The Last Libertines

An enthralling work of history about the Libertine generation that came up during—and was eventually destroyed by—the French Revolution. The Last Libertines, as Benedetta Craveri writes in her preface to the book, is the story of a group of “seven aristocrats whose youth coincided with the French monarchy’s final moment of grace—a moment when it seemed to the nation’s elite that a style of life based on privilege and the spirit of caste might acknowledge the widespread demand for change, and in doing so reconcile itself with Enlightenment ideals of justice, tolerance, and citizenship.” Here we meet seven emblematic characters, whom Craveri has singled out not only for “the romantic character of their exploits and amours—but also by the keenness with which they experienced this crisis in the civilization of the ancien régime, of which they themselves were the emblem.” Displaying the aristocratic virtues of “dignity, courage, refinement of manners, culture, [and] wit,” the Duc de Lauzun, the Vicomte de Ségur, the Duc de Brissac, the Comte de Narbonne, the Chevalier de Boufflers, the Comte de Ségur, and the Comte de Vaudreuil were at the same time “irreducible individualists” and true “sons of the Enlightenment,” all of them ambitious to play their part in bringing around the great changes that were in the air. When the French Revolution came, however, they found themselves condemned to poverty, exile, and in some cases execution. Telling the parallel lives of these seven dazzling but little-remembered historical figures, Craveri brings the past to life, powerfully dramatizing a turbulent time that was at once the last act of a now-vanished world and the first act of our own.

In the final years of the last millennium, Carl Barat and Pete Doherty forged a deep musical bond, formed The Libertines and set sail for Arcadia in the good ship Albion; a decade later, Carl would emerge from his second band, the Dirty Pretty Things, after one of the most significant - and turbulent - rock 'n' roll trajectories of recent times. An inside look at life in the eye of the storm, chronicling how a pair of romantics armed with little more than poetry and a punk attitude inspired adoration in millions worldwide - and proceeded to tear apart everything they had.

Pete Doherty, erstwhile singer with The Libertines, is a British icon. Whether he is playing impromptu gigs in his front room or performing at Live 8, he possesses a sense of drama and expectation not seen in a performer since Sid Vicious. He is enigmatic, charismatic and thoroughly entertaining. Since leaving The Libertines, his life has become something of a rock 'n' roll soap opera where rumours of crack addiction abound, gossip about his relationship with Kate Moss is rife, and predictions for his future vary wildly. Written by Alex Hannaford, former rock and pop editor on the London Evening Standard, and with a brand new foreword by Pete's mum, Jackie Doherty, this is the definitive biography of Pete Doherty.

Abandoned by his cavalier father at a young age, William de Veres grew up knowing precious little happiness. But William has put the past firmly behind him and as a military hero and noted rake, he rises fast in the ranks of the hedonistic Restoration court. Though not before he is forced to seek shelter from a charming young Puritan woman… The civil wars have cost the once-high-spirited Elizabeth Walters her best friend and her father, leaving her unprotected and alone. She flees an unwanted marriage, seeking safe haven, but what she finds is something she never expected. When her kindness and her beauty bring her to the attention of William, and then the king, she will have a choice to make. After all, can a notorious libertine really be capable of love?

Italian novelist, poet, and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini was brutally killed in Rome in 1975, a macabre end to a career that often explored humanity’s capacity for violence and cruelty. Along with the mystery of his murderer’s identity, Pasolini left behind a controversial but acclaimed oeuvre as well as a final quartet of beguiling projects that signaled a radical change in his aesthetics and view of reality. The Resurrection of the Body is an original and compelling interpretation of these final works: the screenplay Saint Paul, the scenario for Porn-Theo-Colossal, the immense and unfinished novel Petrolio, and his notorious final film, Salò or the 120 Days of Sodom, a disturbing adaptation of the writings of the Marquis de Sade. Together these works, Armando Maggi contends, reveal Pasolini’s obsession with sodomy and its role within his apocalyptic view of Western society. One of the first studies to explore the ramifications of Pasolini’s homosexuality, The Resurrection of the Body also breaks new ground by putting his work into fruitful conversation with an array of other thinkers such as Freud, Strindberg, Swift, Henri Michaux, and Norman O. Brown.

When Pete Doherty was imprisoned for burgling his best friend and bandmate Carl Barat in August 2003 it seemed the light had gone out on Britain's most exciting new band. Released early and reconciled with Barat, The Libertines confounded the critics by rounding off 2003 with three triumphant sold-out shows at London's Forum, and kicking off 2004 with the prestigious Best UK Band gong at the NME Awards. By the time their eponymous second album entered the charts at No. 1, Doherty was once more exiled from the band - kicked out by Barat for his continued drug use - his side-project Babyshambles going from strength to strength, leaving The Libertines facing an uncertain future just as they are feted as THE saviours of British rock. Now for the first time the full, extraordinary story of the most gifted yet nihilistic London band since The Sex Pistols is told in 'Kids in the Riot: High and Low with the Libertines'. With the complete co-operation of the major players in their gloriously destructive ascent and drawing on his own archive of unseen photographs, Pete Welsh documents the break-ins, break-ups, punch-ups and make-ups in the phenomenal rise of The Libertines....

When trust is betrayed, forgiveness is the only redemption.Book 3 in the London Libertines is now available! Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!Seven years ago Alice de Grecy's father bullied her into breaking her engagement to businessman Ross Trelawney, an act which left her heartbroken. Now recovering from an abusive marriage to a duke who died in violent circumstances, she finds herself an object of gossip among the ton. Terrified at the notion of remarriage, she spends her time volunteering at a shelter for abused women. When she meets Ross again, their bitter encounter is a reminder of what she has lost.After Alice rejected him, Ross vowed to marry for convenience, not love. Now widowed with a young daughter, a chance meeting with Alice reignites old passions, but the last thing he needs in his life is the woman he's spent seven years trying to forget.When Alice's ambitious father arranges her marriage to a viscount twice her age, Alice and Ross seem destined to be apart. Ross must conquer his demons if he does not wish to lose Alice forever, and Alice must learn to trust again if she is to find happiness.London LibertinesBook 1 - Henry's BrideBook 2 - Hawthorne's WifeBook 3 - Roderick's Widow