Friedrich Nietzsche once said of Lou Andreas-Salomé that he had “never known a more gifted or understanding creature” and is said to have based his idea of the übermensch on her personality and their experiences and discussions together. The poet Rilke, for a time her younger lover, wrote that “she moves fearlessly among the most burning mysteries.” Andreas-Salomé and her book The Freud Journal, written during 1912 and 1913 when she was 51, are vital links between Nietzsche's philosophy and the origins of psychoanalysis: “Cruel people being always masochists also, the whole thing is inseparable from bisexuality. And that has a deep meaning. The first time I ever discussed this theme was with Nietzsche (that sadomasochist unto himself). And I know that afterward we dare not look at each other.” SS

Publisher: Quartet
Hardback: 211 pages

Retells the history of the Luddites, a group of disgruntled textile workers who at the start of the English Industrial Revolution rebelled against the industrialization of their traditional cottage industry. Using the history of the Luddites as a precursor, the author employs them as the model for resistance against the present second Industrial Revolution: the Information Revolution. SC

Publisher: Quartet
Paperback: 320 pages

“On August 1, 1936, in Berlin, watched by Adolf Hitler and others of the Nazi hierarchy, the Summer Olympics Games began. Filmmaker and photographer Leni Riefenstahl was commissioned to document these spectacular games for posterity. Her film, Olympia, is thought by many to be her masterpiece, and this books shows the results of Riefenstahl’s photographic tribute to the competitors. She utilized innovative and ground-breaking camera angles, techniques and styles in order to create her vision of the Olympics. Her stark realism is revealed in these shots of strength and determination. The artist presents divers, swimmers, sprinters, jumpers, vaulters and others as specimens, the ultimate practitioners of their artforms, and by these efforts, the portraits of these men and women reach a zenith of Riefenstahl’s own art. Her visual genius is fully evident in this remarkable collection of black-and-white photographs.”

Publisher: Quartet
Hardback: 288 pages
Illustrated

When the prestigious German magazine Stern approached Riefenstahl on her 75th birthday with an offer to write the story of her life, she refused, remarking that no one but herself was qualified to write her biography. Perhaps she was right. In the 20th century, Riefenstahl stands apart as one of the most gifted and controversial women of our time; gifted because of her obvious talents, and controversial simply because of her association with Adolf Hitler. Not only was Riefenstahl one of the greatest film directors of all time, but her autobiography matches the intensity of this dynamic woman’s personality. JB

Publisher: Quartet
Hardback: 669 pages