{"title":"John Higgs","description":"\u003cp\u003eJohn Higgs explores the intersections of culture, history, and the unconventional with a distinctive voice that challenges our understanding of the world. His works blend biography, arts, and cultural commentary, illuminating the strange and fascinating undercurrents shaping our society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom examinations of musical iconoclasts to investigations of philosophical ideas and cultural myths, Higgs offers readers a richly textured experience that is both thoughtful and surprising. His books invite a deep dive into the unexpected stories behind familiar and obscure figures alike.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"william-blake-vs-the-world","title":"William Blake vs the World","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e'Fascinating' \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e'Blakeian in its singularity' \u003ci\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e'A wonderful adventure' \u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e'Rich, complex and original' Tom Holland\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e'A crisp, ambitious and thoroughly contemporary introduction' \u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eWilliam Blake vs the World\u003c\/i\u003e, author John Higgs crafts an intricate and engaging exploration of one of history’s most intriguing figures, William Blake. Best known as the poet behind ‘Jerusalem,’ which is often heralded as England's unofficial national anthem, Blake emerges as an archetypal misunderstood genius who defies simple categorisation. This book delves deep into his life, juxtaposing his remarkable art and poetry against the tumultuous backdrop of 18th century England, a period rife with riots, revolutions, and radical ideas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe narrative takes readers through a variety of time periods and significant movements, linking the Levellers of the sixteenth century to the psychedelic counterculture of the 1960s. This broad historical scope provides a rich and multifaceted context for understanding Blake’s work, as well as his profound and often perplexing mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHiggs takes the reader on a series of wild detours into unfamiliar yet fascinating territory. He explores the latest discoveries in neurobiology, quantum physics, and comparative religion, all to offer fresh perspectives on Blake’s artistic and visionary achievements. This fusion of historical and modern science not only situates Blake within the complexities of his time but also demonstrates how his ideas and artworks continue to resonate today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the book, Higgs accomplishes the remarkable feat of making Blake's bewildering eccentricities more relatable and comprehensible. He places Blake's most enigmatic and esoteric ideas into a framework that reveals their modern relevance, showing how they can offer insights into our own lives and times. In doing so, Higgs effectively argues that understanding Blake can help us better understand ourselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith its blend of historical narrative and contemporary analysis, \u003ci\u003eWilliam Blake vs the World\u003c\/i\u003e is both a scholarly examination and a captivating adventure, ideal for both Blake enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Higgs’s writing is as rich and complex as his subject, making this biography a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of art, history, and science.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45714477514988,"sku":"9781474614368","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781474614368.jpg?v=1726009688"},{"product_id":"exterminateregenerate-by-john-higgs-9781399614771","title":"Exterminate\/Regenerate","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e'Absolutely wonderful. The book I've been waiting to read since I was ten years old. Full of surprising and piercing insights . . . The first thing I've come across that absolutely nails the extraordinary nature of the cultural phenomenon that is \u003ci\u003eDoctor Who\u003c\/i\u003e' JEREMY DYSON\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn screen, \u003ci\u003eDoctor Who\u003c\/i\u003e is a story of monsters, imagination and mind-expanding adventure. But the off-screen story is equally extraordinary - a tale of failed monks, war heroes, 1960s polyamory and self-sabotaging broadcasting executives. From the politics of fandom to the inner struggles of the BBC, thousands of people have given part of themselves - and sometimes, too much of themselves - to bring this unlikeliest of folk heroes to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a story of change, mystery and the importance of imaginary characters in our lives. Able to evolve and adapt more radically than any other fiction, \u003ci\u003eDoctor Who\u003c\/i\u003e has acted as a mirror to more than six decades of social, technological and cultural change while always remaining a central fixture of the British imagination.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eExterminate\/Regenerate\u003c\/i\u003e, John Higgs invites us into his TARDIS on a journey to discover how ideas emerge and survive despite the odds, why we are so addicted to fiction, and why this wonderful wandering time traveller means so much to so many.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46368817840364,"sku":"9781399614771","price":60.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781399614771.jpg?v=1744796132"},{"product_id":"i-have-america-surrounded-by-john-higgs-9781504095723","title":"I Have America Surrounded","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA truth-seeking biography of an iconic cheerleader for LSD and his adventures in consciousness expansion\u003c\/strong\u003e - with a foreword by Winona Ryder (Paul Krassner, founder of \u003ci\u003eThe Realist\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 1960s and '70s wouldn't have been the same without Timothy Leary, the renowned psychologist turned psychedelic drug guru. Always challenging authority, Leary rose to prominence through groundbreaking experiments, achieving mystical states and visions using magic mushrooms and LSD. A counterculture hero, his exploits inspired President Richard Nixon to call him \"the most dangerous man in America.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eI Have America Surrounded\u003c\/i\u003e, cultural historian John Higgs delivers an account of Leary's wild and controversial life - from his inglorious time at West Point and his successful career in academia at Harvard, to the establishment of a psychedelic \"summer camp\" in Mexico, to his imprisonment, escape, and life as a fugitive in Algiers and Switzerland. Leary and his spiritual revolution were joined by such luminaries as Aldous Huxley, Allen Ginsberg, and Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. He was kidnapped by Black Panthers, became an FBI narc, and ran for governor of California.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI Have America Surrounded\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of a search for alternate meaning and realities by a man who \"was a Chieftain. He stomped on the terra, and he left his elegant hoof prints on all our lives\" (Hunter S. Thompson).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Anyone interested in Leary beyond seeing him traduced will be sure to enjoy it, if not love it.\" -\u003ci\u003eReason\u003c\/i\u003e magazine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"You will not want to put this book down - full of unbelievable, gripping adventures - get it!\" -\u003ci\u003eWeed World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"A remarkable account of a remarkable man.\" -\u003ci\u003ereFRESH\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"A fascinating book about an extraordinary subject.\" -\u003ci\u003eThe Beat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Enthralling.\" -\u003ci\u003eMixMag\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46844058337516,"sku":"9781504095723","price":56.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/14151063482723.jpg?v=1758825675"},{"product_id":"the-klf-by-john-higgs-9781399610353","title":"The KLF","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The best non-fiction book I've ever read. It's magical. Stunning' Dan Schreiber, \u003ci\u003eNo Such Thing As a Fish\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A pop biography for people who don't read pop biographies' Dorian Lynskey, \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Brilliant, discursive and wise' Ben Goldacre\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Utterly irresistible and totally brilliant' \u003ci\u003eThe Quietus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A thing of endlessly fascinating, utterly demented genius' Alexis Petridis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey were the bestselling singles band in the world. They had awards, credibility, commercial success and creative freedom. Then they deleted their records, erased themselves from musical history and burnt their last million pounds in a boathouse on the Isle of Jura. And they couldn't say why.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is not just the story of \u003ci\u003eThe KLF\u003c\/i\u003e. It is a book about Carl Jung, Alan Moore, Robert Anton Wilson, Ken Campbell, Dada, Situationism, Discordianism, magic, chaos, punk, rave, the alchemical symbolism of Doctor Who and the special power of the number twenty-three. Wildly unauthorised and unlike any other music biography, \u003ci\u003eThe KLF\u003c\/i\u003e is a trawl through chaos on the trail of a beautiful, accidental mythology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION UPDATED WITH NEW MATERIAL\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46846380769516,"sku":"9781399610353","price":60.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/8471593482686.jpg?v=1758908865"},{"product_id":"lynchian-by-john-higgs-9781399637312","title":"Lynchian","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e'Terrifically lucid and compact . . . an unassumingly intuitive and insightful brief history . . . will tell you more about [Lynch's] life and filmmaking than a thousand academic studies'\u003c\/b\u003e  \n\u003cb\u003ePETER BRADSHAW, \u003ci\u003eTHE SPECTATOR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e  \n\nThe loss of David Lynch in January 2025 produced an extraordinary outpouring of love and grief that revealed how deeply he mattered. But the strength and size of this reaction came as a surprise to many. In life, Lynch was a wilfully obtuse cult filmmaker who had been unable to get a film financed for the last two decades of his life. In death, both the man himself and his work are unquestionably in the pantheon of all-time greats.\n\nHe leaves behind an adjective, 'Lynchian', a term used to describe work that echoes his. And yet, only Lynch could be truly Lynchian, and those who copy him fail to have an impact. So why does his work affect people so deeply? Why do some find it haunting and unforgettable while others dismiss it as meaningless? Answering that question takes us into the strange realms of psychology, art and theology. We will discover why ambiguity and mystery are so seductive, how Lynch's creative and meditative practices overlapped and why a director whose work contains so much abuse of women has such a female-skewing fanbase.\n\nThrough a personal, first-person lens, \u003ci\u003eLynchian\u003c\/i\u003e unpacks the mystery but refuses to solve the enigma of an artist whose work reshaped cinema from the inside out - where story gives way to dreams, and meaning lies not in answers, but in experience.\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47074203468012,"sku":"9781399637312","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/30e7976f65b794dc92fcb1cb5a96094b.jpg?v=1765177358"},{"product_id":"exterminateregenerate-by-john-higgs-9781399614788","title":"Exterminate\/Regenerate","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Captures much of the warmth, wit and worthiness of this thoroughly British institution' \u003cem\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Crammed with fascinating nuggets' \u003cem\u003eINDEPENDENT\u003c\/em\u003e, Biography of the Month\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Absolutely wonderful. The book I've been waiting to read since I was ten years old' JEREMY DYSON\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith its unique ability to evolve and adapt more radically than any other fiction, \u003cem\u003eDoctor Who\u003c\/em\u003e has acted as a mirror to more than six decades of social, technological and cultural change. In the first biography of this central fixture of the British imagination, John Higgs invites us into the Doctor's TARDIS on a journey to discover how ideas emerge and survive despite the odds, how failed monks and war heroes created one of the most successful TV shows in history and why this wonderful wandering time traveller means so much to so many.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A TARDIS of a book . . . the whole space-time continuum is inside' FRANK COTTRELL BOYCE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Wonderful! You don't need to be a Whovian to delight at John Higgs's journey through \u003cem\u003eDoctor Who\u003c\/em\u003e, but you may well be one by the end of the book' ROBIN INCE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Gardners Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47521306116332,"sku":"9781399614788","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/86355bcb2b913bba6ea007c57cb53a39.jpg?v=1776127052"},{"product_id":"love-and-let-die-by-john-higgs-9781399600163","title":"Love and Let Die","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Beatles are the biggest band there has ever been. James Bond is the single most successful movie character of all time. They are also twins. \u003ci\u003eDr No\u003c\/i\u003e, the first Bond film, and 'Love Me Do', the first Beatles record, were both released on the same day - Friday, 5 October 1962. Most countries can only dream of a cultural export becoming a worldwide phenomenon on this scale. For Britain to produce two on the same windy October afternoon is unprecedented.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBond and the Beatles present us with opposing values, visions of Britain and ideas about male identity. \u003ci\u003eLove and Let Die\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of a clash between working-class liberation and establishment control, and how it exploded on the global stage. It explains why James Bond hated the Beatles, why Paul McCartney wanted to be Bond and why it was Ringo who won the heart of a Bond Girl in the end.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTold over a period of sixty dramatic years, this is an account of how two outsized cultural monsters continue to define our aspirations and fantasies and the future we are building. Looking at these touchstones in this new context will forever change how you see the Beatles, the James Bond films and six decades of British culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47536755278060,"sku":"9781399600163","price":60.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781399600163-love-and-let-die.jpg?v=1776387974"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/john-higgs.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}