Paralysis. Stuttering. The `shakes`. Inability to stand or walk. Temporary blindness or deafness. When strange symptoms like these began appearing in men at Casualty Clearing Stations in 1915, a debate began in army & medical circles as to what it was, what had caused it & what could be done to cure it. But the numbers were never large. Then in July 1916 with the start of the Somme battle the incidence of shell shock rocketed. The high command of the British army began to panic. An increasingly large number of men seemed to have simply lost the will to fight. As entire battalions had to be withdrawn from the front, commanders & military doctors desperately tried to come up with explanations as to what was going wrong. ` Shell shock`
- what we would now refer to as battle trauma
- was sweeping the Western Front. By the beginning of August 1916, nearly 200, 000 British soldiers had been killed or wounded during the first month of fighting along the Somme. Another 300, 000 would be lost before the battle was over. But the army always said it could not calculate the exact number of those suffering from shell shock. Re-assessing the official casualty figures, Taylor Downing for the first time comes up with an accurate estimate of the total numbers who were taken out of action by psychological wounds. It is a shocking figure. Taylor Downing`s revelatory new book follows units & individuals from signing up to the Pals Battalions of 1914, through to the horrors of their experiences on the Somme which led to the shell shock that, unrelated to weakness or cowardice, left the men unable to continue fighting. He shines a light on the official
- & brutal
- response to the epidemic, even against those officers & doctors who looked on it sympathetically. It was, they believed, a form of hysteria. It was contagious. & it had to be stopped. Breakdown brings an entirely new perspective to bear on one of the iconic battles of the First World War.



...

Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day & nowhere is that fact more appreciated than at the Wolseley restaurant in London`s Piccadilly. The brainchild of Jeremy King & Chris Corbin
- celebrated restaurateurs & founders of three of London`s most iconic dining destinations: The Ivy, The Caprice & J Sheekey
- the Wolseley is a cross between the traditional robustness of the Parisian brasserie & the gloriously grand but cosy comfort of the Viennese cafe. Breakfast is an institution at the Wolseley & whether you want a healthy breakfast of fruit, cereal & yoghurt, or a full no-fuss English, every need is catered for using the finest ingredients from the best of British & European producers. ” Breakfast at the Wolseley” serves up the ultimate guide to producing & enjoying a superb breakfast in the Wolseley style. There is a host of delicious recipes, whether it`s fresh fruit & crisp croissants or a full English with steaming high-grade Arabica blend coffee. You can also learn more about the background & ethos of the Wolseley with a description of the building & how it became the icon it is today, including an intriguing look at how breakfast service is run at the Wolseley both at front of house & behind the scenes.

...

When anyone says Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the image of Audrey Hepburn & her undeniable elegance always comes to the fore- even the cover of Truman Capote`s classic tale is adorned with her delicate visage. Yet as anyone will tell you, the cinematic incarnation of Truman Capote’s timeless novella is one that is ultimately very different from the original text. In fact its heart, although romantic like the film, is a dark one- so much so, that the final act differs greatly to the point that many will feel it an entirely different beast altogether. The core story remains though: Holly Golightly is generally up all night drinking cocktails & breaking hearts. She hasn`t got a past. She doesn`t want to belong to anything or anyone, not even to her one-eyed rag-bag pirate of a cat. One day Holly might find somewhere she belongs, one day Holly might have to face up to her who she really is. Such were the looser censorships on text than motion pictures at the time, the book is more pointed as to the exact nature of Holly’s night-time activities. Capote’s ineffable wit & sarcasm always seem to harbour a somewhat melancholy aspect, that of someone who is struggling to break free from their past & forge something new. Inevitably, this is not always the case, as Holly finds out, & later, Truman Capote was too after the success of Tiffany & the subsequent bitter pill that was In Cold Blood. ...

Truman Capote`s dazzling New York novel Breakfast at Tiffany`s that inspired the classic 1961 film starring Audrey Hepburn is beautifully repackaged as part of the Penguin Essentials range. ` What I`ve found does the most good is just to get into a taxi & go to Tiffany`s. It calms me down right away, the quietness & the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there, not with those kind men in their nice suits...` Meet Holly Golightly
- a free spirited, lop-sided romantic girl about town. With her tousled blond hair & upturned nose, dark glasses & chic black dresses, Holly is a style sensation wherever she goes. Her apartment rocks to Martini-soaked parties & she plays hostess to millionaires & gangsters alike. Yet Holly never loses sight of her ultimate dream
- to find a real life place like Tiffany`s that makes her feel at home. Full of sharp wit & exuberant, larger-than-life characters which vividly capture the restless, madcap era of 1940s New York, Breakfast at Tiffany`s will make you fall in love, perhaps for the first time, with a book.

...

For ten years Geordie Greig was among a very small group of friends who regularly met Lucian Freud for breakfast at Clarke`s restaurant on Kensington Church Street. Over tea & the morning papers, Freud would recount stories of his past & discuss art. It was, in effect, Freud`s private salon. In this kaleidoscopic memoir, Greig remembers Freud`s stories: of death threats; escaping from Nazi Germany; falling out with his brother Clement; loathing his mother; painting David Hockney; sleeping with horses; escaping the Krays; painting the Queen; his controversial role as a father; & why Velazquez was the greatest painter. It is revelatory about his art, his lovers, his children, his enemies & his love of gambling. Freud dared never to do dull, speaking candidly of dancing with Garbo as well as painting Kate Moss naked. Those closest to him, after decades of silence & secrecy, have spoken frankly about what life was like living, loving or sitting for the greatest figurative portraitist of the twentieth century. Partly based on hours of taped conversations with the artist & his circle, & drawing on interviews with those who knew Freud intimately
- including many girlfriends, models, dealers & bookmakers
- Breakfast with Lucian is an intimate portrait of the artist as a young & old man. Illustrated with many unseen photographs of Freud, it is a uniquely fascinating, personal & authoritative account of one of the greatest British painters of this century & the last, & a profile of a man who makes everyone else`s life seem less lived.

...

For Emily Pool, India is a magical place where she has the freedom to escape her mother`s suffocating influence. Her days are spent exploring the canals & gardens of East Bengal, & admiringly observing her glamorous, dignified neighbours, the Nikolides. But just as the cracks in Emily`s family home are papered over, so do the Pools strive to maintain an outward impression of respectability, & it is through the Nikolides that Emily is exposed to a world of adult deceit & attrition. & when her beloved dog dies, the event forces a confrontation & reveals to Emily that nothing in the town is quite as it seems.. . ...

I hadn't even sat down yet, one buttock still hovering, my hand on the car door, & already my sister-in-law was on the attack: At last! Didn't you hear the horn? We've been waiting here for ten minutes! Good morning, I replied. On the car journey to a family wedding, Garance reflects on how adult life, with its disappointments & responsibilities, has not always gone to plan for herself or her three siblings. But just around the corner lies the chance for them to revisit their younger, carefree selves in a delightfully unplanned escapade. ...

On a car journey to a family wedding, Garance reflects on how adult life, with its disappointments & responsibilities, has not always gone to plan for herself or her three siblings. But just around the corner lies the chance for them to revisit their younger, carefree selves in a delightfully unplanned escapade. In this exquisitely told story, Anna Gavalda explores the themes of time passing & the highs & lows of family life with characteristic wit, warmth & brilliant characterisation. ...

Featuring 20 different postcards depicting scenes & locations from Breaking Bad. Send a postcard from the DEA Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from a Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant or the candlelit shrine to Santa Muerte in Mexico. Wish you were here! ...

Israeli baking encompasses the influences of so many regions
- Morocco, Yemen, Germany, & Georgia, to name a few & master baker
...