In 1805, a 56-year-old immigrant disembarked in Philadelphia carrying only a violin. Before dying in New York 23 years later, he would find New World respectability as a bookseller, then as the first Professor of Italian at Columbia University. The many lives of Lorenzo da Ponte - librettist of Mozart's three great operas - begin in Venice, linger in Vienna and London and wind up in New York. An engrossing biography of the extraordinary life of Mozart's collaborator.
QUICKSANDS
by Sybille Bedford
Beginning in 1956 with the publication of A Legacy, Sybille Bedford has narrated in fiction and non-fiction what has been by turns her sensuous, harrowing, altogether remarkable life. In this lyrical memoir, she takes readers from the Berlin of World War 1, to the artists' set on the Cote d'Azur of the 1920s, through friends, lovers, mentors and family, to a relatively settled life in Chelsea.
UNTOLD STORIES
by Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett has delighted audiences worldwide with his gentle humour and wry observations about life. This sequel to his classic Writing Home includes a poignant memoir of his family and of growing up in Leeds, together with his much celebrated diary for the years 1996 - 2004, and numerous other essays, reviews and comic pieces. One of Britain's most distinguished wordsmiths at the height of his powers.
THE REAL LIFE OF ANTHONY BURGESS
by Andrew Biswell
Anthony Burgess was a brilliant polymath, whose unique creativity engendered complicated relationships with his friends, his publishers, his lovers, and fellow writers. Drawing on extensive interviews, unpublished writings, manuscripts, letters and diaries, Andrew Biswell reveals both the professional writer and the private man as never seen before.
THE LAST DANCE
by DENYS BLAKEWAY
January 2010
JAMES BOND
by Henry Chancellor
An entertaining journey through the world of James Bond, from Moscow to Mayfair, the bedroom to the war-room, the casino to the villain's lair. Henry Chancellor explores the world of the quintessential secret agent, and shows which features of Ian Fleming's life, personality and experiences influenced the creation of 007. Full of delightful trivia about Bond and his creator.
LIVED IN LONDON
by EMILY COLE, ed.
Sub-titled "Blue Plaques and the Stories Behind Them", this noble piece of social history describes in fascinating detail the stories behind London's 800-odd homes adorned by these historic landmarks, and the demanding process of becoming thus acknowledged. Arranged by Borough, predictable figures such as Churchill, Wellington and Pitt are joined by the rather less likely luminaries, such as Hendrix and Gandhi, making this a city history in miniature. And, not to be outdone, the history of the plaques themselves, made by the likes of Minton and Royal Doulton, is a tale in itself. Yale University's London branch has done it again: elegant, costly and worth every penny, this is a singular achievement.
August 2010
LIVED IN LONDON
by EMILY COLE, ed.
May 2010
SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC
by David Crane
Scott has been the subject of many books - many hagiographical, others dismissive and scathing. David Crane's biography, based on years of close and detailed research with the original documents, re-examines the courage and tragedy of Scott's expedition and reasserts his position in the pantheon of British heroes.
A NIGHT AT THE MAJESTIC
by Richard Davenport-Hines
The intriguing story of one of the most extraordinary dinner parties of all time - when Proust, Joyce, Picasso, Diaghilev and Stravinsky all met at the Majestic in Paris one night in May 1922. Focusing in particular on the life and work of Proust, Richard Davenport-Hines evokes the glamour of early 20th century Paris, the intellectual achievement of the modernist movement, and the gossip, intrigue and scandal of the era. Nicholas Hoare.
SCENES FROM MY LIFE
by Judi Dench
Judi Dench opens her photograph albums publicly for the first time, contributing her own anecdotes and captions to pictures from throughout her seventy years. These in turn are augmented by further photographs covering every aspect of her acting life - on stage, film and TV. A captivating personal memoir that offers revealing glimpses of the woman behind the actress.
DIPLOMATIC INCIDENTS
by CHERRY DENMAN
January 2010
MY LIVES
by Edmund White
No one has been more frank, and entertaining about growing up gay in Middle America than Edmund White. Here he abandons the fictional smokescreens of his novels and delivers the facts in all their outrageous and absorbing verity. In this unrepentant and moving memoir describing his life as a homosexual, he shares his opinions on art and literature and introduces us to his friends, lovers and fellow artists.
SIEGFRIED SASSOON
by Max Egremont
The authorized biography of the soldier poet, written with unique access to all of Sassoon's previously unseen papers. Sassoon was the embodiment of a romantic ideal, yet many questions about his character, unique experience and motivations have remained unanswered until now. A perceptive and balanced portrait of a complex and enigmatic man.
THE ART OF EATING
by M.F.K. FISHER
As the American counterpart to Elizabeth David, M.F.K. Fisher is equally hard to beat. Hardly new, but timeless, "The Art of Eating" remains the definitive anthology, comprising "Serve it Forth", "How to Cook a Wolf", "Gastronomical Me", "An Alphabet for Gourmets" and the immortal "Consider the Oyster", alone worth the price of admission. Not to be mistaken for a cookbook, but peppered throughout with recipes, this splendid collection represents all that is good about gastronomic essays and fine cuisine in general. Bedtime reading par excellence. A dabbler's delight.
January 2010
GENTLEMEN AND BLACKGUARDS
by NICHOLAS FOULKES
Summer 2010
BAREFOOT IN MULLYNEENY
by Bryan Gallagher
Bryan Gallagher's nostalgic and evocative reminiscences of growing up in Ulster will delight those who long for the innocence of childhood and the simplicity of an era long past. His remarkable memoir vividly recreates life in rural Ireland in the 1940s and 50s providing a delightful view of yesteryear with a humorous optimism that is Ireland at its best.
THE YEAR OF THE JOUNCER
by Simon Gray
In these, the latest chronicles of triumph and disaster from the celebrated author of The Smoking Diaries, Simon Gray intertwines scenes from his adult and his childish self to produce a brilliant and moving counterpoint of life's unsteady progress. Replete with Gray's usual sardonic humour and idiosyncratic charm; highly entertaining.
MOSES MONTEFIORE
by ABIGAIL GREEN
Spring 2010
MARK HAMPTON
by DUANE HAMPTON
Those with an affection for decor will be delighted to note that a biography of the late lamented Mark Hampton has been finally written - by none other than his widow. Trained at the hands of David Hicks, Sister Parish and McMillen, Inc., and occasionally over the top, he was nonetheless an early believer in British chintz and had a memorable effect on American society, from the White House down. His friends, however, will remember him for his remarkable watercoloured Christmas cards, each a collector's item in its own right. This is a Rizzoli title, and as usual packed to the gills with snapshots; but the tale itself should not be overlooked, and his lady has told it well.
April 2010
YOUNG ROMANTICS
by DAISY HAY
January 2010
RUSKIN ON VENICE
by ROBERT HEWISON
January 2010
IT IS BLISS HERE
by Myles Hildyard
Myles Hildyard's letters home from WWII provide an unusual and frank memoir of the period. His war letters from Palestine, Crete, North Africa, Italy, and finally Berlin in 1945, provide a witty, and moving portrait of a young man in a hostile and rapidly changing world, while also revealing his struggle to come to terms with his sexuality and the moral and religious problems this imposed upon him.
COSIMA WAGNER
by OLIVER HILMES
Summer 2010
TRUE PLEASURES
by Lucinda Holdforth
Lucinda Holdforth takes a very personal tour through the lives, loves, and losses of Paris' most celebrated women. Rule-breakers and style-setters, these women were utterly diverse, yet all shared one common passion - Paris. And they are all role models for Holdforth in one way or another, in their art or their lives or their views on love. A sophisticated, witty, and charming travelogue.
HONKY TONK PARADE
by John Lahr
From the distinguished New Yorker critic John Lahr, a brilliant collection of essays about some of the most provocative cultural icons of our time. His illuminating portraits weave together biography, anecdote, and shrewd interpretation. Lahr at his trenchant best.
MAE WEST
by Simon Louvish
Sex goddess, Hollywood star, blues singer and vaudeville brat - Mae West remains one of the 20th century's greatest comediennes, a woman who blazed her own trail through Broadway plays and movie classics. Simon Louvish charts her extraordinary seven decades in show business, from teenage summer stock to her last reincarnation as 1960s gay icon and grand dame of Hollywood survivors.
WILFRED THESIGER
by Alexander Maitland
Wilfred Thesiger, the last of the great gentlemen explorer-adventurers, became a legend in his own lifetime. While Thesiger's own writings comprehensively cover his classic journeys, they fail to shed light on his character and motives, which have remained an enigma. This authorised biography, by a friend of long-standing, reveals the details of his extraordinary life.
THE LIFE OF GRAHAM
by Bob McCabe
Graham Chapman was the quiet, pipe-smoking Python who qualified as a doctor, although his tweed-jacketed demeanour belied his true anarchic nature. He was John Cleese's writing partner from their early days at Cambridge Footlights right through the Monty Python years. A fascinating and revealing account of the life of one of British comedy's best-loved figures.
MANSTEIN
by MUNGO MELVIN
Spring 2010
THE DUFF COOPER DIARIES: 1915-1954
by Ed. John Julius Norwich
Soldier, politician, ambassador, and an intimate of Edward VIII, Duff Cooper was a bon viveur, known for his wit and charm. Famous, too, for his marriage to the celebrated beauty, Diana Manners; they were together one of the most dazzling couples of the age. These are his long awaited and highly revealing diaries, edited by his son, the noted historian, John Julius Norwich.
A SERPENT IN EDEN
by James Owen
Even in wartime, Sir Harry Oakes's murder in the Bahamas commanded front-page headlines. His death began a series of events whose protagonists included the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and which culminated in the sensational trial and acquittal of Oakes' son-in-law for the crime. James Owen's brilliant re-investigation of this fascinating murder mystery stands on a par with White Mischief.
MY MOTHER'S WEDDING DRESS
by Justine Picardie
Justine Picardie tells a sequence of stories that reveal how a family has fashioned itself through the clothes that they have worn: from her mother's black wedding dress to her first party frock. She also tells of her encounters with fashion designers - Karl Lagerfeld and Donatella Versace, among others; conversations with supermodels, and her search for Charlotte Bronte's ring.
Lady Worsley's Whim
by Hallie Rubenhold
A splendidly gossipy tale of a high society, 18th century scandal between Sir Richard Worsley and his blatantly spirited wife. A period piece par excellence.
January 2010
PETER JACKSON
by Brian Sibley
An authorised look at the life and career of the award-winning director, from his childhood film projects up to "King Kong", together with Jackson's revealing personal account of his six-year quest to film "The Lord of the Rings". Illustrated with previously unpublished photos from Jackson's personal collection, the inside story of how he became Hollywood's hottest property.
Spring 2006
MAIDENS' TRIP
by EMMA SMITH
Middle-class meets lower. A vintage tale (written by one of them) of three 18-year-old girls of impeccable backgrounds who sign on with the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company in 1943 under an improbable wartime scheme to replace the boaters who'd joined up. Learning to manoeuvre 70-foot long canal boats though narrow locks, transporting steel in one direction and coal the other, our intrepid heroines meet life in the raw with humour and equanimity, much to the delight of the locals, who've never seen anything like it. A splendid slice of social history, first published in 1948, of lasting interest and written with affection.
July 2009
CONSUELO & ALVA
by Amanda Stuart
In 1896, American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt was married off by her socially ambitious mother Alva to the Duke of Marlborough. Coerced into a marriage that was more business transaction than fairy tale, Consuelo threw herself into her children and an interest in social and political matters. An entertaining and astutely observed look at the conduct and mores of high society at the turn of the last century.
CHURCHILL'S EMPIRE
by RICHARD TOYE
March 2010
ALAN CLARK
by ION TREWIN
The long-awaited biography of a brilliant diarist, politician and womaniser by his long-time editor, Ion Trewin, who not only knew him intimately, but had unfettered access to a Pandora's box of politically hot hot potatoes at Saltwood, the Kentish castle he called his home. Alan Clark was the the Pepys of his generation and a very naughty boy. It says a great deal for his long-suffering widow that his archives have been released at all, and it is greatly to his publisher's credit that the results are being published untarnished. Bombs away!
Autumn 2009
ELIZABETH The Queen Mother
by Hugo Vickers
Hugo Vickers, an acknowledged expert on the House of Windsor, observed the Queen Mother in public and private over a period of forty years. His authoritative, affectionate, yet very candid biography of the late Queen Mother assesses how influential she was and how she dealt with the challenges and crises of her role.
HAROLD MACMILLAN
by CHARLES WILLIAMS
Sir Harold Macmillan is hardly a salacious subject, but this is as much a private as a political biography of a man much maligned. Lord Williams' judicious balancing of HM's political career against the adulterous antics of his wife results in a definitive study, not merely of a key figure in British history of the fifties, but of a decade largely overlooked. From Foreign Secretary to Chancellor to Prime Minister post-Suez, Macmillan spearheaded a post-war recovery even as the Profumo affair precipitated his own demise. Both readable and revealing, this is a well-written work of considerable merit.
