The autobiography of a painter who has managed to keep himself a storm center for more than one reason. His studies, types of work, his friends, enemies, quarrels, his work as an official war artist for England, and the results of those paintings, his two visits to America and what came of that, his comments, criticisms, observations of people, art and life, all make interesting reading. The appeal of the book is not confined to the artistically minded.

Geoffrey Fletcher's off-beat portrayal of London does not focus on the big landmarks, but rather 'the tawdry, extravagant and eccentric'. His descriptions will transport you to an art nouveau pub, a Victorian music hall, a Hawksmoor church and even a public toilet in Holborn in which the attendant kept goldfish in the cisterns. Drawn to the corners where 'the kids swarm like ants and there are dogs everywhere', Fletcher will take you to parts of the city where few outsider...

Sir Peter Ustinov's beautifully crafted autobiography is told with exquisite wit and insight. From his birth in April 1921, it spans his extraordinary career as actor, playwright, film star and director, confirming his early belief that he is 'irrevocably betrothed to laughter'. Ustinov's renowned gift for mimicry is exploited to the full in Dear Me. Eccentric relatives, school masters, sergeant majors and manic Hollywood moguls are all brought unforgettably to life.

'Beautifully written.' Valerie Grove, The Times 'Martini-dry wit.' Irish Times 'Often pure Wodehouse.' Financial Times 'Uncompromising.' A.N. Wilson, Sunday Telegraph 'It has all her charm.' Laura Thompson, A Good Read, BBC Radio 4 'Brilliant.' Evening Standard 'A Life of Contrasts is a candid, page-turning memoir, written by a woman who will—without any doubt—be viewed by history as one of the most fascinating personalities of the Twentieth Century.' Mary S. Lovell 'Lady Mosley writes ext...

From rag-gatherers to royalty, from fish knives to Freemasons: everyday life in Victorian London.Like its acclaimed companion volumes, Elizabeth's London, Restoration London and Dr Johnson's London, this book is the product of the author's passionate interest in the realities of everyday life so often left out of history books. This period of mid Victorian London covers a huge span:Victoria's wedding and the place of the royals in...

The diaries of the National Trust's country house expert James Lees-Milne (1908-97) have been hailed as 'one of the treasures of contemporary English literature'. The first of three, this volume, which includes interesting material omitted when the diaries were originally published during the author's lifetime, covers the years 1942 to 1954, beginning with his wartime visits to hard-pressed country house owners, and ending with his marriage to the exotic Alvilde Chaplin.

Jeremy Paxman's unique portrait of the Victorian age takes readers on an exciting journey through the birth of modern Britain. Using the paintings of the era as a starting point, he tells us stories of urban life, family, faith, industry and empire that helped define the Victorian spirit and imagination.To Paxman, these paintings were the television of their day, and his exploration of Victorian art and society shows how these artists were chronicling a world changing before their ...

The captivating story of the famed Savoy Hotel’s founders, told through three generations—and one hundred years—of glamour and high society.For the gondoliers-themed birthday dinner, the hotel obligingly flooded the courtyard to conjure the Grand Canal of Venice. Dinner was served on a silk-lined floating gondola, real swans were swimming in the water, and as a final flourish, a baby elephant borrowed from London Zoo pulled a five-foot high birthday cake.

'Roar with laughter.' Laura Thompson 'The dazzling beauty with a poison pen... wit pervades her writings.' Anne de Courcey, Daily Mail Criti Choice 'When she wielded her elegant stiletto, it was to unmask an ego... brightly and sharply illuminated.' Valerie Grove, The Times Wickedly funny, gossipy, carefree, intimate and revealing, this selection of Diana Mitford's writings publishes for the first time the articles and diary she wrote for the amusement of her close circle of friends, as we...

A fascinating guide to the best literary landmarks in London that takes the reader into publishing houses and along paths of inspiration, revealing the stories behind the stories.* One of the world’s greatest literary cities, London has streets full of stories and buildings steeped in history.* The biggest and most beloved names in English literature have all been here, and you can still see or visit their stomping grounds and favourite places.* Fol...

*FOYLES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH*'I really can't recommend this enough - especially if you are going on holiday' Tom Holland**'**Delightful ... Lucy Lethbridge has written a glorious romp of a book' Kathryn Hughes, The Mail on Sunday'It is the paramount wish of every English heart, ever addicted to vagabondizing, to hasten to the Continent…'In 1815 the Battle of Waterloo...

Charles Ritchie, one of Canada’s most distinguished diplomats, was a born diarist, a man whose daily record of his life is so well written that it leaps from the page.In wartime England, Ritchie, as Second Secretary at the Canadian High Commission, served as private secretary to Vincent Massey, whose second-in-command was Lester B. Pearson, future prime minister of Canada. In a perfect position to observe both statecraft and the London social whirl that continued even during the wa...