When did the coffee-table book become an object of scorn? Why did law courts forbid witnesses to kiss the Bible? What made Victorian cartoonists mock commuters who hid behind the newspaper, ladies who matched their books' binding to their dress, and servants who reduced newspapers to fish 'n' chips wrap? This title deals with these questions.

The first edition of this encyclopaedia was published in 1979. This edition is intended to be more than a simple updating. The world of science fiction in the 1990s is much more complex and diverse than it was in the 1970s and the book has been expanded to account for the dramatic changes.

This book is an interdisciplinary collection of essays on an important but overlooked aspect of early modern English life: the artistic and intellectual patronage of the Inns of Court and their influence on religion, politics, education, rhetoric, and culture from the late fifteenth through the early eighteenth centuries.

A masterful collection of essays on storytelling by Philip Pullman, one of our greatest writers.

A giftable cookery book with over 100 delicious recipes taken from the author's favourite works of fiction.

First ever publication of J.R.R. Tolkien's final writings on Middle-earth, covering a wide range of subjects and perfect for those who have read and enjoyed The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings, Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth, and want to learn more about Tolkien's magnificent world.

'Brilliantly written, compulsively readable and insightful' Pat Barker 'A first-class life and a rollicking read ... Close to a masterpiece' Sunday Times An intimate, revealing and profoundly moving biography of Jean Rhys, acclaimed author of Wide Sargasso Sea.

In Penned & Painted, Lucy Freeman Sandler, one of one of the world's most respected authorities on medieval art, takes us on a personal but highly insightful exploration of some of the British Library's most precious manuscript holdings and describes the many uses and meanings of these 'books in books'.

This edited collection explores the afterlife of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in theatre and film, radio, literature and graphics novels, making a substantial contribution to the field of adaptation studies. -- .

A vivid and beautifully illustrated mythology of the British Isles - reframing ancient stories that deal with human themes of extinction, connection to landscape, parenthood, defiance, love and loss.

A lavishly illustrated guide to how humanity has imagined heavens, hells and the afterlife

The picaresque tale of the vitriolic, highly public quarrel between the poet Alexander Pope and the publisher Edmund Curll.

Short, lively, and eminently readable chapters, written by leading experts in early modern studies, illuminate various aspects of Donne's life, work, career, and reputation. These engaging chapters are supplemented by a chronology of Donne's life and works and a comprehensive bibliography.

Locations from film, tv, literature, myths, comics and video games are plotted in a series of beautiful vintage-looking maps with fascinating stories of how authors and writers picked these places.

The definitive one-volume biography of a literary legend.

A stunning new volume from Edward Brooke-Hitching, revealing some of the strangest books ever written and produced.

The long-awaited memoir of celebrated writer and journalist Barbara Amiel

From the very first book publication in 1920 to the film release of Death on the Nile in December 2020, this investigation into Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot celebrates a century of probably the world's favourite fictional detective.

'Captures both Barbara and her writing so miraculously' JILLY COOPER Picked as a Book to Look Forward to in 2021 by the Guardian, The Times and the Observer A Radio 4 Book of the Week, April 2020

BYRON'S WAKEThe Extraordinary Story of Lord Byron's Wife and Daughter:Annabella Milbanke and Ada Lovelace The only legitimate daughter of Lord Byron, Ada Lovelace was to become a pioneer of the computer revolution. This masterful new biography is a portrait of two remarkable women, Ada and her mother Annabella, haunted by the mercurial spirit of the notorious poet.

The follow-up to the phenomenal international bestseller, Letters of Note

The final piece of work from one of the world's most visionary authors