Rob Chapman on Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett is one of the great unknowns of twentieth century music. The early creative force behind Pink Floyd, he spent most of the second half of his life outside of public view, away from fans, press and ex-band members. In Syd Barrett: A Very Irregular Head, author Rob Chapman attempts to dispel the myths surrounding Syd. Here he shares his experiences researching the life of a notoriously private artist.

Arthur Ransome and the Crisis in Russia

Roland Chambers, author of The Last Englishman: The Double Life of Arthur Ransome, discusses the two volumes of Ransome’s Russian journalism brought back into print by Faber Finds.

The Round-up: Military History

Bookhugger’s publishers present a selection of true tales of heroism, survival, strategy and tragedy from the all-conquering Ottoman Empire of the mid-sixteenth century to behind lines operations in the ‘Alpine Redoubt’ area of Austria in World War Two…

Friends & Enemies of ‘The Hitch’: Christopher Hitchens’ memoir

Journalistic firebrand Christoper Hitchens, whose memoirs were published recently, is a man who has not been afraid to make enemies over the course of a long and distinguished career. Richard T. Kelly argues that’s a good thing indeed.

Helen Rappaport: Lenin in Exile

Conspirator is the compelling story of Lenin’s exile: the years in which he and his political collaborators plotted a revolution that would change 20th century history. Historian and Russianist Helen Rappaport talks to George Miller

Ian Davidson on Voltaire

We think of Voltaire as the epitome of the Enlightenment; in his own time he was also the most famous and controversial figure in Europe. Ian Davidson’s new biography celebrates his extraordinary life through the thousands of his letters to have survived. Here, he discusses it with George Miller.

Zoya Phan on Little Daughter – A Memoir of Survival in Burma and the West

Zoya Phan is a 28-year-old ethnic Karen refugee from Burma. As a teenager she was forced to flee her country after her village was attacked by the Burmese Army. She now lives in London and works for the human rights organization Burma Campaign UK. Listen to her talk about her life in this podcast.

An extract from Talking to Zeus: My Year in a Greek Garden, by Jane Shaw

Jane Shaw was working as a volunteer in Chelsea’s famous Physic Garden when she earned a placement to work for a year on a very special organic garden in Greece. But this was to be no easy-going break in the Mediterranean…

Snowblind: A Brief Career in the Cocaine Trade

Drug smuggler turned author and campaigner for legalisation of cannabis Howard Marks introduces the new edition of Snowblind. the story of the legendary Zachary Swan, a mover in the cocaine trade in the sixties who set the standard for all who followed.

The Round-up: People’s Lives

From America to China via the Sudan and Kenya, from stage and screen to science and literature, here are fifteen of the very best and most intriguing biographies and memoirs you could hope for, all from the Bookhugger publishers…

Siberian education, according to Nicolai Lilin

Nicolai Lilin was born in 1981 and grew up in the small republic of Transnistria which declared its independence from Moldova in 1990 but has never been recognised. In this video, Lilin tells us more about his experiences in Siberian Education, his memoir of growing up in a society of ‘honest criminals’.

Jenny Uglow talks to George Miller about A Gambling Man

Acclaimed biographer Jenny Uglow’s previous subjects have included Thomas Bewick and Elizabeth Gaskell. In A Gambling Man she takes on risk-taking Charles II and the regime changing Restoration – inspired, as she explains, by recent events.

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April non-fiction round-up – part two

Part two of our selection of the best non-fiction to be released in April, including fresh looks at the Gospels, insights in to the City of London and how to survive the end of civilisation as we know it!

April non-fiction round-up – part one

Part one of our selection of fantastic non-fiction releases from April – from the West Coast of American to Africa, from Nelson Mandela to Bonnie and Clyde, there’s something here for all tastes.

An extract from Six Months in Sudan

James Maskalyk set out for the contested border town of Abyei, Sudan, in 2007. The newest Médicins Sans Frontières’ doctor in the field, he arrived with only his training, full of desire to understand this most desperate part of the world. He returned home six months later profoundly affected by the experience.

George Miller talks to Mark Kermode

To avoid fainting keep repeating,
It’s only a movie
..only a movie
..only a movie
..only a movie

January Non-fiction Round-up

If you’re looking for a good read this January, let these books transport you – from the shores of South America to the Middle East during the Crusades; from journeys of self-discovery to journeys through the lives of some remarkable people; from Hollywood to family hell and back again.

The Booklist – Winter Warmer

Curl up in front of the fire, and spend some time with a loner in the woods, his cabin insulated by his books; explore the Canadian Northwest with an anthropologist gone native; warm yourself with a wonderful tales from WWII and the Napoleonic Wars; then witness explorers pushing themselves to the limit, all from the comfort of your armchair!

Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life

We present an excerpt from Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life, by Howard Sounes. The Pleasures of the Damned, a ‘best of the best’ collection of Bukowski’s poetry, is published this month.

Lisa Hilton on the Queens of England

George Miller talks to Lisa Hilton about her history of English queens and the role they have played in shaping the nature of the English monarchy.

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December Non-fiction Round-up – Best of 2009

2009 was an amazing year for our publishers’ non-fiction lists. Here we focus on just a few of the wide-ranging titles that saw the light of day and the shelves of many.

Graham Farmelo on The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius

Graham Farmelo talks about The Strangest Man, his biography of Paul Dirac, the greatest British physicist since Newton – and one of the strangest geniuses of the 20th century, who may have suffered from autism.

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