The acclaimed literary biographer looks at the early life of influential writer and public figure H.G. Wells, from his school days and his emergence as writer of extraordinary depth to the publication of The Time Machine.

"An electrifying, revelatory life of D.H. Lawrence, with a focus on his difficult middle years"-- Wilson focuses on Lawrence's decade of superhuman writing and travel between 1915, when The Rainbow was suppressed following an obscenity trial, and 1925, when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Taking after Lawrence's own literary model, Dante, Wilson's book pursues Lawrence around the globe and reflects his life of wild allegory. The result is a triptych...

"In 1995, on a four-hour-delayed train from Manchester to London, J. K. Rowling conceived of the idea of a boy wizard named Harry Potter. Upon arriving in London, she began immediately writing the first book in the saga. Rowling's true-life, rags-to-riches story is as compelling as the world of Hogwarts that she created. This biography details not only Rowling's life and her love of literature but the story behind the creation of a modern classic"--...

Continues his memoir "Boy." Recounts his experiences as a young man working in Africa for Shell Oil through his time as a pilot with the RAF.

Sarah is a famous British murder mystery author. Tired of London and seeking inspiration for her new novel, she accepts an offer from her publisher to stay at his home in the south of France. Sarah finds that the beautiful country locale and unhurried pace is just the tonic for her - until late one night, when John's sexy and provocative daughter, Julie, unexpectedly arrives. Sarah's English reserve is jarred by Julie's lifestyle. An increasingly...

"History meets memoir in two true-life love stories between two sets of writers--one unfolding in nineteenth century Rome, one in present-day Paris and London--which both reveal the longings and ambitions of the very contemporary Nell Stevens. In 1857, English novelist Elizabeth Gaskell completed her most famous work: the biography of her dear friend, the recently deceased Charlotte Bronte. As publication loomed Elizabeth was keen to escape the reviews...