From Albion to Shangri-La

Best known as a musician, Peter "Pete" Doherty has been in the writing habit for most of his life and his first book, The Books of Albion, was published in 2007. Since then, Doherty kept an anarchic catalogue of his life, his times and the antics of his vagabond celebrity entourage. As a collection, it is part stream of consciousness and part commentary charting his state of mind during a seven year period as erstwhile frontman, songwriter and lyricist of Babyshambles - the creative vehicle for the bumpy road of his post-Libertines career.From Albion to Shangri-La is an important book for anyone from the post-Nirvana, Generation X Factor decade who dreamt of celebrity and fame but were too frightened or sensible to pursue it. It captures the filth and the fury as well as the poetry and the pathos.