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On Foot in Bath: a Walk with Andrew Swift and Kirsten Elliott
Sunday 1st August, 10am
Andrew Swift and Kirsten Elliot, eminent authorities on Bath’s history and authors of the fantastic walking guide, On Foot in Bath, will be taking us on a walk and talk through Bath, revealing some of the lesser known corners of this beautiful and historically-rich city. Drawing on years of research and discovery, Swift and Elliot’s knowledge of […] See more »
Robert Webb
Thursday 5th August, 7pm
If you booked on for the physical event in St Andrews or Ely last year in 2020, your booking will remain valid and we’ll contact you with further information soon. We are delighted that we can bring you an event with Robert this year. To book places, preorder your signed copy of the paperback, of […] See more »
Jonathan Walker and Adam Roberts for The Angels of L19
Wednesday 18th August, 7.30pm
We’re very excited to announce we will be hosting a virtual evening with Jonathan Walker for his upcoming novel The Angels of L19, published by the wonderful new indie press Weatherglass. Jonathan will be joined in conversation with sci-fi favourite and author of The Thing Itself Adam Roberts. To book places, preorder your copy of […] See more »
CANCELLED: Fiction in Translation: Julián Fuks and Daniel Hahn discuss Occupation
Tuesday 24th August, 7pm
CANCELLED Join us for a virtual event celebrating the work of the marvellous Brazilian author Julián Fuks, author of Resistance, and internationally renown translator Daniel Hahn. Julián and Daniel will be in conversation discussing Julián’s latest novel, Occupation, which has been translated by Daniel and published by the wonderful indie press Charco Books. To […] See more »
Explore Italy with Tim Parks
Wednesday 25th August, 7.30pm
Bestselling author Tim Parks returns with an exploration into Italy’s past and present – following in the footsteps of Garibaldi’s famed hair-raising 250-mile journey across the Apennines. In the summer of 1849, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italy’s legendary revolutionary hero, was finally forced to abandon his defence of Rome. He and his men had held the besieged […] See more »
An Evening with Pat Barker
Thursday 2nd September, 7.30pm
We are delighted to announce an exclusive virtual event with the phenomenal, bestselling writer and Booker Prize winner, author of The Silence of the Girls, Pat Barker. Pat joins us to celebrate and discuss her latest novel, The Women of Troy, which continues her extraordinary and critically acclaimed retelling of one of our greatest myths. […] See more »
DATE CHANGE: Herb with Mark Diacono
Thursday 2nd September, 7.30pm
Mark Diacono, gardener, cook, and photographer, rejoins us in the bookshop for his fantastic new book HERB: A Cooks’ Companion. Mark, author of the marvellous Sour, is such an eloquent and lively writer (often reminiscent of the young Nigel Slater) and he will expertly show you how to handle herbs in the kitchen, from infusions […] See more »
WALK: Andrew Ziminski takes us on A Stonemason’s Walk
Sunday 5th September, 10am
Andrew Ziminski is a stonemason living and working in what was ancient Wessex, and is the author of the brilliant Stonemason: A History of Building Britain. He has three decades of hands-on experience with the tangible history of this country and has worked on some of the greatest and most interesting monuments in Britain; from […] See more »
EVENING TALK: Andrew Ziminski on A Stonemason’s History of Britain
Sunday 5th September, 7.30pm
Andrew Ziminski is a stonemason living and working in what was ancient Wessex. He’s the author of the brilliant Stonemason: A History of Building Britain, part archaeological history, part deeply personal insight into an ancient craft. In his thirty-year career, stonemason Andrew Ziminski has worked on many of our greatest monuments. From Neolithic monoliths to […] See more »
DATE CHANGE: An Evening with Tom Kerridge
Monday 6th September, 7.30pm
One of the most loved, down-to-earth but high-flying chefs on the food scene, Tom Kerridge has spent the last 15 months ‘creating positive vibes’ in the food world, keeping his team buoyant and teaming up with Marcus Rashford to help cash and time poor families cook cheap healthy meals. This evening Tom will be in […] See more »
An Evening with Novelist Karen Jennings
Monday 6th September, 7.30pm
A virtual event with Karen Jennings, the author of three prior novels, Finding Soutbek, Travels with My Father and Upturned Earth; a short story collection, Away from the Dead; and a poetry volume, Space Inhabited by Echoes. Her stories have been recognised with the Africa Region prize in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition and the English section of the Maskew […] See more »
An Evening with Sebastian Faulks
Tuesday 7th September, 7.30pm
From the phenomenally successful author of Birdsong and Charlotte Gray comes this landmark novel of exquisite yearnings, dreams of youth and the sanctity of hope Snow Country. In elegant, shimmering prose, Sebastian Faulks has produced a work of timeless resonance. Set in Vienna during the First World War and in the looming shadow of the rise of Fascism, Faulks’ […] See more »
Live In-person: Honey & Co: Chasing Smoke
Wednesday 8th September, 7.30pm
The award-winning Honey & Co are back with more delicious dishes from the Middle East – and this time their focus is firmly on the grill. There’s no smoke without fire – and Sarit and Itamar are here to show us how to fan the flames and bring out the most in our cooking. With […] See more »
Save the Bees with Professor Dave Goulson
Thursday 9th September, 7.30pm
Insects represent the overwhelming majority of animal species on earth, likely accounting for up to 90% of the animal diversity of our planet. They also power many of our ecosystems; acting as pollinators, waste disposal and pest control. Insects are so vital to our daily lives that esteemed American biologist E.O. Wilson famously declared that […] See more »
Live In-person: Jenny Packham
Friday 10th September, 7.30pm
‘From inspiration to sketch, pattern to fabric, the making of a dress has been the structure that has held me, and my passion to dress others is the momentum of my life.’ Jenny Packham is one of Britain’s leading designers and most in-demand couturiers, known for her exquisite dresses made for brides, celebrities and even […] See more »
Ghost Signs of Bath: a Walk with Andrew Swift and Kirsten Elliot
Sunday 12th September, 10am
Ghost signs – those faded advertisements for long defunct businesses on the walls of old buildings – are among the most potent reminders of a bygone age – and nowhere are they found in greater abundance or variety than on the streets of Bath. Andrew Swift and Kirsten Elliott trace the history of over 130 […] See more »
Live In-Person: Simon Scarrow on Writing Historical & Crime Fiction
Monday 13th September, 8pm
Join us for a special evening with bestselling novelist Simon Scarrow, where he will be sharing his ideas and thoughts on searching and writing crime and historical fiction, and launching his brand new crime series with Blackout. Set in Berlin, at the start of the Second World War, Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke is under immense […] See more »
An Evening with Claire-Louise Bennett
Tuesday 14th September, 7.30pm
‘We read in order to come to life.’ On September 14th we will be joined in the bookshop by the brilliant Claire-Louise Bennett, author of bookseller-favourite Pond, for her new novel Checkout-19. With fierce imagination, a woman revisits the moments that shape her life; from crushes on teachers to navigating relationships in a fast-paced world; from […] See more »
An Evening with Trine Hahnemann
Wednesday 15th September, 7.30pm
Leading Copenhagen chef and food writer Trine Hahnemann returns to Bath to cook and chat about her latest book Scandinavian Green – a beautiful and inspiring year of recipes. Trine gives a wonderful cookery demo and she’ll talk about the genesis of this book, eating green, sustainable living and why she absolutely loves cooking vegetables. […] See more »
Joe Abercrombie Book Launch of The Wisdom of Crowds
Thursday 16th September, 8pm
Concluding the Age of Madness trilogy, The Wisdom of Crowds brings the series which is revolutionising fantasy to its stunning conclusion… Chaos. Fury. Destruction. The Great Change is upon us… Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the […] See more »
An Evening with Ann Cleeves
Friday 17th September, 7.30pm
We will be welcoming acclaimed crime writer Ann Cleeves back to the bookshop once more! She rejoins us this September to discuss her new novel, The Heron’s Cry, the second in the Two Rivers crime sequence which follows her Sunday Times bestseller, The Long Call. The Heron’s Cry is the second installation in the number one Sunday […] See more »
DATE CHANGE: An Evening with Gyles Brandreth
Tuesday 21st September, 7.30pm
This September we are joined in-person once more by one of the most natural and gifted comic performers, writer and star of Just A Minute, Gyles Brandreth. Gyles joins us to celebrate his new autobiography, Odd Boy Out, an extraordinarily revealing account of growing up and coming of age in an apparently well-to-do but always […] See more »
Live In-Person: Cat Jarman on the River Kings
Tuesday 21st September, 8pm
Cat Jarman’s River Kings is a brilliantly-written, magnificent history of the Vikings – and quite possibly the best history book written this year. Meticulously researched and riveting, this wide-ranging book shows Viking culture in a fresh and dazzling new light, offering a major reassessment of the fierce, often-mythologised voyagers of the north, and of the […] See more »
Exciting debut fiction: Megan Nolan and Daisy Lafarge
Wednesday 22nd September, 7.30pm
We’re delighted to announce a joint-event with two of the most exciting new names on the contemporary fiction scene: Megan Nolan, author of Acts of Desperation, and Daisy Lafarge, author of the TS Eliot shortlisted poetry collection Life Without Air and debut novel Paul. Daisy Lafarge’s Paul and Megan Nolan’s Acts of Desperation are two […] See more »
Live In-Person with Alexandra Shulman
Wednesday 22nd September, 7.30pm
We are delighted to host an in-person evening with former British Vogue Editor, writer, journalist and consultant, Alexandra Shulman to discuss and celebrate her new book. In Clothes & Other Things That Matter, she explores the meaning of clothes and how we wear them looking at items of clothing that range from the little black […] See more »
An Evening with Rick Stein
Thursday 23rd September, 7.30pm
The wonderful Rick Stein joins us once more for a warm, fun-filled evening to celebrate his latest book, Rick Stein At Home. It’s a stunning collection of all-time favourite recipes and essays that celebrate the rhythms and rituals of home cooking. Rick has spent his life travelling the world in search of cooking perfection – from […] See more »
An Evening with Tristram Hunt
Friday 24th September, 7pm
We are delighted to announce an evening with Tristram Hunt, Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum and one of Britain’s best-known historians. He joins us to discuss his new book The Radical Potter: Josiah Wedgwood and the Transformation of Britain, a spectacular new biography of Josiah Wedgwood, the pioneering English potter, entrepreneur, and beacon of […] See more »
Jane Austen Walk
Sunday 26th September, 10am
Austen is Britain’s finest literary heroine, and for many Bath embodies the best of her Regency world. But she seems to have loathed the place: “For six weeks, I allow, Bath is pleasant enough; but beyond that, it is the most tiresome place in the world. You would be told so by people of all […] See more »
A C Grayling on the Frontiers of Knowledge
Tuesday 28th September, 7.30pm
“Grayling brings satisfying order to daunting subjects,” Steven Pinker. What do we know, and how do we know it? What do we now know that we don’t know? And what have we learnt about the obstacles to knowing more? In a time of deepening battles over what knowledge and truth mean, these questions matter more than ever. Bestselling […] See more »
In-Person: An Evening with Otegha Uwagba
Tuesday 28th September, 7.30pm
This September, Otegha Uwagba joins us in the bookshop to discuss We Need to Talk About Money, an unforgettable blend of memoir and cultural commentary that explores her own complicated relationship with money, and what her wide-ranging experiences say about the world around us. An extraordinarily candid personal account of the ups and downs wrought […] See more »
DATE CHANGE: Green Kids Cook with Jenny Chandler
Wednesday 29th September, 7.30pm
The brilliant Jenny Chandler – an all-time favourite of our cookery-buyer Kathleen – joins us in the bookshop for the launch of Green Kids Cook, a book that aims to encourage and teach children around the 7–14 age group how to cook and eat food that’s as good for them as it is for the planet. […] See more »
An Evening with Elizabeth Day
Thursday 30th September, 7.30pm
We are delighted to announce an evening with Elizabeth Day for her new novel Magpie, a tense, twisting, brilliantly written novel about mothers and children, envy and possession, and the dangers of getting everything you’ve ever dreamed of. Elizabeth is the author of four novels and bestselling memoir, How to Fail. An award-winning journalist, she has […] See more »
Dennis Duncan on the History of the Index
Friday 1st October, 7.30pm
Attention all bibliophiles! This October we will be joined for the evening by Dennis Duncan, author of the remarkable new book, Index, A History of The. Dennis will take us on the historical rollercoaster ride of his scholarly, warm, and witty history on what is perhaps the most easily overlooked textual tool. Most of us […] See more »
Justine Picardie on Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture
Monday 4th October, 7.30pm
Miss Dior is a story of freedom and fascism, beauty and betrayal, roses and repression, and how the polished surface of fashion conceals hidden depths. She paints a portrait of the enigmatic woman behind the designer Christian Dior: his beloved younger sister Catherine, who inspired his most famous perfume and shaped his vision of femininity. […] See more »
Poetry Evening: Jack Underwood and Max Porter
Tuesday 5th October, 7.30pm
Join us on the 5th October for a new – and the first post-pandemic – installation of Poetry on the Paragon. We will be joined by Jack Underwood to celebrate his new collection A Year in the New Life. Jack is a senior lecturer in English and Creative Writing at Goldsmiths College whose debut collection, […] See more »
An Evening with Elif Shafak
Wednesday 6th October, 7.30pm
This October we’ll be welcoming the wonderful Elif Shafak, author of the Booker-Shortlisted 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World and the bestselling The Architect’s Apprentice. Elif joins us to discuss her new novel The Island of Missing Trees, a rich, magical tale of belonging and identity, love and trauma, and nature and renewal. […] See more »
Poppy Cooks: Demo & Tastings with Poppy O’Toole
Thursday 7th October, 7.30pm
Heralded as ‘the millennials’ answer to Delia Smith’, the poster girl for TikTok Cooks or you may know her simply as ‘the potato girl’. With her no-nonsense cooking and focus on technical skills, Birmingham-born Poppy O’Toole is a Michelin trained chef turned TikTok mega star and influencer. With her debut cookbook, Poppy Cooks you will […] See more »
Legendary Steven Van Zandt
Saturday 9th October, 11.30am
Steven Van Zandt comes under the heading of Rock Royalty. He’s best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, playing guitar and mandolin. An accomplished actor, he starred in all seven seasons of The Sopranos and all three seasons of Lilyhammer. Unrequited Infatuations chronicles the twists and turns of Steven Van Zandt’s always surprising […] See more »
Nina Mingya Powles on Small Bodies of Water
Monday 11th October, 7.30pm
We are delighted to host an evening in the bookshop with Nina Mingya Powles for Small Bodies of Water, a book that has already won her the inaugural Nan Shepherd Prize for nature writing. Nina Mingya Powles first learned to swim in Borneo – where her mother was born and her grandfather studied freshwater fish. […] See more »
Pasta Making and Storytelling with Rachel Roddy
Tuesday 12th October, 7.30pm
Rachel Roddy is the silver-tongued, award-winning Guardian columnist and food writer. Her previous cookbooks Five Quarters and Two Kitchens are prize winning celebrations of the food and flavours of Rome and Sicily. This evening we will hear the story of pasta as Rachel cooks and chats about Italy’s favourite food. Join us to learn more […] See more »
DATE CHANGE: An Evening with Max Hastings
Tuesday 12th October, 7.30pm
We will be joined in-person by one of the most acclaimed military historians, Max Hastings, to tell the gripping tale of his new book Operation Pedestal. Max describes the story of this epic battle at sea as one of the most extraordinary tales he has ever recounted. In August 1942, beleaguered Malta was within weeks of surrender to […] See more »
A Celebration of the Written Word: Books, Reading & Libraries
Monday 18th October, 8pm
Famed across the known world, jealously guarded by private collectors, built up over centuries, destroyed in a single day, ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes – or filled with bean bags and children’s drawings – the history of the library is rich, varied and stuffed full of incident. In The Library: A Fragile History, St Andrews Professor, […] See more »
Live In-Person: Simon Heffer
Tuesday 19th October, 8pm
Acclaimed historian Simon Heffer will be talking about Chips Channons’ Diaries, now published for the first time in unexpurgated form. A heavily abridged and censored form of the diaries was published in 1967. Only now, 60 years after Chips’ death, can the text be shared in all its unexpurgated and shocking glory. While his career […] See more »
An Evening with Iain Sinclair and Brian Catling
Wednesday 20th October, 7.30pm
Iain Sinclair, award-wining author of The Last London and Lights Out for the Territory, joins us for an evening to celebrate his new book The Gold Machine. Iain will be joined in conversation with esteemed author and artist Brian Catling, known best for his cult Vorrh triology. In The Gold Machine, Iain Sinclair and his daughter travel through […] See more »
The Sweet Roasting Tin with Rukmini Iyer
Friday 22nd October, 7.30pm
Everyone loves the stylish Roasting Tin series. We’re delighted to welcome the food writer behind the these iconic and bestselling cookbooks. Rukmini Iyer first revolutionised weeknight cooking with her bestselling The Roasting Tin: unfussy, one-tin-fits-all recipes that you can make with just a few supermarket ingredients and a roasting tin. Since then, she has brought us Green, […] See more »
Paul Muldoon launches Howdie-Skelp
Monday 25th October, 7.30pm
The award–winning poet delivers a sharp wake-up call with his fourteenth collection, Howdie-Skelp. The poems in Paul Muldoon’s striking new collection include a nightmarish remake of The Waste Land, an elegy for his fellow Northern Irish poet Ciaran Carson, a crown of sonnets that responds to the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, a translation from the […] See more »
Ravneet Gill
Tuesday 26th October, 7.30pm
Ravneet Gill studied at Le Cordon Bleu before taking over the pastry sections of some of London’s most respected food institutions such as St. John’s, Llewelyn’s and Wild by Tart. She’s the author of the bestselling A Pastry Chef’s Guide and is currently a judge on Channel 4’s Junior Bake Off. Ravneet grew up LOVING sugar. […] See more »
Live In-Person: Charles Cumming
Thursday 28th October, 8pm
Charles Cumming’s Box 88 was one of the best espionage novels of 2020, introducing readers to masterspy Lachlan Kite. Deftly weaving through the events of the last thirty years, we see geo- politics played out in the murky shadows of the secret services. The latest novel is another exciting spy thriller showing the changing threats […] See more »
An Evening with Colin Thubron
Tuesday 2nd November, 7.30pm
This November we are joined in the bookshop by one of the greatest travel writers of our age, Colin Thubron. Colin will describe to us the dramatic and ambitious journey he embarked upon for his latest book, The Amur River. The Amur River is almost unknown. Yet it is the tenth longest river in the […] See more »
DATE CHANGE: Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad: Shelf Love
Tuesday 9th November, 7.30pm
Everything you know and love about Ottolenghi, but with a stripped back approach. In Test Kitchen: Shelf Love the team shows you how to cleverly utilise your kitchen staples and put a delicious meal on the table, the Ottolenghi way. Shelf Love is the first of a series of cookbooks coming out of the Ottolenghi […] See more »
An Evening with Tim Weaver
Thursday 11th November, 7.30pm
Bestselling crime author Tim Weaver returns to the bookshop to launch the gripping Shadow At The Door, four short stories centred around his much-loved character David Raker. Join us for a wonderful evening with Tim and celebrate the publication of his new book – and the return of David Raker! ________ FOUR MYSTERIES It’s a […] See more »
Robin Ince on The Importance of Being Interested
Monday 15th November, 7.30pm
Comedian Robin Ince quickly abandoned science at school, bored by a fog of dull lessons and intimidated by the barrage of equations. But, twenty years later, he fell in love and he now presents one of the world’s most popular science podcasts. Every year he meets hundreds of the world’s greatest thinkers. At this event, […] See more »
An Evening with Salley Vickers
Monday 22nd November, 7.30pm
“Salley Vickers sees with a clear eye and writes with a light hand. She’s a presence worth cherishing,” Philip Pullman. Salley Vickers’ The Gardener is a charming new novel about two very different sisters who buy a ramshackle cottage together. When the sisters hire Murat, who has recently arrived in Hope Wenlock from Albania, to […] See more »