Move Like Water by Hannah Stowe (Granta £16.99, 272pp), review by Natasha Poliszczuk
‘An elegant, enthralling memoir that will do for the ocean what Katherine May did for winter (Wintering) and Alice Vincent did for gardening (Rootbound).’
Sophia Plowden, British Library
This guest post on the Asian and African Studies blog of the British Library by Katherine Butler Schofield introduces her recent talk at the British Library on Sophia Plowden, Khanum Jan, and ‘Hindustani airs’, now available as a podcast “The Courtesan and the Memsahib: Khanum Jan meets Sophia Plowden at the Court of Lucknow”. It is accompanied by a collection of images forming a visual record. The podcast, produced by Chris Elcombe with music by harpsichordist Jane Chapman, is part of a series of presentations at the British Library in 2018 for Katherine’s British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship programme “Histories of the Ephemeral: Writing on Music in Late Mughal India”. Special thanks are due to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, for permission to reproduce the images below from MS 380, Mrs Plowden’s beautiful collection of North Indian song lyrics and tunes.
Link to the blog:
https://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2018/06/sophia-plowden-khanum-jan-and-hindustani-airs.html
Palatine, Daily Mail, Roman Emperors from Augustus to Vespasian
Review of Palatine by Peter Stothard, former editor of The Times, in the Daily Mail:
‘Palatine tells the story of Rome between Augustus, the first Roman emperor who died in 14 AD, and the military hero Vespasian, whose rule from 69 to 79 AD brought a long period of political stability and financial expansion. With vivid prose in short, dynamic chapters, Stothard also covers the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero, Jewish unrest at the time of Christ and the invasion of Britain, but this extraordinarily well-researched, exciting book is more a tale of increasing wealth and prosperity rather than war, as well as corruption, greed, gluttony and desire.’
Link to review:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-11996525/New-book-reveals-rulers-Rome-tended-meet-exceedingly-sticky-ends.html
George Orwell Daily Mail
Review of a revised biography of George Orwell by D.J. Taylor in the Daily Mail:
‘Taylor was already the acknowledged expert on George Orwell, thanks to his Whitbread Award-winning Orwell: The Life in 2003. Since then, he has discovered new letters written by Orwell and his first wife, Eileen, stashed away in various attics, hinting at previously unknown interludes, such as his possible extra-marital love affairs with his old flame Brenda Salkeld, to whom he continued to write passionately long after his marriage, and with the novelist Inez Holden — hence this New Life, 120 pages longer than the first one.’
Prayer Springs Eternal
Richard France
|
|
|
Prayer Springs Eternal A Closer Look at the Communion of Saints by Richard France We have a wonderful community of saints and in these uncertain times it is encouraging to look back on it, to see what others have achieved and what we can achieve. The journey of faith made by those who lived before us can inspire our own journey. The wisdom of the saints is part of their legacy to us. However, it is the treasures to be found in their prayers, their letters and their outlook on life which are of most value to us. Many of their writings have been preserved for us; they are there for us to read today, so that we can make them our own. Some of those writings are to be found here, in this book you are holding. Explore your faith! |
|
Richard France is a committed Christian, a Third Order Carmelite, and a longstanding member of his parish, which he values highly. He has also written books of Christian poetry. |
A collection of drawings and paintings produced over five years
Sam Branton – Four Seasons
Number of copies: |
| Four Seasons by Sam Branton Four Seasons is an updated edition of my earlier book, Three Seasons - a collection of drawings and paintings produced over the last five years based on the same underlying theme, presenting animals in improbable pairings or settings which frequently result in a visually humerous or surreal outcome. Season one, Deluge, is a collection of tranquil monochrome drawings using red pencil. Most of these are drawn to a small scale and they are printed in the book at actual size. The drawings are set in neo-classical landscapes and they never quite tell the entire story, but should instead be considered as a frame or still image from a bigger story to be imagined or created by the viewer. Season two, Holy Ground, is a collection of small oil paintings, building on the theme of animals in neo-classical landscapes and partial story telling but now introducing an extra element of mystery in some of the paintings by only showing a fragment of an entire painting. This was influenced by seeing remnants of images found in ancient remains in Greece and Italy which create a puzzle for historians to reimagine the complete original picture and the story being depicted. Season three, Luciferase, builds on the Deluge theme, but now uses black pencil drawings to present the animals in a night-time setting using curious natural light sources to provide illumination. The monochrome images and lighting are sometimes used to create the illusion that the drawings represents a sculpture rather than living animals. Sesason four, Holy Ground Revisited, a continuation of Holy Ground but includes some experiments with water and movement along with the signature menagerie of monkeys and other exotic animals. The endpapers in this book are taken from my triptych, Roses Within. Sam Branton |
Poor Puss: A Social History of English Cats
Marilyn Crowther
|
|
Paperback edition (UK only) £18.50 (+ £2.50 postage) Number of copies: Also available from Amazon Hardback edition (UK only) £27.50 (+ £2.50 postage) Number of copies: |
||||||||||
| A spoilt Persian puss scratched the hand of the Prince of Wales and even more spoilt ladies chased the terrified exhibition organizer round the hall for something he had forgotten to do. The National Cat Club was founded along with the first stud book as a guide for ‘points of excellence.’ Technical advances in colour printing raised the profile of cats; their image was everywhere, on greetings cards, valentines, picture post-cards, sheet music and advertisements that sold every kind of product imaginable. Poor Puss is the story of cats as they bravely clawed their way up the social ladder - out of persecution and superstition - to gain their rightful place as cherished family pets today. With impressive research, over three hundred archival pictures and entertaining anecdotal detail, meaty as a plump mouse. You may never view your cat in the same way again! | ||||||||||||
|
Reviews... Jilly Cooper Marvellous historical background and all the glorious illustrations Dear Marilyn, A million congratulations on your wonderful book Poor Puss. A Social History of English Cats, the marvellous historical background and all the glorious illustrations make it the perfect present for any cat lover. Truly well done, Love, Jilly Cooper. London Metropolitan Archives 'impressive in every way' | ||||||||||||
Beachcomber
Nick Gosman
|
|
|
Beachcomber A search for the truth by Nick Gosman Her childhood destroyed by a brutal father and her mother’s indifference, Fran Tremayne’s only refuge has been her older brother, Cal. But when Cal embarks on a solo round the world sailing trip, it seems that even he has abandoned her. Then disaster strikes, a mayday message from Cal and then a long silence can mean only one thing; her brother has gone for good. Refusing to accept his death, Fran sets out to find him, but is she prepared to face the shattering truth that lies behind her brother’s disappearance? Cover illustration, ‘Sunlight On The Water’ from an original lino print by Helen Maxfield: www.helenmaxfield.com |
|
A born traveller and adventurer, the author found excitement and solace in wild places from an early age. Having travelled the world using most forms of transport, some practical, others ridiculous, he is always on the lookout for a good story. A tale well told can be an inspiration to all of us. Falling in love with Norfolk, its wide-open skies and the sea, the author has spent almost twenty years of his life in a small village planted in the wheat fields of the Norfolk-Suffolk border. |