Who would have guessed in the 1960s that Michael Parker, a typical young Army officer, would turn into one of the most remarkable showmen of his generation? Michael Parker's creativity and originality - all too often achieved in the face of stifling bureaucracy - along with an ability to organise down to the last detail - meant he was in continuous demand to mastermind all kinds of events such as most of the British royal jubilees and birthday celebrations for The Queen, the Queen Mother. Other events included London's G7 conference, royal weddings in countries such as Jordan, victory commemorations, charity events and some of the world's largest military tattoos - Berlin, Edinburgh and the London Tournament. He records his triumphs and disasters and the inside story of some spectacular c**k-ups - although to the spectators and television audiences all might have seemed fine. The pundits thought The Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 would be a non-event - "Who would come?" they said. But Michael Parker had no doubt that he could lay on a show that was worthy of the Queen - and of Great Britain. He was right and proved the critics wrong - 2 million people flocked down the Mall to Buckingham Palace to enjoy the celebrations he had helped organise. Some 25 years earlier his complex plans for the Queen's 1977 Silver Jubilee bonfires definitely did not go to plan - much to the Queen's amusement - and as for those fireworks in Hyde Park to celebrate Prince Charles and Diana's wedding - that's another story ...as is the escaping python at the Berlin Tattoo.

Anything But Dull: the Life and Art of Jeff Nuttall reveals the life lived and the art created by a visionary polymath whose generosity of spirit defined his character. From childhood traumas to revolutionary acts, through triumphs, defeats and resurrections Jeff Nuttall's story is told here for the first time in all its richness and singularity. Based on over eighty interviews and meticulous archive research Anything But Dull shows just what made Jeff Nuttall such pivotal, provocative and important figure in twentieth century life and culture.Performer, poet, artist, writer, musician, teacher, film actor, bon vivant and hell raiser. Throughout his life Jeff Nuttall was always getting into scrapes, provoking outrage, drinking, fighting, falling in and out of love. Those intense experiences became the inspiration for his art. Almost no form of creative expression was foreign to him and within these nothing was forbidden - except, of course, to be dull.

Barbara Stanwyck (1907-1990) rose from the ranks of chorus girl to become one of Hollywood's most talented leading women-and America's highest paid woman in the mid-1940s. Shuttled among foster homes as a child, she took a number of low-wage jobs while she determinedly made the connections that landed her in successful Broadway productions. Stanwyck then acted in a stream of high-quality films from the 1930s through the 1950s. Directors such as Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang, and Frank Capra treasured her particular magic. A four-time Academy Award nominee, winner of three Emmys and a Golden Globe, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Academy.

Dan Callahan considers both Stanwyck's life and her art, exploring her seminal collaborations with Capra in such great films as "Ladies of Leisure," "The Miracle Woman," and "The Bitter Tea of General Yen"; her Pre-Code movies "Night Nurse" and "Baby Face"; and her classic roles in "Stella Dallas," "Remember the Night," "The Lady Eve," and "Double Indemnity." After making more than eighty films in Hollywood, she revived her career by turning to television, where her role in the 1960s series "The Big Valley" renewed her immense popularity.

Callahan examines Stanwyck's career in relation to the directors she worked with and the genres she worked in, leading up to her late-career triumphs in two films directed by Douglas Sirk, "All I Desire" and "There's Always Tomorrow," and two outrageous westerns, "The Furies" and "Forty Guns." The book positions Stanwyck where she belongs-at the very top of her profession-and offers a close, sympathetic reading of her performances in all their range and complexity.

This book offers a series of biographical portraits of the young performers who have reached superstardom in today's popular culture. Who are the superstar icons of the new century-the singers and actors who are captivating today's audiences? Get to know them in this exciting and informative new resource. In a series of biographical essays, Superstars of the 21st Century: Pop Favorites of America's Teens explores the lives of these extraordinary talents, giving readers an up-close look at their upbringings and families, their professional beginnings, and the remarkable accomplishments of their careers. Did you know singing star Rhianna was a member of her high school military cadet corps? That despite earning millions for her movie roles, Dakota Fanning has never received an allowance? That Twilight's Robert Pattinson was routinely dressed up as a girl by his sisters? The biographies included in Superstars of the 21st Century are filled with little-known facts like these, as well as career highlights and real insights into the daily lives of this generation's iconic figures. Chapters on the young superstars who are today's teen icons Photographs of the young superstars of this generation An extensive bibliography of additional sources in print and online A comprehensive index

'With disarming candour and courage, Martha tells us of finding her own voice and peace as a working artist and mother. Her story is made more unique because of the remarkably gifted musical family she was born into' EMMYLOU HARRIS Born into music royalty, daughter of Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III and sister to singer Rufus Wainwright, Martha grew up in a world filled with incomparable folk legends. With the same emotional honesty that has come to define her music Martha describes her tumultuous public-facing journey from awkward, earnest and ultimately rebellious daughter, through her intense competition and ultimate alliance with her brother, Rufus, to the heartbreaking loss of their mother and finally discovering her voice as an artist. With candour and grace she writes of becoming a mother herself and making peace with her past struggles with Kate and her younger self. Ultimately, this book offers a thoughtful and deeply personal look into the extraordinary life of one of the most talented singer-songwriters in music today.

WINNER OF THE THURBER PRIZE

The compelling, inspiring, (often comic) coming-of-age story of Trevor Noah, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

One of the comedy world's brightest new voices, Trevor Noah is a light-footed but sharp-minded observer of the absurdities of politics, race and identity, sharing jokes and insights drawn from the wealth of experience acquired in his relatively young life. As host of the US hit show The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, he provides viewers around the globe with their nightly dose of biting satire, but here Noah turns his focus inward, giving readers a deeply personal, heartfelt and humorous look at the world that shaped him.

Noah was born a crime, son of a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother, at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents' indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the first years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, take him away.

A collection of eighteen personal stories, Born a Crime tells the story of a mischievous young boy growing into a restless young man as he struggles to find his place in a world where he was never supposed to exist. Born a Crime is equally the story of that young man's fearless, rebellious and fervently religious mother - a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence and abuse that ultimately threatens her own life.

Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Noah illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and an unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a personal portrait of an unlikely childhood in a dangerous time, as moving and unforgettable as the very best memoirs and as funny as Noah's own hilarious stand-up. Born a Crime is a must read.

"The first biography of this important American Indian artist"

Artist, teacher, and Red Progressive, Angel De Cora (1869-1919) painted "Fire Light" to capture warm memories of her Nebraska Winnebago childhood. In this biography, Linda M. Waggoner draws on that glowing image to illuminate De Cora's life and artistry, which until now have been largely overlooked by scholars.

One of the first American Indian artists to be accepted within the mainstream art world, De Cora left her childhood home on the Winnebago reservation to find success in the urban Northeast at the turn of the twentieth century. Despite scant documentary sources that elucidate De Cora's private life, Waggoner has rendered a complete picture of the woman known in her time as the first "real Indian artist." She depicts De Cora as a multifaceted individual who as a young girl took pride in her traditions, forged a bond with the land that would sustain her over great distances, and learned the role of cultural broker from her mother's Metis family.

After studying with famed illustrator Howard Pyle at his first Brandywine summer school, De Cora eventually succeeded in establishing the first "Native Indian" art department at Carlisle Indian School. A founding member of the Society of American Indians, she made a significant impact on the American Arts and Crafts movement by promoting indigenous arts throughout her career.

Waggoner brings her broad knowledge of Winnebago culture and history to this gracefully written book, which features more than forty illustrations. "Fire Light" shows us both a consummate artist and a fully realized woman, who learned how to traverse the borders of Red identity in a white man's world.