“A record of how a city of great wealth ignored the desperate poverty at its very heart . . . It is a lesson in the price of capitalism.” —North West Labour History Journal “It is all free fighting here. Even some of the windows do not open, so it is useless to cry for help. Dampness and misery, violence and wrong, have left their handwriting in perfectly legible characters on the walls.” —Manchester Guardian, 1870 Step into the Victorian underworld of Angel Meadow, the vilest and most dangerous slum of the Industrial Revolution. In the shadow of the world’s first cotton mill, 30,000 souls trapped by poverty are fighting for survival as the British Empire is built upon their backs. Thieves and prostitutes keep company with rats in overcrowded lodging houses and deep cellars on the banks of a black river, the Irk. Gangs of “scuttlers” stalk the streets in pointed, brass-tipped clogs. Those who evade their clutches are hunted down by cholera, typhoid and tuberculosis. Lawless drinking dens and a cold slab in the dead house provide the only relief from a filthy and frightening world. In this shocking book, journalist Dean Kirby takes readers on a hair-raising journey through the gin palaces, alleyways and underground vaults of this nineteenth-century Manchester slum considered so diabolical it was re-christened “hell upon earth” by Friedrich Engels. ENTER ANGEL MEADOW IF YOU DARE . . . “In this book the author expertly achieves driving home the grim horror that was Angel Meadow. These were conditions at the bottom of human endurance and conditions that go beyond imaginations of modern-day citizens.” —Crime Traveller
American vampire sleuth Simon Kirby-Jones is invited to be a speaker at a writer's workshop at Kinsale House, but finds himself hunting a killer when someone impersonating bestselling mystery author Dorinda Darlington is murdered. Reprint.
England has a new sleuth--Simon Kirby-Jones, who is not only a vampire, but an American to boot. Settling in the village of Snupperton Mumsley, Simon's preternatural senses are tuned for trouble as he looks into the mysterious death of the village's mean spirited postmistress.
In this third installment of the Agatha Award-winning author's mystery series, vampire sleuth Simon Kirby-Jones sets out to nab a killer when a visiting drama-queen celebrity decorator is murdered inside Blitherington Hall.
Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries #2 From the New York Times bestselling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series, a traditional British village cozy mystery series...with a twist! “Agatha Award-winning author Dean James has penned a chatty charmer of a first book in this new cozy-with-a-kink series. Posted To Death will appeal especially to those who enjoy their murders mixed with mirth.” —I Love A Mystery “A delightful English village whodunit filled with some of the most eccentric characters you’ll ever run across in a mystery novel.” —The Denver Post Simon Kirby-Jones, amateur sleuth, gay American vampire living in the cozy British village of Snupperton Mumsley, is a respected historian and also, under a well-guarded pseudonym, a bestselling crime writer. When he’s invited to an exclusive writer’s conference he’s astonished –and outraged—to see that “Dorina Darlington” is the featured speaker. Clearly the woman is an imposter, because Simon is the real Dorina Darlington! And when the fake Dorina turns up dead, Simon suspects he’s next on the killer’s list... There are definite advantages to being undead—little fear of being murdered is high on the list. But Simon is as nosy as he is kind, so he decides to unearth the true killer before any of his fellow writers fall prey! “A worthy and cozy village mystery you can really sink your teeth into.” —The Houston Chronicle “A wickedly funny send-up of the classic cozy British mystery. Dame Agatha would be rolling in her grave, unless she’s already out of it.” —Nancy Pickard
Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries #4 From the New York Times bestselling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series, a traditional British village cozy mystery series...with a twist! “A delight from start to finish. Everything you could wish for in a British cozy. Simon Kirby-Jones is a charming and intriguing sleuth who puts the village of Snupperton Mumsley squarely on the mystery map.” —Dorothy Cannell “A delightful English village whodunit filled with some of the most eccentric characters you’ll ever run across in a mystery novel.” —The Denver Post Lady Prunella Blitherington, the grande dame mother of Simon Kirby-Jones’s handsome trusty assistant, Giles, has just sold one of her meadows to a London businessman who plans to turn the land into a lucrative tourist attraction. But first he has to figure out how to oust a club zealously dedicated to medieval reenactments. Since Henry Baker, the original “king” of the group is vehemently opposed to the idea of a tourist attraction, he is expelled for a more amenable leader, restaurant owner Luke d’Amboise. But when Henry is found poisoned by a fig pastry (recipe included!), Simon discovers a bitter rivalry within the medieval players...could it be enough to kill a king?!? Simon already has his hands full discovering who is at the bottom of this coup d’etat—when Tristan Lovelace, Simon’s very charming former boyfriend visits Snupperton Mumsley. Will Simon succumb to Tristan’s charisma or will he finally soften towards Giles Blitherington, his always loyal personal assistant?
In the fourth installment of James' acclaimed mystery series, resident vampire sleuth Simon Kirby-Jones must deal with a group of medieval enthusiasts, who set up camp for their annual gathering in the meadow behind Blitherington Hall.
In 1976, a fledgling magazine held forth the the idea that comics could be art. In 2016, comics intended for an adult readership are reviewed favorably in the New York Times, enjoy panels devoted to them at Book Expo America, and sell in bookstores comparable to prose efforts of similar weight and intent. We Told You So: Comics as Art is an oral history about Fantagraphics Books’ key role in helping build and shape an art movement around a discredited, ignored and fading expression of Americana. It includes appearances by Chris Ware, Art Spiegelman, Harlan Ellison, Stan Lee, Daniel Clowes, Frank Miller, and more.
Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries #1 From the New York Times bestselling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series, a traditional British village cozy mystery series...with a twist! “Sure to revolutionize the traditional British cozy and win the hearts of fans everywhere.” —Publishers Weekly “A delightful English village whodunit filled with some of the most eccentric characters you’ll ever run across in a mystery novel.”—The Denver Post Amateur sleuth, Simon Kirby-Jones is looking forward to settling into his new home in the quaint British village of Snupperton—despite a few potential challenges. Not only is Simon an American, but he’s also a gay vampire who controls his vampiric urges and sun sensitivity with an effective medication. Delighted to be in the cozy English village of his dreams, he’s eager to make Snupperton his home, and joins the fundraising committee of the local church. But at the first meeting, an argument breaks out between the town matriarch Lady Prunella Blitherington, and the nosy village postmaster, Abigail Winterton. When Abigail is found murdered the next day, Simon determines to reveal the murderer in town-- and in the process discovers all the delightfully sordid secrets of Snupperton!
Born 130 years ago in the heart of Mississippi, Charlie Patton (c. 1891–1934) is considered by many to be a father of the Delta blues. With his bullish baritone voice and his fluid slide guitar touch, Patton established songs like “Pony Blues,” “A Spoonful Blues,” and “High Water Everywhere” in the blues lexicon and, through his imitators, in American music. But over the decades, his contributions to blues music have been overshadowed in popularity by those of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and other mid-century bluesmen and women who’ve experienced a resurgence in their music. King of the Delta Blues Singers, originally published in 1988, began a small renaissance in Patton and blues research. And now, with the wide availability of Patton’s complete discography on CD and as digital downloads, this completely revised second edition continues the story of Charlie Patton’s legacy. Gayle Dean Wardlow and the late Stephen Calt (1946–2010) originally probed Patton’s career in the Mississippi Delta, his early performances and recordings, and his musical legacy that continues to influence today’s guitarists and performers, including such musicians as Jack White and Larkin Poe. For this second edition, Wardlow and Edward Komara refined the text and rewrote major sections, updating them with new scholarship on Patton and Delta blues. And finally, Komara has added a new afterword bringing Patton into the contemporary blues conversation and introducing numerous musical examples for the modern researcher and musician. The second edition of King of the Delta Blues Singers will further cement Patton’s legacy among important blues musicians, and it will be of interest to anyone absorbed in the beginnings of the Delta blues and music biographies.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Welcome to the Pendleton. Built as a tycoon’s dream home in the 1880s and converted to luxury condominiums not quite a century later, the Gilded Age palace at the summit of Shadow Hill is a sanctuary for its fortunate residents. Scant traces remain of the episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder—and whispers of things far worse—that have scarred its grandeur almost from the beginning. But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, elevators plunge into unknown depths. With each passing hour a terrifying certainty grows: Whatever drove the Pendleton’s past occupants to their unspeakable fates is at work again. And as nightmare visions become real, as a deadly tide begins to engulf them, the people at 77 Shadow Street will find the key to humanity’s future . . . if they can survive to use it. Includes the bonus novella The Moonlit Mind—first time in print
W. Dean Sutcliffe investigates one of the greatest yet least understood repertories of Western keyboard music: the 555 keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti. Scarlatti occupies a position of solitary splendour in musical history. The sources of his style are often obscure and his immediate influence is difficult to discern. Further, the lack of hard documentary evidence has hindered musicological activity. Dr Sutcliffe offers not just a thorough reconsideration of the historical factors that have contributed to Scarlatti's position, but also sustained engagement with the music, offering both individual readings and broader commentary of an unprecedented kind. A principal task of this book is to remove the composer from his critical ghetto (however honourable) and redefine his image. In so doing it will reflect on the historiographical difficulties involved in understanding eighteenth-century musical style.
American vampire sleuth Simon Kirby-Jones is invited to be a speaker at a writer's workshop at Kinsale House, but finds himself hunting a killer when someone impersonating bestselling mystery author Dorinda Darlington is murdered. Reprint.
Featuring chapters by emerging and established scholars as well as by leading practitioners in the field, this Handbook both describes the state of algorithmic composition and also set the agenda for critical research on and analysis of algorithmic music.
Reevaluates the accomplishments of the British writer within the context of major literary movements and cross-currents. It considers all areas of his work including his stories of country life; war stories and novels; his best work, Love for Lydia; and his highly acclaimed nonfiction on environmental issues.
Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries #4 From the New York Times bestselling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series, a traditional British village cozy mystery series...with a twist! “A delight from start to finish. Everything you could wish for in a British cozy. Simon Kirby-Jones is a charming and intriguing sleuth who puts the village of Snupperton Mumsley squarely on the mystery map.” —Dorothy Cannell “A delightful English village whodunit filled with some of the most eccentric characters you’ll ever run across in a mystery novel.” —The Denver Post Lady Prunella Blitherington, the grande dame mother of Simon Kirby-Jones’s handsome trusty assistant, Giles, has just sold one of her meadows to a London businessman who plans to turn the land into a lucrative tourist attraction. But first he has to figure out how to oust a club zealously dedicated to medieval reenactments. Since Henry Baker, the original “king” of the group is vehemently opposed to the idea of a tourist attraction, he is expelled for a more amenable leader, restaurant owner Luke d’Amboise. But when Henry is found poisoned by a fig pastry (recipe included!), Simon discovers a bitter rivalry within the medieval players...could it be enough to kill a king?!? Simon already has his hands full discovering who is at the bottom of this coup d’etat—when Tristan Lovelace, Simon’s very charming former boyfriend visits Snupperton Mumsley. Will Simon succumb to Tristan’s charisma or will he finally soften towards Giles Blitherington, his always loyal personal assistant?
In this third installment of the Agatha Award-winning author's mystery series, vampire sleuth Simon Kirby-Jones sets out to nab a killer when a visiting drama-queen celebrity decorator is murdered inside Blitherington Hall.
With our American Philosophy and Religion series, Applewood reissues many primary sources published throughout American history. Through these books, scholars, interpreters, students, and non-academics alike can see the thoughts and beliefs of Americans who came before us.
Police officer Kirby Wayland is on his way home late one day when he sees a stray dog along the highway and decides to shelter it. From that moment on, Kirby experiences a continuing strangeness about this canine. Man and dog quickly develop a bond, though there is always something very unsettling about it. Kirby takes a six-month leave from the force and decides to take a road trip. On the road, Kirby and the dog have a series of rapidly escalating adventures and enter on a hair-raising quest.
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