Christopher Sandford

The period after the First World War was a golden age for the confidence man.A new kind of entrepreneur is stirring amongst us, The Times wrote in 1919. He is prone to the most detestable tactics, and is a stranger to charity and public spirit. One may nonetheless note his acuity in separating others from their money. Enter Victor Lustig (not his real name). An Austro-Hungarian with a dark streak, by the age of 16 he had learned how to hustle at billiards and lay odds at the local racecourse. By 19 he had acquired a livid facial scar in an altercation with a jealous husband.That blemish aside, he was a man of athletic good looks, with a taste for larceny and foreign intrigue. He spoke six languages and went under nearly as many aliases in the course of a continent-hopping life that also saw him act as a double (or possibly triple) agent. Along the way, he found time to dupe an impressive variety of banks and hotels on both sides of the Atlantic; to escape from no fewer than three supposedly impregnable prisons; and to swindle Al Capone out of thousands of dollars, while living to tell the tale. Undoubtedly the greatest of his hoaxes was the sale, to a wealthy but gullible Parisian scrap-metal dealer, of the Eiffel Tower in 1925.In a narrative that thrills like a crime caper, best-selling biographer Christopher Sandford draws on newly released documents to tell the whole story of the greatest conman of the twentieth century.

The declaration of war against Germany on 3 September 1939 brought an end to the second (and as yet, final) Golden Age of English cricket. Over 200 first-class English players signed up to fight in that first year; 52 never came back. In many ways, the summer of 1939 was the end of innocence. Using unpublished letters, diaries and memoirs, Christopher Sandford recreates that last summer, looking at men like George Macaulay, who took a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket but was struck down while serving with the RAF in 1940; Maurice Turnbull, the England all-rounder who fell during the Normandy landings; and Hedley Verity, who still holds cricketing records, but who died in the invasion of Sicily. Few English cricket teams began their first post-war season without holding memorial ceremonies for the men they had lost: The Final Innings pays homage not only to these men, but to the lost innocence, heroism and human endurance of the age.

Shortlisted for the 2015 Cricket Society and MCC Book of the Year Award.Shortlisted for the Cross British Sports Book of the Year 2015 (Cricket category). August 1914 brought an end to the Golden Age of English cricket. At least 210 professional cricketers (out of a total of 278 registered) signed up to fight, of whom thirty-four were killed. However, that period and those men were far more than merely statistics: here we follow in intimate detail not only the cricketers of that fateful last summer before the war, but also the simple pleasures and daily struggles of their family lives and the whole fabric of English social life as it existed on the eve of that cataclysm: the First World War. With unprecedented access to personal and war diaries, and other papers, Sandford expertly recounts the stories of such greats as Hon. Lionel Tennyson, as he moves virtually overnight from the round of Chelsea and Mayfair parties into the front line at the Marne; the violin-playing bowler Colin Blythe, who asked to be moved up to a front-line unit at Passchendaele, following the death in action of his brother, with tragic consequences; and the widely popular Hampshire amateur player Robert Jesson, whose sometimes comic, frequently horrific and always enthralling experiences of the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign are vividly brought to life. The Final Over is undoubtedly a gripping, moving and fully human account of this most poignant summer of the twentieth century, both on and off the field of play.

Step back in time to 1964, a year of cultural upheaval and political transformation. From the rise of the Civil Rights movement in the United States to the global phenomenon of Beatlemania, this was the year that gave us bold fashion, unforgettable music and social change that continues to shape society across the world today.While Britains new Labour government promised the white heat of technology, on the world stage 1964 saw the escalation of the Vietnam War, Nelson Mandelas sentence to life imprisonment and the continued brinkmanship of the global arms race. Brand-new subcultures clashed at Margate beach, where thousands of Mods and Rockers fought over their differing values, while Londons Carnaby Street shone vibrantly in the countrys capital and women flocked to Mary Quants iconic designs, empowered by changing social sensibilities and rising hemlines.In this captivating blend of historical events, cultural trends and personal anecdotes, Christopher Sandford tells the full and colourful story of the year that ushered in the modern era.

Mick Jagger, rock star, straddles contrary lifestyles - musician, sex-symbol, actor, father, husband and rebel - and manages to retain credibility in each. The author draws on his own conversations with Jagger, exclusive comments from Mick's parents, school friends and three members of his original group and the frank recollections of his former manager, Tom Keylock. The text offers insights into Jagger's turbulent relationships with band members, and details of his celebrity affairs with Brigitte Bardot and Tina Turner, as well as his long relationships with Marianne Faithfull, Bianca and Jerry Hall. Chris Sandford turned to biographies after careers in public relations, cricket journalism and fiction writing. He has published several novels, biographies of cricketers, including Godfrey Evans and Tom Graveney, as well as several rock books, including one on Bruce Springsteem. He divides his time between London and Seattle.

The first full-length authorised biography of Paul McCartney. Based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews and complete access to McCartney's own archives, this is as near as we will come to McCartney in his own words. It's the private life of a man made public propertyby the age of 21. It's the trajectory of the most popular pop group in history, from the beginnings to break-up. It's the story of Swinging London in the 60s with Paul McCartney at the very centre of it all. It's music, drugs, women, money, madness, the Maharishi, love, peace and bitterness: its the Beatles from beginning to end as never told before.

Sir Paul McCartney first picked up a guitar as a bereaved teenager in 1956. In the fifty years since he''s become the most successful pop music composer in history, enjoying a virtual season ticket to the "Guinness Book of Records". McCartney''s ballad "Yesterday", which he wrote in his sleep, has since been covered by 2,400 other artists - making it the most popular song of all time. Now Christopher Sandford reveals the man behind the myth...Among the eye-opening stories is the surprising love-hate relationship with John Lennon, not to mention with Lennon''s widow, as well as an insider''s ...

This biography of David Bowie looks at his life from his deprived and manic childhood through to international stardom via androgyny, drug addiction and finally, critical acclaim. His various personae, including Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke are explored.

Primera biografía que se publica en España del ya mítico cantante-actor británico. David Bowie sigue siendo uno de los iconos más resonantes del rock.

Desde Ziggy Stardust hasta el hombre del renacimiento de finales de los años noventa, David Bowie sigue siendo uno de los iconos más resonantes del rock. Por su influencia en la cultura del pop moderno en el campo de la moda y del estilo tanto como en el

Hace medio siglo, un joven director llamado Roman Polanski rodó su primer filme completo: un ejercicio estudiantil de dos minutos al que llamó "Asesinato". Durante el medio siglo que ha pasado desde entonces, Polanski se ha convertido en un icono, una figura admirada en todo el mundo por sus mordaces peliculas, aunque tambien ha sido descrito como un enano malvado y disoluto. En enero de 1978, ante la perspectiva de una condena de cincuenta años de carcel por mantener relaciones sexuales ilicitas con una niña de 13 años, Roman huyo de Estados Unidos y se instalo en Francia. 30 años despues continua en el exilio, convertido en una venerada eminencia gris del cine y en un fugitivo de la justicia que nunca, ni un solo dia, ha vivido sin miedo a ser detenido. Hay fragmentos de esta historia que ya han sido contados, pero Christopher Sandford une todas las piezas en una cronica lucida y apasionante, empezando por la horrenda experiencia de Polanski en el Holocausto y acabando por su vida actual en Paris, donde se ha convertido en el simbolo vivo del desencuentro franco-estadounidense. El libro esta escrito a partir de docenas de entrevistas con actores, guionistas y otros colaboradores de Polanski, transcripciones judiciales que hasta ahora habian permanecido bajo secreto de sumario, declaraciones ante el Gran Jurado de California y testimonios de ex-amantes y amigos. Tambien contiene numerosa documentacion inedita sobre lo que Polanski ha llamado la tragedia central de su vida, el brutal asesinato de su mujer, Sharon Tate, y unos amigos por miembros de la llamada Familia Manson, un hecho que rivaliza con los episodios mas negros de la historia del crimen moderno. Pero no solo hay tragedia personal en el libro. Sandford tambien fija su mirada escrutadora en el triunfo profesional. Proyecta una nueva mirada sobre las peliculas del cineasta, con anecdotarios sobre todos sus rodajes, desde "El cuchillo en el agua" (1962) hasta &

In this compelling biography, Christopher Sandford explores the full, inside story of Kurt Cobain. From the disruptive childhood which had such a crucial impact on Cobain''s personality to the ambitious career musician who, as a friend said, ''lunged for success'', and the worldwide breakthrough of Nirvana''s Nevermind, Sandford also writes about Cobain''s stormy marriage to Courtney Love, his heroin addiction, and how he became more and more of a recluse. Finally, he writes of the crisis when, in April 1994, Cobain turned a shotgun on himself and became a martyr for disaffected youth. The result is a saga of success and corruption which John Peel has called ''the ultimate rock and roll morality story''.