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BIOGRAPHY



FORTHCOMING TITLES
ELMER ISELER : Choral Visionary [Walter Pitman] In a career that spanned five decades, Elmer Iseler proved himself pivotal to the development of choral music in Canada. After founding Canada's first professional choir in 1954, he became artistic director and conductor of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. In 1979 he established Canada's leading chamber choir, the Elmer Iseler Singers. He also enjoyed a long association with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducting more than 150 performances of Handel's Messiah and premiering complex twentieth-century music. Under his baton, choirs achieved international stature for technical brilliance and artistic versatility. He has, in the estimation of many, created a vibrant, world-class choral infrastructure in Canada. The most decorated musician in Canada, honoured with many awards nationally and internationally, Iseler has made an impact that will continue undiminished through his many recordings, the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting, and the Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowships in Choral Conducting at the University of Toronto. { 260pp, 155x230mm, August 2008; HB, £20.00, 1550028154:9781550028157 , Dundurn Press }
HONKY TONK ANGEL : The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline: Updated edition [Ellis Nassour] Earthy, sexy, and vivacious, the life of beloved country singer, Patsy Cline, who soared from obscurity to international fame to tragic death in just thirty short years, is explored in colourful and poignant detail. An innovator -- and even a hell-raiser -- Cline broke all the boys' club barriers of Nashville's music business in the 1950s and brought a new Nashville sound to the nation with her pop hits and torch ballads like "Walking After Midnight," "I Fall to Pieces" and "Crazy." She is the subject of a major Hollywood movie and countless articles, and her albums are still selling 45 years after her death. Ellis Nassour was the very first to write about Cline and did so with the co-operation of the stars who knew and loved her -- including Jimmy Dean, Jan Howard, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller, Dottie West, and Faron Young. He was the only writer to interview Cline's mother and husbands. This updated edition features not only a complete discography and a host of never-before-published photographs, but includes an afterword that details controversial claims about her birth, the battle between Cline's siblings for her possessions, the amazing influence Cline had on a new generation of singers and, in Cline's own words from letters to a devoted friend, her excitement as her career soared to new heights and her marriage descended to new depths. REVIEW: "Captures the raw elements that went into making Cline the entertainer she was -- and to his credit, Nassour doesn't try to paint her over in shades of gold. . . . The book excels in its accurate recreation of the [1963 plane] crash itself and its impact on those who knew Cline best." -- Billboard" { 320pp, 125x230mm, September 2008; PB, £11.99, 1556527470:9781556527470 , IPG (Chicago Review Press) }
MYSELF THROUGH OTHERS : Memoirs [David Watmough] Born in London, England, of Cornish stock, David Watmough arrived on Canada's West Coast in 1961 and quickly became a fixture on the Canadian cultural scene. Now in his eighth decade, Watmough, often spoken of as this country's senior gay male fiction writer, has decided to commit his memories to paper. Given the autobiographical nature of his fiction, the prolific raconteur has opted for a novel approach to his own life by telling his story through his encounters with the numerous people he has met, befriended, loved, and jousted with over the years. And what a parade of personalities it is! Watmough serves up incisive, trenchant, often witty profiles of writers W.H. Auden, T.S. Eliot, Stephen Spender, Raymond Chandler, Tennessee Williams, Carol Shields, Margaret Laurence, Jane Rule, and Wallace Stegner; artists Bill Reid and Jack Shadbolt; politicians and celebrities Pierre Trudeau, Clement Atlee, and Eleanor Roosevelt; Hollywood actress Jean Arthur; and a host of others. { 224pp, 155x230mm, August 2008; PB, £12.99, 1550027999:9781550027990 , Dundurn Press }
SINATRA : You Just Thought You Knew Him! [Ted Schwarz & Nick Sevano] This is the book every other Sinatra biographer wanted to write! Nick Sevano was a life-long friend of Sinatra's as well as his manager for -- 23 years. He was in a unique position to know everything that went on in Frank's life and reveals much never-before-told information in this stunning book. Nick was initially hired by his mother's close friend, Dolly Sinatra, to act as Frank's driver and Dolly's payoff man when she still had to bribe club owners to let Frank sing. Nick was present as Sinatra truly learned his art, as he raced through every beautiful woman who was willingly bedded, and as he handled the tough guys Frank liked to challenge but was too weak to fight. He promoted Flank's records, rigged music popularity polls in Frank's favour at Down Beat Magazine, worked on Frank's behalf with the club owners, and became intimate with the Mob bosses who were the real powers behind the leading night clubs and performance locations. All the major best-selling biographers have interviewed Nick, but he felt it was prudent (for his health) to say little about Sinatra that was not publicly known -- until now. Nick can now tell what really happened because most of the dangerous characters he dealt with over the years are either dead, in prison or near dead! And now that the threats are gone, many others are telling their stories to Nick's co-author, Ted Schwarz, and everything can be properly documented. The true story of Sinatra's life is at last becoming available. The authors reveal: The truth behind Sinatra's remarkable movie career, from the films where he sang songs that had nothing to do with the plot, to his great success in From Here to Eternity, to the myth of the Johnny Fontane role in The Godfather. Frank did it "his way" only when he stayed within the Mob's rules. When he got out of line in Las Vegas, Frank was the subject of a sit-down with Mafia Dons and Nick was present when Sinatra was told by mob enforcers to "shape-up or die". How Joe Kennedy, in the 1960 JFK Presidential campaign, used Sinatra, Sammy Davis, and other Sinatra contacts, and then suddenly refused to allow them to get near JFK fearing their Mob affiliations could disparage his son. The private stories of the businesses that Nick owned with Frank and that he witnessed as an insider: from a music publishing company, to restaurants, to the Cal-Neva Lodge where Marilyn Monroe failed in her first attempt at suicide. Plus the many never-before-told insider stories of: the scandals, the endless supply of women and the amazing triumphs. { 450pp, 155x230mm, October 2008; HB, £18.99, 1561718955:9781561718955 , SPI Books }

BIOGRAPHY
10 OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST FILMSTARS [John McSweeney] John McSweeney was born in Cork, and developed a serious interest in cinema in his youth. He holds a Masters Degree in Film Studies from University College, Cork, Ireland and his first book, "The Golden Age of Cork Cinemas" was a history of the cinema business in his home town. Of course choosing 10 of the World's Greatest film stars for this edition was a purely subjective exercise on McSweeney's part and one open to much anticipated debate. { 101pp, 145x210mm, September 2007; PB, £4.99, 1905764103:9781905764105 , Sorelli Publishing }
10 OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST MUSICIANS [Declan Townsend] Passion is what makes someone play an instrument, sing a song, write a tune: in other words make music. But passion is difficult to define and it is an almost impossible task to describe what makes a musician "great". Here Dr Declan Townsend shares some of his ideas, selecting his 10 greatest only from the Western "art" tradition or "classical" musicians. { 125pp, 145x210mm, September 2007; PB, £4.99, 190576409X:9781905764099 , Sorelli Publishing }
10 OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST ROMANTIC LIAISONS [Pauline Bracken] From James Joyce and Nora Barnacle to Callas and Onassis, Pauline Bracken examines some of the world's most exciting romantic liaisons. Her choice will capture readers' hearts from the moment they first open the book. { 146pp, 145x210mm, September 2007; PB, £4.99, 1905764111:9781905764112 , Sorelli Publishing }
10 OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST SCIENTISTS [Kieran Jordan] Over the centuries, scientists made great discoveries that impacted on our daily lives. Many of their efforts however were in areas we don't recognise as touching us, but which actually do. Often their struggles went unsung. Here Kieran Jordan selects the men and women he considers have had the greatest impact on us, based on their ability to come up with new theories and the significance of their discoveries. His jargon-free biographies introduce the characters and controversies behind the scenes in a refreshing manner that is certain to appeal. { 123pp, 145x210mm, September 2007; PB, £4.99, 1905764081:9781905764082 , Sorelli Publishing }
10 OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST STATESMEN [Michael Galvin] History has recorded many great leaders; men and women. Some were saints, others the personification of evil, most were a mixture of both elements. The choices of great statesmen made here by Michael Galvin are entirely subjective, although it cannot be denied that they have all made a hugely lasting impact on our world. Dipping into Galvin's entertaining biographies will hopefully trigger the reader to engage in further study of not only these, but other statesmen equally deserving of it. { 96pp, 145x210mm, September 2007; PB, £4.99, 190576412X:9781905764129 , Sorelli Publishing }
ASYA'S LAWS : Lessons in Love Lost & Found [Asya Raines & Charles Fleetham] Takes readers on a Latvian woman's courageous journey from her young adulthood in an impoverished and oppressive homeland to the promise of a new life and lasting love half a world away in America. Family, friends, loves, country, and culture shape her laws about love as she transforms from a young woman to an adult, wife, and mother. From the joy of a lover's first kiss to the outrage of religious discrimination to the devastation of a husband's betrayal, Raines shares her lessons with emotion and honesty. { 184pp, 155x230mm, July 2006; HB, £15.50, 0976386828:9780976386827 , AtlasBooks (Right Brain Books Llc) }
BELIEF : A Memoir [N John Hall] This is the story of a young man who became enthralled with Catholicism around 1950, went on to become a priest, served in three northern New Jersey parishes, and left the priesthood in 1967. What makes his story different is the phenomenon of the will to believe. As the author writes: "In my first year of divinity school, in 1951, at Seton Hall, I felt my faith come crashing down. But such was the allure, the pull, the command that the 'triumphant' Catholic Church at the time had upon the mind of an impressionable youth, that I soldiered on, trying my best to recover my faith. I exercised what John Keats called Negative Capability, the art of remaining in doubt and mystery, of being content with half-belief while suppressing the reasoning side of one's mind." Hall's memoir is an insider's picture of Catholic life and Catholic education in the 1950s and 1960s. Although his work is not a frontal attack on or exposé of the Church, it touches on problems in the Church, and he elucidates the issues confronting American Catholics and indeed other Americans today. This book is a voice for scepticism, presented not in the form of a treatise or argument, but through a personal story, a story by turns sad and funny, but also compelling. The overall effect is not one of gloom, but of the delight and exhilaration that comes with intellectual freedom. { 241pp, 155x215mm, May 2007; HB, £16.99, 1929490348:9781929490349 , Frederic C Beil }
CONFESSIONS OF A MASSAGE PARLOUR PRINCESS : Your Life Will Feel Normal [Bailey Summers] Filled with the shocking and private details known only to massage parlor workers, this confessional tale offers a voyeuristic look inside a quickly growing industry. Humor is provided by personal recountings of every type of customer and request imaginable, from CEOs to the local janitor, while stories of the dysfunctional family created by the women who work there together give depth and a bit of reality to life in this shadowy, subversive, surreal world. { 135pp, 125x175mm, February 2007; PB, £8.99, 0973909722:9780973909722 , IPG (Burman Books, Inc.) }
D M BENNETT : The Truth Seeker [Roderick Bradford] DeRobigne Mortimer Bennett (1818-1882) was 19th-century America's most controversial publisher and free-speech martyr. Bennett founded the 'blasphemous' New York periodical 'The Truth Seeker' in 1873, and his publications were censored and prohibited from news-stands long before the expression 'banned in Boston' was heard. In less than a decade, the former Shaker and self-described Thomas Paine infidel became the most successful publisher of free-thought literature in America -- perhaps the world. Mark Twain, Clarence Darrow, and Robert G Ingersoll, (The Great Agnostic), were only a few of the illustrious freethinkers who subscribed to the periodical devoted to: science, morals, free thought and human happiness. But Bennett's opposition to dogmatic religion and puritanical obscenity laws so infuriated Anthony Comstock, the US Post Office's 'special agent' and self-proclaimed 'weeder in God's garden', that the freethinking publisher was eventually prosecuted, subjected to a controversial and widely publicised trial, and finally imprisoned. Based on original sources and extensively researched, this in-depth yet accessible biography of D M Bennett offers a fascinating glimpse into the turbulent period of late 19th-century America -- the Gilded Age, a time when our nation was controlled by pious politicians, powerful manufacturers, and censorious clergymen. Roderick Bradford follows Bennett's evolution from a devout Shaker to an unremitting sceptic and America's most iconoclastic publisher. He details the circumstances that led to Bennett's historically significant New York obscenity trial and the monumental, though ultimately unsuccessful, petition campaign for a pardon. This was the largest protest of its kind in the 19th century and one that went all the way to the White House. Bradford also investigates Bennett's prominent role in the National Liberal League, his interactions with leading suffragists and the National Defense Association (a forerunner of the ACLU), and his flirtation with spiritualism and theosophy. Roderick Bradford has written a valuable historical contribution, a long-overdue tribute to a free-speech champion, and a colourful depiction of memorable characters and events during a period of great change in American history. { 412pp, 155x230mm, September 2006; HB, £21.50, 1591024307:9781591024309 , Prometheus Books }
DR DELICIOUS : Memoirs of a Life in CanLit [Robert Lecker] With sharp humor and fascinating insight, this memoir of the Canadian publishing industry travels from the boom years of the 1970s to the changing world of books today. Readers are invited along for the ride as Lecker's turn in academia gives way to pop culture publishing, running a journal, and facing the real business challenges of selling books. { 193pp, 140x215mm, September 2006; PB, £10.99, 1550652109:9781550652109 , IPG (Véhicule Press) }
EBENEZER TEICHELMANN : Cutting Across Continents [Bob McKerrow] Composed of pioneering contributions to mountaineering, photography, health care, and the environment, the extraordinary life of Ebenezer Teichelmann -- the early-20th-century New Zealander affectionately know as 'the little doctor' -- is explored in this biography. From his childhood to his studies in Australia and Europe and his rustic, conservationist adult life, a complete picture of this surgeon-general turned outdoorsman emerges. Surgeon, public health promoter, explorer, photographer, philanthropist, gardener, humanitarian, and soldier -- all are essential facets of this fascinating and passionate man. { 270pp, 155x220mm, April 2006; HB, £23.50, 8187943874:9788187943877 , IPG (India Research Press) }
ECSTATIC RELATIONS : A Memoir [Carolyn North] The six passionate stories in this memoir explore metaphorically the sacred marriage of matter and spirit, science and religion. From the author's childhood love for her dog, through her encounters with men and women, gay and straight, young and old, to the husband with whom she has been bonded for decades, we get a glimpse into the Mystery of which we are all a part. { 200pp, 155x230mm, November 2006; PB, £9.99, 1591810523:9781591810520 , Sentient Publications }
FACE TO FACE [Audrey Kishline & Sheryl Maloy] Brought together by unspeakable tragedy, this is the gripping and unforgettable true story of two women whose lives connected forever in a way neither could have imagined. It is a story of hope, faith and what the power of forgiveness can accomplish even in the darkest times. { 253pp, 155x230mm, September 2007; HB, £16.99, 0696235145:9780696235146 , Meredith Books }
GRACE FLANDRAU : Voice Interrupted [Georgia Ray] This captivating biography explores the life of Grace Flandrau and the upper crust of St. Paul, Minnesota, in the early 20th century. The author of six novels, including the acclaimed "Being Respectable", and numerous short stories, Flandrau was a contemporary of F. Scott Fitzgerald and one of Minnesota’s best-known writers. A cautionary tale that illuminates the constraints placed on women writers during the birth of Jazz Age literature, this life story also examines the honesty and integrity that Flandrau was known for, as well as her fall from literary and social grace. { 273pp, 155x230mm, April 2007; HB, £23.50, 1889020222:9781889020228 , IPG (Edinborough Press) }
HEART OF THE RAINCOAST : A Life Story [Alexandra Morton & Billy Proctor] Alexandra Morton is an internationally known whale researcher familiar to everyone interested in the west coast. Billy Proctor was born in the Broughton Archipelago, and has spent his life doing the time-honoured work of up-coast men -- fishing, hand-logging, beach-combing. One day, he realised that the coast he loved was dying around him and understood that it was time to put something back. 'Heart of the Raincoast' is the story of Billy Proctor's life, and the life of the coast he knows so well, once so rich, now so threatened. { 208pp, 140x215mm, March 2004; PB, £10.99, 1894898265:9781894898263 , Heritage House Publishing (TouchWood Editions) }
I WAS NEHRU'S SHADOW : From the Diaries of K F Rustamji & Padma Vibhushan [P V Rajgopal (ed)] This book is a true account of Nehru as seen by K.F.Rustamji one of India's most distinguished police officers who was the Chief Security Officer of the Prime Minister. This book is an invaluable portrayal of the man who became a legend in his own time. { 237pp, 155x230mm, June 2006; HB, £16.95, 8183280390:9788183280396 , Wisdom Tree }
JANE GOODALL : A Biography [Meg Greene] Recent polls identify Jane Goodall to be the most recognisable living scientist in the Western world. Her work with chimpanzees at the Gombe Stream Reserve in Tanzania has been renowned as one of the great achievements of scientific research. Her approach to field study, once ridiculed and challenged by the scientific world, has now become the model for other ethologists to use. In this insightful biography, Meg Greene tells the story of Goodall's life from her early days growing up in England under the influence of her mother, through her experiences as a young protégé of anthropologist Louis Leakey pioneering new techniques of investigating chimpanzee behaviour in Africa, to her mature career as an expert on chimpanzee social life and her ongoing efforts today to promote the conservation of wildlife. Greene describes how Goodall's work challenged and changed perceptions of the relations between the primate and human worlds. Contrary to accepted scientific opinion of the time, which viewed chimpanzees as brutish, Goodall found chimps to be capable of a wide range of emotions, including affection, compassion, and love. She also showed that chimps could reason, think, and solve problems. Perhaps most startling, Goodall discovered that chimpanzees could fashion primitive implements from grass, twigs, and leaves, dispelling the notion that humans are the only species that can make tools. On the personal side, Greene reveals that Goodall found solace in her home at Gombe from the trials of life that included a divorce, the death of her second husband, criticisms from fellow scientists, and a deep spiritual crisis. This is a fascinating story of a naïve young woman who started her work without even a college degree and eventually developed into a dedicated scientist and a world-famous conservationist and humanitarian. For over 45 years, Jane Goodall has reached out to the world to join in her efforts to aid those who cannot speak for themselves, and to promote respect for all living creatures. { 146pp, 140x215mm, April 2008; PB, £11.50, 1591026113:9781591026112 , Prometheus Books }
MANDELA : A Life [Adrian Hadland & Sean Fraser] Born to a chief and his fourth wife in the rural Transkei, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was destined for greatness, but that long walk was to be littered with obstacles that would not only tear him from his loved ones and separate him from normal society for much of his life, but also set him apart from so many others who fought him side by side in what is one of the most remarkable struggles for freedom, human dignity and equal rights Africa has ever seen. After nearly three decades of imprisonment, Mandela was to emerge as the man who conquered the odds to embody the triumph of the human spirit. His name will forever be associated with the human capacity for suffering, of victory over adversity, of patience, forgiveness and a steadfast, iron-clad conviction that, in the end, principles will endure. The qualities of character, courage, humility and compassion that are personified in Mandela have allowed his people to embrace him as the Father of the Nation. This is his story, in words and pictures. { 96pp, 220x285mm, November 2007; HB, £8.99, 1919938605:9781919938608 , Jonathan Ball Publishers (Sunbird Publishing) }
MARGARET LAURENCE -- A GIFT OF GRACE : A Spiritual Biography [Noelle Boughton] A stunning book that captures the spirituality and talent of one of Canada's most celebrated writers, Noelle Boughton's biography of Margaret Laurence communicates a great deal about the decency and complexity of both the author and Canadian culture. Like most authors, Margaret Laurence's work drew on the community in which she lived, and the culture of the area informed the tone and content of her work. This original work traces the spiritual core and growth of one of Canada's most powerful artists. Starting from her roots in a middle-class, United Church, small-town prairie milieu, this beautifully wrought book traces Laurence's connection with her home town and its people and explores the themes of community, spirituality and social justice as they were expressed in her life and work. This is an indispensable guide to the life and development of one of Canada's most treasured writers. { 208pp, 125x180mm, October 2006; PB, £9.99, 0889614598:9780889614598 , Canadian Scholars' Press (Women's Press) }
NEAL CASSADY : The Fast Life of a Beat Hero [David Sandison & Graham Vickers] This fascinating and in-depth biography of Neal Cassady takes a look at the man who achieved immortality as Dean Moriarty, the central character in Jack Kerouac's On the Road. A charismatic, funny, articulate, and formidably intelligent man, Cassady was also a compulsive womanizer who lived life on the edge. His naturalistic, conversational writing style inspired Kerouac, who lifted a number of passages verbatim and uncredited from Cassady's letters for significant episodes in On the Road. Drawing on a wealth of new research and with full cooperation from central figures in his life -- including Carolyn Cassady and Ken Kesey -- this account captures Cassady's unique blend of inspired lunacy and deep spirituality. { 340pp, 155x230mm, September 2006; HB, £16.99, 1556526156:9781556526152 , IPG (Chicago Review Press) }
READ BETWEEN MY LINES : The Musical & Life Journey of Stevie Nicks [Sandra Halliburton] Whether giving back through her patriotism and community service, touring with Fleetwood Mac or performing as a solo artist, Stevie Nicks has mesmerised us for over thirty years. Her life story, with all its highs and lows, provides an opportunity to grow from her tremendous strength, persistence and courage while learning from the challenges she has faced. A widely revered singer/songwriter, Stevie is adored by multiple generations. Interpretation of her songs gives you a look inside her soul but 'not unless she lets you. ' On 'Stand Back' from The Wild Heart, Stevie's second solo album she sings, 'No one knows how I feel what I say unless you read between my lines'. Her highly personal songwriting tells the story. Stevie's autobiographical songs serve as an outlet for coping with pain and personal sacrifice. Fans have credited her with literally saving their lives! { 211pp, 155x230mm, July 2006; HB, £15.99, 0978687000:9780978687007 / PB, £9.99, 0978687019:9780978687014 , Midpoint Trade Books (SK Halliburton Enterprises) }
REGINA'S CLOSET : Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal [Diana M Raab] Regina is Diana's beloved grandmother. A spirited woman who loves her, cares for her, even teaches her to type her first stories on a Remington typewriter, when Regina inexplicably takes her own life at age sixty-one, ten-year-old Diana is devastated. Three decades later, Diana discovers Regina's secret diary and learns all about her grandmother's life -- from the tragic death of her mother when Regina was twelve through her years of suffering in Vienna during World War I and finally her immigration to the United States. Diana's reflections are interspersed with excerpts from Regina's diary. This braided narrative presents a touching portrait of the relationship between Diana and Regina, their past and present, their love and losses, and the discovery of their shared legacy. { 167pp, 140x210mm, September 2007; HB, £13.99, 0825305756:9780825305757 , Midpoint Trade Books (Beaufort Books) }
SEA SALT : Memories & Essays [Stan Waterman] "Sea Salt" is the handiwork of a born story--teller with a flair for language as stoked with imagery and insight as his films. Liberally sprinkled with humour, verve and singular turns of phrase, his memories and selected writings deftly portray the joys and travails of living a full-bodied life. { 287pp, 155x230mm, October 2005; HB, £19.99, 187834840X:9781878348401 , New World Publications }
TRAIL TO THE INTERIOR [R M Patterson] Trail to the Interior is R M Patterson's rich account of exploration and personal adventure in the Cassiar district of British Columbia. The 'trail' is the historic track from Wrangell, Alaska, along the Stikine and Dease rivers and across the height of the land into the valleys of the Liard and the Mackenzie. Explorers and traders of the Hudson's Bay Company and the Russian American Company had ventured this river route, and Raymond Patterson followed in their footsteps. { 288pp, 155x230mm, May 2007; PB, £11.99, 1894898508:9781894898508 , Heritage House Publishing (TouchWood Editions) }