Romy Gill on Zaika: Vegan Recipes from India
Friday 18th October, 8pm
Inspired by her own heritage, Romy Gill has written a recipe collection that delivers incredible flavour and is simple to make. These plant-based dishes can be made in a hurry for a fast supper or leisurely at the weekend to savour with friends. Most importantly, they are a celebration of great plant-based food and a […] See more »
October Fiction Reading Group
Sunday 20th October, 7.30am
A powerful, unsettling portrait of ordinary family life in Cuba, Carlos Manuel Alvarez’s debut novel The Fallen is a masterful portrayal of a society in free fall. Diego, the son, is disillusioned and bitter about the limited freedoms his country offers him. Mariana, the mother, is unwell and forced to relinquish her control over the home to […] See more »
Charles Moore on Margaret Thatcher
Monday 21st October, 8pm
With this the final third volume of his biographies on Margaret Thatcher, Charles Moore has written the definitive account of Britain’s first female Prime Minister. How did Margaret Thatcher change and divide Britain? How did her model of combative female leadership help shape the way we live now? How did the woman who won the […] See more »
Jung Chang author of Wild Swans
Wednesday 23rd October, 8pm
A major new biography from the international bestselling author of Wild Swans – a gripping story of sisterhood, revolution and betrayal. ‘One loved money, one loved power and one loved her country.’ The best-known modern Chinese fairy tale is the story of three sisters from Shanghai, who for most of the twentieth century were at the centre […] See more »
Mark Diacono’s Sour
Thursday 24th October, 8pm
From cheese to vinegar, throughout the centuries we have deliberately let food to go sour to enhance its flavour. Now, sour foods have never been more fashionable – Belgian sour beer, Korean kimchi, kombucha. Award-winning food writer, Mark Diacono’s Sour offers a series of invitations to the modern cook, to learn the skills behind the […] See more »
Nigel Slater Signing
Friday 25th October, 5.30pm
Please Note: this is not a public talk. This is a chance to meet the celebrated author, presenter, and food columnist Nigel Slater. He will be in our Art Room chatting informally as he signs your book. There will be a glass of something sparkling and a chance to ask questions. This is the format […] See more »
A Celebration of Poetry with Gyles Brandreth
Saturday 26th October, 11.30am
Gyles Brandreth – former MP, One Show reporter, Just A Minute star, and author of the best-selling word-lover’s companion, Have You Eaten, Grandma? – has a passion for poetry. His brilliant new book – Dancing by the Light of the Moon – is both a celebration of the best-loved poems in the English language and a unique guide to the value and […] See more »
Eoin Colfer: The Fowl Twins
Saturday 26th October, 4pm
The phenomenally bestselling author of the Artermis Fowl books comes to Bath to introduce a blockbusting new spin-off series, The Fowl Twins. One week after their eleventh birthday, the Fowl twins–scientist Myles, and Beckett, the force of nature–are left in the care of house security (NANNI) for a single night. In that time they befriend a troll […] See more »
Ilya Kaminsky: Deaf Republic
Monday 28th October, 7pm
Please not that this is now on the new rescheduled date of Monday October 28th. Existing at the intersection between poetry and play, Deaf Republic is the story of a community that renders itself mute as an act of dissent and subversion against its prevailing military dictatorship. In no more than 80 pages, Ilya Kaminsky […] See more »
Tom Holland on the Making of the Western Mind
Tuesday 29th October, 8pm
Christianity is the most enduring and influential legacy of the ancient world, and its emergence the single most transformative development in Western history. In Dominion award-winning historian and broadcaster Tom Holland tells the story of how we came to be what we are, and how we think the way that we do, in the broadest historical context. […] See more »
Sarah Perry with Melmoth
Wednesday 30th October, 8pm
Ever since The Essex Serpent exploded onto the literary scene, Sarah Perry has been considered one of the finest voices in British fiction writing. A Sunday Times bestseller, Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards, and longlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, The Essex Serpent has been one of […] See more »
Onno Blom on Young Rembrandt
Monday 4th November, 6.30pm
Onno Blom’s new biography Young Rembrandt, tells the story of the artist’s early years, as the miller’s son from a provincial town rose to become the greatest artist in the world. To mark the 350 th anniversary of Rembrandt, Blom digs deep into his birthplace of Leiden, immersing himself in the world, the country, the […] See more »
An Evening with Rick Stein
Tuesday 5th November, 8pm
Rick Stein, our favourite chef, food writer, restaurateur and TV personality returns to Bath to share stories and flavours from his Secret France. This is real French home cooking and coincides with a new BBC Two series. ‘My friends tell me that France is no longer the place for good food. They say the towns and […] See more »
William Waldegrave on Britain Post-Brexit
Tuesday 5th November, 8pm
Post-Brexit referendum Britain faces its most profound crisis of modern times: our trust in our key political institutions, which have ably steered the country through turbulent waters in the past – the Bank of England, Civil Service, the Law, Parliament itself has – is wavering. And our national narrative, our sense of ourselves, has been […] See more »
Samantha Power: The Education of an Idealist
Wednesday 6th November, 8pm
Samantha Power has been many things: an activist, a war correspondent, a Pulitzer-Prize winning author, and presidential Cabinet official. She served for four years as President Obama’s human rights adviser and was subsequently named US Ambassador to the United Nations in 2013. Visiting Bath to coincide with the release of her memoir The Education of an Idealist, she will reflect on her life and offer an […] See more »
Philip Marsden on the Summer Isles
Wednesday 6th November, 8pm
Philip Marsden is the award-winning author of a number of works of travel, fiction and non-fiction, including The Bronski House, The Spirit-Wrestlers, The Levelling Sea and, most recently, Rising Ground. After years of travelling, he now lives on the tidal upper reaches of the River Fal in Cornwall with his wife, children and various boats. […] See more »
Richard Humphreys on Life in a Nuclear Submarine
Friday 8th November, 8pm
Richard Humphreys visits the bookshop to share the first-hand experiences of life serving on a submarine during the Cold War. Richard Humphreys did not grow up near the sea, but in the heart of Britain. Attempting to join the Foreign Legion at just 17 years old, leaving for Marseille little to his parents’ knowledge, it […] See more »
Julian Barnes on the Belle Époque
Monday 11th November, 8pm
The Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Sense of an Ending takes us on a rich, witty tour of Belle Epoque Paris, via the life story of the pioneering surgeon Samuel Pozzi. In the summer of 1885, three Frenchmen arrived in London for a few days’ shopping. One was a Prince, one was a Count, and […] See more »
Stephen Moss on The Twelve Birds of Christmas
Tuesday 12th November, 8pm
Author and naturalist Stephen Moss digs beneath the surface of the famous carol ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’, to discover an alternative meaning to the verses: and reveals that in his view this is, indeed, a bird-centred tribute to the Festive Season. He weaves history, culture, bird behaviour and folklore into a compelling narrative for each species, […] See more »
Andrew Michael Hurley on Starve Acre
Wednesday 13th November, 8pm
The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby’s son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Starve Acre, their house by the moors, was to be full of life, but is now a haunted place. Juliette, convinced Ewan still lives there in some form, seeks the help of the Beacons, a […] See more »
Alan Lee with The Hobbit Sketchbook
Saturday 16th November, 12 noon
Since The Hobbit was first published in 1937, generations of readers have fallen under its spell. That magic was reignited sixty years later, when Alan Lee was commissioned to produce a special illustrated edition, and his delicate pencil drawings and beautiful watercolour paintings have become for many the definitive vision of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. In […] See more »
Wine Tasting with Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson
Saturday 16th November, 8pm
Join us for an evening of wine-tasting par excellence as we explore the best in wine with internationally renowned experts Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson and Bath’s very own Corkage. Few wine books can be called classic, but the first edition of The World Atlas of Wine made publishing history when it appeared in 1971. It is recognised […] See more »
Stoned with Jo Wood
Monday 18th November, 7.30pm
Married to the Stones’ legendary guitarist Ronnie for 30 years, Jo Wood lived the rock star life – from all-night parties, sell-out shows and recording sessions to relaxing with the band on holiday and at home. Her incredible collection of treasures from this time is a once-in-a-lifetime look behind the scenes of the biggest band […] See more »
Andrew Roberts on Leadership in War
Monday 18th November, 8pm
Taking us from the French Revolution to the Cold War and the Falklands, Andrew Roberts presents us with a bracingly honest and insightful look at nine major figures in modern history. Each of these leaders fundamentally shaped the outcome of the war their nation was embroiled in. How were they alike, and in what ways […] See more »
One Two Another: An Evening with the Charlatan’s Tim Burgess
Tuesday 19th November, 8pm
Tim Burgess is lead singer of one of the defining bands of the ’90s, The Charlatans. In One Two Another, the singer presents and annotates his lyrics – from The Charlatans to The Chemical Brothers – allowing an insight into a very idiosyncratic and creative song-writing process. As Tim writes: ‘That’s the thing. I imagine […] See more »
Nicola Tallis on Margaret Beaufort the mother of the Tudor Dynasty
Tuesday 19th November, 8pm
‘Nicola Tallis, one of our great popular historians.’ Alison Weir Margaret Beaufort is the mother of the Tudor Dynasty. During the bloody and uncertain days of the Wars of the Roses, she was married to the half brother of the Lancastrian king Henry VI. A year later she endured a traumatic birth that brought her and her […] See more »
Celia Paul: Self-Portrait
Wednesday 20th November, 8pm
“I’m not a portrait painter. If I’m anything, I have always been an autobiographer.” Self-Portrait reveals a life truly lived through art. In this short, intimate memoir, Celia Paul moves effortlessly through time in words and images, folding in her past and present selves. From her move to the Slade School of Fine Art at […] See more »
Eddie Jones: My Life and Rugby
Thursday 21st November, 8pm
Brilliant, honest, combative – Eddie Jones is a gigantic yet enigmatic figure in world rugby and a true legend of the game. In My Life in Rugby he tells his story for the first time, including the full inside story of England’s 2019 World Cup campaign. Eddie Jones is one of the most experienced and decorated coaches […] See more »
ABJECT QUIZZERY QUIZ NIGHT & LAUNCH PARTY
Friday 22nd November, 8pm
Join us for a quiz night with a difference to celebrate publication of ABJECT QUIZZERY: The Utterly Depressing Quiz Book, illustrated by local ‘boy’ James Nunn. Perfectly timed to nip any hint of festive cheer in the bud, there’ll be 100s of questions, each one with a dispiriting, deflating or just dashed annoying answer. It’s a panoply of pessimism, […] See more »
Joanna Cannon: A Junior Doctor’s Stories of Compassion & Burnout
Monday 25th November, 8pm
A few years ago, I found myself in A & E. I had never felt so ill. I was mentally and physically broken. So fractured, I hadn’t eaten properly or slept well, or even changed my expression for months. I sat in a cubicle, behind paper-thin curtains and I shook with the effort of not […] See more »
Jack Shenker on Now We Have Your Attention: The New Politics of the People
Tuesday 26th November, 8pm
“One of the most important and compelling books I’ve ever read, by one of Britain’s most gifted writers. If you want to understand why we are in this crisis, listen to the voices all too often airbrushed from the political conversation.” (Owen Jones) Jack Shenker’s Now We Have Your Attention is an investigation into Britain’s […] See more »
An Evening with Richard Dawkins
Wednesday 27th November, 8pm
Should we believe in God? In this new book, written for a new generation, the brilliant science writer and author of The God Delusion, explains why we shouldn’t. Should we believe in God? Do we need God in order to explain the existence of the universe? Do we need God in order to be good? In twelve […] See more »
Sir Clive Woodward on How to Win: Talent Alone Is Not Enough – Rugby World Cup 2019
Thursday 28th November, 8pm
How to Win is Sir Clive Woodward’s collected philosophy and principles of leadership learned during a lifetime in elite environments. In his entertaining and informative new book, Sir Clive Woodward analyses the events of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, offering his unique perspective on the performance of players and coaches, from Owen Farrell and Kieran […] See more »
An Evening with Salley Vickers
Thursday 28th November, 8pm
Salley Vickers first novel Miss Garnet’s Angel was an international word of mouth bestseller, and she has since established herself as one of our leading novelists, in the tradition of Penelope Fitzgerald and Marilynne Robinson. In her latest book, we follow four very different grandmothers: Blanche, who can’t seem to stop stealing things from the local pharmacy; […] See more »
Samantha Harvey on The Shapeless Unease: A Year of Not Sleeping
Monday 27th January 2020, 8pm
Sleep. Sleep. Like money, you only think about it when you have too little. Then you think about it all the time, and the less you have the more you think about it. It becomes the prism through which you see the world and nothing can exist except in relation to it. Samantha Harvey’s insomnia […] See more »
Gill Hornby on Miss Austen
Thursday 6th February 2020, 8pm
Gill Hornby’s wonderfully original, and emotionally complex novel Miss Austen answers a question that has troubled readers and academics for centuries: why did Cassandra Austen burn a treasure trove of letters written by her sister Jane. It’s 1840, twenty-three years after the death of her famous sister Jane, and Cassandra Austen – alone and unwed […] See more »
Mat Osman of Suede
Tuesday 25th February 2020, 8pm
Mat Osman is the bassist and founding member of the iconic British Rock band Suede. The Ruins is Osman’s debut novel and is a dark and dreamlike story of identity, ambition and music. It charts the tale of twin brothers – Adam and Brandon – who, having not spoken for decades, find themselves dragged back in to each others lives after Brandon is killed. Shy, […] See more »
Margaret Heffernan on Uncharted: How to Map the Future
Thursday 12th March 2020, 8pm
Margaret Heffernan is one of the word’s most sought-after management speakers (her TED talks have been viewed by over 7 million people). In Uncharted: How to Map the Future, she shares her insights into what qualities help make individuals and companies successful; what values are needed to thrive in today’s evermore uncertain present. Margaret lays the groundwork […] See more »
Will Harris Poetry Book Launch for Rendang
Wednesday 18th March 2020, 8pm
Will Harris is a rising star of contemporary British poetry. His poem Say was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem 2018, and his debut pamphlet of poems, All this is implied was joint winner of the London Review Bookshop Pamphlet of the Year. In Rendang, his first full-length collection of poems, Will Harris reflects on race, […] See more »
Andrew Ziminski Stonemason: A History of Building Britain
Thursday 26th March 2020, 8pm
Andrew Ziminski is a stonemason living and working in what was ancient Wessex. 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 using his skills to create a Stonehenge megalith, to the restoration of Roman […] See more »
Eley Williams
Wednesday 20th May 2020, 8pm
Eley Williams’ debut collection Attrib. and other stories. showed that she was a writer of utter brilliance, marrying creative flair and intelligence with subtle charm and depth of emotion. In her new novel The Liars’ Dictionary, Peter Winceworth a Victorian lexicographer inserts bogus definitions into a dictionary. In the present day, Mallory a young overworked and […] See more »