by Christopher Fifield (2003)
"Fifty years ago, Kathleen Ferrier, the greatest lyric contralto Britain has ever produced, lost her courageous battle with breast cancer. Her name endures to this day for she struck a chord with a wide-ranging public, in concerts, on records and on the radio, despite a career which lasted barely ten years. Within a decade this former telephone exchange operator was singing on stage at Covent Garden or before royalty at private parties. She must have been fun to know, and from this collection of letters, just over three hundred of them gathered from sources in Britain, America, Canada and Holland, as well as twelve years of her personal diaries, what emerges provides a sunny picture in the gloomy landscape of post-Second World War days." "Until now Kathleen Ferrier has been a voice, but through the pages of these fascinating letters and diaries we get to the person. Her correspondents include composer Benjamin Britten, conductors John Barbirolli and Bruno Walter, her accompanist John Newmark, her agents John and Emmie Tillett, as well as family, friends and fans. Her letters not only illuminate the musical life of Britain, Europe and America but also the detailed organisation involved in programming, touring, and performing in the very different arenas of concerts, recitals, opera, broadcasting and recording."--Jacket.
Thomas M. Kitts
A biography of Ray Davies that focuses on his music and his times. This book studies Davies' work from the Kinks' first singles through his 2006 solo album, from his rock musicals in the early 1970s to his one-man stage show in the 1990s, and from his films to his autobiography.
Martha Vicinus & Bea Nergaard
Letters trace Florence Nightingale's work on behalf of British soldiers, hospital reform, and professional nursing, and shares her views on the role of women.
compiled and researched by Pamela Statham
William Tanner (1801-1845) married Hester Viveash in 1829, and in 1831 they immigrated to Swan Lake, northwest of what came to be Perth, Western Australia. The Tanners remained at Swan Lake (aside from a visit to England in 1835-1838) until 1844, when they withdrew to England in January 1844. William Tanner's sister Ellen married Charles Videash, and they immigrated in 1831 to Tasmania, Australia. The letters home to England from William and Ellen show the contrast in the two areas, particularly since Swan Lake was the first colony to be established in Australia exclusively for private capitalists and had such a difficult initial development primarily because of lack of money capital--(P. xv).
E.R. Braithwaite
A black teacher from British Guiana describes how he overcame the hostility and prejudices of his students in a London slum school.