A new prime time autumn series on BBC One is
always a major event – especially when it features a whole host of big name
stars. This September, Academy award-nominees Miranda Richardson and
Anna Chancellor will play E F
Benson’s notorious small-town social rivals Miss Elizabeth Mapp and
Mrs Emmeline ‘Lucia’ Lucas, in a fantastic new adaptation by Steve Pemberton of
the comic drama Mapp and Lucia. And I’m
pleased to tell you that the original timeless classic (first published in the
1930s) by EF Benson is coming from
Hesperus in September (pb, £8.99, 978 1843915461) This poisonous witty,
comic tale of two upper-class women battling for social supremacy in the most
underhand ways possible was immensely popular when Channel 4 made it into
a TV series in the 1980s and this new BBC series is certain to do the same for
its fortunes, introducing Mapp and Lucia
to a whole new readership. You can have a sneaky behind the scenes look at some photos from the series
(which is being filmed at the moment). Miranda Richardson says: "I am
so looking forward to a summer of hard work and I hope, great fun, working with
the ensemble on Steve's masterly adaptation of EF Benson's delicious
confection" while Anna Chancellor added "I am thrilled to be
playing the glorious Lucia. I hope I can do justice to EF Benson's wonderful
creations." They will be joined by Mark Gatiss who said "EF
Benson's tales of life in Tilling are some of the slyest, funny and waspishly
brilliant stories in the language. It's an absolute treat to be joining my old
friend Steve and such a glorious cast to bring them to life. "The cast also
includes Alan Partridge, Gemma Whelan, Paul Ritter, Katy
Brand and Frances Barber. What a treat this is going to be – I
foresee massive book sales; do make sure you order plenty! Mapp and Lucia by E F
Benson is a carefully observed tale of 1930s village life and social
ranking which features two of the most unpleasant, disgraceful women you’re ever
likely to encounter! It is published by Hesperus in
September and you can find out more and order it here.
While we’re on the subject of the BBC; The BBC National Short Story Award 2014 is a
unique paperback publication of the five short-listed stories in the world’s
biggest prize for the form. The book, which is introduced by Alan Yentob, features all the short-listed stories
by this year’s selected authors (this information is strictly embargoed until 15
September 2014). The stories will receive extensive coverage on BBC Radio
Four everyday for a week after the short-list announcement, with readings in
the afternoon and interviews with the authors the evening before on Front
Row. The BBC National Short Story
Award is one of the most prestigious awards for a single short story,
with the winning author receiving £15,000, the runner-up £3,000 and three
further shortlisted authors £500 each. The prize continues to serve as a
reminder of the power of the short story and to celebrate a literary form that
is proving ever more versatile in the 21st century. All previous anthologies in
the series (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013) have consistently sold out, with last
year’s anthology selling almost 2,000 copies since September, so do not delay in
ordering your copies of this title! The BBC National
Short Story Award 2014 (Pb, £7.99 978 1905583676) is published by
Comma Press in September and you can order it here
Aids: Don’t Die of
Prejudice by Normal Fowler is an important title which
examiness the HIV/AIDS crisis that –scandalously – continues to affect millions
of people across the world, despite the fact that we now have all the necessary
means to prevent it. Travelling to nine different cities, from
Russia and the
Ukraine to the
United States , Fowler shows
that the problem is not limited to Africa , and
that the threat often lies closer to home that we might think. According to
health experts, the world has reached a tipping point. If governments do not
take the necessary action to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, we face the
prospect of an ever-rising death toll: a tragedy which must be avoided at all
costs. This title attracting a lot of attention; there was a piece in the
Financial Times last week which said “Fowler’s message of tolerance
and pragmatism, and his continued commitment to the field, is creditable in a
world that still has a long way to go in fighting prejudice, and as a result in
ending the scourge of HIV” and you can see a short interview with Norman Fowler talking
about the book here.
Aids: Don’t Die of
Prejudice has just been published
by Biteback (Pb, £14.99 978 1849547048) and you can order it here.
For a book first published in 1917, The Candy Cookbook by Alice Bradley is a ground-breaking work, featuring
as it does mouth-watering recipes for fudge, meringues, fondants and all kinds
of other sweets – perhaps more importantly though, it was the first ever recipe
book to contain recipes for cooking with chocolate! The Candy Cookbook is a must-have for any keen
baker of confectionary. Reprinted in a beautiful edition, with brand new
striking line-drawn illustrations, this is a book both to treasure and to use
practically, helped along the way with the handy lists of instructions and
desirable utensils. With The Great British Bake Off moving to BBC1
in autumn 2014 the interest in baking and confectionary has never been higher
and this is the perfect gift book for Christmas and all occasions. The Candy Cookbook (Pb, £8.99, 978 1843915331) is a stylish, nostalgic volume perfect for cooks and
bakers of all skills! It is published by Hesperus in September and you can find out more and order it
here
On Further Reflection by Jonathan
Miller (hb, 978 0992627065 £20.00) has just been published by
published by Skyscraper and as you might expect is getting plenty of
publicity. Actor, doctor, TV presenter, film director, opera director, sculptor
– Sir Jonathan Miller’s careers cover a
vast range. He is also a gifted and insightful writer, but his writings have
been scattered across a series of books and articles over the last sixty years.
This selection gives an idea of the depth and variety of his preoccupations,
from mesmerism to neurology, film and theatre to art history and technique,
parody to reportage. Each extract has an introduction by Miller, setting it in
the context of his interests in the arts and sciences. A big interview with
Jonathan will appear in this coming Sunday's Mail on Sunday magazine (3
August); with a circulation almost 2 million this is sure to increase demand for
this title!
The Good Food Guide is the UK UK
And here’s a
customer in a restaurant who possibly shouldn’t really be eating any
more today!
Have you ever thought that there might be something
wrong with human beings, even that we might be slightly insane? Why is it that
so many human beings are filled with a restless discontent, and an insatiable
desire for material goods, status and power? Why it is that human history has
been filled with endless conflict, oppression and inequality Back to Sanity: Healing the Madness of our Minds
is a ground-breaking and inspiring book in which Steve Taylor shows that we do suffer from
a psychological disorder, which he refers to as humania, or ego-madness. This
disorder is so close to us that we don't realize it's there, but it's the root
cause of all our dysfunctional behaviour, both as individuals and as a species.
This book explains the characteristics of humania, where it stems from and how
it leads to the madness of materialism, status-seeking, warfare, inequality and
other symptoms of our insanity. But equally importantly, Back to Sanity shows how we can heal this mental
disorder and allow the fleeting moments of harmony that we all experience from
time to time to become our permanent state of being. Back to Sanity: Healing the Madness of
our Minds (Pb, £11.99 978
1848505476) by Steve Taylor is published
by Hay House. There has just been a brilliant article about it in the Guardian which you can read here, and it was
there was a big feature in Guardian Weekend Magazine on 19th
July.
Well, we seem to have been a bit low on funky music
videos this week as I don’t really count Dick Van Dyke as a musical maestro
supreme, whatever he says. So while we’re on the subject of psychological
disorders, let’s have a look at three of the best ever example of inspired
lunacy, and see what really happens when you’re going
slightly mad, suffering from virtual
insanity or afflicted by madness:
they call it madness!
That’s all for now
folks! Compass Points is off on holiday – back on 15
August!
This blog is read weekly by over 700
booksellers as well as publishers and publicists. If you would like to order any
of the titles mentioned, then please click here to go to the Compass New Titles
Website or talk to your Compass Sales
representative.
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