Friedrich Hayek

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Navin Chawla

Mother Teresa's name immediately conjures up a vision of a small, frail woman in a white sari, offering love and compassion to the poorest of the poor who live in the slums of Calcutta, in cardboard boxes in London, in the ghettos of New York, and in the shadow of the Vatican itself. In recognition of her unique work, the world has lavished on her its highest honors and awards, from the Nobel Peace Prize to the Order of Merit presented by Queen Elizabeth. These she has accepted only in the name of the poor, whom she and her Missionaries of Charity so devotedly serve - 'I am but a pencil in the hands of the Lord, it is his work', she has repeatedly said. Starting out with no resources or preconceived ideas, armed only with her faith, Mother Teresa has created an enormously successful religious order that has spread to over a hundred countries, setting up institutions for the destitute, the handicapped, orphans, the leprosy-affected and the dying. Yet her main work remains in the midst of the slums and the dirt of the streets.

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[compiled by] Roger Hudson

Published to coincide with her 100th birthday, this is a pictorial celebration of the life of the Queen Mother, the best-loved member of the British Royal Family. Many of the photographs featured have been taken from private albums at Glamis Castle.

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Michael Coveney

"No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith. Michael Coveney's biography shines a light on the life and career of a truly remarkable performer, one whose stage and screen career spans six decades. From her days as a West End star of comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton, answering back to Laurence Olivier, or playing opposite Judi Dench in Breath of Life, her career can be seen as a 'Who's Who' of British theatre. Her film and television career are just as starry. From the title character in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and the meddling chaperone in A Room With a View to the Harry Potter films in which she played Minerva McGonagall (as she put it 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat') and the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films in which she played the wise Muriel Donnelly, Smith has thrilled, engaged and made audiences laugh. As Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey she conquered millions more. Paradoxically she remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, written with the actress's blessing and drawing on personal archives, as well as interviews with immediate family and close friends, is a portrait of one of the greatest actors of our time"--

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Jeanette Winterson

Memories of the author about her difficult childhood as the adopted daughter of an English mother with strong religious convictions, and her subsequent search for her biological mother.