British Art

Alice Liddell, sweetly dignified, the inspiration for the heroine of Alice in Wonderland, is posed and identified as Pomona, goddess of abundance, in a marvelous 1872 photograph by the irrepressible Julia Margaret Cameron; appropriately she is the cover girl for this lavish standalone publication, which also acted as the catalogue accompanying the recent exhibition of the same title at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, (October 31 2010-January 30 2011), and the Museé d'Orsay Paris, March 6 - May 29, 2011).

A secret prisoner holds the key to a 30-year old crime. Sam Williams was meant for great things, until a fatal misstep crashed his career. Trying to salvage the remnants is a path which leads him to the wrong place at the worst time - a high security prison in the middle of a riot, and face to face with a man the world believes is long dead. Sam quickly learns someone is willing to do whatever it takes make sure things stay that way. The truth to a decades old mystery might save Sam’s skin, but the clock is ticking.

Al Murray's Book of British Common Sense helped Great Britain get back on her feet by providing an injection of common sense to counteract all the balls and waffle we've been subjected to in this once great nation of ours. Now he's back, and he's turning his attention to You. The Pub Landlord knows that you, like so many others in Broken Britain, need help to Help Yourselves.

Did you know that when some of Jane Austen’s lesser-known work was sent to publishers in 2007 under a pseudonym it was rejected? Do you know in which radio sitcom she was once portrayed as a foul-mouthed and violent inhabitant of hell who even the devil was scared of? And exactly what have zombies got to do with Pride and Prejudice? This fascinating audiobook contains more than 100 facts about Jane Austen, with each chapter exploring a different part of her life and work.

Everyone who knows music understands Ginger Baker was, and is, perhaps the greatest rock-jazz fusion drummer ever. Author Giuliano was close to both Ginger and Jack Bruce in the 1990s and presents us with the very best of his extended three-week daily interview sessions with Mr. Baker. Here, you will meet the real man behind the never-ending drum kit. Neither myth, legend, nor spurious gossip can ever equal the true measure of the man, and this tempestuous audiobook proves it once and for all.

Who invented the pub quiz? The British, of course! Who doesn’t enjoy a rousing question-and-answer session over a pint and some scratchings? Indeed, what higher calling is there than standing in the pub loudly demanding answers to difficult questions like ‘d'you want some?’ Here, for your pleasure, Britain’s leading pub landlord, The Pub Landlord, presents the finest collection of facts imaginable.

A great many writers use their own lives as the raw material for their work, but few have done it with the wit and courage of Simon Gray. Like his previous best seller, The Smoking Diaries, The Year of the Jouncer has the rare ability to make you laugh aloud one moment and ponder the sad mysteries of mortality the next - and sometimes to do both at the same time.

This is the second volume in the collection of Chris Dabb's readings of Pete Sortwell's comedy books, containing More Village Idiot Reviews, More Office Idiot Reviews, and Bride and Gloom: sometimes love is better off blind. In More Village Idiot Reviews, Frederick has injured his nipples in a vicious moped accident while on his honeymoon and no longer feels like a man. Meanwhile, Ethel has discovered who made her shopping trolley explode last year.

Do you know that there are no quality Russian humor books in the English language? They are full of old boring jokes or they were translated without cultural differences taken into consideration. No wonder my British friends think that there is no humor in “Mother Russia”. Well, it is your lucky day. I have gone through thousands of Russian funny stories to find the best ones for British adults to enjoy.

An entertaining history of British thrillers from Casino Royale to The Eagle Has Landed, in which award-winning crime writer Mike Ripley reveals that, though Britain may have lost an empire, her thrillers helped save the world. With a foreword by Lee Child.

Laura Solon won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival in 2005 with her sensational debut show. She now returns to Radio 4 with a new series of her bittersweet comedy show packed with characters, monologues and sketches from this extraordinary writer and performer. There will be talking, not talking, some stories, and a lion made out of china. Aided by Rosie Cavaliero, Ben Moor and Ben Willbond, Laura Solon is a remarkable talent with an astonishing eye for detail and ear for voice.

When he turned 65, the playwright Simon Gray began to keep a diary: not a careful honing of the days' events with a view to posterity but an account of his thoughts as he had them, honestly, turbulently, digressively expressed. One of Britain's most amusing and original writers reflects on a life filled with cigarettes (continuing), alcohol (stopped), several triumphs and many more disasters - a record of shame, adultery, friendship and love. Few diarists have ever been so frank about themselves and even fewer so entertaining.

Simon Gray is determined to give up smoking. Really. At last. Can he kick the habit of 60 years? Will he, sometime soon, be able to leave his house without nervously feeling for his two packets of 20 and his two lighters, and add no more singes to his cardigan? As this wonderful, wayward record of Gray's life progresses, these questions are overtaken by much larger ones. What is that lady on the plane to Athens doing with her nose? What was sex like before 1963? Will his name be in lights on Broadway? Why did he leave the bedside of his dying mother?

Britannia Rules the Stage: The 1980s British Invasion of Musical Theater is a comprehensive exploration of one of the most transformative moments in the history of musical theater. This book delves into the influence of British musicals, such as "Cats," "Phantom of the Opera," and "Les Misérables," in reshaping the landscape of musical theater on Broadway and beyond.

Agatha Christie, born in upper-middle-class British society during the late Victorian era, turned into one of the most prolific and popular mystery writers of all time. Her novels have been translated into 44 languages and have sold over two billion copies worldwide. Her mysteries continue to sell as new generations of readers discover the delights of her main characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. In addition, Christie’s plays have been a tremendous success, with The Mousetrap running in London for the past 70 years.

J. R. R. Tolkien, an orphan in love with words, spent most of his life as an unassuming Professor of Literature at Oxford studying and teaching old languages. During his time there, he created his very own languages and a mythological world, Middle-earth. Middle-earth was inhabited by Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, and other fascinating creatures. It was a world that became almost more real to Tolkien than the one he lived in. Tolkien’s two masterpieces, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, have set the standard in mythological literature.

George Orwell, the son of a British civil servant, spent his life promoting social justice and equality, while fighting against totalitarianism and elitism. His two best-known novels 1984 and Animal Farm depict the ultimate horror of a totalitarian government. Orwell wrote with passion about what he believed. Eighty years after their publication, his novels are as relevant as ever. Citizens are spied on by CCTV cameras. Smartphones track people’s movements and activities.

The Whistler was one of radio’s top mystery programs airing from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. Sponsored by the Signal Oil Company, The Whistler (Joseph Kearns, Gale Gordon, and Bill Forman) was an ominous narrator who knew the killer’s every move even before they did. The stories followed an effective formula in which a person's criminal acts were typically undone by their own missteps. The Whistler often commenting directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective.

"The Falcon" radio series premiered in 1943, and continued until 1954. The Falcon was an alternate identity for detective Michael Waring. Like the Falcon movies, the radio plots mixed danger, romance and comedy in equal parts. Each show began with a telephone ringing and Michael Waring, The Falcon, answering the phone. Speaking with a woman whose voice was never heard, Waring would explain that he had an urgent situation in which he had to deal with. This led into the standard opening, followed by the week's tale of adventure.

When the Cowley sisters employ a carer to look after the ailing Carmela, Morag appears to suit their needs perfectly. But after a spectacular jewel theft on the night of the Hunt Ball, it appears that the perfect carer might be implicated.