I knew nothing about Myra Hess until a TV documentary mentioned her in passing earlier this year. I can't even remember the programme. But it told of how Britain's greatest pianist held lunchtime, and teatime, concerts in the National Gallery in London during World War II to lift the spirits during this dark time. It's an incredible story, and she was an incredible woman.

This biography, of some 400 pages, is a comprehensive and detailed account of the life and work of Myra Hess and is the first such undertaking for 50 years. The story is told by music journalist Jessica Duchen who will be speaking to me at Felixstowe Book Festival next Saturday, at 2.30pm. Do join us!

Myra Hess was clearly a formidable talent, but she was also an inspiring and determined individual. She sacrificed her personal life to dedicate herself entirely to her music and was resolute in her goals to play what and where she wanted. 

Her character shines through these pages - her clear speaking, her humour, her generosity, and the high standards she demanded of herself and others. 

She was very much a star and rubbed shoulders with the rich, famous and influential and some of these relationships are touched upon in the previously unpublished extracts from her correspondence and postwar American tour diaries. 

But it was during the war and through the National Gallery concerts that she became an unsung activist, helping refugee musicians from Nazi-occupied countries to find their feet in Britain and working with young British musicians as they coped with wartime deprivations.

It's a fascinating story.