Spotlight on: Notting Hill Editions
By Mollie Gregory-Clark, Priyanka Joshi and Isobel Jones
Founded by Tom Krener (1930-2017) in 2011, Notting Hill Editions is an independent British publisher of collectable non-fiction books ‘for curious readers’. Following a successful business career in the toy industry, Tom Krener decided at the age of eighty to pursue his passion for books and the beauty of the essay, creating his own press with the aim of publishing a library of skillful writing and original thought. With the goal to start conversations and inspire new ways of thinking, the family-run press heavily values the quality of its books, publishing a small amount of around six titles a year. Dubbed the ‘home of the essay’, Notting Hill Editions has published essays from an array of successful authors including Margaret Atwood, Thomas Bernhard, Susan Greenfield and Deborah Levy. With a range of topics and discussions available, the press will have an essay to spark the interest of every reader.
Notable Releases
On Cats: An Anthology introduced by Margaret Atwood
Introduced by esteemed author and self-professed ‘cat person’ Margaret Atwood, On Cats: An Anthology weaves together pieces from some of the world’s finest writers into an homage to our much-loved feline friends. Brimming with essays, short stories, poems and illustrations, the collection reflects deeply on these curious, majestic and often fickle creatures with whom humans have long forged hard-won yet cherished bonds. From Caitlin Moran’s tender, tear-jerking tale of pets loved and lost to Freud’s reflections on the cat’s notorious self-serving character, to an excerpt from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland featuring perhaps literature’s most famous feline, this anthology paints an intricate and colourful image of human-animal companionship, making it the ideal gift book for any cat lover.
Things I Don’t Want to Know by Deborah Levy
A repost to George Orwell’s highly acclaimed essay Why I Write (1946), Things I Don’t Want to Know is the first of British novelist, playwright and poet, Deborah Levy’s Living Autobiography trilogy. In the book, readers are taken on a journey through Levy’s recollections of her tumultuous childhood in apartheid South Africa, her adolescent quest for self-understanding, her travels in Spain, and her relocation to the UK. These memories which are in turn shot through with sharp reflections on patriarchy, motherhood, identity and carving out a space for oneself as a female writer. In typical style, Levy’s narrative voice here is captivating, evocative and fractured in the way that all good memoir writing should be, deceptively understated and as ephemeral and ever shifting as memory itself.
Beautiful and Impossible Things: Selected Essays of Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde introduced by Gyles Brandreth
Beautiful and Impossible Things is essential reading for any fans of Oscar Wilde’s more celebrated works. Though still marked by a familiar quick wit and playful use of words, this eclectic collection of selected essays provides an incredible insight into Wilde’s more personal thoughts on justice, socialism, mortality and art. Pieced together from his scholarly talks, essays on interior design, articles on Shakespeare and ruminations on prison reform (penned from inside his own holding cell), the collection’s themes are far-reaching and truly showcase Wilde for the forward-thinking philosopher that he was. Definitely not to be missed!
Recently Released
Fashion: A Manifesto by Anouchka Grose
Fashion: A Manifesto is a book that takes a critical look at the fashion industry from a psychological and environmental perspective. As a psychoanalyst herself, Grose argues that fashion is a powerful force that can both support and harm us. While clothes can help us express our unique style, the fashion industry has often been found to be exploitative and environmentally destructive. Grose calls for a radical new approach to fashion, encouraging body positivity and sustainability while rejecting the futile pursuit of artificially manufactured trends. Grose’s compelling and persuasive argument offers insight into the historical and political impacts of fashion and challenges readers to forge a new path for the future of fashion. It is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the psychology, politics and environmental impact of fashion.
Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World: Essays by Barry Lopez, Rebecca Solnit
Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World: Essays is a collection of essays that ranges from personal reflections on Lopez's childhood and travels to meditations on the natural world and the challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. Barry Lopez, an award-winning nature writer, explores the beauty and complexity of the natural world focusing on the importance of finding beauty and meaning in the face of environmental destruction and climate change. Lopez’s lyrical and evocative style of writing allows him to connect with readers on a personal level. These thought-provoking essays offer a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all things and challenge us to think more deeply about our relationship with the natural world.
Cary Grant’s Suit: Nine Movies That Made Me the Wreck I Am Today by Todd McEwen
In his book Cary Grant's Suit: Nine Movies That Made Me the Wreck I Am Today Todd McEwen examines the influence that nine classic old Hollywood films have had on his life and work. McEwen, a contemporary comic novelist, argues that these films have shaped his sense of humour, his understanding of human relationships and his own sense of identity. Divided into nine chapters, this book focuses on the various films' plots, characters and themes combined with personal anecdotes that offer insights into the film’s impact on the author. McEwen’s writing style is predominantly witty and light-hearted and provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a cinephile. Cary Grant's Suit… is a must-read for anyone who loves old Hollywood movies as well as being a valuable addition to the growing body of literature on the art of cinema.