BOOKS


From the prize-winning poet and novelist, this history of 20th-century poetry brings together poets from times and places as diverse as Tsarist Russia, 1960s America, and Ireland at the height of the Troubles, revealing how poets engaged with and shaped the most important issues of their times.


Jeremy Clarkson Really? Michael Joseph, 3rd, HB, £20, 9780241366776 New collection of Clarkson’s motoring columns from the Sunday Times. “Writing with its foot to the floor, the brake lines cut and the speed limit smashed.”


David Day et al The Illustrated World of Tolkien Pyramid, 19th, HB, £30, 9780753733806 This looks to be a sumptu- ous visual celebration of the vast lands, epic battles, formidable beasts, heroes, peoples and armies of Tolkien’s world, featuring the work and commentaries of a wide roster of artists. Also out this month from Pyramid, A Dictionary of Sources of Tolkien by David Day (0753733936).


Previews New Titles: Non-fiction


of his favourite writers. James shows how Larkin’s much-loved work could only be the product of his reticent, flawed and all- too-human personality.


Hanif Kureishi What Happened? Faber, 3rd, HB, £16.99, 9780571352050 Kureishi’s new collection of essays and fiction covers a range of topics, from social media and the ancient classics, to appraisals of David Bowie, Georges Simenon and Keith Jarrett. “No topic is too fringe, or too mainstream.”


Oulipo was a group of French writers and paint- ers fascinated by math- ematics and dedicated to creating playful, amusing and inventive ways of writing using necessary constraints. This cloth- bound celebration of their work—including poems, word games, short stories and puzzles—features several new pieces trans- lated into English for the first time.


Steven Poole A Word For Every Day of the Year Quercus, 3rd, £14.99, 9781787478572 This collection of 366 words and their definitions is “perfect for anyone who loves the richness of the English language and wants to expand their vocabulary.” Each day offers a rare and remarkable word, with its history and definition, and occasionally, a challenge to include it in our lives.


Umberto Eco


On the Shoulders of Giants: The Milan Lectures Harvill Secker, 24th, HB, £30, 9781787301450 Eco’s final collection of essays on art and culture, accompanied by beauti- ful reproductions of the paintings he discusses. In wide-ranging pieces, he explores the roots of our civilisation, changing ideas of beauty, and our obsession with conspira- cies, among much else.


Clive James Somewhere Becoming Rain: Collected Writings on Philip Larkin Picador, 3rd, HB, £14.99, 9781529028829 The renowned critic, author and poet with an exploration and celebra- tion of Philip Larkin, one


40 12th July 2019


Ian Sansom Reading Room: Inspirational Extracts for Every Day of the Year British Library, HB, £17.99, 9780712352543 Playful and cutely designed collection of 365 extracts sourced from the British Library’s collections, encompassing eclectic works in literature, poetry, essays and letters, along with a myriad of curious imagery.


Kate Young The Little Library Year Head of Zeus, 3rd, HB, £25, 9781788545280 Young’s first book, The Little Library Cookbook, was much praised. Here is her second, a beautifully photographed collection of seasonal recipes, menus and reading recommendations; from frugal January meals enjoyed alone with a classic comfort read, to summer feasts to be eaten outdoors with the perfect beach read to hand.


Mind, body, spirit


in car parks and along railway lines.


this is the true story of one of them—the runt of a litter—who becomes an unusually young alpha when still in his teens (in human years). The first in a trilogy which prom- ises to “transform our understanding of wolves forever”.


Karsten Brensing What Do Animals Think and Feel? Head of Zeus, 3rd, HB, £25, 9781788544504 Eminent German biologist reveals the ways in which animals have developed the sophisticated systems of social organisation and behaviour that human beings call “culture”. He draws on the latest scientific findings, some of them his own, to reveal a world of behavioural and cognitive sophistication that is remarkably similar to our own.


Andy Howard The Secret Life of the Cairngorms Sandstone, 1st, HB, £24.99, 9781912240807 Leading Scottish wildlife photographer with a glori- ously illustrated portrait of the wildlife of the Cairngorms National Park, including mountain hares, otters and red squirrels.


Shaman Durek


Spirit Hacking: Shamanic Keys to Reclaim Your Personal Power, Transform Yourself and Light Up the World Yellow Kite, 17th, PB, £14.99, 9781529376685 A sixth generation shaman, lauded by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, shares the life-altering shamanic keys which will enable you to tap into your personal power. You will banish fear and darkness from your life, in favour of light, positivity and strength, I’m told.


Natural history & pets


Philip Terry The Penguin Book of Oulipo: Queneau, Perec, Calvino and the Adventure of Form Penguin, 31st, HB, £20, 9780241378427


Adele Brand The Hidden World of the Fox Collins, 17th, HB, £12.99, 9780008327286 The ecologist author writes engagingly of how the astonishing senses and intelligence that enabled foxes to thrive in ancient wildwoods are now helping them survive


Stephen Moss The Twelve Birds of Christmas Square Peg, 31st, HB, £12.99, 9781529110104 This ornithological celebration of the festive season uses the structure of the carol “Twelve Days of Christmas” as a device to explore 12 fascinating British birds in our history, culture and landscape, including woodpeckers (drummers drumming).


Your Dog is Thinking (1912624744).


Personal development & self-help


Michael Acton Smith The Magic of Sleep: A Bedside Companion Penguin Life, 24th, PB, £9.99, 9780241987469 “Everything you ever needed to know about sleep but were too tired to ask.” Billed as “Schott’s Miscellany meets Why We Sleep”, this is a complete guide to sleep—its science, history, mysteries and remedies for a lack of it— by the co-founder of the hugely successful Calm app for sleep, meditation and relaxation.


Tony Kirkham, Christina Harrison Remarkable Trees Tames & Hudson, 3rd, HB, £24.95, 9780500021927 In portraits of 60 trees that combine vivid cultural and historical narrative with a firm scientific grounding, the authors profile extraor- dinary trees from around the world, both familiar and strange, in this richly illustrated book.


Rick McIntyre The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone’s Underdog Greystone Books, 24th, HB, £18.99, 9781771645218 After years of absence, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone from Canada in 1995. Told by a renowned wolf researcher and “gifted storyteller”


Elli H Radinger The Wisdom of Old Dogs Mirror, 24th, HB, £14.99, 9781912624744 Drawing on personal experience, the author of The Wisdom of Wolves returns with an “insight- ful and warm-hearted” account of what we can learn about life “from grey snouts”, including stories of trust, mindfulness, patience, forgiveness and how to cope with grief and loss. A bestseller in Radinger’s native Germany.


Deepak Chopra Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential Rider, 3rd, PB, £12.99, 9780307338334 Drawing on the latest brain research, Chopra offers a practical 31-day programme to help us “wake up” at the deepest level and activate higher states of consciousness.


Natalie Dormady 365 Gentle Reminders: Daily Positive Affirmations Liminal II, 2nd, HB, £12.99, 9781912634040 This gifty book contains a life-affirming and brightly illustrated reminder for every day of the year. Author/illustrator Dormady’s Instagram, @GentleReminders, has a growing following, and draws on her own mental health journey.


Bo Söderström What Your Cat is Thinking John Murray Learning, 17th, PB, £12.99, 9781473689800 How perceptive are cats to the good or bad behaviour of humans? How can you tell if your pet is lonely? And just how similar is your cat to a tiger? Swedish biologist and author blends the latest science with practi- cal tips to help us better care for the animals in our lives. Also out this month by the same author, What


Abbie Headon LEGO Build Yourself Happy: The Joy of LEGO Play DK, 3rd, HB, £9.99, 9780241412091 Build your way to joy and wellbeing with this, the first adult LEGO book of its kind. It contains more than 20 LEGO building activities and ideas to help encourage creativity, achieve better sleep, create balance and bring family and friends closer together. Plastic bricks! Who knew?


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52