Graphic novels: true stories & non-fiction – The Bell Bookshop

Diaries of war

Emma — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

An account of two lives during the war in Ukraine: one Ukrainian, one Russian, by the internationally bestselling author of Heimat

Diaries of War is a magnificent feat of witness’ Alison Bechdel

‘Nora Krug’s narrative can emotionally drain the reader, but the reader is unlikely to ever forget this book’ Andrey Kurkov

Immediately following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Nora Krug connected with two anonymous subjects – ‘K.’, a Ukrainian journalist, and ‘D.’, a Russian artist – and began what would become a year of correspondence. Deeply moved by the rawness of their responses, she felt that through the personal accounts of these individuals who, directly and indirectly, experienced the war firsthand, she might be able to communicate something of the war and its human impact. Over the course of the next twelve months she communicated with each of them individually via phone chat, condensing their sometimes fluid, sometimes fragmentary answers into a consistent narrative and then created illustrations to go with each entry. The personal accounts contained in this book chronicle the first year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in an intimate, epistolary format.

Diaries of War explores the personal, the political, conflict, family and daily life under war with immense skill, compassion and moving thoughtfulness. Through these two individuals we see the granular effects of war on two lives, but they are emblematic of millions. Diaries of War is a harrowing record of a heart-wrenching historical event that has devastated the world and continues to alter countless lives.

Horrible Christmas

Emma — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

**Filled with all the festive facts every Horrible Histories reader wants to know!**

The complete horrible history of Christmas tells tales of:

the dark days when the Puritans tried to abolish Christmas
the Christmas in the trenches when the British and Germans traded bullets for footballs
plus dreadful jokes, rotten recipes and a Christmas quiz!

With full-colour illustrations by Martin Brown, this 2022 edition of Horrible Christmas is the perfect festive gift.

Sophie’s world Vol. I From Socrates to Galileo

Emma — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

One day, Sophie receives a cryptic letter posing an intriguing question: “Who are you?”

A second message soon follows: “Where does the world come from?” It is the beginning of an unusual correspondence between our curious young heroine and her mysterious penpal.

As the questions begin to pile up, Sophie is propelled headlong into a startling adventure through the history of Western philosophy. Her search for answers will see her explore each of the major schools of thought, as she tries to uncover the true nature of the letters, her secretive teacher? and, above all, herself!

In this witty comics adaptation, ZABUS and NICOBY have reinvented JOSTEIN GAARDER’s novel of ideas – a beloved bestseller that has already won the hearts of over 50 million readers around the world – to bring Sophie’s charming exploration of meaning and existence to a whole new medium.

Neurocomic

Emma — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Do you know what your brain is made of? How does memory function? What is a neuron and how does it work? For that matter what’s a comic? And in the words of Lewis Carroll’s famous caterpillar: “Who are you?”

Neurocomic is a journey through the human brain: a place of neuron forests, memory caves, and castles of deception. Along the way, you’ll encounter Boschean beasts, giant squid, guitar-playing sea slugs, and the great pioneers of neuroscience. Hana Ro and Matteo Farinella provide an insight into the most complex thing in the universe.

The Most Important Comic Book on Earth

Emma — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Most Important Comic Book On Earth is a global collaboration for planetary change, bringing together a diverse team of 300 leading environmentalists, artists, authors, actors, filmmakers, musicians, and more to present over 120 stories to save the world.

Whether it’s inspirational tales from celebrity names such as Cara Delevingne and Andy Serkis, hilarious webcomics from War and Peas and Ricky Gervais, artworks by leading illustrators David Mack and Tula Lotay, calls to action from activists George Monbiot and Jane Goodall, or powerful stories by Brian Azzarello and Amy Chu, each of the comics in this anthology will support projects and organizations fighting to save the planet and Rewrite Extinction.

On Tyranny

Emma — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000

A captivating graphic edition of Timothy Snyder’s bestselling book of lessons for surviving and resisting the arc toward authoritarianism.

Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny is one of the essential books of recent years, using the darkest moments in twentieth-century history to teach twenty lessons on resisting modern-day authoritarianism. These include a warning to be aware of how symbols used today could affect tomorrow, an urgent reminder to research everything for yourself and to the fullest extent, and an encouragement to use personalised and individualised speech rather than clichéd phrases when arguing a point

In this graphic edition, Nora Krug draws from her highly inventive style in Heimat – at once a graphic memoir, collage-style scrapbook, historical narrative and trove of memories – to breathe new life, colour and power into Snyder’s modern classic, turning a quick-read pocket guide of lessons into a visually striking rumination and call for action.

‘On Tyranny is a must read, a clear-eyed guidebook’ Ken Burns

History does not repeat, but it does instruct. In a time of great uncertainty and instability, this edition of On Tyranny emphasises the importance of being active, conscious, and deliberate participants in resistance.

The Middle Ages

Emma — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

A unique, illustrated book that will change the way you see medieval history

The Middle Ages: A Graphic History busts the myth of the ‘Dark Ages’, shedding light on the medieval period’s present-day relevance in a unique illustrated style.

This history takes us through the rise and fall of empires, papacies, caliphates and kingdoms; through the violence and death of the Crusades, Viking raids, the Hundred Years War and the Plague; to the curious practices of monks, martyrs and iconoclasts. We’ll see how the foundations of the modern West were established, influencing our art, cultures, religious practices and ways of thinking. And we’ll explore the lives of those seen as ‘Other’ – women, Jews, homosexuals, lepers, sex workers and heretics.

Join historian Eleanor Janega and illustrator Neil Max Emmanuel on a romp across continents and kingdoms as we discover the Middle Ages to be a time of huge change, inquiry and development – not unlike our own.

Horrible Christmas (2020)

Emma — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

**Filled with all the festive facts every Horrible Histories reader wants to know!**

The complete horrible history of Christmas tells tales of:

the dark days when the Puritans tried to abolish Christmas
the Christmas in the trenches when the British and Germans traded bullets for footballs
plus dreadful jokes, rotten recipes and a Christmas quiz!

With full-colour illustrations by Martin Brown, this annual edition of Horrible Christmas is the perfect festive gift.

Plumdog

Emma — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

A gift that will bring cries of delighted recognition from anyone who has ever owned a dog and, dare one say it, charm the pants off even those who strongly prefer cats.

Hello. My name is Plum and I’m a whoosell – that’s whippet mixed with Jack Russell and poodle. I especially like swimming, leaping, catching, and croissants, and my favourite fragrance is fox poo. I live with Emma, an illustrator, and Rupert. My sister, Liffey, lives nearby.

Over the last year I’ve been keeping a diary. Emma has helped with the pictures, but the words are all mine.

Since 2012 Emma Chichester Clark, one of Britain’s best-loved authors and illustrators, has been delighting thousands of followers with her blog Plumdog, which records the day to day life of Plum, her dog, in Plum’s own words and Emma’s drawings.