Kirjahaku

‘A wonderful account of a life filled with far more ups and downs than its subject’s languid demeanour ever suggested.’ -Miles JuppEven if the name doesn’t ring a bell, you’d recognise David Tomlinson’s face – genial and continually perplexed, he was Mr Banks in Mary Poppins, Professor Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Peter Thorndyke in The Love Bug. To many, he’s the epitome of post-war British comedy.But at times his life was more tragedy than comedy. A distinguished RAF pilot in the Second World War, his first marriage was to end in horrific tragedy and his next romance ended with his lover marrying the founder of the American Nazi Party. He did find love and security in his second marriage, but drama still played its part in his life – from the uncovering of an earthshattering family secret to the fight for an autism diagnosis for his son, up against the titans of the British medical establishment.Tomlinson may have died over twenty years ago, but his star continues to shine. In Disney’s British Gentleman, Nathan Morley reveals the remarkable story of one of Disney’s most beloved icons for the very first time.

Holidays with Hitler tells the story of German leisure time and state-sponsored fun under the Nazi regime. Nathan Morley looks at consumerism, entertainment and travel in German society, and offers a vivid portrait of what it was like to visit as a foreign tourist seeking fun in a totalitarian state. An important part of Nazi policy was the vast Strength through Joy programme, headed by Dr Robert Ley – a brash and fanatical party member. Although Strength through Joy is best remembered for introducing the Volkswagen Beetle, it also allowed fourteen million people to enjoy annual vacations at bargain basement prices while improving the health of the population by encouraging running, hiking, swimming, and active family holidays. With millions of working people paying monthly dues, the organization amassed a hefty fortune. On the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea, a vast resort capable of accommodating 22,000 holidaymakers began construction in 1937 – the same year the Wilhelm Gustloff, the first Strength Through Joy vessel, was launched in Hamburg. With the arrival of the Second World War, the organisation adapted, the goal being the ‘cultural caretaking of the bomb-battered population and our soldiers’. Nathan Morley, employing meticulous research, tells the story not only of the Strength through Joy programme but also the efforts to organise the Olympics and disguise anti-Jewish sentiments from the thousands of visitors; the way millions of Germans spent their free time; and what it was like to be a foreign tourist as the thin veneer of a disintegrating Reich peeled away to reveal an ugly and evil interior.

Holidays with Hitler tells the story of German leisure time and state-sponsored fun under the Nazi regime. Nathan Morley looks at consumerism, entertainment and travel in German society, and offers a vivid portrait of what it was like to visit as a foreign tourist seeking fun in a totalitarian state. An important part of Nazi policy was the vast Strength through Joy programme, headed by Dr Robert Ley – a brash and fanatical party member. Although Strength through Joy is best remembered for introducing the Volkswagen Beetle, it also allowed fourteen million people to enjoy annual vacations at bargain basement prices while improving the health of the population by encouraging running, hiking, swimming, and active family holidays. With millions of working people paying monthly dues, the organization amassed a hefty fortune. On the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea, a vast resort capable of accommodating 22,000 holidaymakers began construction in 1937 – the same year the Wilhelm Gustloff, the first Strength Through Joy vessel, was launched in Hamburg. With the arrival of the Second World War, the organisation adapted, the goal being the ‘cultural caretaking of the bomb-battered population and our soldiers’. Employing meticulous research, Nathan Morley tells the story not only of the Strength through Joy programme but also the efforts to organise the Olympics and disguise anti-Jewish sentiments from the thousands of visitors; the way millions of Germans spent their free time; and what it was like to be a foreign tourist as the thin veneer of a disintegrating Reich peeled away to reveal an ugly and evil interior.

In The Man Who Built the Berlin Wall, Nathan Morley brings to life the story of the longtime leader of the German Democratic Republic. Drawing from a wealth of untapped archival sources - and firsthand interviews with Honecker's lawyers, journalists, and contemporary witnesses - Morley paints a vivid portrait of how an uneducated miner's son from the Saarland rose to the highest ranks of the German Communist Party. Having survived a decade of brutality in Nazi prisons, Honecker emerged as an ambitious political player and became the shadowy mastermind behind the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, a crucial moment in twentieth-century history. Although frequently on the verge of being relegated to obscurity, he managed to overthrow strongman Walter Ulbricht at the height of the Cold War and reigned supreme over the GDR between 1971-1989. However, by 1980, the Honecker honeymoon was on the wane as a decade of economic and social difficulties blighted the GDR. Then, as tumultuous changes swept through the Soviet bloc, everything in and around him collapsed in 1989. His health, his certainties, his ideology, his apparatus of power, and his beloved SED party. Terminally ill, he was literally kidnapped from Russia to answer for his crimes in a Berlin court. A controversial figure, Honecker's notorious philandering, his difficult relationship with his wife Margot, penchant for porn, addiction to hunting, and gilded lifestyle at a forest settlement north of Berlin are all brought into sharp focus. Although haunted by the fall of the Berlin Wall, Erich Honecker died in 1994, still believing the GDR was the envy of the world.

Jack Hawkins was the living embodiment of British ruggedness, resilience, humour, uprightness, and compassion on and off the screen. 'The Cruel Sea', 'Bridge on the River Kwai', 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'Zulu', 'Mandy' and 'Ben-Hur' were just a few of the scores of films which made him a top star. He built his fame not only on his acting ability, but also on his image as a symbol of British pluck and determination. His voice was unmistakable, with its whisky resonance, and deep reserve of authority. As Sir Michael Parkinson remarked, 'He was a formidable presence in the British film industry and later became one of those trustworthy film stars who an audience loved because he made them believe that everyone was as decent and brave as Jack Hawkins.' He fought some courageous screen battles, but his bravest fight came when throat cancer threatened his career. This is the definitive biography of one of the most iconic and enduring legends of British cinema, whose major presence in film, television, and theatre lasted throughout the twentieth century. With contributions from Virginia MacKenna, Peter McEnery, Derren Nesbitt, Michael Jayston and many others.

‘A wonderful account of a life filled with far more ups and downs than its subject’s languid demeanour ever suggested.’ -Miles JuppEven if the name doesn’t ring a bell, you’d recognise David Tomlinson’s face – genial and continually perplexed, he was Mr Banks in Mary Poppins, Professor Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Peter Thorndyke in The Love Bug. To many, he’s the epitome of post-war British comedy.But at times his life was more tragedy than comedy. A distinguished RAF pilot in the Second World War, his first marriage was to end in horrific tragedy and his next romance ended with his lover marrying the founder of the American Nazi Party. He did find love and security in his second marriage, but drama still played its part in his life – from the uncovering of an earthshattering family secret to the fight for an autism diagnosis for his son, up against the titans of the British medical establishment.Tomlinson may have died over twenty years ago, but his star continues to shine. In Disney’s British Gentleman, Nathan Morley reveals the remarkable story of one of Disney’s most beloved icons for the very first time.

Kenneth More was the living embodiment of British humour, steadfastness and resilience on the film screen and off. Born into a life of wealth in 1914, he fell into show business almost by accident and worked for nearly two decades – including at London’s famous Windmill Theatre – before becoming the icon we know today. After a long, distinguished stint in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, he was ‘discovered’ by Noël Coward and set on the road to fame. What followed was a string of films we have come to know as the most beloved classics of British cinema, such as Genevieve, Reach for the Sky, The 39 Steps, A Night to Remember, Sink the Bismarck! and Scrooge. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, his private life was almost as exciting as the roles he played. Following a string of affairs and eleven years of marriage, he made national headlines after running off with a young actress. Then, when a public spat with the head of Britain’s biggest movie studio damaged his career, he found a new home in television. On screen, Kenneth More fought some courageous battles, but his bravest fight came when Parkinson’s disease ended his career in the late 1970s. Nathan Morely has produced a fascinating and insightful biography of one of the most iconic and enduring legends of British cinema, with contributions from fellow actors and directors who worked with him. Among these are Martin Jarvis, Jane Asher, Chris Sarandon, Anneke Wills, Susan Penhaligon, Alvin Rakoff, Peter Medak, Barry MacGregor, and many others.

In the icy North Atlantic, a tiny nation took on a superpower – and won. No one has told the full story of the Cod Wars in book form – until now. Nathan Morley digs deep into the centuries-old struggle for cod, tracing Britain’s presence in Icelandic waters back over 500 years. What unfolds is a raw, high-stakes drama: Britain, deploying warships and diplomatic muscle, versus Iceland, wielding conviction, cunning, and a fleet of trawlers. It was a clash not just over fish, but over sovereignty, survival, and the waning authority of empire. With exclusive interviews, secret cables, and a personal connection – his own father was a fisherman caught in the storm – Morley reveals how Iceland turned a local dispute into a global reckoning. The Cod Wars were brief, bloodless, and quietly revolutionary.