Ian Leslie – författare

THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERLONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONSHORTLISTED FOR THE PENDERYN MUSIC PRIZE'A triumph.' Deborah Levy, New Statesman'Tremendous.' Alwyn Turner, The Times'Revelatory.' Simon Schama, Financial Times'The gold standard of Beatles books.' Anthony Quinn, Observer'As enthralling and astonishing as their music.' Jon Dennis, Sunday Telegraph'A masterpiece.' Dylan Jones, Evening Standard'[Ian Leslie] reframes the whole relationship for me . . . He roots it in a kind of love. It's so moving, so moving. I was crying so much.' Paul Mescal'I so loved John and Paul. I found it completely absorbing and painfully moving . . . It has rather turned me into a bit of a Beatles person.' Nigella Lawson'The first new Beatles story in decades - and the one that will make your heart burst.' Caitlin Moran'The most moving and revelatory book on Lennon and McCartney I have ever read. So joyful, so sad.' Tom Holland---We think we know John & Paul. We really don't.At the centre of The Beatles was the volatile, madly creative chemistry between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. This is the story of how two young men merged their souls and multiplied their talents to produce one of the greatest bodies of music in history. It is also a love story, full of longing, laughter, pain and joy.'John & Paul is a masterpiece, a classic, and a book that should be read by anyone who wants to really understand how the Beatles worked.' Dylan Jones, Evening Standard**Readers are raving about John & Paul:'I've never been so into a book.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A surprising fresh take on this relationship, after so much has been written.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The Beatles book I've been waiting for.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Thoroughly enjoyable, insightful and delightfully written.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I can't listen to another Beatles song in the same way ever again.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Such a fantastic book - really insightful and charming.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I read this book in more or less one go . . . Incredibly moving.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Rekindled my interest in The Beatles. A masterful work.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Full of love . . . A very worthwhile addition to the library of even the most jaded Beatles reader.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I cannot recommend this book highly enough.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Excellent. Just buy it.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐**Ian Leslie's book John & Paul was a Sunday Times Bestseller w/e 29-03-2025 through w/e 19-04-2025

THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERLONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION** This book has been printed with an exclusive gold foil for the festive season. The edition you receive will depend on retailer stock. **'A triumph.' Deborah Levy, New Statesman'Tremendous.' Alwyn Turner, The Times'Revelatory.' Simon Schama, Financial Times'The gold standard of Beatles books.' Anthony Quinn, Observer'As enthralling and astonishing as their music.' Jon Dennis, Sunday Telegraph'A masterpiece.' Dylan Jones, Evening Standard'[Ian Leslie] reframes the whole relationship for me . . . He roots it in a kind of love. It's so moving, so moving. I was crying so much.' Paul Mescal'It's amazing. A fantastic book. And it broke my heart.' Ethan Hawke'I so loved John and Paul. I found it completely absorbing and painfully moving . . . It has rather turned me into a bit of a Beatles person.' Nigella Lawson'The first new Beatles story in decades - and the one that will make your heart burst.' Caitlin Moran'The most moving and revelatory book on Lennon and McCartney I have ever read. So joyful, so sad.' Tom Holland---A majestic biography of two young geniuses who merged their talents to create one of the greatest bodies of music in history.John & Paul begins in 1957, when two teenagers in suburban Liverpool meet and decide to play rock n'roll together. It ends twenty-three years later, when one of them is murdered. In between, we see them become global stars, create countless indelible songs, and play a central role in shaping the modern world.Lennon and McCartney were more than friends, rivals or collaborators. They were intimates who both had the fabric of their world ruptured at a young age, and who longed to make emotional connections; with each other, and with audiences. The pop song was a vessel into which they poured feelings of grief and euphoria and everything in between. When they couldn't speak what they felt, they sang it. After the break-up of their group, they maintained a musical dialogue at a distance, in songs full of recrimination, regret, and affection. Ian Leslie traces the twists and turns of their relationship through the music it produced and offers rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration and human connection. Drawing on recently released footage and recordings, this is a startlingly fresh take on two of the greatest icons in music history. Leslie's majestic and wildly enjoyable biography will make us see and hear Lennon and McCartney anew.**Readers are raving about John & Paul:'I've never been so into a book.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A surprising fresh take on this relationship, after so much has been written.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The Beatles book I've been waiting for.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Thoroughly enjoyable, insightful and delightfully written.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I can't listen to another Beatles song in the same way ever again.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Such a fantastic book - really insightful and charming.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I read this book in more or less one go . . . Incredibly moving.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Rekindled my interest in The Beatles. A masterful work.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Full of love . . . A very worthwhile addition to the library of even the most jaded Beatles reader.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I cannot recommend this book highly enough.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Excellent. Just buy it.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐**Ian Leslie's book John & Paul was a Sunday Times Bestseller w/e 29-03-2025 through w/e 19-04-2025

THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERLONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION** This book has been printed with an exclusive gold foil for the festive season. The edition you receive will depend on retailer stock. **'A triumph.' Deborah Levy, New Statesman'Tremendous.' Alwyn Turner, The Times'Revelatory.' Simon Schama, Financial Times'The gold standard of Beatles books.' Anthony Quinn, Observer'As enthralling and astonishing as their music.' Jon Dennis, Sunday Telegraph'A masterpiece.' Dylan Jones, Evening Standard'[Ian Leslie] reframes the whole relationship for me . . . He roots it in a kind of love. It's so moving, so moving. I was crying so much.' Paul Mescal'It's amazing. A fantastic book. And it broke my heart.' Ethan Hawke'I so loved John and Paul. I found it completely absorbing and painfully moving . . . It has rather turned me into a bit of a Beatles person.' Nigella Lawson'The first new Beatles story in decades - and the one that will make your heart burst.' Caitlin Moran'The most moving and revelatory book on Lennon and McCartney I have ever read. So joyful, so sad.' Tom Holland---A majestic biography of two young geniuses who merged their talents to create one of the greatest bodies of music in history.John & Paul begins in 1957, when two teenagers in suburban Liverpool meet and decide to play rock n'roll together. It ends twenty-three years later, when one of them is murdered. In between, we see them become global stars, create countless indelible songs, and play a central role in shaping the modern world.Lennon and McCartney were more than friends, rivals or collaborators. They were intimates who both had the fabric of their world ruptured at a young age, and who longed to make emotional connections; with each other, and with audiences. The pop song was a vessel into which they poured feelings of grief and euphoria and everything in between. When they couldn't speak what they felt, they sang it. After the break-up of their group, they maintained a musical dialogue at a distance, in songs full of recrimination, regret, and affection. Ian Leslie traces the twists and turns of their relationship through the music it produced and offers rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration and human connection. Drawing on recently released footage and recordings, this is a startlingly fresh take on two of the greatest icons in music history. Leslie's majestic and wildly enjoyable biography will make us see and hear Lennon and McCartney anew.**Readers are raving about John & Paul:'I've never been so into a book.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A surprising fresh take on this relationship, after so much has been written.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The Beatles book I've been waiting for.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Thoroughly enjoyable, insightful and delightfully written.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I can't listen to another Beatles song in the same way ever again.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Such a fantastic book - really insightful and charming.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I read this book in more or less one go . . . Incredibly moving.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Rekindled my interest in The Beatles. A masterful work.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Full of love . . . A very worthwhile addition to the library of even the most jaded Beatles reader.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I cannot recommend this book highly enough.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Excellent. Just buy it.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐**Ian Leslie's book John & Paul was a Sunday Times Bestseller w/e 29-03-2025 through w/e 19-04-2025

We all do it - how to be a better liar, spot a charlatan and tell the difference between truth and fictionIn Born Liars, Ian Leslie takes the reader on an exhilarating tour of ideas that brings the latest news about deception back from the frontiers of psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, and explores the role played by lies - both black and white - in our childhoods, our careers, and our health, as well as in advertising, politics, sport and war. Drawing on thinkers as varied as Augustine, Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud and Joni Mitchell, the author argues that, far from being a bug in the human software, lying is central to who we are; that we cannot understand ourselves without first understanding the dynamics of deceit. After reading Born Liars you'll never think about lies - or life - in quite the same way again.

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF JOHN & PAULA TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARIan Leslie's acclaimed new book reveals the secrets of how to disagree without fighting, and shows how mastering the techniques of productive disagreement can transform every aspect of our lives. 'One of my favourite writers . . . Beautifully argued, desperately needed.'MALCOLM GLADWELL'Invaluable. The world will be a better place if everyone reads this book.'PHILIPPA PERRY'A cool bath of sanity in a world of frenzied hot takes.'HELEN LEWIS'Perspective-shifting in important ways.'OLIVER BURKEMANWhat is the secret of happy relationships?How do companies build collaborative cultures?What lies behind some of the greatest scientific and creative breakthroughs?The surprising answer is: conflict.Whether it's at work, at home or in public, confronting our differences is the only way to make the most out of them. How to Disagree is about how to do that successfully.Drawing on essential lessons from world-class experts on how to disagree well and combining them with inspiring stories of productive disagreements from science, technology and the arts, Ian Leslie reveals how we can reap the benefits of diverse viewpoints in an era that feels more divided than ever.'I nodded and underlined my way through the book's nearly 300 pages of eloquent, thoughtful advice . . . If you want to argue better, Leslie's manual will be invaluable.'THE TIMES'Leslie has a way of bringing fresh perspectives and telling anecdotes to obdurate subjects. Here he talks to everyone from hostage negotiators to divorce lawyers to show how conflict has driven successful companies and technological advances, and to offer ways to harness it in daily life.'NEW STATESMAN***How to Disagree was previously published in 2021 under the title Conflicted.

A fascinating multi-disciplinary analysis of why curiosity makes the world go round.'A lovely, erudite exploration of what it is that makes us human' - Independent on Sunday'I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious' Albert Einstein. Everyone is born curious. But only some retain the habits of exploring, learning and discovering as they grow older. Which side of the 'curiosity divide' are you on? In Curious Ian Leslie makes a passionate case for the cultivation of our desire to know. Curious people tend to be smarter, more creative and more successful. But at the very moment when the rewards of curiosity have never been higher, it is misunderstood and undervalued, and increasingly practised only by a cognitive elite. Drawing on fascinating research from psychology, sociology and business, Curious looks at what feeds curiosity and what starves it, and uncovers surprising answers. Curiosity isn't a quality you can rely on to last a lifetime, but a mental muscle that atrophies without regular exercise. It's not a gift, but a habit that parents, schools, workplaces and individuals need to nurture if it is to thrive. Filled with inspiring stories, case studies and practical advice, Curious will change the way you think about your own mental life, and that of those around you.

In Born Liars, Ian Leslie takes the reader on an exhilarating tour of ideas that brings the latest news about deception back from the frontiers of psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, and explores the role played by lies - both black and white - in our childhoods, our careers, and our health, as well as in advertising, politics, sport and war. Drawing on thinkers as varied as Augustine, Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud and Joni Mitchell, the author argues that, far from being a bug in the human software, lying is central to who we are; that we cannot understand ourselves without first understanding the dynamics of deceit. After reading Born Liars you'll never think about lies - or life - in quite the same way again.