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Biography Books & True Stories

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It is human nature to be fascinated by other people and the very best memoirs and biographies draw readers into lives either truly unique or eminently relatable. Classic autobiographies like Cider With Rosie or I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings evoke both their author’s inner lives and a specific time and place, whilst others shed light on complex public figures - or provide plenty of juicy gossip. This is the place to find great books on the good, the bad and the fascinating. And while you’re here do not forget our fantastic range of Christmas cards and festive gift wrap to make your Christmas complete.

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Our Bestselling Biographies

Politics On the Edge
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Politics On the Edge
Rory Stewart
£22.00   £18.99
Hardback
Agatha Christie
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Agatha Christie
Lucy Worsley
£10.99   £8.99
Paperback
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki
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I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki
Baek Sehee
£9.99   £8.49
Paperback
Abroad in Japan
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Abroad in Japan
Chris Broad
£16.99   £14.99
Hardback
Elon Musk
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Elon Musk
Walter Isaacson
£28.00   £21.99
Hardback
Undoctored
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Undoctored
Adam Kay
£9.99   £7.99
Paperback
Everything I Know About Love
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Everything I Know About Love
Dolly Alderton
£10.99
Paperback
Everything is Everything
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Everything is Everything
Clive Myrie
£22.00   £16.99
Hardback
Doppelganger
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Doppelganger
Naomi Klein
£25.00
Hardback
American Prometheus
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American Prometheus
Kai Bird
£12.99   £10.99
Paperback
Madly, Deeply
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Madly, Deeply
Alan Rickman
£12.99   £10.99
Paperback
Ashes and Stones
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Ashes and Stones
Allyson Shaw
£10.99   £8.99
Paperback
Super-Infinite
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Super-Infinite
Katherine Rundell
£10.99   £9.49
Paperback
Old Rage
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Old Rage
Sheila Hancock
£9.99   £7.99
Paperback
And Away...
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And Away...
Bob Mortimer
£8.99   £6.99
Paperback
A Waiter in Paris
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A Waiter in Paris
Edward Chisholm
£10.99   £9.49
Paperback
Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes
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Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes
Rob Wilkins
£10.99   £9.49
Paperback
This is Going to Hurt
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This is Going to Hurt
Adam Kay
£9.99
Paperback
Berserker! by Adrian Edmondson | Shop Now
Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson | Shop Now
Oh Miriam! by Miriam Margolyes | Shop Now

New for 2023

Doppelganger
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Doppelganger
Naomi Klein
£25.00
Hardback
The Farmer's Wife
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The Farmer's Wife
Helen Rebanks
£20.00   £17.99
Hardback
Hope - How Street Dogs Taught Me the Meaning of Life
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Hope - How Street Dogs Taught Me the Meaning of Life
Niall Harbison
£18.99   £16.99
Hardback
The Abuse of Power
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The Abuse of Power
Theresa May
£25.00
Hardback
The Palace
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The Palace
Gareth Russell
£25.00   £19.99
Hardback
Take Nothing For Granted
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Take Nothing For Granted
Ross Kemp
£20.00   £15.99
Hardback
The Fall
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The Fall
Michael Wolff
£25.00   £21.99
Hardback
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth
Gyles Brandreth
£25.00   £21.99
Hardback
Einstein in Time and Space
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Einstein in Time and Space
Samuel Graydon
£20.00   £16.99
Hardback
Spare
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Spare
Prince Harry
£28.00   £19.99
Hardback
42
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42
Douglas Adams
£30.00   £26.99
Hardback
The Strength of Love
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The Strength of Love
Kate Garraway
£22.00
Hardback
Face the Music
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Face the Music
Alfie Boe
£20.00   £16.99
Hardback
Wifedom
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Wifedom
Anna Funder
£20.00   £17.99
Hardback
O Brother
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O Brother
John Niven
£18.99   £16.99
Hardback
Life Lessons
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Life Lessons
Jay Blades
£14.99   £11.99
Hardback
Deep Blue
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Deep Blue
Steve Backshall
£22.00   £18.99
Hardback
Strong Female Character
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Strong Female Character
Fern Brady
£16.99   £12.99
Hardback
Making It So
Making It So
Patrick Stewart
£25.00 £19.99
Hardback
Coming soon - 03/10/2023
An actor who has always boldly gone where few others could, Patrick Stewart lifts the lid on his incredible career on stage and screen, from a Yorkshire childhood to captaining the USS Enterprise.
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Signed & Special Editions

Pru and Me
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Pru and Me
Timothy West
£22.00   £18.99
Hardback
The Abuse of Power
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The Abuse of Power
Theresa May
£25.00
Hardback
The Strength of Love
Added to basket
The Strength of Love
Kate Garraway
£22.00
Hardback
Face the Music
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Face the Music
Alfie Boe
£20.00
Hardback
Fight For Your Life
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Fight For Your Life
Amir Khan
£22.00
Hardback
The Twat Files
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The Twat Files
Dawn French
£22.00
Hardback
Football And How To Survive It
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Football And How To Survive It
Pat Nevin
£22.00
Hardback
Oh Miriam!
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Oh Miriam!
Miriam Margolyes
£25.00
Hardback
I Can Hear the Cuckoo
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I Can Hear the Cuckoo
Kiran Sidhu
£16.99   £14.99
Hardback
Keira & Me
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Keira & Me
Noel Fitzpatrick
£18.99
Hardback
Approach Without Caution
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Approach Without Caution
James Haskell
£20.00
Hardback
Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton and Me
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Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton and Me
Bernie Taupin
£25.00
Hardback
Life in Pieces
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Life in Pieces
Dawn O'Porter
£8.99   £5.00
Paperback
Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes
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Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes
Rob Wilkins
£40.00
Hardback
In My Stride
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In My Stride
Helen Skelton
£22.00
Hardback
Bringing Down Goliath
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Bringing Down Goliath
Jolyon Maugham
£22.00
Hardback
Finding My Own Rhythm
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Finding My Own Rhythm
Motsi Mabuse
£20.00
Hardback
Glutton
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Glutton
Ed Gamble
£20.00
Hardback

Luxury Editions & Gift Books

Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop
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Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop
Alba Donati
£9.99
Paperback
Lunch with the FT
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Lunch with the FT
Lionel Barber
£14.99
Paperback
The Lyrics
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The Lyrics
Paul McCartney
£75.00
Hardback
Life Lessons
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Life Lessons
Jay Blades
£14.99   £11.99
Hardback
Amy Winehouse - In Her Words
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Amy Winehouse - In Her Words
Amy Winehouse
£30.00
Hardback
Why Women Grow
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Why Women Grow
Alice Vincent
£16.99
Hardback
What Was Shakespeare Really Like?
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What Was Shakespeare Really Like?
Stanley Wells
£14.99
Hardback
Behind the Seams
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Behind the Seams
Dolly Parton
£39.99
Hardback
Fry's Ties
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Fry's Ties
Stephen Fry
£14.99
Hardback
The Cinematic Connery
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The Cinematic Connery
A. J. Black
£17.99
Hardback
Charles III
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Charles III
Alison Smith
£14.95
Hardback
The Beatles by Terry O'Neill
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The Beatles by Terry O'Neill
Terry O'Neill
£30.00
Hardback
A Promised Land
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A Promised Land
President Barack Obama
£35.00   £17.50
Hardback
A Woman's World, 1850-1960
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A Woman's World, 1850-1960
Dan Jones
£30.00
Hardback
Alistair Cooke's America
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Alistair Cooke's America
Alistair Cooke
£18.99
Paperback
Murakami T
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Murakami T
Haruki Murakami
£14.99
Hardback

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Nature Lovers
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Crafting Fans
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Spiritualists &...
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Fashion Lovers

2023's Best Paperbacks

Agatha Christie
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Agatha Christie
Lucy Worsley
£10.99   £8.99
Paperback
Landlines
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Landlines
Raynor Winn
£10.99   £8.99
Paperback
Undoctored
Added to basket
Undoctored
Adam Kay
£9.99   £7.99
Paperback
The Escape Artist
Added to basket
The Escape Artist
Jonathan Freedland
£9.99   £8.49
Paperback
American Prometheus
Added to basket
American Prometheus
Kai Bird
£12.99   £10.99
Paperback
Madly, Deeply
Added to basket
Madly, Deeply
Alan Rickman
£12.99   £10.99
Paperback
Chums
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Chums
Simon Kuper
£9.99   £8.49
Paperback
Ashes and Stones
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Ashes and Stones
Allyson Shaw
£10.99   £8.99
Paperback
Nothing But The Truth
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Nothing But The Truth
The Secret Barrister
£10.99   £8.99
Paperback
The Making of the Modern Middle East
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The Making of the Modern Middle East
Jeremy Bowen
£10.99   £9.49
Paperback
Super-Infinite
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Super-Infinite
Katherine Rundell
£10.99   £9.49
Paperback
Greenlights
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Greenlights
Matthew McConaughey
£9.99   £8.49
Paperback
The Ship Beneath the Ice
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The Ship Beneath the Ice
Mensun Bound
£10.99   £9.49
Paperback
Old Rage
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Old Rage
Sheila Hancock
£9.99   £7.99
Paperback
Takeaway
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Takeaway
Angela Hui
£9.99   £8.49
Paperback
A Waiter in Paris
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A Waiter in Paris
Edward Chisholm
£10.99   £9.49
Paperback
Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes
Added to basket
Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes
Rob Wilkins
£10.99   £9.49
Paperback
My Sporting Life
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My Sporting Life
Michael Parkinson
£10.99   £9.49
Paperback

You May Be Looking For...

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Great Books You Must Read

Our selection of classic paperbacks

This is Going to Hurt
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This is Going to Hurt
Adam Kay
£9.99
Paperback
Just Kids
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Just Kids
Patti Smith
£12.99
Paperback
The Diary of a Young Girl
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The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank
£9.99
Paperback
The Shepherd's Life
Added to basket
The Shepherd's Life
James Rebanks
£10.99
Paperback
When Breath Becomes Air
Added to basket
When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi
£10.99
Paperback
Persepolis I & II
Added to basket
Persepolis I & II
Marjane Satrapi
£10.99
Paperback
All Creatures Great and Small
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All Creatures Great and Small
James Herriot
£10.99
Paperback
I Am Malala
Added to basket
I Am Malala
Malala Yousafzai
£9.99
Paperback
The Moon's a Balloon
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The Moon's a Balloon
David Niven
£10.99
Paperback
Cider With Rosie
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Cider With Rosie
Laurie Lee
£9.99
Paperback
Wild Swans
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Wild Swans
Jung Chang
£10.99
Paperback
Fever Pitch
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Fever Pitch
Nick Hornby
£9.99
Paperback
Unreliable Memoirs
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Unreliable Memoirs
Clive James
£9.99
Paperback
Motherwell
Added to basket
Motherwell
Deborah Orr
£9.99
Paperback
How To Be a Woman
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How To Be a Woman
Caitlin Moran
£9.99
Paperback
This Boy
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This Boy
Alan Johnson
£10.99
Paperback
Featherhood
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Featherhood
Charlie Gilmour
£8.99
Paperback
SEE MORE

The Making of a Monarch

Our Best King Charles III Biographies

Charles III
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Charles III
Chris Jackson
£45.00
Hardback
Charles III
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Charles III
Alison Smith
£14.95
Hardback
Rebel King
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Rebel King
Tom Bower
£9.99
Paperback
King Charles III
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King Charles III
Arthur Edwards
£14.99
Hardback
Charles: The Heart of a King
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Charles: The Heart of a King
Catherine Mayer
£10.99
Paperback
Charles III
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Charles III
Robert Hardman
£22.00
Hardback
The King
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The King
Christopher Andersen
£25.00
Hardback
Pocket King Charles Wisdom
Added to basket
Pocket King Charles Wisdom
Hardie Grant Books
£8.99
Hardback
Our King: Charles III
Added to basket
Our King: Charles III
Robert Jobson
£22.00
Hardback
King Charles III
Added to basket
King Charles III
Gill Knappett
£12.99
Hardback
His Majesty King Charles III
Added to basket
His Majesty King Charles III
DC Thomson
£8.99
Paperback
King Charles III
Added to basket
King Charles III
Alison James
£21.99
Hardback
Charles: The King and Wales
Added to basket
Charles: The King and Wales
Huw Thomas
£10.00
Paperback
The Books You Need to Read in 2023 July-Dec | FIND OUT MORE The Books You Need to Read in 2023 July-Dec | FIND OUT MORE
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Our Best Literary Biographies

A Fortunate Woman
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A Fortunate Woman
Polly Morland
£9.99
Paperback
My Name Is Why
Added to basket
My Name Is Why
Lemn Sissay
£10.99
Paperback
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
Added to basket
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
£9.99
Paperback
Down and Out in Paris and London
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Down and Out in Paris and London
George Orwell
£9.99
Paperback
A Moveable Feast
Added to basket
A Moveable Feast
Ernest Hemingway
£9.99
Paperback
On Chapel Sands
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On Chapel Sands
Laura Cumming
£9.99
Paperback
Giving up the Ghost
Added to basket
Giving up the Ghost
Hilary Mantel
£9.99
Paperback
Real Estate
Added to basket
Real Estate
Deborah Levy
£10.99
Paperback
Back in the Day
Added to basket
Back in the Day
Melvyn Bragg
£10.99
Paperback
Motherwell
Added to basket
Motherwell
Deborah Orr
£9.99
Paperback
The Bookseller's Tale
Added to basket
The Bookseller's Tale
Martin Latham
£9.99
Paperback
Lost Cat
Added to basket
Lost Cat
Mary Gaitskill
£8.99
Paperback
Young Bloomsbury
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Young Bloomsbury
Nino Strachey
£10.99
Paperback
A Carnival of Snackery
Added to basket
A Carnival of Snackery
David Sedaris
£10.99
Paperback
Orwell's Roses
Added to basket
Orwell's Roses
Rebecca Solnit
£9.99
Paperback
House Arrest
Added to basket
House Arrest
Alan Bennett
£8.99
Hardback
Allegorizings
Added to basket
Allegorizings
Jan Morris
£9.99
Paperback

Voices For Change - Remarkable Lives

My Name Is Why
Added to basket
My Name Is Why
Lemn Sissay
£10.99
Paperback
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Added to basket
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Alex Haley
£9.99
Paperback
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Added to basket
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot
£10.99
Paperback
Becoming
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Becoming
Michelle Obama
£12.99
Paperback
Notes of a Native Son
Added to basket
Notes of a Native Son
James Baldwin
£9.99
Paperback
Long Walk To Freedom
Added to basket
Long Walk To Freedom
Nelson Mandela
£14.99
Paperback
Bessie Smith
Added to basket
Bessie Smith
Jackie Kay
£10.99
Paperback
The Audacity of Hope
Added to basket
The Audacity of Hope
President Barack Obama
£10.99
Paperback
Maybe I Don't Belong Here
Added to basket
Maybe I Don't Belong Here
David Harewood
£9.99
Paperback
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments
Added to basket
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments
Saidiya Hartman
£11.99
Paperback
I Heard What You Said
Added to basket
I Heard What You Said
Jeffrey Boakye
£10.99
Paperback
The Louder I Will Sing
Added to basket
The Louder I Will Sing
Lee Lawrence
£8.99
Paperback
The Uncomfortable Truth About Racism
Added to basket
The Uncomfortable Truth About Racism
John Barnes
£10.99
Paperback
Rise Up
Added to basket
Rise Up
Stormzy
£10.99
Paperback
His Name Is George Floyd
Added to basket
His Name Is George Floyd
Robert Samuels
£20.00
Hardback
Will
Added to basket
Will
Will Smith
£20.00
Hardback
Finding Me
Added to basket
Finding Me
Viola Davis
£20.00
Hardback
An Autobiography
Added to basket
An Autobiography
Angela Y. Davis
£20.00
Hardback

Coming Soon

Alan Partridge: Big Beacon
Added to basket
Alan Partridge: Big Beacon
Alan Partridge
£25.00   £12.50
Hardback
The Woman in Me
Added to basket
The Woman in Me
Britney Spears
£25.00   £12.50
Hardback
Making It So
Added to basket
Making It So
Patrick Stewart
£25.00   £19.99
Hardback
The Lyrics
Added to basket
The Lyrics
Paul McCartney
£22.00
Paperback
Different Aspects
Added to basket
Different Aspects
Michael Ball
£25.00   £21.99
Hardback
The Secret Life of John le Carre
Added to basket
The Secret Life of John le Carre
Adam Sisman
£16.99
Hardback
My Name is Barbra
Added to basket
My Name is Barbra
Barbra Streisand
£35.00   £31.99
Hardback
Jordan Henderson: The Autobiography
Added to basket
Jordan Henderson: The Autobiography
Jordan Henderson
£10.99   £9.49
Paperback
When Fury Takes Over
Added to basket
When Fury Takes Over
John Fury
£22.00   £18.99
Hardback
Loosely Based On A Made-Up Story
Added to basket
Loosely Based On A Made-Up Story
James Blunt
£20.00
Hardback
Barry Cryer: Same Time Tomorrow?
Added to basket
Barry Cryer: Same Time Tomorrow?
Bob Cryer
£20.00
Hardback
T.V.
Added to basket
T.V.
Peter Kay
£25.00   £12.50
Hardback
The Twat Files
Added to basket
The Twat Files
Dawn French
£22.00
Hardback
My Wrexham Story
Added to basket
My Wrexham Story
Paul Mullin
£20.00   £16.99
Hardback
Went to London, Took the Dog: A Diary
Added to basket
Went to London, Took the Dog: A Diary
Nina Stibbe
£16.99   £14.99
Hardback
The Half Bird
Added to basket
The Half Bird
Susan Smillie
£16.99
Hardback
Blood
Added to basket
Blood
Jonas Brothers
£20.00
Hardback
The Waterstones Round Up: September's Best Books

The Waterstones Round Up: September's Best Books

As publishing steps up a notch and eagerly-awaited volumes appear, check out our guide to September's best books.

A Q&A with Anna Funder on Wifedom

A Q&A with Anna Funder on Wifedom

The author of Stasiland discusses her new book, the biography of Eileen O'Shaughnessy, George Orwell's first wife.

Chris Broad on What NOT to Do in Japan

Chris Broad on What NOT to Do in Japan

The author of Abroad in Japan on how to avoid terrible faux pas when visiting the Land of the Rising Sun.

Lucy Worsley on the Mystery of Agatha Christie

Lucy Worsley on the Mystery of Agatha Christie

The beloved historian and author discusses the subject of her latest book - the fascinating woman known to the world primarily as the Queen of Crime.

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