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The Real JRR Tolkien: The Man Who Created Middle-Earth
by Jesse XanderThis comprehensive biography of the author of The Lord of the Rings explores his life and work as a pioneering linguist and writer. In The Real J.R.R. Tolkien, biographer Jesse Xander presents a complete picture of the legendary author. Beginning with Tolkien&’s formative years of home-schooling, the narrative continues through the spires of Oxford, his romance with his wife-to-be on the brink of the Great War, and onwards into his phenomenal academic success and his creation of the seminal high fantasy world of Middle Earth. This thoroughly researched biography delves into Tolkien&’s influences, places, friendships, triumphs and tragedies, with particular emphasis on how his remarkable life and loves forged the worlds of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Using contemporary sources and comprehensive research, The Real JRR Tolkien offers a unique insight into the life and times of one of Britain&’s greatest authors, from early life to immortal legacy.
The Real James Bond: A True Story of Identity Theft, Avian Intrigue, & Ian Fleming
by Jim WrightFirst book to research the intriguing backstory of the real James Bond, a Philadelphia ornithologist An adventure story for armchair travelers, fans of 007, and birdwatchersDiscover how naturalists named new species after Bond, leveraging his fame to build awareness
The Real James Dean: Intimate Memories from Those Who Knew Him Best
by Peter Winkler George StevensIn the decades following his death, many of those who knew James Dean best--actors, directors, friends, lovers (both men and women), photographers, and Hollywood columnists--shared stories of their first-person experiences with him in interviews and in the articles and autobiographies they wrote. Their recollections of Dean became lost in fragile back issues of movie magazines and newspapers and in out-of-print books that are extremely hard to find. Until now. The Real James Dean is the first book of its kind: a rich collection spanning six decades of writing in which many of the people whose lives were touched by Dean recall their indelible experiences with him in their own words. Here are the memorable personal accounts of Dean from his high school and college drama teachers; the girl he almost married; costars like Rock Hudson, Natalie Wood, Jim Backus, and Raymond Massey; directors Elia Kazan, Nicholas Ray, and George Stevens; entertainer Eartha Kitt; gossip queen Hedda Hopper; the passenger who accompanied Dean on his final, fatal road trip; and a host of his other friends and colleagues.
The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father
by James WightNo one is better poised to write the biography of James Herriot than the son who worked alongside him in the Yorkshire veterinary practice when Herriot became an internationally bestselling author. Now, in this warm and poignant memoir, Jim Wight talks about his father--the beloved veterinarian whom his family had to share with half the world.Alf Wight (aka James Herriot) grew up in Glasgow, where he lived during a happy rough-and-tumble childhood and then through the challenging years of training at the Glasgow Veterinary College. The story of how the young vet later traveled to the small Yorkshire town of Thirsk, aka Darrowby, to take the job of assistant vet is one that is well known through James Herriot's internationally celebrated books and the popular All Creatures Great and Small television series. But Jim Wight's biography ventures beyond the trials and tribulations of his father's life as a veterinarian to reveal the man behind the stories--the private individual who refused to allow fame and wealth to interfere with his practice or his family. With access to all of his father's papers, correspondence, manuscripts, and photographs--and intimate remembrances of all the farmers, locals, and friends who populate the James Herriot books--only Jim Wight could write this definitive biography of the man who was not only his father but his best friend.NOTE: This edition does not include a photo insert.
The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things
by Paula Byrne“A vivacious portrait. . . . Byrne’s Austen emerges as a worldly woman, profoundly enmeshed in a wider world than she’s often acknowledged to occupy. This is an Austen with a sense for the political as well as for the finer points of sensibility—and one who will be unfamiliar (though never unrecognizable) to many readers.” — Publishers WeeklyIn The Real Jane Austen, acclaimed literary biographer Paula Byrne provides the most intimate and revealing portrait yet of a beloved but complex novelist.Just as letters and tokens in Jane Austen’s novels often signal key turning points in the narrative, Byrne explores the small things – a scrap of paper, a gold chain, an ivory miniature – that held significance in Austen’s personal and creative life.Byrne transports us to different worlds, from the East Indies to revolutionary Paris, and to different events, from a high society scandal to a case of petty shoplifting. In this ground-breaking biography, Austen is set on a wider stage than ever before, revealing a well-traveled and politically aware writer – important aspects of her artistic development that have long been overlooked.The Real Jane Austen is a fresh, compelling, and surprising biography of the author of some of our most enduring classic books – from Pride and Prejudice to Sense and Sensibility, Emma to Persuasion – and a vivid evocation of the world that shaped her.
The Real Jimmy Carter: How Our Worst Ex-President Undermines American Foreign Policy, Coddles Dictators and Created the Party of Clinton and Kerry
by Steven F. HaywardJimmy Carter: America's best ex-president?Only if you're not bothered by the resurgence of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism (which started on his watch), the shamefaced foreign policy of Bill Clinton and John Kerry (ditto), and think that ex-presidents should travel the world coddling dictators and bad-mouthing America à la Jesse Jackson. Jimmy Carter has been given a free ride from the liberal media, liberal historians, and even the American people, who excuse his political delinquencies and disasters on the grounds that he is a "good" man.But as bank robber Willie Sutton said of Carter: "I've never seen a bigger confidence man in my life, and I've been around some of the best in the business." It's time to set the record straight. Finally, an honest historian-Steven F. Hayward, author of The Age of Reagan-demolishes the myth of "Saint" Jimmy and exposes how he created today's leftist Democratic party of John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.Jimmy Carter's laundry list of failures aren't just accidents of history: They're rooted in Carter's deeply flawed character and ideology--a smugly pious arrogance matched with a profound distrust of America.The Real Jimmy Carter reveals:Carter as meddling ex-president: Why a Time magazine columnist wrote that some of Carter's "Lone Ranger work has taken him dangerously close to the neighborhood of what we used to call treason"How Carter befriended North Korea during the Clinton administration, appeasing the communist regime and giving it cover for its nuclear weapons programHow Carter made direct contacts with Soviet officials to try to subvert President Reagan's anti-communist policiesThe shocking extent of Carter's clandestine efforts to sabotage the first Gulf War in 1990 and how he used Gulf War II to publicly question the Christian faith of America's commander in chiefHow Carter befriended Yasir Arafat-making himself an enemy of IsraelCarter as politician: a vicious campaigner-and even race-baiterThe Carter White House during the disasters of the Sandinista takeover of Nicaragua, the energy crisis and stagflation, the Iranian revolution and hostage crisis, and the invasion of AfghanistanHow Carter, the failed president, remade himself as Carter the humanitarian and freelance foreign policy critic of AmericaHow a Nobel official inadvertently revealed that Carter's Nobel Prize was actually meant as a slap at AmericaThe Real Jimmy Carter is a shocker, showing why the peanut president should never have left his farm.
The Real Kenneth Grahame: The Tragedy Behind The Wind in the Willows
by Elisabeth GalvinHe wrote one of the most quintessentially English books, yet Kenneth Grahame (1859 – 1932) was a Scot. He was four years old when his mother died and his father became an alcoholic, so Kenneth grew up with his grandmother who lived on the banks of the beloved River Thames. Forced to abandon his dreams of studying at Oxford, he was accepted as a clerk at the Bank of England where he became one of the youngest men to be made company secretary. He narrowly escaped death in 1903 when he was mistaken for the Bank’s governor and shot at several times. He wrote secretly in his spare time for magazines and became a contemporary of contributors including Rudyard Kipling, George Bernard Shaw and WB Yeats. Kenneth’s first book, Pagan Papers (1893) initiated his success, followed by The Golden Age (1895) and Dream Days (1898), which turned him into a celebrated author. Ironically, his most famous novel today was the least successful during his lifetime: The Wind in the Willows (1908) originated as letters to his disabled son, who was later found dead on a train line after a suspected suicide. Kenneth never recovered from the tragedy and died with a broken heart in earshot of the River Thames. His widow, Elspeth, dedicated the rest of her life to preserving her husband’s name and promoting his work.
The Real Leonardo Da Vinci
by Rose SguegliaLeonardo Da Vinci was left-handed. That’s probably why he wrote backwards from right to left to avoid smudging ink on his hand as he made notes on his latest works and visionary discoveries. Words could only be read with the help of a mirror making it taxing for anyone but himself to quickly decode his handwriting. There are many theories exploring the reason why he kept using “mirror writing” in all his manuscripts. Some historians say that he was trying to make it more challenging for people to steal his ideas while others claim that it was a clever attempt to hide scientific findings from the intolerant Roman Catholic Church of the Renaissance. Whatever the logic behind this, the constant association with mirror writing and studies on the human body anatomy, made him one of the most enigmatic figures of his and then of our century. This biography investigates Leonardo and his different roles from anatomist to inventor, architect, painter, rumoured to be templar and scientific pioneer. Despite leaving several of his works incomplete, Leonardo managed to influence generations of artists and still today remains a highly regarded figure in both the artistic and scientific sector.
The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War
by Thomas J. DilorenzoMost Americans consider Abraham Lincoln to be the greatest president in history. His legend as the Great Emancipator has grown to mythic proportions as hundreds of books, a national holiday, and a monument in Washington, D.C., extol his heroism and martyrdom. But what if most everything you knew about Lincoln were false? What if, instead of an American hero who sought to free the slaves, Lincoln were in fact a calculating politician who waged the bloodiest war in American history in order to build an empire that rivaled Great Britain's? In The Real Lincoln, author Thomas J. DiLorenzo uncovers a side of Lincoln not told in many history books and overshadowed by the immense Lincoln legend. Through extensive research and meticulous documentation, DiLorenzo portrays the sixteenth president as a man who devoted his political career to revolutionizing the American form of government from one that was very limited in scope and highly decentralized--as the Founding Fathers intended--to a highly centralized, activist state. Standing in his way, however, was the South, with its independent states, its resistance to the national government, and its reliance on unfettered free trade. To accomplish his goals, Lincoln subverted the Constitution, trampled states' rights, and launched a devastating Civil War, whose wounds haunt us still. According to this provocative book, 600,000 American soldiers did not die for the honorable cause of ending slavery but for the dubious agenda of sacrificing the independence of the states to the supremacy of the federal government, which has been tightening its vise grip on our republic to this very day. You will discover a side of Lincoln that you were probably never taught in school--a side that calls into question the very myths that surround him and helps explain the true origins of a bloody, and perhaps, unnecessary war. "A devastating critique of America's most famous president." --Joseph Sobran, commentator and nationally syndicated columnist. "Today's federal government is considerably at odds with that envisioned by the framers of the Constitution. Thomas J. DiLorenzo gives an account of How this come about in The Real Lincoln." --Walter E. Williams, from the foreword. "A peacefully negotiated secession was the best way to handle all the problems facing Americans in 1860. A war of coercion was Lincoln's creation. It sometimes takes a century or more to bring an important historical event into perspective. This study does just that and leaves the reader asking, 'Why didn't we know this before?'" --Donald Livingston, professor of philosophy, Emory University. "Professor DiLorenzo has penetrated to the very heart and core of American history with a laser beam of fact and analysis." --Clyde Wilson, professor of history, University of South Carolina, and editor, The John C. Calhoun Papers.
The Real Lincoln: A True Portrait Drawn from the Testimony of His Friends and Contemporaries
by Charles MinorThis work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. <p><p> This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. <p><p> As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World
by Sarah Weinman“The Real Lolita is a tour de force of literary detective work. Not only does it shed new light on the terrifying true saga that influenced Nabokov’s masterpiece, it restores the forgotten victim to our consciousness.” —David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower MoonVladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet, very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner.Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner’s full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.Sally Horner’s story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel’s creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.
The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World
by Sarah WeinmanA gripping true-crime investigation of the 1948 abduction of Sally Horner and how it inspired Vladimir Nabokov's classic novel Lolita.Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time, selling over sixty million copies worldwide to date. Yet very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was derived from a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner. Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner's full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, old news stories, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman establishes with authority how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita. As she walks us through Sally's story, Weinman takes us on an intimate and panoramic tour of mid-century America, from Sally's home in Camden, New Jersey, to her place of rescue in California, and back to the East Coast again. The story of Sally Horner echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel's creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.
The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World
by Sarah WeinmanA gripping true-crime investigation of the 1948 abduction of Sally Horner and how it inspired Vladimir Nabokov's classic novel Lolita.Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time, selling over sixty million copies worldwide to date. Yet very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was derived from a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner. Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner's full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, old news stories, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman establishes with authority how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita. As she walks us through Sally's story, Weinman takes us on an intimate and panoramic tour of mid-century America, from Sally's home in Camden, New Jersey, to her place of rescue in California, and back to the East Coast again. The story of Sally Horner echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel's creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.
The Real Madrid Revolution: How the World's Most Successful Club Is Changing the Game—for Their Team and for Football
by Steven G. MandisReal Madrid&’s innovative, modern strategies may not only keep them on top—but save soccer itself. Featuring behind-the-scenes coverage and expert analysis, this book gives fans an up close and personal look at one of the world&’s most legendary teams during a major crossroads for the sport. Former Columbia Business School adjunct professor Steven G. Mandis, who analyzed Real Madrid&’s path to success in The Real Madrid Way, returns to examine how the club is coping with systemic changes in the sport of soccer and innovating the sport in the process. Founded in 1902 and granted a royal title by the king of Spain in 1920, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol went onto become the world&’s most valuable sports team (by revenue), most popular sports team (by social media followers), and most successful sports team (by number of trophies). But today, this legendary, member-owned soccer team faces significant challenges, including: Soccer losing the global entertainment battle against other sports and platforms The proliferation of closely government-related, private equity, and multi-club ownership models—while Real Madrid are a not-for-profit club owned by 92,000 members The financial dominance and further separation of the English Premier League, the so-called &“NBA of football&” The conflicts of FIFA and UEFA being both regulators and hosts of tournaments A more congested schedule, leading to a glut of matches and more player injuries Players who earn more from endorsements than from playing the game An explosion of media platforms that enable a young generation of global fans to watch and engage with sports and entertainment in new and nontraditional ways With their top-tier status, not to mention the supremacy of their sport, hanging in the balance, Real Madrid&’s trademark passion and values have never been more important. The Real Madrid Revolution showcases what it takes to stay on top when external forces are not working your favor—and how to innovate to be stronger than ever.
The Real Me: Fashion, Fitness and Food Tips for Real Women – From Me to You
by Vicky Pattison'I believe in grafting hard, training right, eating well . . . and having a good time!'WORK HARDVicky Pattison knows that achieving your dreams takes hard work, hustle, a sense of humour and a killer outfit. And now she's sharing her insider secrets for the first time: how to dress for success, how to eat well and keep healthy on the go and how to stay true to yourself when the going gets tough.PLAY HARDBut Vicky wouldn't be Vicky if she didn't also know how to cut loose and have fun. The Real Me has everything you and your squad need for an epic night out or the ultimate girls' night in. And for the morning after, there's honest and hilarious advice on curing a hangover . . . and a broken heart.The Real Me is packed with recipes, fashion and beauty tips, training programmes and straight-talking advice on dealing with everything from job interviews to first dates. This is the ultimate guide to living life to the full, the Vicky Pattison way.'I'm finally proud of myself and happy with who I am inside and out, and I want every woman in the world to feel like that too.' Vicky x
The Real Mozart: The Original King of Pop
by Judith GrohmannBorn in Salzburg in 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was one of the most prolific musicians that ever lived. Here, the author Judith Grohmann takes us behind the curtain of the career to reveal the real personality of the composer, whose influence on the world of music is still profound today. A child prodigy, he played several instruments from a tender age and eventually created his own style by blending the traditional with the contemporary. He was beloved and hyped, but was also a multi-layered and controversial personality: on one side a provocative influencer, hyperactive and a driven man, a bon vivant who loved luxury, but on the other side, a man who was drawn to the Masonic mindset of brotherhood, freedom, tolerance and humanity, with frequent and extreme mood changes and a penchant for word games and a peculiar sense of humor. In his short life, Mozart anticipated almost everything that makes a star today: international tours, hysterical fans, success, big hits, sex and addiction. He wrote obsessively and composed more than 600 different operas, sonatas, masses, concerts and symphonies. As far as we know today, Mozart's oeuvre contains around 1,060 titles. Knighted by the Pope aged just 14 (the greatest award for any artist at the time), today he might have been showered with Grammys and platinum discs in recognition of his status as the original 'King of Pop'.
The Real Mr. Big: How a Colombian Refugee Became the United Kingdom’s Most Notorious Cocaine Kingpin
by Ron Chepesiuk Jesus Ruiz-HenaoThis true crime memoir is both a &“high-speed train trip through the modern cocaine trade&” and a story of reform, redemption and family (Gerald Posner, and author of Pharma). Born in 1960, Jesus Ruiz Henao wanted to be rich like the drug dealers he saw as he grew up in the cocaine-producing region of Colombia&’s Valle of the Cauca. In 1985, he moved to the quiet London suburb of Hendon, where he and his wife held down mundane cleaning and bus driving jobs. At least to outward appearances . . . While keeping a low profile, Henao built a drug trafficking network reaching from Colombia to England and across Europe. It was a risky business with law enforcement on one side and ruthless competitors on the other. By the summer of 2003, he decided to get out. But then he made the one mistake that would get him caught. It cost him a seventeen-year prison sentence, with more tacked on when he tried to make one last deal from behind prison walls. Co-written by Henao with bestselling author Ron Chepesiuk, The Real Mr. Big is the story of how an ambitious Colombian immigrant became known to law enforcement as &“the Pablo Escobar of British drug trafficking.&”
The Real Mrs Beeton: The Story of Eliza Acton
by Delia Smith Sheila HardyEliza Acton is the forgotten hero of our culinary past. A debt of gratitude to her is what Delia Smith, Elizabeth David and Mrs Beeton have in common. She was the original and best; the first cook to write recipes in a clear, modern format, one of the few Victorian ladies whose legacy has lasted well into the twenty-first century and whose recipes are still used in thousands of kitchens today. In this absorbing first biography, Sheila Hardy creates a richly painted narrative of how a young woman produced the first cookery book for general use and changed history. She provides a rich background to Eliza's success, not only as the little-known mother of modern cookery, but as a poet and a campaigner for healthy eating. She introduced us to curry, chorizo and gluten-free diets 150 years before they became fashionable. She knew Charles Dickens, and her family life was possibly an inspiration for several of his plots. She had a fascinating career, and this brilliantly researched biography is a must for anyone interested in food and cookery, or simply as an insight into the life of a modern lady who was years ahead of her time.
The Real Mrs Miniver: A Biography
by Ysenda Maxtone GrahamIn 1937 the Court Page of the London Times began publishing a series of articles featuring a charming, upper-middle class English housewife named Mrs Miniver. The articles depicted an idyllically happy family with three children, a house in London, and a country cottage called Starlings. Two years later, Mrs Miniver was published in book form. While some critics derided the book as sentimental, many readers embraced it as a symbol of an increasingly endangered English way of life, and it went on to become the #1 bestseller in America. The Hollywood film, released in 1942 with Greer Garson in the title role, won five Oscars, including Best Picture, and did so much to promote the American war effort in Europe that even Josef Goebbels recognized it as an exemplary piece of propaganda.But who was the real Mrs Miniver? The articles were produced by Joyce Maxtone Graham, who wrote under the name Jan Struther and seemed to resemble her heroine: She was upper-middle class, and lived in a gracious, comfortable home with her husband and three children. After the war broke out, she served as an unofficial ambassador from Great Britain to the U.S.In truth, however, Jan Struther was not at all like the conventional Mrs Miniver. It wasn't merely that she didn't like tea--to the amazement of everyone in America--but her real life was neither simple nor saintly. Her marriage was ending, and she was secretly in love with a Jewish refugee from Nazi Austria. Written by Jan Struther's granddaughter Ysenda Maxtone Graham, The Real Mrs Miniver is a complex and fascinating biography. While the Hollywood version remains a powerful and inspirational movie, this book offers brilliant insights into the true impact of war upon real people's lives.
The Real Mrs. Brown: The Authorised Biography of Brendan O'Carroll
by Brian BeacomWho'd have thought a potty-mouthed Dublin mammy with a cream cardigan and elasticated tan tights could storm British TV screens and leave a nation helpless with laughter? Brendan O'Carroll performs to tens of thousands of people a night in packed-out stadiums across the country. In the last four years his TV show has become a number 1 ratings success and he's even making a movie. But Brendan has had to battle hard for success. The youngest of eleven children, his mother was Maureen O'Carroll, a former nun who went on to become the first woman to be elected to the Irish parliament. Brendan adored his strong, widowed mother - and she later became the inspiration for his indomitable character Agnes Brown. However, the family endured poverty reminiscent of Angela's Ashes and Brendan saw no option but to leave school at 12 to work. He married young and for decades struggled to make ends meet. Eventually, bankrupt and desperate, Brendan went to see a fortune teller who told him she could see his future achieving worldwide success as a comedian and actor. At first Brendan laughed at the notion, but then he thought of how much his friends loved his gags, and decided to give it a go... This is the magical story of how a loveable Irishman with a wig and a wit as caustic as battery acid surprised everyone - most of all himself - by becoming one of the best-loved comedians in the world. It is a story of hardship, heartbreak, and talent and will remind readers afresh that sometimes the facts can be even more extraordinary than the fiction.
The Real Mrs. Brown: The Authorised Biography of Brendan O'Carroll
by Brian BeacomWho'd have thought a potty-mouthed Dublin mammy with a cream cardigan and elasticated tan tights could storm British TV screens and leave a nation helpless with laughter? Brendan O'Carroll performs to tens of thousands of people a night in packed-out stadiums across the country. In the last four Mrs Brown's Boys has become a number 1 ratings success and he's even making a movie. But Brendan has had to battle hard for success. The youngest of eleven children, his mother was Maureen O'Carroll, a former nun who went on to become the first woman to be elected to the Irish parliament. Brendan adored his strong, widowed mother - and she later became the inspiration for his indomitable character Agnes Brown. However, the family endured poverty reminiscent of Angela's Ashes and Brendan saw no option but to leave school at 12 to work. He married young and for decades struggled to make ends meet. Eventually, bankrupt and desperate, Brendan went to see a fortune teller who told him she could see his future achieving worldwide success as a comedian and actor. At first Brendan laughed at the notion, but then he thought of how much his friends loved his gags, and decided to give it a go... This is the magical story of how a loveable Irishman with a wig and a wit as caustic as battery acid surprised everyone - most of all himself - by becoming one of the best-loved comedians in the world. It is a story of hardship, heartbreak, and talent and will remind readers afresh that sometimes the facts can be even more extraordinary than the fiction.
The Real Pet Detective: True Tales of Pets Lost and Found
by Tom Watkins"'Okay listen up everyone,' I said, zipping up my high visibility jacket. 'It will be most effective to comb the local area by taking a village each.' I told my team as I traced my finger across the map. My experience as a former copper was invaluable for our search. We weren't looking for a missing person though - we had a dog to find."Any pet owner knows the agonising panic when their beloved furry family member goes missing, but Tom Watkins, former policeman turned pet detective, is on hand to reunite our animal companions with their owners. From recording the owner's voice to lure cats from their hiding place, to organising a fly-over to raise the profile of missing Toby the terrier, from emptying the contents of the owner's vacuum to tempt in the missing animal with the scent, to organising a Crimewatch-style reconstruction of a dog-snatching on national TV, Tom will do whatever it takes to get the nation's pets home, safe and sound. The Real Pet Detective is the story of 20 years of missing pets, their owners and Tom's team of expert pet investigators.
The Real Peter Pan: J. M. Barrie and the Boy Who Inspired Him
by Piers DudgeonThe world has long been captivated by the story of Peter Pan and the countless movies, plays, musicals, and books that retell the story of Peter, Wendy, and the Lost Boys. Now, in this revealing behind-the-scenes book, author Piers Dudgeon examines the fascinating and complex relationships among Peter Pan's creator, J.M. Barrie, and the family of boys who inspired his work. After meeting the Llewelyn Davies family in London's Kensington Garden, Barrie struck up an intense friendship with the children and their parents. The innocence of Michael, the fourth of five brothers, went on to influence the creation of Barrie's most famous character, Peter Pan. Barrie was so close to the Llewelyn Davies family that he became trustee and guardian to the boys following the deaths of their parents. Although the relationship between the boys and Barrie (and particularly between Barrie and Michael) was enduring, it was punctuated by the fiercest of tragedies. Throughout the heart-rending saga of Barrie's involvement with the Llewelyn Davies brothers, it is the figure of Michael, the most original and inspirational of their number, and yet also the one whose fate is most pitiable, that stands out. The Real Peter Pan is a captivating true story of childhood, friendship, war, love, and regret.
The Real Peter Sellers
by Andrew NormanThroughout the world, people regard Peter Sellers purely as a comedic genius: surely, one of the greatest ever to have lived. But, the astute observer will notice that he always appeared to be acting, even when being interviewed. So, who was Peter Sellers? Sellers once said, ‘I could never be myself you see. There is no “Me”. I do not exist. There used to be me, but I had it surgically removed’. Clearly, this was not intended to be taken literally. Instead, the inference is that somehow, he had lost his sense of identity. To discover the real Peter Sellers is no easy task, and when we do, what we encounter is a totally different persona from the comedic characters that he portrayed on the screen. Sellers had celebrity status: a succession of beautiful wives; immense wealth; magnificent motor cars; expensive yachts; a house in Mayfair, and various palatial residences. But far from being happy, he was plagued by self-doubt; ambitious, but never satisfied. And so, he resorted to superstition, clairvoyance, and drugs to get himself through the day. For all Sellers’ worldwide fame as ‘Inspector Clouseau’, many regard the film Being There, in which he played the character ‘Chance’, a gardener, as his masterpiece. In fact, the film was a damning indictment of the false god of materialism. Sellers’ obsession with the character of ‘Chance’, makes it seem likely that this was the kind of person he aspired to be, and wished that he had been.
The Real Prime Suspect: From the beat to the screen. My life as a female detective.
by Jackie Malton Hélène Mulholland'Jackie Malton lifts the lid on the jaw-dropping day-to-day realities that have faced women cops.' -Val McDermid'Jackie Malton was one of the women who blazed a trail in the very macho world of policing. She was indeed the real Prime Suspect, viewed with suspicion because of her gender and her sexuality and, while it took its toll, she stood out, proud and independent. She gave policing a good name. A terrific read!' -Baroness Helena Kennedy QC'Unputdownable. A uniquely personal journey through recent decades of policing. Searingly honest, shocking and funny.' -Barbara Machin, creator and showrunner, Waking the DeadJackie Malton was a no-nonsense girl from Leicestershire who joined the police force in the 1970s when women were kept apart from the men. Feisty and determined, Jackie worked in CID and the famous flying squad before rising to become one of only three female detective chief inspectors in the Metropolitan Police. In The Real Prime Suspect, Malton describes the struggles she faced as a gay woman in the Metropolitan Police, where sexism and homophobia were rife.Jackie dealt with rapists, wife beaters, murderers, blackmailers and armed robbers but it was tackling the corruption in her own station that proved the most challenging. Ostracised and harassed by fellow officers furious that she reported the illegality of some colleagues, Malton used alcohol to curb her anxiety.A chance meeting with writer Lynda La Plante five years later changed the course of her life. Together they worked on shaping Jane Tennison, one of TV's most famous police characters, in the ground-breaking series Prime Suspect. Not long after, Malton recovered from alcoholism and now works as an AA volunteer in prison and as a TV consultant.Jackie has spent her life working in crime. Now she's ready to share her story.'The story of a pioneer, a determined police officer who used her talent as a force for good. If it were not for women like Jackie, policing today would be very different.' -Colin Sutton, author of the Manhunt series'A fascinating account of Jackie Malton's remarkable career as a police officer, and how she used that experience to bring a new kind of authenticity to Prime Suspect and many other TV crime dramas and documentaries.' -Neil McKay, TV writer and producer, Appropriate Adult'Compelling, enlightening and totally gripping' -Angela Marsons