Books
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Comics standing up
Comics hold such precious memories. ‘Precious’ is the operative word here because vintage comics can cost thousands. In February 2010, the lucky owner of Detective Comics No.27 from 1939 sold his valuable comic for €833,000. And earlier this year,...
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Precious heroes and villains
Q: Which are the most prized heritage comics and why are they so expensive? A: Action Comics Issue 1 (1938), which featured the character of Superman for the first time, must be the most sought-after comic in the world. This is closely followed by...
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Fifty Shades of Grey sparks unexpected marketing mania
Wildly popular erotica trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey has inspired publishers, record labels, sex shops and even crafty parents to submit – to the desire to cash in, that is. The trio of novels by British writer E.L. James that has so far sold 32...
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Aldo Micallef-Grimaud’s artistic heritage
Lino Borg, Joseph Cassar: Aldo Micallef-Grimaud (1925-2010. Glorian Micallef-Grimaud. 2012. 72 pp. This finely crafted and colour-plated publication serves as the catalogue for the current exhibition at the Presidential Palace, San Anton, showcasing...
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JK Rowling launches her first adult novel
Harry Potter author JK Rowling bids goodbye to the boy wizard today with the release of her first novel for adults – a gritty tale of poverty and politics in an idyllic village in the English countryside. With more than 450 million copies of the...
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‘Strange and disturbing’ Scientology secrets revealed
A niece of Scientology leader David Miscavige is planning a tell-all book about the church. Jenna Miscavige Hill, 28, a frequent critic of the church of Scientology since breaking with it in 2005, has a deal with HarperCollins Publishers imprint...
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Satanic Verses ‘would not be published now’
The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie said it would be “difficult” to publish the book now because of the “climate of fear” that exists. The writer, whose latest book Joseph Anton: A Memoir recounts his life in hiding after Iran’s Ayatollah...
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The historian of nationalism
Henry Frendo: Europe and Empire, Midsea, 2012. 872 pp. Was it possible to be a patriot without embracing the cause of the nationalist movement in Malta under British rule? This question is always prominent whenever I read Henry Frendo’s prolific and...
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In her good book
Audrey Friggieri, teacher and mother of two teenagers, will soon be publishing her first book, Avventuri mill-Klassi ta’ Miss Ambrożja Pulis Kiftaranipenġini. Here, she explores her relationship with her inner child. Is this your first attempt at...
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Booker Prize winner is back on the shortlist
Hilary Mantel, who won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2009 with historical novel Wolf Hall, is on the shortlist for the coveted award again for her sequel Bring up the Bodies, organisers announced yesterday. The other five nominees are Will...
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A slice of naval history
From Plymouth To Pietà, Hms Hibernia, L-Arbanja – At The Grand HarbourAuthor: Michael Cassar Author Michael Cassar must have been baptised by the salty water of the Grand Harbour if one is to judge by the many books he wrote with such authority on...
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A touching tribute to a Vittoriosa poet
Louis A. Buttigieg: The Clock Tower. Carmel Dimech. 2012. 89 pp. This book is actually both a tribute to the poet and the doctor within the man. Louis A. Buttigieg (1913-1964), born in Vittoriosa, served as general practitioner in the city and also...
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A wealth of theatrical heritage
Paul Xuereb: The Manoel: A Short History. Midsea Books. 2012. 196 pp. Paul Xuereb’s revised edition of The Manoel: A Short History provides many new insights into the only well-preserved historical theatre on our islands. Built in the space of a few...
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First Maltese journal indexed in US medical database
Images in Paediatric Cardiology is the first Maltese journal to be indexed in PubMed, a leading and free database of references and abstracts published in academic journals on life sciences and biomedical topics. The database is maintained by the...
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Building blocks to success
Angelo Xuereb: Angelo. Book Guild Publishing (Brighton, England). 2012. 320 pp. Among recent autobiographical works by Maltese authors, Angelo is of special interest because it is an often frank account of how one of Malta’s most successful...
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Gozo and World War II
Charles Bezzina: When the Siren Wailed: Memoirs of Wartime Gozo, an English translation by Alfred Palma of the original Meta Karbet is-Sirena (2003), self-published, 2012. 107 pp. In the year 2000, Charles Bezzina published The Fury of War over...
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A beautifully imagined debut novel
Erin Morgenstern: The Night Circus, Anchor, 2012.387 pp. The Night Circus suffers from one major drawback when it comes to attracting readers whose idea of a good book involves the opposite of sparkly vampires. The main plot line involves magic and...
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A taste of nostalgic life in Malta, Gozo
Ian Ellis (ed.), Richard Ellis The Photography Collection, vol. IV. Malta and Gozo, BDL Publishing, 2011. 245 pp. The publication of the volumes featuring photographs from the unique Richard Ellis archives has become a yearly event eagerly looked...
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Wonderful adventures of Jake in fantasy world
Clare Azzopardi: Ir-Re Fellambrożja u r-Renju Laġenba and L-Ixkupa tar-Re Vonxkup, Merlin. 2012, 66 pp. It used to be that Enid Blyton and the fantasy worlds she created were the only intriguing offerings available for under-10s with a penchant for...
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New issue of Flimkien out
Another issue of Flimkien, the magazine published by the College of Parish Priests of the Archdiocese of Malta, is being distributed free in homes across Malta. In the magazine’s editorial, Mgr Anton Portelli writes about the number of people who...
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