Waterstones announced their choice for the 2021’s Book of the Year. And the winner is…
The Lyrics by Paul McCartney and Paul Muldoon
Championed by our booksellers from the moment of its publication, The Lyrics represents the defining literary statement from Britain’s greatest living songwriter. Through 154 career-spanning songs – from his iconic work in The Beatles and Wings to the restless creativity of his solo output – Paul McCartney unveils his unique songwriting process through endlessly fascinating background notes and considered critical evaluation. Written in collaboration with acclaimed poet Paul Muldoon, this mighty volume contains the lyrics to songs which have soundtracked millions of lives across the globe and stand as some of the touchstone cultural achievements of the past 75 years.
But The Lyrics is more than an addictively insightful window into the craft and inspiration of a rock legend. Boasting a huge number of never-before-seen images from McCartney’s personal archive, it is also a supreme testament to book design and production; a sumptuous slipcased work housing two deluxe volumes that represent a true visual feast. The ultimate adornment to any self-respecting booklover’s shelves, The Lyrics is a once-in-a-generation masterpiece to treasure forever.
This is what the Waterstones booksellers had to say about their choice:
From the moment booksellers heard about the imminent publication of The Lyrics we all recognised its enormous significance as a key piece of cultural history. When the stunningly designed two-volume slipcase edition arrived in shops, we realised it was even more special than that. Paul McCartney has stated that it is highly unlikely he will ever write a conventional autobiography. This, then, stands as the defining literary statement of Britain’s most influential living songwriter. From Yesterday to Hey Jude to Live and Let Die and beyond, The Lyrics – crafted in collaboration with celebrated poet Paul Muldoon – abounds in evocative, never-before-seen images from McCartney’s personal archive alongside fascinating commentary on 154 career-spanning songs that have soundtracked all of our lives. The Lyrics is undoubtedly, in the words of Waterstones CEO James Daunt, ‘a true joy for bibliophiles.’
And Waterstones Children’s Gift of the Year 2021 is:
Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston
When her father is required to repair an old lighthouse on a remote island, Julia finds herself on a strange and magical summer holiday. Her mother becomes increasingly determined to find the great Greenland shark – an awesome yet elusive creature that soon fills Julia’s thoughts as well. But when her mother’s determination tips over into obsession, Julia is forced to dive into an adventure with hidden depths and turbulent emotional currents which threatens to submerge them all.
With breathtaking black, white and yellow illustrations created using the ashes from the fire that destroyed de Freston’s studio, Julia and the Shark is both a testament to artistic rebirth and an exquisite reflection on family, science and the fragile yet sublime beauty of the environment. Intoxicating and impossible to put down, it is a future classic whose beauty and heart will resound for generations. (Credit: Hachette Children’s Group)
This is what the Waterstones booksellers had to say about their choice:
When we saw just how much bookseller love there was out there for the breathtaking children’s novel Julia and the Shark, we knew we had to crown it our Children’s Gift of the Year. A very special collaboration between the wife and husband team of Kiran Millwood Hargrave (former Waterstones Children’s Book Prize winner for The Girl of Ink and Stars) and enormously talented artist Tom de Freston, this wonderfully realised tale of a summer spent seeking the mysterious great Greenland shark touches on universal themes of family, hope and the escalating climate crisis. With de Freston’s exquisite illustrations perfectly complementing Hargrave’s tender, timeless and compelling prose, Julia and the Shark is an irresistibly beautiful must-read that all junior bookworms – not to mention their parents – will fall head over heels in love with.
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