Around 600 letters from Dahl to his mother survive, beginning in 1925, and ending 40 years later, shortly before Sofie Magdalene's death. By the age of 13, he was the BFG - taller than his masters at Repton School with size 11 feet. Roger Lewis says Dahl's voice as a writer was already recognisable at a young age.
A hostage negotiator's skills can be applied in all sorts of transactions in life, according to author Chris Voss, who used to work for the FBI. This includes buying a new car to sweet-talking your boss.
Sonia Melchett, now 90, tells the story of her life with the frankness it deserves. After marrying husband Julian, she found herself at various glitzy occasions, including the Queen's Coronation.
The phrase 'London, Paris, New York' is in this particular order for a reason. London has always led the way in the couture stakes and this beautifully illustrated book shows us why.
Simon Barnes has had more failure than success when it comes to playing sport. The autobiography of sorts charts his life in connection with various sports he has tried.
MUST READS
You have to be an exceptionally brave public figure to allow an intimate biography to be published in your lifetime.
LITERARY FICTION
The first novel by the author of Living Dolls takes as its inspiration the life of Melinda Marling.
THRILLERS
This is a searingly told, multi-layered portrait of celebrity in the modern world with a tantalising mystery at its heart.
POPULAR FICTION
In the Cornish village of Pendruggan, vicar's wife Penny is battling postnatal depression and the decline of her career.
COMIC FICTION
Stibbe's memoir, Love, Nina, is currently being dramatised for a series on BBC TV, but this is her first foray into fiction.
CHICK LIT
I couldn't get enough of Geras's books for teenagers when I was at school.
Click on an image to enlarge and scroll through for more
Roger Lewis reviews The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House 1918-1939, by Adrian Tinniswood. Readers will be amazed by the upper-class way of doing things a century ago. They never actually knew what a weekend was because they never worked - and parties could last as long as three weeks.
Let the dynamic and bright photographs in Fashion Game Changers guide you through the world of the 20th-century silhouette, which is a homage to designers who reinvented the silhouette.
The Isle of Wight Festival has achieved in rock folklore a kind of notoriety for confrontation and financial difficulty. Glastonbury would be its beneficiary and its legacy, says Ray Connolly.
This marvelous book documents a year in a patch of woods in the Chilterns. Written by the former senior palaeontologist at London's Natural History Museum.
Bob Hoskins died of Parkinson's disease in 2014. His daughter has written a short but deeply touching memoir about him. The exuberant actor had advised his daughter to 'laugh long and loud'.
Before Spin is Keith McDowall's illuminating memoir of his distinguished career in Fleet Street and Whitehall. The title of the book is a deliberate tilt at modern spin doctors.
There are collaborations that change history - Richards and Jagger, cheese and toast - and in 1983, the course of style was altered forever when Karl Lagerfeld joined Chanel.
Paula Byrne's book, Kick, quietly but devastatingly illuminates the shadows of America's own royal family - the Kennedys. Of Joe and Rose's nine children, only two escaped early death, destruction and scandal. One of the most compelling parts of the book is the section where Billy and Kick are reunited in England. They want to marry but struggle to overcome their gravest obstacle: their different faiths.
During 2001, 148 diaries were found abandoned in a Cambridge skip. Alexander Masters became fascinated by their anonymous author. This is the story of his search for the author.
This book takes inspiration from the English pastoral tradition. It follows a journey from the South Coast to the Scottish border. Graham Hoyland marked each mile by planting an acorn.
Wilko Johnson, the original guitarist and creative force of Canvey's own Dr Feelgood, is a different type of star - admired for being who he is. Marcus Berkmann reviews his memoir.
Beautiful and photogenic, foxes remain as controversial as ever. Londoner Lucy Jones explains why she - alongside comedian Ricky Gervais, is fond of the mysterious animals,
When children's illustrator Helen Bates' mother was diagnosed with dementia, she was frustrated by the lack of resources. She started Pictures To Share, making books full of vibrant images.
In July 1895, 13-year-old Robert Coombes murdered his mother. He was sent to Broadmoor, where he was the youngest inmate. It gave him a new lease of life and he recovered.
All this week, Labour MP Simon Danczuk is laying bare how the Establishment, the Liberal Party, the police and even MI5 covered up the industrial-scale child abuse of 29-stone Rochdale MP Cyril Smith. Today, how his victims were ignored and betrayed when they tried to expose their suffering.
In the finale of her unique inside story, Vicky Pryce, the wife of disgraced ex-minister Chris Huhne, describes life at open prison East Sutton Park.
In the second extract from her autobiography, published exclusively in the Mail today, Mary Berry describes the sudden death of the son she doted on, pictured left.
In his compelling new biography, Gary Morecambe talks about his father's relationship with Ernie Wise and how he continued to make them laugh even up until the end.
The star was accused of being a communist after allegedly telling banquet guests 'the Russian purges' were a 'wonderful thing'.
Jerry and Lucian had never quite bonded. While sitting for him she gave him cashmere jerseys, which he loathed. But worse, she had a habit of being late.
In an extract from his explosive memoirs, Power Trip, Damian McBride reveals how the former Chancellor survived by the skin of his teeth after credit crunch bungle.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
© Associated Newspapers Ltd Contact us How to complain Advertise with us Syndication Work with Us Terms Privacy policy & cookies
|
|
||
