Wison Books

Charles Dickens was a remarkable public performer and orator, known as one of the most prominent figures of the Victorian era. Despite his youthful energy, he appeared older than his fifty-eight years at his death, which was marked by a large funeral at Westminster Abbey, contrary to his wishes for a modest event. Dickens experienced the highs and lows of life during this period, becoming not just a creator of beloved literary characters but embodying some of them himself. The narrative reflects on key events in his life, aiming to uncover the sources of his creative genius and lasting appeal. Tracing his journey from childhood to adulthood, it becomes evident that his fiction was deeply influenced by his own experiences, including a challenging upbringing and the struggles he faced, such as the fallout from a troubled marriage. A.N. Wilson goes beyond conventional biography to explore the roots of Dickens's vibrant imagination, shedding light on why his works captivated nineteenth-century audiences and continue to resonate with readers today.

Features patriotic works from word-smiths such as Hilaire Belloc, G K Chesterton, Rudyard Kipling and the lyrics of Gilbert and Sullivan.

a tale of human courage and resistance' - Lady Antonia Fraser'I loved this book, not read without shedding a tear, reminding us that true democracy goes hand-in-hand with true kingship' - Roy Strong

This work includes A.N. Wilson on 'The Gospel According to Matthew', Nick Cave on 'The Gospel According to Mark', Richard Holloway on 'The Gospel According to Luke', Blake Morrison on 'The Gospel According to John' and the King James Bible text of all four Gospels.

A. N. Wilson has been thinking about the Bible, and reading it, since he read theology for a year at university. Martin Luther King was 'reading the Bible' when he started the Civil Rights movement. When Michelangelo painted the fresco cycles in the Sistine Chapel, he was 'reading the Bible'. In The Book of the People A. N. Wilson explores how readers and thinkers have approached the Bible, and how it might be read today. Charting his own relationship with the Bible over a lifetime of writing, Wilson argues that it remains relevant even in a largely secular society, as a philosophical work, a work of literature and a cultural touchstone that the western world has answered to for nearly two thousand years. He challenges the way fundamentalists whether believers or non-believers - have misused the Bible, either by neglecting and failing to recognize its cultural significance, or by using it as a weapon against those with whom they disagree. Erudite, witty and accessible, The Book of the People seeks to reclaim the Good Book as our seminal work of literature, and a book for the imagination.

The narrative explores a revolution ignited by Goethe, emphasizing the themes of subjectivism, individualism, and the quest for freedom. Through its characters and philosophical insights, it delves into the transformative impact of these ideas on society and personal identity, showcasing the struggle for self-expression and autonomy. The book invites readers to reflect on the enduring relevance of Goethe's influence in shaping modern thought and the ongoing pursuit of liberation in various forms.

When Fanny Williams, a successful boutique owner, tries to buy an abandoned church to use as a warehouse, she learns that its architect was Oswald Fish, who has played an unsuspected role in her life

In a book that is as daring and unconventional as it is scholarly, the celebrated biographer of Tolstoy and C.S. Lewis searches for the elusive historical reality in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Wilson enables readers of every shade of faith or skepticism to discover the man who became the central figure in Western civilization and whose teachings have survived nearly 2,000 years.

The first comprehensively researched biography of Queen Victoria ever, by one of Britain's best biographers. This magnificent biography sheds new light on Victoria not just as a queen, but as a woman.

This large-format hardback offers a portrait of the Victorian era, featuring over 150 illustrations, including photographs, paintings, drawings, and cartoons from that time.

Every December, a huge Christmas tree arrives in Trafalgar Square. Bedeckedin lights, it is a shimmering, festive beacon in the heart of London. But evenmore enchanting than the twinkling decorations and scented pine is the storybehind the tree; a story of loyalty, friendship and resistance.On a cold evening in 1940, German w arships made their w ay tow ards Oslo. Itseemed inevitable that Norw ay, like so many other European nations, w ould soonsubmit to the Nazi regime. But the country's indomitable King Haakon VII refused tosurrender. Making his escape through his country tow ards the safe haven of Britain,King Haakon became an icon of hope for his people. And so, over seventy yearslater, the tree in Trafalgar Square remains as an enduring gift of thanks fromNorw ay to the people of Britain.In The King and the Christmas Tree historian A. N. W ilson artfully w eaves togetherthis tale of courage and friendship betw een nations. Richly illustrated andbeautifully told, it is a delightful Christmas cracker for everyone, young and oldalike.

The much-anticipated memoirs of A. N. Wilson, one of Britain's leading contemporary critics, both literary and cultural, and a figure celebrated for his waspish and subversive writing.

Pamela Cowper must deal with life and confront death after being diagnosed as having cancer

Rob Roy is a historical novel, taking place just before the Jacobite rising of 1715, with much of Scotland in turmoil. It is narrated by Frank Osbaldistone, the son of an English merchant who travels first to the North of England, and subsequently to the Scottish Highlands, to collect a debt stolen from his father. On the way he encounters the larger-than-life title character, Rob Roy MacGregor. Though Rob Roy is not the lead character, his personality and actions are key to the novel's development. The book was loosely adapted into a film in 1995, starring Liam Neeson, Tim Roth, and Jessica Lange.

The lives of a trio of women, Monica, Linda, and Richeldis, who in their youth shared a bachelorette flat, become entangled when Richeldis's husband Simon begins an affair with Monica

“For some reason, the very negative thoughts which she had during that interview with the rich-stockbroker woman in Kensington did not remain with her… She forgot that she despised the woman for not looking after her own children, and she forgot how much she envied and hated her for being rich enough to pay someone else to shovel her baby’s shit.”

A brilliant, controversial and insightful biography from the author of the universally acclaimed The Victorians.A.N. Wilson’s tutor at Oxford was John Bayley, and it was there that Wilson met Irish Murdoch. He remained a close friend of them both, and it was at Iris’s pleading in 1988 that he agreed to write her biography. The biography was bound to be controversial, and Wilson pulls no punches in his attack on Bayley’s own book on Iris and the portrayal of her as an Alzheimer’s victim. Instead, he gives us back the fiercely intelligent novelist and philosopher, and shows us a relationship that was deeply loving yet profoundly eccentric, and very unconventional for its day.From the Hardcover edition.

The structure of the book is chronological, with digressions. From Roman and then Norman London, we move on to Chaucer's London - the city of the Peasants Revolt, Dick Whittington and the great Livery Companies. In Tudor and Stuart London many believed the city was being wrecked by over-population, over-building and the greed of speculators. Eighteenth-century London witnessed the South Sea Bubble, gin, highwaymen and the Gordon riots; but also banking, hospitals, and the elegant design of everyday things. In the nineteenth century, expanding vigorously, the city resisted any overall make-over. With Queen Victoria came the Railway Age, which made and unmade the city. Chartism, anti-semitism, overcrowding and cholera. But engineering triumphs too. If the First World War was a nightmare happening elsewhere, the amazing six years of 1939-45 were the city's finest hour. Post-1945, property developers took over, with disastrous results. The author celebrates the cosmopolitan city that mobility and immigration have created, while deploring the `moronization' of the city, exemplified by the Millennium Dome and Ken Livingstone's 2002 London Plan.

The story of the sentimental education of a boy orphaned in World War II and brought up in a quiet English village by his aunt and his uncle, vicar of the local church.

C S Lewis was a brilliant, prolific writer and a deeply complex man, capable of inspiring both great devotion and great hostility. This acclaimed biography charts the progress of the clever chid from the 'Little End Room' of his Ulster childhood to Oxford and adult life, exploring Lewis's unwilling conversion to Christianity, the genesis of his writing and the web of his relationships.

Gemütlich sitzt der Kater in der Sonne, putzt sich und genießt die Ruhe. Manche Leute sagen verächtlich über ihn, er sei ein Streuner, ihm fehle ein halbes Ohr und er sei nicht anschmiegsam. Doch es ist eine wahre Freude, den Erzählungen dieses alten, stolzen Katers zuzuhören. Sein abenteuerliches Leben ist eine zauberhafte, amüsante und anrührende Geschichte für alle Katzenliebhaber und Fans von Nero Corleone. Der Bestseller endlich im Taschenbuch!

Andrew N. Wilson wurde 1950 in England geboren. In seiner Heimat hat er zahlreiche Biografien sowie Bücher mit historischem Hintergrund veröffentlicht.

Winifred, anglická dívka, vychovávaná původně v sirotčinci v East Grinsteadu, se v osmnácti letech provdala za syna nejrozporuplnějšího génia Německa. Je to vášnivá germanofilka, snivá wagneriánka a teutonská patriotka. Rodina Wagnerových v Německu, rozvráceném po první světové válce a zdeptaném Versailleskou smlouvou, sní o příchodu ne válečníka, neohroženého Siegfrieda, nýbrž Parsifala, mystického idealisty, vykupitelské postavy. V polovině dvacátých let se se svým Parsifalem setkají. Je jím muž s divýma očima, vídeňský operní fanatik v plstěném klobouku, pršiplášti a špatně padnoucím obleku. V jisté části německé společnosti si Hitler už udělal jméno buřičskými projevy na táborech lidu. Winifred se však domnívá, že mu může pomoci ty spíše básnivé představy uskutečnit. Hned při prvním setkání si začnou tykat, ona ho vyzve, aby jí říkal Winnie, a on se nechá překřtít na Wolfa. I Hitler stejně jako Winnie vyrostl na okraji společnosti, stejně jako ji i jeho skličovalo, že je nemožné spojit usilování o lásku s usilováním o moc, a že když člověk usiluje o moc, dospěje nakonec nevyhnutelně k ničení. Oba poznali pokořující zážitek chudoby, oba v sobě měli hněv a cítili se zneužíváni společností a oba vycítili neobyčejnou blízkost toho druhého, projevující se v lásce k opeře.

Historie britského královského rodu, místo panovníků v politickém systému země a perspektivy další existence monarchie.