Brahms Among Friends identifies patterns of listening, performance, and composition among close friends of Johannes Brahms and explores how those patterns informed the creation and reception of his music in the intimate genres of song, sonata, trio, and piano miniature. Among the tangled threads of counterpoint and circumstance that bound Brahms to his acquaintances was the technique of allusive musical borrowing, whereby a brief passage from a familiar work was drawn into the fabric of a new composition. For the specific listeners whose habits of mind and musicianship he knew best, allusive borrowings could become rhetorically charged gestures, persuasively revising the meanings his music conveyed and the interpretive strategies it invited. Primary documents, original manuscripts, music-analytic comparison, and kinesthetic parameters experienced in the act of performance all work in tandem to support ten case studies in the interplay between Brahms's small-scale works and the women and men who encountered them before publication. Central characters include violinist Joseph Joachim, singers Amalie Joachim, Julius Stockhausen, and Agathe von Siebold, composers Heinrich and Elisabeth von Herzogenberg, and pianists Emma Engelmann and Clara Schumann. For these musicians and for the composer himself, Brahms's allusive music served a broad variety of emotional needs and interpersonal ends. Yet across diverse repertoire and interdisciplinary correlates ranging from ethnography to psychoanalysis, each case study furthers a single, underlying aim: Yet across diverse repertoire and interdisciplinary correlates ranging from ethnography to psychoanalysis, each case study furthers a single, underlying aim: to reconstruct the mutually dependent perspectives of historically situated agents and restore forgotten features of their communicative landscapes as bases for both musical and historical scrutiny.

As a football-mad young boy growing up in rural Shropshire, within sight of the Welsh border, Dave Edwards dreamt of playing the game professionally and perhaps, one day, of wearing the red shirt of his father's homeland - Wales. Living My Dream is the frank and fascinating story of just what it took for Edwards to achieve his life's ambition, and describes how his dedication and commitment to the game he loves has enabled him to enjoy a successful 16-year career with over 400 club appearances for Shrewsbury, Luton, Wolves and Reading, spanning the top five English divisions from the Conference to the Premier League. Woven into the story of his club career, Living My Dream is also a behind-the-scenes account of Dave's brave recovery, after a serious injury in January 2016, to make the starting line-up in Wales' opening game at that summer's European Championships, and his magical month inside the Welsh camp when the team exceeded all expectations to reach the semi-finals. The first member of the Welsh squad to tell the inside story of life at the Euros, Edwards reveals how the players thrived within the camp's 'bubble' and forged an unbreakable team spirit, how Chris Coleman managed his squad with meticulous planning and inspirational leadership, and how the Together Stronger ethos was spurred on by the passion and pride of an entire nation.

Revolution of Wolves charts the dramatic progress of Wolverhampton Wanderers both on and off the pitch over the last 20 years, starting with the club’s first promotion to the Premier League. From local-born benefactor Sir Jack Hayward to global investment conglomerate Fosun International, the boardroom changes have been matched by those in the dugout as Wolves went from a traditional English-based 4-4-2 team under Dave Jones and Mick McCarthy to a cosmopolitan European outfit under Nuno Espirito Santo. The book brings us exclusive interviews with those at the heart of the story. Alongside all the promotion winners, managers such as Glenn Hoddle and Paul Lambert give their first interviews about their time at Wolves. We hear stories from the likes of Paul Ince, Joleon Lescott, Karl Henry, Conor Coady, Diogo Jota and Ruben Neves as well as boardroom insight from Jez Moxey, Steve Morgan and Jeff Shi. Revolution of Wolves is the most comprehensive and authoritative work ever written about the modern Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The definitive biography of Vera Brittain, acclaimed author of Testament of Youth. With a new introduction by Mark Bostridge. 'Riveting and authoritative' Kate Figes, Independent on Sunday 'Honest, precise and smart' Natasha Walter, Guardian 'They succeed triumphantly... A fascinating portrait' Fiona MacCarthy, Observer Vera Brittain is most widely known as the woman who immortalized a lost generation in her haunting autobiography of the Great War, Testament of Youth. This biography is the most comprehensive, authoritative life of one of the most remarkable women of her time. Based on unpublished papers and first-hand knowledge, the authors create a candid and sympathetic portrait of the writer, pacifist and feminist. They reveal the truth about Vera Brittain's 'semi-detached' marriage, her friendship with Winifred Holtby, and her relationships with her brother Edward and fiance Roland Leighton, killed in the First World War, memories of whom haunted her all her days. Shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize, the NCR Non-Fiction Prize and the Fawcett Prize.

Star Wars first debuted on movie screens in 1977 and over the past forty years has grown into a collecting phenomenon. It has generated more merchandise than any other movie series in history, spanning every area of licensed product from inexpensive pocket money toys to big ticket full-size replicas. With a focus on the early vintage period of the 1970s and 1980s, author Paul Berry charts the development of the Star Wars collectable through the prequels of the 1990s and 2000s and into the modern era of films. The book looks at the massive success of the Kenner, and later Hasbro action figure range, which has spawned well over 1,000 figures; the wealth of toys and games inspired by the saga; the books and comics that have greatly expanded the Star Wars universe; the records and the videos; the trading cards; and the modern collectors' items. Whether you joined the Star Wars saga in 1977, 1999 or 2015, Star Warsis a hobby that continues to attract new generations of collectors and will likely endure for many decades to come.

First appearing on our screens over fifty years ago, Doctor Who has not only been a television phenomenon but has also spawned more merchandise than any other British television programme in history. Literally thousands of products have been produced since the series launch in 1963, with many of these items now being collectible and highly sought after by fans of the programme. Doctor Who has featured on virtually every conceivable product, from books and records to toys and games, breakfast cereal promotions to full-size prop replicas. The series merchandising has enjoyed many peaks and troughs, from the heady days of Dalekmania in the 1960s to a drought in the early 1970s, the rise of the collectable in the 1980s to the nostalgia-driven days of the 1990s and then a huge resurgence following the Doctor's return to television in the twenty-first century. Whether you're looking for a full-size Cyberman or a pair of Dalek slippers, a Tom Baker scarf or a Doctor Who pinball machine, Doctor Who has produced something for every type of collector. Sit back and revel in nostalgia as we take a look at some of the more notable and unusual items that have been produced over the last half century.