Edward White

A kaleidoscopic portrait of Princess Diana (1961–1997), as viewed by the people whose lives she touched... White takes an evenhanded perspective on his subject... his panoramic approach attests to her lasting influence across the world. This achieves the difficult task of finding a novel take on the much-discussed former royal.

Praise for Edward White’s The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock

[A] masterful study… There have been thousands of books about Hitchcock. This is the best of the bunch, a brilliant investigation of a man full both of ego and fragile self-esteem, a sour mixture of self-disgust and self-regard

Anatomising someone of Hitchcock’s stature risks an equally chaotic frenzy of stabs, but with these 12 scalpel strokes White cuts close to his subject’s heart

The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock is overflowing with anecdotes, memories and curiosities… the book offers lots of insights into what made him such a revolutionary director of masterpieces such as North by Northwest and Rear Window

Perceptive and gracefully written, The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock is a bracing study of the master of suspense… it is a rare book that could pleasurably be twice as long

Using an approach that manages to balance chronology and theme, [White] presents the subject from a dozen angles, many of them in implicit opposition… his use of sources is inventive, and he exhibits breezy authority on a range of relevant themes, from dietetics and mid-century slimming to Catholic prayer

[The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock] is entirely accessible without being glib or sensationalist; it is well-researched and wide-ranging in its cultural references without being pedantic or effete... One completes this book feeling one knows Hitchcock as well as he could be known, and with renewed respect for his gifts and his influence on culture

A provocative new way of thinking about biography....The radial structure vibrates, like Hitchcock’s best films, with intuition and mystery

Running the gamut from 'The Boy Who Couldn't Grow Up' to 'The Man Of God', White's book deftly divvies up the director's 80 years into a dozen readable chunks

An Obsession

For more than forty years, Diana, Princess of Wales, has been mythologized to the most extraordinary degree. Adored and lionized by some, ridiculed and traduced by others, Diana has always commanded a cultural presence unmatched by any other member of the royal family. 
 
In Dianaworld, Edward White offers both a portrait of the princess and a group portrait of those who existed in her orbit—from her royal in-laws, her servants, and the dilapidated ranks of the British aristocracy from which she rose, to drag performers, artists, Britain’s ethnic minorities, and the Gen Z superfans who maintain her status as a cultural icon. 
 
Drawing on a wide array of sources and perspectives, many never used in books about Diana or the royal family, White vividly recreates the world Diana lived in, explores the growth of her global reputation, and illuminates her lasting impact on the world she left behind.

Edward White

Praise for Dianaworld

A kaleidoscopic portrait of Princess Diana (1961–1997), as viewed by the people whose lives she touched... White takes an evenhanded perspective on his subject... his panoramic approach attests to her lasting influe ...

Praise for Edward White’s The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock

[A] masterful study… There have been thousands of books about Hitchcock. This is the best of the bunch, a brilliant investigation of a man full both of ego and fragile self-esteem, a sour mixture of self-disgust and ...

A kaleidoscopic portrait of Princess Diana (1961–1997), as viewed by the people whose lives she touched... White takes an evenhanded perspective on his subject... his panoramic approach attests to her lasting influe ...

Praise for Edward White’s The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock

[A] masterful study… There have been thousands of books about Hitchcock. This is the best of the bunch, a brilliant investigation of a man full both of ego and fragile self-esteem, a sour mixture of self-disgust and ...

A kaleidoscopic portrait of Princess Diana (1961–1997), as viewed by the people whose lives she touched... White takes an evenhanded perspective on his subject... his panoramic approach attests to her lasting influe ...

Praise for Edward White’s The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock

[A] masterful study… There have been thousands of books about Hitchcock. This is the best of the bunch, a brilliant investigation of a man full both of ego and fragile self-esteem, a sour mixture of self-disgust and ...

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