Franklin Delano and Eleanor Roosevelt's marriage is one of the most celebrated and scrutinized partnerships in presidential history. It raised eyebrows in their lifetimes and has only become more controversial since their deaths. From FDR's lifelong romance with Lucy Mercer to Eleanor's purported lesbianism - and many scandals in between - the American public has never tired of speculating about the ties that bound these two headstrong individuals. Some claim that Eleanor sacrificed her personal happiness to accommodate FDR's needs; others claim that the marriage was nothing more than a gracious fa ade for political convenience. No one has told the full story until now. In this groundbreaking new account of the marriage, Hazel Rowley describes the remarkable courage and lack of convention - private and public - that kept FDR and Eleanor together. She reveals a partnership that was both supportive and daring. Franklin, especially, knew what he owed to Eleanor, who was not so much behind the scenes as heavily engaged in them. Their relationship was the product of FDR and Eleanor's conscious efforts - a partnership that they created according to their own ambitions and needs. In this dramatic and vivid narrative, set against the great upheavals of the Depression and World War II, Rowley paints a portrait of a tender lifelong companionship, born of mutual admiration and compassion.

Review: Here is the most consequential love story of the twentieth century, told with verve, swift narrative drive, and clear-eyed fondness for the lovers. because Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt's marriage was as difficult as it was momentous: How many husbands have ever had to suffer being nagged about the fate of Yugoslavia? How many wives have had to endure the deflections and evasions of a dissimulator as artful as FDR? Hazel Rowley tells a tale as full of betrayals as it is of a fundamental fidelity, while detailing a partnership so powerful that it has shaped the lives of all of us who read about it today.- Richard Snow, former editor of American Heritage


Author Biography: Hazel Rowley was born in London and educated in England and Australia. She is the author of three previous biographies: Christina Stead: A Biography, a New York Times Best Book; Richard Wright: The Life and Times, a Washington Post Best Book; and Tete-a-Tete: Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, which has been translated into twelve languages. She is the recipient of fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute and the Rockefeller Foundation. She lives in New York City.                                            

Samuel Johnson famously said that: "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." London's remarkable history, architecture, landmarks, streets, style, cool, swagger, and stalwart residents are pictured in hundreds of compelling photographs sourced from a wide array of archives around the world. London is a vast sprawling metropolis, constantly evolving and growing, yet throughout its complex past and shifting present, the humor, unique character, and bulldog spirit of the people have stayed constant. This book salutes all those Londoners, their city, and its history. In addition to the wealth of images included in this book, many previously unpublished, London's history is told through hundreds of quotations, lively essays, and references from key movies, books, and records. From Victorian London to the Swinging 60s; from the Battle of Britain to Punk; from the Festival of Britain to the 2012 Olympics; from the foggy cobbled streets to the architectural masterpieces of the millennium; from rough pubs to private drinking clubs; from Royal Weddings to raves, from the charm of the East End to the wonders of the Westminster; from Chelsea girls to Hoxton hipsters; from the power to glory: in page after page of stunning photographs, reproduced big and bold like the city itself, London at last gets the photographic tribute it deserves.                                  

Augusten Burroughs has lived an unusual life, and has faced more than his fair share of humiliation, transformation and everything in between. This is How is his no-holds-barred book of advice on topics as varied as: How to feel like crap; How to ride an elevator; How to be thin; How to be fat; How to find love; How to feel sorry for yourself; How to get the job; How to end your life; How to remain unhealed; How to finish your drink; How to regret as little as possible; And much more. Told with Burroughs' unique voice, black humour, and in-your-face advice, This is How is Running With Scissors - with recipes.



Author Biography: Augusten Burroughs is the number one New York Times bestselling author of A Wolf at the Table, Possible Side Effects, Magical Thinking, Dry, Running with Scissors and Sellevision.                                            

Millions have read Barack Obama's "Dreams from my Father" and think they know his story. Now, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer David Maraniss has produced a startling biography which reveals the true narrative of Obama's early years. In "Barack Obama", David Maraniss has written a sweeping narrative which reveals the real story of Obama's beginnings: child of a black man from Luoland and a white woman born in Texas. He charts the fortunes of the two disparate families, polar opposites in every way, which produced these two extraordinary individuals, who met briefly in Hawaii, never cohabited, and married only to legitimize the child born of that union. At the heart of Obama's psyche and his political beliefs - and therefore his presidency - is his life-long struggle to understand the extreme duality of his identity. Maraniss explores his extraordinary journey from a mixed race boy raised by white grandparents in laid-back Hawaii to an African America with a burning political vision and vocation. "Barack Obama" contains a wealth of new material. Maraniss reveals here previously unpublished love letters written by Obama as a young man in a search of an identity: black or white, writer or a man who could lead. He also includes the journal entries of Obama's first significant (white) girlfriend, which chart their intense relationship and the moment when young Barack realized that he must leave everything behind him and set out for Chicago in order to 'become' an African American. The story wrought here is one of fierce ambition, survival, and love. It is suitable for readers of Maraniss' "First in His Class", "Obama's War's" by Bob Woodward, "Obama's Dreams from my Father" and David Remnick's "The Bridge".







Author Biography: David Maraniss is an associate editor at the Washington Post. He is the author of critically acclaimed best-selling books on Bill Clinton, Vietnam and the sixties, Roberto Clemente, and the 1960 Rome Olympics. He won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Clinton and has been a Pulitzer finalist three other times. He lives in Washington, DC and Madison, Wisconsin.                                            

       Everyone is familiar with the iconic. Instead, this book takes you on a journey to the heart and soul of London, revealing the hidden and stylish places that make this city so incredibly unique and eclectic. There is an essence to London style, and you find it in the small, off-the-radar places: the one-off shops, street markets, corner pubs and local restaurants that Londoners themselves go to. These places share a certain eccentricity, quirkiness and independence of spirit, and that's what this book is all about. London can be big and overwhelming, and there are many guide books directing you to the key trophy sights of the city. London Style Guide breaks it down by village, and reveals the places that the locals love. We feature some of the Londoners behind the shops, cafes and hotels, and ask them to reveal their city secrets. By delivering a carefully chosen selection of the smaller, most stylish spots that are revered by the residents, visitors feel like locals. It's London up close and personal.                                  

Born in Bristol in the UK in 1965, Damien Hirst is one of the most controversial and highly regarded artists of his generation. His wide-ranging practice, which includes installation, painting, sculpture and drawing, challenges the boundaries between art, science and popular culture. Published to accompany Hirst's first retrospective exhibition in the UK, staged at Tate Modern during the Olympics in 2012, this book will trace Hirst's career from his emergence on the art scene in the late 1980s to his present status as one of the best-known artists working today. With an introduction by curator Ann Gallagher, a new interview by Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate, and essays by curator Andrew Wilson, author and critic Brian Dillon and art historian and critic Thomas Crow, as well as shorter texts on key moments in Hirst's career by Michael Craig-Martin and Michael Bracewell, this superbly illustrated survey is a fitting tribute to his ground-breaking achievements. Surveying 25 years of the artist's practice, from young Turk of the British art scene to internationally respected figure, this book makes a major contribution to our understanding and appreciation of one the most significant artists of our time.                                  

This is our story of fifty fantastic years. We started out as a blues band playing the clubs and more recently we've filled the largest stadiums in the world with the kind of show that none of us could have imagined all those years ago. Curated by us, it features the very best photographs and ephemera from and beyond our archives." (Mick, Keith, Charlie & Ronnie). On Thursday 12 July 1962 the Rolling Stones went on stage at the Marquee Club in London's Oxford Street. In the intervening fifty years the Stones have performed live in front of more people than any band...ever. They've played the smallest blues clubs and some of the biggest stadium tours of all time. They've had No.1 singles and albums in every country that has a popular music chart and have helped define global popular culture. A phenomenal half-century later, they now look back at their astounding career. Curated, introduced and narrated by the band themselves, "The Rolling Stones 50" is the only officially authorized book to celebrate this milestone. With privileged access to a wealth of unseen and rare material, it is packed with superb reportage photography, contact sheets, negative strips, out-takes and so much more, from every period in the bands history. With more than 1,000 illustrations, it also features some of the most rare and interesting Stones memorabilia in existence: international posters, draft record cover art, bubblegum cards, jigsaws and other previously unpublished treasures specially photographed for this volume. Additional contributions by photography legends Gered Mankowitz, Jean-Marie Perier, Dezo Hoffmann, Michael Cooper, Terry ONeill, Bent Rej, Philip Townsend and many others make this the definitive book to celebrate fifty years of the Rolling Stones. From Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie here is one spectacular thank you to their fans all over the world.                                  

Ireland ...Family secrets ...Laughter ...Tragedy ...Lehman Brothers ...Obama's election ...Swimming ...Dogs ...Big beaches ...Loneliness ...Addie and Bruno ...A story of unexpected, life-changing love

Review: It's impossible to look away from this love story. Addie may be struggling when we meet her ... but she's cool and funny and she carries this novel with the charisma of a classic heroine. It will leave you a weeping mess just as Em and Dex's story did. It will also leave you feeling utterly bereft to no longer be in its company Observer When you have long forgotten many other fictional lovers, there is something about Addie and Bruno, their past and their world, that will not go away Maeve Binchy This is How it Ends is an unforgettable story of love and hope - a moving tale which touches the heart Cecelia Ahern An exceptional novel ... It is truly a story for our time. This is How it Ends signals the belated arrival of a new Irish commercial writer with an extraordinary gift and a voice that is entirely her own Irish Independent Kathleen MacMahon's prose could not appear more effortless or beautiful ... The twist in this tale is utterly unexpected and satisfyingly unpredictable ... A bittersweet, engaging novel that will no doubt become a book-club darling Sunday Independent A tender love story. A book about love, family, children and that glorious sense of being alive Irish Examiner The beginning of bank protests, alongside the American election and how crucial it seemed, send a tremor through the narrative Sunday Times This wonderful new author is a force to be reckoned with Dubray Books A tender love story RTE Guide It has 'future classic' written all over it Glamour





Author Biography: Kathleen MacMahon is an award-winning television journalist with Ireland's national broadcaster, RTE, where she reports on the major international stories. The grand-daughter of the distinguished short story writer Mary Lavin, Kathleen lives in Dublin with her husband and twin daughters. THIS IS HOW IT ENDS is her first novel.                                            

       Usually, this is where we'd tell you what this book is about. But with Chris Cleave, it's a bit different. Because if you've read THE OTHER HAND or INCENDIARY, you'll know that what his books are about is only part of the story - what really matters is how they make you feel. GOLD is about the limits of human endurance, both physical and emotional. It will make you cry. GOLD is about what drives us to succeed - and what we choose to sacrifice for success. It will make you feel glad to be alive. GOLD is about the struggles we all face every day; the conflict between winning on others' terms, and triumphing on your own. It will make you count your blessings. GOLD is a story told as only Chris Cleave could tell it. And once you begin, it will be a heart-pounding race to the finish.

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These days artists like Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin are major celebrities. But Gregor Muir knew them at the start; his unique memoir chronicles the birth of Young British Art. Muir, YBA's 'embedded journalist', happened to be in Shoreditch and Hoxton before Jay Jopling arrived with his White Cube Gallery, when this was still a semi-derelict landscape of grotty pubs and squats. There he witnessed, amid a whirl of drunkenness, scrapes and riotous hedonism, the coming-together of a remarkable array of young artists - Hirst, the Chapman brothers, Rachel Whiteread, Sam Taylor-Wood, Angus Fairhurst - who went on to produce a fresh, irreverent, often notorious form of art - Hirst's shark, Sarah Lucas's two fried eggs and a kebab. By the time of the seminal Sensation show at the Royal Academy YBA had changed the art world for ever.

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