Ostensibly about the life of the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, this beautifully illustrated volume examines the idea that harmony and beauty are not only inherent in the wo... read more
A short novel about an ageing Irish republican, father to four and newly remarried, who has lost touch with his past. As he slopes towards his end, the landscape, villages and communities wh... read more
This extraordinary book is much, much more than a simple analysis of Britain's relationship and future with oil. It is a travel book and social commentary that takes us from Milford Haven to... read more
Blaise Pascal famously said that 'all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone".
In 1790 a young French aristocrat living in Turin is confined to a ... read more
Blaise Pascal famously said that "all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone".
In 1790 a young French aristocrat living in Turin was confined to a ... read more
Cairo's Old City is itself a protagonist in this magnificent saga of the Al-Jawad family and its fearsome patriarch, from 1917 to late in WW2. the Nobel laureate's masterpiece is also availa... read more
Volume 3 of the Cairo Trilogy. Cairo's Old City is itself a protagonist in this magnificent saga of the Al-Jawad family and its fearsome patriarch, from 1917 to late in WW2. the Nobel laurea... read more
Volume 2 of the Cairo Trilogy. Cairo's Old City is itself a protagonist in this magnificent saga of the Al-Jawad family and its fearsome patriarch, from 1917 to late in WW2. the Nobel laurea... read more
Volume 1 of the Cairo Trilogy (which can be read on its own just as well). Cairo's Old City is itself a protagonist in this magnificent saga of the Al-Jawad family and its fearsome patriarch... read more
Refracts an abusive relationship through a range of genre and fairytale tropes. A haunting work that is part-memoir and part-literary theory.
There is also a paperback edition of this boo... read more
A lovely hardback reissue of Mabey's book about beech trees, prompted by the great storm of 1987 when so many blew down. It's a wonderful stroll through the history of Fagus sylvatica, inclu... read more
Two men go walking in the Dolomites, but not together; one falls to his death, the other reports the body. Is it coincidence that they knew each other in earlier years, and that one had betr... read more
Long has spent a large part of his 50-year career hiking across various mountain ranges, valleys and deserts. This book is a chronology of his trips and a testament to his eye for finding co... read more
In PL's beguiling masterpiece, a dying historian unravels the story of her life. The result is a kaleidoscopic account of the 20th Century, centring on the horror and splendour of Cairo duri... read more
Celebrated particularly for its classical statues (qv the excellent recent The Torlonia Marbles), this Roman villa was the C18th creation of Cardinal Albani. It was preserved with its collec... read more
This electric new translation of Kleist's novella of 1810 reminds us why it was so admired by writers such as Rilke and Kafka. MH brilliantly renders the austere yet wild narrative about a C... read more
It's the shortest, coldest day of the year and Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant in a small Irish town, busies himself with the last few deliveries. An elegant and carefully distilled... read more
A neglected Irish girl is fostered out to her mother's sister for the summer in this perfect, understated story. Almost too short even to be called a novella. Keegan is short-listed for this... read more
This fictionalised account of his life was one of the last things Kazantzakis wrote before his death. A vivid picture of his childhood in Crete, still occupied by the Ottoman Turks, develops... read more
"It may be that all borderlands hum with the frequencies of the unconscious; after all, borders are where the fabric is thin". This one is that wild, once barbed strip between Turkey, Bulgar... read more