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Playwright Ambrose Deacon suffers from acute diffidence. The success of his one-hit Broadway play sends him to Hollywood where he meets moving picture moguls Herbert Ringrose and Ben Griesheimer and the screen goddess Imperia Starling. This is the start of his extraordinary adventures in Hollywood and he discovers that he doesn't know how to say No. One of the first comic novels about life in Hollywood. Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964) was an American novelist and was one of the most influential literary figures of the 1910s and 1920s. He began his career in journalism as a reporter and later worked as its Paris correspondent. His first novel, Peter Whiffle (1922) is a first-person account of the salon and bohemian culture of New York and Paris, clearly drawn from Van Vechten's own experiences, and was immensely popular. -
Hundreds of hopefuls congregate at a cattle call for Broadway dancers. Sour director, Zach and his brusque assistant whittle down the ranks until they're left with 16 dancers. Each one has a story - some are tragic, some are comic - and explain their love of dance. Tension mounts when Cassie - once both a big star and the director's lover but now desperate for a part - auditions. But Zach must choose only the best for his show. Musical. -
Geppetto is a lonely woodcarver who makes a boy puppet and wishes, with all his might, that the puppet was alive. As Geppetto sleeps, Pinocchio is given life by the Blue Fairy. There's a catch, though. Pinocchio is alive, but he won't be a real boy until he proves himself and to help him, the Cricket will be his conscience. In the morning, Geppetto is thrilled to see that his wish has come true and he does what any father would do. He sends Pinocchio off to school - and into trouble. Pinocchio must learn to be honest, brave and to think of others before he can become a real human boy. He has to learn exactly what it means to be human. Will he learn in time? With one colour plate and fantastic line drawings by A.H. Watson. -
Weddings, disappointments, Christmas, sea storms and exotic India are all involved in what seems to be a very dramatic narrative. First published in 1879 and with four editions between 1879 and 1880, a review from c. 1891/1892 states that: 'Miss Brodie's stories have that savour of religious influence and teaching which makes them valuable as companions of the home.' -
Us And Them: Patrick Cook
$15.00Aussie humour, in the best of traditions - Cook takes his place with O'Grady, Wep and Lumsden with this book of caricatures. He sees humanity as somewhat like Basil Fawlty - surrounded by social and technical enigmas that one can only survive through a display of style and therapeutic outbursts of temporary madness. Laughter IS good for the soul! -
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Book 3 of the Stories From History series. Contains William Of Normandy; Hereward The Wake; The Bridal Of Norwich; In The New Forest; Emperor And Pope; The Adventures Of Robert Guiscard; The First Crusade; Richard The Lionheart; More Adventures Of King Richard; Marco Polo; St. Thomas Of Canterbury; The Abbot Of Bury St. Edmonds; St. Francis; The Coming Of The Friars; On Pilgrimage; King John And The Barons; The Builder; The Prince Of Wales; Robert Bruce; William Tell; Merchants And Pirates; Six Brave Men; The Manor of Oakthorpe; Dick Whittington; Five Hundred Years Ago; For St. George And England; Saint Joan; Prince Henry Of Portugal; Moors And Christians; The Tale Of An Old Book. Handsomely illustrated with black and white plates and engravings. -
From the Great Fire of 1666 to the Blitz of the Second World War, from the building of the Tower of London to the building of Canary Wharf, London has always been much more than just a capital city. It's an eclectic, teeming, vital town which prompted Samuel Johnson to declare: 'When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.' There's the seedy rather than the smart, the outcast rather than the established and the bizarre rather than the beautiful. Contributors include G.K. Chesterton, Daniel Defoe, Hilaire Belloc, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Michael Moorcock, Samuel Pepys, Edith Sitwell, H.G. Wells and many more. A view of London that spans the centuries, with such intriguing chapter titles as The Face On Waterloo Steps; London Molehills; Mobs, Marches, Riots and Affrays; Clubs, Taverns and Coffee Houses and 'When A Man Is Tired Of London'. -
Published in 1940, Daphne du Maurier turned from fiction to write the true stories of everyday English people who, while following the common round of their daily lives, have given their best to their country and done deeds of gallantry in their respective spheres in a time of war. The mother who triumphed over bereavement, the London grocer who settled labor disputes at the pithead - all were able to turn the difficulties of war time into opportunities to spread a spirit of victory on the Home Front. -
Volcano: Cecil Roberts
$8.00A series of strange events in and around a group of volcanic islands in the Augean with associated happenings in London. On a bright morning, Ian Caudray, a young devotee of archaeology and of the classics swims from a yacht to one of the islands which he believes is uninhabited. When a beautiful girl appears he thinks of her as Nausicaa with himself as Odysseus- but she makes it clear she doesn't share his fantasy and wants him gone! Discouraged, he returns to the yacht for breakfast and a light-hearted inquisition from his family - but it's not long before the beautiful lady's secrets come out. -
First published in 1948, this book caused a sensation. Waugh, on a visit to California, was fascinated by the elaborate graveyards, pet cemeteries and overblown rituals of death. It inspired him to write this witty 'tragedy' of Anglo-American manners set against the background of embalming rooms and incinerators. -
Hilarious. Incredible. Bizarre. Witty. Deliciously malicious! Where There's a Will is an absorbing collection of odd and curious wills from many countries and many times. Vindictive wills, revealing wills, wills written on nurses' petticoats, eggshells, tractor fenders and wills found in a bottle at sea included in the book reflect the full range of man's virtues and vices. The colorful individuals whose Last Will and Testament grace the pages of this book give more than their money away - they give themselves away. They use their wills to get back at obnoxious relatives, to maintain control beyond the grave, to reward, to punish, to defy those who say you can't take it with you. And to have the last word. Among the famous and the infamous whose wills are featured are: George Bernard Shaw, W.C. Fields, Patrick Henry, Janis Joplin, Napoleon, Jack Kelly, Howard Hughes, William Shakespeare, Ian Fleming, Billy Rose, Picasso, Marilyn Monroe, Aristotle Onassis. . . and many more. -
This book contains the sort of things one might expect to come up on QI...Such as... the worst computer ever invented, the shortest-lived newspaper, the least successful round the world cyclist and the shortest period of marital bliss. Great fun to dip into at random. -
The man with no name rode into San Miguel and saw the chance to make himself a fistful of dollars. He set two rival families against each other and managed to survive the bloodshed unscathed, while each side paid his hire. Then a massive shipment of Mexican gold arrived and violence exploded in the streets, the man with no name - the stranger, the Americano - came near to losing his life; that was when he ceased to be dangerous and became lethal...Cover art shows representation of Clint Eastwood as the Stranger in the 1964 film of the same name. -
Originally published over 300 years ago as The Compleat Housewife - and 100 years before the famous Mrs Beeton - Eliza Smith, drawing on her vast experience while 'constantly employed by fashionable and noble families' compiled this collection of over 600 recipes which had 'met with general approbation'. There are also remedies and cures for the 'benefit of every accomplished noblewoman' for every ailment from the bite of a mad dog to a case of pimples. This book was not only famous in Britain, but also in America where it has the distinction of being the first ever cookery book to be published there. N.B. Please exercise caution if you should decide to try any of the remedies mentioned; this is a 300 year old book and some of the recommendations and ingredients therein would definitely NOT be advisable to try. -
The legendary Robin Hood will never go out of style - he fights for the poor and for justice. This collection traces him from the day of his outlawry, his meeting with Little John, the forming of his band of men of like mind, outlaws all; the embarrassment of the Sherrif and the eventual return of King Richard. Illustrations by R.C. Smith. -
The plays of Noel 'The Master' Coward still draw audiences today. This is a compilation of the Mermaid Theatre's Cowardy Custard which brought together the best of Noel Coward, as well as some of his less well-known songs and poems. Beautifully illustrated with colour and black and white drawings and photos. -
The true and unforgettable story of the Gilbreth clan as told by two of its members. In this endearing and amusing memoir, siblings Frank Jr. and Ernestine capture the hilarity and heart of growing up in an oversized family. Mother and Dad are world-renowned efficiency experts, helping factories fine-tune their assembly lines for maximum output at minimum cost. At home, the Gilbreths themselves have twelve kids and Dad can prove demonstrably - well, almost! - that efficiency principles can apply to family life as well as the workplace. Made into a film (1950) with Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy as Dad and Mum Gilbreth and remade in 2003. (See the original, it's funnier!) -
The Shiralee: Darcy Niland
$10.00A shiralee is a swag, a burden - and Macauley tramps through the back towns of New South Wales, looking for work, with his swag and his shiralee - his four year old daughter, Buster, taken from her loose-living mother by Macauley in a fit of vengeful rage. Buster is a bundle of loyalty, fortitude and natural childishness, yet she is no joy to Macauley, who treats her with uncompromising firmness. She must go on walking with him; she must stop her chattering when he wants quiet; she must not complain. But he has a grudging affection for her, an affection which grows without his realising it - until it is threatened. Now, not only must he admit his love for his daughter, his shiralee, but he must also realise how many true friends he really has. Here are other very real Australian characters: shopkeepers, stock agents, publicans, shearers, ex-fighters - all set against the Australian bush background of the 1950s. Niland's first novel, filmed twice. -
Bride-to-be Sophie is on a quest to find her father before the big day. The only problem is - she's not sure who he is! After reading her mother's diary, she narrows it down to three great loves. So she invites them all - knowing her mother would not approve - and tries to conceal their presence...but it's not long until the secret's out! -
What Cheer? Ralph Frost
$40.00Merry stories for all occasions - some even a little bit saucy for 1929 and some not very P.C. for today's standards! Most are good fast snappies: Young Lady: When I marry, it will be to a man who is polished, upright and grand. Rejected Suitor: You don't want a man - you want a piano! Or...Bus Conductor to Young Lady: If you want to go to Hammersmith, Miss, you're on the wrong bus. Young Lady: But the bus has Hammersmith written on it! Conductor: It's got Nestle's Milk written on it as well, but we're not going to Switzerland. As you see, they are mostly nice clean ones that reflect the humour of the 1920s - making this a social time travel trip. -
Rhubarb: H. Allen Smith
$15.00Rhubarb is a big cat who can lick the hell out of any dog that ever lived. His owner, eccentric dog-hating millionaire Thad Banner loves Rhubarb more than his 'hep-cat' daughter and in his will, he leaves Rhubarb his fortune and his big-league Baseball club, the New York Loons. And THAT'S where the trouble really begins! With fabulously funny illustrations by Leo Hershfield. -
First published in 1950 and costing 9/6, this book addresses Australia's Fuel and Power problem and studies the provision of energy and its effect on national development. It also covers the production of oil from coal and the prospect of finding oil in Australia. Illustrated with maps and diagrams. -
Rain Boat: Lace Kendall
$90.00The people of Spanish Fort, Florida, had never seen such rain before. Young Edward Ames is washed away, eventually landing in the company of the two Morse children on one of the few remaining areas of high ground. Many days later, the children are rescued by Shem, a mysterious dark skinned stranger, a kind man with a curious ambition. And his cargo is strange - a boatload of animals. -
Mikes, Hungarian immigrant to Britain, was always bewildered by the English and their customs. He took it in stride - eventually - and began his observations of British life and thence onward to encompass the rest of the world. He realises that people are not only funny, but they're at their funniest when trying to be serious. Mikes went to the United Nations and found them all being hilariously serious! -
In 1973, ABC Radio broadcast a series of radio talks - Heresies. The series featured provocative and often unorthodox views of social, political economic and cultural issues, often challenging established opinion. It was intended as a medium for ideas, rather than a forum for prominent public figures. Featured in this collection: Professor Frederick May: The Revival of the Cliche and Frolic of Painted Dolls; Rev. Norman Webb: The End of History and Man has Come Of Age; Beatrice Faust: Sex - Common Sense or Popular Fallacy and Nice Girls Do; Helen Palmer: If You Can't Measure It, It Doesn't Exist and many more. -
In some ways a sequel or successor to The Autocrat At The Breakfast-Table, there is plenty of philosophy, social critique and religious insights. Physician, poet, philosopher and essayist, Holmes also contributed much to medical reform in the 1800s. He was a member of the Fireside Poets and regarded as one of the best writers of his day. a collection of essays originally published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1857 and 1858 before being collected in book form. The essays take the form of a chiefly one-sided dialogue between the unnamed 'Author' and the other residents of a New England boarding house who are known only by their profession, location at the table or other defining characteristics. The topics discussed range from an essay on the unexpected benefits of old age to the finest place to site a dwelling and comments on the nature of conversation itself. The tone of the book is distinctly Yankee and takes a seriocomic approach to the subject matter. Each essay typically ends with a poem on the theme of the essay. There are also poems ostensibly written by the fictional disputants scattered throughout.
