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Books > Biography
Jan Ullrich: The Best There Never Was is the first biography of Jan
Ullrich, arguably the most naturally talented cyclist of his
generation, and also one of the most controversial champions of the
Tour de France. In 1997, Jan Ullrich announced himself to the world
by obliterating his rivals in the first mountain stage of the Tour
de France. So awesome was his display that it sent shockwaves
throughout the world of cycling and invited headlines such as
L'Equipe's 'The New Giant'. He went on to become Germany's first
ever Tour winner, storming to victory in that edition by almost ten
minutes, a result that was greeted as an era-defining changing of
the guard. Everyone agreed: Jan Ullrich was the future of cycling.
He was soon also voted Germany's most popular sportsperson of all
time, and his rivalry with Lance Armstrong defined the most
controversial years of the Tour de France. Now, Daniel Friebe - who
has covered twenty-one editions of the Tour de France - has gone in
search of the man who was said in 1997 would go on to dominate his
sport for a generation, but never quite managed it. Just what did
happen to the best who never was? This is a gripping account of how
unbearable expectation, mental and physical fragility, the effects
of a complicated childhood, a morally corrupt sport and one
individual - Lance Armstrong - can conspire to reroute destiny.
Daniel Friebe takes us from the legacy of East Germany's drugs
programme to the pinnacle of pro cycling and asks: what price can
you give sporting immortality?
In Eccentric Wealth, Alastair Scott traces the life of Lancashire
industrialist Sir George Bullough in this absorbing biography which
explores his family's connection with the Hebridean island of Rum,
particularly the building of Kinloch Castle, the most intact
preserve of Edwardian highliving to be found in Britain. Based on
new information, the book offers a fascinating insight into the
life and times of one of the great eccentrics of his age, including
the Bullough myths and scandals which continue to make
extraordinary reading more than a hundred years later.
This authentic account is a tribute to the courage and resolve with
which soldiers and their loved ones confront uncertainty, fear,
hardship and the loss of their comrades. Subjected to continual
changes of affiliation as the Falklands campaign unfolds, 2 Troop
has to create its own identity and sense of belonging drawing on
its professional belief, strength of leadership, and intrinsic
camaraderie. This is the story of how they did it, and the
contribution they made, in one of the toughest campaigns since
World War 2. A 'must read' for aspiring junior commanders and
students of the realities of war. -- General Sir Peter Wall GCB,
CBE, DL, FREng
'Have I succeeded, in my own life? I don't know. I don't think so. I'm
in my eighties now and I just don't know. But then, maybe "success" is
the wrong way of framing it. You just try, and when you fail, you keep
trying.'
Over the course of eight years, Martin Scorsese and Jesuit theologian
Antonio Spadaro discussed filmmaking and faith.
From his Catholic upbringing amidst the brutality of 1950s New York to
the heights of Hollywood, Scorsese sketches a unique self-portrait. And
from Mean Streets to Killers of the Flower Moon - and especially the
spiritual reckonings of The Last Temptation of Christ and Silence - he
grants readers a new understanding of his films.
Reflecting on grace and violence, fear and hope, passion and belief,
these rich and intimate conversations offer a remarkable insight into
the director's life and work.
Bessie Quinn was an early 20th century New Woman, a mother living
her love story in the enchanted world of the Garden City. When she
died in the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918-19, her shattered husband
abandoned her memory, belongings and life history. Her
disappearance reverberated down generations. Starting with only an
Arts and Crafts kettle, one photo and a linen smock, Ursula has
restored her grandmother to life. After long searches she found
Bessie in the Scottish Borders, eighth child of working-class Irish
parents who'd fled hunger after the Great Famine of the 1840s. This
biography of a poor family unearths hard journeys of love, luck and
loss, weaving historical fact with memory and imagination into a
compelling story.
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