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Cary Grant’s Suit: Nine Movies That Made Me the Wreck I Am Today
by Todd McEwenA cinematic memoir and critical exploration of nine classics of old Hollywood by a contemporary comic novelist.&“North by Northwest isn&’t about what happens to Cary Grant, it&’s about what happens to his suit. The suit has the adventures, a gorgeous New York suit threading its way through America. The suit, Cary inside it, strides with confidence into the Plaza Hotel. Nothing bad happens to it until one of the greasy henchmen grasps Cary by the shoulder. We&’re already in love with this suit and it feels like a real violation.&”Todd McEwen grew up in Southern California, so his head was hopelessly messed with by the movies. As the son of relatively normal people, Todd had no in with Hollywood, a mere thirteen miles away, yearn and try as he might.This is a kid who loved the movies so much, he got up at 4:30 in the morning to watch Laurel and Hardy. A kid who insisted on his birthday that his father project 8mm cartoons onto the family&’s dining room curtains so they could be slowly parted, just like at a real cinema.This is a kid who liked to leave the movie and trudge up hundreds of dangerous iron steps to visit the lugubrious and always surprised projectionist. This is a kid who, years later, watched Chinatown over 60 times.A love letter to old Hollywood, this is a book for anyone interested in film. Movies discussed include Blotto, The Wizard of Oz, The Three Stooges, To Catch a Thief, North by Northwest, The 39 Steps, The Trouble with Harry, and many, many more.
Casa Nostra
by Caroline Seller ManzoEnglishwoman Caroline Seller met Marcello Manzo at a Halloween party in London in the mid-seventies. Although she spoke little Italian and he spoke practically no English, the chemistry between them was undeniable, and it wasn't long before Caroline was invited to visit Marcello's family in Mazara del Vallo, Sicily. A large, eccentric, and loving clan living in a magnificent, crumbling villa, Santa Maria, the Manzos welcomed Caroline warmly, and soon she and Marcello were married. Together they traveled the world and started a family, but through it all, Santa Maria was never far from their thoughts. So when the Manzo brothers united to save the family's deteriorating estate, Marcello and Caroline eagerly signed on to the project-not entirely prepared for what they were getting into! As seen through the eyes of Caroline Seller Manzo-an outsider who is often surprised and always delighted by her Italian family and adopted hometown-Casa Nostra is the captivating story of a villa's difficult, glorious rebirth and a celebration of the unique beauty and history of western Sicily and its people.
Casa se busca
by Socorro GiménezHíbrido entre prosa, poesía, autoficción, memoria y crónica postal, Casa se busca compone, a modo de mosaico, o de rompecabezas, un autorretrato emocional. A veces me agarra una voluntad destructiva de objetos. La llamo así porque llamarla torpeza es humillante e inexacto y prefiero llamarla voluntad aunque no la comprenda, aunque este impulso no sea asimilable a la intención ni a la consciencia. Es algo más que una torpeza. Vuelco agua y me resbalo en el suelo mojado, tiro el vino sobre la computadora y el parlante, rompo los libros cuando quiero mostrarlos, mancho con aceite la camisa nueva y le echo mal la sal, como si no importara. Quiero arreglar la canilla que gotea y armo una inundación. Golpeo la ventana que no cierra hasta descoyuntarla. Me impacientan las cosas que asumo que debieran ser transparentes, funcionales, y sin embargo fallan. Es una especie de impaciencia platónica, una furia ante el cuerpo, la consideración de la materia como una resistencia, un obstáculo. Como si no supiera ya que es la materia el instrumento vibratorio, es la materia lo que permite que haya música. Como si todavía creyera en una música celeste.
Casanova
by Ian KellyGiacomo Casanova was one of the most beguiling and controversial individuals of his or any age. Braggart or perfect lover? Conman or genius? He made and lost fortunes, founded state lotteries, wrote forty-two books and 3,600 pages of memoirs recording the tastes and smells of the years before the French Revolution - as well, of course, as his affairs and sexual encounters with dozens of women and a handful of men. His energy was dazzling. Historian Ian Kelly draws on previously unpublished documents from the Venetian Inquisition, by Casanova, his friends and lovers, which give new insights into his life and world. His research spans eighteenth-century Europe. This is the story if a man, but also of the book he wrote about himself. His own memoirs have brought him two centuries of notoriety. They have also changed forever the way we think and write about ourselves - and about sex. At the same time that revolutions - scientific, industrial, political and artistic - remade the world in the eighteenth century, Casanova created an intimate and exhaustive study of what he saw as the most revolutionary article of all - himself. The world, and the way we look at ourselves in it, would never be the same again.
Casanova in Bohemia: A Novel
by Andrei CodrescuAn erotic, comedic, and compulsively readable historical novel depicting the beguiling Giacomo Casanova as he looks back on a life of love and ribald adventure In Count Waldstein's far-flung Bohemian castle, an aging Casanova spends his days as a librarian cataloging the count's extensive collection of books. Or at least that's what he's supposed to be doing. Ever the storyteller, Casanova instead dedicates himself to his own writing, for which the young servant Laura Brock serves as an endlessly fascinated audience. He recounts to her his greatest escapades--from romances in a Venetian convent to the seduction of an entire harem to the triumphant amassing (and subsequent loss) of a fortune in Paris. Enlivened by the French Revolution and the liberating ideas of the Enlightenment, Casanova's latest exploits prove he still possesses an intellectual vigor and insatiable curiosity. Even old age can't keep this legendary libertine--who corresponded with Voltaire, discussed flight with Benjamin Franklin, and whose life and writings inspired artists as diverse as Mozart, Flaubert, Stendhal, and Hesse--from causing trouble. Rich with eighteenth-century European social, political, and religious history, Casanova in Bohemia is an energetic and erotic portrait of Western literature's most beloved lothario, whose hedonism was matched by his creativity and wit.
Casanova the Irresistible
by Armine Kotin Mortimer Phillippe SollersHis is a name synonymous with seduction. His was a life lived without limits. Giacomo Casanova left behind thousands of pages detailing his years among Europe's notable and noble. In Casanova the Irresistible, Philippe Sollers--prolific intellectual and revered visionary of the French avant-garde--proffers a lively reading of and guide to the famed libertine's sprawling memoir. Armine Kotin Mortimer's translation of Sollers's reading tracks the alluring Venetian through the whole of his astounding and disreputable life. Eschewing myth, Sollers dares to present the plain realities of a man "simple, direct, courageous, cultivated, seductive, funny. A philosopher in action." The lovers are here, and the ruses and adventures. But Sollers also rescues Casanova the writer, a gifted composer of words who reigns as a titan of eighteenth-century literature. As always, Sollers seeks to shame society for its failure to recognize its failings. By admiring those of Casanova's admirable qualities present in himself, Sollers spurns bourgeois hypocrisy and cliché to affirm a jocund philosophy of life devoted to the twinned pursuits of pleasure and joy. A masterful translation that captures Sollers's idiosyncratic style, Casanova the Irresistible escorts readers on a journey into the heads and hearts of two singular personalities.
Casanova's Return to Venice
by Arthur Schnitzler Ilsa Barea"His yearning for Venice, the city of his birth, grew so intense that, like a wounded bird slowly circling downwards in its death flight, he began to move in ever-narrowing circles."One of Schnitzler’s most poignant evocations of the passing of time and the ironies of sentiment and love, Casanova’s Return to Venice tells the story of an ageing Casanova’s desperate desire to return to the city he truly loves after a life of exile; a desire which is contrasted with his still-libidinous and sensuous – yet weary – pursuit of women, money and prestige.
Casanova: The World of a Seductive Genius
by Laurence BergreenThe definitive biography of the impoverished child, abandoned by his parents, who became the famous writer, notorious libertine, and self-invented genius whose name still resonates today: Giacomo Casanova.Today, "Casanova" is a synonym for "great lover," yet the real story of this remarkable figure is little known. Giacomo Casanova was raised by his maternal grandmother, an illiterate peasant. His birthplace, Venice, was a republic in decline, reputedly the most debauched city in Europe. Casanova would add to the republic's reputation. Over the course of his lifetime, he claimed to have seduced more than 100 women, among them married women, young women in convents, girls just barely in their teens, and in one notorious instance, his own illegitimate daughter. Casanova came of age in a Venice filled with spies and informers. Naturally brilliant, he was intellectually curious and read forbidden books, for which he was jailed. He staged a dramatic escape from Venice's notorious prison, the only person known to have done so. He then fled to France, where he invented the national lottery that still exists to this day. But, intemperate by nature, he made enemies at the French court. He crisscrossed Europe, landing for a while in St. Petersburg, where he was admitted to the court of Catherine the Great. He corresponded with Voltaire and met Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte--assisting them as they composed the timeless opera Don Giovanni. And he wrote what many consider the greatest memoir of the era, the 12-volume Story of My Life. A figure straight out of a Henry Fielding novel: erotic, brilliant, impulsive, and desperate for recognition, Casanova was a self-destructive genius. This witty, roisterous biography exposes his astonishing life in rich, intimate detail. At the same time, it is a dazzling portrait of eighteenth-century Europe from serving girls to kings and courtiers. Esteemed biographer Laurence Bergreen brings a sensual world vividly alive in this irresistible book.
Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK
by Gerald PosnerThe assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, continues to inspire interest ranging from well-meaning speculation to bizarre conspiracy theories and controversial filmmaking. But in this landmark book,reissued with a new afterword for the 40th anniversary of the assassination, Gerald Posner examines all of the available evidence and reaches the only possible conclusion: Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. There was no second gunman on the grassy knoll. The CIA was not involved. And although more than four million pages of documents have been released since Posner first made his case, they have served only to corroborate his findings. Case Closedremains the classic account against which all books about JFK's death must be measured.
Case of a Lifetime: A Criminal Defense Lawyer's Story
by Abbe SmithA recent study estimates that thousands of innocent people are wrongfully imprisoned each year in the United States. Some are exonerated through DNA evidence, but many more languish in prison because their convictions were based on faulty eyewitness accounts and no DNA is available. Prominent criminal lawyer and law professor Abbe Smith weaves together real life cases to show what it is like to champion the rights of the accused. Smith describes the moral and ethical dilemmas of representing the guilty and the weighty burden of fighting for the innocent, including the victorious story of how she helped free a woman wrongly imprisoned for nearly three decades.For fans of Law and Order and investigative news programs like 20/20, Case of a Lifetime is a chilling look at what really determines a person's innocence.
Casey Jones
by Larry Dane BrimnerThe legend of Casey Jones has been around for more than 100 years. It started when, after a horrible train accident in April 1900, a train worker named Wallace Saunders wrote a little ballad to honor the great trainman, Casey Jones. Over the years, verses were added to the original and the legend of Casey Jones grew until it became a tall tale. It's true that investigators said that Casey was responsible for the accident that April night because he was driving too fast and failed to respond to flag signals. Casey will be remembered as a hero, though, because he saved the lives of the train's 300 passengers. Casey's actions also made it possible for his fireman, Sim Webb, to escape the wreck. That's just the sort of thing that turns an ordinary person into a legend -- one fit for a tall tale. Learn more about Casey Jones's wild adventures inside, where you will also find a great recipe for Hobo Beans. Casey himself would have loved them! A glossary and places to discover more information are also included.
Casey Stengel: Baseball's Greatest Character
by Marty AppelThe definitive biography of one of baseball's most enduring and influential characters, from New York Times bestselling author and baseball writer Marty Appel.As a player, Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel's contemporaries included Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, and Christy Mathewson . . . and he was the only person in history to wear the uniforms of all four New York teams: the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, and Mets. As a legendary manager, he formed indelible, complicated relationships with Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Billy Martin. For more than five glorious decades, Stengel was the undisputed, quirky, hilarious, and beloved face of baseball--and along the way he revolutionized the role of manager while winning a spectactular ten pennants and seven World Series Championships. But for a man who spent so much of his life in the limelight--an astounding fifty-five years in professional baseball--Stengel remains an enigma. Acclaimed New York Yankees' historian and bestselling author Marty Appel digs into Casey Stengel's quirks and foibles, unearthing a tremendous trove of baseball stories, perspective, and history. Weaving in never-before-published family documents, Appel creates an intimate portrait of a private man who was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966 and named "Baseball's Greatest Character" by MLB Network's Prime 9. Casey Stengel is a biography that will be treasured by fans of our national pastime.
Casey Stoner: Pushing the Limits
by Casey Stoner Matthew RobertsThe bestselling autobiography of Casey Stoner, Australia's two-time MotoGP Champion. 'If you never give up, anything can happen'. Casey StonerShowing anything is possible when determination meets talent, two-time World MotoGP champion Casey Stoner shares his inspirational journey from Queensland toddler, with an extraordinary ability on a motorbike, to his decision to retire at twenty-seven with nothing left to prove.For the first time, he tells of his early family life, the development of his riding skills and why his parents decided to sell everything and travel from Australia to Europe to chase the dream and support his aim to become World Champion when he was only fourteen years old.As fearless with his opinions as he is on the racetrack, Casey includes all the highs and lows of his life so far: the real reason he left for Europe so young, his thoughts on racing as it stands today, the riders' hierarchy, the politics of racing, the importance of family, his battle with illness and why he decided to turn his back on a multimillion-dollar contract when he was still winning. And he will let us in on some of the new goals he has set for himself.Pushing the Limits is a unique and remarkable account of self-sacrifice and determination to succeed against the odds, the inspiring story of a young Australian who took on the world on his terms, his way. . . and won.
Cash on Cash: Interviews and Encounters with Johnny Cash (Musicians in Their Own Words #21)
by Johnny Cash Robert Burke Warren Johnny Cash, Robert Burke WarrenCash on Cash offers unprecedented insight into one of the most significant American cultural figures of the twentieth century. As an interviewee, Cash was an exemplary communicator to an astonishingly broad spectrum of people: always open and articulate, part friend, part spiritual authority, part flawed hero. Throughout a decades-long career, as Cash took risks, embracing new technologies, formats, and attitudes, he cleaved to a simple, core message of unvarnished truth. A comprehensive collection of Johnny Cash interviews and feature stories, some widely published and others never previously transcribed, culled from the 1950s through the early days of the new millennium, Cash on Cash charts a singular evolution. From hardscrabble Arkansas poor boy to rockabilly roustabout; international fame to drug addiction and disgrace; born again Christian to gimlet-eyed chronicler of spiritual darkness; TV and movie star to Nashville reject; redemption to loss and back again, several times.Cash's story, told in his own words, shines unfiltered light on a journey of archetypal proportions that resonates still.
Cash: The Autobiography
by Patrick Carr Johnny Cash"The Man in Black", an icon of rugged individualism who's been to hell and back, tells it as never before.
Casi Una Mujer
by Esmeralda SantiagoEn su nueva memoria, la aclamada autora de Cuando era puertorriqueña continúa su cautivante crónica describiendo su salida de los barrios de Brooklyn a los teatros de Manhattan. "Negi," como cariñosamente la llama su familiar, deja Macún, un campo de Puerto Rico, en 1961 para vivir en un apartamento de tres habitaciones en un proyecto de viviendas, con siete hermanas y hermanos pequeños, una abuela preguntona, y una mama estricta que no le dejaba salir con muchachos. A los trece años, Negi añora su propia cama, privacidad, y una vida con su padre, quien permanence en Puerto Rico con su nueva esposa. Mientras traduce para Mami en la oficina del Welfare por la mañana, hace el papel de Cleopatra en el prestigioso Performing Arts High School de Nueva York por las trades, y baila salsa toda la noche, Negi ansía lograr un equilibrio entre ser norteamericana y ser puertorriqueña. Cuando desafía a su madre al salir en una serie de graciosísimas citas, Negi descubre que la independecia trae consigo sus propios retos. Una conmovedora historia universal sobre la llegada de la mayoría de edad, a la vez que una valiente y sincera historia de inmigrantes, Casi una mujer es el triunfal camino de Santiago a hacerse mujer.
Casi una Mujer
by Esmeralda SantiagoA simultaneous Spanish-language edition, originally translated for Vintage by Nina Torres-Vidal In her new memior, the acclaimed author of When I Was Puerto Rican continues the riveting chronicle of her life. "Negi," as Santiago's family affectionately calls her, leaves rural Macun in 1961 to live in a three-bedroom tenement apartment with seven siblings, and inquisitive grandmother, and a strict mother who won't allow her to date. At thirteen, Negi yearns for her own bed, for privacy, and her father, who remains in Puerto Rico. Translating for Mami at the welfare office in the morning, starring as Cleopatra at New York's Performing Arts High School in the afternoon, and dancing salsa all night, she also seeks to find balance between being an American and Puerto Rican. When Negi defies her mother by going on a series of dates, she finds that independence brings challenges. At once a universally poignant coming-of-age tale and a heartfelt immigrant's story, Almost aWoman is Santiago's triumphant journey into womanhood.
Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas (Bestseller Oro Ser.)
by Nicholas PileggiThe true story behind the Martin Scorsese film: A &“riveting . . . account of how organized crime looted the casinos they controlled&” (Kirkus Reviews). Focusing on Chicago bookie Frank &“Lefty&” Rosenthal and his partner, Anthony Spilotro, and drawing on extensive, in-depth interviews, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Mafia classic Wiseguy—basis for the film Goodfellas—Nicholas Pileggi reveals how the pair worked together to oversee Las Vegas casino operations for the mob. He unearths how Teamster pension funds were used to take control of the Stardust and Tropicana and how Spilotro simultaneously ran a crew of jewel thieves nicknamed the &“Hole in the Wall Gang.&” For years, these gangsters kept a stranglehold on Sin City&’s brightly lit nightspots, skimming millions in cash for their bosses. But the elaborate scheme began to crumble when Rosenthal&’s disproportionate ambitions drove him to make mistakes. Spilotro made an error of his own, falling for his partner&’s wife, a troubled showgirl named Geri. It would all lead to betrayal, a wide-ranging FBI investigation, multiple convictions, and the end of the Mafia&’s longstanding grip on the multibillion-dollar gaming oasis in the midst of the Nevada desert. Casino is a journey into 1970s Las Vegas and a riveting nonfiction account of the world portrayed in the Martin Scorsese film of the same name, starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone. A story of adultery, murder, infighting, and revenge, this &“fascinating true-crime Mob history&” is a high-stakes page-turner (Booklist).
Caspar Lee
by Caspar LeeA hilarious biography from YouTube sensation Caspar Lee (and his mom)! This is a book about me. Unfortunately, I didn't write it--my mom did. WTF!Let me tell you now that 98% of it is total lies. Actually, I'm pretty sure this book is illegal. So if you've bought it, you've basically supported a criminal. How does that feel?I think she's getting me back for my first day in this world when I may have tried to kill her. She won't not be able to mention that. You might also find out about my first day at school, why my head is so massive, how I've always been a hit with the ladies and other things like that.You know, important stuff. Anyway, I found the book at the printer and you'll see I've corrected some of her most outrageous lies.So, you know, enjoy. Just remember only the bits that make me look good are true . . .
Casper the Commuting Cat
by Susan Finden Linda Watson-BrownCasper became a national celebrity when newspapers ran the story of the amazing cat that regularly took the No. 3 bus on 11-mile journeys around his home town, Plymouth, in Devon. While his devoted owner, Susan Finden, had wondered where her elusive pet was disappearing to each day, Casper was brightening the lives of countless commuters as they went about their business. Bus drivers, too, were getting well-acquainted with Casper, and notices went up in their depot alerting staff that a very special passenger might board their vehicle. In fact, he became a mascot for the bus company, and pictures of him and Susan adorned No. 3 buses. When Casper was sadly killed by a car in early 2010 messages of sympathy flooded in from places as far a field as Australia and Argentina. It quickly became clear that Casper and his remarkable story had touched the lives of so many people around the world. Movingly told by the owner who loved him dearly, Casper the Commuting Cat is the touching story of a very special black-and-white cat who rode the bus and stole our hearts.
Cassius X: The Transformation of Muhammad Ali
by Stuart CosgroveAlthough Muhammad Ali's decision to assume a new name has often been portrayed as a sudden transformation, Cassius Clay's conversion to Islam was a process, not an event. For many months he received guidance from Malcolm X, who had traveled from Harlem to Miami to be his mentor as he studied for his entry into the deeply divided and fratricidal Nation of Islam. The name he assumed over those now-forgotten months was Cassius X. This is the story of Cassius X over twelve months in Miami, a city that was changing faster than America itself, as he trains for the fight that will bring him global fame: his world heavyweight title fight against Sonny Liston in February 1964. Change was happening on every conceivable front, not least in music where two significant coincidences brought Cassius X into contact with the two major forces in sixties music: Beatlemania and the newly emergent soul music. The Beatles famously turned up at Clay's training camp at the 5th Street Gym and Sam Cooke negotiated a recording deal for the flamboyant Cassius X. However, his music career, which included a cover version of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" and a brief love affair with the dance-craze queen Dee Dee Sharp, never came close to echoing his career as a championship fighter. Politically, the Warren Commission, the FBI's "Informant 88," and the philosophical differences between Martin Luther King Jr. and the emergent black power movements were all at work. Cassius X's experiences came to pre-empt and predict the major cultural and ideological shifts that would unfold in the decade ahead.
Cast Catch Release: One woman’s search for peace and purpose by the water
by Marina Gibson'A very revealing book about life, salmon and angling. Marina's writing is as exquisite as her casting.' - PAUL WHITEHOUSE'A unique and very enjoyable story, filled with simple joys and more complex challenges.' - TRISTAN GOOLEY, author of How to Read a Tree___________An inspiring true story about the healing power of water from one of the world's best known female anglersIn her early twenties, drifting and directionless, Marina Gibson fled the city for the countryside, and picked up a fishing rod for the first time in years. She was returning to a childhood pursuit and a passion passed on by her mother.Fishing overtook Marina's life as she grew enraptured by the quiet magic of angling. Whiling away hours by a Highland river or a local chalk stream, with only the ritual of casting and the music of the water for company, Marina found an escape from a failing marriage and a connection to a tradition of female anglers stretching back generations.Alongside the twists and turns of her own story, Marina traces the epic migratory journey of the Atlantic salmon and its fight for survival against the odds. Cast Catch Release is a love letter to the water, and what it means to find peace and purpose in the great outdoors.
Cast Member Confidential: A Disneyfied Memoir
by Chris MitchellThis is the story that Disney would never tell you. What do you do when everything in your life falls apart? If you're Chris Mitchell, you run away from home--all the way to Disney World, a place where no one ever dies--and employees, known as Cast Members, aren't allowed to frown. Mitchell shares the behind-the-scenes story of his year in the Mouse's army. From his own personal Disneyfication, to what really happens in the hidden tunnels beneath the Magic Kingdom and what not to eat at the Mousketeria, it was a year filled with more adventure--and surprises--than he could ever have "imagineered." Funny and moving, Mitchell tracks his ascent through the backstage social hierarchy in which princesses rule, and his escapades in the "Ghetto" where Cast Members live and anything goes. Along the way, he unmasks the misfits and drop-outs, lifers and nomads who leave their demons at the stage door as they preserve the magic that draws millions to this famed fantasyland--the same magic that Mitchell seeks and ultimately finds in the last place he ever expected. Chris Mitchell is an action sports photographer and journalist who grew up in Los Angeles. He was a senior at UCLA when he started his first magazine, an inline skating publication, and sold it to Sports & Fitness Publishing. Within a few years, he was working on five magazines within The Surfer Group. He continues to work closely with a number of publications and websites, as well as event and TV production companies like ESPN, ASA Entertainment and Lifelounge. He is a recognized expert in action sports, and as such, has stunt coordinated dozens of productions, including Batman and Robin, Brink! and Airborne. He is also the Chairman of the International Inline Stunt Federation for the advancement of extreme skating as a healthy and safe activity. After spending a year working as a photographer at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, he moved back to Los Angeles, where he currently lives.
Cast No Shadow
by Mary S. LovellThe legend of Betty Pack is simple enough. She was a beautiful American spy recruited first by the British Secret lntelligence Service in 1938 and later by the American OSS. Her method of obtaining information was singular: seduction. In Cast No Shadow Mary Lovell, author of Straight On Till Morning, the internationally acclaimed and best-selling biography of Beryl Markham, gives us for the first time the complete story behind the legend of this modern-day Mata Hari, a story more astounding than the legend.Betty Pack's milieu was the aristocratic world of international diplomatic society The wife of a career British diplomat-the marriage for both partners had quickly become an arrangement of convenience, not passion - Betty would be witness to and participant in many of the most intense historic moments of the twentieth century: in civil war-torn Madrid, besieged Warsaw occupied Paris, wartime Washington. In each locale, Betty's entrée into diplomatic circles and her own penchant for seeking out men at the center of conflict made her a spy whose love of adventure was matched only by her talent for uncovering the enemy's secrets. Betty often knew what information her spymasters wanted; more important, she knew whom to approach and seduce in order to obtain it.Relying on top-secret and heretofore unrevealed documents from British Intelligence as well as on Betty's own memoir written shortly before her death, Mary Lovell offers a remarkable portrait of a woman whose adeptness for intrigue in affairs of espionage and passion is astonishing. Cast No Shadow is a story of subterfuge and romantic expediency the exposes the hidden human intrigue of World War II and the life of a woman whose contribution to the Allied effort was invaluable and unique.
Cast No Shadow
by Mary S. LovellThe legend of Betty Pack is simple enough. She was a beautiful American spy recruited first by the British Secret lntelligence Service in 1938 and later by the American OSS. Her method of obtaining information was singular: seduction. In Cast No Shadow Mary Lovell, author of Straight On Till Morning, the internationally acclaimed and best-selling biography of Beryl Markham, gives us for the first time the complete story behind the legend of this modern-day Mata Hari, a story more astounding than the legend.Betty Pack's milieu was the aristocratic world of international diplomatic society The wife of a career British diplomat-the marriage for both partners had quickly become an arrangement of convenience, not passion - Betty would be witness to and participant in many of the most intense historic moments of the twentieth century: in civil war-torn Madrid, besieged Warsaw occupied Paris, wartime Washington. In each locale, Betty's entrée into diplomatic circles and her own penchant for seeking out men at the center of conflict made her a spy whose love of adventure was matched only by her talent for uncovering the enemy's secrets. Betty often knew what information her spymasters wanted; more important, she knew whom to approach and seduce in order to obtain it.Relying on top-secret and heretofore unrevealed documents from British Intelligence as well as on Betty's own memoir written shortly before her death, Mary Lovell offers a remarkable portrait of a woman whose adeptness for intrigue in affairs of espionage and passion is astonishing. Cast No Shadow is a story of subterfuge and romantic expediency the exposes the hidden human intrigue of World War II and the life of a woman whose contribution to the Allied effort was invaluable and unique.