This is one that would probably be a good one to teach in schools.

Simple, crisp, clear language, in the old style in which such tales were told, that conjures great images in the mind of the reader, telling a magical, extended parable / fable about a shepherd boy setting off to the pyramids to find a treasure he dreamt of.

It's about having a dream, following that dream, understanding it, and not giving up.

Very good read.

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What a tangled web we weave!

This is one for the conspiracy theorists, especially those who got entangled with the likes of The Da Vinci Code, and The Holy Blood, And The Holy Grail... Except this is work of (overt) fiction is a almost a masterpiece of deadpan satire of conspiracy theories.

In fact, given the author was an absolute master of medievalism (he knew his historical, and indeed his "historical" stuff!), this leaves those other works in the dust, due to his total command of the material in ways others can only dream of.

Essentially, within the framework of the plot, of a trio of cynical, esoteric book publishers who decide to make a little publishing enterprise by concocting a global "masterplan" based on their combined knowledge of all things "secret society", freemason, and Knights Templar etc., they weave a massive web of horseshit for their target audience, built form the accumulated mass of almost every piece of history and "history" not nailed down that you can think of...

(Seriously, almost any historical figure or place you care to mention pops up at some point, and even the most learned or familiar among you will struggle with some of these references)

...Only to discover, once dark events and happenings around them may suggest their created plan may actually be true!

.....And now it seems it may be after them.

There's plenty of twists here, naturally, and I think it may be somewhat too dense with historical reference at times, but that only serves to highlight the psyche of the conspiratorial mind, by taking it, and running further with it that most of them are able, or willing to go. It gets to be like a joke told deadpan, that just keeps going and going, and getting more and more elaborate and funnier, not necessarily because of the content, but due to the absurdity of persistence.

It is also great at breaking this down, and showing the mechanics of conspiracy, and the conspiratorial mind, and how such people are susceptible and vulnerable to such intrigues. So not only a masterpiece of satire of the whole "world" of conspiracy, but actually quite useful for those wishing to seek some objectivity... or indeed... sanity.

Ultimately, there is no conspiracy, and everybody else knows it but you :)

...Or is there?

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this is the edition first read by yr hmbl srppnt. sometime in the early-to-mid sixties, when my elder bother° borrowed it from church end public library, and the sub-teenage me glommed onto it, devoured it, and has never forgotten it since - despite having only had time to read it the once before he returned it - and couldn't remember the author, its title - nor even having read the book from my memory of the key word, ''rhiannon'', detailed description of the set-up, and the bones of the story!

° - the russian for ''brother'' is ''brat'' - and rightly so!

a superb, technically "sub-burroughsian", "planet stories"-style exotic science fiction adventure story, a true gem of its kind, with the accent almost as heavily upon the powerfully exotic setting, as upon the adventure that pits matthew carse, a low-life chancer of a man, a would-be tomb-robber, against an actual, veritable god - and against the cruel, conscienceless saurian race that rules their thalassocracy on mars of yore - exercising their dominion over all other races - including lowly humanity - upon the planet through their fawning worship of this god, and their apparent obedience of him, and his kin, and studying his technological teachings, and wielding the great powers they gain thereby without any shred of compassion, no achilles heel of any inclination towards mercy - thousands of years before our would-be tomb-robber was born. . .

- against such inhuman and uncaring, overbearing and unfeelingly callously cruel overlords, what chance does one, very far from heroic - let alone perfect - and utterly out of his depth chancer-on-the-run have ?

- this gripped the young ppint.'s imagination, as it has enthralled so many readers in the decades since first it saw the light of day.

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not all of the stories manage quite the same combination of fantasy, eccentricity, surrealism, and poetic justice of vance's own dying earth stories; but they all of them evince a blending of at least some of these characteristics: and it's a worthy addition to the dying earth canon - as well as having been a recognition jack vance could and did enjoy in his lifetime.

(n.b. merkin editions lose the "u" from the sub-title.)

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Brilliantly conceived novel.

The narrator / protagonist is a young guy with autism - possibly, specifically Asperger's, and so we view the world through his eyes, via his mind, understanding events and happenings as related to us descriptively by him as he sets about detecting, and uncovering the truth behind titular curious incident... which a neighbour's dog is "murdered" with a garden fork in the middle of the night.

But the story evolves, through this premise, way beyond it... for him, at least.

The real genius though, other relating to the reader what the autistic mind comprehends, and how, is by way of his blank description of the events, that we can see, and understand, what he cannot...

...So the story being told in his descriptions is understood, in it's meaning, of what the people he is describing are doing and saying, even though, and especially, because he cannot see or comprehend those meanings.

Usually, we get an insight through the protagonist, or a "God's eye view" of the story, but in this case, we get to see the story he is blind to, even though he is telling it; which is somewhat tragic and heart-breaking, in it's depiction of everyday life for those struggling with autism in their lives, both those who are autistic, and those who love them, and live with them, and their condition.

(Apologies if I have been innocently insensitive in my use of terms, I don't want to come across as tone deaf or condescending here, but this is the first time I feel I've come anywhere near close to appreciating what Autism is, let alone experiencing it in anyone)

I venture to suggest though, that a lot of what is written here will hit home hard for those caring for anyone like main character: Christopher, and how he drives his parents, himself, and others near to, and even past the edge sometimes, unrelenting as it is.

Perfectly framed, and actually very enjoyable.


>Two points though, after reading and looking online about this:

1. The "offensiveness" of some of the language and terms used, principally by Christopher, as a criticism, holds absolutely no water, as he himself, is incapable of any intent, but innocently, merely relating, and reporting the words, and deeds of others, who have no such excuse - he doesn't get it anyway, just states: "He / she said / did this / that", so it's completely contextualised.

2. I see actor-oid Brad Pitt owns the movie rights to this, but nothing has been forthcoming as of yet - but if he does eventually pull his thumb out of his ass and get on with making this happen, he needs to make it (In my opinion) along the lines of an independent, mid to lower budget affair, along the lines of, say... Juno, in tone and style, rather throwing money at it, and making some huge, toe curling, and by virtue of this - offensively, and tone deaf "Hollywood" style movie.

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- well, what else could one do with dorian hawkmoon's brain ?°

° - see back cover blurb...

gloom, doom and the depths of despondency doing duty providing a typically moorcockian dark flavour to this stage in the central character's career towards his eventual but certain early death - or worse(!) - michael moorcock pretty much defined this style or school of sword'n'sorcery, not as a tame copy of robert e. howard's simple strongarm swordsman, but one ever at risk of being cheated or downright double-crossed by his temporary employers, even - perhaps especially (?) - if they gain very nearly all they hire his swords to win.

moorcock also introduced the idea of a constant struggle between opposing forces aimed at or personifying the dedication to the imposition of unalterable law, implacable and cruel in the name of justice - and the drive towards the ultimate chaos of purest entropy, equally unlovable and unlivable-with by humanity, a discord driving events as powerful as - or totally replacing - the hitherto traditional fantasy dichotomy of good and evil.

- and he loathed & hated tolkien's "the lord of the rings" - ignore the idiotic lancer books cover blurb.

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"Piggyback & Container Traffic is an excellent primer for historians and model railroaders interested in this significant category of railroad business. I remember piggybacks and I wonder where in the world one would have to go not to find an intermodal container? The author introduces the book with comments about just how enormous of a task it would be to write a full history of the subjects, and ends the book with a large bibliography of sources, as well as the sidebar Finding train information. This book is full of photographs and other graphics. The text is very detailed and yet easy to follow. I have no meaningful complaints and happily recommend this book". - Fred Boucher, KitMaker.net

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a novel of a relationship under pressure as a couple decide to abstain from sex during a countryside stay as the rich, dilletante husband attempts to write a novel; things are complicated when the wife reveals that her husband's barber has tried to molest her sexually...

- definitely not ''a romance category'' novel in the mills & boon/harlequin romance tradition.

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climactic novel of two of the main themes of the darkover series,q.v.;

the relationship between the expanding terran empire, mainly benignly and protectively inclined towards darkover, but very interested in the power of the darkovan mental gifts or talents, and the privileged mentally talented darkovan aristocracy, jealous of their wealth, position and political power, for which they have paid a high price over generations, not least in the selective breeding to produce and concentrate particular laran powers, originally the sole guarantee of human survival upon this planet, as well as of these immense, albeit somewhat specialised mental powers.

this hard-won over many years, and sometimes very unstable balance, such as it is, is undermined by a powerful commercial corporation seeking to gain control of these powers and their potentially extremely profitable exploitation, without any understanding of, or interest in, the risks involved - whatever the human or environmental costs of achieving this might prove to be -

- including to the young regis hastur, newly come into his lordship of one of the most powerful families of the comyn aristocracy, full of noble ambitions and idealistic plans to improve the lot of ordinary darkovans, to promote talent whether it be found in the comyn or the common, "ordinary" people, and facing opposition from the more traditionally-minded and entrenched conservatives.

- and the human costs most certainly will not be low, as the simplest, quickest - and, most importantly, cheapest - method would seem to be by selective assassination of the controlling comyn aristocracy;

- selective assassination - or, if needs be, their wholesale slaughter.

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Meer! Meer! Meer! (More, More, More) is a book about us: collectors, crate-diggers, hoarders, archivists, completists but above all about music lovers and record (cd, cassettes, 78's, vinyl) cabinets.
Compiled from over 200 articles that were issued in Dutch music magazine "Platenblad" (Recordmagazine) it gives us a rare view in basements, lofts, annexes, sheds and man caves of other persons and at the same time holds a mirror to the reader him/herself. And yes there is also an interview with three Dutch moderators of 45Cat from more than 10 years ago. How we've grown....
A very pleasant read.

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Well that was three weeks of my reading life I'm never getting back!

Can't honestly say, having now read it, I could tell you anything about it, or even what it is "about".

Like an fantastically over-long satirical literary joke that wears out it's welcome after even the first three hundred pages. let alone seven hundred!.

Poo.

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unremarkable milsf; there's a reliable market for ''the merkin army in space'' fiction.

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Publisher Blurb
London's Historic, iconic Underground railway system in the period from 1968 to 1985 was a very different place to what it is in the 2020s. Much of its rolling stock dated from before World War Two, and with the exception of the new Victoria Line and the isolated Woodford to Hainault shuttle, trains were all two-person operated as the 1970s dawned.

Transport photographer Jim Blake recorded most of the system on film before it would change forever, concentrating on the older rolling stock as well as other items of interest due for replacement or modernisation, during this period when, regrettably, London Transport was often starved of much-needed funds by central government. The eminently sensible transfer of overall control of London's buses and Underground system to the city-wide Greater London Council at the beginning of 1970 was snatched away by the Thatcher regime in 1984, after which things rapidly went downhill.

This book covers the years of GLC control, including the months prior to their taking charge in order to set the scene. Many rare and unusual scenes are included in this volume, especially of the then still basically intact portion of the uncompleted Northern Line extension between Drayton Park and Highgate, which had been so close to completion when work was halted during the war, but then abandoned in the early 1950s, incurring much wasted work and expenditure. For anyone with a serious interest in London's Underground, this book is essential reading, including as it does many pervious unpublished photographs.

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Publisher Blurb
During the 1960s, a large number of independent bus and coach fleets existed, which varied enormously in size and scope of operation. They ranged from major operators such as Barton Transport (Nottinghamshire); Lancashire United and West Riding who operated stage carriage services as well as coach fleets; or Wallace Arnold Tours of Leeds, a major coach touring company in Britain and Continental Europe; to small operators who possessed just a handful of vehicles. The latter were sometimes involved only in private hire work, for such things as outings to sporting events or theatres, school or industrial contracts or often a combination of both. Smaller operators were based throughout the country, sometimes in tiny villages but also in the heart of large cities. Often the smaller operators bought redundant buses and coaches from major operators, whether BET, BTC (Tilling) or municipal concerns, or London Transport. Many got bargains from the latter, with surplus RT and RTL double-deckers sold following the disastrous bus strike and service cuts of 1958.

Conversely, redundant vehicles bought by independent fleets often brought types that came from as far away as Scotland to London and the south east. In the 1960s, the oldest buses and coaches with independent fleets were those employed on school or industrial contracts. These were not subject to the rigorous tests governing those carrying fare-paying passengers, so could be kept going until they were literally falling apart! These were known as non-PSVs', i.e. non-public service vehicles. On the other hand, some very small independent fleets, often with the title Luxury Coaches', took great pride in their fleets. They would purchase new coaches every two or three years and keep them in immaculate condition. The net result was that British independent bus and coach operators in the 1960s had a fascinating variety of chassis and body makes and styles, as well as liveries. This book shows many of these as they were between fifty and sixty years ago.

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Publisher Blurb
This book looks at the wonderful variety of buses and coaches operated by British Electric Traction group fleets in the 1960s, featuring previously unpublished photographs from Jim Blake's extensive archives.
Not only did these fleets, which served most of England and Wales, have a splendid variety of British-built buses and coaches with chassis manufactured by the likes of AEC, Crossley, Daimler, Dennis, Guy and Leyland - with bodywork by such firms as Park Royal, Weymann, Metro-Cammell, East Lancs, Northern Counties, Roe, Duple, Plaxton, Willowbrook and Leyland again - but they also had an array of distinctive liveries. Many dated back to the early part of the century when the operators first started bus operation. The smart maroon and cream of East Kent, the dark green and cream of Maidstone & District or the light green and cream of Southdown, for example, were supplemented by ornate fleet-names, often in gold lettering. These three fleets were just a few of those that served seaside towns, and will remind readers of holidays they spent in the 1950s and '60s.

Sadly, the years covered by this book are the final years of the BET group, which was taken over by the nationalised Transport Holding Company in late 1967, as a prelude to the creation of the National Bus Company, under which the distinctive liveries of the BET group fleets, and even some of the operators themselves, would disappear. The 1960s also saw the demise of many traditional types of bus that these fleets operated, owing to the introduction of rear-engined double-deckers, such as the Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline, as well as the spread of one-man operation.
Many of the photographs featured in this book show the older types in their final days - pure nostalgia for the transport enthusiast.

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Publisher Blurb
Just as life in Britain generally changed dramatically during the 1960s, so did London Transport's buses and their operations. Most striking was the abandonment of London's trolleybuses, once the world's biggest system, and their replacement by motorbuses. Begun in 1959 using surplus RT-types, it was completed by May 1962 using new Routemasters, designed specifically to replace them. They then continued to replace RT types, too.

Traffic congestion and staff shortages played havoc with London Transport's buses and Green Line coaches during the 1960s, one-man operation was seen as a remedy for the latter, shortening routes in the Central Area for the former. Thus the ill-fated Reshaping Plan was born, introducing new O.M.O. bus types. These entered trial service in 1965, and after much delay the plan was implemented from September 1968 onwards. Sadly, new MB-types, also introduced in the Country Area, soon proved a disaster! Unfortunately, owing to a government diktat, Routemaster production ended at the start of 1968, forcing LT to buy off-the-peg vehicles unsuited to London operation and their in-house overhaul procedures. The decade ended with the loss of LT's Country Area buses and Green Line coaches to the National Bus Company.

Photographer Jim Blake began photographing London's buses towards the end of the trolleybus conversion programme in 1961 and continued dealing with the changing scene throughout the decade. He dealt very thoroughly with the Reshaping changes, and many of the photographs featured herein show rare and unusual scenes which have never been published before.

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Publisher Blurb
Continuing with photographs from Jim Blake's extensive archives, this book examines the second half of the 1970s, when both London Transport and London Country were still struggling to keep services going. This resulted both from being plagued by a shortage of spare parts for their vehicles, and having a number of vehicle types which were unreliable the MB, SM and DMS classes. In 1975, both operators had to hire buses from other companies, so desperate were they. Many came from the seaside towns of Southend, Bournemouth and Eastbourne. This continued until the spares shortage began to abate later in the decade, particularly with London Country.

As the decade progressed, the two fleets began to lose their 'ancestral' vehicle types. London Country rapidly became 'just another National Bus Company fleet', buying Leyland Atlanteans and Nationals common to most others throughout the country. Having virtually abandoned the awful MB and SM-types, London Transport had to suffer buying the equally awful DMSs well into 1978, but had already ordered replacements for them by that point the M class Metrobuses and T class Titans both of which would finally prove successful. However, plans to convert trunk routes serving Central London to one-person operation were largely abandoned.

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Publisher Blurb
Using photographs from Jim Blake's extensive archives, this book examines the turbulent period in the history of London's buses immediately after London Transport lost its Country Buses and Green Line Coaches to the recently-formed National Bus Company, under their new subsidiary company, London Country Bus Services Ltd.

The new entity inherited a largely elderly fleet of buses from London Transport, notably almost 500 RT-class AEC Regent double-deckers, of which replacement was already under way in the shape of new AEC MB and SM class Swift single-deckers.

London Transport itself was in the throes of replacing a much larger fleet of these. At the time of the split, it was already apparent that the 36ft-long MB class single-deckers were not suitable for London conditions, particularly in negotiating suburban streets cluttered with cars, and were also mechanically unreliable. The shorter SM class superseded them, but they were equally unreliable. January 1971 saw the appearance of London Transport's first purpose-built one-man operated double-decker the DMS class. All manner of problems plagued these, too.

Both operators were also plagued with a shortage of spare parts for their vehicles, made worse by the three-day week imposed by the Heath regime in 1973-4. London Transport and London Country were still closely related, with the latter's buses continuing to be overhauled at LT's Aldenham Works. Such were the problems with the MB, SM and DMS types that LT not only had to resurrect elderly RTs to keep services going, but even repurchased some from London Country! In turn, the latter operator hired a number of MB-types from LT, now abandoned as useless, from 1974 onwards in an effort to cover their own vehicle shortages. Things looked bleak for both operators in the mid-1970s.

This book contains a variety of interesting and often unusual photographs illustrating all of this, most of which have never been published before.

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somewhat delayed sequel to ''the ship that sailed the time stream'' (1965), q.v.

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paranoid sf - an object lesson and a powerful warning to all those who know - or suspect - that they possess psi powers;f

- no matter how glittering the prizes proffered, do not reveal yourselves: they really are out to get you. . .

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Annotation:

Following a journey of self-discovery and illumination, the author attempts to prove she once shared a past life with John Lennon. Even worse, she communicates these discoveries to the literary world - what a pity.

Michael Brocken

Source: The Beatles Bibliography: A New Guide To The Literature - Michael Brocken and Melissa Davis (The Beatle Works Ltd., 2012), with acknowledgement, and used here with permission from the authors for educational and historical purposes only.

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Literature as Magic!

Hey... It's also a book!

...Did you know it was a book?

.....I didn't, until I saw the SF Masterworks edition on the shelf at a charity shop, and naturally, bought it.

Pleased to report it's a very evocative, engrossing read, conjuring (snigger) all the mystery and and intrigue that Christopher Nolan captures in his brilliant movie version... and then some!

For although that movie is filmed adaptation of this material - the characters, times, places, themes, and events described here, it is pleasing to me to find that Nolan has done with this what Ridley Scott did with translating Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep into Blade Runner:

He's not been too slavish to the source material, and understood that there are aspects of the story's presentation in literature that won't or don't need to go over in movie form.

...No, instead, what he has done (Like Ridley), is take the essentials - such as characters, time and place, ad mood, as well as basic storyline, but jettisoned others, such as the "framing device" narrative in this book, which is a modern setting with modern descendants of the two warring magicians - sorry... Prestigitators - falling into the intrigue and mystery surrounding their century old battles, and then unfolding, by means of their opposing accounts in their respective diaries, of the events that occurred, and then amplifying and teasing out some aspects of this story, and diminishing others to emphasise and de-emphasise according to medium.

Beginning with that of Alfred Borden's who presents his narrative as a form of magic trick, openly telling us from the outset, that he is doing so - Are you reading carefully? - So you are on guard as a reader from the off, before finally, and for the bulk of the book, giving us Rupert Angier's testimony, by way of juxtaposition with modern interspersals.

Indeed, the whole book is - for want of a better word - designed - to be a form of magic trick in word and book form.

...And by Joseph's knobbly knees and elbows! - It works!!!

It does a couple of other things too: Firstly, as a mystery book, it keeps you leaning in to discover the next pieces of the puzzle, and then as a story that draws so distinctly the difference between science and magic, it does more than any other work I can think of to actually do the opposite, and blur the boundaries, until they are one and the same thing.

...But also, it serves as a very effective ghost story in atmosphere and narrative, as well, as eventually becoming positively vampiric.

Powerfully evoking the eerie, supernatural qualities that any standard ghost story does.

What gives this story a real beating heart, though, is that, being told the story across two diaries, both giving "versions" of the same tale of obsession and feud you see that each is told as a point of view, not being able to access the inner thoughts or intentions of the other, that is expressed in each their own diaries, which would, had either known, that the other never really intended malice to the other, and frequently expresses regret over the incidents that occurred, and yet perceiving the malice in the other because of this absence of information, lends it a kind of tragic quality:

If only these two knucke-heads had sat down and talked, they would have realized the truth of each other, and all this nonsense could have been avoided.

Thank God we live in more enlightened times!

(Hmmm.....)

As such, it is, like Electric Sheep and Blade Runner, this is not necessarily "bettered" by the other medium, but is a perfect compliment to it, and so Nolans movie and this, should be thought of a perfect companion pieces.

But a truly inspired work, presenting literature as a means of performing a magic trick.

Very Prestigious.

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On his You Tube channel Beatles fan Andrew Dixon reviews Drumming Is His Madness: The Ringo Starr Discography by Andrew James

23 September 2023

[YouTube Video]

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On his You Tube channel Beatles fan Andrew Dixon reviews Drumming Is His Madness: The Ringo Starr Discography by Andrew James

23 September 2023

[YouTube Video]

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thirty-one letters, thirty of advice; one.... not, from a senior devil to his nephew, wormwood, a junior devil, on how best and most easily to tempt the mortal in his charge, ''the patient'', into sin, pitfalls to be avoided along the way that might afford the soul entrusted to his care the chance to avoid eventual eternal damnation, and suggestions for how to recover from setbacks to his shepherding his charge down the slippery slope to hell - with occasional expressions of shock and horror at wormwood's naïvety and/or downright negligence at having allowed his charge to regain some measure of grace.

if in the right mood, ''the screwtape letters'' is a good read - the humour is incisive, but mayn't lead to too much self-criticism - as well as at least potentially conducive of self-improvement...


though c. s. lewis stated the letters were hard work, not fun to write, and that he was resolved to not write any further such, he did compose a further lengthy essay, ''screwtape proposes a toast'' in the form of an after-dinner speech, that was published in 1959 and appeared in omnibus edition together with the letters, as ''the screwtape letters & screwtape proposes a toast'' in 1961, q.v

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this work of journalism is not fiction, and this mis-categorisation should^W has been deleted.

hersey interviewed many people who had - at least for a while - survived the immediate ''nuclear bombing'', or ''nuking'' of hiroshima - which, together with the similar destruction of nagasaki - was initially celebrated, and not only the cause of celebrations, but even made the topic of jokes in america and elsewhere (and probably in the uk and the british empire, too; though i do not know this). he also did follow-up interviews with many people.

following the experiences of six real people from just before the atomic bomb was detonated above hiroshima, this was thought to be so important a piece of journalism when it was received by the editor, that instead of its being broken into several episodes and published in consecutive issues, the whole article - all 31,000 words of it - was published in a single issue of the new yorker, on 31/8/1946.

it sold out at newsstands within a few hours.

it was published in hardcover by alfred a. knopf later on in 1946; the book of the month club sent its edition free of charge to all of its members, and it was read aloud on the american broadcasting company's network in four half-hour installments; it was also read out on the bbc on the home service, iiuc.

it is probably the single most important factor in the awakening of non-japanese people to the 'til then unimaginable magnitude of the horrors of the use of nuclear weapons, and the moral questions their existence raises.

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On his You Tube channel Beatles fan Andrew Dixon reviews Paul McCartney: The Songs He Was Singing. Vol. 5: 2010 – 2019 by John Blaney

10 September 2023

[YouTube Video]

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Online Revolver Beatles Fanzine reviews Paul McCartney: The Songs He Was Singing. Vol. 5: 2010 – 2019 by John Blaney

Gwyn Jenkins, 20 August 2023

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Annotation:

This is highly recommended. Pete Frame's 'Family Trees' are not only absolutely vital pieces of research material, covering all aspects of the developing rock cultures of the 1950s-1980s, but are mighty artistic achievements in their own right - masterpieces of design. Frame began these 'family trees' in the excellent Zig Zag magazine - which is of little-no interest to Beatles fans - unless they also adore the likes of the Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, and Love. Wonderful stuff.

Michael Brocken

Source: The Beatles Bibliography: A New Guide To The Literature - Michael Brocken and Melissa Davis (The Beatle Works Ltd., 2012), with acknowledgement, and used here with permission from the authors for educational and historical purposes only.

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Annotation:

This collection by Paul McCartney's eldest daughter (born August 28, 1969 in London - the baby peeking out of his sheepskin jacket on the cover of 'McCartney') includes photographs of her famous parents, Bono, Elvis Costello, Madonna and others, such as members of the Royal Ballet. McCartney seems to have an eye for what makes an image interesting and communicative, and it would appear that she inherited something of her late mother Linda's ability to make her subjects relax and relate to the camera in a revealing and honest way. The 192 pages cover Mary's career from the mid-90s to the present, and feature, in addition to some domestic settings, photographs at rock concerts and fashion shows - events with which family connections have provided her access and familiarity. However, although she may have gained access to some of the faces and places by virtue of her surname, she demonstrates an ability and vision that give her work independent credibility.

Melissa Davis

Source: The Beatles Bibliography: A New Guide To The Literature - Michael Brocken and Melissa Davis (The Beatle Works Ltd., 2012), with acknowledgement, and used here with permission from the authors for educational and historical purposes only.

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