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Enchanting ... while writing a series of richly comic recollections which had me laughing out loud every few pages, he has now written a book with much more underlying seriousness and much more to say about the human condition than any Booker prizewinner could achieve' A. N. Wilson, Country Life 'Intensely comical ... contains some of the funniest scenes I have seen in print this year' Jeremy Paxman, Observer 'Although on route to meet plenty of people more famous ... none of them can begin to match the charm of the book's bumbling narratior in his Dickensian progression from weedy daydreamer, to failed solicitor, country squire, genealogist, obituarist and lurker at stage doors. This man is an institution, one of the great English eccentrics of our time' James Delingpole, Literary Review
Records thirty-two of the most important estates in words and photographs.
26 houses photographed in colour and accompanied by informative text about their history.
Displays 26 castles and country seats and discusses social history alongside the development of the Irish country house.
This handsome tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother comes with the backing of Britain's best-selling newspaper, The Daily Telegraph. Stunning photographs celebrate the Queen Mother's life through a century of dynamic change while in the text, Hugh Massingberd perceptively contrasts the rosy cliched image of "the Queen Mum" with the reality of the much sharper and more sophisticated Queen Elizabeth. Through a series of deft and witty captions accompanying the splendid photographs, the story of Her Majesty's private and public life unfolds in a unique memorial to Britain's best-loved royal.
For 10 years, "The Economist" has included unique and original obituaries in a popular column. The selections are remarkable because of the people written about, the surprising lives they led, and the brilliant writing style. This volume gathers 200 of the best obituaries.
Since 1066 when William the Conqueror (alias William the Bastard) took the throne, English and Scottish kings have sired at least 150 children out of wedlock. Many were acknowledged at court and founded dynasties of their own - several of today's dukedoms are descended from them. Others were only acknowledged grudgingly or not at all. In the 20th century this trend for Royals to father illegitimate children continued, but the parentage, while highly probable, has not been officially recognised. This book is a new, genuinely fresh approach to British "Kings and Queens", examining their lives and times through the unfamiliar perspective of their illegitimate children. Interviewees include many of their descendants. But beyond personal narratives it also sheds light on the perennially fascinating topic of sexual habits; the links between politics, power and patronage; the class system, scandal and celebrity; and the different expectations we have of men and women.
In 1956, at the age of 22, Alan Bates was cast in John Osborne's controversial play, Look Back in Anger. The play changed the course of British theatre - and of Alan's life.With a sudden rush of fame, he became a member of a new circle of actors at the Royal Court- the English Stage Company. From then on, he also worked steadily in television and won international acclaim for his roles in a number of major films, from A Kind of Loving and Zorba the Greek to Women in Love.But his personal life was not always as seemingly straightforward as his career - his relationships, including that with his wife, Victoria Ward, were often turbulent. Drawing on dozens of interviews with his family, lovers, colleagues and friends - and mining a rich store of primary research - Donald Spoto chronicles Alan's achievements as a performer against the backdrop of a complicated personal life.
The five Daily Telegraph Books of Obituaries have been both a critical and a popular success, winning plaudits from readers and reviewers alike. Here, gathered in one volume, is the very best of the witty, waspish and often wildly funny biographical short stories that are the mark of a Telegraph Obituary. Together they offer a richly unpredictable medley of twentieth-century lives, a deliciously idiosyncratic study in miniature, reflecting the last century at its most picturesque, poignant and absurd.