Author:Virginia Woolf
Flush was an English cocker spaniel who belonged to the nineteenth-century poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Virginia Woolf learned of him from the love letters Elizabeth wrote to her future husband, fellow poet Robert Browning, and found ‘the figure of their dog made me laugh so, I couldn't resist making him a Life.’ The resulting ‘biography’ combines sensuous imaginative description with sharp social comment, and brings Woolf’s unsentimental humour and insight to the fore. We see Flush as loyal confidant to Elizabeth on her sickbed at Wimpole Street, and from his jealous perspective we witness her courtship by Browning, their elopement and new life in Italy. The perfect accessible introduction to Woolf’s genius, a unique blend of fact and fiction, Flush is perhaps best read in the company of a canine companion.
This edition includes the four original illustrations by Vanessa Bell and an afterword by Margaret Forster.
Cover designed by the award-winning Finnish designer Aino-Maija Metsola
A most triumphant trespassing of human imagination into dog sensibilities... The result is a book of irresistible grace and charm
—— SpectatorFlush is an afternoon's delight for dog-loving readers. It's wit and whimsy and sniffing, snuffling playfulness will amuse anyone who's ever known a spaniel. Woolf's literary underdog is a canine classic.
—— GuardianA masterpiece... It is not fiction because it has the substance, the reality of truth. It is not biography because it has the freedom, the artistry of fiction
—— New York Herald Tribune BooksA beautifully written and quietly devastating account of raising two young pigs on [Yallop's] smallholding in the south of France
—— Frances Wilson, The New StatesmanThe narrative tension is as tightly coiled as a thriller
Fascinating . . . you certainly have a treat in store
—— Literary ReviewVery affecting
—— Daily MailPoignant and thoughtprovoking… it is the book’s humanity which will connect with readers.
—— Scottish Daily MailLet [Sue Black] take you by the hand and lead you on a journey which will inspire your awe and devotion … A wonderful surprise of a book.
—— Brian Masters , The TabletMost of us are terrified of death, but Sue Black shows us that death is in fact a wondrous process, intimately tied with life itself. Written with warmth and humanity, All That Remains reveals her life among the dead, who can surely count her as their best friend.
—— Tess GerritsenMany crime readers delight in the disgusting, the dark and the dangerous. Black’s reverence for human remains and her fearless intimacy with death in its many guises may well be a necessary antidote.
—— Literary ReviewSue Black has been intimately involved with the aftermath of death for her whole professional career and in her book she weaves in details of her amazing and active life with her analysis of death in a narrative that is personal, touching, occasionally tragic but also instilled with her wonderful sense of humour.
—— Dr Richard Shepherd, Consultant Forensic PathologistDame Sue Black writes about life and death with great tenderness but no nonsense, with impeccable science lucidly explained, and with moral depths humanely navigated, so that we can all feel better about the path we must all inevitably follow. I am genuinely glad I read this book.
—— Lee ChildCompelling, brave and extremely accessible.. A must for anyone who thinks about the basics of living and dying. And there are jokes as well.
—— Rachel JoyceNo scientist communicates better than Professor Sue Black. All That Remains is a unique blend of memoir and monograph that admits us into the remarkable world of forensic anthropology.
—— Val McDermid, award-winning author of THE MERMAIDS SINGINGWhere on earth would the world be without Sue Black?
—— Kirsty Gunn , ScotsmanEditor's Choice: An enthralling book about forensic science and the many faces of death.
—— Caroline Sanderson , The BooksellerProfessor Black’s elegant exploration of death crafts a bridge that allows us, the living, to journey into her mesmerizing world. Her intimate examination of each layer and facet of death, is both intelligent and tender. Through her unflinching eye, we come to understand that life and death are indeed two parts of a continuous whole and that there is much insight to be gained if we approach each of these with curiosity rather than fear.
—— Dr Rana Awdish, author of In ShockIf you ever wondered about the life of a forensic anthropologist, Sue Black reveals the truth behind the TV screens.
—— Val McDermid, award-winning author of THE MERMAIDS SINGINGA beautifully written memoir full of reflections on the deaths of strangers and family members.
—— Oliver Thring , Sunday TimesShe often finds herself dealing with the most macabre cases of murder. But the no-nonsense Scot is an upbeat character with a dry sense of humour, clearly identifiable in her memoir.
—— Hannah Stephenson , Daily RecordIdeal reading if you're a cheerful soul who likes to think about death. And think how it'll brighten your conversation on holiday.
—— The TimesBooks of the Year
—— The TimesBest of the Year: Memoir
This book captures the profundity of human life while displaying a sense of humour, and peels back the skin to reveal a world few of us ever discover
Dame Sue Black, the woman who inspired the hit television show Silent Witness and has done for forensic science what Strictly has done for ballroom dancing, is an unlikely but deeply worthy national treasure.... Black's memoir, like her story, is curiously vibrant and life-affirming.
—— Alex Massie , Scottish FieldYou can't help but warm to this retired professor of anatomy and forensic anthropology who chose "the many faces of death" as her medical speciality, yet is herself so vividly alive. Like [David] Nott, Black travelled the world at times, sifting maggots, bullets and human body parts in war zones. Despite it all, she remains convinced that our humanity transcends the very worst of which our species is capable.
—— Rachel Clarke author of forthcoming Dear LifeAll That Remains provides a fascinating look at death - its causes, our attitudes toward it, the forensic scientist's way of analyzing it. A unique and thoroughly engaging book.
—— Kathy Reichs, author of TWO NIGHTS and the Temperance Brennan seriesThis fascinating memoir, dealing with everything from bodies given to medical science to the trauma caused by sudden, violent ends, offers reassurance, and even hope, to the fearful and cynical.
—— Alexander Larman , The ObserverA gripping natural-history detective story. Was Rist a cunning con-artist who more or less got away with the perfect, albeit clumsy crime? Or was he hopelessly addicted to feathers, to his hobby, and to his status as a young fly-tying protégé without the economic means to realise his dreams and potential?
—— Caught by the RiverThis well written account of the known facts is well worth a read
—— birdwatch MagazineIt was hard to put the book down… Read it yourselves, enjoy it and learn from it!
—— British Birds