Picador Collection – serie

Brutally violent, Blood Meridian is the story of one teenage runaway in the nineteenth-century American South, as a sadistic gang unleashes its massacre across the desert border land.It is the work that sealed Cormac McCarthy's reputation as one of the twentieth century's greatest writers – his magnum opus.‘Imagine if the authors of the King James Bible, their hands guided by Satan, wrote a western’ – The TimesThrough the hostile landscape of the Texas–Mexico border wanders the Kid, a fourteen year-old Tennessean who is quickly swept up in the relentless tide of blood.A group known as the Glanton gang hunt Indigenous Americans, collecting scalps as their bloody trophies. At the centre of this violence stands Judge Holden: a massive, hairless man, mysterious if not supernatural, erudite and cold-blooded. He is singularly extreme in his sadistic violence.But the apparent chaos is not without order – the Glanton gang, too, are stalked as prey.Read as both a brilliant subversion of the Western novel and a blazing example of that form, it is a powerful, mesmerizing and savagely beautiful novel – and one of the most important works in American fiction of the last century.‘In Blood Meridian, McCarthy reaches the peak of his style: spare and ornate at once, repetitious but endlessly readable’ – GuardianPraise for Cormac McCarthy:'His prose takes on an almost biblical quality, hallucinatory in its effect and evangelical in its power' – Stephen King, author of The Shining and the Dark Tower series‘McCarthy worked close to some religious impulse, his books were terrifying and absolute’ – Anne Enright, author of The Green Road and The Wren, The Wren'[I]n presenting the darker human impulses in his rich prose, [McCarthy] showed readers the necessity of facing up to existence' – Annie Proulx, author of Brokeback MountainPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.Immerse yourself in the gritty American Frontier in Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. A powerful, triumphant tribute to the American West and a masterful epic from the screenwriter of Brokeback Mountain.This is the story of a group of audacious cowboys on a perilous cattle drive across the sprawling wilderness, from Texas to Montana. Bound by duty and hardened by the relentless frontier, their shared journey embodies the enduring spirit of the West.More than an adventure, beyond any love story, the first published book, chronologically third in McMurtry’s esteemed Lonesome Dove quartet, depicts an enduring American experience. A must-read for fans of evocative Western Americana, McMurtry propels you into the heart of 19th-century America, its triumphs and betrayals bound together in a dance of heightened drama and human spirit.‘Unforgettable’ – The New York Times‘It’s like the gift of reading itself’ – Geoff Dyer, The GuardianNow part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the very best of modern literature.

One of The Guardian's best 100 novels of all timeA gripping tale of set in the American West, Cormac McCarthy's iconic No Country for Old Men follows a Vietnam veteran's dark path after stumbling upon a drug deal gone wrong.'A Western thriller with a racy plot and punchy dialogue' – The Times1980. Llewelyn Moss is hunting antelope near the Rio Grande when he discovers the aftermath of a drug deal turned deadly. Finding bullet-ridden bodies, several kilos of heroin, and a caseload of cash, he faces a choice – walk away or take the money and run. Choosing the latter, he knows, will change everything.And so begins a terrifying chain of events, as each player in this brutal game seems determined to answer one question: how does a man decide in what order to abandon his life?'It's hard to think of a contemporary writer more worth reading' – IndependentPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.Praise for Cormac McCarthy:‘McCarthy worked close to some religious impulse, his books were terrifying and absolute’ – Anne Enright, author of The Green Road and The Wren, The Wren'His prose takes on an almost biblical quality, hallucinatory in its effect and evangelical in its power' – Stephen King, author of The Shining and the Dark Tower series'In presenting the darker human impulses in his rich prose, [McCarthy] showed readers the necessity of facing up to existence' – Annie Proulx, author of Brokeback MountainPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

One of the most controversial and talked-about novels of all time. Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho is a multi-million-copy bestseller hailed as a modern classic – a violent and outrageous black comedy about the darkest side of human nature.With an introduction by Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting.I like to dissect girls. Did you know I’m utterly insane?Patrick Bateman has it all: good looks, youth, charm, a job on Wall Street, and reservations at every new restaurant in town.He is also a psychopath. A man addicted to his superficial, perfect life, he pulls us into a dark underworld where the American Dream becomes a nightmare . . .Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

‘A science fiction genius . . . Ted Chiang is a superstar.’ – The GuardianWith Stories of Your Life and Others, his masterful debut collection, multiple-award-winning author Ted Chiang deftly blends human emotion and scientific rationalism in eight remarkably varied stories.The title novella 'Story of Your Life' was the basis for the Academy Award-winning film Arrival, starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.From a soaring Babylonian tower that connects a flat Earth to the firmament above, to a world where angelic visitations are a wondrous and terrifying part of everyday life; from a neural modification that eliminates the appeal of physical beauty, to an alien language that challenges our very perception of time and reality, Chiang’s unique imagination invites us to question our understanding of the universe and our place in it.‘United by a humane intelligence that speaks very directly to the reader, and makes us experience each story with immediacy and Chiang’s calm passion’ – China Miéville, author of The City & The CityPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

FEATURED ON A GREAT BOOK WITH BARACK OBAMA‘One of the greatest American novels of this or any time’ GUARDIANA coming-of-age western and a grand love story, All the Pretty Horses is a classic of American literature and the first instalment in Cormac McCarthy's acclaimed Border Trilogy.1949. At sixteen years-old, John Grady Cole is the last bewildered survivor of long generations of Texas ranchers. Finding himself cut off from the only life he has ever wanted, he sets out for Mexico with his friend Lacey Rawlins. Befriending a third boy on the way, they find a country beyond their imagining: barren and beautiful, rugged yet cruelly civilized; a place where dreams are paid for in blood.A classic of American literature and a grand love story, Cormac McCarthy's novel is about the passing of childhood, of innocence and a vanished American age.Adapted into a film starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz.All the Pretty Horses is followed in the Border Trilogy by The Crossing and Cities of the Plain.Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

‘Ted Chiang is one of the most exciting writers in science fiction . . . These parables are filled with hope and humanism.’ – The Daily TelegraphFrom the acclaimed author of Stories of Your Life and Others – the basis for the Academy Award-winning film Arrival – comes a groundbreaking second collection of short fiction.'Will make you think, grapple with big questions, and feel more human. The best kind of science fiction' – Barack ObamaA portal through time forces a fabric-seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past errors and the temptation of second chances; an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications not just for his own people, but for all of reality; a newfound ability to glimpse into alternate universes forces a radical re-examination of the concepts of choice and free will.In Exhalation, Ted Chiang addresses the most fundamental of issues – What is the nature of the universe? What does it mean to be human? – alongside others that no one else has even imagined. And, each in its own way, the stories prove that complex and thoughtful science fiction can rise to new heights of beauty, meaning, and compassion.‘Deeply beautiful stories' – The New York Times 'The 10 Best Books of the Year'‘Chiang’s writing . . . inspires awe for the natural properties of the universe; it renders the fundamentals of science poignant and affecting.’ – Economist ‘A scintillating cavalcade of ideas’ – Financial Times, 'Books of the Year'

Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild examines the true story of Chris McCandless, a young man who walked deep into the Alaskan wilderness and whose SOS note and emaciated corpse were found four months later.'It may be nonfiction, but Into the Wild is a mystery of the highest order.' – Entertainment WeeklyIn April 1992, Chris McCandless set off alone into the Alaskan wild. He had given his savings to charity, abandoned his car and his possessions, and burnt the money in his wallet, determined to live a life of independence. Just four months later, Chris was found dead. An SOS note was taped to his makeshift home, an abandoned bus.In piecing together the final travels of this extraordinary young man's life, Jon Krakauer writes about the heart of the wilderness, its terribly beauty and its relentless harshness. Into the Wild is a modern classic of travel writing, and a riveting exploration of what drives some of us to risk more than we can afford to lose.From the author of Under the Banner of Heaven and Into Thin Air. A film adaptation of Into the Wild was directed by Sean Penn and starred Emile Hirsch and Kristen Stewart.

Xuela Claudette Richardson is recalling the last seventy years of her life, and so she must begin with her birth, and the accompanying death of her mother.Xuela’s vivid, visceral recollections of the lonely, unsettled life that follows the trauma of her arrival include that of her distant father, who sends her away to another household at the earliest opportunity; of her passion for the stevedore Roland, who fulfils her sexually but not intellectually; and of her husband, who provides her with status and a wealthy lifestyle but whom she is incapable of loving.Poetic and disturbing, The Autobiography of My Mother is one of Kincaid’s most powerful statements of Afro-Caribbean women’s struggle for identity and independence, against a hostile backdrop of sexism and colonialism.Part of the Picador Collection, a new series showcasing the best of modern literature.

Lucy, a teenage girl from the West Indies, comes to North America to work as an au pair for Lewis and Mariah and their four children. At first glance Lewis and Mariah are a blessed couple – handsome, rich, and seemingly happy. Almost at once, however, Lucy begins to notice cracks in their beautiful facade.With a mixture of anger and compassion, Lucy scrutinizes the privileged, facile world of her employers while comparing it to the vivid realities of her home in the Caribbean. Lucy has no illusions about her own past, but neither is she prepared to be deceived about where she presently is.In this environment a new person unfolds: passionate, sexually forthright, and disarmingly honest. In Lucy, Jamaica Kincaid has created a startling new character: a captivating heroine possessed with clear-sightedness and ferocious integrity.Part of the Picador Collection, a new series showcasing the best of modern literature.

One of The New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.An atmospheric novel set in the eerie days of civilization's collapse. Emily St John Mandel's Station Eleven is now an HBO Max original TV series.One snowy night in Toronto, famous actor Arthur Leander dies on stage whilst performing the role of a lifetime. That same evening a deadly virus touches down in North America. The world will never be the same again.Twenty years later Kirsten, an actress in the Travelling Symphony, performs Shakespeare in the settlements that have grown up since the collapse. But then her newly hopeful world is threatened . . .If civilization was lost, what would you preserve? And how far would you go to protect it?The New York Times BestsellerWinner of the Arthur C. Clarke AwardLonglisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for FictionNational Book Awards FinalistPEN/Faulkner Award Finalist'Disturbing, inventive and exciting, Station Eleven left me wistful for a world where I still live' – Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist'Best novel. The big one . . . stands above all the others' – George R.R. Martin, author of Game of Thrones'Mandel’s beautiful depiction of the survival of human culture and art in a post-apocalyptic world, perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale' – CosmopolitanPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.**Exit Party, the seventh novel from global bestselling author Emily St. John Mandel, is available to pre-order now**

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for NonfictionWinner of the Guardian First Book award'I know few books, fiction or non-fiction, as compelling as Philip Gourevitch's account of the Rwandan genocide' – Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm‘Should be compulsory reading’ – The GuardianIn 1994, the Rwandan government orchestrated a campaign of extermination, in which everyone in the Hutu majority was called upon to murder everyone in the Tutsi minority. Close to a million people were slaughtered in a hundred days, and the rest of the world did nothing to stop it. A year later, journalist Philip Gourevitch went to Rwanda to investigate the most unambiguous genocide since Hitler’s war against the Jews.Hailed by the Guardian as one of the hundred greatest non-fiction books of all time, We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families is an unforgettable anatomy of Rwanda’s decimation. As riveting as it is moving, it is a profound reckoning with humanity’s betrayal and its perseverance.‘Gourevitch constructs a powerful indictment against international inaction’ – Observer‘Magnificent, terrifying’ – The Irish TimesPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

In this semi-autobiographical work, a man abandons his life of privilege to live among eccentrics, criminals and the impoverished of Knoxville. Suttree is a humorous, compelling tapestry of life on the edge from Cormac McCarthy, author of The Road and Blood Meridian.'Suttree marks McCarthy's closest approach to autobiography and is probably the funniest and most unbearably sad of his books' – Stanley Booth, author of The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones1951. Cornelius Suttree lives alone, exiled on a disintegrating houseboat on the wrong side of the Tennessee River. As we meet him, Suttree watches the police haul the body of a suicidal man from the water. Amongst the living, the river is home to hermits, sex workers, alcoholics – and a witch.Conjuring James Joyce's Ulysses, Suttree wanders the river with a detachment and wry humour, encountering a broad cast of humanity as he does – even as dereliction and destitution threaten the last of his remaining dignity.'Suttree is like a good, long scream in the ear' – New York TimesPart of the Picador Collection, a series celebrating fifty years of Picador books and showcasing the best of modern literature.Praise for Cormac McCarthy:‘McCarthy worked close to some religious impulse, his books were terrifying and absolute’ – Anne Enright, author of The Green Road'His prose takes on an almost biblical quality, hallucinatory in its effect and evangelical in its power' – Stephen King, author of The Shining and the Dark Tower series'[I]n presenting the darker human impulses in his rich prose, [McCarthy] showed readers the necessity of facing up to existence' – Annie Proulx, author of Brokeback Mountain

Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize, Adam Hochschild's King Leopold’s Ghost is the true and haunting account of Leopold's brutal regime and its lasting effect on a ruined nation. In the late nineteenth century, when the great powers in Europe were tearing Africa apart and seizing ownership of land for themselves, King Leopold of Belgium took hold of the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. In his devastatingly barbarous colonization of this area, Leopold stole its rubber and ivory, pummelled its people and set up a ruthless regime that would reduce the population by half. While he did all this, he carefully constructed an image of himself as a deeply feeling humanitarian.King Leopold's Ghost is the inspiring and deeply moving account of a handful of missionaries and other idealists who travelled to Africa and unwittingly found themselves in the middle of a gruesome holocaust. Instead of turning away, these brave few chose to stand up against Leopold. Adam Hochschild brings life to this largely untold story and, crucially, casts blame on those responsible for this atrocity.'All the tension and drama that one would expect in a good novel' - Robert Harris, author of FatherlandNow part of the Picador Collection

A haunting and disturbing tale of a violent outcast, Child of God is Cormac McCarthy's most shocking and brutally compelling work. From the author of Blood Meridian and The Road.1960s, Tennessee. Lester Ballard is a violent, solitary and introverted young backwoodsman, dispossessed on his ancestral land. Homeless, indulging in voyeurism, he is accused of rape.When he is released from jail, he begins to haunt the hilly landscape – preying upon its population, unleashing his impulse for sexualised violence.As the story hurtles toward its unforgettable conclusion, McCarthy depicts the most sordid aspects of life with empathy and lyricism.'A powerful and talented writer, able to elicit compassion for his protagonist however terrible his action' – Sunday TimesPraise for Cormac McCarthy:‘McCarthy worked close to some religious impulse, his books were terrifying and absolute’ – Anne Enright, author of The Green Road and The Wren, The Wren'His prose takes on an almost biblical quality, hallucinatory in its effect and evangelical in its power' – Stephen King, author of The Shining and the Dark Tower series'[I]n presenting the darker human impulses in his rich prose, [McCarthy] showed readers the necessity of facing up to existence' – Annie Proulx, author of Brokeback MountainPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

A haunting and tragicomic tale of the end of childhood, Annie John is told with Jamaica Kincaid’s trademark candour and complexity, and is a true coming-of-age classic.An adored only child growing up in Antigua, Annie has until recently lived a peaceful and content life. She is inseparable from her beautiful mother, a powerful and influential presence, who sits at the very centre of the little girl’s existence. Loved and cherished, Annie grows and thrives within her mother’s shadow.When she turns twelve, however, Annie’s life changes, in ways that are often mysterious to her. She begins to question the cultural assumptions of her island world; at school she makes rebellious friends and frequently challenges authority; and most frighteningly, her mother, seeing Annie as a ‘young lady’, ceases to be the source of unconditional adoration and takes on the new and unfamiliar guise of adversary.Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

Now a major Netflix film from Noah Baumbach, starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig.'An extraordinarily funny book on a serious subject, effortlessly combining social comedy, disaster, fiction and philosophy' – The Daily TelegraphJack Gladney is the creator and chairman of Hitler studies at the College-on-the-Hill. This is the story of his absurd life. A life that is going well enough, until a chemical spill from a train carriage releases an ‘Airborne Toxic Event’ and Jack is forced to confront his biggest fear – his own mortality.White Noise is a combination of social satire and metaphysical dilemma in which Don DeLillo exposes our rampant consumerism, media saturation and novelty intellectualism. It captures the particular strangeness of life lived when the fear of death cannot be denied or repressed, and ponders the role of the family in a time when the very meaning of our existence is under threat.‘America’s greatest living writer.’ – The ObserverPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air is the true story of a 24-hour period on Everest, when members of three separate expeditions were caught in a storm and faced a battle against hurricane-force winds, exposure, and the effects of altitude, which ended in the worst single-season death toll in the peak's history.In March 1996, Outside magazine sent veteran journalist and seasoned climber Jon Krakauer on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day, eight people were dead. Krakauer's book is at once the story of the ill-fated adventure and an analysis of the factors leading up to its tragic end. Written within months of the events it chronicles, Into Thin Air clearly evokes the majestic Everest landscape. As the journey up the mountain progresses, Krakauer puts it in context by recalling the triumphs and perils of other Everest trips throughout history. The author's own anguish over what happened on the mountain is palpable as he leads readers to ponder timeless questions.One of the inspirations for the major motion picture Everest, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley.'Into Thin Air ranks among the great adventure books of all time.' - Wall Street Journal'A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism.' - People

‘Controlled and fearless perfection’ - The Washington PostJamaica Kincaid’s brother Devon died of Aids on 19 January 1996 at the age of 33. This poetic and shockingly candid recounting of her brother’s life and death is also the story of her family in Antigua - centred round her destructive mother - and a portrait of an illness misunderstood.From one of today’s most iconic writers, My Brother is a remarkable record of a life that ended too early. It speaks to the difficult truths at the heart of all families.Now in the Picador Collection.

Shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Tree of Smoke – the name given to a ‘psyop’ that may or may not be hypothetical and may or may not be officially sanctioned – is Denis Johnson’s most gripping, visionary and ambitious work. Set across south-east Asia and the United States, and spanning two decades, Tree of Smoke tells the story of Skip Sands, a CIA spy who may or may not be engaged in psychological operations against the Viet Cong. Skating across Vietnam, the Philippines, and the United States, Johnson takes the reader on a surreal, vivid journey, dipping in and out of characters’s lives to reveal fundamental truths at the heart of the human condition.Part of the Picador Collection, a series celebrating fifty years of Picador books and showcasing the best of modern literature.

Incisive, controversial and startlingly funny, The Rules of Attraction examines a group of affluent students at a small, self-consciously bohemian, liberal-arts college on America’s East Coast.Lauren, who changes the man in her bed even more often than she changes course, is dating Victor but sleeping with Sean. Sean – cool, ambivalent and deeply cynical – might be in love with Lauren, but he’s not going to let that stop him from bedding Paul. Paul, as shrewd as he is passionate, is Lauren’s ex-lover and the final point in this curious triangle.From the author of American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis's The Rules of Attraction is a breathtaking tale of sex, expectation, desire and frustration.Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

One of the New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st CenturyThe world just goes along. Nothing much matters, you know? I mean really matters. but then sometimes, just for a second, you get this grace, this belief that it does matter, a whole lot.With an introduction from Lydia DavisLucia Berlin’s stories in A Manual for Cleaning Women make for one of the most remarkable unsung collections in twentieth-century American fiction.With extraordinary honesty and magnetism, Lucia Berlin invites us into her rich, itinerant life: the drink and the mess and the pain and the beauty and the moments of surprise and of grace, with a voice is witty, anarchic, compassionate, and completely unique.‘The 43 stories brought together in A Manual for Cleaning Women make a powerful claim for far wider recognition and celebration of her talents . . . Wonderful’ – The GuardianPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

Darkly funny and full of stubborn optimism, Quartet in Autumn is a classic. Showing Barbara Pym at her very best, it portrays the strange and wonderful quirks of everyday life.‘Spectacular’ – The Sunday Times‘Quartet in Autumn is immeasurably her finest work of fiction’ – Evening Standard‘Barbara Pym has a sharp eye for the exact nuances of social behaviour’ – The TimesIn 1970s London, Edwin, Norman, Letty and Marcia work in the same office and suffer the same problem – loneliness.Lovingly and with delightful humour, Barbara Pym conducts us through their day-to-day existence: their preoccupations, their irritations, their judgements, and – perhaps most keenly felt – their worries about having somehow missed out on life as post-war Britain shifted around them.Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

Winner of the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, a World Fantasy award, and a BSFA Award.Blending weird fiction with the police procedural, The City & The City is an existential thriller like no other.‘There is no one else writing stuff like this’ – DazedWhen the body of a murdered woman is found in the extraordinary decaying city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks like a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad.But as he probes, the evidence begins to point to conspiracies far stranger, and more deadly, than anything he could have imagined. Soon his work puts him and those he cares for in danger. Borlú must travel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own, across a border like no other.With shades of Kafka and Philip K. Dick, Raymond Chandler and 1984, the multi-award-winning The City & The City by China Miéville is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights.'As intelligent as he is original' – The Guardian

Winner of the Miles Franklin AwardCloudstreet is Tim Winton's epic family drama, a story of love and turmoil spanning decades.‘Magnificent’ – The New York Times‘Winton is just one of the best’ – IndependentNo. 1 Cloudstreet: a broken-down house on the wrong side of the tracks, a place teeming with memories, with shudders and shadows and spirits.From separate catastrophes, two families – the Pickles and the Lambs – flee to the city and find themselves thrown together, forced to start their lives afresh. As they roister and rankle, the place that began as a roof over their heads becomes a home for their hearts.Full of boisterous energy, joy and heartbreak, Tim Winton's vivid portrayal of the of the Australian landscape is nowhere more extraordinary than in this classic.‘Winton is a one-man band of genius’ – The Los Angeles TimesPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

A strikingly original first novel, from the author of A Little Life. A young doctor's search for immortality uncovers a secret that will haunt him forever.‘The world Yanagihara conjures up, full of dark pockets of mystery, is magical.’ – The TimesIn 1950 Norton Perina, a young doctor, embarks on an expedition to a remote Micronesian island in search of a rumoured lost tribe. There he encounters a strange group of forest dwellers who appear to have attained a form of immortality that preserves the body but not the mind. Perina uncovers their secret and returns with it to America, where he soon finds great success. But his discovery has come at a terrible cost, not only for the islanders, but for Perina himself.Hanya Yanagihara's The People in the Trees marked the debut of a remarkable voice in American fiction.‘Impossible to resist’ – Daily MailPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

Plainsong, set in Kent Haruf's fictional Holt County, Colorado, is an unforgettable modern classic, exploring the grace and hope of every human life, and our boundless capacity for love.‘So delicate and lovely that it has the power to exalt the reader’ – The New York TimesTom Guthrie is struggling to bring up his two young sons alone and, in the same town, school girl Victoria Roubideaux is pregnant and homeless.Brothers Harold and Raymond McPheron – gentle, solitary, gruff and unpolished – agree to take Victoria in, unaware that their lives will change forever.'Beautifully crafted, alive and quietly magnificent' – Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

One of the Guardian 100 Best Novels of All Time.One of the New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.Winner of the Booker Prize, The Line of Beauty is a classic novel about class, politics and sexuality in Margaret Thatcher’s 1980s Britain.In the summer of 1983, twenty-year-old Nick Guest moves into an attic room in the Notting Hill home of the wealthy Feddens: Gerald, an ambitious Tory MP, his wife Rachel and their children Toby and Catherine.Innocent of politics and money, Nick is swept up into the Feddens’ world and an era of endless possibility, all the while pursuing his own private obsession with beauty.The Line of Beauty is Alan Hollinghurst’s Man Booker Prize-winning masterpiece. It is a novel that defines a decade, exploring a young man’s collision with his own desires, and with a world he can never truly belong to.Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

'Simultaneously frightening and hilarious' - The TimesThe Men Who Stare at Goats reveals the extraordinary – and completely nutty – national secrets at the core of America's government.Often funny, sometimes chilling and with first-hand access to the leading players, Jon Ronson’s Sunday Times bestseller is a story so unbelievable it has to be true.In 1979, a secret unit was established by the most gifted minds within the US Army. Defying all known accepted military practice – and indeed, the laws of physics – they believed that a soldier could adopt a cloak of invisibility, pass cleanly through walls and, perhaps most chillingly, kill goats just by staring at them.Entrusted with defending America from all known adversaries, they were the First Earth Battalion. And they really weren’t joking. What’s more, in the early 2000s, they’re back and fighting George W. Bush’s War on Terror.But why are they blasting Iraqi prisoners-of-war with the theme tune to the Barney the Purple Dinosaur show? Why have one hundred de-bleated goats been secretly placed inside the Special Forces command centre at Fort Bragg? And how was the US military associated with the mysterious mass-suicide of a strange cult from San Diego?Now a feature film starring George Clooney and Ewan McGregor.Part of the Picador Collection, a series celebrating fifty years of Picador books and showcasing the best of modern literature.