Publishing in autumn 2021 is Alan Lester’s Deny and Disavow, an analysis which challenges the distancing, denial and disavowal of British racism, and racially-charged violence, especially Britain’s response to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Prof. Lester is a world expert in studies of Empire and colonial history. He is coeditor of a leading book series on imperial history, Studies in Imperialism, and has written nine books over the last 25 years, the latest being Ruling the World: Freedom, Crisis and Liberalism in the Nineteenth-Century British Empire, Cambridge University Press, 2021.
Deny and Disavow boldly confronts apologists for the British Empire (including the Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretaries). Lester contends that this ‘distancing, denial and disavowal policy is part of a deliberate strategy to refute the claims and resist the demands of those who want recognition and reorganisation’. His analysis draws upon thirty years of research and writing and supports BLM’s call for increased awareness of the legacies of structural racism bequeathed by the British Empire.
Coming in September is Star Turns, an anthology of celebrity interviews by Tim Walker, the award-winning author, broadcaster and columnist.
Walker has worked for The Observer, the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mirror, The European and The New European. He stood as a parliamentary candidate for the Lib Dems in Canterbury in the 2019 general election, before controversially standing down and falling behind his Labour opponent.
Star Turns brings together more than 70 celebrity interviews originally published in The New European over several years. With subjects ranging from Roger Moore to Peter Ustinov, Charlton Heston and Diana Rigg, Walker’s unique style throws new light on familiar faces from stage, screen and life. He regularly uncovers facts and facets not previously revealed and always delivers his insights in beautifully crafted prose.
Coming later this year is The Language Detective by Dr John Olsson. As one of Britain’s leading forensic linguists and the world’s first fulltime language detective, Olsson previously authored two best-selling accounts of his cases: Word Crime (2012) and More Word Crime (2018). His academic text Forensic Linguistics (2013) is considered the most authoritative on the subject and is required reading for students worldwide.
Dr John Olsson is an internationally recognised forensic linguist who has given crucial testimony in high profile trials around the world. His specialty is exposing the authorship of anonymous documents including hate mail, hoax letters and product contamination threats; as well as kidnap and ransom demands. He has also solved a number of codes in conspicuous criminal cases and has worked on every serious class of crime including murder, terrorism, assault, fraud, forgery, narcotics distribution, organised crime, kidnapping and extortion.
The Language Detective is Olsson’s autobiography, ranging from his childhood in South Africa during the apartheid years to his passions for languages and flying, through to his work in the courts and his legal qualifications as both a barrister and solicitor, as well as a PhD in Forensic Linguistics — he is the only person to hold all three.
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