Valerie Holman – författare

France experienced four major conflicts in the fifty years between 1914 and 1964: two world wars, and the wars in Indochina and Algeria. In each the role of myth was intricately bound up with memory, hope, belief, and ideas of nation. This is the first book to explore how individual myths were created, sustained, and used for purposes of propaganda, examining in detail not just the press, radio, photographs, posters, films, and songs that gave credence to an imagined event or attributed mythical status to an individual, but also the cultural processes by which such artifacts were disseminated and took effect.Reliance on myth, so the authors argue, is shown to be one of the most significant and durable features of 20th century warfare propaganda, used by both sides in all the conflicts covered in this book. However, its effective and useful role in time of war notwithstanding, it does distort a population's perception of reality and therefore often results in defeat: the myth-making that began as a means of sustaining belief in France's supremacy, and later her will and ability to resist, ultimately proved counterproductive in the process of decolonization.

France experienced four major conflicts in the fifty years between 1914 and 1964: two world wars, and the wars in Indochina and Algeria. In each the role of myth was intricately bound up with memory, hope, belief, and ideas of nation. This is the first book to explore how individual myths were created, sustained, and used for purposes of propaganda, examining in detail not just the press, radio, photographs, posters, films, and songs that gave credence to an imagined event or attributed mythical status to an individual, but also the cultural processes by which such artifacts were disseminated and took effect.Reliance on myth, so the authors argue, is shown to be one of the most significant and durable features of 20th century warfare propaganda, used by both sides in all the conflicts covered in this book. However, its effective and useful role in time of war notwithstanding, it does distort a population's perception of reality and therefore often results in defeat: the myth-making that began as a means of sustaining belief in France's supremacy, and later her will and ability to resist, ultimately proved counterproductive in the process of decolonization.

Peter Gregory (1887-1959), Director and then Chairman of Lund Humphries, was at the heart of the avant-garde British art world for nearly thirty years of major change in society, politics, and culture. A pioneering art publisher who produced scholarly and richly illustrated monographs on living artists, he was also a discerning patron and collector, the founder of new arts organisations, and a loyal supporter of young artists.Valerie Holman’s new book is the first to situate Gregory’s life and career within the wider context of printing and publishing history, war, and changing perceptions of modern and contemporary art. Gregory's intimate circle included many leading artists, architects and writers: Henry Moore considered him his closest friend, Kenneth Clark sought out his committee expertise, Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth respected his professionalism and invited him into their family circle, and he had a warm friendship with Edward McKnight Kauffer, Herbert Read, Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry.By drawing for the first time on Gregory's unpublished diaries and correspondence, the book offers insights into what motivated him, his political stance and attitude to industry, and his views on art and literature. It also shows how, as an individual, he became one of the twentieth century’s most effective champions of contemporary art and design.