{"title":"Charles Elton","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"cimino-book-charles-elton-9781419747120","title":"Cimino","description":"The first biography of the acclaimed and derided filmmaker Michael Cimino—and a reevaluation of the infamous film that destroyed his career—now in paperback!   The director Michael Cimino (1939–2016) is famous for two films: the intense, powerful, and enduring Vietnam movie The Deer Hunter, which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1979 and also won Cimino Best Director, and Heaven’s Gate, the most notorious bomb of all time. Originally budgeted at $11 million, Cimino’s sprawling western went off the rails in Montana. The picture grew longer and longer, and the budget ballooned to over $40 million. When it was finally released, Heaven’s Gate failed so completely with reviewers and at the box office that it put legendary studio United Artists out of business and marked the end of Hollywood’s auteur era.Or so the conventional wisdom goes.    Charles Elton delves deeply into the making and aftermath of the movie and presents a surprisingly different view to that of Steven Bach, one of the executives responsible for Heaven’s Gate, who wrote a scathing book about the film and solidified the widely held view that Cimino wounded the movie industry beyond repair. Elton’s Cimino is a richly detailed biography that offers a revisionist history of a lightning rod filmmaker. Based on extensive interviews with Cimino’s peers and collaborators and enemies and friends, most of whom have never spoken before, it unravels the enigmas and falsehoods, many perpetrated by the director himself, which surround his life, and sheds new light on his extraordinary career. This is a story of the making of art, the business of Hollywood, and the costs of ambition, both financial and personal.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49540244177169,"sku":"GOR013098363","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49743283618065,"sku":"NGR9781419747120","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50382403371281,"sku":"CIN1419747126G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52940468355345,"sku":"NIN9781419747120","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52983856955665,"sku":"CIN1419747126VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53216251150609,"sku":"GOR014809705","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1419747126.jpg?v=1751209194"},{"product_id":"cimino-the-deer-hunter-heaven-s-gate-and-the-price-of-a-vision-book-charles-elton-9781419747113","title":"Cimino: The Deer Hunter, Heaven's Gate, and the Price of a Vision","description":"The first biography of critically acclaimed then critically derided filmmaker Michael Cimino—and a reevaluation of the infamous film that destroyed his careerThe director Michael Cimino (1939–2016) is famous for two films: the intense, powerful, and enduring Vietnam movie The Deer Hunter, which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1979 and also won Cimino Best Director, and Heaven’s Gate, the most notorious bomb of all time. Originally budgeted at $11 million, Cimino’s sprawling western went off the rails in Montana. The picture grew longer and longer, and the budget ballooned to over $40 million. When it was finally released, Heaven’s Gate failed so completely with reviewers and at the box office that it put legendary studio United Artists out of business and marked the end of Hollywood's auteur era.Or so the conventional wisdom goes. Charles Elton delves deeply into the making and aftermath of the movie and presents a surprisingly different view to that of Steven Bach, one of the executives responsible for Heaven’s Gate, who wrote a scathing book about the film and solidified the widely held view that Cimino wounded the movie industry beyond repair. Elton’s Cimino is a richly detailed biography that offers a revisionist history of a lightning rod filmmaker. Based on extensive interviews with Cimino’s peers and collaborators and enemies and friends, most of whom have never spoken before, it unravels the enigmas and falsehoods, many perpetrated by the director himself, which surround his life, and sheds new light on his extraordinary career. This is a story of the making of art, the business of Hollywood, and the costs of ambition, both financial and personal.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49547165794577,"sku":"GOR012876563","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49759870484753,"sku":"NGR9781419747113","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49766891290897,"sku":"GOR012071072","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50374035046673,"sku":"CIN1419747118G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50973924622609,"sku":"GOR014154797","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51458486599953,"sku":"CIN1419747118VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52983712776465,"sku":"NIN9781419747113","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1419747118.jpg?v=1751177883"},{"product_id":"songs-book-charles-elton-9781408882399","title":"The Songs","description":"From the bestselling author of Mr Toppit, a Richard \u0026amp; Judy Book Club pick, comes a riotous, darkly comic story of siblings searching for the truth about their musician father – for fans of The Rosie Project, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Humans  My brother Huddie said that we must be in the very small percentile of people who had a mother who fell out of the same window twice. Even dogs don’t do that: they learn from experience.  Iz Herzl, renowned political activist and protest singer, has always said that you should concentrate on the future, not the past. Now aged eighty, a reclusive figure holed up in Muswell Hill, Iz’s refusal to reflect on his life leaves his teenage children, maths wunderkind Rose and her dying brother Huddie, adrift in myth and uncertainty.  Iz doesn’t talk about his other child, Joseph, a West End songwriter whom Rose and Huddie have never met. Joseph’s single, disastrous encounter with his father many years earlier set him on a violent path to self destruction. Now he tries to impose order on his chaotic world with rhyme, transforming traumatic events into song.  As the scattered children of Iz Herzl begin to converge, the ambiguities at the heart of their father’s life start to surface in a way that will change them all. The Songs is a bittersweet tale of family, fame and ambition that is both darkly comic and deeply affecting.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49595845869841,"sku":"GOR008403690","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1408882396.jpg?v=1750713709"},{"product_id":"mr-toppit-book-charles-elton-9780670917815","title":"Mr Toppit","description":"And out of the Darkwood Mr Toppit comes, and he comes not for you, or for me, but for all of us. When \"The Hayseed Chronicles\", an obscure series of children's books, become world-famous, millions of readers debate the significance of that enigmatic last line and the shadowy figure of Mr Toppit who dominates the books. The author, Arthur Hayman, an unsuccessful screenwriter mown down by a concrete truck in Soho, never reaps the benefits of the books' success. The legacy passes to his widow, Martha, and her children - the fragile Rachel, and Luke, reluctantly immortalised as Luke Hayseed, the central character of his father's books. But others want their share, particularly Laurie, the overweight stranger from California, who comforts Arthur as he lies dying, and has a mysterious aganda of her own that changes all their lives.For buried deep in the books lie secrets which threaten to be revealed as the family begins to crumble under the heavy burden of their inheritance. Spanning several decades, from the heyday of the British film industry after the war to the cut-throat world of show business in Los Angeles, \"Mr Toppit\" is a riveting tale of the unexpected effects of sudden fame and fortune. Not since Jonathan Coe's \"What a Carve Up!\" has a novel managed to capture a family and a society to such wonderfully funny and painful effect.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49600989167889,"sku":"GOR001074063","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53600573686033,"sku":"GOR012575885","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0670917818.jpg?v=1751423721"},{"product_id":"mr-toppit-book-charles-elton-9780141038001","title":"Mr Toppit","description":"And out of the Darkwood Mr Toppit comes, and he comes not for you, or for me, but for all of us...When the author of The Hayseed Chronicles, Arthur Hayman, is mown down by a concrete truck in Soho, his legacy passes to his widow, Martha, and her children - the fragile Rachel, and Luke, reluctantly immortalised as Luke Hayseed, the central character of his father's books. But others want their share, particularly Laurie, who has a mysterious agenda of her own that changes all their lives. For buried deep in the books lie secrets which threaten to be revealed as the family begins to crumble under the heavy burden of their inheritance.  Spanning several decades, from the heyday of the British film industry after the war to the cut-throat world of show business in Los Angeles, Mr Toppit is a riveting tale of the unexpected effects of sudden fame and fortune. Not since Jonathan Coe's What a Carve Up! has a novel managed to capture a family and a society to such wonderfully funny and painful effect.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49602592145681,"sku":"GOR000862575","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49910959145233,"sku":"CIN0141038004G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50345506537745,"sku":"CIN0141038004VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51681605255441,"sku":"GOR000939885","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0141038004.jpg?v=1750812182"},{"product_id":"mr-toppit-book-charles-elton-9781408884881","title":"Mr Toppit","description":"The bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club Pick   'Jangly with secrets' Sunday Times 'Funny, inventive, surprisingly moving' Guardian 'Royal Tenenbaums-style saga of dysfunctional family' The Times  When Arthur Hayman, author of The Hayseed Chronicles, dies, a bizarre chain of events makes his series of children’s novels world-famous. But buried deep inside the books lie secrets that begin to shake Arthur’s family – his son, Luke, reluctantly immortalized as the young hero; his daughter, Rachel, for whom the books are a hole through which her life has fallen; and his enigmatic wife, Martha, who knows that secrets are best kept well-hidden.   And at the heart of The Hayseed Chronicles is the mysterious Mr Toppit, who will let none of the Haymans out of his grasp…  A darkly comic story of a family shaped by their father’s literary legacy, exploring fame, fandom and long-buried secrets","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49609950298385,"sku":"GOR008623198","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49654870147345,"sku":"GOR009468960","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50964409549073,"sku":"GOR014150620","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1408884887.jpg?v=1750713715"},{"product_id":"songs-book-charles-elton-9781408882344","title":"The Songs","description":"From the bestselling author of Mr Toppit, a Richard \u0026amp; Judy Book Club pick, comes a riotous, darkly comic story of siblings searching for the truth about their musician father – for fans of The Rosie Project, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Humans  Iz Herzl, renowned political activist and protest singer, has always refused to dwell on the past. Now eighty, he sits in his house in Muswell Hill, while his lovers – some past, some present – dance attendance upon him. Downstairs, Iz’s children – teenage maths wunderkind Rose, and her dying brother Huddie – spend their days picking through the myths and secrecy that have always swirled around their unknowable father.    But Iz can’t keep the past at bay forever. Into their lives comes Joseph: his first child, whom Rose and Huddie have never met. And his arrival will change things in ways that Rose and Huddie could never have anticipated…","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49725007233297,"sku":"GOR013082216","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49725227172113,"sku":"GOR009245741","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1408882345.jpg?v=1751370211"},{"product_id":"exploring-the-animal-world-rare-book-charles-elton-1642091786dpb","title":"Exploring The Animal World","description":"1933. First Edition. 119 pages. No dust jacket. Yellow cloth boards with lettering. Black and white illustrated frontispiece. Slight crinkling to paper at gutter. Clean pages with noticeable tanning a","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50071098818833,"sku":"1642091786DPB","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1642091786DPB_1.jpg?v=1722872126"},{"product_id":"songs-book-charles-elton-9781590517994","title":"The Songs","description":"\u003cp\u003eRevised to include an original autobiographical introduction by Bruce Springsteen and a new chapter featuring all of the lyrics to his most recent Grammy Award-winning release, \u003cem\u003eThe Rising\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as 32 pages, of never-before-seen photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the complete collection of Bruce Springsteen's recorded lyrics, illustrated with hundreds of never-before-published images from some of rock \u0026amp; roll journalism's greatest photographers, including Annie Leibovitz, David Gahr, Lynn Goldsmith, Bruce Weber, and many others. From Jim Marchese's informal backstage shots during the European leg of the 1980 \u003cem\u003eThe River\u003c\/em\u003e tour to Neal Preston's amazing documentation of the \u003cem\u003eBorn in the U.S.A.\u003c\/em\u003e days to Pam Springsteen's portraits showing a side of the musician rarely seen by the public, this is the most intimate look at Bruce Springsteen ever published. The photos and lyrics are accompanied by original commentary by Springsteen, in which he reflects on the songs, the performances, and the quarter-century career that for many defines the American dream.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50124849217809,"sku":"CIN1590517997VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ LIKE_NEW \/ SBYB","offer_id":50384160588049,"sku":"CIN1590517997LN","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1590517997.jpg?v=1750719620"},{"product_id":"mr-toppit-book-charles-elton-9781590513903","title":"Mr. Toppit","description":"And out of the Darkwood Mr. Toppit comes, and he comes not for you, or for me, but for all of us. When the Hayseed Chronicles, an obscure series of children's books, becomes world famous, millions of readers debate the significance of that enigmatic last line and of the shadowy figure, Mr. Toppit, who dominates the books. The author, Arthur Hayman, an unsuccessful screenwriter mown down by a concrete truck in Soho, never reaps the benefits of the books' success. The legacy passes to his widow, Martha, and her children--the fragile Rachel, and Luke, reluctantly immortalized as Luke Hayseed, the central character of his father's books. But others want their share, particularly Laurie, the overweight stranger from California who comforted Arthur as he lay dying and has a mysterious agenda of her own that will change all their lives, for buried deep in the books lie secrets which threaten to be revealed as the family begins to crumble under the heavy burden of their inheritance. Spanning several decades, from the heyday of the British film industry after the war to the cut-throat world of show business in Los Angeles, Mr. Toppit is a riveting tale of the unexpected effects of sudden fame and fortune. Not since Jonathan Coe's What a Carve Up  has a novel managed to capture a family and a society to such wonderfully funny and painful effect.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50394250510609,"sku":"CIN1590513908G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1590513908.jpg?v=1751408193"},{"product_id":"origins-of-english-history-second-edition-revised-book-charles-elton-9781241557164","title":"Origins of English History ... Second edition revised.","description":"Title: Origins of English History . Second edition revised.Publisher: British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC.The GENERAL HISTORICAL collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. This varied collection includes material that gives readers a 19th century view of the world. Topics include health, education, economics, agriculture, environment, technology, culture, politics, labour and industry, mining, penal policy, and social order. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ British Library Elton, Charles; 1890. xxiii, 450 p.; 8 . 9506.f.17.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51115363041553,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51115366678801,"sku":"NIN9781241557164","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1241557160.jpg?v=1750754030"},{"product_id":"brothers-a-monody-and-other-poems-book-charles-elton-9781241036034","title":"The Brothers, a Monody; And Other Poems.","description":"Title: The Brothers, a monody; and other poems.Publisher: British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC.The POETRY \u0026amp; DRAMA collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. The books reflect the complex and changing role of literature in society, ranging from Bardic poetry to Victorian verse. Containing many classic works from important dramatists and poets, this collection has something for every lover of the stage and verse. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ British Library Elton, Charles; 1820. 12 . 994.e.15.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51125765865745,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51125767667985,"sku":"NIN9781241036034","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1241036039.jpg?v=1750855353"},{"product_id":"whorls-and-swirls-in-funny-bags-of-wind-book-charles-elton-9781074630935","title":"Whorls and Swirls in Funny Bags of Wind","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51232209240337,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51232211566865,"sku":"NIN9781074630935","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1074630939.jpg?v=1751111246"},{"product_id":"the-ecology-of-animals-rare-book-charles-elton-1727271184mep","title":"The Ecology Of Animals","description":"1957. Reprint. 97 pages. Dust jacket over paper covered boards. Clean pages with mild tanning and notable foxing throughout. Tightly bound with faint thumb-marking throughout. Previous owner's inscrip","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51238757859601,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51238760513809,"sku":"1727271184MEP","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1727271184MEP_1.jpg?v=1741075798"},{"product_id":"the-ecology-of-animals-rare-book-charles-elton-1733137963sfm","title":"The Ecology of Animals","description":"1933. First Edition. 97 pages. Dust jacket over green cloth. Clean pages with mild tanning and foxing throughout. Tightly bound with faint thumb-marking throughout. Previous owner's inscription to fro","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51240921628945,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51240924578065,"sku":"1733137963SFM","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1733137963SFM_1.jpg?v=1741080850"},{"product_id":"treatise-on-the-law-of-copyholds-book-charles-elton-9783368822996","title":"A Treatise on the Law of Copyholds","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52131898065169,"sku":"NLS9783368822996","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9783368822996.jpg?v=1757513502"},{"product_id":"treatise-on-the-law-of-copyholds-book-charles-elton-9783368822989","title":"A Treatise on the Law of Copyholds","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52132717920529,"sku":"NLS9783368822989","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9783368822989.jpg?v=1757518828"},{"product_id":"songs-book-charles-elton-9781408882382","title":"The Songs","description":"From the bestselling author of Mr Toppit, a Richard \u0026amp; Judy Book Club pick, comes a riotous, darkly comic story of siblings searching for the truth about their musician father – for fans of The Rosie Project, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Humans  My brother Huddie said that we must be in the very small percentile of people who had a mother who fell out of the same window twice. Even dogs don’t do that: they learn from experience.  Iz Herzl, renowned political activist and protest singer, has always said that you should concentrate on the future, not the past. Now aged eighty, a reclusive figure holed up in Muswell Hill, Iz’s refusal to reflect on his life leaves his teenage children, maths wunderkind Rose and her dying brother Huddie, adrift in myth and uncertainty.  Iz doesn’t talk about his other child, Joseph, a West End songwriter whom Rose and Huddie have never met. Joseph’s single, disastrous encounter with his father many years earlier set him on a violent path to self destruction. Now he tries to impose order on his chaotic world with rhyme, transforming traumatic events into song.  As the scattered children of Iz Herzl begin to converge, the ambiguities at the heart of their father’s life start to surface in a way that will change them all. The Songs is a bittersweet tale of family, fame and ambition that is both darkly comic and deeply affecting.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52391614775569,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52391614808337,"sku":"GOR008541902","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781408882382.jpg?v=1758550588"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-charles-elton.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}