Catherine the Great

Life&Times
by Michael Streeter

Catherine the Great (1729–96), born Sophia Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst, daughter of a minor German princely family, rose to become the greatest ruler of the vast Russian empire in the 18th century. Married to the erratic Emperor Peter III, she seized power for herself, and her husband was murdered shortly afterwards. This ‘foreign’ princess then ruled her growing domain with a vigour and devotion that was the equal of that of any Russian.

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Price: £7.99

Judy Garland


by Paul Donnelley

Judy Garland was one of the greatest performers of the 20th century, whose fame and popularity have long outlasted her early death in 1969 at the age of only 47. Forever associated with the role of Dorothy in the film The Wizard of Oz and the song she sang in it, ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’, the demands first of her ambitious mother and then the studio bosses effectively robbed her of a normal childhood whilst at the same time forcing her to maintain her ‘girl next door’ image and a punishing work schedule with near-starvation diets and amphetamines, resulting in a dependence on drugs and alcohol which finally ended her career and her life, when she died of a drug overdose in a flat in Chelsea.

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Price: £18.00

Unto London

A Photographic Essay of London’s Street Performers
by Athol Rheeder

A collection of photographic images of London’s street performers gathered and distilled over several years reveals a constantly inventive display of theatrical and acrobatic talent. Photographer Athol Rheeder cites Henri Cartier-Bresson and Elliot Erwitt as his primary muses, but his gift is his own effortlessly unique and distinctive style.

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Price: £14.99

The London Stage in the 20th Century


by Robert Tanitch

This ambitious work is an encyclopaedic view of the plays, players and performers of London’s West End throughout the last century. No other city anywhere on earth came close to rivalling London in terms of the volume and quality of its theatrical productions between 1900 and 2000

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Price: £24.00

Shakespeare

Life&Times
by Jeremy Lemmon

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was born a tradesman’s son in Stratford-upon-Avon and died one of the town’s wealthiest and most respected citizens. His would have seemed no more than a modestly and prosaically successful career, were it not for the fact that he was also a writer of genius.

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Price: £7.99