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LIFE Gone Too Soon: The 27 Club - Rock Icons Who Died Too Soon
by The Editors of LifeThe story of the 27 club is a one of brilliance: precious, fragile, and amazing to behold. Six musical artists who all happened to die at the same early age-27-did more than perform memorable songs: They expressed ideas and emotions that were shared by enthralled followers from their generations and beyond. The stories of these luminous artist lead to tragic ends. But the lives they led were transformative-to music, to culture, and to countless lives.In Gone Too Soon: The 27 Club, LIFE pulls you into the brief and explosive lives of musicians Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse through photographs and interviews. Read how Hendrix uniquely mashed together blues and rock into a paisley-patterned kaleidoscope of sound, look at images of Cobain's infamous MTV Unplugged special and much more. The legacy of these artists still lives and breathes onstage, embodied by musicians who looked to these icons for inspiration.
Liszt
by Sacheverell SitwellBiography of the famous composer, a man of extraordinary magnetism and a pianist of unsurpassed virtuosity. Bibliography and a catalog of Liszt's works included.
Little Charley Ross: The Shocking True Story of America's First Kidnapping for Ransom
by Norman ZieroldThe “fascinating, hair-raising, suspenseful” account of a little boy abducted in broad daylight and the desperate manhunt to find him (The New York Times Book Review). On July 1, 1874, four-year-old Charley Ross and his older brother, Walter, were playing in front of their stately Philadelphia home when a horse-drawn carriage pulled up with two men who offered candy and fireworks if the boys would ride with them. Hours later, Walter came back, stating that they had ridden through the city until the men abandoned him in the street but kept Charley. Soon after, their father, Christian K. Ross, received a demand for $20,000 in return for his son. Ross went to the police for help—and before long, the case became a national phenomenon. A popular song pleaded for the boy’s safe return. The Philadelphia police searched every home in the city, and thousands of people falsely reported that they had seen Charley or knew his whereabouts. Meanwhile, the kidnappers’ ransom letters were becoming more threatening and bizarre. The press, eager to fan the flames of hysteria, printed wholly fabricated stories and even accused Christian Ross of orchestrating the whole thing in order to hide the fact that Charley was illegitimate. And then the men who took Charley went silent . . . This is the chilling true story of a crime that transfixed a still-growing America, the unlikely series of events that produced the case’s most tantalizing clues, and the tragic twist of fate that plunged the Ross family back into darkness and haunted them for decades to come.
The Man Who Cried I Am: A Novel
by Walter Mosley John A. WilliamsGenerally recognized as one of the most important novels of the tumultuous 1960s, The Man Who Cried I Am vividly evokes the harsh era of segregation that presaged the expatriation of African American intellectuals. Through the eyes of journalist Max Reddick, and with penetrating fictional portraits of Richard Wright and James Baldwin, among other historical figures, John A. Williams reveals the hope, courage, and bitter disappointment of the civil rights era. Infused with powerful artistry and searing anger, as well as insight, humanity, and vision, The Man Who Cried I Am is a classic of postwar American literature.
Memoirs (1925-1950)
by George F. KennanThe American diplomat's reflections of his years of government service provide insight into four decades of U.S. policy<P><P> Winner of the National Book Award<P> Pulitzer Prize Winner
Missionary Adventures in the South Pacific
by Leona Crawford David Livingston CrawfordBesides providing a wealth of contemporary factual information, diligently researched and presented in a remarkably lucid manner, this book is full of human interest: the braving of incredible dangers, the enduring of great hardships, and devastating storms; contacts with cannibals, beachcombers, and avaricious traders; polygamy, debauchery, and tribal wars, all portrayed with "you-were-there" vividness.
Mover of Men and Mountains
by R. G. LeTourneauDespite early failures, R. G. LeTourneau rose to eminence in the competitive world of manufacturing and construction. Although his competitors thought him insane, history has proved that his inventive genius was decades ahead of its time. His combination of enterprise and Christian commitment led to his sponsoring many works involving missions and education, including LeTourneau College, a Christian liberal arts and technical school in Longview, Texas. Through a lifetime of business ventures, this engineering genius put faith into action and reaped big rewards. (More than 100,000 in print)
Mover of Men and Mountains
by R. G. LeTourneauDespite early failures, R. G. LeTourneau rose to eminence in the competitive world of manufacturing and construction. Although his competitors thought him insane, history has proved that his inventive genius was decades ahead of its time. His combination of enterprise and Christian commitment led to his sponsoring many works involving missions and education, including LeTourneau College, a Christian liberal arts and technical school in Longview, Texas. Through a lifetime of business ventures, this engineering genius put faith into action and reaped big rewards. (More than 100,000 in print)
Mover of Men and Mountains: The Autobiography of R. G. LeTourneau
by R. G. LetourneauDespite early failures, R. G. LeTourneau rose to eminence in the competitive world of manufacturing and construction. Although his competitors thought him insane, history has proved that his inventive genius was decades ahead of its time. His combination of enterprise and Christian commitment led to his sponsoring many works involving missions and education, including LeTourneau College, a Christian liberal arts and technical school in Longview, Texas. Through a lifetime of business ventures, this engineering genius put faith into action and reaped big rewards.
A Prelude: Landscapes, Characters and Conversations from the Earlier Years of My Life
by Edmund WilsonThe leading literary critic Edmund Wilson shares his travels and adventures from his young life in this intellectual autobiography, A Prelude.From his early childhood in Red Bank, New Jersey, to his undergraduate years in Princeton, to his later time spent in the army, this personal study, told partly in diary form, provides an illuminating look inside the mind of one of the twentieth century's towering man of letters. Also included in this volume is two short stories by Wilson, both based on actual events: "The Death of a Soldier," about the death of a young soldier from pneumonia just before going to the front. And "Lieutenant Franklin" concerning a young officer in the Army of Occupation in Germany after the war.
Pulitzer
by W. A. SwanbergFrom the National Book Award–winning author, an absorbing biography of the esteemed editor, publisher, power broker, and rival to William Randolph Hearst. An eccentric genius, Joseph Pulitzer immigrated to the United States to fight in the Civil War—despite barely speaking English. He would soon master the language enough to begin a successful newspaper career in St. Louis, become a fierce opponent to William Randolph Hearst, and, eventually, found the Columbia School of Journalism. A Hungarian born into poverty, Pulitzer epitomized the American Dream by building a fortune. But he also suffered: going blind in the middle of his career, experiencing extreme mood swings, and developing an intense irritability that made everyday life difficult to tolerate. In this book, W. A. Swanberg—a recipient of the prestigious prize named after Pulitzer—recounts the personal and professional life of the newspaper magnate, as well as his significant influence on American politics. Swanberg reveals how the New York World managed to balance admirably accurate reporting with popular appeal, and explores Pulitzer&’s colorful, contradictory character—courageous and self-pitying, dictatorial and generous. Set against the backdrop of a turbulent era, this is a portrait of an outsize personality by an author with a flair for both the big picture and small, fascinating detail.Includes photographs.Praise for W. A. Swanberg&’s biographies &“First-rate.&” —The New York Times on Citizen Hearst &“Engrossing.&” —Kirkus Reviews on Norman Thomas: The Last Idealist
Raining Cats and Donkeys
by Doreen ToveyLife is never a bed of roses for the Toveys and their beloved Siamese cats Solomon and Sheba. For one thing they've got Annabel the donkey to contend with! Filled with amusing anecdotes, 'Raining Cats and Donkeys' recalls the adventures and misadventures of the family and their adorable animals.
Robert Browning and His World
by Maisie WardAnalysis of the character of Browning and his literary works. Connects these to the era in which he lived.
Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican
by J. P. GallagherA different World War II story, about the Vatican's Msgr. Hugh O'Flaherty's real-life efforts to hide and help thousands of Allied escaped prisoners of war throughout the war. Undercover, he formed an organization to rescue and help escaped prisoners of war maintain their freedom from the Nazis. With the help of many Italians, religious, and diplomats stationed in Rome, he secretly worked throughout the entire war. His unstinting charity endears him to all, and saved the lives of thousands.
Set the Night on Fire: Living, Dying and Playing Guitar with the Doors
by Robby KriegerFew bands are as shrouded in the murky haze of rock mythology as The Doors, and parsing fact from fiction has been a virtually impossible task. But now, after fifty years, The Doors' notoriously quiet guitarist is finally breaking his silence to set the record straight.Through a series of vignettes, Robby takes readers back to where it all happened: the pawn shop where he bought his first guitar; the jail cell he was tossed into after a teenage drug bust; his parents' living room where his first songwriting sessions with Jim Morrison took place; and the many concert venues that erupted into historic riots.Robby also goes into heartbreaking detail about his life's most difficult struggles, ranging from drug addiction to cancer, but he balances out the sorrow with humorous anecdotes about run-ins with unstable fans, famous musicians, and one really angry monk. SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE is at once an insightful time capsule of 1960s counterculture and a moving reflection on what it means to find oneself as a musician. It's not only a must-read for Doors fans, but an essential volume of American pop culture history.
Sharing the Work: What My Family and Career Taught Me about Breaking Through (and Holding the Door Open for Others)
by Myra Strober John DonahoeMyra Strober became a feminist on the Bay Bridge, heading toward San Francisco. It is 1970. She has just been told by the chairman of Berkeley's economics department that she can never get tenure. Driving home afterward, wondering if she got something out of the freezer for her family's dinner, she realizes the truth: she is being denied a regular faculty position because she is a mother. Flooded with anger, she also finds her life's work: to study and fight sexism, in the workplace, in academia, and at home. Strober's generous memoir captures the spirit of a revolution lived fully, from her Brooklyn childhood (and her shock at age twelve when she's banished to the women's balcony at shul) to her groundbreaking Stanford seminar on women and work. Strober's interest in women and work began when she saw her mother's frustration at the limitations of her position as a secretary. Her consciousness of the unfairness of the usual distribution of household chores came when she unsuccessfully asked her husband for help with housework. Later, when a group of conservative white male professors sputtered at the idea of government-subsidized child care, Strober made the case for its economic benefits. In the 1970s, the term "sexual harassment" had not yet been coined. Occupational segregation, quantifying the value of work in the home, and the cost of discrimination were new ideas. Strober was a pioneer, helping to create a new academic field and founding institutions to establish it. But she wasn't alone: she benefited from the women's movement, institutional change, and new federal regulations that banned sex discrimination. She continues the work today and invites us to join her.
Shiny Arses, Skippy and Men in Orange
by Adrian JohnsWhat is the difference between thongs and flip flops? To a Brit, flip flops are worn in the summer to the beach. To an Australian, thongs are all-purpose, all-terrain footwear worn 365 days a year. If they could climb mountains, fight fires in their thongs, they would give it a damn good go. True stories you just never hear! Covering over thirty years from my service in the British Army to migrating to Australia and becoming an underground coal mine worker. 'You're not all coming home speech' prior to Gulf War 2. OCD is rife in the British Army. The clown on parade and meeting a soldier called 'Git'. The 'Duaringa Incident'; two idiots stuck on a railway line. Bolts not boats! Smelly passengers, workmates and sanitary issues within a coal mine. My turbulent relationship with the Australian wildlife, especially Skippy; once love, but now so bitterly estranged. How did it go so wrong?
Sketches from a Hunter's Album
by Ivan Turgenev Richard FreebornTurgenev's first major prose work is a series of twenty-five Sketches: the observations and anecdotes of the author during his travels through Russia satisfying his passion for hunting. His album is filled with moving insights into the lives of those he encounters - peasants and landowners, doctors and bailiffs, neglected wives and bereft mothers - each providing a glimpse of love, tragedy, courage and loss, and anticipating Turgenev's great later works such as First Love and Fathers and Sons. His depiction of the cruelty and arrogance of the ruling classes was considered subversive and led to his arrest and confinement to his estate, but these sketches opened the minds of contemporary readers to the plight of the peasantry and were even said to have led Tsar Alexander II to abolish serfdom.
A Slice of Canada: Memoirs (The Royal Society of Canada Special Publications)
by Watson KirkconnellWatson Kirkconnell is one of the most familiar figures in the world of Canadian letters. Educated at Queen's and Oxford, he has published several volumes of poetry and poetry translations, was the founding father and first chairman of the Humanities Research Council, a charter member and national president (1942-44, 1956-58) of the Canadian Authors Association, and has shared in university life for 45 years. He has been active in many other areas of public life; as one of the founders of the Prisoners' Aid Society (now the John Howard Society of Manitoba), a joint organizer of the Citizenship Branch, Ottawa, a founder and first president of the Canadian-Polish Society, as well as the Baptist Federation of Canada of which he was national president (1953-56). In widespread recognition of his work in these many fields Dr. Kirkonnell has received twelve honorary doctorates from universities in Canada, the United States, Hungary, and Germany, knighthoods from Poland and Iceland, and numerous awards from other countries. The chronicle of such a full and active career offers a valuable look at many aspects of Canadian life: in his memoirs Dr. Kirkonnell has avoided a merely chronological arrangement of his autobiography but sought rather to take various phases of the Canadian tradition and to analyse his experience of each down through the years. This Slice of Canada demonstrates the author's discerning faculty of observation and his close involvement, not only with the arts, but with education, religion, politics and other areas of Canadian life.
Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited (Vintage International)
by Vladimir NabokovSpeak, Memory, first published in 1951 as Conclusive Evidence and then assiduously revised in 1966, is an elegant and rich evocation of Nabokov's life and times, even as it offers incisive insights into his major works, including Lolita, Pnin, Despair, The Gift, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, and The Defense. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Spurgeon: Heir of the Puritans
by Ernest W. BaconA biography of Charles Haddon Spurgeon written by a man whose parents were contemporaries of Spurgeon himself.
Stop-Time
by Frank ConroyFirst published in 1967, Stop-Time was immediately recognized as a masterpiece of modern American autobiography, a brilliant portrayal of one boy's passage from childhood to adolescence and beyond. Here is Frank Conroy's wry, sad, beautiful tale of life on the road; of odd jobs and lost friendships, brutal schools and first loves; of a father's early death and a son's exhilarating escape into manhood. .
Story of Philosophy: The Lives And Opinions Of The Great Philosophers
by Will DurantA brilliant and concise account of the lives and ideas of the great philosophers -- Plato, Aristotle, Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant, Schopenhauer, Spencer, Nietzsche, Bergson, Croce, Russell, Santayana, James and Dewey -- The Story of Philosophy is one of the great books of our time. Few write for the nonspecialist as well as Will Durant, and this book is a splendid example of his eminently readable scholarship. Durant's insight and wit never cease to dazzle; The Story of Philosophy is a key book for any reader who wishes to survey the history and development of philosophical ideas in the Western world.yle. The Story of Philosophy opens vistas of intellectual adventure and growth to those who hunger for the total perspective that is philosophy. Within its pages, Durant seeks the wisest and most indestructible answers from the world's greatest philosophers to the persistent and fundamental questions about first and last things.
Straight Jacket
by Matthew Todd'This is an essential read for every gay person on the planet' - Elton John'A really brilliant and moving read for everybody, especially LGBTQI+ people' - Olly Alexander, star of It's A SinStraight Jacket is a revolutionary clarion call for gay men, the wider LGBT community, their friends and family. Part memoir, part ground-breaking polemic, it looks beneath the shiny facade of contemporary gay culture and asks if gay people are as happy as they could be - and if not, why not? Meticulously researched, courageous and life-affirming, Straight Jacket offers invaluable practical advice on how to overcome a range of difficult issues. It also recognizes that this is a watershed moment, a piercing wake-up-call-to-arms for the gay and wider community to acknowledge the importance of supporting all young people - and helping older people to transform their experience and finally get the lives they really want.WINNER BOYZ BEST LGBT BOOK 2017SHORTLISTED FOR THE POLARI BOOK PRIZE 2017'Insightful, inclusive, clever and engaging' - Jeremy Langmead'Utterly brilliant' - The Guardian
The Sun King
by Nancy Mitford Philip ManselThe Sun King is a dazzling double portrait of Louis XIV and Versailles, the opulent court from which he ruled. With characteristic élan, Nancy Mitford reconstructs the daily life of king and courtiers during France's golden age, offering vivid sketches of the architects, artists, and gardeners responsible for the creation of the most magnificent palace Europe had yet seen. Mitford lays bare the complex and deadly intrigues in the stateroom and the no less high-stakes power struggles in the bedroom. At the center of it all is Louis XIV himself, the demanding, mercurial, but remarkably resilient sovereign who guided France through nearly three quarters of the Grand Siècle.Brimming with sumptuous detail and delicious bons mots, and written in a witty, conversational style, The Sun King restores a distant glittering century to vibrant life.tail and delicious bons mots, and written in a witty, conversational style The Sun King restores a distant glittering century to vibrant life.