Frederick Taylor's much praised magisterial history of the Berlin Wall, originally published by Bloomsbury in 2006, and sold in fourteen languages, was finally published in German last week. Struggling through snowstorms, closed airports, six hour queues and dense fog to meet his Berlin interviewers, the bi-lingual historian was universally praised:

 

'  a thrilling, great and worthy book for the anniversary year of the fall of the Wall'

 

' the British historian Frederick Taylor has written a standard work on the Berlin Wall - as gripping as a thriller'

 

For a British historian to elicit such praise from a highbrow German press, of Germany's own recent history is remarkable.

 

The Flying Carrot is a unique rowing boat built to withstand the biggest seas on the planet. Last weekend, the Carrot and her 27 year old rower, Olly Hicks, set off from Tasmania with the intention of making the first circumnavigation of the world by solo rowboat.

 

Olly Hicks has already completed the legendary Marathon des Sables (6 marathons run back-to-back) and has rowed solo across the Atlantic - the only person to do so West - East and the youngest person ever to row an ocean solo. This latest adventure is of almost unimaginable danger and requires mental strength that very few people alive can possess. He will be alone for more than 22 months in the Southern Oceans where waves of eight metres are common. He has to be tied to the boat at all times and sleeps in a tiny airtight cabin - like sleeping in a pitch black washing machine. Thanks to Google and Virgin's sponsorship there is a brilliant interactive website where you can watch the Flying Carrot's progress on Google Earth, see video clips and read his extraordinary blog - www.virginglobalrow.com.  This will eventually be the basis of what is sure to be a bestelling book but meanwhile log onto the site and follow his journey as you sit and drink your latte at your desk!

I am delighted that thanks to be efforts of Marc Taylor, the website is now more worthy of the authors I represent.

I shall post news entries here from time to time, drawing attention to particularly interesting  events concerning my clients.

 

Congratulations to Sir Cliff Richard and his writer Penny Junor, whose  autobiography MY LIFE, MY WAY has now sold more than 250,000 hardback copies for Headline.

 

Monty Roberts, known as  'the real Horse Whisperer' has just had his 4 million copy seller THE MAN WHO LISTENS TO HORSES reissued in the US a decade after its first publication. In an era where the shelf life of a book is often measured in weeks rather than years, this is a measure of how his book has established itself as a classic. Anyone who wants to see Monty demonstrate his techniques of gentle horse training live, should log on to www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk as he is in the UK in February.