Nero

Dali & I
The Surreal Story
By Stan Lauryssens

An extraordinary memoir of fortune, fraud and
the master of modern art.

Art dealer Stan Lauryssens made millions in modern art, but he only sold one name: Salvador Dali. The surrealist painter’s work was a hot commodity for the newly rich, investors and businessmen looking to launder black-market cash. Stan didn’t mind looking the other way; he just hoped the buyers would do the same. The artworks he sold came from some very shady sources. And he soon discovered that the shadiest source of them all was Salvador Dali himself. The more successful Stan became, the closer he got to Dali’s inner circle, until he found himself living next door to the ageing artist. There, while Stan hid from Interpol detectives, he learned more about Dali’s secret history, the studio of artists who produced his work, and the money-making machine that kept Dali’s extravagant lifestyle afloat long after his creativity began to flounder.
Dali & I offers a behind-the-scenes view of the commerce and conspiracy that can go hand-in-hand in the art world, written by a man who has been to the top only to discover it was no different than the bottom.

$27.95 - ISBN 978-1-86395-231-6 - Nero - July 2008

Callgirl: Confessions of a Double Life

By Jeannette Angell

All callgirls are depraved and drug-addicted – right?
No one with any self-respect would ever choose to be a callgirl – right? Wrong. At the age of 35, Jeannette
Angell’s life took a shocking turn. Her boyfriend emptied their joint bank account and took off, leaving her penniless. Despite her job as a part-time university teacher, she was an independent, educated woman on the skids. Then she read a newspaper ad for ‘escorts’... Uniquely honest, this is the true story of a three year double life – university lecturer by day, callgirl by night. It tells why Angell made her decision, and reveals what happened on her journey into a hidden world.

$24.95 - ISBN 978-1-86395-151-7 - Nero - February 2008

Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper

By Diablo Cody

Full of insight and wit, Candy Girl is the seductive memoir of a young woman who dared to bare it all as a stripper. Diablo tells the captivating fish-out-of-water story of her yearlong walk on the wild side. In witty prose she gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at this industry through a writer's keen eye, from quiet gentlemen's clubs to multi-level sex palaces, with all of her wry observations along the way.

Diablo Cody won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for the film Juno.

Click here to read an interview with Diablo Cody in the Age.

$27.95 - ISBN 1863953426 - Nero - October 2006

Bad Bridesmaid: True Tales of Bachelorette Brawls and Taffeta Tantrums

By Siri Agrell

Siri Agrell didn’t mean to become a bad bridesmaid. It just kind of happened when she innocently asked – in a newspaper piece – if it was really necessary for the bride’s best and most loyal friends to endure 12 months of themed showers, endless fittings and the inevitable “taffeta terror” of coming face to face with the chosen dress. Agrell got her answer when she was promptly fired as a bridesmaid.

Part memoir and part cultural analysis, Bad Bridesmaid is smart and funny, a stiletto-heel print on an ivory silk train. Bad Bridesmaid devilishly dissects the hilarious, expensive and unbelievable experiences of leading a treasured friend down the aisle, and asks why it all has to be so damn difficult. From the history of bridesmaids – who in ancient times were used as decoys – to their contemporary role of strapless dress-wearing servitude – Agrell covers it all.

$24.95 - ISBN 978-1-86395-406-8 - Nero - June 2007