Buyers' Choice

October 2009

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.

Girls of Room 28: friendship, hope, and survival in Theresienstadt by Hannelore Brenner.
"From 1942 to 1944, twelve thousand children passed through the Theresienstadt internment camp, near Prague, on their way to Auschwitz. Only a few hundred of them survived the war. In The Girls of Room 28, ten of these children—mothers and grandmothers today in their seventies—tell us how they did it." (Book description, Amazon US)
"The insights of the survivors and stories of the camp's victims are unforgettable and full of poignant humanity, conveyed through letters, photos, diaries, and remembrances. . . . Well detailed and inspiring, Brenner's book, especially her heartfelt epilogue, pays glowing tribute to these heroic survivors." (Publishers Weekly)

Seeing Central Park: The Official Guide to the World's Greatest Urban Park by Sara Cedar Miller.
"For more than 150 years, Central Park has been the centrepiece of New York City, drawing more than 25 million visitors each year. In Seeing Central Park, Sara Cedar Miller, the official historian and photographer of the Central Park Conservancy, takes readers through America's most popular and celebrated park, where natural and manmade features are interwoven into a spectacular work of public art. Combining superb research and writing with breathtaking photographs, Seeing Central Park is not only a gorgeous gift book, but also a guide through every significant design feature in the park, from the largest, such as the Reservoir, to the smallest, such as the intricate carvings in the stonework surrounding Bethesda Terrace.

Seeing Central Park also reveals many newly renovated and restored designs, including Bow Bridge, which has been canonized in countless films, and the Minto Tile Arcade near the famous Bethesda Fountain." (Book Description, Amazon US)

Strokes of Genius: Federer v Nadel, Rivals in Greatness by L. Jon Wertheim.
"In 2008 Wimbledon was a stage set for an epic battle and a rivalry as dramatic as that of Ali-Frazier, Palmer-Nicklaus, and McEnroe- Borg. Five-time champion, Roger Federer, was on track to take his rightful place as the greatest tennis player ever. But in the last few minutes of daylight after a glorious festival of tennis, a coronation was witnessed that was not the heir apparent, but instead the swashbuckling, 22-year-old Nadal.The match had been a four-hour, forty-eight minute informercial for everything that is right about tennis: a festival of skill, accuracy, grace, strength, speed, endurance and determination. In this fascinating recreation of the game, Wertheim follows Nadal from his cold pre-match shower and insistence on carrying his tennis racket (though surrendering his bag to be carried) onto the court, and a very different, calm, Kit-Kat-eating Federer strolling on in his limited edition cardigan. Not just a battle of two of the greatest tennis players ever, it was a battle of two very different characters. Strokes of Genius deconstructs this defining moment in sport, using the match as the backbone of a provocative, thoughtful, and entertaining look at the science, art, psychology, technology, strategy, and personality that go into a single tennis match. For fans of the art of amazing competition in sport, this is a compelling study of the mechanics and art of a legendary game. L. Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and the author of five books. His work has been featured in The Best American Sports Writing numerous times." (Book description, Amazon.co.uk)

How to write history that people want to read by Ann Curthoys.
"This practical book, drawn from decades of experience, is an indispensable guide to writing history. Aimed at all kinds of people who write history - academic historians, public historians, professional historians, family historians and students of all levels - the book includes a wide range of examples from many genres and styles. It offers tips on how to write a compelling narrative, especially how to create suspense when very often the outcome of the story is already known. The authors also investigate moral judgment and the responsibility that historians have to the past.. "(Book description Amazon.com)

Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead by Paula Bryne.
A terrifically engaging and original biography about one of England's greatest novelists, and the glamorous, eccentric, debauched and ultimately tragic family that provided him with the most significant friendships of his life and inspired his masterpiece, "Brideshead Revisited". Evelyn Waugh was already famous when "Brideshead Revisited" was published in 1945. Written at the height of the war, the novel was, he admitted, of no 'immediate propaganda value'. Instead, it was the story of a household, a family and a journey of religious faith -- an elegy for a vanishing world and a testimony to a family he had fallen in love with a decade earlier. The Lygons of Madresfield were every bit as glamorous, eccentric and compelling as their counterparts, the Marchmains, in "Brideshead Revisited". William Lygon, Earl Beauchamp, was a warm-hearted, generous and unconventional father whose seven children adored him. When he was forced to flee the country by his scheming brother-in-law, his traumatised children stood firmly by him, defying not only the mores of the day, but also their deeply religious mother. In this engrossing biography, bestselling author Paula Byrne takes an innovative approach to her subject, setting out to capture Waugh through the friendships and loves that mattered most to him. She uncovers a man who, far from the snobbish misanthropist of popular caricature, was as loving and complex as the family that inspired him. This brilliantly original biography unlocks for the first time the extent to which Waugh's great novel encoded and transformed his own experiences. In so doing, it illuminates the loves and obsessions that shaped his life, and brings us inevitably to a secret that dared not speak its name. (Amazon UK)

Taking Aim: Rock and roll photographs by Nash Graham.
"This book captures some of the world's most recognizable musicians through exceptional photographs selected by Graham Nash, an internationally acclaimed artist of two media - photography and music. Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and Johnny Cash share pages with Kurt Cobain, Sting, Michael Stipe, and many others in photographs by such photographers as Jim Marshall, Annie Leibowitz, Mark Seliger, Dennis Hopper, and others. The defining theme of the book will be Nash's selection of images, influenced by his personal knowledge of many of the musicians featured and his approach to fine photography as both a photographer and collector." (Amazon US)

Women, work & the art of savoir faire : business sense & sensibility by Mireille Guiliano.
"When Mireille Guiliano became a senior executive and spokesperson for Veuve Clicquot, she took the Champagne to the top of the luxury market, using her distinctive French woman's philosophy and style. Now she uses those same talents and savoir faire to help readers pop their own corks and get the mostout of life. Drawing on her experiences at the front lines and highest echelons of the business world, she gives women (and a few men, peut-être) the practical advice they need to make the most of work without skimping on all the other good things in life. With lively lessons, stories, and helpful hints, Mireille teaches every reader how to identify her own passions and talents, improve her communication skills, balance work and life, cope with everyday stress, turn herself into a winning brand, and so much more. From acing a job interview or performance review to hosting a simple but elegant dinner party, Mireille tells it like it is as she shares her secrets for achieving happiness and success at any stage in business and life." (Product Description, Amazon US)

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