One of the most remarkable memoirs ever written. The diary of Jean-Dominique Bauby who, with his left eyelid (the only surviving muscle after a massive stroke) dictated a remarkable book about his experiences locked inside his body. A masterpiece and a bestseller in France. In December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French Elle and the father of two young children, suffered a massive stroke and found himself paralysed and speechless. But his mind remained as active and alert as it had ever been. Using his only functioning muscle - his left eyelid - he was determined to tell his remarkable story, painstakingly spelling it out letter by letter. The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly records Bauby's lonely existence but also the ability to invent a life for oneself in the most appalling of circumstances. It one of the most extraordinary books about the triumph of the human spirit ever written.

Gold title * 'The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly' has sold 1.2 million copies world wide and been translated into 23 languages. In 2007 an Oscar-nominated film adaption was released. * A truly sensational book that transcends category, subject and genre. Competition: The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat; Being Mortal; When Breath Becomes Air; My Brief History; This is Not a Pity Memoir; Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?; Chasing Daylight. Oliver Sacks; Paul Kalanithil; Atul Gawande; Stephen Hawking; Abi Morgan;Eugene O'Kelly.