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News 11 November 2004
Mainstream
is delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of THE
BARBARIANS: THE UNITED NATIONS OF RUGBY by Alan Evans.
For a century and more, the Barbarians, a touring club without
a permanent base, have travelled the length and breadth of Britain
and Europe, and as far afield as South Africa, Japan, Russia and
North and South America to play matches against the mighty and
the minnows. Club sides everywhere welcome them with open arms
because to play against them is an honour in itself and a guarantee
of a match of flowing rugby and massive crowd appeal. Since 1948,
the Barbarians have regularly played the All Blacks, Springboks
and Wallabies in front of sell-out crowds at Twickenham, Cardiff
Arms Park, the Millennium Stadium and Lansdowne Road in Dublin.
This book will tell the story of the Barbarians through the personal
recollections of international and club figures of the past 50
years. The author will have exclusive and unrivalled access to
all the records, ephemera, contemporary newspaper reports, minute
books and photographs in the Barbarians' archives. He has also
been conducting a series of interviews during 2004 which will culminate
in the glamour fixture against the All Blacks scheduled for 4 December
at Twickenham. The book will be heavily illustrated. World rights
are available. For further information contact fiona.brownlee@mainstreampublishing.com
More
news on FRAMED published by Mainstream in the
UK and ECW in North America. High-profile British production company,
Tiger Aspect, are to produce a four-part series based on FRAMED.
They are confident that the BBC or Channel 4 will pick it up. FRAMED
will also be highlighted in a full-length theatrical documentary
produced in the US by Harry Moses and Don Hewitt of '60 Minutes'.
Translation rights are still available. For further information
contact fiona.brownlee@mainstreampublishing.com
On
the subject of US inspired shows, 'Trisha' is about to end its
run on British TV and to mark the end of an era they are doing
a few 'Oprah' style shows. They have invited Diane Blood to be
a guest for the show to be broadcast on ITV. Diane was also interviewed
on Sky News on Monday 15th November.
Another
of our high-profile authors this season is Steve Black, whose autobiography BLACKIE,
has already been extracted in the Sunday Times and featured in
The Times, The Telegraph, Daily Express and Daily Mail. His book
was launched at 6pm on Monday 15th November at Newcastle's specialist
sports bookshop, The Back Page.
Other author events which have taken place recently are Andy Cameron, author of WAIT 'TIL YOU HEAR THIS, who signed his autobiography at Ottakars in the Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow on Saturday 6th November and in Ottakars in the High Street in Ayr on Saturday 13th November.
Dave
Mackay will be signing copies of his autobiography, THE
REAL MACKAY, at W H Smith in the Gyle, Edinburgh from
5-6pm on Thursday 9th December.
Mervyn
Davies will be signing copies of his autobiography, IN
STRENGTH AND SHADOW, at Waterstones, 18-20 Hill Street,
Cardiff CF10 2DL on Thursday 2nd Dec at 5.30pm.
Celebrity
books aside, RENT BOY has grabbed the attention
of the national press. So far we have had reviews in THE DAILY
MAIL, THE INDEPENDENT and THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY who referred
to it as a 'gruesomely hilarious memoir (which) works delightfully
as a literary sitcom'
On
a more serious note, Ireland's leading feminist, long-time journalist
and general enfant terrible, Nell McCafferty, has just published
an autobiography in which she gives LOST LIVES a
glowing credit:
'Lost Lives is a complete account of death in war. It is a relentless, kindly, respectful tolling of death, but it pulls no punches. Some details, of many of the deaths, are horrifying. I am glad I will not again have to read such a book about the place of my birth and rearing. Lost Lives is the print equivalent of Picasso's Guernica.'
And Finally...
Still in Ireland, we were amused to see in the Sunday World recently that neo-Nazi German skinheads loyal to Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair were happy to be photographed holding a copy of the book, MAD DOG, clearly oblivious to its content!