Other books that might interest you

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  Around the World in Eighty Days

  Jules Verne

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  Around the World in Eighty Days (French: Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a wager of £20,000 set by his friends at the Reform Club. It is one of Verne's most acclaimed works

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  Finding Hester - The Incredible...

  Jack Lawrence, Greg Callus,...

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  Finding Hester explores the untold story of Hester Leggatt, a woman who helped trick the Nazis, and is a fascinating read for fans of West End musical Operation Mincemeat and anyone with an interest in women’s war stories 
   
  Operation Mincemeat is one of the stranger tales to come out of the Second World War. A corpse dressed as a British pilot was dropped in the ocean near Spain, with the forged documents he carried landing in the hands of the Germans to convince them to move their troops to the advantage of the allied forces. 
   
  It is an event perhaps most popularly told in Ben Macintyre’s 2010 book Operation Mincemeat: The True Spy Story That Changed the Course of World War II, but it has recently been retold in a 2021 film and is currently the plot of an Olivier-winning West End musical. Operation Mincemeat has never been more familiar to the public. 
   
  To sell the ruse of the corpse, MI5 had to create a credible backstory for their fictitious pilot. They filled his briefcase with receipts, cigarettes, a photograph, and, importantly, two fabricated love letters. 
   
  An interview with MI5 secretary Jean Leslie, conducted by Macintyre for his book, revealed the name of the woman behind those letters to be a ‘Hester Leggett’. This has been repeated ever since, including in both the film and the musical. 
   
  Hester Leggett does not exist. 
   
  The false identity was discovered by a group of fans of the musical. While we know much about the other key figures portrayed in the musical, Hester was always more of a mystery and once the group started to research her, they discovered she was actually Hester Leggatt. 
   
  This misplaced vowel made all the difference and we uncovered a huge amount about the real Hester. This book tells the story of how the musical fanbase found her school records, her family, her real love letters from the Second World War, and definitive confirmation from MI5 that they had the right person.

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  All Soul's Eve - From their pens...

  Dora Sigerson Shorter

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  The bookshelves of British literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors.  From these Isles their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure.  Among them is Dora Sigerson Shorter.

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  All That Glitters - Anna Wintour...

  Thomas Maier

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  The riveting account of the 1980s rivalry between superstars Anna Wintour of Vogue and Tina Brown of Vanity Fair 
   
  Inside the Condé Nast magazine world, Anna Wintour and Tina Brown were bold and talented British women who fought their way to the top of a male-dominated American industry. Wintour became an icon of fashion and New York's high society, while Brown helped define the intersection between literary culture and Hollywood celebrity. 
   
  They jockeyed for power in the hyper-competitive "off with their heads" atmosphere set up by S.I Newhouse Jr. and Alex Liberman, the two men who controlled the glossy magazines that dictated how women should look, dress, and feel. Wintour and Brown challenged the old rules and made billionaire Newhouse's company internationally famous. Ultimately, one of them won in their fascinating struggle for fame and fortune during the height of New York's gilded age of print. 
   
  At its heart, ALL THAT GLITTERS is a parable about the changes in America's media where corruption is sprinkled with glitter, power and glory. Originally titled Newhouse, this re-issued version will feature a brand-new introduction and afterword.

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  Scoundrels to the Hoosegow -...

  Morley Swingle

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  “Morley Swingle’s Scoundrels to the Hoosegow is not only consistently fascinating, but there is much to be learned from it about life in and out of an American courtroom. I highly recommend this engrossing book.” Vincent Bugliosi, Author of Helter Skelter  
  In Scoundrels to the Hoosegow, a veteran prosecutor who is also a terrific storyteller shares more than thirty legal stories drawn from real life. In cases ranging from tragic to hilarious, Morley Swingle offers a behind-the-scenes look at the justice system from crime scenes to courtrooms. 
  Swingle takes readers on an enjoyable romp through crime and punishment.  Whether describing a drunk who frees dogs from the pound or a serial killer who saves lives in his day job, he combines true crime and legal analysis with a healthy dose of humor—and shares the occasional “Perry Mason moment." 
  “If Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities captured the essence of criminal practice in a major metropolis, then Scoundrels surely captures the essence of that practice in small town and rural America.” Robert H. Dierker, Jr. 
  “Swingle has written an interesting, easily approachable—and rare—account of daily life as a prosecuting attorney. I am unaware of any prosecutor who writes better than Swingle. The book is refreshing. Mark Twain almost certainly would have enjoyed it.” Steve Weinberg, St. Louis Post-Dispatch 
  “Morley Swingle is a terrific writer and an even better entertainer. Lawyers and non-lawyers alike will enjoy being along for this informative and entertaining trip to the hoosegow.” Forward, Reviews of Indie Books 
  “Those who read Ann Rule, Joe McGinniss or John Grisham will enjoy this book.” Lithuanian Librarian

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  The Mary Pages - An Atheist’s...

  Sally Read

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  Raised in an atheist household, Sally Read nevertheless saw images of the Blessed Virgin Mary from earliest childhood—and they remained with her in the most remarkable ways. Conscious of the conflict between her feminist values and what came to be a fascination with Marian art, Read—through tumultuous relationships, loneliness, and distant places—began a unique quest to discover the true essence of Mary. These pages contain the strange, raw, and epiphany-filled stories that led to Read’s dramatic nine-month conversion from atheism to Catholicism. Focusing not only on Read’s life but also on the lives of others who, knowingly or unknowingly, encountered the Virgin, this literary memoir is a testimony of how a Mother patiently brought one child home to her Son—and slowly revealed her own heart.

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