A groundbreaking look at the connection between germs and mental illness, and how we can protect ourselves. Is it possible to catch autism or OCD the same way we catch the flu? Can a child's contact with cat litter lead to schizophrenia? In her eye-opening new book, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Harriet Washington reveals that we can in fact "catch" mental illness. In Infectious Madness, Washington presents the new germ theory, which posits not only that many instances of Alzheimer's, OCD, and schizophrenia are caused by viruses, prions, and bacteria, but also that with antibiotics, vaccinations, and other strategies, these cases can be easily prevented or treated. Packed with cutting-edge research and tantalizing mysteries, Infectious Madness is rich in science, characters, and practical advice on how to protect yourself and your children from exposure to infectious threats that could sabotage your mental and physical health.

One of Britain's best-loved comic actors, Peter Bowles is perhaps most famous for his role as nouveau riche lord of the manor, Richard de Vere, in the hit television comedy To the Manor Born. The show earned itself cult sit-com status when it first aired in the 1970s and 80s and, as the success of the 2007 Christmas special showed, it continues to be hugely popular around the world. Now, in this witty, charming and colourful memoir, Peter Bowles recalls experiences and anecdotes from the time as well as from countless other productions he has worked on during more than half a century in the business. From his early days at Stratford under the direction of John Osborne to roles on iconic television programmes like The Avengers and The Irish R.M., to his current work with the great Peter Hall, Peter Bowles has worked, and laughed, with some of the biggest names in British drama. Funny, candid and warming in equal measure, Peter Bowlesis the very personal story of this inspiring and quintessentially British actor.

SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR * HENRY IV * THE MOUNTAIN GIANTS Pirandello ranks with Strindberg, Brecht, and Beckett as a seminal figure in modern drama. Innovative and influential, he broke decisively with the conventions of realist theatre to foreground the tensions between art and reality. In his best known play, six characters, imagined but then abandoned by their author, intrude on the rehearsals of a provincial theatre company in an attempt to play out their family drama. In the brilliant Henry IV, a young man believes himself to be the Holy Roman Emperor; attempts to cure him of his delusion have disastrous consequences. The Mountain Giants is Pirandello's last, unfinished masterpiece, in which he moves towards the mythical, and make-believe and real life once more become entangled. The play reflects its author's growing anxiety about the function of art under a fascist regime. This new edition includes Pirandello's important Preface to Six Characters, an essential critical document for understanding the play that made him famous. Anthony Mortimer's lively and performable translations remain scrupulously faithful to the letter and spirit of the originals.