John Knox
The Dirty Dust
Jane Dawson
Cré na Cille
In this definitive new biography of British preacher, prophet and reformer John Knox, Jane Dawson shatters the myths, misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding the controversial leader of the Protestant Reformation in 16th-century Scotland.
Máirtín Ó Cadhain • Translated
‘This life of John Knox renders all his previous biographies obsolete. Enriched by new manuscript discoveries, it is surprising, fascinating, and a major achievement of scholarship.’ – Diarmaid MacCulloch, author of A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years ‘This trailblazing, thoughtful and attractively written biography reveals with exceptional clarity how the fates of the peoples of this island have long been inextricably linked.’ – Peter Marshall, Literary Review ‘This is an exceptionally fine biography – lucid, packed with evidence, and so deeply engaged with Knox’s writings that it seems as if Dawson talked with her subject only yesterday.’ – Lucy Wooding, Times Higher Education Jane Dawson is John Laing professor of reformation history, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh.
11 b/w illus. 384 pp. 198x129mm. PB ISBN 978-0-300-21970-8 June £14.99/$32.50 Russian rights: held by author
from the Irish by Alan Titley
This lilting translation of Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s internationally admired satiric novel is full of the brio and guts of the Irish author’s original. Alan Titley captures the absurdity of human behaviour, the rhythm of Irish gab and the nasty, deceptive magic of human connection that takes place even beneath the cemetery’s sod. ‘[An] earthy, poetic, and darkly comic masterpiece … with its exhilaratingly free-wheeling celebration of all that is worst in human nature.’ – Adam Lively, Sunday Times ‘Titley renders the tirades and flytings with the exact ear for dialogue which has characterised his own novels … here at last is a version done by a scholar who is also an artist.’ – Declan Kiberd, TLS Máirtín Ó Cadhain is considered one of the most significant writers in the Irish language and among all writers of the 20th century. Alan Titley, a novelist, story writer, playwright and scholar, writes a weekly column for The Irish Times. The Margellos World Republic of Letters
328 pp. 198x129mm. PB ISBN 978-0-300-21982-1 March £8.99/$16.00 Translation rights: Clo Iar Chonnacht Teo, Co. Galway, Ireland
European Intellectual History from Rousseau to Nietzsche
Why Acting Matters David Thomson David Thomson, one of our most respected and insightful writers on movies and theatre, offers a provocative, highly engaging essay on acting and actors, and why performance is essential, whether on stage, on screen or as part of what we all do to invent ourselves.
Frank M. Turner
Edited by Richard A. Lofthouse One of the most distinguished cultural and intellectual historians of recent times explores the forging of modern European thought from the Enlightenment to the dawn of the 20th century. ‘This is a book that sparkles. It would be the ideal present for any intellectually curious undergraduate. Its appeal is not limited to the young, however. It extends to anyone who seeks the pleasures and stimulations of a refresher course in European intellectual history. It is a book that zings.’ – Alex Massie, Daily Telegraph ‘Frank Turner was a titanic historian whose brilliant, original, and sometimes controversial arguments were always anchored in deep scholarship. These posthumous essays on his favourite themes introduce the more relaxed and accessible scholar as he appeared to his students. Wonderful.’ – Boyd Hilton, University of Cambridge Frank M. Turner (1944–2010) was John Hay Whitney Professor of History, Director of the Beinecke Library, and University Librarian, all at Yale University. Richard Lofthouse is editor of Oxford Today and formerly lecturer in modern history, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.
14 colour illus. 320 pp. 216x138mm. PB ISBN 978-0-300-21948-7 April £12.99/$20.00 Rights sold: Chinese (SC), Korean, Russian, Turkish
‘Characteristically elegant … Riddling, sophisticated, whimsical, Mr. Thomson commands an affecting lyricism that sweetly betrays his love for his subject.’ – Simon Callow, Wall Street Journal ‘No modern critic describes the intensities of screen effect more eloquently.’ – Anthony Quinn, Guardian ‘David Thomson is one of the funniest and most insightful writers on cinema.’ – Kate Muir, The Times ‘Full of fascinating anecdotes … his love of theatre and cinema is evident everywhere in this passionate and beautifully written book, and he articulates superbly the wonder that acting can inspire.’ – Ian Critchley, The Sunday Times David Thomson is the author of more than twenty books, including biographies of David O. Selznick and Orson Welles, and The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. Why X Matters Series
208 pp. 210x140mm. PB ISBN 978-0-300-19574-3 March £9.99/$16.00 Rights sold: Turkish
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