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Spies of No Country: Behind Enemy Lines at the Birth of the Israeli Secret Service
by Matti FriedmanFrom the award-winning and critically-acclaimed author of Pumpkinflowers, the never-before-told story of the mysterious "Arab Section": the Jewish-"Arab" spies who, under deep cover in Beirut as refugees, helped the new State of Israel win the War of Independence.In his third non-fiction book, Matti Friedman introduces us to four unknown young men who are caught up in the fraught events surrounding the birth of Israel in 1948 and drawn into secret lives, becoming the nucleus of Israel's intelligence service. The tiny, amateur unit known as the "Arab Section" was conceived during WWII by British spies and by Jewish militia leaders in Palestine. Consisting of Jews from Arab countries who could pass as Arabs, it was meant to gather intelligence and carry out sabotage and assassinations. When the first Jewish-Arab war erupted in 1948 and Palestinian refugees began fleeing the fighting, a small number of Section agents disguised as refugees joined the exodus. They fled to Beirut, where they spent the next two years under cover, sending messages back to Israel over a radio antenna disguised as a clothesline. Of the dozen men in the unit at the war's beginning, five were caught and executed. Espionage, John le Carré once wrote, is the "secret theater of our society." Spies of No Country is not just a spy story, but a surprising window into the nature of Israel--a country that sees itself as belonging to the story of Europe, but where more than half of the population is native to the Middle East. Starring complicated characters with slippery identities moving in the shadow of great events, Spies of No Country tells a very different story about what Israel is and how it was created.
Spies of Revolutionary Connecticut: From Benedict Arnold to Nathan Hale
by Mark Allen BakerDiscover true stories of daring and deceit in 18th century Connecticut in this history of American Revolutionary espionage. Covert intelligence played a critical role in the American Revolution, and Connecticut produced an extraordinary number of spies on both sides of the conflict. The infamous traitor Benedict Arnold was born in Norwich, while the Patriot Nathan Hale, who was executed by the British for espionage, was originally from Coventry. Spying during the Revolution entailed false identities, coded messages, and the penalty of death for those caught in the act. It also involved new technologies like early submarines with the first exploding torpedoes. Despite the risk, some spies even played both sides as double agents, such as Edward Bancroft, who was never caught. With stories of Silas Deane, Ethan Allen, Thomas Knowlton, the Culper Spy Ring, and others, author Mark Allen Baker navigates the intrigues, dangers, and double crosses of Connecticut&’s most legendary Revolutionary spies.
Spike Lee (Black Americans of Achievement--Legacy Edition)
by Dennis AbramsIn his own words, Spike Lee is the man who single-handedly "broke the color barrier" in Hollywood in the mid 1980s. In a film career that spans more than 20 years, Lee has established himself as one of the United States' premier filmmakers, a director whose films explore the many aspects of the African-American experience. Never one to shy away from controversy--he has been accused of racism, anti-Semitism, and sexism--Lee uses film to raise tough questions and to provoke discussion. How was he able to break down the doors of Hollywood for himself and for other African-American directors, actors, and technicians? How has he continued to grow and develop as a filmmaker? Spike Lee presents a nuanced portrait of an artist who has become a symbol of contemporary American culture.
Spike Lee (Contemporary Film Directors)
by Todd McGowanSince the release of Do the Right Thing in 1989, Spike Lee has established himself as a cinematic icon. Lee's mostly independent films garner popular audiences while at the same time engaging in substantial political and social commentary. He is arguably the most accomplished African American filmmaker in cinematic history, and his breakthrough paved the way for the success of many other African Americans in film. In this first single-author scholarly examination of Spike Lee's oeuvre, Todd McGowan shows how Lee's films, from She's Gotta Have It through Red Hook Summer, address crucial social issues such as racism, paranoia, and economic exploitation in a formally inventive manner. McGowan argues that Lee uses excess in his films to intervene in issues of philosophy, politics, and art. McGowan contends that it is impossible to watch a Spike Lee film in the way that one watches a typical Hollywood film. By forcing observers to recognize their unconscious enjoyment of violence, paranoia, racism, sexism, and oppression, Lee's films prod spectators to see differently and to confront their own excess. In the process, his films reveal what is at stake in desire, interpersonal relations, work, and artistic creation itself.
Spike Lee: On His Own Terms
by Melissa McdanielSpike Lee is one of the most popular and innovative filmmakers working today. With films such as She's Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, and Malcolm X, Spike Lee has explored complex issues in a style that is both entertaining, challenging, and fun.
Spike Milligan
by Humphrey CarpenterSpike Milligan was one of our best-loved comics as well as one of our most original. In this first major assessment of Spike's life and career, the highly respected biographer Humphrey Carpenter has - through copious research and access to many of those closest to the great man - unearthed a character who could be as difficult and contradictory as he was generous and talented.The creator of The Goons was to influence a whole generation of comics, yet was never to feel fully valued. His periods of depression were matched by periods of high creativity - there were poems, novels, volumes of biography, as well as TV series and a one-man show as Spike searched for his best means of expression. There was also, as revealed here, his inveterate womanising. Married three times and with four children to whom he was devoted, two illegitimate children were to remain barely acknowledged,Detailing both his private and professional life, Humphrey Carpenter gives us the most revealing portrait yet of this highly complex genius.
Spike Milligan
by Humphrey CarpenterSpike Milligan was one of our best-loved comics as well as one of our most original. In this first major assessment of Spike's life and career, the highly respected biographer Humphrey Carpenter has - through copious research and access to many of those closest to the great man - unearthed a character who could be as difficult and contradictory as he was generous and talented.The creator of The Goons was to influence a whole generation of comics, yet was never to feel fully valued. His periods of depression were matched by periods of high creativity - there were poems, novels, volumes of biography, as well as TV series and a one-man show as Spike searched for his best means of expression. There was also, as revealed here, his inveterate womanising. Married three times and with four children to whom he was devoted, two illegitimate children were to remain barely acknowledged,Detailing both his private and professional life, Humphrey Carpenter gives us the most revealing portrait yet of this highly complex genius.
Spike Milligan: Warning - Don't Eat The Fish
by Spike MilliganSpike Milligan's letters contain some of the best material he ever wrote . . . Collected here for the first time are the funniest, rudest and most revealing of them - most of which have never been seen before - from one of the greatest comics of the twentieth century to some of its most famous politicians, actors, celebrities and rock stars (as well as a host of unlikely individuals on some surprising subjects):- rounded teabags ('what did you do with the corners?')- backless hospital gowns ('beyond my comprehension') - heartfelt apologies ('pardon me for being alive') and the imbalance of male and female ducks in London's parks. Here, then, is the real Spike Miligan: obsessive, rude, generous and relentlessly witty.'Milligan's zaniness shines through' Telegraph 'The godfather of alternative comedy' Eddie IzzardSpike Milligan was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1918, he served in the Royal Artillery during WWII in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, he forged a career as a jazz musician, sketch-show writer and performer, before joining forces with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe to form the legendary Goon Show. Until his death in 2002, he had success as on stage and screen and as the author of over eighty books of fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, cartoons and children's stories.
Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema
by John Pierson&“A fast-moving account of the era bookended by Stranger Than Paradise and Pulp Fiction . . . [a] Baedeker of off-Hollywood where all roads lead to Park City.&” —Interview The legendary figure who launched the careers of Spike Lee, Michael Moore, and Richard Linklater offers a no-holds-barred look at the deals and details that propel an indie film from a dream to distribution. At the epicenter of the industry in the 1980s and &’90s, John Pierson reveals what it took to launch such films as Stranger Than Paradise, Clerks, She&’s Gotta Have It, and Roger and Me. A chronicle of a remarkable decade for the American independent low-budget film, Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes also celebrates the nearly two dozen first-time filmmakers whom Pierson helped make a name for themselves and the hundred others whose success stories he observed at close quarters. &“John Pierson has faithfully chronicled the American independent scene. He was there, he knows.&” —Spike Lee &“Sly, knowledgeable, deeply entertaining . . . You couldn&’t do much better than to hop aboard this ten-year wild ride. Grade: A.&” —Entertainment Weekly &“The most contentiously witty and revealing view of off-Hollywood around.&” —Rolling Stone &“Mr. Pierson, who has lived, breathed, and hunted film for most of his adult life, covers his territory with urgency and conviction, and his single-mindedness is ravishing.&” —The New York Times Book Review &“Pierson&’s prose is quick-moving and witty and reads like a Who&’s Who of the off-Hollywood mavericks who make the movies we&’d like to see but can&’t always find.&” —The Washington Post &“A marvelously entertaining, educational, and caustic account of the rise of American independent filmmaking.&” —The Globe and Mail
Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema
by John Pierson&“A fast-moving account of the era bookended by Stranger Than Paradise and Pulp Fiction . . . [a] Baedeker of off-Hollywood where all roads lead to Park City.&” —Interview The legendary figure who launched the careers of Spike Lee, Michael Moore, and Richard Linklater offers a no-holds-barred look at the deals and details that propel an indie film from a dream to distribution. At the epicenter of the industry in the 1980s and &’90s, John Pierson reveals what it took to launch such films as Stranger Than Paradise, Clerks, She&’s Gotta Have It, and Roger and Me. A chronicle of a remarkable decade for the American independent low-budget film, Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes also celebrates the nearly two dozen first-time filmmakers whom Pierson helped make a name for themselves and the hundred others whose success stories he observed at close quarters. &“John Pierson has faithfully chronicled the American independent scene. He was there, he knows.&” —Spike Lee &“Sly, knowledgeable, deeply entertaining . . . You couldn&’t do much better than to hop aboard this ten-year wild ride. Grade: A.&” —Entertainment Weekly &“The most contentiously witty and revealing view of off-Hollywood around.&” —Rolling Stone &“Mr. Pierson, who has lived, breathed, and hunted film for most of his adult life, covers his territory with urgency and conviction, and his single-mindedness is ravishing.&” —The New York Times Book Review &“Pierson&’s prose is quick-moving and witty and reads like a Who&’s Who of the off-Hollywood mavericks who make the movies we&’d like to see but can&’t always find.&” —The Washington Post &“A marvelously entertaining, educational, and caustic account of the rise of American independent filmmaking.&” —The Globe and Mail
Spillane: King Of Pulp Fiction
by Max Allan Collins James L. TraylorThe first-ever biography of the most popular and most influential pulp writer of all time, written by the collaborator who knew him best There has never been a full-length biography of Mickey Spillane, the most popular and influential mystery writer of his era—until now. Beginning in 1947 with I, the Jury, and continuing with his next six novels, Spillane quickly amassed a readership in the tens of millions, becoming the bestselling novelist in the history of American publishing. Surrounded by controversy for the overt violence and suggestive sexual content of his iconic Mike Hammer private eye novels, Spillane was loathed by critics but beloved by his readers. There is, however, more to Spillane’s life than the books. He also starred as Hammer in a movie, was a circus performer, worked with the FBI in capturing a notorious criminal, and starred in Miller Light beer commercials that were so popular they ran for a quarter of a century. Max Allan Collins became Spillane’s friend and collaborator, continuing the Mike Hammer series for years after the author's death, building upon unfinished manuscripts the writer left behind. Now, with co-author James Traylor, Collins has produced the first comprehensive and authoritative profile of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master. It is a must-read for any fan of the author—or of the generations of crime writers that were influenced by his work.
Spilling the Beans
by Clarissa Dickson WrightClarissa was born into wealth and privilege, as a child, shooting and hunting were the norm and pigeons were flown in from Cairo for supper. Her mother was an Australian heiress, her father was a brilliant surgeon to the Royal family. But he was also a tyrannical and violent drunk who used to beat her and force her to eat carrots with slugs still clinging to them. Clarissa was determined and clever, though, and her ambition led her to a career in the law. At the age of 21, she was the youngest ever woman to be called to the Bar.Disaster struck when her adored mother died suddenly. It was to lead to a mind-numbing decade of wild over-indulgence. Rich from her inheritance, in the end Clarissa partied away her entire fortune. It was a long, hard road to recovery along which Clarissa finally faced her demons and turned to the one thing that had always brought her joy - cooking. Now at last she has found success, sobriety and peace.With the stark honesty and the brilliant wit we love her for, Clarissa recounts the tale of a life lived to extremes. A vivid and funny story, it is as moving as it is a cracking good read.
Spilling the Beans
by Clarissa Dickson WrightClarissa was born into wealth and privilege, as a child, shooting and hunting were the norm and pigeons were flown in from Cairo for supper. Her mother was an Australian heiress, her father was a brilliant surgeon to the Royal family. But he was also a tyrannical and violent drunk who used to beat her and force her to eat carrots with slugs still clinging to them. Clarissa was determined and clever, though, and her ambition led her to a career in the law. At the age of 21, she was the youngest ever woman to be called to the Bar.Disaster struck when her adored mother died suddenly. It was to lead to a mind-numbing decade of wild over-indulgence. Rich from her inheritance, in the end Clarissa partied away her entire fortune. It was a long, hard road to recovery along which Clarissa finally faced her demons and turned to the one thing that had always brought her joy - cooking. Now at last she has found success, sobriety and peace.With the stark honesty and the brilliant wit we love her for, Clarissa recounts the tale of a life lived to extremes. A vivid and funny story, it is as moving as it is a cracking good read.
Spin: A Novel Based on a (Mostly) True Story
by Peter ZheutlinRide away on a 'round-the-world adventure of a lifetime—with only a change of clothes and a pearl-handled revolver—in this trascendent novel inspired by the life of Annie Londonderry.&“Bicycling has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.&”—Susan B. Anthony Who was Annie Londonderry? She captured the popular imagination with her daring &‘round the world trip on two wheels. It was, declared The New York World in October of 1895, &“the most extraordinary journey ever undertaken by a woman.&” But beyond the headlines, Londonderry was really Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, a young, Jewish mother of three small children, who climbed onto a 42-pound Columbia bicycle and pedaled away into history. Reportedly set in motion by a wager between two wealthy Boston merchants, the bet required Annie not only to circle the earth by bicycle in 15 months, but to earn $5,000 en route, as well. This was no mere test of a woman&’s physical endurance and mental fortitude; it was a test of a woman&’s ability to fend for herself in the world. Often attired in a man&’s riding suit, Annie turned every Victorian notion of female propriety on its head. Not only did she abandon, temporarily, her role of wife and mother (scandalous in the 1890s), she earned her way selling photographs of herself, appearing as an attraction in stores, and by turning herself into a mobile billboard. Zheutlin, a descendent of Annie, brilliantly probes the inner life and seeming boundless courage of this outlandish, brash, and charismatic woman. In a time when women could not vote and few worked outside the home, Annie was a master of public relations, a consummate self-promoter, and a skillful creator of her own myth. Yet, for more than a century her remarkable story was lost to history. In SPIN, this remarkable heroine and her marvelous, stranger-than-fiction story is vividly brought to life for a new generation.
Spinning
by Tillie WaldenTillie Walden's Eisner Award winning graphic memoir Spinning captures what it’s like to come of age, come out, and come to terms with leaving behind everything you used to know.It was the same every morning. Wake up, grab the ice skates, and head to the rink while the world was still dark.Weekends were spent in glitter and tights at competitions. Perform. Smile. And do it again.She was good. She won. And she hated it.For ten years, figure skating was Tillie Walden’s life. She woke before dawn for morning lessons, went straight to group practice after school, and spent weekends competing at ice rinks across the state. Skating was a central piece of her identity, her safe haven from the stress of school, bullies, and family. But as she switched schools, got into art, and fell in love with her first girlfriend, she began to question how the close-minded world of figure skating fit in with the rest of her life, and whether all the work was worth it given the reality: that she, and her friends on the team, were nowhere close to Olympic hopefuls. The more Tillie thought about it, the more Tillie realized she’d outgrown her passion—and she finally needed to find her own voice.This title has Common Core connections.A New York City Public Library Notable Best Book for TeensA Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017A 2018 YALSA Great Graphic NovelA 2017 Booklist Youth Editors' Choice
Spinning Disney's World: Memories of a Magic Kingdom Press Agent
by Charles RidgwayFrom opening day in Anaheim to opening day in Hong Kong, from Donald Duck's fiftieth Birthday bash to secret visits by royalty, from Walt Disney to Michael Eisner, Disney Legend Charlie Ridgway, a Disney press agent for forty years, has the inside scoop. The man who told Walt where to stand for photos, helped usher in the era of electronic news gathering - and befriended generations of movie stars, television hosts, and news reporters - now shares his wry and revealing reminiscences of life in the world's greatest Mickey Mouse outfit.
Spinning Plates: Music, Men, Motherhood and Me: TALES FROM OUR FAVOURITE 24 HOUR KITCHEN DISCO QUEEN
by Sophie Ellis-BextorSinger, broadcaster and mother Sophie Ellis-Bextor shares her experiences, insights and reflections on men, music and motherhood.Sophie Ellis-Bextor's kitchen discos became a source of much needed escapism, catharsis and sequined joy for a swathe of the population during lockdown. From knackered mothers and fed up fathers, to cooped up partiers with nowhere to go, Sophie's gloriously chaotic Friday kitchen performances have cheered and revived us. Now Sophie is bringing that same mixture of down to earth candour and optimistic sparkle to her first book. Part memoir, part musings, Sophie will write about the conjuring act of adulthood and motherhood and how her experience of working while raising her five sons has given her the inescapable lesson of how to navigate life in the face of failure and imperfection. Covering relationships, good enough parenting, the importance of delusion and dancing, Sophie writes about the things that take on greater importance as life becomes more complicated. From the non negotiables (solitude, music, glitter) to the unimportant (clean hair, deadlines, appropriate behaviour), this is a book about learning from our experiences and not being afraid to smash a few plates for the sake of what we actually need want and value.(P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Spinning Plates: Music, Men, Motherhood and Me: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY
by Sophie Ellis-BextorSOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR SINGER - SINGER, WRITER AND PIONEER OF THE LOCKDOWN KITCHEN DISCO, REFLECTS CANDIDLY ON LIFE, LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPSSophie Ellis-Bextor's kitchen discos became a source of escapism, catharsis and sequined joy for a swathe of the population during lockdown. From knackered mothers and fed up fathers, to cooped up partiers with nowhere to go, Sophie's gloriously chaotic Friday kitchen performances have cheered and revived us. Now Sophie is bringing that same mixture of down to earth candour and optimistic sparkle to her autobiography. In SPINNING PLATES Sophie writes openly and very frankly about her life. From a childhood flogging Blue Peter badges in the playground to joining Theaudience straight from school, to finding love after a dark and troubled relationship, and becoming mother to five boys, Sophie pulls no punches in her autobiography.By choosing to speak so openly on issues close to her heart, Sophie invites us all to join the conversation and bring those trickier subjects out of the shadows and into the light.Covering relationships, body image, good-enough parenting, the highs - and the lows - of competing on Strictly Come Dancing - Sophie writes about the things that take on greater and lesser importance as life becomes more complicated. This is a book about respecting and learning from our mistakes and experiences and not being afraid to smash a few plates for the sake of what we actually need, want and value.Honest, heartfelt and highly entertaining.
Spinning Plates: Music, Men, Motherhood and Me: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY
by Sophie Ellis-BextorSOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR SINGER - SINGER, WRITER AND PIONEER OF THE LOCKDOWN KITCHEN DISCO, REFLECTS CANDIDLY ON LIFE, LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPSSophie Ellis-Bextor's kitchen discos became a source of escapism, catharsis and sequined joy for a swathe of the population during lockdown. From knackered mothers and fed up fathers, to cooped up partiers with nowhere to go, Sophie's gloriously chaotic Friday kitchen performances have cheered and revived us. Now Sophie is bringing that same mixture of down to earth candour and optimistic sparkle to her autobiography. In SPINNING PLATES Sophie writes openly and very frankly about her life. From a childhood flogging Blue Peter badges in the playground to joining Theaudience straight from school, to finding love after a dark and troubled relationship, and becoming mother to five boys, Sophie pulls no punches in her autobiography.By choosing to speak so openly on issues close to her heart, Sophie invites us all to join the conversation and bring those trickier subjects out of the shadows and into the light.Covering relationships, body image, good-enough parenting, the highs - and the lows - of competing on Strictly Come Dancing - Sophie writes about the things that take on greater and lesser importance as life becomes more complicated. This is a book about respecting and learning from our mistakes and experiences and not being afraid to smash a few plates for the sake of what we actually need, want and value.Honest, heartfelt and highly entertaining.
Spinning the Globe: The Rise, Fall, and Return to Greatness of the Harlem Globetrotters
by Ben GreenBefore Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Julius Erving, or Michael Jordan––before Magic Johnson and Showtime––the Harlem Globetrotters revolutionized basketball and spread the game around the world. In Spinning the Globe, author Ben Green tells the story of this extraordinary franchise and iconic American institution. We follow the Globetrotters' rise from backwoods obscurity during the harsh years of the Great Depression to become the best basketball team in the country and, by the early 1950s, the most popular sports franchise in the world. Green brings to life their struggles with racism and segregation, and their influence upon a nation's views about race and sport. We witness the Globetrotters' fall from grace to the brink of bankruptcy in the early 1990s, and their ultimate rebirth under Mannie Jackson today, as they once again amaze kids and families around the world. Now in paperback, this is the true and complete story of their amazing eighty years as a team, told with lyrical prose and masterful storytelling by Ben Green.
Spinoza
by Steven NadlerBaruch Spinoza (1632–1677) was one of the most important philosophers of all time; he was also arguably the most radical and controversial. This was the first complete biography of Spinoza in any language and is based on detailed archival research. More than simply recounting the story of Spinoza's life, the book takes the reader right into the heart of Jewish Amsterdam in the seventeenth century and, with Spinoza's exile from Judaism, right into the midst of the tumultuous political, social, intellectual and religious world of the young Dutch Republic. Though the book will be an invaluable resource for philosophers, historians, and scholars of Jewish thought, it has been written for any member of the general reading public with a serious interest in philosophy, Jewish history, seventeenth-century European history, and the culture of the Dutch Golden Age. Spinoza: A Life has recently been awarded the Koret Jewish Book Award.
Spinoza: A Very Short Introduction
by Roger ScrutonFather of the Enlightenment and the last guardian of the medieval world, Spinoza made a brilliant attempt to reconcile the conflicting moral and intellectual demands of his epoch and to present a vision of man as simultaneously bound by necessity and eternally free. Ostracized by the Jewish community in Amsterddam to which he was born, Spinoza developed a political philosophy that set out to justify the secular state ruled by a liberal constitution, and a metaphysics that sought to reconcile human freedom with a belief in scientific explanation. Here, Roger Scruton presents a clear and systematic analysis of Spinoza's thought and shows its relevance to today's intellectual preoccupations.
Spinoza: Freedom's Messiah (Jewish Lives)
by Ian BurumaIan Buruma explores the life and death of Baruch Spinoza, the Enlightenment thinker whose belief in freedom of thought and speech resonates in our own time &“An elegant, relevant biography of a vital thinker.&”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Baruch (Benedictus) Spinoza (1632–1677) was a radical free thinker who led a life guided by strong moral principles despite his disbelief in an all-seeing God. Seen by many—Christians as well as Jews—as Satan&’s disciple during his lifetime, Spinoza has been regarded as a secular saint since his death. Many contradictory beliefs have been attached to his name: rationalism or metaphysics, atheism or pantheism, liberalism or despotism, Jewishness or anti-Semitism. However, there is no question that he viewed freedom of thought and speech as essential to an open and free society. In this insightful account, the award-winning author Ian Buruma stresses the importance of the time and place that shaped Spinoza, beginning with the Sephardim of Amsterdam and followed by the politics of the Dutch Republic. Though Spinoza rejected the basic assumptions of his family&’s faith, and was consequently expelled from his Sephardic community, Buruma argues that Spinoza did indeed lead a Jewish life: a modern Jewish life. To Heine, Hess, Marx, Freud, and no doubt many others today, Spinoza exemplified how to be Jewish without believing in Judaism. His defense of universal freedom is as important for our own time as it was in his.
Spinoza: Portrait of a Spiritual Hero
by Rudolf Kayser&“The story of how the gentle but firm Spinoza followed his conscience to the point [of excommunication] has never been better told.&” —Journal of the American Academy of Religion A forerunner of the Age of Enlightenment, Baruch Spinoza made significant contributions in virtually every area of philosophy, and his writings reveal the influence of such divergent sources as Stoicism, Jewish Rationalism, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Descartes, and a variety of heterodox religious thinkers of his day. Written by German historian Rudolf Kayser, with a foreword by Albert Einstein, this biography reveals the solitude and the struggles of a man who became famous for views that were unusual and widely unknown at that time. Born into a Portuguese Jewish family, he grew up studying Hebrew literature but, dissatisfied with his teachers explanations, sought truth on his own terms. His ideas influenced modern biblical criticism and seventeenth-century rationalism, making him one of the most important philosophers of the early modern period whose impact on later philosophers, including Nietzsche and Hegel, was profound.
Spinoza: Recent Essays On Natural Philosophy, Theology, And Biblical Criticism In The Netherlands Of Spinoza's Time And The British Isles Of Newton's Time (International Archives Of The History Of Ideas / Archives Internationales D'histoire Des Idées Ser. #139)
by Richard PopkinThis is a concise but comprehensive introduction to a key figure in the history of modern philosophy, Benedict Spinoza.