upcoming books
Water’s gleaming gold
THe life of jumbo edwards
‘Water’s Gleaming Gold’ is the tale of a unique man on an extraordinary journey – from the humiliation of the Boat Race to the ultimate glory of twice winning gold at the Olympics. From establishing himself as a well-known air racing pilot in the 1930s to rising to the rank of Wing Commander in the RAF and battling U-Boats in the Atlantic Ocean.
In the Boat Race of 1926, at the age of 19, Hugh ‘Jumbo’ Edwards rowed for Oxford alongside his brother. Edwards collapsed when the Dark Blues held a slight lead and Cambridge went on to win. From this nadir, Edwards defied doctor’s orders and the British press on a mission to prove everyone wrong, and rise to the heights of success in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics by winning two rowing gold medals on the same day.
In 1943 his rowing ability saved his life. After protecting a convoy and attacking German U-Boats, Edwards ditched his damaged Liberator in the Atlantic Ocean. The only survivor of the air crew, and suffering from life-threatening injuries, he managed to row his dinghy overnight and was picked up by a British minesweeper.
After many wartime decorations, Group Captain Edwards retired from the RAF in 1946 and soon developed a reputation as an innovative rowing coach. Jumbo coached Oxford between 1949 and 1972, winning five boat races and surviving an infamous rebellion. In 1960 he coached the British rowing team at the Rome Olympic Games.
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Publication date: Summer 2022
Format: Hardback and ebook
Page extent: 280 pages (estimated); over 20 illustrations
Author: Gavin Jamieson
This is a crowdfunded project to ensure that the extraordinary life of Jumbo Edwards can be published. For further details, exclusive offers and pre-ordering please click below:
A secret never to be told
ALison Cobb
This book is about why I had no mother. As the daughter of an extroverted Irish orthopaedic surgeon, I was an only child growing up in rural Norfolk before, during and after the last war. Familial love and care bulwarked me against the fact that I did not have a mother. Then at the age of thirteen I discovered the truth.
With penetrating insight, A Secret Never to be Told is a compelling and searching look at the experience of how horrific it is to have such an important secret hanging over your life. In searching to discover what had happened to her mother, Alison Cobb explores the secrecy and shame attached to mental illness in those times, as well as the devastating impact that it had on those around her.
As we advocate greater openness today, in confronting and treating mental health problems in those close to us, the author throws light into some very dark corners, making an eloquent plea for frankness and honesty.
“It grips like a mystery novel but it isn’t fiction, it’s all true. Alison Cobb’s book is an evocative memoir of childhood, the childhood of a bright, mischievous girl with a remarkable father, her happiness marred by an enigma, the secret never to be told, the tragic secret which, like a detective, she eventually unravels.”
Richard Dawkins, Evolutionary Biologist and Author.
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Publication date: Autumn 2021
Format: Hardback and ebook
Page extent: 360 pages; over 30 illustrations
ISBN: 978-1-9993226-3-2
Price: TBC
For anyone who has an ambition to publish a non-fiction work on a topic they are fascinated by, write a children's book, a novel, or produce a memoir, getting a book published is an ambition for many people. But understanding the processes that go into self-publishing can appear daunting. For more information please contact Lapwing.