Published to mark the beginning of the Britten centenary year in 2013 Paul Kildea's Benjamin Britten: A Life in the Twentieth Century" is the definitive biography of Britain's greatest modern composer. In the eyes of many Benjamin Britten was our finest composer since Purcell (a figure who often inspired him) three hundred years earlier. He broke decisively with the romantic nationalist school of figures such as Parry Elgar & Vaughan Williams & recreated English music in a fresh modern European form. With " Peter Grimes" (1945) " Billy Budd" (1951) & " The Turn of the Screw" (1954) he arguably composed the last operas
- from any composer in any country
- which have entered both the popular consciousness & the musical canon. He did all this while carrying two disadvantages to worldly success
- his passionately held pacifism which made him suspect to the authorities during & immediately after the Second World War
- & his homosexuality specifically his forty-year relationship with Peter Pears for whom many of his greatest operatic roles & vocal works were created. The atmosphere & personalities of Aldeburgh in his native Suffolk also form another wonderful dimension to the book. Kildea shows clearly how Britten made this creative community notably with the foundation of the Aldeburgh Festival & the building of Snape Maltings but also how costly the determination that this required was. Above all this book helps us understand the relationship of Britten's music to his life & takes us as far into his creative process as we are ever likely to go. Kildea reads dozens of Britten's works with enormous intelligence & sensitivity in a way which those without formal musical training can underst&. It is one of the most moving & enjoyable biographies of a creative artist of any kind to have appeared for years. Paul Kildea is a writer & conductor who has performed many of the Britten works he writes about in opera houses & concert halls from Sydney to Hamburg. His previous books include " Selling Britten" (2002) & (as editor) " Britten on Music" (2003). He was Head of Music at the Aldeburgh Festival between 1999 & 2002 & subsequently Artistic Director of the Wigmore Hall in London."



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Benjamin Britten was the greatest English composer of the twentieth century & one of the outstanding musicians of his age. Born in Lowestoft Suffolk in 1913 Britten was the youngest child of a dentist father & amateur musician mother. After studying at the Royal College of Music he became a vital part of London's creative & intellectual life during the 1930s collaborating with W. H. Auden & meeting his lifelong partner the tenor Peter Pears. At the outbreak of the Second World War Britten & Pears were already in America earning a precarious living as freelance musicians before re-crossing the Atlantic by ship in the perilous days of 1942. But the east coast of England was where Britten as he himself said belonged: this was where he returned to write his most famous opera Peter Grimes &
- with Pears & Eric Crozier
- to found the Aldeburgh Festival in 1948. In the years that followed his worldwide reputation grew steadily helped by a busy schedule of international tours & for many crowned by the extraordinary success of his War Requiem. Meanwhile his festival went from strength to strength its progress symbolised by the opening of Snape Maltings Concert Hall in 1967. Britten was a mass of paradoxes: a solitary introspective thinker who came to ebullient life in the company of young people for whom he composed some of his most memorable works; a man of the political left who was on the friendliest terms with members of the royal family; a composer inspired by some of the twentieth century's deepest preoccupations who combined innovation with a profound understanding of musical tradition. Devoted to his friends proteges & fellow musicians he was above all someone who lived for music. Neil Powell's book is the landmark biography for Britten's centenary year: a subtle & moving portrait of a brilliant complex & ultimately loveable man.

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During his 84-year life Benjamin Franklin was Americas best scientist inventor publisher business strategist diplomat & writer. He was also one of its most practical political thinkers. Americas first great publicist he carefully crafted his own persona portrayed it in public & polished it for posterity. In this riveting new biography Walter Isaacson provides readers with a full portrait of Franklins public & private life
- his loyal but neglected wife his bastard son with whom he broke over going to war with England his endless replacement families & his many amorous but probably unconsummated liaisons. But this is not just a biography of Benjamin Franklin but rather a fascinating look at American & European political history at that time. Isaacson examines the run up to the Revolutionary War the intimate relations between Britain France & the colonies & the decisive events that led to Americas independence. Just as David Mc Cullough brought life to the historic figure of John Adams Isaacson portrays Franklin in the flesh showing readers how this radical man helped define Americas national character & personality.
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Benjamin Howard Baker
- Sportsman Supreme is the first time that this incredible all-round British sportsman has been immortalised
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Find out what its like to be a famous poet author & performer in this autobiography by Benjamin Zephaniah. Learn what it was like growing up in a house of seven children meeting Nelson Mandela & how he sets about writing poetry all told through his own voice & accompanied by artwork from Kate Greenaway winning illustrator Victor Ambrus. / Diamond/ Band 17 books offer more complex underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes & points of view. / An autobiography / A timeline on pages 54 & 55 presents the key events in Benjamin Zephaniahs life chronologically allowing plenty of recapping & further discussion. / Curriculum Links: Citizenship: Living in a diverse world ...

When Andrew Strauss's team seized the world title in the summer of 2011 they finally recovered what had been lost at the Adelaide Oval in 1959. This tale of England's preceding triumph & loss is recounted through the memoirs of many of the star players when England had last been top of the world. Bent Arms & Dodgy Wickets tells the story of English cricket's slow recovery from the Second World War of its brief time of triumph & of its undignified fall from grace
- a tale of fluctuating fortunes reflected upon by great names including Hutton Compton & Trueman Lindwall & Miller Mc Glew & Weekes. The title refers to the sporting controversies of the time
- suspect bowling actions & poor pitches
- as Britain declined as an imperial power & English cricket was hampered by class snobbery anachronistic fixations & an uncompetitive domestic game.


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Here is the complete history of Bentley one of Britains most distinguished marques from its creation in 1921 through its renaissance under VW ownership motorsport highlights including the 2003 victory at Le Mans & up to the present with the introduction of the Flying Spur saloon Azure Continental GTC Brooklands Coupe & several limited editions
- plus the substantial Arnage facelift. Turbocharged Bentley saloons coupes & convertibles are among the fastest & most desirable cars in the world.
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For over 80 years these legendary Bentleys the creation of the celebrated engineer W.O. Bentley have remained the object of fascination & desire of all motoring enthusiasts. This full colour book covers the 3-Litre of 1921 the 4 1/2-Litre & the 4 1/2-Litre ' Blower Bentley. The author studies the evolution of the models their competition history & the wide range of coachwork fitted. This is the seventeenth title in the publisher's In Detail series which provide classic car enthusiasts with detailed originality data. ...

The Bentley Mk VI introduced in 1946 fairly bristled with new ideas & marked a bold change of direction for a company as conservative as Rolls-Royce owner of the Bentley marque. The most radical departure from pre-war practice was the fact that the Mk VI could be bought with a standard body. Other major new features were the engine cruciform chassis & hydraulically operated front brakes. However none of this indicates the true historical importance of the Mk VI or why the model is at the heart of this book-quite simply the Mk V Is design was the well-spring from which all the mainstream Rolls-Royce & Bentley models flowed until the advent of the Silver Shadow & Bentley T-Series in 1965. Here is the complete story of the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Silver Dawn & Silver Cloud & the Bentley Mk VI R-Type & S-Type. Covering concept design & development production promotion publicity & the coachbuilt cars. There is also helpful practical advice on buying & running these cars today together with appendices of chassis number sequences & dates build numbers & modifications & development by chassis number. Illustrated with over 160 black & white & color photos this book is a must have for anyone interested in automotive history. ...

WO Bentley had launched his first model the four-cylinder 3 Litre in 1921 as a sporting car for the discerning driver intending that it should provide 80mph performance with exceptional reliability founded on the quality of its engineering & construction. All cars even came with a five-year guarantee. It quickly became the favourite of wealthy young sportsmen & to prove a point 3-litres won at Le Mans in 1924 & 1927. This book looks in detail at Bentley's 1925 creation the six-cylinder 61/2-litre the 1928 Speed Six version & the 1931 supercar the enormous handsome & expensive 8-litre
- one of motoring's immortal legends. Outstanding examples of all the models have been photographed specially for this book & are featured in detail in some 150 colour shots. There are also more than 150 black-&-white photographs drawn from archive sources.
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