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Bawdy But British! The Life of Douglas Byng

Bawdy But British! The Life of Douglas Byng

by Patrick Newly
Simon Callow wrote in The Guardian (29.08.09) Newley's view of this ( theatrical) world is absolutely and uniquely authentic. Of all his subjects, Byng was the biggest star . . .

Patrick Newly manages to use his affectionate closeness to Douglas Byng to reveal his life in all its stylish glory, but without any loss of shrewd objectivity. It makes a tale at once poignant and compelling. (Eric Midwinter)
Illustrated with pictures and show bills plus 6 lovely colour reproductions from Byng Ballads and More Byng Ballads by the artist Clarke Hutton.

Price: £13.50

I Say, I Say, I Say: The Double Act Story

I Say, I Say, I Say: The Double Act Story

by Eric Midwinter
Original study of 20th C British comic double acts – their historic, social & cultural origins, heyday & decline – from Victorian seaside minstrels, through between the wars cross-talk duos on stage & wireless to the huge appeal of iconic TV pairings. Brief & telling glimpses of scores of acts, with in-depth scrutiny of the more famous ‘turns’.

I Say, I Say, I Say: The Double Act StoryMore Details
In this compact and original study of British comic double acts, Eric Midwinter cheerfully attempts to answer three questions.

First, and while describing the birth of the modern double act among the minstrel shows at late Victorian seaside resorts, he wonders why there were so few double acts before the end of the First World War in 1918. He explains how cultural and even legal reasons curtailed the growth of the phenomenon. Second, he asks why, then, there was such a profusion of double acts between about 1920 and the mid-1950s. He shows how the dictates of fashion, coupled with the demands of variety and ‘wireless’, created a boom time for the crosstalk comics. Third, he inquires into the reasons why, since that point, and with the intriguing exception of Morecambe and Wise, there have been so few comic duos. He analyses the effects of television and other social dimensions on popular entertainment by way of explanation.

Throughout there are brief and telling glimpses of scores of double acts, including some American examples, together with in-depth scrutiny of the more famous ‘turns’, such as Laurel and Hardy, Flanagan and Allen, Murray and Mooney and Jewel and Warriss…and all related vividly to the social background of their audiences.

At once knowledgeable and readable, I Say, I Say, I Say is an attractively presented account of a measurable and significant element of popular entertainment over the last hundred or so years. Everyone has enjoyed a double act - the appeal of I Say, I Say, I Say is very general indeed.


Price: £11.00

You Lucky People! The Tommy Trinder Story

You Lucky People! The Tommy Trinder Story

by Patrick Newley
The life of Tommy Trinder

You Lucky People! The Tommy Trinder StoryMore Details
Published September 2008 130 pages illustrated with photographs and playbills ISBN 1898576 23 8
Tommy Trinder is himself one of the lucky people. His life story has been superbly told by the admirable Patrick Newley (Eric Midwinter).
Patrick Newley's new biography is a slim volume, but it is the equal of any fat tome, since Newley tells his story with the same sort of machine-gun delivery as Trinder worked his act. (Richard Anthony Baker in The Stage)

Price: £14.00

The Amazing Mrs Shufflewick: The Life of Rex Jameson

The Amazing Mrs Shufflewick: The Life of Rex Jameson

by Patrick Newley
'One of the most intelligent and affectionate portraits of a star I have read. If ever a biography makes a character leap to life off the page, this one does.' (Eric Midwinter)

The Amazing Mrs Shufflewick: The Life of Rex JamesonMore Details
"Unforgettable. This biography with all the laughter and desperation is a must for the bookshelf of every entertainment afficianado."
- WYN CALVIN

"A great read. A book that is written eloquently and touchingly."
- ROBERT ELMS

"I read this book to find out more about the iconic Mrs Shufflewick, but I discovered the amazingly talented Rex Jameson. It's been a delightful journey. Pour a stiff one and read this book".
- MIKE WILKINS, Gay Times

"An affectionate memoir of one of the 20th century's great drag performers."
PETER BURTON - 3Sixty Magazine

"A truly wonderful book."
- BARRY CRYER

"I loved it!"
- VICTOR SPINETTI

"Patrick Newley has written a book which is almost as sad as it is funny and is immensely readable."
- JOHN WADE - Encore Magazine

"Newley interweaves the text with extracts from Shuff's scripts which are so skillfully written that one can imagine how Jameson played them and get a real flavour of what meeting Mrs Shufflewick was really like. For those who saw Mrs S live, this is a wonderful reminder of that talent and a fitting tribute clearly written with
great affection."
- TOM HOWARD - Rogues and Vagabonds

"A book that is both very funny and very sad. Patrick Newley is a superb anecdotalist, who does not fail us here."
- RICHARD ANTHONY BAKER - The Stage

120 pages ISBN 1 898576 21 1

Price: £13.50

The People\'s Jesters: 20th Century British Comedians

The People's Jesters: 20th Century British Comedians

by Eric Midwinter
An absorbing exercise in nostalgia as well as a fascinating study of much-loved comedians and how they worked.

The People\More Details
"Meticulously researched and vastly entertaining." - The Stage Newspaper.
232 pages 248mm x 178mm paperback ISBN 1 898576 25 4 2006

Price: £16.00

Best Remembered: A Hundred Stars of Yesteryear

Best Remembered: A Hundred Stars of Yesteryear

by Eric Midwinter. Illustrated with original caricatures by Rufus Segar.
From the '20s to the '50s these British and other stars achieved fame through radio, cinema, stage, dance hall, theatre, variety hall and sporting fields. A trigger for memory and a fascinating record of social history.

Best Remembered: A Hundred Stars of YesteryearMore Details
248mm x 178mm paperback ISBN 1898576180 Feb 2002

Price: £12.45

As One Stage Door Closes... The Story of John Wade, Jobbing Conjuror

As One Stage Door Closes... The Story of John Wade, Jobbing Conjuror

by Eric Midwinter
A magician's life seen through the eye of a social historian. An amazing career is chronicled through times of great change in the entertainment industry.

As One Stage Door Closes... The Story of John Wade, Jobbing ConjurorMore Details
167 pages ISBN 1898576 300

Price: £13.50

How to be a Merry Widow

How to be a Merry Widow

by Mary Rogers. Spicely illustrated by Mig.
Life after death for the older lady. If you are looking for a politically correct, objective view of how to cope with bereavement – do NOT buy this book!

How to be a Merry WidowMore Details
Mary Rogers writes with candour and humour, in a deeply personal style. She manages to be funny, moving and at the same time, practical.

This is a book about coming to terms with widowhood after the shock of bereavement has begun to ease.

Mary says . . . I am writing this in my first year of living alone. Although there have been times when I would have given the rest of my life for five minutes in his arms, there is a positive side to being single again and losing a husband sometimes means finding oneself.

Chapters include: Farewell Loneliness; Hello Friends; Keeping Your Status; Couples, Romance And Sex; The Meaning Of Loss; Feeling Safe; Go For Comedy ~ Go For Culture; Solo Housekeeping; Food Glorious Food; Going Places; Someone For The Weekend, Madam? and, Moving On Mary Rogers also addresses the widow’s all-important skill . . . the ability to say ‘No’.

Mig’s illustrations add just the right amount of spice to Mary Roger’s food for thought.

166 pages ISBN 1 898576 20 4

Price: £14.00

Defining Women... On Mature Reflection

Defining Women... On Mature Reflection

Edited by Dianne Norton and illustrated by Mig
Mature women writing on a wide range of thought provoking subjects. With contributions from Jan Etherington, Germaine Greer, Anne Widdecombe and sixteen extraordinary ordinary women.

Visit the Wonderful Older Women page for more information and resources of interest to older women.

Defining Women... On Mature ReflectionMore Details
Of interest to groups who want to read and discuss together as well as individuals who just want a stimulating read. Readers are challenged to think about their own lives in a variety of ways - write your own ‘alphabiography’, obituary or soap opera.

Gwen Parrish writes:

When Dianne Norton (one of the four founders of U3A in the UK) invited a cross-section of older women to write about their life experiences for her recently published Third Age Press book "Defining Women", she struck an exceptionally rich vein. Apart from three 'celebs' - Jan Etherington, Anne Widdecombe and Germaine Greer - the contributors are sixteen extraordinary 'ordinary' women, demonstrating Dianne's point that older women are as distinctive as men and women in any other age group and it is insulting for the media to lump us all together as "the elderly", no longer worthy of individual attention.

Dianne's aim in producing the book was not only to prove this attitude absurd, but to 'light a spark in other people's minds' and stimulate interesting and fruitful discussion about relevant issues. (Discussion group leaders please note - this could prove a very useful book).

The contributors rose magnificently to the occasion, delving deep into their personal experiences and laying bare their innermost feelings as they met a variety of challenges: taking a gap year off from domesticity to trawl the world solo, marathon running, bog snorkelling and wing walking (at 70-plus), and caring for partners with degenerative diseases. There are reports of research into the film industry - why aren't older actresses chosen more often to play appropriate parts and why are younger models used to advertise cosmetics and other items specifically aimed at the 60- plus market? Marriage is put under the spotlight and so is grandmothering. The quality of writing is superb. Mig's cartoons are a delight.

The book includes details of over twenty organisations of interest to older women, starting with "Growing Old Disgracefully' (not as shocking as it sounds) to U3A, Age Exchange and Older and Bolder (NIACE), not forgetting the Fawcett Society and Grandparents Plus.

160 pages

Price: £14.00

Women\'s History: Our Grandmothers, Our Mothers, Ourselves

Women's History: Our Grandmothers, Our Mothers, Ourselves

Edited by Charmian Cannon
Eleven women in a U3A group studying women’s hidden social history explored their grandmothers', their mothers' and their own lives. They covered two world wars and many social and political changes affecting women.

Women\More Details
'They exchanged experiences of education, work and home life . . . . a very special book, as valuable to the serious student of history as it is fascinating for the ordinary reader.' Third Age News

200 pages

Price: £9.60

500 Beacons: the U3A Story

500 Beacons: the U3A Story

by Eric Midwinter
The origins, development, current position & future aspirations of the University of the Third Age in the UK.

500 Beacons: the U3A StoryMore Details
"500 Beacons is a massive piece of research, meticulously conducted but simply and entertainingly presented." - F. Beckett, U3A News

ISBN 1898576 81 5. 2004. 320 pages

Price: £13.50

Novel Approaches: A Guide to the Popular Classic Novel

Novel Approaches: A Guide to the Popular Classic Novel

by Eric Midwinter
35 classic novels (1600 - 2000) - mini-reviews set in social and historical context - spiced with literary analysis. Challenging, stimulating and absorbing. Includes notes on how to use the book.

Novel Approaches: A Guide to the Popular Classic NovelMore Details
Ideal for book clubs, study groups or individuals- whether re-reading favourites or coming fresh to the novel- every reader will arrive at a new or unique perception of each book.

ISBN 1 898576 35 1 Nov 2003 180 pp

Price: £10.50

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