Category Archives: nonfiction

Front Page, nonfiction

Professor Dark of Illinois University was a hero of the raid on St. Nazaire during WW2
Prof Philip Dark

Dark_cover Craftsmanship of Art is the culmination of a lifetime’s fieldwork in Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific. It ranges around the world and through time with many references to stone-age and bronze-age culture in Europe and the Middle East as well as to more 'anthropological' research further afield. It makes particular reference to the Kilenge people of Papua New Guinea where the author spent many years on and off. The cumulative effect is of an exhaustive exploration of human art and craft and the search for a universal definition of what art actually is. Since anthropology seeks the humanitas in human beings, Professor Dark contends, a vital key to such an understanding of art lies in the genius of artists and craftsmen and in how their artifacts are appreciated and communicated in different cultures. The text is illustrated by over seven hundred illustrations by Mavis Dark and is followed by a full index and bibliography.
Hardback:678 pages
Price:£50.00
ISBN:978-0954835156
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Professor Dark of Illinois University was a hero of the raid on St. Nazaire during World War II and became interested in anthropology while a prisoner of war in northern Germany. This is the last book to be published by Professor Dark before he died.

Front Page, nonfiction

Virtual Women
Dr Anne Beaumont

Anne_Beaumont_Cover Why do some people reject the sexed bodies they were born into and transform themselves into women? Are the brains of men and women different? Is gender identity fixed at birth, is it learned behaviour or is it socially constructed? In Virtual Women, social anthropologist Anne Beaumont shows us that the answers to these prickly questions lie as much in the sphere of cultural difference as in that of science, and she constructs a new framework for gendering the body – one that centres solely on the individual. Virtual Women takes us from England to Thailand, to the twilight zone of the bars where genders blend into a human hybrid - the Ladyboys (Kathoey) of Thailand who live betwixt and between in sex. Drawing on extensive empirical research and on interviews with Kathoey and with British transsexual women and with the surgeons and psychiatrists involved, Virtual Women brings a new understanding of the transgender phenomenon:
Published:1st Sept 2014
Paperback:198 pages
Price:£11.99
ISBN:9-781909-644236

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‘… no matter what the outer appearances, I never felt like a man…’
‘… in my heart I am a woman. One hundred per cent, I am a woman…’
‘…wearing male clothing made me feel physically sick…’
‘… No! We are not men, we are not women; we are Ladyboys, that’s what we are!’
‘… my papa told me, “you can do what you want with your body,
but you can’t change your heart. You have a good heart. Nothing can change that…”’

Reviews...

Jennifer Nicholson-Morton
fascinating insight into the curious and often misunderstood world of the transgender ‘ladyboy’. Thoroughly researched by a knowledgeable and sympathetic academic ... we are led along the transitional journey of gender migration ... An interesting book which enlarges understanding of the human condition.
 
history, nonfiction, travel

Pounds and Pinfolds
Nigel Mills

cover Ask most people about pounds and pinfolds and they look blank. They may not have noticed the small, round or rectangular building that likely stands at the edge of their village. And yet these modest structures, now often reduced to piles of stones, were once an essential part of rural life in what is now Cumbria. They were where stray stock, and any animal found grazing on land for which its owner had no proper grazing rights, were once confined - until the owner paid a fine imposed by the local court. For hill-farmers and others, pounds or pinfolds were indispensable for ensuring community harmony. In this scholarly and well-researched account, Nigel Mills provides us with a comprehensive and unique insight into a little-considered aspect of our rural heritage and into the way of life of the men and women who farmed our hills in days gone by. It will be of great interest to local historians and to all who take an interest in the social history of Cumbria.
Published:28th Nov 2014
Paperback:94 pages
Price:£12.99
ISBN:978-123456-44444

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EVENTS

nonfiction

Those were the days
David Corbett

TWTDcover1-212x300 Those were the Days
by David Corbett
For nearly half a century from the dark days of World War II until the last decade of the Twentieth Century, BBC Radio featured programmes of old-time dance music. Those Were the Days with Harry Davidson and His Orchestra was first on the air in 1943, Sydney Thompson followed with Take Your Partners in 1948, and, in 1957, Sidney Bowman was engaged to play in a series soon titled Time for Old Time. When Harry Davidson retired in 1966, he had completed some 2,000 'live' broadcasts. Sidney Davey took on his mantle, and continued until 1976, the year that our final old-time maestro, Bryan Smith, stepped up to the conductor's rostrum with Sequence Time.
Published:28th Nov 2014
Hardback:160 pages
Price:£39.99
ISBN:9-781909-644120


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This book is the only comprehensive survey of this unique form of radio entertainment. Not only does it describe, in detail, how the music changed but it also charts the development and decline of old-time dancing which is such an important part of our heritage, being the original form of ballroom dancing. Anyone who is interested in light orchestral music or melodies in a more popular vein from the music hall to popular standards, will find here a rich reserve. Those whose passion is for dancing will discover the original old-time dances and the names of the people and dances involved in the old-time revival as well as the interaction between old-time and modern sequence dancing.

Reviews...

Sunday Times
'Those Were the Days' is wonderful - it will give me great pleasure.
PAUL DONOVAN,
Radio critic

Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph
A real work of broadcasting scholarship as well as being a useful piece of social history.
GILLIAN REYNOLDS,
Radio Critic

BILL BEBB, Producer, 'Those Were the Days' 1964
"I arrived home the other day to find a large wrapped paving slab leaning against my door. When I opened the package I couldn't believe the size and detailed contents there were within. What a magnificent undertaking, and I can't tell you how much I've already enjoyed reading about my early days at the BBC, and so many wonderful names from the past. I shall display the book with pride on my book shelves."

PETER ELSDON, Middlesbrough
What a magnus opus and labour of love

MICHAEL COLLIER, Sutton, Surrey
I knew that the book would be something special but this has surpassed all my expectations. It really is quite magnificent, and you should be very proud. It has rarely left my side this last couple of days, and I'm afraid it has also kept me from some of those post holiday chores! It has replaced my previous choice as my book to take on a desert island, and that's some achievement!"

 
nonfiction

The Winning Link
Michael Salako

TheWinningLink Have you ever met anyone who dares to lose in any undertaking? Be careful if you do. Desire for the euphoria and fulfilment associated with winning can be addictive. But must winning be driven by a quest for this sensation? And does having this experience define who a winner is? There’s more to winning than winning; it is possible to win and yet to feel unfulfilled. After a winner emerges from any competition, people rally round for the winner’s winning tips. They tend to forget the time-tested truth that slow and steady wins the race and someone who seems to be an overnight star may always have been a star, one who dreamed of victory before he won. Most world-renowned talents never had their beds laid for them filled with roses as glamourous media coverage would have us believe. Winners win because they nurture the winner within them.
Published:1st Nov 2014
Paperback:144 pages
Price:£7.50
ISBN:9-781909-644403

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There is a treasure worth having that is more secure than all the financial centres of this world - the true knowledge of who you are and the strength to believe in yourself. In this wonderful book, everyday occurrences are used to demonstrate the different factors that turn dreams into hope - the hope that you will be the subject of the next winning story for the world to write and talk about. Michael E. Salako writes from experience that cuts across healthcare services, lecturing and banking. He holds an MBA (Finance) with a British University.


Reviews...

Arlette Meli
I read this book at distressful phase of my life. I was not really motivated go read it as I was feeling really low until the day I started the first page. It became like an obsession, the book was the answer to all my questions and things seemed clearer and achievable. From chapter 4, I really liked it as it becomes more dynamic and interesting. Thanks again Michael for your book.