Who saw this
intriguing piece in the Guardian, discussing the recent major gene
study of humans in prehistoric Europe? This appears to show that although the men
and women who built Stonehenge left an indelible mark on the British landscape;
their input into Britain’s gene pool appears to have fizzled out, having been
terminated by light-skinned Dutch invaders who arrived just as the ancient
Brits were midway through their great project. Researchers now believe that all
genetic traces of early Stone Age Britons were replaced by continental
newcomers known as the Beaker folk, although work on Stonehenge continued. Two
new titles explore this further: Britain: A Genetic
Journey by Alistair Moffat (pb, £9,99, 978 1780274638) was published in April by
Birlinn and is an epic tale: moving, astonishing and revealing. Instead
of the usual parade of the usual suspects; kings, queens, saints, warriors and
the notorious; this is a people's history of our kingdom, a narrative made from
stories only DNA can tell which offers insights into who we are and where we
come from.
Out later in the summer from Historic England, is Stonehenge: The Story So Far (hb, £25.00, 978 1848021006) which is a sumptuous,
beautifully illustrated and informative book, written in an accessible rather
than an academic style by archaeologist Julian
Richards, who has been involved with Stonehenge for over 35 years.
Starting with a clear explanation of the structures that make up this enigmatic
monument, this book charts the ways that Stonehenge has been seen, explored and
understood since medieval times. Giants, wizards, druids, burials adorned with
gold and the birth of archaeology all figure in this evolving story which
brings the reader right up to date, including the results of the latest
investigations and current ideas. Julian Richards takes a practical, critical and enlightening look at
all the information and takes us into the minds and world of our prehistoric
ancestors.
There’s quite a lot to choose from in terms of book, film
and music references to our most famous monument! Maybe the ending of Tess
of the D’Urbervilles is the most famous literary reference – but I’m pretty
partial to this Doctor
Who scene set at Stonehenge from a 2010 episode: The Pandorica Opens.
But ultimately, you’ve just gotta love this scene from This
is Spinal Tap!
Urbane does seem to be the go-to
publisher for actors-turned-authors as this month Malice,
(pb, £8.99, 978 1911583066) the new page-turner from Hugh Fraser, is also published by them – and Hugh is of course
aka the ever-fabulous Hastings to David Suchet’s Poirot. Malice is book three in the Rina Walker series,
following Harm and Threat and is set in London 1964 in the world of
gruesome gang warfare, racketeers and hoodlums. As one reviewer said: “Fraser
captures the dark side of the 1960's underworld and the fabulous energy of that
decade with a glorious attention to detail” and these taut, explosive
thrillers are really building up a following.
Let’s enjoy this fun little
five-minute compilation of Hugh Fraser back in his Poirot days shall we?! Good Lord!
In what’s going to be a period of intense political
argy-bargy here in the UK we’ll all need some light relief and it’s great to
see that Rowena Macdonald’s debut novel The Threat Level Remains Severe (978 1910709153,
£8.99, pb) has been picked as a Best Summer Beach Read by Red
Magazine. They’ve described it as a “quirky rom-com set in the House of
Commons… this one gets my vote.” You can see the whole review here.
It’s published on 10 July by Aardvark Bureau.
Anti-Gravity Cakes: 25 Bakes That
Defy Belief by Jayne Cross (hb, £9.99, 978
0754833017) has just been published by Lorenz – you can see pictures below of
some of these sensational cakes that don't make gravitational sense!
Awe-inspiring and often amusing, this title shows you (with full colour spreads
and easy step by step instructions) how to create these show-stopping
conversation pieces, which of course also taste delicious! Here you will find
surprises such as a suspended tap over a bubbling bathtub full of yellow ducks,
a watering can pouring over pretty edible flowerpots, a shower of cascading
sweeties and a gift-wrapped box being ribbon-tied by a bluebird. It’s just been
featured in the Manchester Evening News (which is syndicated to all the
other regional Trinity Mirror papers) and in the June issue of Cake Masters
magazine who said "We simply love the creativity and fun that this book
surprises us with from every design." Agreed!
An interesting article here
this week in the Times Educational Supplement about why primary
schools need to embrace picture books in order to improve literacy standards.
There was a super piece this week in the Northern Echo
about how bestselling Choc Lit author Jane
Lovering still “absolutely loves”
working on the check-out in her local Co-op in Rydale, North Yorkshire. Jane
won Romantic Novel of the Year five years ago for her debut book, and her
twelfth book has just been published. Can’t Buy Me
Love (pb, £7.99, 978 1781893531) is
another funny and charming romantic comedy from this very popular author – it
has a great summery cover and you can find out a bit more about Jane and her
books on her website and blog at www.janelovering.co.uk.
As politicians here in the UK vie frantically to win our
hearts and minds – and the Trumpster continues to make ever more ethically
dubious decisions – there could not be a more pertinent title than The Moral Heart of Public Service edited by Claire
Foster-Gilbert (£18.99, hb, 978 1785922558) which is out from Jessica
Kingsley on 21st June. As Times columnist Matthew Parris said
recently: “We live in an age when noisy moralism is everywhere, and the news
and social media have invaded the pulpit. Quiet reflection on moral truth,
however, and the noble sobriety of public administration, have become under-valued
virtues. All power to a book like this in redressing that imbalance.” This
collection of essays and lectures exploring how we revitalise the search for
moral goodness in public life today is founded on traditional values of
honesty, moral rigour and neighbourliness, and discusses how to champion peace,
community and virtue in contemporary public life. The authors include eminent
figures such as the former President of Ireland Mary
McAleese, historian Peter Hennessy,
former First Secretary of State William Hague and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. There is going to be mega amounts
of publicity for it; the Telegraph are running a an interview with Mary McAleese around
publication date, the New Statesman are publishing William Hague’s chapter online, BBC Radio 4’s
Sunday Programme are interviewing with Mary
McAleese, BBC Radio 2 Good Morning Sunday with Clare
Balding will cover it, the Daily Mail will feature a comment piece
from Lord Saatchi on morals and politics talking about the book, the Saturday
Times have a feature on the book by its editor Claire
Foster Gilbert and there is likely to
be much more to come!
Let’s end with some music. Kraftwerk:
I Was a Robot (£16.99, pb, 978
1785585807) is the full insider's story of this legendary and hugely
influential act, as told by the band's original drummer Wolfgang Flür. From their early days in Dusseldorf
to the band's implosion in the 80s and beyond, Flür's
432-page book is the definitive document of the Man Machine, a synth-driven
quartet who transformed the face of modern music. Published this week as an
extended edition paperback by Omnibus, there will be on lots of
publicity for this one: the BBC World Service TV want to do an interview
with Wolfgang Flür as do the Sunday
Times, and Mojo magazine are interested as are the Guardian.
The book is featured in the current edition of the Record Collector
newsletter. Described by readers variously as “demystifying Kraftwerk;
bitter and biased but interesting” and “chatty and descriptive … evocative
of the time and atmosphere” this looks like a genuinely fascinating read!
Hope you enjoy this
classic 1977 clip of the robots in action!
That’s all for now folks! More next
week!
This blog is taken from a newsletter which is sent weekly to over 700 booksellers as
well as publishers and publicists. If you would like to order any of the titles
mentioned, then please talk to your Compass Sales Manager, or call the office
on 020 8326 5696.
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