About the Book:

Noel Coward once quipped that "there are two perfect things in this world: my mind and Ivor's profile." As this entertaining biography Ivar Novello: Portrait of a Star, demonstrates, Novello — Britain's most successful silent movie star, prolific playwright, West End actor and the composer and star of a string of hit musicals, from Glamorous Night in 1935 to Gay's the Word in 1951 — was much more than a pretty face…

What people say:

"…Paul Webb is an impassioned believer in the need to resurrect Novello's work and reputation and he castigates the British theatrical industry … for its failure in this regard. Although Webb is clearly a diehard Novello enthusiast, it is impossible to read this biography without concluding he has a point." — New Statesman

"The best biography of Ivor Novello … brilliant." — Sheridan Morley, biographer, theatre critic and broadcaster

"An excellent new biography." — British Academy of Composers and Songwriters

"Paul Webb's book is admirably researched and highly entertaining." — The Spectator

About the Author:

Paul Webb is a playwright whose work includes The Lodger and A Dangerous Woman. He has lectured on Ivor Novello in locations as diverse as the Bahamas and the Baltic, and has scripted a Novello concert for the Halle.