Rooms of One's Own (eBook)

50 Places That Made Literary History

Adrian Mourby

Writers’ relationships with their surroundings are seldom straightforward. While some, like Jane Austen and Thomas Mann, wrote novels set where they were staying (Lyme Regis and Venice respectively), Victor Hugo penned Les Misérables in an attic in Guernsey and Noël Coward wrote that most English of plays, Blithe Spirit, in the Welsh holiday village of Portmeirion.

Award-winning BBC drama producer Adrian Mourby follows his literary heroes around the world, exploring 50 places where great works of literature first saw the light of day. At each destination – from the Brontës’ Yorkshire Moors to the New York of Truman Capote, Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin to the now-legendary Edinburgh café where J.K. Rowling plotted Harry Potter’s first adventures – Mourby explains what the writer was doing there and describes what the visitor can find today of that great moment in literature.

Rooms of One’s Own takes you on a literary journey from the British Isles to Paris, Berlin, New Orleans, New York and Bangkok and unearths the real-life places behind our best-loved works of literature.

Adrian Mourby was an award-winning BBC drama producer before turning to full-time writing. He has published three novels, two AA travel guides and a book of humour based on his Sony Award-winning Radio 4 series Whatever Happened To…? In recent years Adrian has won two Italian awards for his travel journalism. He also writes extensively on opera and has produced operas by Mozart, Handel and Purcell, both in the UK and in Europe.

Headline Britons 1926-1930 (eBook)

Peter Pugh

Headline Britons paints a unique picture of British life in the 20th and 21st centuries by re-examining some of the country’s most notable characters. Each book covers a five-year span, telling the stories of a number of people who, in that time, stood out among their contemporaries.

As the General Strike of 1926 starkly illustrated, economic hardship continued to be the lodestone of the decade. An American import, the movies, revolutionised entertainment, while William Morris rapidly developed the motor car in Oxford.

Peter Pugh brings these five years vividly to life through the stories of gay author Radclyffe Hall – whose seminal The Well of Loneliness also made people think again about sexual norms – John Logie Baird, whose development of the his television in these years presaged another great revolution in everyday life, and the comedian who captured many hearts, Noel Coward.

Peter Pugh is a businessperson and company historian who has written more than 50 company histories on businesses from Rolls-Royce to Iceland. He is also the author of Introducing Thatcherism and Introducing Keynes, and lives by the sea in north Norfolk, and in Cambridge.

Economyths (eBook)

11 Ways Economics Gets it Wrong

David Orrell

When Economyths was first published in 2010, David Orrell showed how mainstream economics is based on key myths such as fair competition, rational behaviour, stability and eternal growth – and how these myths lead paradoxically to their opposites: inequality, an irrational economy, financial instability and a collision with nature’s limits.

Since then, we’ve had Occupy, political upheaval, flash crashes in financial markets, the warmest few years in recorded history – and a growing chorus demanding fundamental reform. So how has economics responded?

In this revised and expanded edition, Orrell shows how the ten myths still dominate economics. He reveals their roots in thought that goes back to the ancient Greeks, making them hard to dislodge. And he uncovers, demolishes and develops an alternative to the greatest economyth of all – the one that will lead to the collapse of orthodox economics.

David Orrell studied mathematics at the University of Alberta, and obtained his doctorate from Oxford University on the prediction of nonlinear systems. His work in applied mathematics and complex systems research has since led him to diverse areas such as weather forecasting, economics, and cancer biology. His work has been featured in the New Scientist, the Financial Times and on BBC Radio.

Destination Mars (eBook)

The Story of our Quest to Conquer the Red Planet

Andrew May

Mars is back. Suddenly everyone – from Elon Musk to Ridley Scott to Donald Trump – is talking about going to the Red Planet.

When the Apollo astronauts walked on the Moon in 1969, many people imagined Mars would be next. However NASA’s Viking 1, which landed in 1976, was just a robot. The much-anticipated crewed mission failed to materialise, defeated by a combination of technological and political challenges.

Four decades after Viking and almost half a century after Apollo technology has improved beyond recognition – as has politics. As private ventures like SpaceX seize centre stage from NASA, Mars has undergone a seismic shift – it’s become the prime destination for future human expansion and colonisation.

But what’s it really like on Mars, and why should anyone want to go there? How do you get there and what are the risks? Astrophysicist and science writer Andrew May answers these questions and more, as he traces the history of our fascination with the Red Planet.

Andrew May is a freelance writer and former scientist, with a PhD in astrophysics. He has written five books in Icon's Hot Science series: Destination Mars, Cosmic Impact, Astrobiology, The Space Business and The Science of Music. He lives in Somerset.

The 50 Greatest Musical Places (eBook)

Sarah Woods

A trip around the world, played out to the most eclectic soundtrack, discovering hidden musical gems along the way.

From mosh pits to cabarets, Berlin’s beatnik band haunts to Korea’s peppy k-pop clubs, from visiting the infamous Dollywood, to tracing Freddie Mercury’s childhood in Zanzibar, The 50 Greatest Musical Places of the World has something for music fans of all genres.

Discover the places where iconic songs were written, groups were formed, music legends were born and extraordinary talent is celebrated.

Sarah Woods is the author of over a dozen travel books, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers. She writes for national newspapers and travel magazines and appears regularly on TV and radio. She has been awarded the BGTW ‘Travel Guide Writer of the Year’.

Sex, Botany and Empire (Icon Science) (eBook)

The Story of Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks

Patricia Fara

When the imperial explorer James Cook returned from his first voyage to Australia, scandal writers mercilessly satirised the amorous exploits of his botanist Joseph Banks, whose trousers were reportedly stolen while he was inside the tent of Queen Oberea of Tahiti. Was the pursuit of scientific truth really what drove Enlightenment science?

In Sweden and Britain, both imperial powers, Banks and Carl Linneaus ruled over their own small scientific empires, promoting botanical exploration to justify the exploitation of territories, peoples and natural resources. Regarding native peoples with disdain, these two scientific emperors portrayed the Arctic North and the Pacific Ocean as uncorrupted Edens, free from the shackles of Western sexual mores.

In this ‘absorbing’ (Observer) book, Patricia Fara reveals the existence, barely concealed under Banks' and Linnaeus' camouflage of noble Enlightenment, of the altogether more seedy drives to conquer, subdue and deflower in the name of the British Imperial state.

Patricia Fara is a Senior Tutor at Clare College at the University of Cambridge, where she teaches history of science. Her other books include Newton: The Making of Genius (Macmillan, 2001) and An Entertainment for Angels (Icon, 2002).

An Entertainment for Angels (Icon Science) (eBook)

Electricity in the Enlightenment

Patricia Fara

Electricity was the scientific fashion of the Enlightenment, 'an Entertainment for Angels, rather than for Men'. Lecturers attracted huge audiences to marvel at sparkling fountains, flaming drinks, pirouetting dancers and electrified boys. Enlightenment optimists predicted that this new-found power of nature would cure illnesses, improve crop production, even bring the dead back to life. 

Benjamin Franklin, better known as one of America's founding fathers, played a key role in developing the new instruments and theories of electricity during the eighteenth century. Celebrated for drawing lightning down from the sky with a kite, Franklin was an Enlightenment expert on electricity, developing one of the most successful explanations of this mysterious phenomenon.

But Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor of Clare College Cambridge, reveals how the study of electricity became intertwined with Enlightenment politics. By demonstrating their control of the natural world, Enlightenment philosophers hoped to gain authority over society. And their stunning electrical performances provided dramatic evidence of their special powers.

Patricia Fara is a Senior Tutor at Clare College at the University of Cambridge, where she teaches history of science. She is also the author of Newton: The Making of Genius (Macmillan, 2002) and Sex, Botany and Empire (Icon, 2003).

Michael Faraday and the Electrical Century (Icon Science) (eBook)

Iwan Rhys Morus

The only scientist to ever appear on the British twenty pound note, Michael Faraday is one of the most recognisable names in the history of science.

Faraday's forte was electricity, a revolutionary force in nineteenth-century society. The electric telegraph had made mass-communication possible and inventors looked forward to the day when electricity would control all aspects of life. By the end of the century, this dream was well on its way to being realised. But what was Faraday's role in all this? How did his science come to have such an impact on the lives of the Victorians (and ultimately on us)?

Iwan Morus tells the story of Faraday’s upbringing in London and his apprenticeship at the Royal Institution under the supervision of the flamboyant chemist, Sir Humphry Davy, all set against the backdrop of a vibrant scientific culture and an empire near the peak of its power.

Iwan Rhys Morus is a professor of history at Aberystwyth University. He is the author, most recently, of William Robert Grove: Victorian Gentleman of Science (University of Wales Press, 2017) and the editor of the Oxford Illustrated History of Science (OUP, 2017).

Big Data (eBook)

How the Information Revolution Is Transforming Our Lives

Brian Clegg

Is the Brexit vote successful big data politics or the end of democracy? Why do airlines overbook, and why do banks get it wrong so often? How does big data enable Netflix to forecast a hit, CERN to find the Higgs boson and medics to discover if red wine really is good for you? And how are companies using big data to benefit from smart meters, use advertising that spies on you and develop the gig economy, where workers are managed by the whim of an algorithm?

The volumes of data we now access can give unparalleled abilities to make predictions, respond to customer demand and solve problems. But Big Brother’s shadow hovers over it. Though big data can set us free and enhance our lives, it has the potential to create an underclass and a totalitarian state.

With big data ever-present, you can’t afford to ignore it. Acclaimed science writer Brian Clegg – a habitual early adopter of new technology (and the owner of the second-ever copy of Windows in the UK) – brings big data to life.

Brian Clegg’s most recent books are What Colour is the Sun (Icon, 2016) and Ten Billion Tomorrows (St. Martins, 2016). His Dice World and A Brief History of Infinity were both longlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books. Brian has written for numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, Nature, BBC Focus, Physics World, The Times, The Observer, Good Housekeeping and Playboy. Brian is editor of popularscience.co.uk and blogs at brianclegg.blogspot.com.

Rock Bottom (eBook)

A Music Writer's Journey into Madness

Michael Odell

'One of the best music books ever written, because Michael Odell knows
music isn't about the musicians – it’s about what it does to the listener, even
if what it does ends up being wholly disastrous. It’s sad, funny, fascinating
and wise.' Michael Hann, former Guardian music editor 

‘Hilarious and disarmingly honest; a journey into the neurosis of rock
fame, but through doors you don’t expect.’ Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely
Pilgrimage of Harold Fry  

A tale of loving, living and surviving rock music

Michael Odell is a rock music writer who takes his responsibility as
cultural gatekeeper seriously; he asks rock stars the forbidden questions to
discover whether they’re worthy of readers’ admiration.

But after interviewing Mick Jagger and Keith Richards – two of the ‘Big Six’
icons – Michael is depressed. He has a public meltdown while chaperoning Oasis
at an awards ceremony; he’s lost joy in his bathroom full of rock’n’roll
memorabilia; and his young son is in trouble at school for emulating rock star
behaviour.

Reluctantly Michael consults Mrs Henckel, a no-nonsense therapist with zero
experience of pop culture. As Michael addresses his feelings about the past, in
particular his failed teenage band, Mental Elf, he’s forced to confront the
question: is it finally time to grow up and forget rock’n’roll?

Michael Odell is a former contributing editor to Q magazine and has written about music for NME, the Guardian, the Independent and Spin, among others. Currently he does interviews and writes on family matters for The Times. He lives in Bristol.

The Smell of Fresh Rain (eBook)

The Unexpected Pleasures of our Most Elusive Sense

Barney Shaw

Smell is the most emotional and evocative of our senses: it can bring back memories faster and with more immediacy than a photograph – so why is it so little understood?

Armed with a hungry curiosity and a willingness to self-experiment, author Barney Shaw goes in search of the hidden meanings of smells. Using plain words to describe what he finds, he investigates the chemistry, psychology, history and future of this underappreciated sense.

Journeying around boatyards, perfume shops and memories, Shaw opens your nose to the world, breaking down “chords” of smells into their component notes and through them revealing new ways of understanding the spaces through which we move.

An investigation into the biology, psychology and history of smell, and a search for effective ways to put into words scents that we instantly relate to, but find strangely ineffable, THE SMELL OF FRESH RAIN includes a 200-entry thesaurus of succinct descriptions of common smells.

Barney Shaw is an artist and former civil servant. He was Private Secretary to several Labour and Conservative Ministers, and went on to run government policy on, various aspects of work, unemployment and schools. This is his first book.

The French Exception (eBook)

Emmanuel Macron – The Extraordinary Rise and Risk

Adam Plowright

'Adam Plowright's excellent book captures the strangeness of Macron’s life' Evening Standard

THE FIRST BIOGRAPHY OF EMMANUEL MACRON IN ENGLISH

From total unknown to one of Europe's most powerful men in just a few years, at 39, France's youngest leader since Napoleon is intent on conquering the world stage. 

But what lies beneath the façade of this youthful, ultra-confident and calculating president? How did someone from small-town France assemble — in just 12 months — the network, team and finances to win the presidency? Now elected, can he make the French feel better about themselves? Can he rally Europe around him and turn the tide of right-wing nationalism sweeping the continent? Critically, what will his presidency mean for Britain?

Featuring never-before printed interviews with key members of Macron’s team, his friends, mentors and political detractors, acclaimed Paris-based journalist Adam Plowright asks: can the shine on this brilliant new president last? 

And for how long?

Adam Plowright is a former deputy editor-in-chief at Agence France Presse. Based in Paris, he has been a journalist for fifteen years.

Frank Whittle (Icon Science) (eBook)

The Invention of the Jet

Andrew Nahum

The story of the jet engine has everything: genius, tragedy, heroism, a world war, the individual vs. the state, and an idea that would change the world.

Frank Whittle always maintained that he was held back by a lack of government support. At the very moment in 1943 when his invention was unveiled to the world, his company, Power Jets, was forcibly nationalised.

Yet Whittle's brilliance, charm and charisma helped him recruit major support from the British government and the RAF, who gave him the green light to build a jet engine at a time when to do so made little sense. Here is a story of what pushing technology to its limits can achieve – and the effect that such achievement can have on those involved.

Andrew Nahum is currently Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London. He is also author of Alec Issigonis and the Mini (Icon Books, 2004) and Fifty Cars that changed the World (Design Museum, 2009, 2016).

Who Is Dracula’s Father? (eBook)

And Other Puzzles in Bram Stoker’s Gothic Masterpiece

Jon Sutherland

When it was first published in 1897 – 120 years ago – Irish author Bram Stoker’s Dracula was ranked by the Daily Mail above work by Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe, as well as Wuthering Heights. Yet it never made

Stoker any money.

Since 1931’s film Nosferatu the Vampire, however, it has never been out of print and is legendary among fans of the dark, macabre and mysterious …

Critic John Sutherland, a Dracula fan since childhood – and author of the literary puzzle classics Is Heathcliff a Murderer? and Can Jane Eyre be Happy? explores the enigmas and puzzles of this towering giant of gothic

novels, such as:

Who was Dracula’s father? Why does the Count come to England? Does the Count actually give Jonathan a ‘love bite’? Why does every country we know of have a vampire legend? And finally – how long is it before we’re all vampires?

The book also includes 'Dracula Digested' by John Crace, author of the Guardian's Digested Reads column.

John Sutherland is Lord Northcliffe Professor Emeritus at University College London and an eminent scholar in the field of Victorian fiction, author of many works including The Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction. He has also written the bestselling popular titles Is Heathcliff a Murderer? and Can Jane Eyre be Happy?, and such scholarly jeux d’esprit as Curiosities of Literature.

Who Is Dracula’s Father? (Hardback)

And Other Puzzles in Bram Stoker’s Gothic Masterpiece

Jon Sutherland

When it was first published in 1897 – 120 years ago – Irish author Bram Stoker’s Dracula was ranked by the Daily Mail above work by Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe, as well as Wuthering Heights. Yet it never made

Stoker any money.

Since 1931’s film Nosferatu the Vampire, however, it has never been out of print and is legendary among fans of the dark, macabre and mysterious …

Critic John Sutherland, a Dracula fan since childhood – and author of the literary puzzle classics Is Heathcliff a Murderer? and Can Jane Eyre be Happy? explores the enigmas and puzzles of this towering giant of gothic

novels, such as:

Who was Dracula’s father? Why does the Count come to England? Does the Count actually give Jonathan a ‘love bite’? Why does every country we know of have a vampire legend? And finally – how long is it before we’re all vampires?

The book also includes 'Dracula Digested' by John Crace, author of the Guardian's Digested Reads column.

John Sutherland is Lord Northcliffe Professor Emeritus at University College London and an eminent scholar in the field of Victorian fiction, author of many works including The Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction. He has also written the bestselling popular titles Is Heathcliff a Murderer? and Can Jane Eyre be Happy?, and such scholarly jeux d’esprit as Curiosities of Literature.

Rooms with a View (eBook)

The Secret Life of Grand Hotels

Adrian Mourby

Salvador Dalí once asked room service at Le Meurice in Paris to send him up a flock of sheep. When they were brought to his room he pulled out a gun and fired blanks at them. George Bernard Shaw tried to learn the tango at Reid’s Palace in Madeira, and the details of India’s independence were worked out in the ballroom of the Imperial Hotel, Delhi.

The world’s grandest hotels have provided glamorous backgrounds for some of the most momentous – and most bizarre – events in history.

Adrian Mourby is a distinguished hotel historian and travel journalist – and a lover of great hotels. Here he tells the stories of 50 of the world’s most magnificent, among them the Adlon in Berlin, the Hotel de Russie in Rome, the Continental in Saigon, Raffles in Singapore, the Dorchester in London, Pera Palace in Istanbul and New York’s Plaza, as well as some lesser known grand hotels like the Bristol in Warsaw, the Londra Palace in Venice and the Midland in Morecambe Bay.

All human life is to be found in a great hotel, only in a more entertaining form.

Adrian Mourby was an award-winning BBC drama producer before turning to full-time writing. He has published three novels, two AA travel guides, a book based on his Sony Award-winning Radio 4 series Whatever Happened To…?, as well as the companion volume to this book, Rooms of One's Own: 50 Places that Made Literary History. In recent years Adrian has won two Italian awards for his travel journalism. He also writes extensively on opera, has produced works by Mozart, Handel and Purcell and leads cultural tours worldwide.

Is Heathcliff a Murderer? (eBook)

Puzzles in Nineteenth-Century Fiction

Jon Sutherland

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER IN A BRAND NEW EDITION

'Enchanting…the most engagingly boffiny book imaginable.' Spectator 

Does Becky kill Jos at the end of Vanity Fair? Why does no one notice that Hetty is pregnant in Adam Bede? How, exactly, does Victor Frankenstein make his monster? 
 

Readers of Victorian fiction often find themselves tripping up on seeming anomalies, enigmas and mysteries in their favourite novels. 

In Is Heathcliff a Murderer? John Sutherland investigates 34 conundrums of nineteenth-century fiction, paying homage to the most rewarding of critical activities: close reading and the pleasures of good-natured pedantry

John Sutherland is Lord Northcliffe Professor Emeritus at University College London and an eminent scholar in the field of Victorian fiction, author of many works including The Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction. He has also written the bestselling popular titles Is Heathcliff a Murderer? and Can Jane Eyre be Happy?, and such scholarly jeux d’esprit as Curiosities of Literature.