Books
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‘Whatever subject an author chooses or has chosen for him, he reveals no secret but the secret of himself’ A A Milne
When Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared in print on Christmas Eve 1925, his creator had no idea that this bear, and the fellow inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood, would go on to capture the imaginations of people of all ages all over the world for the next hundred years.
In this new biography Gyles Brandreth tells the remarkable story of A A Milne – and of the ‘bear of very little brain’ who went on to become a global phenomenon.
Drawing on his friendship with Milne’s son, the real Christopher Robin, Gyles Brandreth has produced a revealing and intimate portrait of a prolific author whose legacy came to be defined by his most famous creation, and of the divided Milne family who for many years had a conflicted relationship with the iconic bear.
This is the story of a man, a boy and a bear – but it is also a gripping family drama, and a fascinating exploration of the complicated nature of growing up, and the impossible longing for a return to the enchanted places of childhood.
'A comprehensive portrait of Milne , going all the way back to Alan Alexander's idyllic childhood. An enchanted world of childhood happiness : that's the power of Winnie-the-Pooh , and that's why it will live on for another hundred years' The Times
THE NO 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER NOW FEATURING EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL ABOUT CHARLES III's CORONATION WITH ADDED PHOTOGRAPHS
A personal account of the life and character of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, from the writer who knew her family best
'Compelling . . . Fascinating' DAILY MAIL
'The writer who got closest to the human truth about our long-serving senior royals' THE TIMES
'The book overflows with nuggets of insider knowledge' TELEGRAPH
Paints a unique picture of the remarkable woman who reigned for seven decades. Fascinating insights' HELLO!
__________
Gyles Brandreth first met the Queen in 1968, when he was twenty.
Over the next fifty years he met her many times, both at public and at private events. Through his friendship with the Duke of Edinburgh, he was given privileged access to Elizabeth II.
He kept a record of all those encounters, and his conversations with the Queen over the years, his meetings with her family and friends, and his observations of her at close quarters are what make this very personal account of her extraordinary life uniquely fascinating.
From her childhood in the 1920s to the era of Harry and Meghan in the 2020s, from her war years at Windsor Castle to her death at Balmoral, this is both a record of a tumultuous century of royal history and a truly intimate portrait of a remarkable woman.
Enjoy this special edition now featuring an exclusive postscript about King Charles III's Coronation with photographs.
__________
Praise for Gyles Brandreth's bestselling royal writing:
'Beautifully written book. I have read many other books about Philip but this is the best' DAILY EXPRESS
'Brilliant, totally inspiring . . . It's a joy to read a book that comes from a perspective of fondness' KIRSTIE ALLSOPP, THE TIMES
'As a sparkling celebration of Prince Philip, the book will be hard to beat' TELEGRAPH
'So readable and refreshing even after the millions of words that have been written about Prince Philip in the past couple of weeks' THE TIMES
'Brilliant . . . There is so much in this book you won't find anywhere else' LORRAINE
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‘Whatever subject an author chooses or has chosen for him, he reveals no secret but the secret of himself’ A A Milne
When Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared in print on Christmas Eve 1925, his creator had no idea that this bear, and the fellow inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood, would go on to capture the imaginations of people of all ages all over the world for the next hundred years.
In this new biography Gyles Brandreth tells the remarkable story of A A Milne – and of the ‘bear of very little brain’ who went on to become a global phenomenon.
Drawing on his friendship with Milne’s son, the real Christopher Robin, Gyles Brandreth has produced a revealing and intimate portrait of a prolific author whose legacy came to be defined by his most famous creation, and of the divided Milne family who for many years had a conflicted relationship with the iconic bear.
This is the story of a man, a boy and a bear – but it is also a gripping family drama, and a fascinating exploration of the complicated nature of growing up, and the impossible longing for a return to the enchanted places of childhood.
‘Gyles Brandreth has a touching access to the secrets of the human heart’ The Times
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‘Whatever subject an author chooses or has chosen for him, he reveals no secret but the secret of himself’ A A Milne
When Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared in print on Christmas Eve 1925, his creator had no idea that this bear, and the fellow inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood, would go on to capture the imaginations of people of all ages all over the world for the next hundred years.
In this new biography Gyles Brandreth tells the remarkable story of A A Milne – and of the ‘bear of very little brain’ who went on to become a global phenomenon.
Drawing on his friendship with Milne’s son, the real Christopher Robin, Gyles Brandreth has produced a revealing and intimate portrait of a prolific author whose legacy came to be defined by his most famous creation, and of the divided Milne family who for many years had a conflicted relationship with the iconic bear.
This is the story of a man, a boy and a bear – but it is also a gripping family drama, and a fascinating exploration of the complicated nature of growing up, and the impossible longing for a return to the enchanted places of childhood.
‘Gyles Brandreth has a touching access to the secrets of the human heart’ The Times
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London, 1889. Oscar Wilde, celebrated poet, wit, playwright and raconteur, is the literary sensation of his age. All Europe lies at his feet. Yet when he chances upon the naked corpse of sixteen-year-old Billy Wood, posed by candlelight in a dark and stifling upstairs room, he cannot ignore the brutal murder. With the help of fellow author Arthur Conan Doyle, he sets out to solve the crime - and it is Wilde's peculiar genius and his unparalleled access to all degrees of late-Victorian life - from society drawing rooms and the bohemian demi-monde to the criminal underclass - that prove the decisive factors in their investigation of what turns out to be the first in a series of bizarre and apparently inexplicable killings.
Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders is a gripping detective story that explores the secret world of Oscar Wilde – his surprising friendships, his complex marriage, and his unusual association with Inspector Aidan Fraser of Scotland Yard.
Set against the exotic backdrop of fin-de-siècle London and Paris, Gyles Brandreth evokes Oscar Wilde's trademark wit and brilliance with huge flair, intertwining all the intrigue of the classic English murder mystery with a compelling portrait of one of the greatest characters of the Victorian age.
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The second witty installment in an astonishingly authentic historical murder mystery series featuring detective Oscar Wilde and his partner-in-crime, Arthur Conan Doyle
It's 1892, and Wilde is the toast of London, riding high on the success of his play Lady Windermere's Fan and celebrating with friends at a dinner party where he conjures up a game called "murder" that begs the question: Who would you kill, if you had no chance of being caught? Wilde and friends, including Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, and poet Robert Sherard (the novel's narrator) write the names of their "victims" on pieces of paper and choose them one by one. After leaving the party, Wilde scoffs at the suggestion that he may have instigated a very dangerous game indeed….
The very next day, the game takes an all-too sinister turn when the first "victim" turns up dead. Soon Wilde and his band of amateur detectives must travel through the realms of politics, theater, and even the circus and the boxing ring to unearth misguided passions that have the potential to become deadly poisons…not only for the perpetrators of the seemingly perfect crimes, but also for the trio of detectives investigating them.
Richly atmospheric and as entertaining as Wilde himself, here is the second in a series destined to delight mystery readers and fans of historical fiction alike.
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Paris, 1883. Oscar Wilde, aged 27, has come to the city of decadence to discover its charms, to rekindle his friendship with the divine Sarah Bernhardt and to collaborate with France's most celebrated actor-manager, Edmond La Grange. As he throws himself into his work (and his pleasures), Oscar discovers dark secrets lying at the heart of the La Grange company – and is confronted by murders, both foul and bizarre. To solve the crimes, to unravel the mystery, Oscar risks his life – and his reputation – embarking on a dangerous adventure that takes him from bohemian night clubs to an asylum for the insane, from a duel in the Buttes de Chaumont to the gates of Reading Gaol. This is the third in Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed series of Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle.
'Hugely enjoyable.' Daily Mail
'One of the most enjoyable crime series around.' Scotsman
'One of the best in the canon of literary mysteries.' Philadelphia Inquirer
'Genius' Sunday Express
'A first-class stunner' Booklist
'Genius' Le Monde
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The fourth of Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed series of Victorian murder mysteries, Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers opens in the spring of 1890 at a glamorous reception hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Albemarle. All London's haut monde is there, including the Prince of Wales, who counts the Albemarles as close friends. Although it is the first time Oscar and Bertie have met, Oscar seems far more interested in Rex LaSalle, a young actor, who disarmingly claims to be a vampire...However, what begins as a diverting evening ends in tragedy. As the guests are leaving, the Duchess is found murdered, two tiny puncture marks in her throat. No one has entered the house; no one has left. Desperate to avoid another scandal, the Prince of Wales asks Oscar to investigate the crime. What he discovers threatens to destroy the very heart of the Royal Family...
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In OSCAR WILDE AND THE VATICAN MURDERS, the fifth in Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries series featuring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle, the two must penetrate the highest echelons of the Catholic Church to solve a macabre series of killings. 'Intelligent, amusing and entertaining' Alexander McCall Smith In 1892 Arthur Conan Doyle, exhausted by his creation Sherlock Holmes, retires to the spa at Bad Homburg. But his rest cure does not go as planned. The first person he encounters is Oscar Wilde, and when the two friends make a series of macabre discoveries amongst the portmanteau of fan mail Conan Doyle has brought to answer - a severed finger, a lock of hair and finally an entire severed hand - the game is once more afoot. The trail leads to Rome, to the very heart of the Eternal City, the Vatican itself. Pope Pius IX has just died. These are uncertain times. To uncover the mystery and why the creator of Sherlock Holmes has been summoned in this way, Oscar and Conan Doyle must penetrate the innermost circle of the Catholic Church - seven men who have a very great deal to lose.
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In OSCAR WILDE AND THE MURDERS AT READING GAOL, the sixth in Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries series featuring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle, Reading Gaol's most famous prisoner is pitted against a ruthless and fiendishly clever serial killer. 'Intelligent, amusing and entertaining' Alexander McCall Smith
It is 1897, Dieppe. Oscar Wilde, poet, playwright, novelist, raconteur and ex-convict, has fled the country after his release from Reading Gaol. Tonight he is sharing a drink and the story of his cruel imprisonment with a mysterious stranger. He has endured a harsh regime: the treadmill, solitary confinement, censored letters, no writing materials. Yet even in the midst of such deprivation, Oscar's astonishing detective powers remain undiminished - and when first a brutal warder and then the prison chaplain are found murdered, who else should the governor turn to for help other than Reading Gaol's most celebrated inmate?
In this, the latest novel in his acclaimed Oscar Wilde murder mystery series, Gyles Brandreth takes us deep into the dark heart of Wilde's cruel incarceration.
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From bestselling writer, podcaster and English language virtuoso Gyles Brandreth, a magical tour of our mother tongue in pithy 60-second instalments.
As fans of Just a Minute know, the key to the game is knowing your way around the English language- how it works, how it's evolved, and how words connect, often in surprising ways. When it comes to the English language (and Just a Minute), Gyles Brandreth has seen it all - and now he's ready to put you through your linguistic paces, to become a Just a Minute expert yourself.
In this wildly entertaining A to Z of verbal acrobatics, Gyles takes you on a whirlwind tour of our mother tongue - from the origins of words and correct grammar and punctuation, to similes, euphemisms and record breaking tongue twisters (try getting your mouth around floccinaucinihilipification!). An idiosyncratic blend of history, word play, anecdote, and hyperbole, all in 60-second instalments, this is Gyles Brandreth at his word-perfect, Just-a-Minute best. You'll never mix your metaphors again...
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A charming gift for anyone prone to insomnia
‘The dilemma my friends suppose me to be in,’ writes the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, ‘has, for its two horns, the endurance of a sleepless night, and the adoption of some recipe for inducing sleep.’ In this delightful book – the perfect gift for all insomniacs – are collected a splendid variety of entertainments devised to help pass 'the wakeful hours'. Ranging from puzzles, rhymes and limericks to simple number problems and calming calculations; from composing rhymes to planning dreams, here is a feast of intriguing activities guaranteed to keep you entertained as you search for the elusive rabbit-hole of a good night’s sleep.
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THE NO 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER NOW FEATURING EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL ABOUT CHARLES III's CORONATION WITH ADDED PHOTOGRAPHS
A personal account of the life and character of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, from the writer who knew her family best
'Compelling . . . Fascinating' DAILY MAIL
'The writer who got closest to the human truth about our long-serving senior royals' THE TIMES
'The book overflows with nuggets of insider knowledge' TELEGRAPH
Paints a unique picture of the remarkable woman who reigned for seven decades. Fascinating insights' HELLO!
__________
Gyles Brandreth first met the Queen in 1968, when he was twenty.
Over the next fifty years he met her many times, both at public and at private events. Through his friendship with the Duke of Edinburgh, he was given privileged access to Elizabeth II.
He kept a record of all those encounters, and his conversations with the Queen over the years, his meetings with her family and friends, and his observations of her at close quarters are what make this very personal account of her extraordinary life uniquely fascinating.
From her childhood in the 1920s to the era of Harry and Meghan in the 2020s, from her war years at Windsor Castle to her death at Balmoral, this is both a record of a tumultuous century of royal history and a truly intimate portrait of a remarkable woman.
Enjoy this special edition now featuring an exclusive postscript about King Charles III's Coronation with photographs.
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From the author of the best-selling Have you eaten, Grandma? comes a new celebration of the English language: Gyles Brandreth’s anthology of some of the world’s best-loved poems and evidence that learning poetry by heart can boost your brain-power and extend the active life of your mind – by several years.
Here are the secrets of how to improve your memory and more than
250 poems to learn by heart – classic ones, funny ones, sad ones, surprising ones. Every one is memorable. That’s guaranteed
‘Gyles Brandreth has touching access to the secrets of the human heart.’ The Times
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John Gielgud was born in April 1904. When he died in May 2000, he was honoured as 'the giant of twentieth-century theatre.' In the centenary edition of this acclaimed biography, Gyles Brandreth draws from over thirty years of conversations with Gielgud to tell the extraordinary story of a unique actor, film star, director and raconteur.
In 1921 Gielgud made his first appearance at the Old Vic in London and through the next eight decades he dominated his profession - initially as a classical actor, later in plays by Harold Pinter and Alan Bennett. In his twenties he had appeared in silent movies: more than half a century later, he emerged as a Hollywood star, winning his first Oscar at the age of seventy-eight.
With wonderful anecdotes, and contributions from Kenneth Branagh, Alec Guinness, Paul Scofield, Donald Sinden and Peter Hall, John Gielgud: An Actor's Lifeis a compelling, humorous and moving account of a remarkable man.
Praise:
'Gyles Brandreth's memoir of Gielgud is vastly entertaining... a fascinating account of the actor's life' - Charles Osborne, Sunday Telegraph
'A sense of delight permeates Gyles Brandreth's John Gielgud: An Actor's Life...Brandreth combines neat reportage, deft evocation and lovely tales about a man he knew and relished' - Benedict Nightingale, The Times
'A delightful memoir which tells you all you need to know and collects all the anecdotes' - Michael Coveney, Daily Mail
'A testimony to Gyles Brandreth's talent ... Avoiding the usual tedious cradle-to-grave narrative, Brandreth braids Gielgud's own reminiscences with those from friends and colleagues. What sets this apart from the usual kind of puff is Brandreth's own voice, directing our responses to Gielgud's art' - Kathryn Hughes, Daily Telegraph
'Full of personal detail... a treasure trove of anecdote but also clear and informative... Brandreth's immaculate, charming and deceptively modest book ... fascinating.' - Carole Woddis, Glasgow Herald
'Cometh the hour, cometh the biography' - Stratford-upon-Avon Herald
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In the general election of 1997, the Conservative Party was heading for electoral oblivion, the Prime Minister was competent but unable to connect with voters, the Labour leader was dragging his party back to the centre ground and MPs on all sides were embroiled in scandal. Sound familiar?
One of the many Conservative MPs who at that time found themselves staring down the barrel of almost-certain defeat, Gyles Brandreth understands what it’s like to be part of a government in its death throes. His account of his time in Parliament from 1992 to 1997 also controversially revealed the secret world of the Whips’ Office and its struggles to control a party riven by infighting.
Now, as history looks set to repeat itself, comes the definitive edition of this widely acclaimed classic. With candid descriptions of the key figures of the era, from the leading players to the ministers who fell from grace – and a bright young hopeful by the name of David Cameron – Breaking the Code paints an extraordinary portrait of Whitehall and Westminster in our time – warts and all.
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Become a dazzling wit or enjoy a good laugh with this entertaining collection of humorous quotations, carefully handpicked and edited by writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth. From Art to Bores, Tennisto Wine, this little dictionary contains over 2,700 of the best quotations, from witty one-liners and funny phrases to pithy comments and unintended humour.
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The No. 1 bestseller
‘Marvellous, brilliant, wonderful, best thing I’ve ever heard, transformational…’ Grace Surman @GraceSurman flowergrayscale
That was the response from a total stranger when Gyles Brandreth delivered the Happiness Lecture at Birmingham University in June 2013. Someone else in the thousand-strong audience tweeted: ‘The 7 Secrets of Happiness are amazing. Thank you Gyles Brandreth, wherever you are.’
Well, Gyles Brandreth is here now with those 7 Secrets of Happiness. The secrets are simple rules, easy to remember, but challenging to achieve. Gyles Brandreth found them when he set out on a journey looking for happiness and ended up in the psychiatrist’s chair – with Dr Anthony Clare.
What is happiness? Who gets to be happy? And how? These are the big questions that Gyles Brandreth aims to answer in this little book. Research shows that happy people live up to ten years longer than unhappy people. This is a book that won’t simply enhance your life: it will extend it.
Published in the UK by Short Books to coincide with Gyles Brandreth’s one-man show Looking for Happiness. Published in the US by Open Road Media in 2013.
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SUNDAY TIMES BEST-SELLER
AMAZON BEST-SELLER
‘I loved it!’ ― Bryony Gordon, Telegraph
“Hilarious, ribald, eye-popping, unforgettable, will make you laugh out loud.”
― Daily Mail
“Warm, witty, charming. A moving and very affectionate family history.” ― The Times
‘A magnificent raconteur … this witty account of a most unusual life.’ ― ‘i’ newspaper
‘This is a wonderful, wonderful book - I couldn’t put it down.’ - Vanessa Feltz, BBC Radio London
'I am what my childhood made me.'
But what is that exactly, Gyles?
Who are you? And why?
In Odd Boy Out Gyles Brandreth provides an extraordinarily revealing account of growing up and coming of age in an apparently well-to-do but always strapped-for-cash middle-class English family.
It is a story about the ordinary things - family life, happiness, ambition, and love, but it is also about adventures - meeting princes and presidents, visiting Death Row in America, exploring the sex clubs of Copenhagen. It is a story of a boy blessed with wit and what he got up to and the people he met growing up in the most wonderful city in all the world in those extraordinary years after the Second World War.
For Odd Boy Out is about more than Gyles and his exploits: it is also a kaleidoscopic portrait of Britain from the 1950s onwards, featuring a cast drawn from politics, the media, swinging London, stage and screen, from Laurence Olivier to Twiggy.
By turns hilarious and moving, and chock full of unforgettable stories, Odd Boy Out is the unexpected and candid autobiography of one of the country's most unlikely personalities. Yet at root it is a powerful and passionate exploration of childhood - how our heritage, our parents and our upbringing make us who we are.
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INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES NO 1 BESTSELLER
This intimate, personal biography of Queen Elizabeth II tells the story of her remarkable life, reign and times, from a perspective unlike any other. Gyles Brandreth writes the Queen's tale candidly with grace and sensitivity from the view of someone who met her, talked with her and kept a record of those conversations. Brandreth knew the Queen's husband well and knows the new King and Queen Consort.
Told with authority, a refreshing dose of humour and moving honesty from a totally unique viewpoint, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait is the must-have biography of the longest-serving monarch in English history, of a woman who represented not only her people but stood as an emblem of fortitude and resilience worldwide throughout her long life. Elizabeth II - what was she really like? What made her the person she was?
By GYLES BRANDRETH:
'The writer who got closest to the human truth about our long-serving senior royals.'
Libby Purves, THE TIMES
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*A brand-new book of amazing, mind-boggling riddles, from the much-loved Gyles Brandreth, author of What's Black and White and Red All Over*
When first I appear I seem mysterious,
But when I am explained I am nothing serious.
What am I?
A RIDDLE!
Was that too easy? How about what goes ninety-nine BONK (a centipede with a wooden leg)? Or which famous book was written by Charles Chickens (Great EGGspectations, of course!).
In this book you'll find a whole host of amazing riddles. Some will get you head scratching, some will make you laugh, and all are a lot of fun.
Plus find out some brilliant riddling facts, and top tips on how to solve the trickiest brain-teasers.
Written by Master of Funny and Collector of Riddles Gyles Brandreth, this is the ultimate, riotous Book of Riddles!
'Very funny and often outright silly' Guardian on Have You Eaten Grandma by Gyles Brandreth
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This is the story of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - the longest-serving consort to the longest-reigning sovereign in British history. It is an extraordinary story, told with unique insight and authority by an author who knew the prince for more than forty years.
Philip - elusive, complex, controversial, challenging, often humorous, sometimes irascible - is the man Elizabeth II once described as her 'constant strength and guide'. Who was he? What was he really like? What is the truth about those 'gaffes' and the rumours of affairs? This is the final portrait of an unexpected and often much-misunderstood figure. It is also the portrait of a remarkable marriage that endured for more than seventy years.
Philip and Elizabeth were both royal by birth, both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, but, in temperament and upbringing, they were two very different people. The Queen's childhood was loving and secure, the Duke's was turbulent; his grandfather assassinated, his father arrested, his family exiled, his parents separated when he was only ten. Elizabeth and Philip met as cousins in the 1930s. They married in 1947, aged twenty-one and twenty-six.
Philip: The Final Portrait tells the story of two contrasting lives, assesses the Duke of Edinburgh's character and achievement, and explores the nature of his relationships with his wife, his children and their families - and with the press and public and those at court who were suspicious of him in the early days. This is a powerful, revealing and, ultimately, moving account of a long life and a remarkable royal partnership.
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‘An absolute delight as well as an essential Christmas gift for any stage-struck friend . . . By turns hilarious, poignant and deliciously scurrilous.' Michael Simkins, Daily Mail.
This is the ultimate anthology of theatrical anecdotes, edited by lifelong theatre-lover Gyles Brandreth in the Oxford tradition, and covering every kind of theatrical story and experience from the age of Shakespeare and Marlowe to the age of Stoppard and Mamet, from Richard Burbage to Richard Briers, from Nell Gwynn to Daniel Day-Lewis, from Sarah Bernhardt to Judi Dench. Players, playwrights, prompters, producers―they all feature. The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes provides a comprehensive, revealing, and hugely entertaining portrait of the world of theatre across four hundred years. Many of the anecdotes are humorous: all have something pertinent and illuminating to say about an aspect of theatrical life―whether it is the art of playwriting, the craft of covering up missed cues, the drama of the First Night, the nightmare of touring, or the secret ingredients of star quality. Edmund Kean, Henry Irving, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Ellen Terry, Edith Evans, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren―the great 'names' are all here, of course, but there are tales of the unexpected, too―and the unknown. This is a book―presented in five acts, with a suitably anecdotal and personal prologue from Gyles Brandreth―where, once in a while, the understudy takes centre-stage and Gyles Brandreth treats triumph and disaster just the same, including stories from the tattiest touring companies as well as from Broadway, the West End and theatres, large and small, in Australia, India, and across Europe.
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*Laugh yourself silly in this fantastic collection of jokes and riddles from master of funny Gyles Brandreth!*
WHAT'S BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER?
An embarrassed Penguin
A sunburnt elephant
A newspaper!
Did those jokes make you laugh? Make you groan? Maybe a bit of both? There's a lot more where they came from.
Collected here by jokesmith Gyles Brandreth are some of the best and worst jokes ever (plus a few riddles to keep you on your toes).
From 'Knock, knock' to 'Waiter waiter', with some funny elephants and giraffes thrown in for good measure, there's also a bit of expert joke advice, so you can show others just how funny you can be!
'Very funny, and often outright silly' Guardian on Have You Eaten Grandma by Gyles Brandreth
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Why, like, does everyone keep saying 'like'?
Why do apostrophe's keep turning up in the wrong place?
Why do we get confused when using foreign phrases - and vice versa?
Is it 'may be' or 'maybe'? Should it be 'past' or 'passed'? Is it 'referenda' or 'referendums'?
FFS, what's happening to our language!?
Our language is changing, literacy levels are dwindling and our grasp of grammar is at crisis point, so you wouldn't be alone in thinking WTF! But do not despair, Have You Eaten Grandma? is here: Gyles Brandreth's definitive (and hilarious) guide to punctuation, spelling, and good English for the twenty-first century.
Without hesitation or repetition (and just a touch of deviation) Gyles, the Just A Minute regular and self-confessed grammar guru, skewers the linguistic horrors of our time, tells us where we've been going wrong (and why), and reveals his tips and tricks to ensure that, in future, we make fewer (rather than 'less') mistakes. End of.
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From Aristophanes to Zeffirelli, from Gerard Depardieu to Mae West, in Break a Leg! Michele Brown has assembled a world-beating cast, including actors, dramatists, directors and even critics (`A man who knows the way but cannot drive the car.' Kenneth Tynan). She draws on plays, books, newspapers and table-talk and her collection of wise and witty lines includes the familiar and the completely unexpected. This is a work where Sarah Bernhardt is playing opposite Kenneth Branagh. Orson Welles is sharing the limelight with Samuel Beckett, Aphra Behn and Noel Coward, and the themes range from stage fright to star quality. Introduced by Gyles Brandreth - and the inspiration for his “Break a leg!” stage show.
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This new selection of essays by Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) demonstrate the varied aspects of his genius. The selection shows the surprise and contradiction of Wilde s extraordinary character: wit, romancer, talker, lecturer and scholar. The ideas expressed remain remarkably relevant to modern readers, and his popularity remains undiminished.
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A seasonal anthology of Christmas-themed writings to savour during the highs and lows of Christmas Day. This delightful book offers a diverse array of classic and contemporary writers who have expressed their thoughts about Christmas over the centuries - with joy, nostalgia and dazzling wit. Includes selections from Dostoevsky, Truman Capote, A.A. Milne, Jerome K Jerome, and modern day diarists, this beautiful volume is as full of delight and nostalgia as Christmas itself.
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'No matter how eloquently a dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his parents were poor but honest.'
Only words can do that. Words are magic. Words are fun.
Join Gyles Brandreth - wit and word-meister, Just A Minute regular, One Show reporter, denizen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, founder of the National Scrabble Championships, patron of The Queen's English Society, QI, Room 101, Have I Got News For You and Pointless survivor - on an uproarious and unexpected magic carpet ride around the awesome world of words and wordplay.
Puns, palindromes, pangrams, Malaprops, euphemisms, mnemonics, acronyms, anagrams, alphabeticals, Tweets, verbiage, verbarrhea - if you can name it, you should find it here, along with the longest, shortest, wittiest, wildest, oldest, latest, oddest, most interesting and most memorable words in the English language - the richest, most remarkable language ever known.
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Gyles Brandreth’s revealing journal paints an extraordinary portrait of Whitehall and Westminster in our time – warts and all.
Brandreth – MP for Chester and Government Whip – enjoyed a ringside side at the great political events of the 1990s, from the fall of Margaret Thatcher to the election of Tony Blair. With candid descriptions of the key figures of the era, from the leading players to the ministers who fell from grace, and a cast that includes the Queen, Bill Clinton and Joanna Lumley, these witty and widely acclaimed diaries provide a fascinating insight into both the reality of modern government and the bizarre life of a parliamentary candidate and new MP.
Controversially, Breaking the Code also contains the first ever insider’s account of the hitherto secret world that is the Government Whips’ Office.
This new, complete edition features material previously excised for legal reasons, as well as additional diaries that take the story on another ten years to the departure of Tony Blair and the arrival as Tory leader of David Cameron – a bright young ‘hopeful’ when Brandreth first meets him in 1993.
‘BY FAR THE BEST POLITICAL DIARY OF RECENT YEARS, FAR MORE PERCEPTIVE AND REVEALING THAN ALAN CLARK’S’
Peter Riddell, The Times
‘BRILLIANT’
Daily Telegraph
‘INCREDIBLY FUNNY’
Daily Mail
‘IRRESITIBLE’
Sunday Telegraph
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his is a diary packed with famous names and extraordinary stories. It is also rich in incidental detail and wonderful observation, providing both a compelling record of five remarkable decades and a revealing, often hilarious and sometimes moving account of Gyles Brandreth's unusual life as a child living in London in the 'swinging' sixties, as a jumper-wearing TV presenter, as an MP and government whip, and as a royal biographer who has enjoyed unique access to the Queen and her family.
Something Sensational to Read on the Train takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride from the era of Dixon of Dock Green to the age of The X Factor, from the end of the farthing to the arrival of the euro, from the Britain of Harold Macmillan and the Notting Hill race riots to the world of Barack Obama and Lewis Hamilton.
With a cast list that runs from Richard Nixon and Richard Branson to Gordon Brown and David Cameron – and includes princes, presidents and pop stars, as well as three archbishops and any number of actresses – this is a book for anyone interested in contemporary history, politics and entertainment, royalty, gossip and life itself.
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Novelty jumpers are firmly back in fashion and hugely popular on the high street. Now you can make your own - give them to friends and family, or just keep them for yourself. With jumpers for everyone and for every occasion, Novelty Knits is the perfect book for people looking to make something more personal. As well as a festive snowman, Christmas tree, skeleton, ghost, love birds and heart, there are His & Her 'tuxedos' and a robot, as well as patterns for animal lovers, including cats, dogs, pigs and a teddy bear, and enthusiasts, including golfers, musicians, Formula 1 and steam train fans. So whether you want something elegant, outrageous, extrovert or just a little bit different, there is bound to be a pattern designed for you.
Gyles writes: 'Welcome to the Brandreth family knitting book. This is a collection of our favourite knitting patterns for jumpers, chosen by me and by my daughter, Saethryd, and modeled by us and some of our friends. We hope the book will help raise funds for an important charity – Women for Women International – and we hope it will raise a smile, too. It is a book for people who enjoy knitting in general, and colourful, fun knitwear in particular.'
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Writer, broadcaster, and wit Gyles Brandreth has completely revised Ned Sherrin's classic collection of wisecracks, one-liners, and anecdotes. With over 1,000 new quotations throughout the media, it's easy to find hilarious quotes on subjects ranging from Argument to Diets, from Computers to the Weather. Add sparkle to your speeches and presentations, or just enjoy a good laugh in the company of Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Joan Rivers, Kathy Lette, Frankie Boyle, and friends.
Related links :
- The Independent
- The Telegraph
- Networked Blogs
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Welcome to the ultimate rainy-day book: three generations of the Brandreth family teach you every game you'll ever need to banish boredom from Wink Murder to Sardines and from Consequences to 'Squeak, Piggy Squeak'
One good thing about a recession is that we need to go back to making our own fun. Games are in the Brandreths' blood, they have spent thousands of weekends and rainy holidays playing them and now Gyles, Saethryd and seven-year-old Rory want to share the very best with you. THE LOST ART OF HAVING FUN picks out over 250 games, guaranteed to make even the grumpiest child or adult laugh, and then with all kinds of interesting stories and lovely illustrations, it shows you clearly (and very entertainingly) how to play them. There are classic parlour games alongside all kinds of interesting ones you might not have come across yet.
Nine chapters cover pretty much every eventuality: Rainy Day Games, Car Journey, Analogue Fun in a Digital World, Music and Drama, Word Games and Brainteasers, Racing Games, Party Games (split between children's birthday parties and dinner parties), Country House Weekend and last but not least Seasonal Games: Christmas, New Year and Easter. Forget consoles and board games, this beautiful book is all you need. And Queen Victoria (whose favourite games are here too) would be amused. Very amused.
Gyles Brandreth is the UK expert on all indoor games. In fact, he says modestly, he knows more about games than anyone else on the planet. He was conceived as a result of his father buying the first game of Monopoly sold in Britain, he later became European Monopoly champion, he founded the National Scrabble Championship, he has been on the word and numbers TV game COUNTDOWN since it started thirty years ago, and he features regularly on radio panel games like JUST A MINUTE and WORDAHOLICS . Gyles has written nearly 100 books covering card games, mazes, word puzzles, family games and children's games. His great-great-grandfather published a book of games in 1865 and games have played a big part in the Brandreth family life ever since, as his daughter Saethryd and grandson Rory can attest.
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Nick Saint, a 28-year-old teacher at a private school in South Carolina doesn't know who he is or where he comes from. He has no papers, no passport and no past, but when he meets a psychotherapist called Kirsty, the two fall in love and set out on a quest for Nick's identity.
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Romantic hero and occasional hell-raiser Richard Faber was an old-fashioned star. Though he was born in 1950, at times he seemed to come from another era. Touching thirty, he meets Maisie Rivers, not yet sixteen and dangerously beautiful. Maisie and Richard become the golden couple of their day, and their day lasts ten years, from the mid-eighties to the mid-nineties. Their flight through the firmament is dazzling, glorious, thrilling to be part of. Their fall is spectacular too. Gyles Brandreth's second novel is a love story, a murder mystery and a revelation, with three Venice's as its locations: Little Venice in London and the Venice of California and of course Italy. It is a story that will tell you something about love you didn't know before.
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London. 1894.
'I am not a detective, chief constable.'
'No, but you are a poet, a freemason and a man of the world. All useful qualifications for the business in hand.'
So says Police Chief Macnaghten to Oscar Wilde, in a Chelsea drawing room in the company of Arthur Conan Doyle. The business they are gathered to discuss is none other than the case of Jack the Ripper, the most notorious murderer in England.
And thus the three men set out to solve one of the world's most famous mysteries - the ultimate truth about the identity of Jack the Ripper.
Case Closed is Arthur Conan Doyle's account of the events of 1894, the year of the return of Jack the Ripper. Based on Oscar Wilde's real-life friendship with Conan Doyle and the extraordinary but little-known fact that in 1894 the detective in charge of the Jack the Ripper investigations was Oscar Wilde's neighbour in Tite Street, Chelsea, this is a revelatory and gripping detective story, combining the intrigue of a classic murder mystery with a witty and compelling portrait of one of the greatest characters of the Victorian age.
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This is the definitive account of one of the most extraordinary stories of our time. Gyles Brandreth, acclaimed biographer of the "Queen and Prince Philip", presents a unique portrait of their son, Charles, Prince of Wales, and of the one 'non-negotiable' love of his life, Camilla Shand, now Duchess of Cornwall. What are Charles and Camilla really like? What is their heritage? What has made them the way they are? This is both a revealing portrait of two unusual individuals and a family saga like no other, told with unrivalled authority and insight - and humour - by a best-selling writer who has met all the key characters in the drama: Charles, Camilla, Diana, their children, their families and their friends.
Praise:
'My book of the year... A riveting, gossipy and touching account of the heir to the throne, his unhappy childhood, his unfortunate first marriage and his attachment to Camilla Parker Bowles' - Beryl Bainbridge, Mail on Sunday
'Utterly fascinating' - Andrew Marr, Start the Week
'Highly accomplished... there is much here to entertain and inform' - Sunday Telegraph
'Completely fascinating - written by the man who really knows' - Richard Madeley, Richard and Judy
'An extremely readable tale of their separate lives and eventual togetherness... a remarkable - and revealing - psychological study of two unusual individuals' - Majesty
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This is the first biography of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh - both royal, both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, but, in temperament and upbringing, two very different people. The Queen's childhood was loving and secure, the Duke's was turbulent: his grandfather assassinated, his father arrested, his family exiled, his parents separated when he was only ten.
Elizabeth and Philip met as cousins in the 1930s. They married in 1947, aged twenty-one and twenty-six. A little more than four years later, they were Queen and consort. For almost sixty years theirs have been among the most famous faces in the world - yet the personalities behind the image remain elusive and the nature of their marriage is an enigma.
Philip & Elizabeth tells the extraordinary story of these two contrasting lives, assesses their achievement, together and apart, and explores the nature of their relationships, with one another and with their children.
Praise:
'Philip & Elizabeth boldly goes where other royal biographers have previously feared to tread... The book is exceptionally hard to put down.'
- Humphrey Carpenter, Sunday Times
'Wonderfully entertaining... impressive... compelling.'
- John-Paul Flintoff, Financial Times
'Thoroughly entertaining... Filled with insights... He has had enviable access and he has used it well.'
- Penny Juror, Daily Telegraph
'Cheeky, gossipy, often highly amusing... A most engagingly intimate volume.'
- Peter Mackay, Evening Standard
'A joy... thoughtful... outrageous... sympathetic, wholly original, often hilarious, occasionally profound and unfailingly interesting... I came away with the strong feeling that I had glimpsed the Queen and Prince Philip for the first time as they really are.'
- Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
'Philip & Elizabeth is a unique biography. It is a powerful and revealing portrait of a remarkable partnership, told with authority and insight, and illustrated with photographs from the couple's collections.'
- Ingrid Seward, Majesty
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The story of us - without hesitation, repetition or deviation.
Join national treasure and Just a Minute regular Gyles Brandreth on a hilariously addictive romp through British history. This isn't just another history book - there's a catch! From Stonehenge and Boudicca to Megxit and Brexit, each topic is written in 60-second installments, without hesitation, repetition, or deviation.
A History of Britain in Just a Minute celebrates key moments, people and places from our past: kings and queens, heroes and villains, triumphs and disasters, inventions and events, battles and bonnets, art, science, literature, entertainment, sport, gossip, and more. Some entries are uninterrupted minutes, while others feature challenges for repetition and even, er...hesitation. You'll even find other Just a Minute panellists occasionally grabbing the pen to regale us with their witty takes on history.
You've never heard the history of Britain told quite like this. You'll enjoy every uproarious minute of it.
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Our chances of living to 100 are better than ever before, but what can we do to give ourselves the best possible odds of living well for longer? With so much advice out there, it’s difficult to know what really works.
In this engaging and practical guide, Gyles Brandreth, with his physiotherapist Finola Burrell, set out on a voyage of discovery to find the secrets for a long and healthy life.
Packed with tips and strategies that really work, Gyles and Finola bust the myths around ageing well and help you discover:
– the exercises worth making time for
– how to use your mindset to age-proof your mind
– the vital foods you need to nourish your body at every age and stage of life
– why human connection is the key to a long life
It’s not about perfection. Whatever your age, these simple, sustainable habits can fit into your daily life to boost your brain power, keep your body moving and embrace the world around you.