{"title":"Richard McLauchlan","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRichard McLauchlan\u003c\/strong\u003e offers a compelling blend of biography and cultural exploration, delving into the lives and stories behind notable figures and traditions. His works provide thoughtful insight into personal and historical narratives that resonate deeply with readers interested in the human experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a focus often rooted in \u003cem\u003eArts \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/em\u003e, McLauchlan's writing illuminates unique facets of creative expression, such as the enduring significance of traditional instruments and the intricate lives connected to them. His books invite reflection on the richness of cultural heritage and personal journeys alike.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"serious-minds-by-richard-mclauchlan-9781787387928","title":"Serious Minds","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn elegant, revealing portrait of a remarkable family that helped to shape the politics, arts and sciences of modern Britain. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eTimes\u003c\/em\u003e hailed Richard Burdon Haldane as 'one of the most powerful ... intellects' British statesmanship had ever seen. His brother John, a great physiologist, invented the first gas masks used in World War One. Their sister Elizabeth was among the first women to become a senior public servant. Their mother Mary, friend and advisor to top politicians and churchmen, nurtured these exceptional minds. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMary's grandchildren swapped her traditional roots for radical socialism, but continued the brilliant family legacy. Naomi Mitchison was a doyenne of Scottish literature; one Nobel prizewinner called her brother, the geneticist J.B.S. Haldane, 'the cleverest man I ever knew'. Like the Darwins and Keyneses, this clan of thinkers lived in rapidly changing times, and helped to remake the world around them. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on extensive family interviews and previously unseen private papers, \u003cem\u003eSerious Minds\u003c\/em\u003e details scandal, tragedy and achievement within a dynasty that shaped modern Britain from the welfare state, education system and military, to our understanding of energy, the human body, and the origins of life itself. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47536973611244,"sku":"9781787387928","price":76.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/b31fb9dbda99f2dae9758bea34c278f3.jpg?v=1776903170"},{"product_id":"the-bagpipes-by-richard-mclauchlan-9781805262848","title":"The Bagpipes","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the early second century CE, someone was described as playing a pipe 'with a bag tucked under his armpit.' That man, the first named piper in history, was the Roman Emperor Nero. Since then, this improbable conflation of bag and sticks has become one of the most beloved and contested instruments of all time. When another piping emperor, Tsar Peter the Great, watched his pet bear take its last breath, he decided the creature would live on as a bagpipe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis rich and vivid history tells the story of an instrument boasting over 130 varieties, yet commonly associated with just one form and one country: Scotland, and its familiar Great Highland Bagpipe. In fact, the pipes are played across the globe, and their story is a highly diverse one, which illuminates society in remarkable, unexpected ways. Richard McLauchlan charts the rise of women pipers; investigates how class, privilege, and capitalism have shaped the world of piping; and explores how the meaning of a 'national instrument' can shift with the currents of a people's identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe vibrancy and inventiveness characterising today's pipers still speak to the potency of this fabled and once-feared instrument, to which McLauchlan is our surefooted guide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorically insightful and full of character. Captures the essence and beauty of piping's vibrant culture with historical, musical and characterful insight. - Finlay MacDonald\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRichly entertaining and perceptive. A revelation in how an instrument can transform culture. - Alastair Campbell\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47559022575852,"sku":"9781805262848","price":44.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781805262848-the-bagpipes.jpg?v=1776926934"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/richard-mclauchlan.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}