100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Fast Overnight NZ-wide Delivery 🚀

Shaking A Leg

Collected Journalism and Writings
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Shaking a Leg offers a dazzling collection of Angela Carter's journalism, showcasing her wit, intellect and cultural insight. The book covers a wide spectrum of topics, from food and feminism to science fiction, presented with unpredictable charm and profound knowledge. Carter's prose illuminates latter twentieth-century thought with sharp humour and vivid reflection, making the volume both an entertaining and intellectually rich companion.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$4499
Elsewhere:
$5000
Backorder
STOCK ARRIVING MID SEPTEMBER Order now to secure your copy from our next shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This volume is ideal for readers interested in cultural criticism, journalism, and twentieth-century arts and ideas. Fans of Angela Carter and those seeking a richly varied and witty exploration of contemporary topics will find it especially rewarding.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY RACHEL COOKE

Reading Shaking a Leg is like spending time with the funniest, wisest friend you’ve ever had;

Forthright, funny, unpredictable- Carter is capable of illuminating any topic with the brilliance of her prose.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Forthright, funny, unpredictable: Carter is capable of illuminating any topic with the brilliance of her prose.

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY RACHEL COOKE

Reading Shaking a Leg is like spending time with the funniest, wisest friend you've ever had; a person whose breadth of interest ranges from food to feminism to science fiction, and everything in between; a person with an entirely unpredictable train of thought but whose exuberance, knowledge and insight sweeps you along.

Bursting with ideas, culturally astute and sparklingly witty, this comprehensive volume of Angela Carter's journalism is the most down-to-earth and entertaining companion to latter twentieth-century thought you'll ever need.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Shaking a Leg is praised as a stunning showcase of Angela Carter’s versatility and brilliance, firmly establishing her as a major literary and cultural critic. Critics commend the collection for its forthrightness, imagination and the lively, associative style that engages readers deeply. Reviews highlight it as a book that offers laughter, insight and a heartfelt connection, making it an endlessly entertaining and down-to-earth reading experience.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099583073

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 November 2013

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 35.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 543g

Pages: 800

About the Author

Angela Carter was born in 1940 and read English at Bristol University, before spending two years living in Japan. She lived and worked extensively in the United States and Australia. Her first novel, Shadow Dance, was published in 1965, followed by The Magic Toyshop in 1967, which went on to win the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. She wrote a further four novels, together with three collections of short stories, two works of non-fiction and a volume of collected writings. Angela Carter died in 1992.

Also by Angela Carter

View all
  • On Sale
    19% off
    The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
    Vintage Quarterbound Classics - Bound to be beautiful A beautiful hardback edition of Angela Carter's feminist retelling of fairy tales—masterful, seductive, and luminous. From familiar fairy tales and legends—Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Puss in Boots, Beauty and the Beast, vampires and werewolves—Angela Carter has created an absorbing collection of dark, sensual, fantastic stories. 'Magnificent set pieces of fastidious sensuality' Ian...
    Hardback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Nights at the Circus
    Raunchy, raucous...a rich, turn of the 19th century world, which reeks of human and animal variety — The Times Is Sophie Fevvers, toast of Europe's capitals, part swan...or all fake? Courted by the Prince of Wales and painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, she is an aerialiste extraordinaire and star of Colonel Kearney's circus. She is also part woman, part swan. Jack Walser,...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Nights at the Circus
    Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of women’s weird fiction. Is Sophie Fevvers, toast of Europe's capitals, part swan...or all fake? Courted by the Prince of Wales and painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, she is an aerialiste extraordinaire and star of Colonel Kearney's circus. She is also part woman, part swan. Jack Walser, an American journalist, is on...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Backorder
    Ships early September
  • The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
    The old fairy stories live again, subtly altered. By the prize-winning author of Wise Children, Nights at the Circus, American Ghosts and Old World Wonders and Expletives Deleted.
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2300
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • American Ghosts & Old World Wonders
    The dazzling last collection of short fiction from Angela Carter. Shortly before her death, Angela Carter was preparing this volume of short stories, one which does full justice to the glory of her imagination and the range of her talent. It is divided into distinct parts. The first comprises a group of stories inspired by America—Lizzie Borden visits a circus;...
    Paperback
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Wise Children
    In Brixton, Nora and Dora Chance – twin chorus girls born and bred south of the river – are celebrating their 75th birthday. Over the river in Chelsea, their father and greatest actor of his generation, Melchior Hazard, turns 100 on the same day. As does his twin brother Peregrine. If, in fact, he’s still alive. And if, in truth,...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
    Angela Carter was a storytelling sorceress, the literary godmother of Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, Audrey Niffenegger, J.K. Rowling, Kelly Link, and other contemporary masters of supernatural fiction. In her masterpiece, The Bloody Chamber, which includes the story that is the basis of Neil Jordan's 1984 movie The Company of Wolves, she spins subversively dark and sensual versions of familiar fairy...
    Paperback
    $4800
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • A Souvenir of Japan
    Pre-order
    A Souvenir of Japan
    Embark on a brief encounter with Angela Carter, weird fiction's most influential pioneer, and her transformative stories of finding oneself in the face of another world. Five stories of desire and discovery set in 1970s Japan, from weird fiction's most influential pioneer - Angela Carter. An Englishwoman muses on her affair with a younger Japanese man. A spurned lover seeks...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Pre-order
    Out 20 Oct 2026
  • The Magic Toyshop
    The boldest of English women writers - Lorna Sage Her writing is pyrotechnic - fuelled with ideas, packed with images and spangling the night with her starry language - Observer She can glide from ancient to modern, from darkness to luminosity, from depravity to comedy without any hint of strain and without losing the elusive power of the original tales...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Sadeian Woman
    'The tone is one of intellectual relish . . . rational . . . refined . . . witty' NEW STATESMAN 'Her work is funny, sexy, frightening and brutal' EDMUND GORDON, GUARDIAN 'Angela Carter liked to blur boundaries and break rules' GABY WOOD, INDEPENDENT Celebrating five decades of the feminist publisher, each of the Five Gold Reads represents an iconic...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Angela Carter's Book Of Wayward Girls And Wicked Women
    'Wicked, wayward or otherwise, Carter's classic collection is a very erudite expression of girl power' - MINA HOLLAND, GUARDIAN 'One of the century's greatest writers' - SUNDAY TIMES This bestselling collection of stories extols the female virtues of discontent, sexual disruptiveness and bad manners. These are subversive tales by Ama Ata Aidoo, Jane Bowles, Angela Carter, Colette, Bessie Head, Jamaica...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Angela Carter's Book Of Fairy Tales
    Once upon a time, fairy tales weren't meant just for children, and neither is Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales. This stunning collection contains lyrical tales, bloody tales, and hilariously funny and ripely bawdy stories from countries all around the world—from the Arctic to Asia—and no dippy princesses or soppy fairies. Instead, we have pretty maids and old crones; crafty...
    Hardback
    Sold Out

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    Hardback
    $5999
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Home Again
    Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoir Home Again.This is more than a rock story. Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it. From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Buy to Win
    Did I Ever Tell You This?
    In this unexpected memoir, written in a creative burst of just a few months in 2022, Sam Neill tells the story of how he became one of the world’s most celebrated actors, who has worked with everyone from Meryl Streep to Isabel Adjani, from Jeff Goldblum to Sean Connery, from Steven Spielberg to Jane Campion. By his own account, his...
    Paperback
    $3799
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    New Release
    Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $7299
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • They Bloom Because of You
    Bestselling author and Instagram sensation Jessica Urlichs returns with a new collection of beautifully observed poems about the ever-evolving journey of motherhood - the hard, the magic and the fleeting. ‘A raw and honest read that makes you feel seen and understood in a way that will bring you to tears.’ - Hilary Swank ‘A book to keep close and...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Devotions
    New York Times Bestseller, chosen as Oprah's 'Books That Help Me Through' for Oprah's Book Club Chosen by Poetry Book Society as their special commendation 'No matter where one starts reading, Devotions offers much to love, from Oliver's exuberant dog poems to selections from the Pulitzer Prize-winning American Primitive, and Dream Work, one of her exceptional collections. Perhaps more important,...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Buy to Win
    The Odyssey
    The The Odyssey by Homer is a timeless epic that chronicles the adventures of the legendary Greek hero, Odysseus, as he endeavours to return home to Ithaca following the conclusion of the Trojan War. This monumental journey spans ten arduous years, during which Odysseus encounters a myriad of natural and supernatural challenges. From shipwrecks and ferocious battles to formidable monsters...
    By Homer
    Hardback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Buy to Win
    On Sale
    14% off
    Leaves of Grass
    A collectible new Penguin Classics series offers beautiful, slim, clothbound editions of ten favourite poets. In 1855, Walt Whitman published his first collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass. The volume received great praise from leading Transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. This encouragement led to what would become a lifelong project, as Whitman expanded and rewrote the volume until his death...
    Hardback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • I Still Believe in Miracles
    I Still Believe in Miracles is a collection of poetry exploring themes of masculinity, love, grief, and connection. This is the trade debut from Instagram phenomenon Lucas Jones, perfect for fans of yung pueblo, Hussain Manawer, and Whitney Hanson. A collection of powerful contemporary poetry, I Still Believe in Miracles delves deeply into themes of masculinity, love, grief, and connection....
    Hardback
    $3500
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Beautiful Chaos
    The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller Selected poems from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'These words awaken the magic of life by celebrating the ordinary.' - Giovanna Fletcher Motherhood is messy and beautiful, and hard and humbling. We adore our children and sometimes we miss ourselves. Beautiful Chaos is a collection of raw, honest poems about motherhood, capturing everything...
    Paperback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Roadscapes
    For four decades, photographer Derek Smith has explored the way New Zealanders travel, work, and express themselves through the vehicles they drive. Roadscapes is his compelling photographic journey through the heartland of New Zealand, capturing our unique car cultures and the social landscapes they inhabit across Aotearoa.
    Hardback
    $3699
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.