The short life of A.J.A. Symons (1900-41) was described by his biographer as an intricate and largely harmless confidence trick. His many interests included the collection of musical boxes and rare books as well as the study and practice of forgery; they left him time to edit an anthology of Edwardian verse and compose studies of H.M. Stanley and other notable figures. He is remembered for The Quest for Corvo, one of the most remarkable biographies ever written, and for co-founding the Wine and Food Society.

A. J. A. Symons

A. J. Liebling, born in Manhattan in 1904, joined the staff of the New Yorker in 1935 and contributed innumerable articles to the magazine throughout his lifetime, on subjects ranging from food to boxing and France to horse racing. As a war correspondent during the Second World War, he reported from France, England and Algeria, and participated in the Normandy landings. In later life he married the writer Jean Stafford, his third wife. He died in 1963.

A. J. Liebling

A. J. Rosen is an author of YA fantasy novels and is an ambassador for Wattpad, known as @agatharoza. Entwined is her first novel.

A. J. Rosen

A. K. Davidson

A. O. Scott has been a film critic at the New York Times since 2000. His writing has appeared in many other publications, including the New York Review of Books, Slate, the New Yorker and the Nation. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism in 2010, Scott is currently Distinguished Professor of Film Criticism at Wesleyan University. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York. 
 
@aoscott

A. O. Scott

A.S. Byatt (1936-2023) was a novelist, short-story writer and critic of international renown. Her novels include Possession (winner of the Booker Prize 1990), the Frederica Quartet and The Children’s Book, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction. She was appointed CBE in 1990 and DBE in 1999, and was awarded the Erasmus Prize 2016 for her ‘inspiring contribution to life writing’ and the Pak Kyongni Prize 2017. In 2018 she received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award.

A. S. Byatt

A. T. Williams won the George Orwell Prize for Political Writing in 2013 for his book A Very British Killing: The Death of Baha Mousa. He lives in Warwickshire.

A. T. Williams

A. W. Chase

Dubbed ‘The new queen of spy fiction’ by the Guardian newspaper, and ‘the real thing’ by the Washington Post, A.C. 'Ava' Glass is the CWA Dagger-shortlisted author of Alias Emma (The Chase), The Traitor and The Trap. The Traitor was a 2023 Richard and Judy Bookclub pick. Alias Emma was a Barnes and Noble book of the month. A former crime reporter and communications consultant, for five years Ava worked closely with spies. Her time in that world fascinated her, and the people she met back then inspire every book she writes.

A.C. Glass

A.E. Housman

Arthur Edward Waite was the designer and co-creator of the now famous Rider Waite Tarot deck. 
 
An American-born British poet and scholarly mystic, his strong interest in all esoteric matters - divination, magic, Kabbalism, alchemy and Freemasony - led to him penning a number of books. These include the Key to the Tarot, The Book of Ceremonial Magic and A New Encyclopedia of Freemasony.

A.E. Waite

A.E. Warren is the author of the Tomorrow's Ancestors series, which consists of Subject Twenty-One, The Hidden Base, The Fourth Species and The Final Rising. 
 
After spending eight years working as a lawyer, she began to write in the evenings and early mornings as a form of escapism from life in a very small cubicle with lots of files. She self-published her first novels in her spare time, which were picked up by Del Rey UK which is the science fiction/fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House. 
 
 She is an avid reader, occasional gamer and fair-weather runner. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter and hopefully, one day, a wise border terrier named Austen.

A.E. Warren

A.G.D. Maran

A.J. Ayer

A.J. Cronin

A K Benedict writes crime and speculative fiction in a room filled with clowns, mannequins and Doctor Who figures. Her first novel, The Beauty of Murder, was nominated for an eDunnit award and is in development for a major 8-part TV series by Company Pictures. Her second, Jonathan Dark or The Evidence of Ghosts, came out in February 2016. She's written Torchwood audio dramas for Big Finish and her short stories have featured in anthologies including Great British Horror and Best British Short Stories. She lives in St Leonards-on-Sea with her dog, Dame Margaret Rutherford.

A.K.Benedict

A. L. Kennedy has twice been selected as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists and has won a host of other awards – including the Costa Book of the Year for her novel Day. She lives in Essex.

A.L. Kennedy

A.M. Ellis is a speculative fiction author and lover of everything steeped in myth and mystery. Her stories often lean into diverse voices, not only in her identity as a Black woman, but in exploring neurodivergence and mental health. A proud introvert and nostalgic gamer, she lives in Maryland, USA, with her husband and three children.

A.M. Ellis

A.N. Wilson was born in 1950 and educated at Rugby and New College, Oxford. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he holds a prominent position in the world of literature and journalism. He is an award-winning biographer and a celebrated novelist, winning prizes for much of his work. He lives in North London.

A.N. Wilson

A. T. Emerald lives with her husband and baby daughter in Nottinghamshire. She discovered her love of writing in 2020 and has not shut up about enemies to lovers ever since. She loves iced matcha, torrid love confessions with knives pressed to throats (fictional, of course) and does not accept bills for any therapy her books might incur.

A.T. Emerald

A.W. Priest

A.B.C. Merriman-Labor was a barrister, writer and munitions worker born in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1877. His published works include A Series of Lectures on the Negro Race and The Story of the African Slave in a Nutshell. He also edited two editions of the Handbook of Sierra Leone. He arrived in the UK in 1904 to study law. In 1907, he organised a centenary commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade in Westminster Abbey. He later embarked on an 'entertainment-lecture' tour called Life and Scenes in Britain, travelling across thousands of miles of West, South West and Central Africa, which he expanded on to create Britons Through Negro Spectacles.

ABC Merriman-Labor

AJ Cronin

AJ Molloy

Aabria Iyengar is an American actress and author.

Aabria Iyengar

Aaliya Jaleel is a freelance illustrator, designer, and visual development artist, currently majoring in Animation at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is also the illustrator of Under My Hijab and Muslim Girls Rise. You can visit her online at www.aaliyamj.com.

Aaliya Jaleel

Aaron Allston

After more than fifteen years of experience as a clinical psychotherapist, Dr Aaron Balick has taken the amazing insights from psychology and psychotherapy out of the consultation room and made them accessible to the wider world. 
 
He has been an ‘agony uncle’ for many years for both CBBC and BBC Radio 1, as well as on television, including BBC Worldwide, BBC 3 and BBC Learning.

Aaron Balick

Aaron Carroll

Aaron Dignan is the founder of The Ready--a global organizational transformation and coaching practice--that helps companies large and small adopt new forms of self-organization and dynamic teaming. Clients include Johnson &amp; Johnson, Microsoft, Lloyds Bank, Citibank, Boeing, Mailchimp, Airbnb, Dropbox, and charity: water. 
 
He is also the founder of Murmur--a SaaS startup that helps teams scale culture through the magic of working agreements. The Murmur platform will allow every team on the planet to define and share their ways of working. 
 
Dignan is the author of Brave New Work (2019) and Game Frame (2011), co-host of the Brave New Work podcast, and a friend to misfit toys.

Aaron Dignan

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Tim Key

Ever wondered just how much of life you can understand through poetry? 
 
Tim Key is never far from stage and screen - from Peep Show to Alpha Papa to Taskmaster. But now he's back doing what he does best - attempting to recite poetry whilst tormenting his friend and musician, the equally brilliant, and long suffering, Tom Basden. 
 
From ruminating on the meaning of family via his narrative poem The Godfather, attempting to get to the bottom of death via his poem The Boy Who Faked His Own Death, and also organising an impromptu stag party, Tim Key uses poetry to help him understand every situation. 
 
'In any other sphere apart from comedy, we'd probably class this way of looking at the world as certifiable. Here it feels like genius.' The Telegraph 
 
"The show... has a kind of artistry and strange beauty that makes it unlike any other hour of stand-up you are likely to see." The Observer 
 
'...You never know when Key will suddenly toss you a fantastic joke or startlingly well-constructed line.' Radio Times 
 
Audio updated April 2019

Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme: The Complete Series 1-4

The BBC Radio 4 comedy

Victor Whitechurch

Benedict Cumberbatch reads five stories featuring the famous vegetarian railway detective, Thorpe Hazell, as heard on BBC Radio 4. 
 
In The Affair of the German Dispatch-Box, Hazell hatches a daring plan to retrieve a highly sensitive government document before it reaches the German Ambassador. 
 
In Sir Gilbert Murrell's Picture, When an entire wagon containing valuable paintings disappears from a goods train, Hazell's skill is needed. 
 
In The Affair of the Corridor Express, a multimillionaire's son disappears from a moving train. Hazell must find the kidnappers before the boy is lost forever. 
 
In The Stolen Necklace a lady begs Hazell to help when the diamond necklace that she borrowed is stolen from her suitcase. 
 
In The Affair of the Birmingham Bank, customers keep drawing money from a Midlands bank, so gold reserves are sent by train. Hazell must guard against train robbery.

Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Thrilling Stories of the Railway

A BBC Radio Reading

Various

The five shortlisted titles for the BBC National Short Story Award 2013 administered in partnership with Booktrust, containing: 'Mrs Fox' by Sarah Hall (read by Andrea Riseborough), 'Barmouth' by Lisa Blower (read by Rebekah Staton), 'Prepositions' by Lionel Shriver (read by Nancy Crane), 'Notes from the House of Spirits' by Lucy Wood (read by Hattie Morahan) and 'We Are Watching Something Terrible Happening' by Lavinia Greenlaw (read by Claire Skinner).

BBC National Short Story Award 2013

(5 Shortlisted Titles)

Four acclaimed novelists write their first stories for radio. The Coup by Tom Rachman describes how a protest threatens to turn into a coup, in London' s genteel Kensington, which is next door to where the two Geralds have just moved in.  Steak by Evie Wyld, describes how a group  of male barflies in small town Australia are unsettled by the appearance of Mariella..   In She Wiped The Surface, Louisa Young, describes how  a mother happily arranges her daughter's birthday party, but this masks a family bereavement. How to cope? In Holding On by Ross Raisin, a woman stands at the end of a cliff, which is at the end of her garden - which means what,  exactly?

Friday Firsts ( Complete Series)

All ten shortlisted titles for the BBC International Short Story Award 2012: Escape Routes by Lucy Caldwell (read by Laura Pyper), The Goose Father by Krys Lee (read by David K. S. Tse), Sanctuary by Henrietta Rose-Innes (read by Claire Gordon-Webster), Even Pretty Eyes Commit Crimes by M.J. Hyland (read by Mike Sengelow), Black Vodka by Deborah Levy (read by Rory Kinnear), East of the West by Miroslav Penkov (read by Paul Hilton), A Lovely and Terrible Thing by Chris Womersley (read by Richard Dillane), In the Basement by Adam T. Ross (read by Trevor White), Before He Left the Family by Carrie Tiffany (read by Gabriel Andrews) and The iHole by Julian Gough (read by Andrew Scott).

BBC International Short Story Award 2012

10 Shortlist Titles

Saki

Beasts on the Lawn is a collection of Edwardian short stories by Saki (H. H. Munro) recycled and restaged in a modern day gated community for the far too wealthy for their own good. The tales are woven together by the character of Clovis, a security guard. She recalls the events of strange days and long nights. The five stories are: Tobermory, The Interlopers, Sredni Vashtar, Gabriel Ernest and Mrs Packletide's Tiger. Starring Pippa Haywood as Clovis, with Nick Mohammed, Alan Coveney, Dolly Wells, Ed Weeks, Jennifer Lee, David Collins, Paul Dodgson, Barbara Flynn, John Sessions, Malcolm Hamilton, Amy Clifton, Carl Prekopp, Ed Weeks, Dolly Wells, Marcia Warren and Jennifer Lee Jellicorse. Adapted by Sean Grundy. Director: Alison Crawford.

Beasts On The Lawn

The five shortlisted titles for the BBC National Short Story Award 2011 administered in partnership with Booktrust, containing:  ‘Rag Love’ by M. J. Hyland, read by Mike Sengelow;  ‘The Heart of Denis Noble’ by Alison MacLeod, read by Tim Pigott-Smith;  ‘Wires’ by Jon McGregor, read by Lydia Wilson;  ‘The Human Circadian Pacemaker’ by K. J. Orr, read by Indira Varma and  ‘The Dead Roads’ by D. W. Wilson, read by Trevor White.

BBC National Short Story Award 2011

Johnny Morris

Sixteen more charming animal stories, read by everyone's favourite zookeeper.   The tales are: 1. Winkle, the Zoo Cat, is lost and found. 2. Nibble, the Squirrel, has his revenge. 3. The arrival of Otto, the German Giraffe. 4. Coconut, the Orang-Utan, has fun with the lawn. 5. Otto and Georgina, the Giraffes, give their tongues a rest. 6. Bernard, the Baboon, and clever Little Titch. 7. Side-splitter, the Kookaburra, gives the game away. 8. Fanfare, the Peacock, sounds the alarm. 9. Half-a-tick, the Mongoose, is ‘egged’ on. 10. Dago, the Capybara, becomes established. 11. Ever-so-teeny and Ever-so-weeny, the Harvest Mice. 12. Hilda, the Ostrich, is annoyed. 13. Private Eye, the Vulture, gives a consultation. 14. The Budgerigars’ Record Book. 15. Small Change, the Guinea-pig, tries hard. 16. Trit-Trot, the Pony, over-turns his cart.   Vintage Beeb: classic albums first available as BBC LPs, now reissued on CD as as downloads. Guidance: as this contains archive/offair material the sound quality may vary.

Johnny Morris Reads More Bedtime Stories (Vintage Beeb)

Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy is one of Britain’s most popular storytellers, and these four tales demonstrate the warmth and compassion that have made her many novels bestsellers.   In 'Homecoming', read by Sean Campion, the Brennans run Quentin’s restaurant in Dublin for the owner, who lives abroad. But what will happen when he suddenly pays a visit?   'Telling Stories', read by Joanna Myers, sees Irene’s fiancé turning up the night before the wedding with a face as white as the dress that is to be worn the next day. Then trouble starts...   In 'Needy', read by Patricia Hodge, Heather is painfully aware that Valentine’s Day declarations of love should be viewed with suspicion, even if the sender is the one she loves.   And in 'The Interview', read by Kate Binchy, Bessie is deaf and needs a place in a special school. But will she pass the interview?   Finely crafted and full of wit and charm, these are stories that no fan of Maeve Binchy will want to be without.

The Homecoming & Other Stories

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor was an accomplished novelist and short story writer, celebrated for her witty observations on ordinary life. Her stories frequently centred around relationships and appeared in Vogue, The New Yorker and Harper’s Bazaar. 
 
Widely considered ‘underrated’ within the literary community – not least due to the fame of her Hollywood namesake – she was named by Kingsley Amis as ‘one of the best English novelists’ of the twentieth century. 
 
This collection includes three dramatised novels and seventeen short stories, several of which are abridged. 
 
Dramatisations 
 Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont – Recently widowed Laura Palfrey arrives at London’s Claremont Hotel seeking a peaceful residence to live out her remaining days. Boredom and loneliness are her frequent companions, staved off with crumbs of gossip and the charming chatter of her fellow guests. Life is winding down – until she meets young Ludo, a writer who believes her story is worth telling… Adapted by James Duckett and starring Jean Anderson and Tony Robinson. 
 
A Wreath of Roses – A sinister encounter at a railway station at the start of her holiday disturbs Camilla and spirals into a dark relationship from which she cannot escape. Angela Pleasence, Peter Acre and Rosalie Crutchley star in this dramatisation by Olwen Wymark. 
 
In a Summer Season – Wealthy Kate Heron causes a sensation in her conservative community when she falls for a younger man and marries him. Her friends, by turns envious and pitying, speculate whether her new-found happiness can last beyond one golden summer, and question what true love really means. Dramatised by Jennifer Howarth, with stars Kate Buffery, Chris Garner and Michael Fenton Stevens. 
 
Short Stories 
The Idea of Age 
Plenty Good Fiesta 
The Blush 
The Letter Writers 
Spry Old Characters 
The Benefactress 
A Dedicated Man 
Hotel Du Commerce 
The Devastating Boys 
Sisters 
Swan Moving 
Simone 
Flesh 
Gravement Endommage 
In and Out of Houses 
The Wedding Group 
The Sleeping Beauty

Elizabeth Taylor: A BBC Radio Collection

20 dramas and short stories from the acclaimed 20th Century novelist

A Private Thriller

A series of children's modern classic novels by renowned 20th century children's writers. All the titles in this series have the A Puffin Book logo, contemporary-style covers, and child-friendly endnotes.

A Puffin Book

A Ripley Novel

A Slice of the Moon

A Victorian Mystery

A Walk in...

A Women’s Murder Club Thriller

A chef Paul Delamare Mystery

Aberrations

Across the Universe

Actiphons

Adelia Aguilar

Adrian Mole

Adventures in Time

Aftermath

Against War

Age of X

Agent 21

Agent Z

Detective Aidan Waits is a troubled junior detective haunted by his past. Facing an uncertain future, and disconnected from his history, DC Waits and his partner, Detective Inspector Peter 'Sutty' Sutcliffe work on Manchester's streets to uncover the city's worst criminals among the grime of the underworld.

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