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The Archers Miscellany
The Archers Miscellany
Apr 20, 2025 7:01 AM

Author:Joanna Toye

The Archers Miscellany

The first official trivia collection from Britain's best-loved radio drama.

Have you ever wondered about the attractions at Ambridge fetes? Puzzled over who the winners were at the Flower and Produce Show? Been curious about details of past Bonfire Nights, or even menus at The Bull? Discover the whos, whats, wheres and whys of the show's past 60 years in The Archers Miscellany.

Discover which resident has the most names and meet the animals of Ambridge; learn the order of illumination for the Christmas lights switch-on; ponder Great Ambridge Mysteries and remember Ambridge Wanderers football team fixtures from the glory days of the 1970s.

Containing information gathered from the vast BBC Birmingham Archers archives and beautifully illustrated throughout, The Archers Miscellany is the ultimate trivia book for all things Ambridge.

Reviews

... great fun to listen to

—— Bognor Regis Observer

A Sting in the Tale is probably the most alluring (not to mention probably the most rewarding) instalment of the Hornets’ Nest saga to date.

—— http://www.doctorwhoreviews.co.uk

A passionate ode to the joy of discovery... He doesn't patronise and writes about Bach for a reader like himself - who wants to know more but doesn't know where to start... What a gift

—— Natalie Clein , The Times

A work of ever-percolating interest...tirelessly enthusiastic

—— New York Times

One of the most extraordinary, clever, beautiful, and impeccably researched books I have read in years

—— Simon Winchester

Eric Siblin is just the kind of listener whom musicians love to find in their audiences

—— Independent

We are introduced to the cellist Pablo Casals, who had a similar epiphany to Siblin's and converted the world to the Cello Suites

—— Emmanuelle Smith , Financial Times

Vividly chronicles Siblin's international search for the original, and unfound, score of the suites. The story is interspersed with digressions on the lives of Bach and Casals, which deftly reveal how contemporary politics shaped their music, and buffeted their careers. Read The Cello Suites -preferably with their melodious hum in the background-and you will never look at a cello in quite the same way again

—— Economist

Siblin's intricate book interleaves the stories of Bach, Casals, the suites themselves and his own research. Transposing the shape of his narrative on to the structure of the six suites and their six movements enables him to move lightly back and forth across the centuries.

—— Judith Rice , The Guardian

This quirky, word of mouth success follows former pop writer Eric Siblin as he attends a recital of Bach's cello suites and suitably smitten by some of the greatest music ever written, teases out a history that invites intrigue, mystery and genius

—— Belfast Telegraph

Insightful [and] engaging . . . Eric Siblin puts us in touch with the joy of discovering a new passion in life

—— Toronto Star

Joyful and informative

—— Metro

The story of Bach's six Cello Suites is an insightful narrative populated by musicians and myth, animating history through centuries

—— Good Book Guide

Difficult to put down

—— Sunday Times

Clapton provides an orderly account of life in which all other considerations are secondary to the frequently selfish needs of The Artist'

—— Guardian

Gold-plated tales of sex, drink, drugs and fame and moments of musical incandescence.

—— Observer Music Monthly

A warm portrait

—— FT Magazine

A harrowing and searingly honest book about the unreal rock star life.

—— Daily Express

Clapton lays bare his life story in this witty but also painfully honest autobiography. Compelling and accomplished.

—— Sunday Express

A painfully honest insider's account of an age all too often portrayed as one long party

—— Daily Mail

A glorious rock history.

—— New York Post

This book does what many rock historians couldn't: It debunks the legend...puts a lie to the glamour of what it means to be a rock star.

—— Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune

Strong stuff. Clapton reveals its author's journey to self-acceptance and manhood. Anyone who cares about the man and his music will want to take the trip with him.

—— Anthony DcCurtis, Rolling Stone

Clapton is honest...even searing and often witty, with a hard-won survivor's humor...an honorable badge of a book.

—— Stephen King, New York Times Book Review

Riveting

—— Boston Herald

An even, unblinking sensibility defines the author's voice.

—— New York Times

An unsparing self-portrait.

—— USA Today

Both the youthful excesses and the current calm state are narrated with an engaging tone that nudges Clapton's story ahead of other rock'n'roll memoirs.

—— Publisher’s Weekly

Clapton is a confessional, an addiction memoir, and a glorious rock history rolled into one, with a smidgeon of guilt and, ultimately redemption thrown in for good measure.

—— New York Post

Clapton fills in many gray areas, recounting his highs and lows with a thoughtfulness often lacking rock memoirs.Methodically he whittles away at the larger-than-life rock god until a vulnerable, messed-up mortal emerges...Clapton is an absorbing tale of artistry, decadence and redemption.It's also an important reminder of the guitarist's imprint on rock music, as a sideman, solo artist and bandleader.Not bad for a blues snob from Surrey.

—— Los Angeles Times

Clapton: The Autobiography does what many rock historians couldn't: It debunks the legend, de-mythologizes one of the most mythologized electric guitarists ever, puts a lie to the glamour of what is means to be a rock star...It's a cautionary tale that spills over into tragedy several times as love, lives and talents are all wasted.

—— Chicago Tribune

Like the bluesmen who inspired him, Clapton has his share of scars...his compelling memoir is... a soulful performance.

—— People

Charming and surprisingly candid.

—— Entertainment Weekly

Absolutely brilliant

—— Daily Express
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