable to cope with the success and fame his football genius brought. His fabled story is littered with tales of women and sex and, of course, alcohol. Much has been written about Best, but very little substantiated by the man himself. That is until George Best opened his heart and engaged us in one of the most exhilarating life stories for years, Blessed. In his own words George recounts the halcyon days at Manchester United, the big games and European Cup win of '68. And then there's the heartbreaking truth about the death of his mother and his struggles with alcohol that forced him to face up to a life without drink. Blessed reveals the man behind the up-for-a-laugh, boozy, womanizing stereotype that had dogged George Best for so long. Open and honest about his mistakes, George is also incredibly candid about his triumphs, his regrets, and, only three years before his death, what he had hoped for the future.'Don't coach him, he's a genius' Sir Matt Busby'Unquestionably the greatest' Sir Alex Ferguson
Hard Tackles and Dirty Baths: The inside story of football's golden era
by George Best'We were the first generation to have to deal with the modern stardom of football. Some handled it better than others' George BestWritten in the months before he died, Hard Tackles and Dirty Baths is George's farewell letter to the great footballing era in which he burned so brightly - a personal history of the golden years before TV and agents changed everything. From the breaking of the maximum wage to the cusp of the first million-pound player, it follows the triumphs and tragedies of every season from 1960 to 1974. It is the story of our greatest footballing generation - Greaves, Moore, Law, Charlton, Osgood, Lorimer, Jennings, Hurst and, of course, Best himself.
Scoring At Half-Time: Adventures On and Off the Pitch
by George BestMichael Parkinson: 'What was the nearest to kick-off that you made love to a woman?'George Best: 'Er- I think it was half-time actually'George Best was the first celebrity footballer and to many the greatest British player ever. In Scoring at Half-Time he gathers together his favourite memories, stories and anecdotes from his experiences in and out of the game over the last forty years. No dressing room door is left unopened, no player's bar tale untold and no secret kept in this fond, humorous look at football's golden era from the man who was usually there when it happened. Inside stories and lurid tales about George, Bobby, Denis, Nobby and Fergie amongst others. Scoring at Half-Time will delight anyone who has ever wanted to spend time in the company of the footballing legend.
My Autobiography
by Rory BestRory Best is widely-regarded as one of Ireland's greatest ever captains. Entrusted by Joe Schmidt to lead the side that looked on the wane following the 2015 World Cup, Best's inspirational leadership skills and abrasive qualities proved to be the foundation stones for the most successful period in Ireland's history.His first year in charge saw Ireland complete a hat-trick of victories against the southern hemisphere 'Big Three', including leading his side to a first ever victory over world champions New Zealand in Chicago, a feat that etched Best's place in Irish sporting folklore and ended the All Blacks' record-winning streak of 18 Test victories.Ireland's annus mirabilis under Best's captaincy would come in 2018 however, when he led the side to only their third Grand Slam title, culminating with a famous victory over England at Twickenham, and a record-breaking run of 12 successive Test victories.When he steps down as Ireland captain at the age of 37 following the World Cup in Japan, his fourth tournament, history will no doubt also judge Best to be one of their greatest forwards.A hugely-popular figure across the game, Best will finish his career as Ireland's most capped forward, behind only Brian O'Driscoll and Ronan O'Gara in the all-time records, and also made over 200 appearances for his province Ulster.
Mrs Annie Besant: A Modern Prophet (Routledge Library Editions: Women's History)
by Theodore BestermanHaving already published a bibliography on Annie Besant, Theodore Besterman in this book continued with the story of her life. She was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator who lived between 1847 and 1933.Originally published in 1934, this work is fascinating for anyone with an interest in Annie Besant's life specifically or in any of the areas in which she became a household name.
Mrs Annie Besant: A Modern Prophet (Routledge Library Editions: Women's History)
by Theodore BestermanHaving already published a bibliography on Annie Besant, Theodore Besterman in this book continued with the story of her life. She was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator who lived between 1847 and 1933.Originally published in 1934, this work is fascinating for anyone with an interest in Annie Besant's life specifically or in any of the areas in which she became a household name.
The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod (Perennial Bestsellers Ser.)
by Henry BestonA rediscovered classic of American nature writing: the poetic account of a solitary year observing the wild beauty of Cape CodWith an introduction by Philip HoareA fragment of land in open ocean, the outermost beach of Cape Cod lies battered by winds and waves. It was here that the writer-naturalist Henry Beston spent a year in a tiny, two-roomed wooden house built on a solitary dune, writing his rapturous account of the changing seasons amid a vast, bright world of sea, sand and sky.Transforming the natural world into something mysterious, elemental and transcendent, Beston describes soaring clouds of migrating birds and butterflies; the primal sounds of the booming sea; luminous plankton washed ashore like stardust; the long-buried, blackened skeleton of an ancient shipwreck rising from the dunes during a winter storm; a single eagle in the endless blue.With its rhythmic, incantatory language and its heightened sensory power, The Outermost House is an American classic that changed writing about the wild: a hymn to ancient, eternal patterns of life and creation.Henry Beston (1888–1968) was born in Quincy, Massachusetts and educated at Harvard. He wrote many books in his lifetime, including a memoir of his years in the volunteer ambulance corps in the First World War, an account of life in the US Navy and a book of fairy tales. The Outermost House, widely considered his masterpiece, was published in 1928. His Cape Cod house was named a National Literary Landmark in 1964, and it was destroyed by a huge winter storm in 1978.
Even Silence Has An End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle
by Ingrid BetancourtIngrid Betancourt's story - her exemplary courage, spirit and resilience - has captured the world's imagination. A politician and presidential candidate celebrated for her determination to combat the corruption and climate of fear endemic in Colombia, in 2002 she was taken hostage by FARC, a terrorist guerrilla organisation. She was held captive in the depths of the jungle for six and a half years, chained day and night for much of that time, constantly on the move and enduring gruelling conditions. She was freed and reunited with her children and relatives in 2008.It is Betancourt's indomitable spirit that drives this important and deeply moving book, telling in her own words the extraordinary drama of her capture and eventual rescue, and describes her fight to survive, mentally and physically. As she confronts the horror of what she went through, her story also goes beyond the specifics of her own confinement to offer an intensely intelligent, thoughtful and compassionate reflection on what it means to be human.
Khodasevich: His Life And Art
by David M. BetheaThis critical biography of Vladislav Khodasevich (1886-1939), David M. Bethea introduces to the Western reader the life and art of a literary figure described by Vladimir Nabokov as the greatest Russian poet of the twentieth century.Originally published in 1983.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Hillsborough Untold: Aftermath of a disaster
by Norman BettisonOn 15 April 1989, ninety-six spectators lost their lives at Sheffield's Hillsborough Stadium as they gathered for an FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The events of that spring afternoon sparked a controversy that continues to reverberate through British football and policing to this day.Norman Bettison, a Chief Inspector in the South Yorkshire Police at the time of the Hillsborough disaster, witnessed the tragedy as a spectator at the match. Since then, he has found himself one of the focal points of outrage over the actions of the police. Comments he made in the wake of the Hillsborough Independent Panel in 2012 stoked further criticism in the press and in Parliament and, in October 2012, he resigned from his job as Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police.This personal account describes how the Hillsborough disaster unfolded, provides an insight into what was happening at South Yorkshire Police headquarters in the aftermath, and gives an objective and compassionate account of the bereaved families' long struggle for justice, all the while charting the author's journey from innocent bystander to a symbol of a perceived criminal conspiracy.The author is donating his proceeds from the sales of this book to charity.
England Players' Records: 1872 - 2020
by Graham BettsIt has been some ten years since the first edition of England Players’ Records was published, during which time more than 100 players have been capped for the national side on at least one occasion. During that same time frame, no fewer than five players have joined the exalted ranks of centurions by winning their one hundredth cap. Now comprehensively updated, the book contains details of each and every footballer who has played for England, 1235 in total, including all the squad players who took part in the FIFA World Cup in Russia under new manager Gareth Southgate. Compiled by Graham Betts, the leading expert on England’s football team, the Players’ Records includes a foreword by World Cup winning full-back George Cohen who celebrated his 80th birthday in October 2019.
Dr Macnamara 1861-1931
by Robin BettsThis well-researched historical biography is the first on Dr T. J. Macnamara, the first ex-elementary teacher to win a government post. Colleague and close friend of Lloyd George, and praised by Winston Churchill, Macnamara was an educationist, journalist and Cabinet Minister. This study of his life and career makes a major contribution to educational history as well as to the history of the Liberal Party, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and British political history generally. Fascinating details of Macnamara’s pre-Parliamentary career are provided and, alongside the biographical account, the book deals with a range of major issues with which Macnamara was involved. In education, government control of school funding and the curriculum in the 1890s is considered together with the emergence of elementary school teachers as powerful public figures, the operation and decline of London’s first education system (the London School Board 1870–1904), and resistance (especially in Wales) to Balfour’s 1902 Education Act. Defence issues feature: a view of the First World War arms race from inside the Admiralty; the Admiralty during the First World War from the standpoint of the only government minister who held the same office throughout the hostilities, working with, among others, Churchill and Balfour. Macnamara’s establishment of the dole on response to the post-war economic slump, 1920–22, is also considered. Important analysis is included of the fragmentation of the Liberal Party in the 1920s, leaving Macnamara as one of the last of Lloyd George’s supporters.
The Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity
by Axton Betz-HamiltonAN EDGAR AWARDS 2020 NOMINEEIn this powerful true crime memoir, an award-winning identity theft expert tells the shocking story of the duplicity and betrayal that inspired her career and nearly destroyed her family.Axton Betz-Hamilton grew up in small-town Indiana in the early '90s. When she was 11 years old, her parents both had their identities stolen. Their credit ratings were ruined, and they were constantly fighting over money. This was before the age of the Internet, when identity theft became more commonplace, so authorities and banks were clueless and reluctant to help Axton's parents.Axton's family changed all of their personal information and moved to different addresses, but the identity thief followed them wherever they went. Convinced that the thief had to be someone they knew, Axton and her parents completely cut off the outside world, isolating themselves from friends and family. Axton learned not to let anyone into the house without explicit permission, and once went as far as chasing a plumber off their property with a knife. As a result, Axton spent her formative years crippled by anxiety, quarantined behind the closed curtains in her childhood home. She began starving herself at a young age in an effort to blend in--her appearance could be nothing short of perfect or she would be scolded by her mother, who had become paranoid and consumed by how others perceived the family.Years later, her parents' marriage still shaken from the theft, Axton discovered that she, too, had fallen prey to the identity thief, but by the time she realized, she was already thousands of dollars in debt and her credit was ruined. The Less People Know About Us is Axton's attempt to untangle an intricate web of lies, and to understand why and how a loved one could have inflicted such pain. Axton will present a candid, shocking, and redemptive story and reveal her courageous effort to grapple with someone close that broke the unwritten rules of love, protection, and family.
Nearly Famous: Adventures Of An After-dinner Speaker
by Bob BevanFirmly established in the world of entertainment, The Cat's route to fame has been through corporate and sporting dinners. He grew up loving sport and perservered despite having only one eye and an almost total absence of natural ability. His reputation as a figure of fun and his readiness to laugh at his own failures have reaped rich rewards.How many of us have played football with Bobby Moore and George Best at Wembley, or played at Lord's, or written a poem teasing the Duke of Edinburgh for never recognising us? In Nearly Famous, The Cat writes hilariously of the many famous people he has worked with - everyone from Colin Cowdrey, Bobby Robson and Terry Venables to Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Billy Connolly, Eric Morcambe and Brian Johnston - and the highs and lows of that most serious of businesses: making people laugh.
An English Library Journey: With Detours to Wales and Northern Ireland
by John BevisJohn Bevis is a writer and book-lover on an eccentric quest: to obtain a membership card from every library authority in England. In a ten-year mission criss-crossing the country - from Solihull to Slough, from Cleveland to Cornwall - he enrols at libraries of all shapes and sizes: monuments to Art Deco or Brutalism; a converted corset factory; one even shaped like a pork pie. With the architectural eye of Pevsner and the eavesdropping ear of Bill Bryson, he engages us at every step with anecdotes and apercus about the role of the public library in our national life, while ruing its decline in the age of austerity. As interested in the people he finds as he is in the buildings and their history, he is a humane, witty and erudite guide. The result is a book to be treasured by anyone who has ever used a library.