New Releases by Hunter Davies

At the end of almost every day of their fifty-five years of married life, the publicity-shy author Margaret Forster would ask her naturally gregarious and outgoing husband Hunter Davies to describe to her the highlights of his working day spent in the worlds of journalism and publishing. In the six years that have elapsed since Margaret''s death, Hunter has continued these conversations with his wife, regaling her with accounts of the events and developments in his life – domestic, social, romantic, book-related, health-related and others – through a sequence of ''Letters to Margaret''. Whether recounting adventures in online dating, the pleasures and pitfalls of buying a new house by the seaside, the trauma of major operations on his heart and gall bladder, a chance encounter at a book-signing session that led to a new romantic attachment, or a visit to A&E when he was supposed to be watching the World Cup final, these twenty-three letters weave together strands of confession, self-mockery, anecdote and touching remembrance of married happiness with Margaret. Letters to Margaret reveals Hunter Davies raging happily against the dying of the light in his late eighties, and seeking consolation for life''s frustrations and disappointments through a sustained conversation with the woman he shared his life with for more than half a century.

A wryly humorous memoir from Hunter Davies, as he falls in love again in his eighties and chronicles the first year of living with his new girlfriend in their cottage on the Isle of Wight. King Charles I was imprisoned here; Queen Victoria so liked its mild climate and coastal scenery that she built an Italianate house here (and later expired in it); hundreds of thousands of people got stoned here at music festivals in the 1960s summers of love. And, in the very un-hippyish summer of 2020, Hunter and Claire escaped locked-down North London for a week''s holiday on the Isle of Wight, fell in love with its sleepy charm – and ended up buying a Grade 2-listed love nest in the elegant Victorian seaside resort of Ryde. Love in Old Age tells the story of their first twelve months on the island. It is a journey of discovery to a forgotten corner of England; an exploration of the attraction of meeting new people and new places in old age, and a celebration of flat sandy beaches. It brings together the themes of love in old age; Covid lockdown; rural escape; the anxieties of house-buying; and the history and curiosities of England''s largest and second most populous island – all bound together by Hunter Davies''s insatiable curiosity about people and places, and his irrepressible and ironic sense of humour.

Join Hunter Davies on a celebratory stroll around London''s greatest glories - its parks. We need our parks more than ever before, for our health and spirits, our bodies and souls, to keep us fit, to save us from pollution, to protect nature and wildlife; and Londoners are lucky enough to enjoy more green spaces than any other major city in the world. In London Parks, Hunter Davies illustrates their wonders by spending a year walking round his favourite parks. From his local haunt on Hampstead Heath to the capital''s latest wonder, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, each one is chosen for its unique appeal. Informative and entertaining, he details their history, describes their layout and reveals hidden delights and new attractions that might otherwise be missed, such as the statue of a small brown dog in Battersea Park, a garden full of exotic plants and palm trees in south London''s Burgess Park or, for something completely unique, Ian Dury''s musical memorial bench in Richmond Park. Fun, thought-provoking and uplifting, London Parks is an essential companion for anyone wishing to explore the ever-green beauty of Britain''s capital city, whether it''s spotting pelicans and politicians in St James''s Park, the birds in the London Wetland Centre or the views from Greenwich Park.

An engaging portrait of Hampstead Heath – a place rich not just in natural wonders but in history and monuments, emotions and memories, people and places. ''I enjoyed every inch of the way, from Parliament Hill to the Pergola... A late-life little masterpiece'' Ferdinand Mount ''A love letter, both to the Heath and to his late wife'' Islington Tribune ''An affectionate book which blends personal anecdote, history and interviews'' Ham & High The eight hundred acres of Hampstead Heath lie just four miles from central London; and yet unlike the manicured inner-city parks, it feels like the countryside: it has hills and lakes, wild spots and tame spots. Hunter Davies has lived within a stone''s throw of Hampstead Heath for more than sixty years and has walked on it nearly every day of his London life. For him, it is not just a place of recreation and relaxation but also a treasure-house of memories and emotions. In The Heath, he visits all parts of this, the largest area of common land in Britain''s capital city: from Kenwood House to the Vale of Health, from Parliament Hill to Boudicca''s Mound, and from the Ladies Bathing Pond to the fabulous pergola. As he walks, Davies talks to the diverse array of individuals who frequent the Heath: regulars; visitors; dog walkers; stall holders at the weekly farmer''s market; famous faces having their morning stroll; twenty-first-century hippies spreading peace, love and happiness.

A primeira coletânea dos manuscritos dos Beatles Hunter Davies conviveu com os Beatles no apogeu da banda e escreveu a primeira e única biografia autorizada do grupo. Desde então, pesquisou e encontrou mais de cem letras de músicas escritas à mão, que são reproduzidas aqui de maneira inédita. O quarteto compunha a qualquer hora, em qualquer lugar: as músicas podiam começar no verso de um envelope, num guardanapo ou num papel de carta de hotel. Estes escritos, entre eles vários rascunhos e versões revisadas, propiciam uma visão única e íntima do marcante processo criativo dos maiores compositores de música popular de todos os tempos: o que eles pensavam, como mudavam de ideia e de que maneira realizavam suas composições, hoje conhecidas em todo o mundo. Cada música é apresentada aqui em seu contexto: o que os Beatles estavam fazendo naquele momento, como compuseram e gravaram a faixa, como a primeira versão difere da final. Quase todas as canções dos Beatles têm uma grande história por trás, de "Yesterday" e "Eleanor Rigby" a "Yellow Submarine". Embarque nesta viagem aos bastidores destas obrasprimas do pop. Pela primeira vez, as versões originais das letras mais famosas dos Beatles agrupadas em livro! Atualmente, esses documentos pertencem a colecionadores e a amigos dos integrantes da banda, muitos deles sob a custódia de museus e universidades mundo afora.

On 8 February 2016, Margaret Forster lost her life to cancer of the spine. For her husband, Hunter Davies, the days that followed were carried out on autopilot: arrangements to be made, family and friends to be contacted. But how do you cope after you have lost your loved one? As Hunter discovers what it means to be alone again after fifty-five years of marriage, he shares the wisdom and lessons he has learnt along the way. Charting his emotional journey, as well as the often ignored practical implications of becoming widowed, Hunter discovers that, ultimately, while bricks and mortar may change, the memories will always remain. Part memoir, part self-help, HAPPY OLD ME is the account of one year in Hunter Davies'' life, navigating bereavement and finding hope in the future.

Over 100 handwritten manuscripts of the Beatles'' original lyrics, tracked down from friends of the band, museums, universities and collectors. Hunter Davies, author of the only authorised biography of the Beatles, worked with the band in their heyday. Here he reveals each song''s context with vivid behind-the-scenes stories and gives a unique insight into the creative process of the world''s greatest songwriters. From ''Yesterday'' and ''Eleanor Rigby'' to ''Yellow Submarine'', The Beatles Lyrics is the definitive story of the band, uniquely told through their music.

The sequel to the hugely enjoyable and poignant childhood memoir by Hunter Davies - The Co-op''s Got Bananas!

The world’s greatest haulier – a rags-to-riches tale of British entrepreneurialsim.

Hunter Davies, the only ever authorised biographer of the group, has produced the essential Beatles guide. Divided into four sections – People, Songs, Places and Broadcast and Cinema – it covers all elements of the band’s history and vividly brings to live every influence that shaped them. Illustrated with material from Hunter''s remarkable private collection of artefacts and memorabilia, this is the definitive Beatles treasure.

''I don''t know any tract of land in which in so narrow a compass may be found an equal variety of sublime and beautiful features''. So said the poet Wordsworth of England''s Lake District, an area as rich in cultural associations as it is in beautiful scenery. Hunter Davies, who has spent every summer in the Lake District for nearly half a century, takes the reader on an engaging, informative and affectionate tour of the lakes, fells, traditions, denizens and history of England''s most popular tourist destination. From the first discovery of Lakeland as a tourist destination in the 18th century, to the tale of the Maid of Buttermere, to the poet Coleridge''s ascent of Scafell Pike in 1802, to such enduring local traditions as Cumberland wrestling and hound trailing, Hunter Davies brings England''s Lake District memorably and informatively to life.

Despite the struggle to make ends meet during the tough years of warfare in the 1940s and rationing persisting until the early 1950s, life could still be sweet. Especially if you were a young boy, playing football with your pals, saving up to go to the movies at the weekend, and being captivated by the latest escapade of Dick Barton on the radio. Chocolate might be scarce, and bananas would be a pipe dream, but you could still have fun. In an excellent social memoir from one of the UK''s premier columnists over the past five decades, Hunter Davies captures this period beautifully. His memoir of growing up in post-war North of England from 1945 onwards, amid the immense damage wrought by the Second World War, and the dreariness of life on rationing, very little luxuries and an archaic educational system, should be one that will resonate with thousands of readers across Britain. In the same vein as Robert Douglas''s Night Song of the Last Tram - A Glasgow Childhood and Alan Johnson''s This Boy, Hunter''s memories of a hard life laced with glorious moments of colour and emotion will certainly strike a vein with his generation.

Alfred Wainwright, the legendary fell walker and author of the incomparable and unique Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells was also a fluent, eloquent and diligent correspondent. Writing to old friends and to the many new ones gained through his books, and to his love, and later second wife, Betty, his letters display a much warmer, more sensitive and emotional character than his gruff popular image would suggest. Hunter Davies, Wainwright''s biographer, has here collected a selection of letters that range from his early years in Blackburn to his established position as Borough Treasurer in Kendal, and cover all aspects of his professional and personal life, as well as the voluminous correspondence that was a consequence of writing and publishing the Pictorial Guides. The latter vividly illuminate many aspects of that turbulent but ultimately triumphant process, while the former present a picture of a dedicated public servant whose personal life had been deeply unhappy until late in life he found unexpected but transcendent love and happiness. In turn business-like and comic, wonderfully well informed and remarkably innocent, deeply moving and yet tough-minded, the letters present a vivid and unforgettable picture of one of the great but eccentric creative geniuses of the twentieth century.

A thirst for teenage thrills takes Flossie back to the room of wonders, but has the coat retained its fabulous secret? The shape-shifting heroine of Flossie Teacake’s Fur Coat returns, bored, envious, and itchy for instant adolescence. Join the fun, as two wicked boys, one nosy neighbour, and an all-night concert smash the teenage dream, and unravel a world of incredible possibilities…

The classic biography of Alfred Wainwright. Alfred Wainwright''s unique hand-drawn and hand-written PICTORIAL GUIDES TO THE LAKELAND FELLS have been an inspiration to walkers for over forty years. Yet despite many bestselling books and three television series, Wainwright remained an intensely private person. With full access to Alfred Wainwright''s private letters and unpublished material, Hunter Davies reveals a man more passionate, witty and generous than readers of his guides have come to expect. His biography throws a new and surprising light on a man who has been an enigmatic and misunderstood person.

John Lennon reageerde zijn emoties van woede tot blijdschap voornamelijk af op papier. Als een van de grootse componisten aller tijden, bekend van zijn muzikale creaties als `Help!, `Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, `Imagine en nog veel meer, publiceerde Lennon ook twee dichtbundels. In dit boek zijn echter voor het eerst zijn persoonlijke brieven, lijstjes en krabbeltjes verzameld. Hunter Davies, auteur van de enige officiële biografie van The Beatles heeft meer dan driehonderd brieven, kaartjes en notities van John aan vrienden, familie, fans, vreemden, geliefden en zelfs de wasserette verzameld, dankzij de hulp van Lennons familie, goede vrienden en privéverzamelaars over de hele wereld. Ook Yoko Ono, Lennons weduwe (en eigenaar van Lennons copyright) gaf haar hulp en zegen aan dit bijzondere project. Davies vertelt het verhaal achter elke brief: waar Lennon was, aan wie hij het schreef en waar het over gaat. Sommige brieven zijn liefdevol, informatief, grappig, boos en agressief, maar soms ook hartverscheurend. Veel brieven zijn ook geïllustreerd met tekeningetjes en grapjes. Samen vormen ze een ontroerend verslag, vanaf zijn allereerste bedankbriefje dat hij op tienjarige leeftijd aan zijn tante in Liverpool schreef tot de laatste haastig geschreven handtekening voor een fan in New York, op 8 december 1980, de dag dat hij werd neergeschoten. Deze brieven schetsen een bijzonder, persoonlijk en vooral intiem beeld van John Lennon, verteld door zijn eigen zorgen, angsten en passies. Hunter Davies heeft meer dan veertig boeken gepubliceerd. Hij is het bekendst om zijn geautoriseerde biografie van The Beatles. Daarnaast is hij tv-presentator en journalist: hij schrijft voor the Independent, Sunday Times, Daily Mail en New Statesman.

Pendant des années, Hunter Davies, avec le soutien de Yoko, est parti à la recherche des lettres de John Lennon chez les collectionneurs passionnés, dans les salles de vente, parmi les proches des Beatles, sa famille. Il en a rassemblé plusieurs centaines pour en conserver 250 qui retracent avec intimité et réalisme les étapes de la vie de l’une des plus fascinantes stars du XXe siècle. De ses premières lettres presque enfantines à Cyntia, son first love, au dernier autographe signé à quelques heures de sa mort, en passant par ses lettres à son père, son message de quasi rupture à Paul, sa période gourouisée puis celle Yokoisée, c’est la personnalité extrêmement complexe et créative – qui joue autant avec les mots, les idées, les dessins – qui apparaît sous nos yeux à travers ces 250 lettres. La plupart sont inédites et accompagnées d’un texte précis et passionnant d’un des plus grands connaisseurs des Beatles, à la fois leur proche, leur biographe et l’ami de Yoko. Un livre hors du commun. Traduit de l’anglais par Jean-Pierre Simard

Sellafield Stories is the largest Oral History Project conducted in the UK. It was started by Jenni Lister, of Cumbria Record Office & Local Studies Library, and was funded by the BNFL. Through the personal life stories of 30 people who lived, worked and built the complex SELLAFIELDS STORIES tells the true story of the Sellafields Nuclear Plant that has been at the heart of the Nation''s story for the last 60 years. First set up in the aftermath of World War II to develop Britain''s nuclear weapons, it was not until 1957 that it was given over to nuclear power, kick starting a revolution in post war energy. Since then it has been the site of protests, controversy and debate. Today it is still the country''s biggest single industrial site employing 13,500 people.

Hunter Davies''s first major interview was with John Masefield for The Sunday Times in 1963. In the years since, he has interviewed many of the most famous people that the late twentieth century has to offer, from James Baldwin and Orson Welles to Jack Nicholson and Salman Rushdie. in an eclectic and highly readable selection, we learn that Noel Coward enjoyed watching operations and considered himself ''about as decadent as a suet pudding'', David Hockney dyed his hair because ''blonds have more fun'', and Anthony Burgess had yet to touch the body of an Englishwoman. Christy Brown concedes ''I''m just a run-of-the-mill genius'', while Alan Sugar admits ''I''m a miserable sod''. The book opens with a specially written introduction in which Hunter Davies explores the art of the Celebrity Interview, and turns the tables to interview fellow practitioners, such as Lynn Barber and Angela Lambert.

Credit has been crunched, banks hammered, the economy battered, prices up, hopes down. All classes are being urged to economise, make do and mend, spin things out, avoid waste. It has been ever thus. In times of War, General Strikes as well as Economic Disasters, Governments as well as agony aunts, do-gooders, magazines, books and manufacturers have always exhorted us to tighten the old belts. Hunter Davies looks back at a hundred years of handy, and often hilarious, exhortations as they were applied to Food, Children, Health, Clothing, the Home, Money and Savings. Some of the hints and advice are mystifying, but all are part of social history, and some could prove very useful in today''s economic climate. For instance, you really might want to turn some cold scraps of meat into a succulent new dish or knit some old bits of string together in order to make a jolly useful dishcloth…

''I am fascinated by people turning their daft dreams into a reality. How did they do it and why?'' Driven by his own passion for collecting Hunter Davies has packed his notepad and set off in search of Britain''s maddest museums. As he explores these hidden gems he soon discovers that they are everywhere and that they celebrate just about everything, from lawnmowers in Southport to pencils in Keswick. But as Hunter travels up and down the country he comes to realise that it isn''t only the collections that are fascinating, it''s also the people who have put them together. Whether they''re a man who loves his Heinz so much he''s changed his name to Captain Beany or a kleptomaniac Vintage Radio buff, these eccentric collectors are Britain''s finest and could live in no other country in the world. Once you discover these museums and get to know their curators, Great Britain won''t look quite the same again...

Originally stetching across the neck of England for over seventy miles, Hadrian''s Wall is the most important Roman monument in Britain. Set in a wild, dramatic landscape, it is now a World Heritage Site, one of the wonders of the world, and stands as a reminder of the past glories of a mighty civilisation. Hunter Davies grew up at one end of the wall and was inevitably drawn to walk its length. His charming, part history, part guidebook and part personal experience, portrays the area and its inhabitants as they are today, and gives readers a taste of what life was like in this remote part of Britain 2000 years ago.

Revised and expanded edition of the bestselling guide to Lakeland. ''The Good Guide is the answer to every tourist''s prayer, a comprehensive assessment which treads on toes as well as sparking off satisfied grins.'' Lakescene ''I think he was most unfair to Barrow.'' Town Clerk, Barrow ''You''ll wonder how you managed without it.'' Yorkshire Post Life is too short, holidays too precious, to waste time going to places which turn out draggy or boring. So the object is very simple - to guide you to all that is best to see and do in Lakeland, from mountains and lakes and walks to museums, hotels, restaurants and the latest tourist attractions. Amazing how each year new wonders appear, new places pop up, new services get offered. Also things close, go off, disappear. So it''s vital, if you are one of Lakeland''s 24 million visitors a year, to be as up to date, up to scratch as possible. Note well that this book contains no advertising, no payments have been received, unlike some guide books we could mention. And also that it has been written and researched here in Cumbria.

The nation has commented on and devoured Paul Gascoigne for years. But until now no one has ever known what it is really like to be Gazza. Here Gascoigne, in the company of his therapist, confronts his demons and takes the reader into the recesses of his mind. The triggers that plunged Gascoigne into dark despair are revealed together with the critical moments that influenced his alcoholism, depression, drug abuse, gambling, eating disorders and compulsive behaviour. This is more than the story of one man. It applies to people who face turmoil every day. Through self-assessment forms and expert advice, any reader who sees a mirror of themselves will be offered help and a way forward.

Behind every ritual of every day - waking from a dream, calling the dog in, going for a drink after work - there are figures listing the most common dreams, the most popular names for male and female dogs and the preferred afterwork activities of various people. In an all-new approach to the list format, Hunter Davies explores these quirky and compulsive statistics and their meanings, dispensing knowledge on every topic from the top 10 breakfast cereals (and the amount every household eats each year) to the things people want to do before they die. If you want to know what doctors'' slang really means, which postcards will have sold out at the Tate Gallery, what to pack if you''re ever going to join the Women''s Air Force, and what on earth the Twelve Days Of Christmas actually refer to - buy this book.

Hunter Davies is one of the most well-known and respected sports writers in the country. His most famous work, "The Glory Game", is a footballing classic still in print some 30 years since its original publication. Hunter is also a successful novelist and distinguished biographer, whose subjects include The Beatles, Dwight Yorke and Paul Gascoigne. Now, though, he describes his own extraordinary life, from growing up on a Carlisle council estate in the 1950s and his student days at Durham to his introduction to Fleet Street, his enduring obsession with football and memorabilia, and the many fascinating characters he has met, interviewed and written about over the last 40 years. It is also the intimate portrait of his marriage to teenage sweetheart Margaret Forster, herself a well-known novelist. Full of wonderful observations, warm humour and colourful anecdote - it is a memoir to treasure.

Hunter Davies loves football. And this book blows the whistle on his fifty-year love affair with the beautiful game. I Love Football provides an honest and funny look at why so many of us lose our hearts to footy. Hunter explains the sport''s history, the high and lows of supporting a team, how it felt being at 1966 World Cup, and what it''s like meeting legends like George Best and Gazza.

Much is known about the achievements of George Stephenson and of his infamous creation, the Rocket, yet little is known of the man himself. This volume is a profile of the self-taught and often testy Geordie, whose Victorian invention is now the backbone of every nation on the planet.