History of Performing Arts

From the backstreets of Buenos Aires to Parisian high society, this is the extraordinary story of the dance that captivated the world – a tale of politics and passion, immigration and romance.

’An absolutely masterly work’ Stephen Fry

Alex Ross, renowned author of the international bestseller The Rest Is Noise, reveals how Richard Wagner became the proving ground for modern art and politics—an aesthetic war zone where the Western world wrestled with its capacity for beauty and violence.

Monty Python rides again. Those malicious rumours that they were washed up, pooped out, time expired (usually started by them) simply aren't true.

Shortlisted for the Theatre Book Prize; former prime minister John Major takes a remarkable journey into his own unconventional family past to tell the story of the British music hall.

Samuel Pepys, blessed with both a gift for observation and a prominent position in society, has charmed readers for centuries with his musings and writings. To celebrate this tercentenary, HarperCollins are delighted to publish this anthology: the perfect introduction to the Diaries, with extracts arranged by subject.

Patti Smith was a poet, a punk prophet, a feminist icon, a living work of art and the first woman rock-outsider to come from the New York underground and become a star.

The first biography of the Rat Pack – Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop et al – the original Swingers. Brilliant and beautifully written story of their rise and fall, and their connections with the Kennedys and the Mafia.

The dual biography of the great British comedy double-act and the rise and fall of mass audience television by the respected biographer of Cary Grant .

The ultimate biography of this ever-popular star and icon, from a young Cambridge don who has already made his name with a much praised biography of Marilyn Monroe.