Biography Recent Picks

May 2003

The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

	Lucrezia Borgia by Maria Bellonci. (2002) The story of the notorious Duchess of Ferrara who lived between 1480 and 1519 - very interesting times. "Although Lucrezia Borgia was a daughter of Pope Alexander VI and chiefly remembered as a raven-haired poisoner, Bellonci depicts a passionate woman moving uncertainly through the papal court and the intrigues, ambitions, and political chicanery that swirled about her. Winner of the Viareggio Literary Award and the Galante Prize in Italy in 1953." (Amazon)
	Emma's war by Elizabeth Daish. (1991) "Glamorous aid worker Emma McCune conformed to none of the stereotypes: although driven and committed to her work she was at least partially attracted to Africa because it enabled her to live in a style she could not achieve in Britain, and she was famous in East Africa for wearing mini-skirts and for her affairs with African men. Initially much admired, if also suspect for her social flair, she appalled the aid community with her marriage to a local warlord, who was deeply enmeshed in both rebellion and murder. She had fallen in love and, a rebel to the end, she insisted on following her feelings, even if it left her rejected by her fellow worker and in an ambiguous position." (Amazon.co.uk) Large Print only.
	A stupid boy : the autobiography of the creator of Dad's Army by Jimmy Perry. (2002) The creator of 'Dad's army' tells of the life and adventures which shaped him and inspired the television series.
	Seinfeld : the making of an American icon by Jerry Oppenheimer. (2002) The well known American comedian shows that he and his character in the show which bears his name are very different. "Oppenheimer who has indeed become a master of his own domain delivers a rollicking, sensational account of this "one-time poor boy from blue-collar Long Island who [became] very wealthy from being very funny."" (Amazon)
	The real Mrs Miniver : Jan Struther's story by Ysenda Maxtone Graham. (2001) "The film 'Mrs Miniver', starring Greer Garson, was a wartime classic. It took America by storm and won five Oscars. It was a war film, though with a difference in that it was not the handsome RAF pilot but his bride who was killed. Even now it is a classic 'weepie'; in 1942, even isolationist Americans were stunned. Winston Churchill said Mrs Miniver would do more for the Allied cause that a flotilla of battleships. The book 'Mrs Miniver' had likewise been a bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic and its author, Jan Struther found it hard to persuade people that she herself was not its heroine..." (Amazon UK)

Scenes from yesterday by Susan Tolman. (2002)
These are the memoirs of a woman born into middle class Vienna before its annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938, and how this event tore her family apart.

Prince Harry : the biography by Mark Saunders. (2002)
"While Prince Harry once seemed destined to live in his older brother's shadow, he is now emerging as a young man who shows more than a true-to-life side to the Royal Family. The media storm surrounding his drinking and experimentation with marijuana has, rather than alienated him from the man in the street, marked him out as a real royal: someone with whom it is easy to identify. Having followed in William's footsteps to Eton, Harry is a bright young man of intellect, wit and sporting prowess. Yet behind this happy exterior lies a sensitive personality that has suffered at the hands of tragedy." (Amazon UK)

Joyce Grenfell by Janie Hampton. (2002)
"Joyce Grenfell (1910-1979) was a British institution and one of the country's best-loved entertainers.... Joyce's mother was the daughter of an American railroad millionaire and her aunt was the MP Nancy Astor, so she grew up among the rich and famous, both at Cliveden and in Chelsea. She always claimed that her stage career began by accident, but this biography reveals that she nurtured her talent with dedication, ambition and discipline. During the war she sang to the troops in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East on long and exhausting tours. After 1945 she honed her skills in revues and went on to create solo shows which filled theatres in the West end and on Broadway. Joyce revealed little about her private life in her two autobiographies, and after her death her image was fiercely guarded by her devoted husband Reggie and her close friends, so that she came to be remembered as almost unnaturally perfect." (Amazon UK)

In my own good time by Stan Barstow. (2001)
"The author, one of a group of working class, provincial authors which included John Braine, Alan Sillitoe and Keith Waterhouse reflects on marriage, friendship, the nature of talent and the craft of writing." (Amazon UK)

By His Excellency's command : the adventurous life of David Stark Durie by Bob Maysmor. (2002)
Tells of the adventurous life of New Zealand pioneer David Stark Durie and his family.

Ralph Lauren : the man, the vision, the style by Colin McDowell. (2002)

Hero for humanity : a biography of William Wilberforce by Kevin Belmonte. (2002)
Everyone knows of the famous anti-slavery campaigner, but this book throws new light on his personality and the forces which drove him in his forty six year long struggle.

Previous Biography Recent Pick edition.

Check your card I New fiction, DVD and cd lists I How to place a reserve I Borrowing I Contact us