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      • Trusted Partner
        Literature & Literary Studies
        January 2013

        The lives of Thomas Becket

        by Michael Staunton

        This collection tells the story of Thomas Becket's turbulent life, violent death and extraordinary posthumous acclaim in the words of his contemporaries. The only modern collection from the twelfth-century Lives of Thomas Becket in English and features all his major biographers, including many previously untranslated extracts. Providing both a valuable glimpse of the late twelfth-century world, and an insight into the minds of those who witnessed the events. By using contemporary sources, this book is the most accessible way to study this central episode in medieval history. Thomas Becket features prominently in most medieval core courses. This book allows the subject to be taught as never before, and is highly suitable as a set text.

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        Literature & Literary Studies
        January 2026

        David, Donne, and Thirsty Deer

        Selected Essays of Anne Lake Prescott

        by Anne Lake Prescott, Roger Kuin, William A. Oram

        For nearly half a century Anne Lake Prescott has been a force and an inspiration in Renaissance studies. A force, because of her unique blend of learning and wit and an inspiration through her tireless encouragement of younger scholars and students. Her passion has always been the invisible bridge across the Channel: the complex of relations, literary and political, between Britain and France. The essays in this long-awaited collection range from Edmund Spenser to John Donne, from Clément Marot to Pierre de Ronsard. Prescott has a particular fondness for King David, who appears several times; and the reader will encounter chessmen, bishops, male lesbian voices and Roman whores. Always Prescott's immense erudition is accompanied by a sly and gentle wit that invites readers to share her amusement. Reading her is a joyful education.

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        Literature & Literary Studies
        May 2024

        David, Donne and Thirsty Deer

        Selected Essays of Anne Lake Prescott

        by Anne Lake Prescott, Roger Kuin, William A. Oram

        For nearly half a century Anne Lake Prescott has been a force and an inspiration in Renaissance studies. A force, because of her unique blend of learning and wit and an inspiration through her tireless encouragement of younger scholars and students. Her passion has always been the invisible bridge across the Channel: the complex of relations, literary and political, between Britain and France. The essays in this long-awaited collection range from Edmund Spenser to John Donne, from Clément Marot to Pierre de Ronsard. Prescott has a particular fondness for King David, who appears several times; and the reader will encounter chessmen, bishops, male lesbian voices and Roman whores. Always Prescott's immense erudition is accompanied by a sly and gentle wit that invites readers to share her amusement. Reading her is a joyful education.

      • Trusted Partner
        Literature & Literary Studies
        August 2022

        David and Bathsheba

        George Peele

        by Mathew R. Martin

        David and Bathsheba presents a modernised edition of George Peele's explosive biblical drama about the tangled lives, deadly liaisons, and twisted histories of Ancient Israel's royal family. Martin's critical edition is the first modern single-volume edition of the play since 1912 and opens up this unduly neglected gem of English Renaissance drama to student and scholar alike. The introduction examines such topics as the play's treatment of its biblical and poetic sources, its engagement with Elizabethan politics, and its forceful representations of religious fanaticism, genocide, and sexual violence. Its commentary notes clarify the text's meaning and staging, guide the reader through the play's dramatisation of the turbulent Davidic period of Ancient Israel's history, and place the play in its broader cultural and artistic milieu. Martin's edition aims to encourage new contemporary critical study of Peele's powerful and disturbing drama.

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        The Arts
        January 2026

        David Simon's American City

        by Mikkel Jensen

        This book examines the television serials created by influential showrunner David Simon. The book argues that Simon's main theme is the state of the contemporary American city and that all of his serials (barring one about the Iraq War) explore different facets of the metropolis. Each series offers distinctly different visions of the American city, but taken together they represent a sustained and intricate exploration of urban problems in modern America. From deindustrialisation in The Wire and residential segregation in Show Me a Hero to post-Katrina New Orleans in Treme and the transformation of the urban core in The Deuce, David Simon's American city traces the urban through-line in Simon's body of work. Based on sustained analysis of these serials and their engagement with contemporary politics and culture, David Simon's American city offers a compelling examination of one of television's most arresting voices.

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        March 1995

        Lawrence von Arabien

        Leben und Werk

        by Werner Koch

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        July 2018

        Order and conflict

        Anthony Ascham and English political thought (1648–50)

        by Peter Lake, Marco Barducci, Anthony Milton, Jason Peacey, Alexandra Gajda

        This book provides a careful and systematic analysis of Anthony Ascham's career and writings for the first time in English. During the crucial period between the Second Civil War and the establishment of the English Republic, when he served as official pamphleteer of the Parliament and the republican government, Ascham put forward a complex argument in support of Parliament's claims for obedience which drew on the political thought of Grotius, Hobbes, Selden, Filmer and Machiavelli. He combined ideas taken from these authors and turned them into a powerful instrument of propaganda to be deployed in the service of the political agenda of his Independent patrons in Parliament. This investigation of Ascham's works brings together an intellectual analysis of his political thought and an exploration of the interaction between politics, propaganda and political ideas.

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        Biography & True Stories
        May 2026

        Caroline Aherne

        Rebel in disguise

        by David Scott

        A thoughtful exploration of the work of this unique comedian and writer. Caroline Aherne was one of the most influential and beloved of British comedians. In this book David Scott explores Aherne's comedic artistry and creative legacy, focusing on her iconic characters and ground-breaking TV shows. Scott dives into Aherne's most beloved creations, from the sharp-tongued Mrs Merton to the quietly revolutionary The Royle Family. Drawing on the tales of collaborators and telling behind-the-scenes stories, he provides an intimate glimpse into the creative processes that brought these iconic works to life. At the same time, he examines the social and cultural influences that shaped Aherne's work, from the rich traditions of Northern working-class humour to the experiences of Irish migrants. Aherne's work is celebrated for its sharp wit, warmth and ability to find comedy in adversity. This book offers an exploration and celebration of one of comedy's most inventive minds, revealing how she reshaped the British comedy landscape.

      • Trusted Partner
        The Arts
        August 2014

        David Lean

        by Melanie Williams, Brian McFarlane, Neil Sinyard

        'A rule of mine is this', said William Goldman in 1983, 'there are always three hot directors and one of them is always David Lean.' One of the best known and most admired of British film makers, David Lean had a directorial career that spanned five decades and encompassed everything from the intimate black-and-white romance of Brief Encounter (1945) to the spectacular Technicolor epic of Lawrence of Arabia (1962). This book offers comprehensive coverage of every feature film directed by Lean, yielding new insights on the established classics of his career as well as its lesser-known treasures. Its analysis prioritises questions of gender and emphasises the often-overlooked but highly significant recurrence of female-centred narratives throughout Lean's career. Drawing extensively on archival historical materials while also presenting nuanced close readings of individual films, David Lean offers a fascinating and original account of the work of a remarkable British film maker. ;

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        December 2009

        Der Briefwechsel Thomas Bernhard/Siegfried Unseld

        by Thomas Bernhard, Siegfried Unseld, Raimund Fellinger, Martin Huber, Julia Ketterer

        30 Jahre alt, ohne Resonanz auf seine bis dahin veröffentlichten drei Gedichtbände, vom eigenen überragenden schriftstellerischen Können allerdings überzeugt, schreibt Thomas Bernhard im Oktober 1961 an Siegfried Unseld: "Vor ein paar Tagen habe ich an Ihren Verlag ein Prosamanuskript geschickt. Ich kenne Sie nicht, nur ein paar Leute, die Sie kennen. Aber ich gehe den Alleingang." Obwohl der Suhrkamp Verlag das Manuskript ablehnte, gingen der Alleingänger und der Verleger seit dem Erscheinen von Bernhards erstem Roman "Frost" 1963 gemeinsam den Weg, der den Autor in die Weltliteratur führte. In den etwa 500 Briefen zwischen beiden entwickelt sich ein einzigartiges Zwei-Personen-Schauspiel: Mal ist es eine Tragödie, wenn etwa Bernhard die aus seinen Werken bekannten Schimpftiraden auf den Verleger losläßt, der seinerseits auf die Überzeugungskraft des Arguments setzt. Dann gibt Bernhard ein Kammerspiel mit Unseld als Held – 1973 schreibt er ihm: "mit grösster Aufmerksamkeit, mit allen Möglichkeiten, gehe ich gern mit Ihnen." 1984 agieren beide, bei der Beschlagnahme von "Holzfällen", als Kämpfer für die Literatur in einem von Dritten inszenierten Schurkenstück. Es dominiert das Beziehungsdrama: Der Autor stellt die für sein Werk und seine Person unabdingbaren Forderungen. Der Verleger seinerseits weiß, daß gerade bei Bernhard rücksichtslose Selbstbezogenheit notwendige Voraussetzung der Produktivität ist. Solch einen dramatischen Briefwechsel zwischen Autor und Verleger, in dem bei jeder Zeile alles auf dem Spiel steht, kennt das Publikum bislang nicht.

      • Trusted Partner
        Literature & Literary Studies
        May 2019

        Thomas ‘Jupiter’ Harris

        by Warren Oakley

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        Literature & Literary Studies
        February 2025

        Anthony Burgess and America

        The untold story behind the American influences on Burgess’s life, work and legacy

        by Christopher W Thurley

        Anthony Burgess and America is a biographical and critical analysis of Burgess's commentary on and relationship with the United States of America. Utilising Burgess's entire canon and newly discovered materials to assess Burgess's views on America, this book also evaluates the American inspirations in five Burgess novels. This essential addition to Burgess scholarship tells the story of a nearly unexplored area of Burgess's life. For the first time ever, Burgess's American experiences, work, and documented communication, lectures, interviews and public utterances are brought together to assess where these commentaries overlapped with his fiction. The result is a complex personal and public history about one of Britain's greatest twentieth century authors and their immersion into and interaction with American culture in the second half of the twentieth century.

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        Teaching, Language & Reference
        November 2023

        David Bowie, Enid Blyton and the sun machine

        by Nicholas Royle

      • Trusted Partner
        Literature & Literary Studies
        January 2026

        Antony and Cleopatra

        by Carol Chillington Rutter

        This book writes a performance history of Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare's most ambiguous play, from 1606 to the present. It observes the choices that actors, directors, designers, musicians and adapters have made each time they have brought the play's thoughts on power, race, masculinity, regime change, exoticism, love, dotage and delinquency into alignment with a new present. Informed by close attention to theatre records - promptbooks, stage managers' reports, reviews - it offers in-depth analyses of fifteen international productions by (among others) the Royal Shakespeare Company, Citizens Theatre Glasgow, Northern Broadsides, Berliner Ensemble and Toneelgroep Amsterdam. It ends seeing Shakespeare's black Egyptian Queen Cleopatra - whited-out in performance for centuries - restored to the contemporary stage. Written in a lively and accessible style, this book will be of interest to students, academics, actors, directors and general readers alike.

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