Nick Rennison is a writer, editor, and bookseller whose work delves into the enduring myths and legends that shape our cultural landscape. He examines how iconic characters are reinterpreted across history, exploring the persistent resonance of their stories in contemporary society. Rennison's insightful analyses offer readers a deeper appreciation for the enduring power of these archetypal figures.
Sherlock Holmes: The Unauthorized Biography blends what we already know of the great sleuth's career with carefully documented social history to answer the questions admirers have long puzzled over. Nick Rennison reveals for the first time Holmes's influence on the political events of late 19th-century England and his connections to the British criminal underworld. It also brings to light his close friendships with key figures of the day, including Oscar Wilde and Sigmund Freud, and exposes the truth about his cocaine use.
The Rivals of Philip Marlowe - Stories from the Golden Age of the American Pulp Magazines
352 pages
13 hours of reading
Set in the 1930s, this anthology showcases a collection of thrilling stories featuring the rivals of the iconic private detective Philip Marlowe, who first emerged in the magazine Black Mask. It highlights the hard-boiled American detective genre, presenting a variety of characters and narratives that capture the essence of this gritty literary tradition. Nick Rennison curates these tales, offering readers a glimpse into the world of crime and investigation that shaped Marlowe's legacy.
1974 was a year of major changes around the world. The roots of many aspects
of today's societies which we take for granted lie in the 1970s and
particularly in this, the pivotal year of the decade....
More than 350 major authors, from Margaret Atwood to Mile Zola, through Bruce Chatwin, Aldous Huxley, and Nevil Shute, are arranged in alphabetical order, each with a short article on style, influences, settings, theme, along with a list of their salient works. At the end of each entry, a Read On" section directs readers to similar works by other authors."
The book presents a comprehensive overview of contemporary British novelists, highlighting prominent authors such as Iain Banks, Jeanette Winterson, and Salman Rushdie. Each entry provides essential biographical details and insightful analyses of their major works and themes. With extensive cross-referencing and recommendations for further reading, it serves as an invaluable resource for students and enthusiasts of modern British fiction, offering a clear entry point into the diverse literary landscape of contemporary Britain.
It is 1870. When amateur archaeologist Adam Carver and his loyal but obdurate retainer Quint are visited in their lodgings in London's Doughty Street by an attractive young woman, their landlady is not pleased. The visitor's arrival pitches Carver and Quint headlong into an elaborate mystery which comes to centre on the existence (or not) of a lost text in Ancient Greek, one that may reveal the whereabouts of the treasure hoard of Philip II of Macedonia. Two deaths soon ensue as master and manservant follow what clues they can grasp in the roughest and most genteel parts of the teeming metropolis, with the whiff of cordite and blackmail never far from their nostrils. The scene shifts to Athens and the wilder fastness of a Greece gripped by political unrest as Carver and Quint join forces with Adam's former Cambridge tutor in an attempt to track down the elusive text. But nothing is quite what it seems, and no one involved is prepared for the final, shocking denouement amidst the extraordinary hilltop monasteries of Meteora...
Sherlock Holmes is the most famous fictional detective ever created. The supremely rational sleuth and his dependable companion, Dr Watson, will forever be associated with the gaslit and smog-filled streets of late nineteenth and early twentieth century London. Yet Holmes and Watson were not the only ones solving mysterious crimes and foiling the plans of villainous masterminds in Victorian and Edwardian England. There were countless imitators in the genre, and this volume highlights some of those 'Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'.
A large number of people every year make their reading decisions on the basis
of shortlists for major prizes like the Booker and Orange Prize for Fiction.
This new title in the successful Must-Read Series provides an overview of
fiction which has won prizes over the decades.
"Sherlock Holmes was the most famous detective to stride through the pages of late Victorian and Edwardian fiction, but he was not the only one. He had plenty of rivals. Some of the most memorable of these were women: they were "Sherlock's Sisters." This exciting, unusual anthology gathers together 15 stories written by women or featuring female detectives. They include Dorcas Dene, Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, Hagar the Gypsy, Judith Lee and Madelyn Mack. Editor Nick Rennison has already compiled several highly entertaining collections of stories from what he considers a golden age of crime fiction, including The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, More Rivals of Sherlock Holmes and Supernatural Sherlocks. His latest anthology turns the spotlight on the women detectives who could more than match their male counterparts" --Amazon.ca
Sherlock Holmes is the most famous of all fictional detectives but, across the Atlantic, he had plenty of rivals. Between 1890 and 1920, American writers created dozens and dozens of crime-solvers. This thrilling, unusual anthology features stories about 15 of them, including Professor Augustus SFX Van Dusen, 'The Thinking Machine', even more cerebral than Holmes; Craig Kennedy, the so-called 'scientific detective'; Uncle Abner, a shrewd backwoodsman in pre-Civil War Virginia; Violet Strange, New York debutante turned criminologist; and Nick Carter, the original pulp private eye. Editor Nick Rennison gathers together often neglected tales which highlight American crime fiction's early years.
Want to become a crime novel buff, or expand your reading in your favourite
genre? With 100 of the best titles fully reviewed and a further 500
recommended, you'll quickly become an expert on the world of crime.
Want to become a classic novel buff, or expand your reading of some of the finest novels ever published? With 100 of the best titles fully reviewed and a further 500 recommended, you'll quickly set out on a journey of discovery.
1922 was a year of great turbulence and upheaval. Its events reverberated
throughout the rest of the twentieth century and still affect us today, 100
years later. In a sequence of vividly written sketches, Nick Rennison conjures
up all the drama and diversity of an extraordinary year....
The Blue Plaque scheme in London serves as a fascinating connection between people and places, marking the locations where notable historical figures have resided or contributed to culture. This initiative celebrates the legacy of remarkable individuals, offering insights into their lives and the significance of the buildings they inhabited.
How well do you know London? Here are 400 provocative, curious and humorous questions to enlighten and entertain. Even the most devoted Londoner will learn something new from these fun and wide-ranging trivia questions about London's history, monuments, architecture, famous residents, place-names, notable events, and more. A delightful way to explore the city, this fun book is a perfect stocking filler, with history ranging from obscure lore to facts and fascinating, often humorous histories. Where is the only cross-eyed statue in London and who does it depict? a) Next to the Royal Exchange in the City of London; George Peabody, the nineteenth-century American-born philanthropist b) At the point where Fetter Lane and New Fetter Lane converge; John Wilkes, the eighteenth-century politician c) Islington Green; Sir Hugh Myddleton, the seventeenth-century entrepreneur Answer: b) John Wilkes really did have a severe squint, as reproduced in the statue, but despite his looks, he was a legendary and eloquent womanizer who once said that, when meeting an attractive woman, it took him only ten minutes "to talk away his face."
Lze napsat životopis fiktivní osoby? Nick Rennison, redaktor a spisovatel, to dokazuje na příkladu Sherlocka Holmese. Provádí nás jeho životem od dětství v Yorkshire až po poslední dny v Sussexu. Autor spojuje známá fakta s událostmi viktoriánské Anglie a přináší živý obraz detektiva, který pronásledoval nebezpečné zločince a po incidentu u Reichenbašských vodopádů, kdy byl považován za mrtvého, pracoval pro britskou vládu na tajných misích v Tibetu a Persii. Sledujeme jeho vyšetřování případu Jacka Rozparovače a odhalování intrik irských nacionalistů, kteří usilovali o život královny Viktorie, stejně jako jeho roli při formování britských tajných služeb. Nová fakta o jeho úhlavním nepříteli profesoru Moriartym a hlubší pohled na přátelství s doktorem Watsonem a vztah s bratrem Mycroftem přispívají k celkovému obrazu. Holmes je detektiv bez obdoby, jehož život je spojen s mnoha legendami, které autor potvrzuje nebo vyvrací. Zobrazuje ho jako výjimečného, ale chybujícího člověka, jehož vliv na britskou historii byl větší, než jak naznačuje Watson. Holmes usiloval o udržení společenského pořádku, ale zároveň ho fascinovaly temné stránky lidské povahy a jeho minulost skrývá mnohá tajemství.
