{"title":"Adam Sisman","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdam Sisman\u003c\/strong\u003e offers readers a thoughtful exploration of notable figures through well-crafted biographies that bring history and character vividly to life. His works delve into the complexities of intellectuals, artists, and writers, revealing the nuances of their lives and the times in which they lived.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a keen eye for detail and a narrative style that engages both the casual reader and the serious enthusiast, Sisman’s books stand at the intersection of \u003cem\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Memoir\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eArts \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/em\u003e. Expect richly researched stories that illuminate the personal and professional worlds of extraordinary individuals.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-indefatigable-asa-briggs-by-adam-sisman-9780008556419","title":"The Indefatigable Asa Briggs","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAsa Briggs’s energy fuelled him to write more than fifty books, including five formidable volumes on the history of broadcasting. At the zenith of his fame, he was one of the best-known historians of his generation, his name on a cover a guarantee of substantial sales.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom humble beginnings in the back streets of Keighley, he rose to become a peer of the realm, one of the Great and the Good. He was Vice-Chancellor of Sussex, the most fashionable of the new universities, and Chancellor of the Open University, the largest. He became President of the Workers’ Educational Association, reflecting his deep commitment to a more equal society. His own life illustrated the power of education to overcome disadvantage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut for all his success, his was also a story of frustration and disappointment. He took on too much, and in later life was unable to juggle his commitments as once he could. Moreover, the world around him had changed. Once at the centre of things, he found himself on the periphery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe inner life of Asa Briggs was more turbulent than it appeared from the outside. Even those who thought they knew him well may be surprised by the revelations in this fascinating biography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Indefatigable Asa Briggs\u003c\/em\u003e by Adam Sisman offers an insightful exploration of the complexities and challenges faced by one of the great historians of his time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46951431667948,"sku":"9780008556419","price":65.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/036b62c5cde5839f768c0e2d4c4ca48b.jpg?v=1762372512"},{"product_id":"the-secret-life-of-john-le-carre-by-adam-sisman-9781800818231","title":"The Secret Life of John le Carre","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSecrecy came naturally to John le Carré, and there were some secrets that he fought fiercely to keep. Adam Sisman's definitive biography, published in 2015, provided a revealing portrait of this fascinating man; yet some aspects of his subject remained hidden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNowhere was this more so than in his private life. Apparently content in his marriage, the novelist conducted a string of love affairs over five decades. To these relationships, he brought much of the tradecraft that he had learned as a spy - cover stories, cut-outs, and dead letter boxes. These clandestine operations brought an element of danger to his life, but they also meant deceiving those closest to him. Small wonder that betrayal became a running theme in his work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn trying to manage his biography, the novelist engaged in a succession of skirmishes with his biographer. While he could control what Sisman wrote about him in his lifetime, he accepted that the truth would eventually become known. Following his death in 2020, what had been withheld can now be revealed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Secret Life of John le Carré\u003c\/i\u003e reveals a hitherto-hidden perspective on the life and work of the spy-turned-author and is a fascinating meditation on the complex relationship between biographer and subject. \"Now that he is dead,\" Sisman writes, \"we can know him better.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47083018977516,"sku":"9781800818231","price":36.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/4282403482829.jpg?v=1765279079"},{"product_id":"hugh-trevor-roper-by-adam-sisman-9781399638098","title":"Hugh Trevor-Roper","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFROM THE AUTHOR OF \u003ci\u003eTHE SECRET LIFE OF JOHN LE CARRÉ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cb\u003e'A fine and serious biography which, on page after page, has made me laugh out loud' \u003ci\u003eSunday Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cb\u003e'It is a long time since I have enjoyed a book as much as this one' Robert Harris, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cb\u003e'It is impossible to praise Sisman's biography too highly' A.N. Wilson, \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eClever, witty and cruel, Hugh Trevor-Roper was one of the most gifted scholars of his generation. As a young intelligence officer, he broke one of the German codes while taking a bath during an air raid. After the war, his solo investigation into the death of Hitler made him famous in his early thirties and rich enough to buy a Bentley.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTen years later he was appointed the most senior history professor at Oxford. He married into the aristocracy and was acknowledged as one of the most brilliant intellectuals of his time. But he failed to write the 'big book' expected of him and tainted his reputation when in old age he erroneously authenticated the forged 'Hitler Diaries'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe tragicomedy of his tenure as Master of Peterhouse forms a fitting finale to the story of a full and varied life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47932263694572,"sku":"9781399638098","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781399638098-hugh-trevor-roper.jpg?v=1783857387"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/adam-sisman.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}