book

Working in a local authority cemeteries department inspired Devon author Kate Vane’s new novel, Not the End.

Kate said, “The job made me think about our attitudes to death, particularly when someone died without friends and family and the local authority had to take charge of the funeral arrangements. Often they weren’t poor, or a loner, as people think. They had just outlived everyone who was close to them.”

Not the End is set in a fictitious Devon seaside town during a heatwave. It begins with the death of octogenarian sea swimmer Maud Smith, recently arrived from...

An Exeter man with Parkinson’s disease and whose sight is severely impaired has defied the odds by releasing a book of poetry.

David Burchfield’s book has already proved a hit with medical professionals, local writers and friends and is now available to the public via his new website.

The book, called Reflexions on Life, includes material from the 1960s through to after David was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1995.

David is treated at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital by consultant neurologist Dr Tim Harrower and has received physiotherapy from the city’s community...

Attitudes toward over-indulgence, obesity and body shape were being hotly debated and used for political purposes as early as the 19th century, a new book claims. Pathological Bodies, by Dr Corinna Wagner from the University of Exeter, shows that body consciousness is not just a modern-day phenomenon. Instead, medical warning about excessive eating and drinking, and public attitudes about self-control and discipline emerged more than 250 years ago, when the perceived decadence of the Georgian period gave way to the more moderate and austere approach adopted by the Victorians. Dr Wagner’s...

A project led by two cultural geographers based at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, and inspired by the practices of repair and renewal in the South West, is documented in a new book. Published by Uniformbooks, Visible Mending: Everyday Repairs in the South West documents the work of Dr Caitlin DeSilvey, a Senior Lecturer and member of the University’s Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI), and Dr James Ryan, Associate Professor of Historical and Cultural Geography, who were joined on the project by local designer and photographer Steven Bond. Funded by the Arts and...

Exeter based Theatre Alibi tours a new production of Michael Morpurgo’s spellbinding and moving I Believe in Unicorns this autumn.

Created for five to 11-year-olds, there are performances for families at Exeter Phoenix (15-17 November).

Adapted by Theatre Alibi Associate Writer Daniel Jamieson, I Believe in Unicorns is proof of the power of stories to transform lives. It tells the story of Tomas Porec who lives in a mountain village in Croatia and hates school and books in equal measure. But when the Unicorn Lady comes to town he is captivated by the tales she tells. Tomas’...

A new cookbook by TV chef and entrepreneur Jamie Oliver is being donated free to all 50 Devon County Council libraries in a move by publishers to make it available and accessible to everyone.

Jamie's new book, 'Save With Jamie', launched today, is in response to public demand for a cookbook about exciting food that doesn't 'break the bank'.

It includes recipes, advice and techniques to teach people recession-busting cooking skills, to help families under financial pressure to shop carefully, cook cleverly and to eat well with less waste.

The average family wastes £...

Local floristry College, The Academy of Floral Art, has recently released their first book, published by David & Charles, called Chic & Unique Flower Arrangements .

Comprising of over 35 stunning designs submitted by a range of talented florists, Donna Cann MDPF, Catherine Date NDSF Cert Ed and Amanda Randell MDPF including the authors Tina Parkes and Julie Collins who wanted to create a cookery-style book on floral table arrangements including an ingredients list, the recipe on how to make each design, tips, timings and skill knowledge required.

The book has also...

Today, many people consider stress to be part of life, yet most of us have little understanding of what the concept means or where it comes from.

In his new book The Age of Stress, University of Exeter historian Professor Mark Jackson explores the history of scientific studies of stress and how stress became a buzzword of the modern world.

The Age of Stress reveals how the science of stress and our experiences of stressful life events have both been shaped by a wide range of socio-political and cultural, as well as biological, factors.

The book provides a history of...