Michael Symmons Roberts’s fourth book of poetry, Corpus, was the winner of the 2004 Whitbread Poetry Award, and was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize, and the Griffin International Prize. His sixth collection, Drysalter, was the winner of both the Forward Prize and the Costa Poetry Prize in 2013. He collaborated with Paul Farley on Edgelands (Cape/Vintage) and will do so again in The Deaths of the Poets (Cape, 2017). He has also worked many times with the composer James MacMillan. He has published two novels, and is Professor of Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Michael Symmons Roberts

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Tony Curtis

Some Like it Hot is one of the most famous films of all time and is also the most profitable comedy in the history of film, not to mention one of the most beloved. It was voted number one funniest movie ever by the American Film Institute and as well as starring Hollywood legend Tony Curtis, it brought together the comedy talents of Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder. It has contributed numerous quotes, styles and stories to Hollywood film lore and has remained the film that Curtis is still most asked about by its legions of fans. 
 
For the first time, Curtis will share the untold story behind the making of this legendary film. Told in his frank and inimitable voice, the book will reveal much about his working relationship with Jack Lemmon and the director Billy Wilder. It will explain why the film was changed from colour production to black and white and tell the story of its initially lukewarm reception. The book will also reveal much about Marilyn Monroe, including Curtis' romance with her, her alleged abortion and her conflict with Wilder. Finally, it will describe the film's ongoing impact on Curtis' life and will feature many exclusive never-before-seen photographs from his own collection.

Some Like It Hot

Me, Marilyn and the Movie

Richard Topping

Have you ever wanted to be a lumberjack? Had trouble with a dead parrot? Or gone for a silly walk? 
 
Combining outrageous humour, unbridled creativity and surreal animation, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Eric Idle entertained millions and inspired generations of future comedians. Including all Monty Python material ever produced, from the Flying Circus to the Life of Brian to Spamalot! with biographies, programme guides and a filmography, this is a must-have plethora of Pythonism and a fitting tribute to comedic pioneers.

Monty Python

From the Flying Circus to Spamalot

Peter Golenbock

He has appeared in over a hundred films. Elvis copied his looks. The Beatles put him on the cover of Sgt. Pepper. Tony Curtis is without question a Hollywood legend and part of its Golden Age. In American Prince he tells the whole story, from his hard-knock childhood growing up in the Bronx to his wild days as a Hollywood playboy, his destructive drug addiction and his life now as an artist in his eighties. He talks frankly about the people he has known during his long and illustrious career, from the studio owners and directors to his famous friends, such as Jack Lemmon, Cary Grant and James Dean, and the women in his life, including Janet Leigh and Natalie Wood. 
 
Forthright and enthralling, and sparing no detail and no ego, American Prince is the true record of a life lived to the full.

American Prince

My Autobiography

Mike Oldfield

Born without social instincts many people take for granted, brought up in a troubled environment and possessed with an extraordinary musical talent, Mike Oldfield was thrust into the spotlight at the tender age of nineteen. His first album Tubular Bells went on to sell fifteen million copies worldwide and catapulted him into a stardom he was ill-equipped to cope with. 
 
From growing up with an alcoholic mother, to his feelings of alienation and struggles with depression, this book takes Mike from his early years, through his staggering fame, his broken marriages, years as a recluse, his rebirth experience at a controversial Exegesis seminar and beyond. Mike Oldfield has been on a journey few of us could ever imagine, and offers a message of hope to anybody who feels they live on the edge of society.

Changeling

The Autobiography of Mike Oldfield

Lucy Ellis

Bryony Sutherland

From her BAFTA-winning television work, such as My Beautiful Son, to her big screen debut alongside Michael Caine in Educating Rita, her starring in Billy Elliot (both of which earned her Oscar nominations) and her portrayal of Mrs Weasley in the Harry Potter films, Julie Walters has worked with some of the greatest and most diverse actors and directors in the world today. In December 2005, at the British Comedy Awards, Walters - alongside longtime friend and television comedy partner Victoria Wood - picked up the Outstanding Contribution to Comedy Award. 
Raised in a strict Catholic family in working class Birmingham, Julie Walters abandoned a nursing course to study drama at Manchester Polytechnic and went on to join the Liverpool Everyman Theatre where she cut her teeth as an actress. Over the next decade, she experienced three marriage proposals, two long-term romances and a period of heavy drinking. At the end of 1984 she met sociology student Grant Roffey and had a daughter Maisie, who was traically diagnosed with luekaemia and had to undergo years of painful chemotherapy. 
the authors have interviewed friends, teachers and colleagues to skilfully compile the first-ever biography of one of Britain's finest and best-loved actresses.

Julie Walters

Seriously Funny - An Unauthorised Biography

Cicely Berry

Cicely Berry, Voice Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, is world-famous for her voice teaching. The Actor and the Text is her classic book, distilled from years of working with actors of the highest calibre.

The Actor And The Text

Voice and the Actor is the first classic work by Cicely Berry, Voice Director of the Royal Shakespear Company and world-famous voice teacher. Encapsulating her renowned method of teaching voice production, the exercises in this straightforward, no-nonsense guide will develop relaxation, breathing and muscular control - without which no actor or speaker can achieve their full potential. 
 
Illustrated with passages used in Cicely Berry's own teaching, Voice and the Actor is the essential first step towards speaking a text with truth and meaning. Inspiring and practical, her words will be a revelation for beginner and professional alike.

Voice And The Actor

Eddie Izzard

David Quantick

Eddie Izzard - action transvestite, boy racer and male tomboy - spent the 1990s conquering Britain. As the decade ended, he looked further afield. "Dressed To Kill", his stand-up tour, saw him transport his high heels and off-the-shoulder numbers to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, taking a natural comedian's delight in the differences separating the two sides of the Pond. In this book, he reflects on his birth in Yemen and his childhood in Northern Ireland, Wales and London, and muses on animals, male tomboys, street theatre, sex, crime, God, "The Great Escape", Bible stories starring Sean Connery and James Mason, and cats who dig for oil. He also reflects on the trials and tribulations of being an cross-dressing, surrealist comedian intent on making it in America.

Dress To Kill

Liz Kaye

OMG. It's Chuck Bass and Nate Archibald from Gossip Girl in one book. 
 
We're all mad about the boys, but is it Ed Westwick's bad-guy allure that ticks your box, or Chace Crawford's pretty-boy looks? Or - naughty - both? Well, to help you decide, Gossip Boys, the unauthorised double biography of Chace and Ed, charts the lives of these hot young things, who are best friends both on the show and in real life. Brit-born Westwick has the edgy cool of his character, having fronted the indie band The Filthy Youth, and appearing in cult films such as Son of Rambow and Children of Men. Crawford meanwhile is the ultimate all-American idol, signed by the first talent agent who interviewed him and being named 'Summer's Hottest Bachelor' by People and winning the Teen Choice Award for 'Male Hottie'. 
 
The huge success of Gossip Girl has seen these actors become two of the biggest pin-ups around, and favourites of magazines like Grazia and teen TV programming such as T4. 
 
Now you can learn all about the boys: their early days, their flames old and new, their careers and the bromance that has made them scorching stars.

Gossip Boys

The double unauthorised biography of Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford

Jim Smith

Reservoir Dogs launched Quentin Tarantino as a pioneering new filmmaker and director - his hip-talking, hypnotically shot, ultraviolent US indie films revolutionised American filmmaking and spawned a number of imitators. Jim Smith examines the iconic films Tarantino has directed including Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and Kill Bill, as well as exploring the Tarantino scripts that were filmed by other directors such as True Romance and the controversial Natural Born Killers. Whilst exploring Tarantino's range of projects as an actor, producer and presenter, and his work outside film, Smith analyses the significance of the director's use of favourite actors, anachronisms, borrowed music and reference points and shows how they relate to recurring themes such as heritage, personal responsibility and redemption.

Tarantino - Virgin Film

Eric Sykes

Eric Sykes is one of Britain's creative comedy geniuses combining personal warmth, superbly observed written and performed comedy and a deeply intimate understanding of what a viewing audience wants. Here he has assembled a comedy hall of fame for those who have inspired, entertained and, most of all, amused him. 
 
Including tributes to comedy greats Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Ken Dodd, Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and many, many more, this is a beautiful and personal testimony to the wonderful characters who have stimulated Eric's life-long love affair with laughter.

Eric Sykes' Comedy Heroes

Mike Barson

Mark Bedford

Chris Foreman

Graham McPherson

Cathal Smyth

Lee Thompson

Dan Woodgate

New Foreword by Irvine Welsh. 
 
In Before We Was We Madness tell us how they became them. A story of seven originals, whose collective graft, energy and talent took them from the sweaty depths of the Hope and Anchor's basement to the Top of the Pops studio. 
 
In their own words they each look back on shared adventures. Playing music together, riding freight trains, spraying graffiti and stealing records. Walking in one another's footsteps by day and rising up through the city's exploding pub music scene by night. Before We Was We is irreverent, funny and full of character. Just like them.

Before We Was We

The Making of Madness by Madness

Madness by Madness

Cliff Goodwin

In May 1999, after a 40-year career including 100 films, Oliver Reed died, as he had invariably lived, drinking with friends while making a film - his well-reviewed performance in the blockbuster Gladiator. Having risen through Hammer Horror films to international stardom as Bill Sykes in Oliver!, Reed became, in his own works, 'the biggest star this country has got'. With his legendary off-screen exploits and blunt opinions - especially of his co-stars - he was also one of the most infamous. 
Bestselling author Cliff Goodwin uses material from first-hand interviews with Reed's family, friends and colleagues and never before seen photographs to explore Reed's eventful career. But he also reveals another side to this unique and complex man.

Evil Spirits

The Life of Oliver Reed

Maureen Paton

In this revised and updated biography, Maureen Paton encompasses the private, professional and political life of this most enigmatic, charismatic and intensely private of actors.

Alan Rickman: The Unauthorised Biography

Joe Layden

Sean Astin

When Sean Astin, veteran Hollywood actor of over 30 movies including The Goonies, and Rudy, landed the part of Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings, he knew it was going to be different to anything he'd ever worked on before. Here he shares his heartfelt opinions on his early movies, how he got the part of Sam at that point in his career, and what it was like to be on set for nearly two years of his life. How did he and the other cast members get along? What were the excitements and the dangers they faced during filming? What happened the evening that Elijah Wood lost the keys to his room? How did Sir Ian McKellen cope when he didn't like the music the hobbits listened to during make-up and what happened when the crew considered striking? 
Revealing and immensely readable, There and Back Again is the behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to be involved in the making of one of the biggest movie franchises of all time.

There And Back Again: An Actor's Tale

James Caan

After dropping out of school at just sixteen, James Caan started his business life in a broom cupboard with no qualifications and two pieces of fatherly wisdom: 'observe the masses and do the opposite' and 'always look for opportunities where both parties benefit'. Armed with this advice, natural charm and the Yellow Pages, he built a market-leading business with a turnover of £130 million and swiftly became one of Britain's most successful entrepreneurs. 
 
From Caan's childhood as a Pakistani immigrant to the phenomenal success of his first company and beyond, The Real Deal traces both his financial and personal achievements. It offers a frank account of what success at thirty really signifies and brings us right up to the present, including his impact on Dragons' Den and what his charity work, from saving a hospital in London to building a school in Lahore, means to him. Ultimately, it is a story of learning what money is really worth, told by one the country's most insightful businessmen.

The Real Deal

My Story from Brick Lane to Dragons' Den

Mel Churcher

The author uses her wide experience as an acting and voice coach an major movies to offer insights into the film acting process. She provides tasks, techniques and tips that are designed specifically for film: there's advice to make the first-time film actor feel at home on set, tips on the casting process, how to cope with auditions, on-camera techniques, schedules and shooting order, as well as specific advice from film crews to help an actor's performance. This practical workbook combines exercises and anecdotes in an informal and accessible style, making it the indispensable guide for anyone wishing to light up the silver screen.

Acting For Film

M Middles

FACTORY RECORDS' REPUTATION AND FORTUNE WERE FOUNDED ON TWO BANDS -JOY DIVISION AND NEW ORDER - AND ONE SINGLE-MINDED AND STUBBORN PERSONALITY: ITS MEDIA-FRIENDLY COMPANY DIRECTOR ANTHONY H. WILSON. AT THE HEIGHT OF IT'S SUCCESS IN THE LATE 1980S, THE COMPANY REIGNED OVER THE MANCHESTER RAVE SCENE, RAN IT'S OWN CLUB, THE HACIENDA, AND HAD A STRING OF HIT RECORDS AROUND THE WORLD. BY 1992 THE BACK CATALOGUE HAD BEEN SOLD OFF, NEW ORDER AND HAPPY MONDAYS WERE IN DISARRAY, AND THE HACIENDA WAS SHUT DOWN BY THE POLICE. SINCE THEN THE STORY OF FACTORY RECORDS HAS BECOME THE STUFF OF MYTHS AND LEGENDS. A MAJOR NEW BRITISH FILM, TWENTY FOUR HOUR PARTY PEOPLE, REVISITS THE HEYDAY OF THE HACIENDA, AND STARS STEVE COOGAN AS ANTHONY H. WILSON ALONGSIDE MANY OF THE ARTISTS AND PERSONALITIES WHO WERE AROUND AT THE TIME. THE FILM IS RELEASED IN MARCH 2002. FROM JOY DIVISION TO NEW ORDER, ACCLAIMED ON IT'S ORIGINAL PUBLICATION IN 1996, TELLS THE REAL STORY OF FACTORY'S SPECTACULAR HISTORY. DRAWING ON EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH THE MAJOR PLAYERS, MICK MIDDLES PROVIDES A TIMELY AND FACINATING LOOK AT THE UNIQUE PERSONALITIES AND MESSY REALITY BEHIND ONE OF THE UK'S MOST INFLUENTIAL AND (AT ONE TIME ) COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL INDEPENDENT RECORD COMPANIES.

From Joy Division To New Order

Brian Jay Jones

For the first time ever—a comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth-century’s most innovative creative artists: the incomparable, irreplaceable Jim Henson. 
 
He was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most people got to know him only through the iconic characters he created: Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. The Muppets made Jim Henson a household name, but they were only part of his remarkable story. 
 
This extraordinary biography--written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family--covers the full arc of Henson’s all-too-brief life: from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in Washington D.C., New York, and London, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age fifty-three. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Jim Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives--including never-before-seen interviews, business documents, and Henson’s private letters--Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson’s contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly ten year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson’s non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth—as well as fascinating misfires like Henson’s dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub or of staging an elaborate, all-puppet Broadway show. 
 
An uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original: the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose deal making prowess won him a reputation as “the new Walt Disney,” and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Here also is insight into Henson’s intensely private personal life: his Christian Science upbringing; his love of fast cars, high-stakes gambling, and expensive art; and his weakness for women. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life—a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well-founded. 
 
An up-close look at the charmed life of a legend, Jim Henson gives the full measure to a man whose joyful genius transcended age, language, geography, and culture—and continues to beguile audiences worldwide.

Jim Henson

The Biography

Mick Foster

Tony Allen

This is the combined life story of Mick Foster and Tony Allen, revealing how these most unlikely of stars toured the world and entered the record books. A charming narrative told with heaps of Celtic charm, it is filled with nostalgic reminiscences about growing up in rural Ireland in the 1950s and 60s, and spans the breadth of their long career, including appearing on Top of the Pops alongside Bob Geldof and being feted by Terry Wogan, and the extraordinary moment when they found themselves at the very top of the charts, beating Take That to the number-one slot.

After All These Years

Our Story

Ian Woodward

In this first major study of the captivating life of Audrey Hepburn, Ian Woodward uncovers the truly sensational story of one of Hollywood's most enduring legends. Ranked number 50 in Empire Magazine's 'Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time', her appeal as a screen icon is set to last for years to come. 
 
From her roles in such legendary films as Breakfast at Tiffany's and her Oscar-winning performance in Roman Holiday, to her lovers and the pain of losing a child, this revealing biography is essential reading for Hepburn and film fans alike.

Audrey Hepburn

Fair Lady of the Screen

Tan France

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
'The book is meant to spread joy, personal acceptance, and most of all understanding. Each of us is living our own private journey, and the more we know about each other, the healthier and happier the world will be.' 
 
Growing up gay in a traditional South Asian family in South Yorkshire, Tan France could never have imagined he’d become part of a worldwide phenomenon. One of the few people of colour at his school, he experienced racist bullies, found solace at his grandad’s denim factory and eventually discovered his true calling at fashion college. Told with his trademark humour, for the first time Tan reveals the experiences that have made him the witty, compassionate man he is today. 
 
From meeting the love of his life Rob (a Mormon cowboy from Salt Lake City) to juggling three demanding businesses, Tan charts the highs and lows on his path to Queer Eye. And of course he can’t help but pepper this book with fashion dos and don’ts. Full of candid observations about US and UK cultural differences, celebrity encounters, and behind-the-scenes revelations about Queer Eye, Naturally Tan gives us Tan’s unique perspective on the happiness to be found in being yourself.

Naturally Tan

A Memoir

Rena Fruchter

Chevy Chase is a much-loved Hollywood star. His success as a writer and actor on Saturday Night Live in the 70s made him a household name. 
 
It had been a long, hard route to the top for Chevy. Behind the fame lay a childhood riddled with abuse. But his remarkable strength and determination helped him rise above it and find his talent as an actor, writer, comedian, and musician. 
 
Best known for his role in the National Lampoon Vacation series Chevy has starred in some of the greatest comedies of our time. His latest film, Funny Money, received critical acclaim at the Sarasota Film Festival. 
 
Now, for the first time, Chevy speaks openly and candidly about his career, his personal struggle with drugs, his friendship with three American Presidents, and his family life. 
 
Honest, funny and informative, this is the complex and fascinating world of Chevy Chase.

I'm Chevy Chase ... and You're Not

Vic Reeves

Vic Reeves' vivid, enchanting, and utterly hilarious childhood memoir is a comic masterpiece. 
 
Before there was Vic Reeves, there was a boy called James Moir who was much the same as any other lad.Obsessed with owning a pet crow, a master at writing his name and terrified of his father's immense moustache. Growing up in Yorkshire and then CountyDurham, the boy who would be Reeves somehow managed to escape the attentions of 'Randy Mandy' and get a crash course in pig castration, before having encounters with Jimi Hendrix and the Yorkshire Ripper. 
 
Peopled with weird and wonderful characters, Vic Reeves' memoir is authentic, witty and inventive, and as unique as you'd expect from one of Britain's most exceptional comedy talents.

Me Moir - Volume One

Marcus Hearn

Celebrating over 50 years of the classic TV series, this beautiful, lavish hardback written by Thunderbirds expert Marcus Hearn. Contains exclusive, never before published behind the scenes material and interviews with cast and crew and tells the story of one of this enduring cult phenomenon. Thunderbirds are GO! 
 
 'A most enjoyable step back in time!' -- ***** Reader review 
'You can never have enough Thunderbirds' -- ***** Reader review 
'CHOCK FULL of pretty much everything there is to know about Thunderbirds' -- ***** Reader review 
'Unputdownable' -- ***** Reader review 
'If you are a fan, this is the ONE BOOK you must not miss out on' -- ***** Reader review 
'A treasure' -- ***** Reader review 
'Beautiful book full of all the information a real fan needs' -- ***** Reader review 
'F.A.B. (FLIPPING ACTUALLY BRILLIANT)' -- ***** Reader review 
 
*********************************************************************************************** 
On 30th September 1965, International Rescue successfully completed their first assignment, and the Tracy brothers imprinted themselves on a generation of captivated children. 
 
Thirty-two episodes, many repeats, sixty territories, two feature films, three albums, numerous comics, books, toys, videos and DVDs and over five decades later, Thunderbirds are still saving the world from the brink of peril. 
 
Thunderbirds: The Vault will be the first ever lavishly illustrated, definitive, beautifully packaged, presentation hardback telling the story of this enduring cult phenomenon. 
 
Packed with previously unpublished material, including prop photos, design sketches, production memos and other collectible memorabilia, plus specially commissioned photography of original 60s merchandise, and new interviews with cast and crew, this is a collectors' dream and a fantastic piece of British TV history.

Thunderbirds

The Vault: celebrating over 50 years of the classic series

Sara Hawys Roberts

Leon Noakes

New discoveries and a fresh perspective, with unprecedented access to Richey's personal archive 
 
On 1 February 1995, Richey Edwards, guitarist of the Manic Street Preachers, went missing at the age of 27. On the eve of a promotional trip to America, he vanished from his London hotel room, his car later discovered near the Severn Bridge, a notorious suicide spot. 
 
Over two decades later, Richey’s disappearance remains one of the most moving, mysterious and unresolved episodes in recent pop culture history. 
 
For those with a basic grasp of the facts, Richey's suicide seems obvious and undeniable. However, a closer investigation of his actions in the weeks and months before his disappearance just don’t add up, and until now few have dared to ask the important questions. 
 
Withdrawn Traces is the first book written with the co-operation of the Edwards family, testimony from Richey’s closest friends and unprecedented and exclusive access to Richey’s personal archive. 
In a compelling real-time narrative, the authors examine fresh evidence, uncover overlooked details, profile Richey's state of mind, and brings us closer than ever before to the truth.

Withdrawn Traces

Searching for the Truth about Richey Manic, Foreword by Rachel Edwards

Bobby Seagull

If you found maths lessons at school irrelevant and boring, that’s because you didn’t have a teacher like Bobby Seagull. 
 
***As seen on Monkman &amp; Seagull's Genius Guide to Britain*** 
 
Long before his rise to cult fandom on University Challenge, Bobby Seagull was obsessed with numbers. They were the keys that unlocked the randomness of football results, the beauty of art and the best way to get things done. 
 
In his absorbing book, Bobby tells the story of his life through numbers and shows the incredible ways maths can make sense of the world around us. From magic shows to rap lyrics, from hobbies to outer space, from fitness to food – Bobby’s infectious enthusiasm for numbers will change how you think about almost everything. 
 
Told through fascinating stories and insights from Bobby’s life, and with head-scratching puzzles in every chapter, you’ll never look at numbers the same way again.

The Life-Changing Magic of Numbers

Spike Milligan

This tribute to one of the world's greatest ever entertainers is a must for all Milligan fans. For the first time, this diverse and thrilling selection of scripts, sketches, poems, prose and nonsense is available in paperback. 
 
The combination of quickfire wit and downright silliness is supported by contributions from some of showbusiness' greatest entertainers, including Barry Humphreys and Ronnie Scott.

A Celebration

Adrian Smith

Updated for paperback with a brand new chapter on Parrot Cay Island. 
 
 Legendary Iron Maiden guitarist takes you to the final frontier of fishing. 
 
 Welcome to the world of Adrian Smith, playing onstage to millions of fans - while behind the scenes he explores far-flung rivers, seas and lakes, waterways and weirs, in a fearless quest for fishing nirvana. 
 
 Hooked on the angling adrenaline rush since first catching perch from East London canals on outings with his father, Adrian grew up to be in one of the most successful rock bands in history. On tour, his gear went with him. The fish got bigger. The adventures more extreme. 
 
 In Monsters of River and Rock you'll hear about his first sturgeon: a whopping 100-pounder from the roaring rapids of Canada's Fraser River that nearly wiped him out mid-Maiden tour. Then there's the close shave with a shark off the Virgin Islands whilst wading waist-deep for bonefish. Not to mention an enviable list of specimen coarse fish from the UK. 
 
 Come to the riverbank with Adrian and cast a line on the wild side. 
 
'Outstanding' - Times Radio 
 'Writes beautifully' - The Sun 
 'Beautifully written account' - Guardian 
 'Essential reading' - The Music Radar 
 'Candid wit and cracking anecdotes' - Classic Rock magazine

Monsters of River and Rock

My Life as Iron Maiden’s Compulsive Angler

Ray Davies

As a boy in post-War England, legendary Kinks singer/songwriter Ray Davies fell in love with America – its movies and music, its culture of freedom fed his imagination. 
 
 In Americana, Davies tries to make sense of his long love-hate relationship with the country that both inspires and frustrates him, and where he nearly lost his life in a street shooting. 
 
 Some of the most fascinating characters in pop culture and the British Invasion make appearances, from the famous to the behind-the-scenes players. The book is interspersed with lyrics and also includes photographs from Davies's own collection and the Kinks’ archive. 
 
 From his quintessentially English perspective, Davies – with candour, humour, and wit – takes us on a very personal road trip through his life and storied career as a rock star, and reveals what music, fame and America really mean to him.

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