The Maverick: George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing by Thomas Harding

The story of the famed publisher George Weidenfeld, who transformed not only publishing but the culture of ideas, from his struggles as an Austrian-Jewish refugee in London to his rise as a world-renowned literary figure.

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‘The Maverick anchors George Weidenfeld as one of the foremost influencers in modern literature and a man who rose from extraordinary circumstances to lead an even more extraordinary life.
A treasure trove of insight and history’

Arianna Huffington

 ‘A fascinating biography of an unlikely cultural hero. I couldn't put it down’

Alan Posener, journalist for Die Welt

 ‘Thomas Harding has doggedly unearthed fascinating and surprising tales from George Weidenfeld's life as he rose from poverty and Nazi persecution to become one of the world's most powerful publishers. Harding reveals a complex personality in a richly told narrative that leaves the reader awed’

Lynn Medford, former editor, Washington Post Magazine

‘George Weidenfeld was a titan of a man, an irresistible character and something of a genius.
This book does him full justice’

Simon Heffer, author of The Age of Decadence and High Minds‘

‘Like George Weidenfeld himself, Thomas Harding's accomplishment is substantial, lively, and full of interest. The Maverick is a fine biography’

Henry Kissinger

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The Maverick
George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing
Thomas Harding
Weidenfeld & Nicolson / HB / 31 August 2023 / £25, ebook and audio £21.99

After arriving in London just before the Second World War as a penniless and friendless Austrian-Jewish refugee, George Weidenfeld went on to transform not only the world of publishing but the culture of ideas. The books that he published include momentous titles such as Lolita, Double Helix, The Group and The Hedgehog and the Fox, with authors he championed ranging from Joan Didion, Mary McCarthy, Golda Meir and Edna O'Brien to Henry Miller, Harold Wilson, Saul Bellow and Henry Kissinger.

In this first biography, Thomas Harding provides a full, unvarnished and at times difficult history of a complex and fascinating character. Throughout his long career, George Weidenfeld was written about in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, Vanity Fair and other publications. Was he, as described by some, the ‘greatest salesperson’, ‘the world’s best networker’, ‘the publisher’s publisher’ and ‘a great intellectual’? Was his lifelong effort to be the world’s most famous host a cover for his desperate loneliness? Who, in fact, was the real George Weidenfeld and how did he rise so successfully within the ranks of London and New York society?

Drawing on author correspondence, internal memos, and other documents buried deep in the secret publishing files of Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Harding crafts a portrait of the publisher’s life that is inextricable from the efforts and intricacies of putting a book into the world. Structured around twenty books associated with George Weidenfeld and intercut with explorations of contemporary concerns such as the right to publish, freedom of speech and separating the art from the artist, The Maverick tells the captivating story behind the life of this iconic publisher.

Covering topics such as democracy, identity, the plight of refugees, globalism, the liberal international order, tension in the Middle East, inter-generational trauma and reconciliation, and dialogue between faiths, the issues that George Weidenfeld faced are still as current and relevant today.

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ABOUT ME THOmas harding

Thomas Harding is a bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than sixteen languages. He has written for the Sunday Times, the Washington Post and the Guardian, among other publications. His books include Hanns and Rudolf, which won the JQ-Wingate Prize for Non-Fiction; The House by the Lake, which was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award; Blood on the Page, which won the Crime Writers’ Association ‘Golden Dagger Award for Non-Fiction’ and White Debt: The Demerara Uprising and Britain’s Legacy of Slavery.

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Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister by Jung Chang

A major new biography from the internationally-bestselling author of Wild Swans, Mao and Empress Dowager Cixi. A gripping story of sisterhood, revolution and betrayal, and three women who helped shape the course of modern Chinese history.

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Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister
By Jung Chang
Jonathan Cape / 17 October / Hardback / £25

They were the most famous sisters in China. As the country battled through a hundred years of wars, revolutions and seismic transformations, the three Soong sisters from Shanghai were at the centre of power, and each of them left an indelible mark on history.

Red Sister, Ching-ling, married the ‘Father of China’, Sun Yat-sen, and rose to be Mao’s vice-chair.

Little Sister, May-ling, became Madame Chiang Kai-shek, first lady of pre-Communist Nationalist China and a major political figure in her own right.

Big Sister, Ei-ling, became Chiang’s unofficial main adviser – and made herself one of China’s richest women.

 All three sisters enjoyed tremendous privilege and glory, but also endured constant mortal danger. They showed great courage and experienced passionate love, as well as despair and heartbreak. They remained close emotionally, even when they embraced opposing political camps and Ching-ling dedicated herself to destroying her two sisters’ worlds.

Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister is a gripping story of love, war, intrigue, bravery, glamour and betrayal, which takes us on a sweeping journey from Canton to Hawaii to New York, from exiles’ quarters in Japan and Berlin to secret meeting rooms in Moscow, and from the compounds of the Communist elite in Beijing to the corridors of power in democratic Taiwan. In a group biography that is by turns intimate and epic, Jung Chang reveals the lives of three extraordinary women who helped shape twentieth-century China.

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ABOUT JUNG CHANG

Jung Chang is the internationally bestselling author of Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China; Mao: The Unknown Story (with Jon Halliday); and Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine who Launched Modern China. Her books have been translated into over 40 languages and sold more than 15 million copies outside Mainland China where they are banned. She was born in China in 1952 and came to Britain in 1978. She lives in London.

Jung Chang is available for interview and events .

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BOOK TOUR 2019/2020

·      Cheltenham Literary Festival – 12 October

·      Durham Literary Festival – 13 October

·      Manchester Literary Festival – 14 October

·      Linghams Bookshop – 15 October

·      Salisbury Literary Festival – 18 October (Salisbury Cathedral)

·      London Literature Festival / Asia House at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank – 19 October

·      Dublin Festival of History – 20 October (Printworks of Dublin Castle)

·      Toppings, Edinburgh – 22 October (Greenside Church)

·      Toppings, Bath – 23 October (Christchurch)

·      Waterstones, Canterbury – 24 October

·      Blackwells, Oxford – 29 October (Newman Rooms)

·      Dulwich Literary Festival – 13 November (George Farha Auditorium)

·      Chorleywood Bookshop – 18 November (Chorleywood Memorial Hall)

·      Daunts, Marylebone High Street – 28 November

·      Cambridge Literary Festival – 1 December

·      How To Academy, Conway Hall – 2 December 

·      Aldeburgh Literary Festival – 5-8 March 2020

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Knowing The Score by Judy Murray

An inspiring story of family, ambition and sport against all odds from the woman who single-handedly revolutionised British tennis.

• Sunday Times bestseller in hardback
• Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award

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Knowing The Score by Judy Murray
Vintage | 10 May 2018 | Paperback £8.99

As mother to tennis World #1 champions Jamie and Andy Murray, Scottish National Coach, coach of the women’s Fed Cup, and general all-round can-do woman of wonder, Judy Murray is the ultimate role model for believing in yourself and reaching out to ambition. As a parent, coach, leader, she is an inspiration who has revolutionised British tennis. 

From the soggy community courts of Dunblane to the white heat of Centre Court at Wimbledon, Judy Murray’s extraordinary memoir charts the challenges she has faced, from desperate finances and growing pains to entrenched sexism. Judy has recently pioneered initiatives Miss-Hits and She Rallies to grow the profile and numbers in women’s tennis. As if that wasn’t enough, in 2014 Judy proved her mettle off the tennis court when she strutted her stuff on Strictly Come Dancing with her dancing partner Anton du Beke.

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'This truly is the inside story of Andy and Jamie's remarkable rise. Compelling...This is a positive, life-affirming view.' - Alan Patullo, Scotland on Sunday

'A cracking book' - Chris Evans breakfast show, BBC Radio 2

'A fascinating and incriminating document. As well as mapping out the travails of tennis parenthood, it offers a window into generations of patronising, belittling attitudes to women in sport... She should be considered a national treasure' - Simon Briggs, Daily Telegraph

'Quite simply, she is inspirational, passionate and great fun' - Kirsty Wark, Observer 

'A life both defined and enriched by tennis, which reveals a woman whose own achievements are no less impressive than those of her superstar sons' - Radio Times  

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About Judy Murray

Judy Murray is a former Scottish international tennis player with 64 national titles to her name. She became Scottish National Coach in 1995, the same year that she became the first woman to pass the Lawn Tennis Association’s Performance Coach Award. She initiated the Scottish Development School programme which ultimately produced four Davis Cup players and one Fed Cup player, including her Grand-Slam-winning sons, Jamie and Andy. 

In 2011 Judy was appointed Captain of the British Fed Cup Team and used this role to grow the profile and numbers in women’s tennis across players and coaches. Judy has developed several tennis initiatives including Miss-Hits, a starter programme for girls age 5 to 8, Tennis on the Road, which takes tennis into remote and deprived parts of Scotland, and, most recently, She Rallies, a programme with the LTA, to encourage more women and girls into tennis across the UK. 

Judy Murray is available for interview.

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MORE INFORMATION

For more information about this book, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

The Tartan Turban: In Search Of Alexander Gardner by John Keay

In this compelling investigative biography, bestselling author of India: A History, John Keay, takes readers on a quest from the American West to the Asian East to unravel the greatest enigma in the history of travel.  Alexander Gardner – a 19th-century Scots-American traveller, adventurer and mercenary – lived a life many found too outrageous to believe and using a wealth of original material and compelling new evidence, Keay uncovers the truth about a character seemingly from the ‘Flashman’ stories.

“Among the many gripping tales of travel and exploration the tale of Alexander Gardner is surely one of the most extraordinary. Master storyteller John Keay deftly sifts truth from myth-making to uncover fascinating new evidence, revealing an amazing tale worthy of Kipling or Flashman of a life lived further out on the edge than most could even imagine.”

— Michael Wood

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HB ǀ £25.00 ǀ 9781911271000 ǀ 16 February 2017 ǀ Kashi House (distributed by Allison and Busby)

Like the travels of Marco Polo, those of Alexander Gardner clip the white line between credible adventure and creative invention. Either he is the nineteenth century’s most intrepid traveller or its most egregious fantasist, or a bit of both. Contemporaries generally believed him; posterity became more sceptical. And as with Polo, the investigation of Gardner’s story enlarged man’s understanding of the world and upped the pace of scientific and political exploration.

For before more reputable explorers notched up their own discoveries in innermost Asia, this lone Scots-American had roamed the deserts of Turkestan, ridden round the world’s most fearsome knot of mountains and fought in Afghanistan ‘for the good cause of right against wrong’. From the Caspian to Tibet and from Kandahar to Kashgar, Gardner had seen it all. At the time, the 1820s, no other outsider had managed anything remotely comparable. When word of his feats filtered out, geographers were agog.

Historians were more intrigued by what followed. After thirteen years as a white-man-gone-native in Central Asia, Gardner re-emerged as a colonel of artillery in the employ of India’s last great native empire. He witnessed the death throes of that Sikh empire at close quarters and, sparing no gruesome detail, recorded his own part in the bloodshed (the very same featuring as the exploits of ‘Alick’ Gardner in the ‘Flashman’ series).

Fame finally caught up with him during his long retirement in Kashmir. Dressed in tartan yet still living as a native, he mystified visiting dignitaries and found a ready audience for the tales of his adventurous past - including saving the city of Lahore in 1841 by singlehandedly killing 300 invaders. But one mystery he certainly took to the grave: the whereabouts of his accumulated fortune has still to be discovered. 

JOHN KEAY has been a professional writer, scholar, broadcaster and traveller for more than 40 years. He has written and presented over 100 documentaries for BBC Radios 3 and 4 and is the author of some two dozen books mainly on Asia and exploration. His narrative histories India: A History, China: A History and The Honourable Company: A History of the English East India Company are widely regarded as standard works. A Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, his prose has been described as ‘exquisite’ (Observer) and his historical analysis as ‘forensic’ (The Guardian). He has also edited The Royal Geographical Society’s History of World Exploration and encyclopaedias of both Scotland and London. For his literary contribution to Asian studies he was awarded the Royal Society for Asian Affairs' Sir Percy Sykes Memorial Medal in 2009. He lives in Argyll.

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Talking Points

Exploration and travel

The travels of a maverick mercenary who, having crossed Central Asia's arid deserts and high
mountain passes in the hope of finding ‘happiness among wild races and in exploring unknown lands’, astounded his contemporaries in ways no man had since Marco Polo

Lone Survivor

What are the odds of a lone traveller surviving thirteen years amidst some of the harshest conditions in Asia, roaming the deserts of Turkestan, trekking round the world’s most fearsome knot of mountains, fending off a wolf-pack, evading the clutches of Central Asian slave-traders, engaging in raids and ambushes against bandits in Afghanistan, and spending nine months in an underground dungeon?

Lost treasure

The fabulous treasure horde, amassed by an American soldier of fortune who had the opportunity to steal the Koh-i-Noor diamond, remains waiting to be discovered somewhere in the subcontinent

Inspiration for Kipling?

As the first white man to trek across the secretive anti-Islamic mountain enclave of Kafiristan (‘Land of the Unbeliever’) and live to tell the tale, was Alexander Gardner the real inspiration behind Kipling’s famous novel, The Man Who Would Be King?

The First American in Afghanistan

Revealing the remarkable tale of a lone American who, two centuries before the United States’ began its military action, became the first of his nation to venture into Afghanistan.

A Son of Scotland & His Tartan Turban

Exploring the ancestry, shifting identities, achievements and tartan tastes of a pioneering Scots American who went native in Asia.

The fashion of white men wearing turbans

Alexander Burnes - British political agent in Afghanistan who lost Alexander Gardner’s crucial Kafiristan journal in the 1840s

Queen Victoria’s sons - they were dressed up like Sikh princes by Maharaja Duleep Singh
(who Gardner had guarded when he ruled at Lahore) soon after his arrival in the UK in 1854
William Simpson - war artist who, like George Landseer who captured Gardner’s portrait, was in
Kashmir in 1860s; the works of both artists are in the collections of the Victoria & Albert
Museum

George Hayward - a military man who turned explorer consulted Gardner on routes into the
Pamir mountains

August Schoefft - painter who travelled across India in the 1830s-40s and produced works
connected to the court of Lahore (captured other white officers but not Gardner, who may
have been away on campaign)

Victorian / Edwardian military officers - men like General Sir Samuel James Browne VC (Sam Browne’s Cavalry), Captain Robert Shebbeare VC (15th Punjab Infantry) and Sir John Smyth VC, who wore turbans on campaign, all commanded men (or their descendants in the case of Smyth) from the disbanded Sikh army when Britain took control of Punjab

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