With so much talk recently about another Tolkien movie potentially in the works, it’s a good time to highlight this book. As it states on the jacket, ‘a great jumping off point for fans of his works…’ this book gives a huge insight into the man, Tolkien, explaining his formative years, friends, and family.
What I would say about this book is that it’s both well-researched and easy to read. There are black and white photographs included too which always helps the reader get a better feel for the subject. There are also diagrams of the Elvin language.
The fact that Tolkien not only entered into world-building for The Lord of The Rings, but also created new languages that scholars still teach today, tells us how invested he was in the story and the characters.
If, like me, you were/are a fan of the movies and characters from Tolkien’s books, then allowing this one to sit on the shelf next to them would be entirely appropriate.
Recommended.
For the Love of Books
With so much talk recently about another Tolkien movie potentially in the works, it’s a good time to highlight this book. As it states on the jacket, ‘a great jumping off point for fans of his works…’ this book gives a huge insight into the man, Tolkien, explaining his formative years, friends, and family.
What I would say about this book is that it’s both well-researched and easy to read. There are black and white photographs included too which always helps the reader get a better feel for the subject. There are also diagrams of the Elvin language.
The fact that Tolkien not only entered into world-building for The Lord of The Rings, but also created new languages that scholars still teach today, tells us how invested he was in the story and the characters.
If, like me, you were/are a fan of the movies and characters from Tolkien’s books, then allowing this one to sit on the shelf next to them would be entirely appropriate.
Recommended.
For the Love of Books
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars
I've been a fan of the Beatles and was glad I got to read this book about them. It uses the research perfectly and enjoyed how interesting this was. Stephen F Kelly has a great writing style and thought everything worked overall.
NetGalley, Kathryn McLeer
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars
I've been a fan of the Beatles and was glad I got to read this book about them. It uses the research perfectly and enjoyed how interesting this was. Stephen F Kelly has a great writing style and thought everything worked overall.
NetGalley, Kathryn McLeer
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars
The last climb of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, towards the summit of Mount Everest on 8 June 1924, has been shrouded in mystery for a century. Were they the first humans to stand at the highest point in the world? The discovery of Mallory's body in 1999 did nothing to resolve the mystery. Until now, accounts of their climb have been driven by speculation and preconceived narrative.
I’ve always been fascinated by this story. Something of the old pioneer/explorer in it really appeals so I was delighted to read this excellent book. It’s well researched and presented. It describes in detail just how Mallory prepared for the climbing of the highest mountain in the world. It also gives an insight on the man himself but, sadly it cannot answer the inevitable question. Did Mallory and Irvine reach the summit or not? It’s a great read however.
NetGalley, Steve Cripwell
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars
The last climb of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, towards the summit of Mount Everest on 8 June 1924, has been shrouded in mystery for a century. Were they the first humans to stand at the highest point in the world? The discovery of Mallory's body in 1999 did nothing to resolve the mystery. Until now, accounts of their climb have been driven by speculation and preconceived narrative.
I’ve always been fascinated by this story. Something of the old pioneer/explorer in it really appeals so I was delighted to read this excellent book. It’s well researched and presented. It describes in detail just how Mallory prepared for the climbing of the highest mountain in the world. It also gives an insight on the man himself but, sadly it cannot answer the inevitable question. Did Mallory and Irvine reach the summit or not? It’s a great read however.
NetGalley, Steve Cripwell
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars
I never really thought of how many Star Trek video games there were, it had everything that I was hoping for from the nonfiction elements. Mat Bradley-Tschirgi does a great job in writing this and making a guide interesting. This was a great book for any Star Trek fan.
NetGalley, Kathryn McLeer
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars
I never really thought of how many Star Trek video games there were, it had everything that I was hoping for from the nonfiction elements. Mat Bradley-Tschirgi does a great job in writing this and making a guide interesting. This was a great book for any Star Trek fan.
NetGalley, Kathryn McLeer
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars Firstly, this book is very well written. Brown cleverly opens the book with the flight of James, as Duke of York, after the defeat and imprisonment of his father Charles I, and having him vowing to restore this “lost world” of his childhood, before going back to look at his birth and the circumstances surrounding it. It was a clever tactic and made me inclined to sympathise with a young boy whose world had been shattered. An outline of the religious divide in England at the time of his birth helped to set the connection for his later life and the picture the author drew of Henreiia Maria was particularly evocative. I could vividly picture the “candlelit entertainments interweaving dance, chamber music, allegory, poetry, fantastical costumes and sets.” The author has clearly done a huge amount of research and such observations are well rooted in primary evidence. ‘The Rover’ chapter was one of my favourites. The detailed account of Jame’s travels.. Read more
NetGalley, Rebecca B
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars Firstly, this book is very well written. Brown cleverly opens the book with the flight of James, as Duke of York, after the defeat and imprisonment of his father Charles I, and having him vowing to restore this “lost world” of his childhood, before going back to look at his birth and the circumstances surrounding it. It was a clever tactic and made me inclined to sympathise with a young boy whose world had been shattered. An outline of the religious divide in England at the time of his birth helped to set the connection for his later life and the picture the author drew of Henreiia Maria was particularly evocative. I could vividly picture the “candlelit entertainments interweaving dance, chamber music, allegory, poetry, fantastical costumes and sets.” The author has clearly done a huge amount of research and such observations are well rooted in primary evidence. ‘The Rover’ chapter was one of my favourites. The detailed account of Jame’s travels.. Read more
NetGalley, Rebecca B
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Tracing Your Welsh Ancestors
Few previous publications have focused on Welsh family history, and none have provided a comprehensive guide to the genealogical information available and where to find it. That is why the publication of Beryl Evans's new Welsh family history handbook is such a significant event in the field. Her detailed, accessible, authoritative guide will be essential… Read more...
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Beneath the Big Top
Beneath the Big Top is a social history of the circus, from its ancient roots to the rise of the 'modern' tented travelling shows. A performer and founder of a circus group, Steve Ward draws on eye-witness accounts and contemporary interviews to explore the triumphs and disasters of the circus world. He reveals the stories beneath the big top during… Read more...
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British Music Hall
'The music hall ...had no place for reticence; it was downright, it shouted, it made noise, it enjoyed itself and made the people enjoy themselves as well.' W.J. MACQUEEN POPE Music Hall lies at the root of all modern popular entertainment. With stars such as Marie Lloyd, Harry Lauder and Dan Leno, it reached its glorious, brassy height between 1890… Read more...
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The Victorian Guide to Sex
An exciting factual romp through sexual desire, practises and deviance in the Victorian era. The Victorian Guide to Sex will reveal advice and ideas on sexuality from the Victorian period. Drawing on both satirical and real life events from the period, it explores every facet of sexuality that the Victorians encountered. Reproducing original advertisements… Read more...
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Tracing Your Ancestors through Family Photographs
Jayne Shrimpton's complete guide to dating, analysing and understanding family photographs is essential reading and reference for anyone undertaking genealogical and local history research. Using over 150 old photographs as examples, she shows how such images can give a direct insight into the past and into the lives of the individuals who are portrayed… Read more...
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A Guide To War Publications of the First & Second World War
In WW2 information leaflets and posters proliferated. Soldiers were bombarded with Field Regulations, airmen with the latest updates about airborne early warning, bomb sights and radio navigation and sailors with material that helped them identify enemy aircraft and submarines and told them how to operate the new ship board weapons to destroy them.… Read more...
"A richly entertaining account of tragic theatre accidents and murders most foul. If theatre walls could talk, what secrets would they reveal? Chris Wood provides fascinating answers with tales of brawling ushers, murderously jealous husbands, stampeding crowds and infant tragedies. A meticulously researched and vivid collection of lives lost in the… Read more...
Nothing focuses the mind more starkly than impending death. Its inevitable spectre greets us all; from princes to paupers and nobility to the needy. Prepare to mount the scaffold and share in the final utterings of the condemned; join the stricken in their death beds and witness unburdened tongues wag their closing, and often remarkable confessions… Read more...
Gainsborough’s Fred Spiksley was one of the first working class youngsters in 1887 to live ‘the dream’ of becoming a professional footballer, before later finding a role as a globe-trotting coach. He thus dodged the inevitability of industrial, poorly paid, dangerous labour. Lightning fast, Spiksley created and scored hundreds of goals including,… Read more...
In 1968 a group of young people took over a derelict trouser factory in a rundown part of Leeds and set about producing programmes that were to define the British television world of the late 20th Century. These included the investigative documentary series First Tuesday, Darling Buds of May, Whickers World, Dont Ask Me and Heartbeat. At the same time… Read more...
The Real Beatrix Potter is a fascinating and revealing biography of one of the world's most cherished children's authors. Beatrix Potter's famous little white books have enchanted generations of young readers who adored the characters she created and of course her own distinctive illustrations. Born into a typically repressed Victorian family it was… Read more...
'It is all free fighting here. Even some of the windows do not open, so it is useless to cry for help. Dampness and misery, violence and wrong, have left their handwriting in perfectly legible characters on the walls.' - Manchester Guardian, 1870 Step into the Victorian underworld of Angel Meadow, the vilest and most dangerous slum of the Industrial… Read more...