Ian Graham

In 1965, an impoverished elderly woman was found dead in Nice, France. Her death marked the end of an era; she was the last of the great courtesans. Known as La Belle Otero, she was a volcanic Spanish beauty whose patrons included Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia. She accumulated an enormous fortune, but gambled it all away. Scarlet Women tells her story and many more, including: Marie Duplessis, who inspired characters by both Dumas and Verdi; Clara Ward, a rare American courtesan who hunted for a European aristocrat, but having married a Belgian prince, ran away with a gypsy violinist; Ninon de L'Enclos, who was offered 50,000 crowns by Cardinal Richelieu for one night. Money left in her will paid for Voltaire's education. Courtesans were an elite group of talented, professional mistresses. The most successful became wealthy and famous in their own right. While they led charmed lives, they occupied a curious position: they enjoyed freedom and political power unknown to most women, but they were ostracised by polite society. From the hetaerae of ancient Greece to the cortigiani onesti of 16th century Venice, the oiran of Edo-period Japan to the demimondaines of 19th century France, this captivating book--perfect for readers of A Treasury of Royal Scandals--uncovers the rich, colorful lives of these women who dared to pursue fortunes outside their societies' norms.

'The best book on football I have ever read' Daniel Finkelstein'Deserves a place among the great modern books on football' Sam Wallace, chief football writer, TelegraphThe insider account of the data revolution that has swept through the modern football world written by one of its key architects, Ian Graham.Between 2012 and 2023, Ian Graham worked as Liverpool FC's Director of Research. His tenure coincided with the club’s greatest period of success since the 1980s, including winning the Premier League in 2020 – Liverpool’s first league title after an agonising 30 years.Here for the first time, Graham reveals the fascinating data that informed some of the club’s most pivotal moments of the past decade, from the appointment of Jurgen Klopp as manager in 2015 to the signing of Mohamed Salah in 2017. Along the way, he shares groundbreaking insight into the modern game, including how a season largely played behind closed doors transformed our understanding of a home-side advantage, or why the GOAT (greatest of all time) might not be who you think. And, in a game that is increasingly dominated by an elite few, Graham charts a path for the future where a data-savvy competitor will always find the edge.

This retelling of one of Shakespeare's most popular and widely performed romantic comedies follows the fortunes and misfortunes of several young lovers against a background of playful, forest-dwelling fairies. Barron's Graphic Classics offer easy-to-follow retellings of immortal literary works. They introduce elementary and secondary school students to many of our culture's great plays, novels, and epic poems, and encourage boys and girls to discover the joy of reading the masterworks in their original form. Graphic Classics titles tell absorbing stories with high-quality color illustrations complemented with short narrative sections and dialogue balloons that capture the spirit of the originals. They also present background material to help young readers understand when and why the literary work was originally written. Graphic Classics titles are available in both paperback and hardcover editions.