Peter Stead

A fascinating collection of essays portraying the careers of various Welsh stars of stage and screen during the 20th century, assessing their contribution to the development of the craft of acting and discussing the distinct characteristics of the Welsh theatre. 16 black-and-white photographs.

Stars of Stage and Screen

Acting Wales

The story of Richard Burton's life is well known: from son of a Welsh miner and ward of a local teacher to international superstar. He became as famous for being Richard Burton and husband of Elizabeth Taylor as for the extraordinary acting abilities which made his name. A globe-trotter with a Swiss home, Burton never forgot his Welsh origins and identity. In this new study, cultural historian Peter Stead shows how Burton's Welshness shaped his character and his career. He reviews Burton's stage and film careers, showing how bad luck and his own character left him isolated in the face of dramatic and cinematic change. Stead also describes the phenomenon of the Burton-Taylor marriages, and how Burton was transformed from actor into jet-setter. Richard Burton: So Much, So Little places him fully in his English, American and Welsh contexts, to produce the most interesting book on Burton yet published.

So Much, So Little

Richard Burton

Gareth Williams

Huw Richards

In Heart and Soul: the Character of Welsh Rugby, a fine team of authors trace the changing nature and fortunes of Welsh rugby since the 1950s through the careers of some of its major players. This is not meant to be a definitive selection of all-time greats; other writers might have chosen different players. Rather, the authors come together almost like a group of friends discussing players after a game.

The Character of Welsh Rugby

Heart and Soul

For many sports fans in Wales, football is very much the game. In recent decades, rugby may have received more media attention, but there is some justification for the claim that it is soccer which is truly the national game of Wales. After all, the playing and watching of soccer has been characteristic of cities, towns and villages throughout the country and it is soccer, more than any other sport, which has helped forge an all-Wales identity. Whole communities have taken delight not just in their local teams but in the careers of those who have played for leading English and continental teams. And, naturally, there has been particular pride when these stars have joined with home-based players to wear the magnificent red shirts of Wales. In For Club and Country: Welsh Football Greats a distinguished team of experts and enthusiasts celebrates the careers of a host of Welsh football’s finest players – from that first superstar, Billy Meredith, through the hey-day of the peerless John Charles to latter-day heroes such as Mark Hughes and Ryan Giggs. Rather than try to define a list of all-time greats, individual authors have set out to evoke the genius of those players who have inspired them most, setting them firmly in both their cultural context and within the changing pattern of the game in the United Kingdom and internationally.

Welsh Football Greats

For Club and Country

Trevor Herbert

In this collection of essays, a group of musical enthusiasts assess the international careers of great Welsh soloists in the context of the national musical tradition. These individual careers are examined against the background of wider local traditions such as the Eisteddfod, religious festivals and male voice choirs. The emphasis of the book will be on the classical and operatic but the sheer variety and perpetually evolving nature of popular music in Wales is reflected in both general essays and in studies of two of the country's most successful entertainers. The book includes detailed chapters of Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey and Bryn Terfel, alongside contemporary music phenomenons such as The Stereophonics, Catatonia and the Manic Street Preachers.

Peter Stead

Books

Your next favorite book is out there