In 29 intimate, brilliant and funny essays, Claire Messud reflects on a childhood move from her Connecticut home to Australia, the complex relationship between her modern Canadian mother and a fiercely single French Catholic aunt, and a trip to Beirut, where her pied-noir father had once lived, while he was dying. She meditates on contemporary classics from Kazuo Ishiguro, Teju Cole, Rachel Cusk and Valeria Luiselli and examines three facets of Albert Camus and The Stranger. She tours her favourite paintings at Boston Museum of Fine Arts and in the luminous title essay explores her drive to write, born of the magic of sharing language and the transformative powers of 'a single successful sentence'. With a peripatetic upbringing, a warm and complicated family, her devotion to art and literature shines through and she proves once again she is 'an absolute master storyteller'. The essays have been collected from her other published work and include Our Dogs, Teenage Girls and How to be a Better Woman in the 21st Century. 306pp.

Darkly funny and touching, previously published in hardback as 'My Mad Dad' this is a rather special, warm and funny and loving and deeply moving book. Inadvertent cross-dressing. Attempted murder. Jail break. A waltz at a funeral. A hernia the size of Guernsey. These are the moments that glitter the messy road from cared-for to carer, a journey that Robyn Holingworth finds herself on when she's only 25 years old. Leaving London to return home to rural South Wales, Robyn finds that it's her old life - same teddy bears resting on her pillow, their bodies tucked under the duvet, same view of the garages behind which she'd had her first cigarette and her first kiss - but so much has changed. Her dad, the proud, charmingly intelligent, self-made man who made people laugh, is in the grip of early onset Alzheimer's. His brilliant mind which saw him building power stations and literally bringing light into the lives of others has succumbed to darkness. As Robyn settles back into the rhythms of life in the rain-soaked vast Welsh valleys, she keeps a diary charting her journey as the Dad she knew disappears before her eyes. Lyrical, poignant and with flashes of brilliant humour, the book explores how in helping others we can heal ourselves. 234pp, paperback with fairly large print.

Daughter of Harold Edward Huth the film producer, Angela Huth was born in 1938 and is a prolific writer for a variety of media - television, the theatre, magazines and newspapers, short stories and almost a dozen novels. Most are relationship stories about bittersweet disappointments and her novel Land Girls offered a sophisticated, adult treatment of character and motive, but the trio of young women at the heart of the story made it very appealing for young adult readers. Marvellously gossipy, enchanting and unputdownable, her memoir tells the story of her unconventional and fascinating life. At the age of five, Angela Huth decided she would become a writer. Hers was an idiosyncratic childhood. Her parents were known to be a highly glamorous couple - Harold a famous actor and film director who possessed legendary charm and Bridget known for her lively sense of humour, fluency in foreign languages, and her penchant for giving memorable parties. But in spite of her parents' initial happiness, they parted after the war. 11 years later they got back together, happily, although each would have a lover for decades. After her education ended prematurely (Bridget didn't believe in university for women), Angela Huth went from reluctant debutante to professional writer, switching from journalism to short stories, novels, plays for television and the stage. Her list in the Appendix of words she weirdly dislikes includes meal, moist, poorly, caring, wealthy, corridor, passed away, poo, picture perfect, munching and nibbles among them. This woman truly loves her English language, is an outrageous name dropper, and we are taken back to times past in her elegant memoir. 311pp, paperback, eight pages of photos.

'Clothes maketh the man' and, in the case of this work, some of the world's most beloved artists. The profiles 40 plus beloved creatives such as Salvador Dali, Nan Goldin, Steve McQueen, Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol, and Frida Kahlo by admiring their sartorial choices alongside a mix of anecdotes, portraits and commentary from critics, designers and the artists themselves. Admire how contemporary painter Elizabeth Peyton moves from a new-wave view of the world to a delicate dreamy style, celebrated through the words of curator Andrew Bolton who said: 'People like fashion for its immediacy, democracy, and idealism... And the same applies to Elizabeth's work.' Pablo Picasso who dressed in mended overalls, fisherman sweaters and shapeless work jackets and said: 'Those who try to explain a picture are on the wrong track most of the time.' Celebrate the style of William Merritt Chase who 'encouraged individuality' for his students who walked his wolfhound around Greenwich Village and wore a white flannel suit while painting and a top hat with spats while out on the town. Also includes 'Signature Looks' sections, such as a meditation on suits worn by Cecil Beaton, Max Ernst and Jeff Koons, all of whom are examples of how self-possessed tailoring doesn't hinder high concepts in the studio. Another section looks at glasses and how they are not a rotational wardrobe item but a representation of what an artist does well, from Takashi Murakami's thin wire-frame circles to Richard Avedon's pair of mobster aviators which inspired Garrett Leight to design an Avedon frame in 2015. The book might inspire a reader to adopt a hat, such as Bruce Nauman and his unfussy Stetson from Nudie's Rodeo Tailors, Grayson Perry's sweet bonnets made from bows, flowers, lace, satin and ribbons, or René Magritte's bowler hat which was used as a motif in many of his paintings. This book would be nothing without the photographs which share fantastic artistic shots of icons, from Anton Josef Tr?ka's portrait of Egon Schiele in 1914 and an image of Marina Abramovi? with model and author Crystal Renn in the August 2014 issue of Vogue Ukraine, to an action shot of a hooded Andy Warhol-print cape worn with a matching skirt, sheer top, and sunglasses in the Stephen Sprouse Spring/Summer 1998 collection. The book examines the dialogue between art and fashion as well as noteworthy artist and designer relationships, such as Yves Saint Laurent?s Mondrian Collection, primary-colored shift dresses inspired by the painter?s work, and Louis Vuitton?s numerous groundbreaking collaborations with major artists, a concept initiated by designer Marc Jacobs that not only has launched some of the fashion industry?s most successful bags, made the art of contemporary masters available to the world at large, and been copied widely ever since. This is a gorgeous encyclopaedia of all things beauty, fashion and art. 7.4" x 9.7", colour images, 210pp.

Billed as a 'modern classic of LGBT writing'. Born in 1930, Lillian Faderman is the only child of an uneducated and unmarried Jewish woman who left Latvia to seek a better life in America. Lillian grew up in poverty but fantasised about becoming an actress. When her dreams led to the dangerous, seductive world of the sex trade and sham-marriages in Hollywood of the 50s, she realised she was attracted to women, and that showbiz is as cruel as they say. Desperately seeking to make her life meaningful, she studied at Berkeley, paying her way by working as a pin-up model and burlesque dancer, hiding her lesbian affairs from the outside world. At last she became a brilliant student and a loving partner, a devoted mother, an acclaimed writer and ground-breaking pioneer of gay and lesbian scholarship. She became a very powerful woman in the Californian university system during the 1970s and hers is an amazing story of survival and success. Very graphic in the lesbian experience in parts, this is certainly a woman determined to overcome life's obstacles. 465pp, eight pages of photos including a very curvaceous Lil as Mink Frost in her days as a stripper. Paperback.

An intimate of the 1960s fashion scene and Fleet Street, Felicity Green never knew who she might be interviewing next - politicians, film stars, the latest pop stars, fashion designers. She was thrilled to be working for the Daily Mirror and she brought a new and original voice and look to the fashion pages of the newspaper. For the first time in newspaper history, she created fashion pages to appeal to both sexes, and the circulation soared to more than five million copies a day. And with all those magical names, which journalist could fail to shine? There was the inimitable Mary Quant, the sheer style genius of Barbara Hulanicki of BIBA fame, the irresistible Twiggy, Kiki Byrne, Foale and Tuffin, Jean Muir, John Bates and Ossie Clark. Felicity sailed happily through all the excitement and her role expanded. Long before her famous Dear Marje column was born, Marje Proops, columnist and agony aunt, had been beloved of the multimillion readers for six years before Felicity came on board as associate editor. Two powerful women, and together they represented the voice of women for The Mirror and got on famously, enjoying being women in a man's newspaper world under the guidance of the brilliant Editorial Director Hugh Cudlipp. There are fantastic cartoons of Felicity by cartoonist Moira Hodell picturing her from the back, and page after page of newsprint features reproduced in facsimile to take us right back to the 60s. Pictured are Her Majesty the Queen, Jackie Kennedy and Liz Taylor all wearing real leopard skin, full length coats, the rarest and best skins of which was the Somali leopard which could cost up to £3,000. 'Cheaper ones cost much less - a few hundred pounds - but who wants a CHEAP status symbol?' And then there are the most famous photographers of the time and their remarkable, classy pictures - David Bailey, Terry Donovan, John Cowan, Brian Duffy, Lewis Morley, John Adriaan and of course Terry O'Neill creating striking, saucy and stylish images bringing visual excitement to The Mirror pages. Here is all the glamour and style capturing the stellar time when London fashion conquered the world, with discussion on bikinis that let the sun shine through, tights to wear with miniskirts, new shapes in bras, the Paris catwalk fashions, a comparison of corset adverts, trouser suits and some crazy fashion statements. It is all fun, entertaining and informative in a big glamorous glossy 192 page history of beauty and fashion. 24.6 x 30.8cm published by the Antique Collectors Club.
Click YouTube icon to see this book come to life on video.

Samer Nashef is a cardiac surgeon at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge and a world leading expert on risk and quality in surgical care. He tells heart-stopping stories of transplants, coronary artery bypasses, aorta repair and cardiac arrest and also delivers humane advice about medical realities rarely observed - the futility of obsessing over diet, the necessity of calculating risks, the role of decision making, and the resilience of doctor and patient alike. He takes a scalpel to the medical profession and asks if patients get the standard of care they have a right to expect from their surgeons. Nashef is co-creator of the Euroscore System, a safety and monitoring tool that predicts the outcomes of heart surgery and he has saved thousands of lives too. In his spare time he compiles cryptic crosswords for the Guardian and the Financial Times under the pseudonym The Naked Surgeon. His Monologues speed from the transporting of a donor's heart at the motorway hard shoulder to cautionary stories of excessive intervention gone awry in US hospitals, to a traumatic trip to bring advanced cardiac surgery to the Palestinian West Bank. Magnificently warm, Nashef has the best imaginable bedside manner. 276pp, paperback.

Fully revised and updated this is a must have for soul fans covering Dusty's status as a 60s mod queen to influential LGBT heroine. Dusty Springfield was one of our greatest pop singers from releasing 60s hits like 'I Only Want to be With You', 'Son of a Preacher Man' and 'You Don't Have to Say You Love Me' to collaborating with The Pet Shop Boys and beyond, she was a musical pioneer and the very essence of authentic white soul. 20 years after her death she continues to fascinate and inspire. Featuring a new introduction and photographs, this latest edition of the classic biography explores Dusty's life and legacy, from a troubled home counties childhood, struggles with addiction and mental health to becoming a member of the US Rock 'n' Roll and UK Music Halls of Fame. 'In building the image of The Lady, she took tips from male drag queens on which mascara lasted longer and how to apply the heavy eye-shadow. 'Basically I'm a drag queen myself' she admitted later. Yet it was this glitzy image that established her on the upmarket cabaret circus. For her 1967 Talk of the Town in London, she earned £2,500 a week...' Her evening gowns became her trademark and even Prime Minister Harold Wilson named her as his favourite singer. Dusty was adept at moving from one end of the pop spectrum to the other from a laid back The Look of Love for the soundtrack to spoof Bond movie Casino Royale and her pursuit of looking at film roles 'but most of the parts offered were 'crummy? requiring her to play a 'brainless pop singer.' Her press interviews were becoming more introspective and wistful and her most thoughtful interview was given in 1967 to Penny Valentine at Disc. At this point she introduced her infamous teddy bear mascot Einstein, which served as her secure alter ego, a manifestation of the shy, self-protected Mary O'Brien. 'I'm just groping and wandering. All I know is that I have a distinctive voice I don't particularly like listening to.' Packed with musical names from the past and eight pages of colour and black and white photos. 304pp.
Click YouTube icon to see this book come to life on video.

Hailed by some as the 'indispensable man' whose advice has been sought by every president from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger has also attracted immense hostility from critics who have cast him as an amoral Machiavellian, the ultimate cold-blooded 'realist'. In this remarkable book, Niall Ferguson has created an extraordinary panorama of Kissinger's world, and a paradigm-shifting reappraisal of the man. Only through knowledge of his early life as a Jew in Hitler's Germany, a poor immigrant in New York, a GI at the Battle of the Bulge, an interrogator of Nazis, and a student of history at Harvard, can we understand Kissinger's debt to the philosophy of idealism. And only by tracing his rise, fall and revival as an adviser to Kennedy, Nelson Rockefeller and finally Richard Nixon can we appreciate the magnitude of his contribution to the theory of diplomacy, grand strategy and nuclear deterrence. Drawing not only on Kissinger's hitherto closed private papers but also on documents from more than a hundred archives around the world, this biography is a masterpiece which casts dazzling new light on an entire era. It was a trip to Vietnam that changed everything, and this essential account of an extraordinary life recasts the Cold War world and the Cuban Missile Crisis. 986pp in a magnificent Penguin softback, many photos. A book for every student of the history of our times.

Born in Glasgow and qualified as a doctor in 1983, John Quin worked as a consultant physician specialising in diabetes and endocrinology and has been writing about art, music and literature for more than 20 years. Yet for 33 years he worked as a physician for the NHS in both Scotland and England. Days on the wards were uproariously funny one minute, infinitely tragic the next. From tackling fraudulent medical students to trying and failing to induce hypoglycaemia in Glaswegian alcoholics (all in the name of research), Dr Quin packs his memoir with tales of joy and reward, of getting the diagnosis right, and the disaster of getting it wrong. Chasing Chekhov's two rabbits of medicine and writing, Quin sought solace in literature, art and music, applying the lessons of Bulgakov's Country Doctor to 1980s Glasgow, when none of the patients seemed to have a full complement of fingers, and 21st century Brighton, dealing with the consequences of a decade of austerity measures. Darkly amusing, his memoir is an acute insight into the farcical frustrations and tensions of working in a chronically underfunded NHS system but also a timely reminder of the humanity of the staff who care for us. 336pp.