Midweek - 10/06/2009

Libby Purves is joined by Philip Mould, Stefanie Marsh, Baluji Shrivastav and Ben Crystal. Philip Mould is an international art dealer and a regular expert on the Antiques Roadshow. In his latest book, Sleuth: The Amazing Quest for Lost Art Treasures, he delves into the world of art detection with stories of discoveries of Gainsboroughs, Rembrandts and Damien Hirst's restaurant fixtures and fittings. Sleuth: The Amazing Quest for Lost Art Treasures is published by HarperCollins. Journalist Stefanie Marsh writes for The Times; she was one of the first English-speaking reporters to break the case of Josef Fritzl. For her book, The Crimes of Josef Fritzl, she spent a year in Austria interviewing many who were directly involved in the case, including police, psychiatrists, doctors and lawyers, to try to understand what forces drove Fritzl to commit such terrible crimes. The Crimes of Josef Fritzl: Uncovering the Truth is published by HarperCollins. Baluji Shrivastav is a maestro sitar player. Tragically blinded as a baby, he was sent to the Ajmer Blind School, where music was a compulsory subject. He excelled and was soon conducting the 80-strong school orchestra and supporting his whole family, touring India with the National Ballet Troupe. His philosophy that music is a universal language is demonstrated by his work with George Harrison, Kaiser Chiefs and Oasis. He is currently on tour with Song Celestial. Ben Crystal is an actor and writer. Known to some as the Jamie Oliver of Shakespeare, in his book Shakespeare on Toast he attempts to dispel the myth that Shakespeare is difficult. By explaining the universality and timelessness of his appeal, he believes that if Shakespeare were alive today, he would be writing scripts for EastEnders and Coronation Street rather than for elite theatregoers. Shakespeare on Toast is published by Icon Books.