Autumn 1939. In a parallel world where Edward VIII never abdicated and the Second World War might have taken a very different course.Storm clouds gather over Europe, German troops amass and a 'King's Party' of fascist peace campaigners is stealthily undermining the war-effort. Country house parties teem with conspiring Tory MPs, an American Embassy clerk pilfers Presidential telegrams and paranoia grips MI5.In the offices of Duration magazine Cynthia Kirkpatrick fi...

This is the first full biography of Athlone-born writer John Broderick (1924-89), whose powerful Balzacian novels of life in the Irish midlands depict sexuality and Catholicism in a series of pungent tableaux and portraits drawn from vivid but entrapped lives. Son of a prosperous baker, the solitude of his childhood (compounded by boarding-school), an enveloping mother, homosexuality and alcoholism fuelled his fictions, from The Pilgrimage (1961) to An Apology for Roses (1973) and The Tria...

A new collection from one of the UK's most celebrated biographers, novelists, critics - and, as these stories show, a quite brilliant artist. Wrote For Luck ranges from North Norfolk to Chicago, from sordid old antique dealers to glamorous young writers, from glorious local gossips to frustrated academics. The stories abound with gleeful absurdity, waspish humour, and exquisitely awkward, delightfully English conversations. But they are also rich in melancholy and the heady sadness of peop...

It's 1978 and Nick Du Pont, one-time PR man to Sixties rock behemoths the Helium Kids, is back in London and bent on founding his own record label. A new kind of music - sharp, hard and dangerous - is bursting onto the airwaves on both sides of the Atlantic and Nick wants a slice of the action - in particular, the work of The Flame Throwers, the most provocative assemblage of street-smart desperadoes ever to hail from downtown Los Angeles.Picking up from where the highly-praised Ro...

'It is no surprise that his biographers have often struggled, which makes D.J. Taylor the right man for the job. A polymathic critic and serious novelist, he knows as much about inter and postwar literature as anyone alive' The Times'This is by far the most entertaining study of Tolkien I've ever read' Alex Diggins, The TelegraphA provocative and suggestive account of the life of one of history's most original lite...

'Hugely enjoyable' AN Wilson, Sunday Times'Thoughtful, entertaining and enjoyable' Michael Gove, Book of the Week, The TimesInspired by William Makepeace Thackeray, the first great analyst of snobbery, and his trail-blazing The Book of Snobs (1848), D. J. Taylor brings us a field guide to the modern snob.Short of calling someone a racist or a paedophile, one of the worst charges you can lay at anybody's do...

'Taylor's magnificent new novel is Spinal Tap for literary types . . . thoroughly entertaining, knowledgeable romp through the fear and loathing of rock's golden age. Beautifully written and consistently funny, it is also a poignant account of one man's search for his own identity' Mail on Sunday'A dazzling rollercoaster homage to an era both bacchanalian and oddly innocent' GuardianYou may remember the Helium Kid...

Since the late 1990s, *Private Eye'*s 'What You Didn't Miss' column has trained a vigilant lens on some of the great literary reputations of our age. Highlights of this bumper selection include Martin Amis exploring the sexual revolution of the 1960s, A.S. Byatt rewriting the Norse myths and the late Anthony Powell reflecting on his death. There are verse contributions from such distinguished contemporary poets as Seamus Heaney, Clive James and Sir Andrew Motion and a host of biographical ...

Ready to rock and roll through the tumultuous times of the music industry?Our protagonist, Nick Du Pont, is a savvy manager navigating the highs and lows of the music scene in the 70s and 80s. He's a man on a mission, dealing with difficult artists, and battling to get his bands played on popular radio shows.Can Nick sign the unpredictable band 'The Flame Throwers' and manage their wild ways? Will he be able to keep up with the rapidly changing trends and survive in the cut...

Ever wondered about the whirlwind world of the 60s music scene?Our protagonist, Nicholas Du Pont, a British expatriate, finds himself tangled in the vibrant vortex of the American and British music industry. As he navigates the cultural, political, and social dynamics of the era, he experiences personal and professional highs and lows.Will Nicholas be able to sustain his position in the tumultuous music industry? Can he reconcile with his past while keeping pace with the ra...

Autumn 1933, and for once struggling writer James Ross seems to have fallen on his feet. Not only has the Labour Exchange fixed him up with a day-job collecting rents in Soho, but friendly Mr Samuelson is employing him front-of-house in the Toreador night-club. Even his melancholy love-life is looking up, thanks to a chance encounter with the alluring Gladys, enigmatic inhabitant of the Meard Street second-floor back.On the other hand, Soho looks an increasingly dangerous place in ...

'It is no surprise that his biographers have often struggled, which makes D.J. Taylor the right man for the job. A polymathic critic and serious novelist, he knows as much about inter and postwar literature as anyone alive' The Times'This is by far the most entertaining study of Tolkien I've ever read' Alex Diggins, The TelegraphA provocative and suggestive account of the life of one of history's most original lite...