{"title":"Books by Paul French","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781783968800","title":"Wallis Simpson","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe revealing story of the legendary Wallis Simpson’s controversial and formative year in China in the 1920s. ‘Compelling’ Dr Amanda Foreman ‘Fascinating’ Lisa See ‘Riveting’ Anne Sebba ‘Surprising’ Anne de Courcy ‘Convincing’ Hugo Vickers ‘Intriguing’ Julia Boyd ‘A book of fascinating revelations’ Laurence Leamer\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Magisterial, beautifully written and impeccably researched’ Alexander Larman In her memoirs, Wallis Simpson described her time in China as her ‘Lotus Year’, referring to Homer’s Lotus Eaters, a group living in a state of dreamy forgetfulness, never to return home. That year, however, was also used to damn her in the eyes of the British Establishment. Determined to ‘save’ the monarchy, the British government’s ‘China Dossier’ of Wallis’s rumoured amorous and immoral activities in the Far East portrayed her as sordid, debauched, influenced by foreign agents, and unfit to marry a king. But little was really known about how she spent that mysterious period in her life – until now.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePaul French, the New York Times bestselling author and award-winning historian of China, uncovers a completely different picture, portraying a woman of tremendous courage who may have acted as a courier for the US government, undertaking dangerous undercover diplomatic missions in a China torn by civil war. Despite the many challenges she faced, from violent riots to the breakdown of her abusive first marriage, it was there that she established her confidence and independence, developed her unique fashion sense, and forged friendships that would last a lifetime. She emerged from that year as the elegant, stylish, cosmopolitan and worldly woman for whom a king gave up his throne. Wallis Simpson: Her Lotus Year in 1920s China takes a headlong dive into Wallis’s early, formative years – and into the chaotic and thrilling China of the period – to explore the untold story of a woman too often maligned by history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘This original and fascinating book makes you think of one of history’s supposed villains in an entirely new way.’ Daily Express, Best Books of 2025\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55897493340533,"sku":"9781783968800","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781783968800_10572ae2-b9d0-4a19-aa52-eaee4f0a5ee9.jpg?v=1786025806"},{"product_id":"9780241957172","title":"Midnight in Peking","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMidnight in Peking\u003c\/i\u003e is a gripping true murder mystery by Paul French\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A first-rate murder story, a thrilling narrative. Hurtles along from one cliffhanger to the next'  Spectator\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeking, 1937:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe teenage daughter of a British consul is brutally slaughtered. The police investigation is botched; as war looms British and Chinese authorities close ranks. A grieving father vows to uncover the truth - alone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeventy-five years later, historian Paul French uncovers a stash of forgotten documents revealing the killer's identity . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor those who loved \u003ci\u003eThe Suspicions of Mr Whicher \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil\u003c\/i\u003e this is a riveting and evocative true crime classic.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Gripping, spellbinding . . . drawing the reader from the very first pages into an unwholesome, macabre world'  \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Part historical docudrama, part tragic opera . . . it is French's enormous achievement that he pieces together the puzzle. He tells this tale with the skill of an Agatha Christie'  \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Fascinating and irresistible. I couldn't put it down'\u003cbr\u003eJohn Berendt, author of \u003ci\u003eMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Vivid, pulsating, riveting. It is the storytelling flair that marks Midnight in Peking so highly: with its false leads and twists . . . it sucks the reader in like the best fiction'  \u003ci\u003eScotsman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn in London, Paul French has lived in China for more than 10 years. He is a widely published analyst and commentator on China; his books include a history of North Korea, a biography of Shanghai adman and adventurer Carl Crow, and a history of foreign correspondents in China.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56231538852213,"sku":"9780241957172","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780241957172.jpg?v=1786012456"},{"product_id":"9781783968183","title":"Her Lotus Year","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe revealing story of the legendary Wallis Simpson’s controversial and formative year in China in the 1920s. ‘Compelling’ Dr Amanda Foreman\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Fascinating’ Lisa See\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Riveting’ Anne Sebba\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Surprising’ Anne de Courcy\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Convincing’ Hugo Vickers\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Intriguing’ Julia Boyd\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A book of fascinating revelations’ Laurence Leamer\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Magisterial, beautifully written and impeccably researched’ Alexander Larman In her memoirs, Wallis Simpson described her time in China as her ‘Lotus Year’, referring to Homer’s Lotus Eaters, a group living in a state of dreamy forgetfulness, never to return home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat year, however, was also used to damn her in the eyes of the British Establishment. Determined to ‘save’ the monarchy, the British government’s ‘China Dossier’ of Wallis’s rumoured amorous and immoral activities in the Far East portrayed her as sordid, debauched, influenced by foreign agents, and unfit to marry a king. But little was really known about how she spent that mysterious period in her life – until now.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePaul French, the New York Times bestselling author and award-winning historian of China, uncovers a completely different picture, portraying a woman of tremendous courage who may have acted as a courier for the US government, undertaking dangerous undercover diplomatic missions in a China torn by civil war. Despite the many challenges she faced, from violent riots to the breakdown of her abusive first marriage, it was there that she established her confidence and independence, developed her unique fashion sense, and forged friendships that would last a lifetime. 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It tells of their escape from American prisons and Vienna's ghetto, their rise to power, and the trail of destruction they left in their wake. Shanghai was their playground for a flickering few years, a city where for a fleeting moment even the wildest dreams seemed possible.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56305729470837,"sku":"9781787470347","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781787470347_bd96042b-21f0-48e4-b31c-a287c8b1e6c6.jpg?v=1786026002"},{"product_id":"9789887792758","title":"Destination Shanghai","description":"For the privileged a cosmopolitan pleasure ground; For the desperate a port of last resort. A pot of gold at the end of an Oriental rainbow; A thick slice of hell denounced from the pulpit. The start of a journey for many; The end of the road for some. A place to find fame, or to seek anonymity; Rogues, chancers, showgirls, criminals. For so many people from so many lands, there was one phrase that sent a tingle of hope or a shiver of anticipation down every spine: DESTINATION SHANGHAI...","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56311130095989,"sku":"9789887792758","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9789887792758_6bd19f42-0f5f-493a-b604-1fe255fb0d37.jpg?v=1788791312"},{"product_id":"9781783968626","title":"The Last Emperor of China","description":"\u003cp\u003e*\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘[Paul French] is a master storyteller … evocative.’ Financial Times\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘An urgent, vivid narrative.’ The Daily Telegraph\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A vivid portrayal of the doomed world of Puyi, the last man to sit on the Dragon Throne.’ The Times\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘This is the amazing story of China's last imperial ruler and his gilded life in the Forbidden City.’\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Mail on SundayStep into the otherworldly splendour of the Forbidden City, its red walls and golden rooftops shimmering at the heart of Peking… In the early 1920s, China’s boy ruler Puyi and his young bride Wanrong were sequestered within the ancient citadel: a city-within-a-city, a haven prohibited to all except the imperial family and its scheming courtiers, fawning servants and corrupt eunuchs. An emperor without an empire, Puyi did not know from one day to the next whether he would experience restoration or assassination. Two years later, the couple was expelled into eternal exile, bringing an end to the centuries-old Manchu dynasty. This extraordinary scenario has captivated us for generations – but we have not known the full story.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow, bestselling historian Paul French draws upon previously unpublished sources, including memoirs, diaries and letters, to take us deep inside the hidden world of Puyi and Wanrong and the cast of colourful characters that surrounded them. In this crucial period decisions of great consequence were made that would determine the future of the royal couple – and of China. What emerges is a sweeping tale of tradition and revolution, of duty and intrigue – and a young married couple facing a hostile world. It is a mesmerising portrait of a dying regime: the final days of Imperial China as they have never been seen before.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Paul French matches deep, original research with his unrivalled knowledge of the period to set a spark to the dust of history, conjuring into vivid life the formerly black-and-white figures of China’s last emperor and his consort. The Last Emperor of China is another tour de force of historical writing and a fresh, human take on a critical period of change in China.\" Simon Elegant, China Bureau Chief, Washington Post\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Scouring freshly surfaced sources, Paul French brings the strange, fraught last years of dynastic China to new, startling life. Whether you know nothing about this time or already know quite a lot, never mind. Pick this up! You will be fascinated.\" Gish Jen, author of Bad Bad Girl\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Such a pivotal moment in Chinese history could only be entrusted to a historian of exceptional sensitivity and insight. Reading The Last Emperor of China reassures us from the very first pages that we are in the hands of a master storyteller and scholar.” Xiaolu Guo, author of Radical, and My Battle of Hastings\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56369151082869,"sku":"9781783968626","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57697066713461,"sku":"9781783966844","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781783968626.jpg?v=1793083682"},{"product_id":"think-youre-crazy-think-again","title":"Think You're Crazy? Think Again","description":"\u003cp\u003eAre you troubled by hearing voices or seeing visions that others do not? Do you believe that other people are trying to harm you or control you? Do you feel that something odd is going on that you can’t explain or that things are happening around you with a special meaning? Do you worry that other people can read your mind or that thoughts are being put in your head?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThink You’re Crazy? Think Again\u003c\/em\u003e provides an effective step-by-step aid to understanding your problems, making positive changes and promoting recovery. 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Think Again\u003c\/em\u003e will be a valuable resource for people with psychosis.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57484268536181,"sku":"9781583918364","price":124.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781583918364.jpg?v=1786266321"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-paul-french.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}