- Table View
- List View
Murder on Maryland's Eastern Shore: Race, Politics and the Case of Orphan Jones (True Crime Ser.)
by Joseph E. MooreFrom a former Maryland attorney comes the true crime story of accused murderer Orphan Jones—a case mired in the racism and politics of 1930s America. Euel Lee, alias Orphan Jones, was an African American accused of murdering his white employer and family over a single dollar. The tumultuous events and cast of characters surrounding the racially charged crime garnered national media attention and changed the course of Maryland history. With exacting research, former Maryland State&’s Attorney Joseph E. Moore reconstructs the murders, the ensuing roller coast of a trial, and the eventual conviction and execution of Orphan Jones. Moore details all of this in the context of Jim Crow politics and American society during the Great Depression in this gripping true crime account. &“The Euel Lee case as explored by Joe Moore is more than good, readable, local history. It is about the stresses and strains in American society in the Depression, from the radicalism of a young Communist lawyer to the conscious efforts of a rural community to contain violence, confront or at least deal with their prejudices and see that justice was served for a senseless murder in their midst. Moore sets a high standard of factual accountability and entertaining narrative based upon oral history and archival research. General readers and scholars alike will not be disappointed.&” —Edward C. Papenfuse, PhD, Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents
Murder on the Home Front: A True Story of Morgues, Murderers, and Mysteries during the London Blitz
by Molly LefebureIt is 1941. While the "war of chaos" rages in the skies above London, an unending fight against violence, murder and the criminal underworld continues on the streets below.One ordinary day, in an ordinary courtroom, forensic pathologist Dr. Keith Simpson asks a keen young journalist to be his secretary. Although the "horrors of secretarial work" don't appeal to Molly Lefebure, she's intrigued to know exactly what goes on behind a mortuary door.Capable and curious, "Miss Molly" quickly becomes indispensible to Dr. Simpson as he meticulously pursues the truth. Accompanying him from somber morgues to London's most gruesome crime scenes, Molly observes and assists as he uncovers the dark secrets that all murder victims keep.With a sharp sense of humor and a rebellious spirit, Molly tells her own remarkable true story here with warmth and wit, painting a vivid portrait of wartime London.
Murder on the Home Front: a gripping murder mystery set during the Blitz - now on Netflix!
by Molly LefebureThe remarkable true story, as seen in the brilliant TV adaptation now showing on Netflix! Murder on the Home Front follows Molly Lefebure as she navigates working for the Home Office's chief forensic pathologist while living in a bomb-stricken London during the second world war. One ordinary day in 1941, forensic pathologist Dr Keith Simpson asks a keen young journalist to be his secretary. Although the 'horrors of secretarial work' don't appeal to Molly Lefebure, she's intrigued to find out exactly what goes on behind a mortuary door. Capable and curious, 'Miss Molly' quickly becomes indispensible to Dr Simpson as he meticulously pursues the truth. Accompanying him from sombre morgues to London's most gruesome crime scenes, Molly observes and assists the investigations into murders which, despite the war around them, are still being perpetrated.
Murder on the Home Front: a gripping murder mystery set during the Blitz - now on Netflix!
by Molly LefebureIt is 1941. There may be a 'war of chaos' in the skies over London, but 'the perpetual war against the underworld of crime' must nevertheless continue on the streets below. At 12 o'clock on a Spring day in a London Coroner's Court, famed forensic pathologist Dr Keith Simpson asks young journalist Molly Lefebure if she might like to become his secretary. Recalling the 'horror of secretarial work and secretarial young ladies', she turns him down flat, resolving to stick to twelve-hour days covering 'everything from Boy Scout meetings to the blitz'. By 3 o'clock that afternoon, curious about exactly what goes on behind a mortuary door, Molly has changed her mind. It is the beginning of an extraordinary adventure. 'Miss Molly' becomes Dr Simpson's right-hand woman, following him to crime scenes, courtrooms and mortuaries, taking notes, collecting evidence and witnessing the most shocking of sights. 'You'll never regret going to work in the mortuaries, Miss Molly,' a coroner's officer told her. 'There's never a dull moment with the bodies around.'
The Murder Squad: How Australia's toughest cops hunted the monsters of the Great Depression
by Michael AdamsAs Australia sank into the darkest days of the Great Depression, a succession of bloody mysteries grabbed headlines and gripped the country. The Hammer Horror, The Bungendore Bones, The Park Demon, The Human Glove and The Pyjama Girl - these were just some of the grisly cases that had to be solved by the Sydney detectives of The Murder Squad.With the people, press and politicians screaming for justice and vengeance, homicide chief Tom McRae and his colleagues used bold new investigative tools in the massive manhunts for these maniacal killers. Working under intense pressure, hard-nosed and hard-charging cops solved some cases brilliantly - yet others were 'closed' with dodgy convictions while several shadowy figures were to get away with murder.Set against the backdrop of our greatest economic crisis, as the federal and state governments headed for a showdown and fascist and communist thugs threatened civil war, The Murder Squad reopens the files on Australia's most chilling forgotten crimes to ask who was guilty, who was innocent, and whether some cops were as dangerous as the monsters they were hunting.
Murder Under the Microscope: A Personal History of Homicide
by Jim Fraser'Jim Fraser has been at the forefront of forensic science in the UK for decades... A superb story of real-life CSI.' Dr Richard Shepherd, bestselling author of Unnatural Causes 'Powerful... Fascinating' Independent Most murders are not difficult to solve. People are usually killed by someone they know, there is usually abundant evidence and the police methods used to investigate this type of crime are highly effective. But what about the more difficult cases, where the investigation involves an unusual death, an unusual killer, or is complex or politically charged? In these cases, bringing the accused before the courts can take many years, even then, the outcome may be contentious or unresolved. In this compelling and chilling memoir, Jim Fraser draws on his personal experience as a forensic scientist and cold case reviewer to give a unique insight into some of the most notable cases that he has investigated during his forty-year career, including the deaths of Rachel Nickell, Damilola Taylor and Gareth Williams, the GCHQ code breaker. Inviting the reader into the forensic scientist's micro-world, Murder Under the Microscope reveals not only how each of these cases unfolded as a human, investigative and scientific puzzle, but also why some were solved and why others remain unsolved or controversial even to this day.
Murder, Witchcraft and the Killing of Wildlife: Memoirs of a Police Officer in the Heart of Africa
by Stephen R. MatthewsA former British police officer’s memoir of his assignment in Northern Rhodesia where he encountered black magic, cannibals, human trafficking, and more.Stephen R. Matthew’s first police posting near the Northern Rhodesian border with the Congo coincided dramatically with a time of horrific ethnic cleansing in the Belgian Congo area. At just twenty-one years old, Stephen was knifed, ambushed, stoned, shot, and wounded by bow and arrow. Steve’s life was saved several times by his courageous Doberman, Alex . . . This is the true, action-packed, unadulterated stories of those frantic and dangerous years, where a young police inspector confronted terrifying actions and events well beyond his complete understanding. He found that the cops were fighting on two fronts: trying to protect the vulnerable citizens of the country and at the same time endeavoring to stop the slaughter of wildlife.This unique book depicts dramatic accounts of witchcraft-murders and cannibalism. Highly dangerous solo investigations are detailed, incorporating incidents of black magic, kidnapping, arson, gun-running and people trafficking.“[A] rattling good memoir by a former British police officer writing of his colorful career while on assignment in Congo . . . . Despite his best attempts, Matthews could never shake off the way the locals saw him, as a white witch doctor with the ability to speak with the spirits of the dead and place spells against the living. There’s a story—several, in fact—about what led to this perception, which proves that, at the very least, the author learned a thing or two about telling a tale.” —The New York Times
Murdered By Capitalism: A Memoir of 150 Years of Life and Death on the American Left (Nation Bks.)
by John RossA San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2004 After spilling bourbon on Schnaubelt's grave, its pugnacious and very dead occupant becomes Ross's mentor, sidekick, and boozing companion through this epic telling of the hallucinatory, carnal, and ornery histories of the American Left and John Ross's own remarkable life. Schnaubelt navigates us through his seemingly boundless revolutionary battleground, uttering cries of subversion from within the grave while trying to remain out of earshot from the FBI snoop and local supermarket tycoon buried nearby. Ross's own story -- hobo revolutionist, junkie, poet, and journalist is a contrapuntal to Schnaubelt's. Ross never takes himself too seriously, yet his most remarkable trait is the honesty with which he approaches life, even while trying to deconstruct his own faults, personal tragedies (including the death of his one-month-old son), and imperfections. His pursuit of revolutionary politics and poetics is the constant, often spent with his muse, Revolutionary Mexico. Ross concludes with a trip to Baghdad as a "human shield," before the Anglo-American invasion, ready to sacrifice his life as part of his perpetual struggle for justice. Award-winning writer John Ross's memoir is inspired from a tumbledown tombstone in California: The headstone reads: E. B. Schnaubelt 1855 -- 1913, "Murdered by Capitalism."
The Murderer's Maid: A Novel (The Lizzie Borden Novels)
by Erika MailmanA True Crime Thriller“Fascinating, mesmerizing, and so darkly atmospheric that you keep looking over your shoulder as you read.” —Diana Gabaldon, internationally-bestselling author of the Outlander seriesWinner of Two Historical Fiction Awards in 2018 (IPPY Gold Medal Award and National Indie Excellence Award)In this historical murder thriller, author Erika Mailman (also winner of the 2007 Bram Stoker Award for her novel The Witch’s Trinity) brings the true story of the brutal murder of Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother into new focus by adding a riveting contemporary narrative.With historical detail and taut, modern storytelling, Erika Mailman writes a captivating novel about identity, choices, freedom, and murder. She offers readers a fresh perspective on the notorious 19th century crime and explores the trials of immigrants seeking a better life while facing down fear and oppression, today and throughout history. Intelligent and detailed, The Murderer’s Maid is a gripping read from beginning to bloody conclusion.The Murderer’s Maid interweaves the stories of two women, the 19th century servant of infamous Lizzie Borden and the other a 21st century modern-day barista fleeing from an attempt on her life. Irish maid Bridget Sullivan, trapped by servitude and afraid for her own safety, finds herself an unwilling witness to the tensions in the volatile Borden household. In 2016, Brooke, the illegitimate daughter of an immigrant maid, is unknowingly connected to the legendary 19th century crime. Brooke struggles to conceal her identity and stay a jump ahead of the men who want to kill her.If you have read and enjoyed Lizzie Borden books such as The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden, A Private Disgrace, The History and Haunting of Lizzie Borden, Parallel Lives, The Secrets of Lizzie Borden, or The Fall River Tragedy; you will love Erika Mailman’s award winning true crime thriller The Murderer's Maid.
Murderers, Robbers & Highwaymen: True Tales of Crime and Punishment in Eighteenth-Century England
by Stephen BrennanDespite the frequency with which criminals were sentenced to death, crime was still on the rise in England in the mid-1700s. Men were thrown in jail daily for everything from associating with gypsies to cutting down fruit trees and stealing sheep. Although these were punishable offenses, the crimes that made headlines in the local papers were much more serious.Men--and sometimes even women--in England were tried and executed every day for their roles in murders, robberies, kidnappings, and more. This collection features some of the most notorious and slightly disturbing stories of the crimes committed and the subsequent punishments assigned. Criminals who appear in this book include:Catherine Hayes, burnt alive for the murder of her husbandThomas Lympus, executed for robbing the mailReverend Wheatley, sentenced to public penance for adulteryJohn Everett, sentenced to death for highway robberyFrancis Smith, condemned to death for the murder of a supposed ghostRichard Turpin, executed for horse theftAnd many, many moreMany of these tales were first published in The Newgate Calendar, a popular publication that debuted in multiple volumes between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Historians believed that every household had a copy of at least one volume of the Calendar, which they stored alongside their copies of the Bible and The Pilgrim's Progress.
Murdering the President: Alexander Graham Bell and the Race to Save James Garfield
by Fred Rosen Hank GarfieldShortly after being elected president of the United States, James Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau. But contrary to what is written in most history books, Garfield didn’t linger and die. He survived. Alexander Graham Bell raced against time to invent the world’s first metal detector to locate the bullet in Garfield’s body so that doctors could safely operate. Despite Bell’s efforts to save Garfield, however, and as never before fully revealed, the interventions of Garfield’s friend and doctor, Dr. D. W. Bliss, brought about the demise of the nation’s twentieth president. But why would a medical doctor engage in such monstrous behavior? Did politics, petty jealousy, or failed aspirations spark the fire inside Bliss that led him down the path of homicide? Rosen proves how depraved indifference to human life—second-degree murder—rather than ineptitude led to Garfield’s drawn-out and painful death. Now, more than one hundred years later, historian and homicide investigator Fred Rosen reveals through newly accessed documents and Bell’s own correspondence the long list of Bliss’s criminal acts and malevolent motives that led to his murder of the president.
The Murdoch Archipelago
by Bruce PageRupert Murdoch is one of the most powerful men in the world today. As chief executive of News Corporation, he controls a global media empire which boasts some of the major players in newspapers, television, publishing and the movie business. In the English-speaking world, and increasingly in 'untapped' but potentially lucrative markets such as China, he wields an influence as political kingmaker second to none. How did he do it? How did this empire, a loose 'archipelago' of media islands large and small, come to be so successful and influential? Building on many years' research and featuring many previously undisclosed revelations, THE MURDOCH ARCHIPELAGO is the most definitive survey yet of Murdoch's life and times; how power flows from influence; and whether this should (or if it can) be regulated.
The Murdoch Method: Observations On The Management Of A Media Empire
by Irwin StelzerFollowing Murdoch’s journey from a small-town newspaperman to a globe-dominating media mogul, a clear-eyed examination of Rupert Murdoch’s business philosophies and management techniques, from a key advisor of thirty-five years. After having worked closely with the legendary media titan for thirty-five years, Irwin Stelzer is uniquely positioned to evaluate Murdoch’s media empire through periods of rapid expansion and acquisitions, times of financial and regulatory stress, and political battles in Britain and America. Stelzer helped plan important company conclaves and assisted with Murdoch’s speeches, at least one of which was responsible for having News Corp barred by the Chinese regime from doing business in that country. Here are the philosophies on how Rupert approaches and values deals, whether stalking the Wall Street Journal for decades before pouncing, or “over-paying” for everything from Fox Studios to NFL rights; how he copes with regulatory constraints; how he wins some and loses some, must notably MySpace. The Murdoch Method is the sum total of the management techniques that grew out of Rupert’s attitudes and conceptions, taking him from a struggling newspaper in an out-of-the-way town in Australia to running a globe-dominating media enterprise.
Murdoch's World: The Last of the Old Media Empires
by David FolkenflikRupert Murdoch is the most significant media tycoon the English-speaking world has ever known. No one before him has trafficked in media influence across those nations so effectively, nor has anyone else so singularly redefined the culture of news and the rules of journalism. In a stretch spanning six decades, he built News Corp from a small paper in Adelaide, Australia into a multimedia empire capable of challenging national broadcasters, rolling governments, and swatting aside commercial rivals. Then, over two years, a series of scandals threatened to unravel his entire creation. MurdochOCOs defenders questioned how much he could have known about the bribery and phone hacking undertaken by his journalists in London. But to an exceptional degree, News Corp was an institution cast in the image of a single man. The companyOCOs culture was deeply rooted in an Australian buccaneering spirit, a brawling British populism, and an outsized American libertarian sensibility?at least when it suited MurdochOCOs interests. David Folkenflik, the media correspondent for NPR News, explains how the man behind BritainOCOs take-no-prisoners tabloids, who reinvigorated Roger Ailes by backing his vision for Fox News, who gave a new swagger to the "New York Post" and a new style to the "Wall Street Journal," survived the scandals?and the true cost of this survival. He summarily ended his marriage, alienated much of his family, and split his corporation asunder to protect the source of his vast wealth (on the one side), and the source of his identity (on the other). There were moments when the global news chief panicked. But as long as Rupert Murdoch remains the person at the top, "MurdochOCOs World" will be making news. "
Muriel Spark: The Biography
by Martin StannardThe long-awaited biography of one of the great writers of the twentieth century - 'a wonderful blend of scholarly fact and juicy storytelling' (Mail on Sunday).Muriel Spark ended was one of the great writers of the twentieth century. Hers is a Cinderella story, the first thirty-nine years of which she presented in her autobiography, Curriculum Vitae (1992), politely blurring the intensity of her darker moments: her relations with her brother, mother, son, husband; a terrifying period of hallucinations and subsequent depression; and the disastrously misplaced love she had felt for two men she had wanted to marry, Howard Sergeant and Derek Stanford. Aged nineteen, Spark left Scotland to marry in Southern Rhodesia, escaping back to Britain on a troopship in 1944 after her divorce. Her son returned in 1945 to be brought up by her parents in Edinburgh while she established herself as a poet and critic in London. After becoming a Roman Catholic in 1954, she began a novel, The Comforters, and with Memento Mori, The Ballad of Peckham Rye and The Bachelors rose rapidly into the literary stratosphere. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), with its adaptation into a successful stage-play and film, marked her full translation into international celebrity and from that point she went to live first in New York, then Rome, and finally Tuscany where for over thirty years, until her death in 2006, she shared a house with her companion, the artist Penelope Jardine.
Muriel Spark: The Biography
by Martin StannardThe long-awaited biography of one of the great writers of the twentieth century - 'a wonderful blend of scholarly fact and juicy storytelling' (Mail on Sunday).Muriel Spark ended was one of the great writers of the twentieth century. Hers is a Cinderella story, the first thirty-nine years of which she presented in her autobiography, Curriculum Vitae (1992), politely blurring the intensity of her darker moments: her relations with her brother, mother, son, husband; a terrifying period of hallucinations and subsequent depression; and the disastrously misplaced love she had felt for two men she had wanted to marry, Howard Sergeant and Derek Stanford. Aged nineteen, Spark left Scotland to marry in Southern Rhodesia, escaping back to Britain on a troopship in 1944 after her divorce. Her son returned in 1945 to be brought up by her parents in Edinburgh while she established herself as a poet and critic in London. After becoming a Roman Catholic in 1954, she began a novel, The Comforters, and with Memento Mori, The Ballad of Peckham Rye and The Bachelors rose rapidly into the literary stratosphere. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), with its adaptation into a successful stage-play and film, marked her full translation into international celebrity and from that point she went to live first in New York, then Rome, and finally Tuscany where for over thirty years, until her death in 2006, she shared a house with her companion, the artist Penelope Jardine.
Murphy's Boy
by Torey HaydenWhen Torey Hayden first met fifteen-year-old Kevin, he was barricaded under a table. Desperately afraid of the world around him, he hadn’t spoken a word in eight years. He was considered hopeless, incurable, but Hayden refused to believe it. With unwavering devotion and gentle, patient love, she set out to free him—and slowly uncovered a shocking, violent history and a terrible secret that an unfeeling bureaucracy had simply filed away and forgotten. But she never gave up on this tragic “lost case.” For a trapped and frightened boy desperately needed her help—and she knew in her heart she could not rest easy until she had rescued him from the darkness.
Murphy's Boy: He Was a Frightened Boy Who Refused to Speak - Until a Teacher's Love Broke Through the Silence
by Torey L. HaydenHe sounded like a lost case right from the beginning. A fifteen year old boy who had not said a word since he was seven. And that wasn't the worst of it. When therapist Torey Hayden accepted this assignment others had long dismissed as futile, she knew she was in for a major challenge. But when she actually confronted Kevin, an institutionalized, retarded boy on the brink of manhood, who hid under tables, who feared highways and door hinges and spirals on notebooks and odd bits of string, who feared water too much to bathe and nakedness too much to change his clothes, she saw that bringing him back would take a miracle. And when the miracle happened, and Torey managed to penetrate Kevin's terrible silence, it was only to discover, lurking beneath a past littered with violence and mental cruelty, a dreadful secret, made all the worse by the bureaucracy that had recorded it, then filed it away.
Murphy's Law: My Journey from Army Ranger and Green Beret to Investigative Journalist
by Jack MurphyFor fans of the New York Times bestsellers The Last Punisher and Lone Survivor, a heart-pounding military memoir from a former Army Ranger sniper and Special Operations weapon sergeant-turned-journalist about the incredible highs and devastating lows of his career. Growing up in small New York towns, Jack Murphy knew he wanted to lead a life far from the ordinary—a life of adventure and valor. After the 9/11 attacks, he immediately enlisted in the Army, knowing this was his chance to live the life he desired and fight for a cause he staunchly supported. After making it through the rigorous Ranger Indoctrination Program, he graduated sniper school and was promptly deployed to Afghanistan, where his experiences went from ordinary to extraordinary. In this gripping military memoir, Murphy recounts the multiple missions he underwent as a Ranger, a Special Forces weapons sergeant, and ultimately, a boots-on-the-ground journalist. From enemy ambushes, dodging explosives, crashing terrorists’ weddings, and landing helicopters in the streets of Mosul, Jack provides a hard-hitting glimpse of what combat is like in some of the world’s most dangerous, war-torn places. With tours of duty in two of the most decorated units of the armed forces, Murphy brings a unique perspective to the military genre as he reflects on his great triumphs and shattering failures both on and off the battlefield. Later, Murphy turned his attention to breaking news within the military. His stories have taken him from Iraq to Switzerland, from Syria to South Korea. From crossing Middle Eastern borders in the dead of night, to rolling into an IED-laden zone, Murphy’s stories are always a thrill a minute. Murphy’s Law tells a story of intense bravery and sacrifice—both on and off the battlefield.
Murray Walker: A Tribute to a Formula 1 Legend
by Maurice Hamilton'A BRILLIANT TRIBUTE TO A BRILLIANT MAN.' BOOK OF THE MONTH - CLASSIC AND SPORTS CAR---A celebration of the extraordinary life of legendary commentator Murray Walker, with tributes from key figures in Formula 1 and motorsport.Murray Walker was the voice of Formula One, matching the thrill of the track with his equally fast-paced and exhilarating commentary, delivering the euphoria of motor racing to millions.Commentating on his first grand prix for the BBC at Silverstone in 1949, Murray's broadcasting career spanned over fifty years. His natural warmth and infectious enthusiasm won great affection with audiences, whilst his passion and knowledge of motorsport allowed him to hone his instinctive presenting style into a craft.When Murray passed away in March 2021, tributes came flooding in from every corner of the sporting world. This book, compiled by Murray's great friend and colleague Maurice Hamilton, celebrates the extraordinary life of this truly legendary man. With contributions from drivers and industry figures, and many friends from the world of motorsport and beyond, Incredible! combines fond memories, never-before-told stories and famous Murrayisms with reflections on the highlights of a life lived at full throttle.
Murrow: His Life and Times
by A. M. SperberMurrow is the biography of America's foremost broadcast journalist, Edward R. Murrow. At twenty-nine, he was the prototype of a species new to communications--an eyewitness to history with the power to reach millions. His wartime radio reports from London rooftops brought the world into American homes for the first time. His legendary television documentary "See It Now" exposed us to the scandals and injustices within our own country. Friend of Presidents, conscience of the people, Murrow remained an enigma--idealistic, creative, self-destructive. In this portrait, based on twelve years of research, A. M. Sperber reveals the complexity and achievements of a man whose voice, intelligence, and honesty inspired a nation during its most profound and vulnerable times.
La musa intrusa
by Gonzalo SuárezReflexiones biográficas y ficticias de un cineasta mítico. Tras unos años de silencio, el gran Gonzalo Suárez nos entrega otra de sus memorables obras, un libro donde confluyen una serie de textos de corte autobiográfico que conforman una suerte de retrato del mítico cineasta y escritor, y una nouvelle, esta vez sí de pura ficción, que nos propone una relectura de la tragedia de Hamlet en la que sobrevuela la duda de si los personajes podrán cambiar sus destinos, dictados cientos de años atrás. «La víctima siempre vuelve al lugar del crimen», afirma el autor. Pero en La musa intrusa es el propio Suárez quien regresa al lugar de un asesinato donde el adulterio y el incesto confluyen con el poder de la ambición, el deseo de venganza y un amor que sobrevive a la muerte. En este libro, la vida y los sueños, las reflexiones y los más íntimos recuerdos, transitan a través de anécdotas autobiográficas, no exentasde humor, antes de que la más intrusa de las musas nos abra las puertas de una historia inmortal. Reseñas:«Gonzalo Suárez es ante todo, por encima de los géneros, del cine, de la literatura y el periodismo, un creador infatigable.»Guillermo Altares, El País «La obra literaria de Gonzalo Suárez no es solo muestra inequívoca de la presencia de un narrador vigoroso y distinto, sino también hitos que señalaban el camino de una modernidad a la que la literatura española estaba pugnando por incorporarse.»Javier Cercas «Siempre lo he visto como en una perpetua conquista del Oeste, de lo desconocido, en la frontera intentando avanzar hacia un territorio fantástico y hostil donde no sirven los recursos formales con los que uno se maneja en el mundo normal, [...] si en España hay un genio vivo, ese es Gonzalo Suárez.»Juan José Millás «De alguna manera cuyo secreto sólo él conoce, Gonzalo Suárez transita desde hace años por los registros más variados de la vida intelectual española, pero esa actitud tránsfuga y casi de fantasma inquieta e incluso enoja a los críticos amantes del orden, los géneros y las etiquetas.»Julio Cortázar «Una insolencia sutil, un fino sentido del humor y una lucidísima visión de la realidad.»Eduardo Mendoza «Gonzalo Suárez ha sabido recrear un sentimiento equivalente al que yo mismo busco provocar con mi obra.»Eduardo Chillida «Gonzalo Suárez es un creador sumamente original, un autor excéntrico, verdadero outsider de nuestro sistema cultural, que ha dado repetidas pruebas de esa condición en su prolífica labor como cineasta y como narrador.»Santos Sanz Villanueva, El Cultural
Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era (Musashi Ser.)
by Eiji Yoshikawa Charles TerryThe classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.Miyamoto Musashi was the child of an era when Japan was emerging from decades of civil strife. Lured to the great Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 by the hope of becoming a samurai--without really knowing what it meant--he regains consciousness after the battle to find himself lying defeated, dazed and wounded among thousands of the dead and dying. On his way home, he commits a rash act, becomes a fugitive and brings life in his own village to a standstill--until he is captured by a weaponless Zen monk.The lovely Otsu, seeing in Musashi her ideal of manliness, frees him from his tortuous punishment, but he is recaptured and imprisoned. During three years of solitary confinement, he delves into the classics of Japan and China. When he is set free again, he rejects the position of samurai and for the next several years pursues his goal relentlessly, looking neither to left nor to right.Ever so slowly it dawns on him that following the Way of the Sword is not simply a matter of finding a target for his brute strength. Continually striving to perfect his technique, which leads him to a unique style of fighting with two swords simultaneously, he travels far and wide, challenging fighters of many disciplines, taking nature to be his ultimate and severest teacher and undergoing the rigorous training of those who follow the Way. He is supremely successful in his encounters, but in the Art of War he perceives the way of peaceful and prosperous governance and disciplines himself to be a real human being.He becomes a reluctant hero to a host of people whose lives he has touched and been touched by. And, inevitably, he has to pit his skill against the naked blade of his greatest rival.Musashi is a novel in the best tradition of Japanese story telling. It is a living story, subtle and imaginative, teeming with memorable characters, many of them historical. Interweaving themes of unrequited love, misguided revenge, filial piety and absolute dedication to the Way of the Samurai, it depicts vividly a world Westerners know only vaguely. Full of gusto and humor, it has an epic quality and universal appeal.The novel was made into a three-part movie by Director Hiroshi Inagai. For more information, visit the Shopping area
Musashi (A Graphic Novel)
by Sean Michael WilsonA stunning graphic novel biography of the famous samurai warrior who wrote the classic text on Japanese martial arts, The Book of Five Rings Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary samurai, is known throughout the world as a master swordsman, a spiritual seeker, and the author of the classic Book of Five Rings. This graphic novel treatment of his amazing life is both a vivid account of a fascinating period in feudal Japan and a portrait of courageous, iconoclastic samurai who wrestled with philosophical and spiritual ideas that are as relevant today as they were in his time. For Musashi, the way of the martial arts was about mastery of the mind rather than simply technical prowess. Over 350 years after his death, Musashi still intrigues us—and his Book of Five Rings is essential reading for students of all martial arts and those interested in cultivating strategic mind.
Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder
by Samuel Wilson FussellA hilarious and harrowing firsthand account of the eccentric world of hardcore bodybuilding When blue-blooded, storklike Samuel Wilson Fussell arrived in New York City fresh from the University of Oxford, the ethereal young graduate seemed like the last person on Earth who would be interested in bodybuilding. But he was intimidated by the dangers of the city--and decided to do something about it. At twenty-six, Fussell walked into the YMCA gym. Four solid years of intensive training, protein powders, and steroid injections later, he had gained eighty pounds of pure muscle and was competing for bodybuilding titles. And yet, with forearms like bowling pins and calves like watermelons, Fussell felt weaker than ever before. His punishing regimen of workouts, drugs, and diet had reduced him to near-infant-like helplessness and immobility, leaving him hungry, nauseated, and prone to outbursts of " 'roid rage. " But he had come to succeed, and there was no backing down now. Alternately funny and fascinating, Muscle is the true story of one man's obsession with the pursuit of perfection. With insight, wit, and refreshing candor, Fussell ushers readers into the wild world of juicers and gym rats who sacrifice their lives, minds, bodies, and souls to their dreams of glory in Southern California's so-called iron mecca.