Celebrity Biographies

The explosive new book from Britain’s leading investigative biographer, Tom Bower As one of the most famous and influential couples in the world, David and Victoria Beckham have attained iconic status. The ultimate power couple have together built a multi-billion-dollar global brand. For decades, adoring fans have been captivated by the glamorous world they have created, while their unrivalled fusion of showbiz, fashion, football and celebrity has been cultivated alongside the image of a strong marriage. When the much-trailed Netflix documentary Beckham aired in 2023, viewers were offered an even more intimate insight into their private lives. Produced by the Beckhams themselves, the series raised many questions, not only about their success and personal relationship, but also about the ruthlessly successful management of their image in the media. Are their lives really as perfect as the Beckhams would like the world to believe? Through extensive research, expert sourcing and interviews with insiders, Britain’s most celebrated investigative biographer, Tom Bower, has unearthed a succession of revelations that give surprising insight into the reality of ‘Brand Beckham’. Exploring the couple’s relationship, and the truth about their football and fashion careers, their finances and their new life in Miami, The House of Beckham unravels the extraordinary reality of the business-savvy cultural icons to tell an engrossing, often astonishing story of money, sex and power. Product Information:  • ISBN: 9780008638870 • Author: Tom Bower • Publisher: HarperCollins • Format:  Hardcover • Pages: 384 • Dimensions: 15.9 x 3.8 x 24 cm

After three years, Jeremy Clarkson has discovered the golden rule of farming: Whatever you hope will happen, won't. Enthusiastic schemes to diversify face defeat at the hands of the Council Planning department, or derision from Kaleb. Jeremy's plans for a business empire founded on rewilding and nettle soup are doubted by Lisa. And the stifling thickets of red tape keep only one person smiling – Cheerful Charlie, who charges by the hour. But the animals couldn’t be happier. A rented bull called Break-Heart Maestro is delighting the cows. The pigs are bringing home the bacon. And the goats are . . . most probably psychopaths. Yet on the good days it hard not to be optimistic. Where else do you get to harvest blackberries with a vacuum cleaner? Maybe it’s not just Break-heart Maestro who gets a happy ending? Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781405961424 • Author: Jeremy Clarkson   • Publisher: Penguin • Format: Paperback • Pages: 192 • Dimensions: 12.9 x 1.2 x 19.7cm

His 1970 breakthrough single ’Your Song’ began his domination of the pop charts and established his credentials to fill the post-Beatles landscape with his unique take on piano-based rock and pop ballads.  Not since 50s stars Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard had a man and his piano made such an impact on modern music. Few would have imagined that Elton’s early success and real emotional connection with his fans would be sustained over the next 50 years to see him become a singer-songwriter extraordinaire and one of the most successful musical theatre composers in history. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781915343109 • Author: Carolyn McHugh  • Publisher:  Sona Books • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  114 • Dimensions: 20.96 x 1.52 x 26.67 cm

Being a Rambling Man was what I always wanted to be, to live the way I damn well pleased. I've met the weirdest and most wonderful people who walk the Earth, seen the most bizarre and the most fantastic sights - and I've rarely come across something I couldn't get a laugh at. I don't think I've ever had a bad trip. Well, apart from in the 1970s, but that's a whole other story... When Billy set out from Glasgow as a young man he never looked back. He played his banjo on boats and trains, under trees, and on top of famous monuments. He danced naked in snow, wind and fire. He slept in bus stations, under bridges and on strangers' floors. He travelled by foot, bike, ship, plane, sleigh - even piggy-backed - to get to his next destination. Billy has wandered to every corner of the earth and believes that being a Rambling Man is about more than just travelling - it's a state of mind. Rambling Men and Women are free spirits who live on their wits, are interested in people and endlessly curious about the world. They love to play music, make art or tell stories along the way but, above all, they have a longing in their heart for the open road. In his joyful new book, Billy explores this philosophy and how it has shaped him, and he shares hilarious new stories from his lifetime on the road. From riding his trike down America's famous Route 66, building an igloo on an iceberg in the Arctic, playing elephant polo (badly) in Nepal and crashing his motorbike (more than once), to eating witchetty grubs in Australia, being serenaded by a penguin in New Zealand, and swapping secrets in a traditional Sweat Lodge ritual in Canada, Rambling Man is a truly global adventure with the greatest possible travel companion.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781399802574 • Author: Billy Connolly  • Publisher:  Two Roads • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  320 • Dimensions: 16.4 x 3.6 x 24.3 cm

Calling all Swifties! This brand new, fully up to date book has everything that fans need to know about Taylor Swift. Follow her journey from country music sensation to global megastar. Discover the hidden meanings behind her greatest songs, find out about her life as a performer and movie star, and read all kinds of quotes and TayTay trivia. Take a quiz to see how well you know Taylor, and even work out how to adopt all her different styles. You'll even join her on her current Eras world tour, and discover the story behind this amazing international event – including best songs and most momentous moments. This is an unmissable book for anyone who loves Taylor Swift! Product Information:  • ISBN: 9781839352867 • Author: Mortimer Children's Books • Publisher: Welbeck Children's Books • Format:  Hardcover • Pages: 64 • Dimensions: 21.8 x 1.2 x 28.6 cm

Are you a dedicated Swiftie? Look no further for your fandom fix than this Era by Era biography. Celebrate the incredible career of pop music’s biggest star in this sparkling biography. We’re all living in the Taylor Swift Era. Since her 2006 debut album she’s sold more than 200 million records, sold out countless arenas and become one of the most influential artists of her generation. Her Eras Tour is on track to gross more than $1 billion by the time it concludes in December 2024, and her most recent studio album hit No. 1 in more than 25 countries. In this revealing and entertaining biography, author and music journalist Caroline Sullivan charts Taylor’s journey from budding country starlet to pop music phenomenon, encompassing her evolution as an artist, her high-profile relationships and the stories behind her songs. Each of Taylor’s Eras is explored in depth, detailing her influences, her collaborators and the aesthetics that have become such a crucial part of her performance. Featuring a stunning photographic section with pictures spanning her entire career, this is the most complete portrait yet of one of the most popular artists on the planet! Product Information:  • ISBN: 9781789296860 • Author: Caroline Sullivan • Publisher: Michael O’Mara • Format: Paperback • Pages: 256 • Dimensions: 15.2 x 3.2 x 23.2cm

So, I’ve written a book. I have decided to write these stories just as I have always done, in my own hand. The joy that I have felt from chronicling these tales is not unlike listening back to a song that I’ve recorded and can’t wait to share with the world, or reading a primitive journal entry from a stained notebook, or even hearing my voice bounce between the Kiss posters on my wall as a child.  From hitting the road with Scream at 18 years old, to my time in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, jamming with Iggy Pop or playing at the Academy Awards or dancing with AC/DC and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, drumming for Tom Petty or meeting Sir Paul McCartney at Royal Albert Hall, bedtime stories with Joan Jett or a chance meeting with Little Richard, to flying halfway around the world for one epic night with my daughters…the list goes on.  I look forward to focusing the lens through which I see these memories a little sharper for you with much excitement.  Product Information: • ISBN: 9781398503724 • Author: Dave Grohl • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK • Format: Paperback • Pages: 384 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 13 x 2.7 cm

Global superstar, songwriter, singer and Princess of Pop Britney Spears tells all in her heartfelt and honest memoir that portrays her rise to fame, tumultuous relationship with her father, controversial conservatorship, widely documented mental health struggles and so much more. Battling with a parent to take control of your own life at the age of 39 seems impossible. But this is where superstar Britney Spears found herself, 13 years into a conservatorship constructed by her father. In June 2021, the whole world was listening as she spoke in open court for the first time, delivering a bombshell statement in which she described the complex legal arrangement as abusive and condemned the actions of her own father, Jamie. The impact of voicing her truth was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history. Written with remarkable candour and humour, Spears's ground-breaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last. Product Information:  • ISBN: 9781398522541  • Author: Britney Spears • Publisher: Gallery UK • Format:  Paperback • Pages: 288 • Dimensions:  13 x 1.7 x 19.8cm

Another year on the Diddly Squat Farm and Jeremy is still knee-deep in mud and endless challenges. Welcome back to Clarkson's Farm. Since taking the wheel three years ago Jeremy's had his work cut out. And it's now clear from hard-won experience that, when it comes to farming, there's only one golden rule: Whatever you hope will happen, won't. Enthusiastic schemes to diversify have met with stubborn opposition from the red trouser brigade, defeat at the hands of Council Planning department, and predictable derision from Kaleb - although, to be fair, even Lisa had doubts about Jeremy's brilliant plan to build a business empire founded on rewilding and nettle soup. And only Cheerful Charlie is still smiling about the stifling amount of red tape that's incoming... But he charges by the hour. Then there are the animals: the sheep are gone; the cows have been joined by a rented bull called Break-Heart Maestro;. the pigs are making piglets; and the goats have turned out to be psychopaths. But despite the naysayers and (sometimes self-inflicted) setbacks, Jeremy remains irrepressibly optimistic about life at Diddly Squat. Because It's hard not to be when you get to harvest blackberries with a vacuum cleaner. And, after all, it shouldn't just be Break-heart Maestro who gets to enjoy a happy ending...  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780241674895 • Author:  Jeremy Clarkson • Publisher:  Michael Joseph • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  192 • Dimensions: 15.2 x 2.6 x 23.6 cm

From declaring my love to Vanessa Redgrave to being fed cockroaches by Steve Buscemi, from turnip-based comedy with Blackadder to being farted on by Arnold Schwarzenegger, from Graham Norton's sofa to Alan Cumming's campervan, my life has been (and continues to be) a riotous adventure. Oh Miriam! has been such a constant refrain in my life, said in all kinds of tones - laughs, surprised gasps and orgasmic sighs (I'm hoping for all those from you as you read on!) - that it had to be the title of this book. And with a castlist that stretches from Churchill to di Caprio, Dahl to Dietrich, Princess Margaret to Maggie Smith, I've got so much more to tell you and so much more to say. My chapters range from 'How to Stay Married' to 'Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down'. Discover how to break the thickest conversational ice; why swearing is actually good for you (though not on the Today programme); the unexpected things I actually learnt at school and what my Spice Girl name would be. Not to mention my Tale of the Unexpected and my very own Vagina Monologue. Buckle up and join me on another unforgettable adventure, but this time through my heart and head...  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781399803359 • Author: Miriam Margolyes • Publisher:  John Murray • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  336 • Dimensions: 15.29 x 1.78 x 23.39 cm 

The story of pop legend Dusty Springfield from the people who knew her, from her troubled childhood to 60s mod queen and enduring music icon. Dusty Springfield was one of our greatest pop singers. From 60s hits like ‘I Only Want to be With You’, ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ and ‘You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me’ to her 80s collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys and beyond, she was a musical pioneer and the very essence of authentic white soul. A member of the US Rock and Roll and UK Music Halls of Fame, international polls have named Dusty among the best female pop artists of all time. Twenty-five years after her passing, she continues to fascinate and inspire. This classic biography is based on over forty-five original interviews with close friends and people who worked with her, including Sir Tom Jones, Lulu, legendary arranger Ivor Raymonde, and the late, great Atlantic Records trio, Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin, with whom she recorded her classic album Dusty In Memphis. The book fully explores her life and legacy, from a troubled Home Counties childhood to 60s mod queen and solo star, to her struggles with addiction and mental health issues, to her status as an influential LGBT heroine and enduring pop icon.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781789295863 • Author:  Lucy O'Brien • Publisher:  Michael O'Mara • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  304 • Dimensions:  12.9 x 2.2 x 19.8 cm

Paul Merson’s wonderfully moving and brutally honest memoir of battling addiction for three decades. For twenty-one years Paul Merson played professional football. He won two First Division titles with Arsenal and was one of the finest players of his generation. But for thirty years Paul Merson has also been an addict. Alcohol, drugs, gambling: a desperately unenviable cocktail of addictions and depression which has plagued his entire adult life and driven him to the verge of suicide. ‘I’ve come to realise that I’m powerless over alcohol … I’m an alcoholic. My drinking and gambling have left a lot of wreckage.’ Until recently the drinking and gambling were still raging. ‘I wanted to kill myself. I couldn’t go on anymore. I just couldn’t see a way out.’ Then something clicked. ‘One day, I was walking home from the pub late on a Sunday evening, and I thought to myself: I’ve had enough of feeling like this, every day of my life. I rang up Alcoholics Anonymous the next day, and since then I haven’t had a drink.’ Hooked will kick-start a crucial national conversation about addiction, depression and the damage they wreak. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781472282569 • Author: Paul Merson • Publisher: Headline • Format: Paperback • Pages: 304 • Dimensions: 13.02 x 1.91 x 20 cm

Alan Rickman remains one of the most beloved actors of all time across almost every genre, from his breakout role as Die Hard's villainous Hans Gruber to his heart-wrenching run as Professor Severus Snape, and beyond. His air of dignity, his sonorous voice and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate new audiences today. But Rickman's artistry wasn't confined to just his performances. Rickman's writing details the extraordinary and the ordinary in a way that is anecdotal, indiscreet, witty, gossipy and utterly candid. He takes us behind the scenes on films and plays ranging from Sense & Sensibility, the Harry Potter series, Private Lives, My Name Is Rachel Corrie and many more. The diaries run from 1993 to his death in 2016 and offer insight into both a public and private life. Here is Rickman the consummate professional actor, but also the friend, the traveller, the fan, the director, the enthusiast: in short, the real Alan Rickman. Here is a life fully lived, all detailed in intimate and characteristically plain-spoken prose. Reading the diaries is like listening to Rickman chatting to a close friend.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781838854805 • Author:  Alan Rickman  • Publisher:  Canongate Books • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  496 • Dimensions:  12.9 x 3 x 19.8 cm

Dive into the incredible career of one of the biggest celebrities of all time, Will Smith! This brave and inspiring autobiography traces his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned. Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had. From a fearful child in tense West Philadelphia home to one of the biggest rap stars of his era and then one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood history, with a string of box office successes that will likely never be broken, is an epic tale of inner transformation and outer triumph, and Will tells it astonishingly well. But it's only half the story. Will Smith thought, with good reason, that he had won at life- not only was his own success unparalleled, his whole family was at the pinnacle of the entertainment world. Only they didn't see it that way- they felt more like star performers in his circus, a seven-days-a-week job they hadn't signed up for. It turned out Will Smith's education wasn't nearly over. This memoir is the product of a profound journey of self-knowledge, a reckoning with all that your will can get you and all that it can leave behind. Written with the help of Mark Manson, is the story of how one exceptional man mastered his own emotions, written in a way that can help everyone else do the same. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781529158281 • Author:  Will Smith & Mark Manson • Publisher:  Penguin • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  432 • Dimensions:  12.9 x 2.7 x 19.8 cm 

BAFTA-winning actor, creator of a myriad of unforgettable characters from Lady Whiteadder to Professor Sprout, Miriam Margolyes, OBE, is the nation's favourite (and naughtiest) treasure. Now, at the age of 80, she has finally decided to tell her extraordinary life story - and it's well worth the wait. Find out how being conceived in an air-raid gave her curly hair; what pranks led to her being known as the naughtiest girl Oxford High School ever had and why Bob Monkhouse was the best (male) kiss she's ever had. From declaring her love to Vanessa Redgrave to being told to be quiet by the Queen, this book is packed with brilliant, hilarious stories. With a cast list stretching from Scorsese to Streisand, a cross-dressing Leonardo di Caprio to Isaiah Berlin, This Much Is True is as warm and honest, as full of life and surprises, as its inimitable author. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529379907 • Author: Miriam Margolyes • Publisher: John Murray • Format: Paperback • Pages: 448 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm

A definitive and intriguing biography of Max Verstappen, Formula 1's superstar, Lewis Hamilton's great rival and the three-time winner of the World Drivers' Championship. No Hollywood scriptwriter could possibly have envisioned the breathless, adrenaline-pumping climax to the 2021 Formula 1 season. On the very last lap of the final race of an unbelievably arduous and controversial season, Red Bull's Max Verstappen nervelessly overtook the seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes to clinch the first place that thrust the young prodigy to the narrowest of victories and to his first World Drivers' title. He followed up by taking the 2022 and 2023 titles as well. Verstappen may only be 26 years of age, but the Dutch motorsport sensation has an incredible record in F1. This young man has already left an indelible mark on the sport. The son of F1 driver Jos, Verstappen junior quickly stepped out of his father's shadow: his youthful charisma, ferocious speed, fearless driving style and refusal to back down mark him out as a true champion. And the phenomenal success of Netflix's Drive to Survive documentary series has elevated his worldwide popularity still further. Widely respected motorsport writer and F1 insider Mark Hughes is perfectly placed to write the most authoritative narrative on Verstappen's incredible rise through the ranks to F1 glory. Hughes' immaculate credentials and first-rate access enable him to generate fresh and fascinating insights, and to paint a fully-rounded and richly-textured portrait of one of the most exciting young sportsmen on the planet.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781472299048 • Author:  Mark Hughes • Publisher:  Headline • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  352 • Dimensions:   15.4 x 3.6 x 23.6 cm

The long-awaited return of the comedy national treasure... Blockbusters, Baywatch… Mastermind, Moonlighting… Porridge, Parkinson… Peter Kay takes you on a journey into the wonders of TV –back to the days when Dusty Bin was a household name, Robin of Sherwood was a pin-up and the Brookside siege was the event of the year. For a young telly-loving Peter growing up in Bolton, TV meant Sunday bath nights with a black-and-white portable, the unbridled excitement of the new Christmas TV guide and his elderly neighbour’s inconvenient hearing problem. Here, for the first time, he collects his TV memories and adventures together in this brilliant book. Join Peter as he finds success on the small screen, leaving his own unique footprint in the golden age of TV: from making tea at Granada Studios and marching along to ‘(Is This the Way to) Amarillo’ to hanging out in the Rovers Return, having run-ins with Bernard Manning and starring in possibly the worst Doctor Who episode of all time. You’ll go behind the scenes of the legendary Phoenix Nights, take The Road to Nowhere with Max & Paddy and discover how Peter created his BAFTA-winning performance in Car Share. So sit back and enjoy a journey through the wonderful world of television. Endearing, sidesplittingly funny and utterly unforgettable – T.V. sees Peter Kay at his vivid, nostalgic and hilarious best.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780008623319 • Author: Peter Kay • Publisher: HarperCollins • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  320 • Dimensions:  15.9 x 3.6 x 24 cm

In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life. Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4, and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds. Billy became a folk musician with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart. As a young comedian Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken, but his stand-up was full of warmth and silliness too. His startling, hairy 'glam-rock' stage appearance - wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots - only added to his appeal. Billy's stand-up comedy continued- for over 50 years, in fact - until a double diagnosis of cancer and Parkinson's Disease brought his remarkable live performances to an end. Since then, he has continued making TV shows, creating extraordinary drawings... and writing. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529318272 • Author: Billy Connolly • Publisher: Two Roads • Format: Paperback • Pages: 400 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 3.4 cm

Comprising a vivid and varied series of miniature biographies, revealing profiles, thought-provoking essays and a multitude of previously unknown anecdotes and quotes... Elton John's biography is the perfect compendium for the casual fan or devoted connoisseur, providing a funny, comprehensive and fully alphabetised overview of the star's life and music. Charting all the highs and lows, the major record releases and the significant tours, the strokes of genius and the bottoms of barrels, this insightful portrait will cover serious subjects such as Elton's battle with the media, his highly publicised addictions, his route to sobriety, his tangled love life and his struggles to come to terms with his sexuality, hair loss and temper. But, as Elton himself always does so well in the hundreds of interviews he has given over the past half-century, his stories will also be told frankly and humorously, his demons now conquered and his success unrelenting. And at the heart of this book is a joyride through one of the all-time greatest musical catalogues from a brilliant, versatile, glamorous and universally loved pop superstar. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781788708623 • Author: Mick Wall  • Publisher:  Nine Eight Books • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  400 • Dimensions: 16.2 x 3.3 x 24 cm

The seven rules to follow to realise your true purpose in life-distilled by Arnold Schwarzenegger from his own journey of ceaseless reinvention and extraordinary achievement, and available for absolutely anyone. The world's greatest bodybuilder. The world's highest paid movie star. The leader of the world's sixth largest economy. That these are the same person sounds like the setup to a joke. But this is no joke. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger. And this did not happen by accident. Arnold's stratospheric success happened as part of a process. As the result of clear vision, big thinking, hard work, direct communication, resilient problem-solving, open-minded curiosity, and a commitment to giving back. All of it guided by the one lesson Arnold's father hammered into him above all: be useful. As Arnold conquered every realm he entered, he kept his father's adage close to his heart. Written with his uniquely earnest, blunt, powerful voice, BE USEFUL takes readers on an inspirational tour through Arnold's toolkit for a meaningful life. Arnold shows us how to put those tools to work, in service of whatever fulfilling future we can dream up for ourselves. He brings his insights to vivid life with compelling personal stories, life-changing successes and life-threatening failures alike--some of them famous, some told here for the first time ever. Too many of us struggle to disconnect from our self-pity and connect to our purpose. At an early age, Arnold forged the mental tools to build the ladder out of the poverty and narrow-mindedness of his rural Austrian hometown, tools he used to add rung after rung from there. Now he has shared that wisdom with all of us. As he puts it, no one is going to come rescue you -- you only have yourself. The good news, it turns out, is that you are all you need.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781529146530 • Author: Arnold Schwarzenegger • Publisher:  Ebury Edge • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  288 • Dimensions: 14.4 x 2.8 x 22.2 cm