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The Horror of Love: Nancy Mitford and Gaston Palewski in Paris and London
by Lisa HiltonThe dramatic love story of two extraordinary individuals--Nancy Mitford and free French commander Gaston Palewski--living in extraordinary times."Oh, the horror of love!" Nancy Mitford once exclaimed to her sister Diana Mosley.Elegant and intelligent, Nancy was a reknowned wit and a popular author. Yet this bright, waspish woman gave her heart to a well-known philanderer who went on to marry another woman. Was Nancy that unremarkable thing--a deluded lover--or was she a remarkable woman engaged in a sophisticated love affair? Gaston Palewski was a Free French commander and one of the most influential politicians in post-war Europe. She supported him throughout his tumultuous career and he inspired some of her best work, including The Pursuit of Love.Lisa Hilton's provocative and emotionally challenging book reveals how, with discipline, gentleness, and a great deal of elegance, Nancy Mitford and Gaston Palewski achieved an affair of the heart.
The Horror of Love: Nancy Mitford and Gaston Palewski in Paris and London
by Lisa HiltonThe compelling love story of two extraordinary individuals - Nancy Mitford and Free French commander Gaston Palewski - living in extraordinary times.'Oh, the horror of love!' Nancy Mitford once exclaimed. Elegant and intelligent, Nancy was a reknowned wit and a popular author. Yet this bright, waspish woman, capable of unerring emotional analysis in her work gave her heart to a well-known philanderer who went on to marry another woman. Was Nancy that unremarkable thing - a deluded lover - or was she a remarkable woman engaged in a sophisticated love affair? Gaston Palewski, was the Free French commander and one of the most influential politicians in post-war Europe. His and Nancy's mutual life was spent amongst the most exciting, powerful and controversial figures in the centre of reawakening Europe. She supported him throughout his tumultuous career and he inspired some of her best work, including The Pursuit of Love. Lisa Hilton's provocative book reveals how, with discipline, gentleness and a great deal of elegance, Nancy Mitford and Gaston Palewski achieved a very adult ideal.
The Horror of Love: Nancy Mitford and Gaston Palewski in Paris and London
by Lisa HiltonThe compelling love story of two extraordinary individuals - Nancy Mitford and Free French commander Gaston Palewski - living in extraordinary times - immortalised in THE PURSUIT OF LOVE'A delicious mix of drama, melancholy and enchantment' DAILY EXPRESS'Entertainingly caustic' SUNDAY TIMES'Bringing to life the worlds of Nancy Mitford's novels' INDEPENDENT'Oh, the horror of love!' Nancy Mitford once exclaimed. Elegant and intelligent, Nancy was a reknowned wit and a popular author. Yet this bright, waspish woman, capable of unerring emotional analysis in her work gave her heart to a well-known philanderer who went on to marry another woman. Was Nancy that unremarkable thing - a deluded lover - or was she a remarkable woman engaged in a sophisticated love affair? Gaston Palewski, was the Free French commander and one of the most influential politicians in post-war Europe. His and Nancy's mutual life was spent amongst the most exciting, powerful and controversial figures in the centre of reawakening Europe. She supported him throughout his tumultuous career and he inspired some of her best work, including The Pursuit of Love. Lisa Hilton's provocative book reveals how, with discipline, gentleness and a great deal of elegance, Nancy Mitford and Gaston Palewski achieved a very adult ideal.
The Horse Boy: A Father's Quest to Heal His Son
by Rupert IsaacsonWhen his son Rowan was diagnosed with autism, Rupert Isaacson was devastated, afraid he might never be able to communicate with his child. But when Isaacson, a lifelong horseman, rode their neighbor's horse with Rowan, Rowan improved immeasurably. He was struck with a crazy idea: why not take Rowan to Mongolia , the one place in the world where horses and shamanic healing intersected? THE HORSE BOY is the dramatic and heartwarming story of that impossible adventure. In Mongolia , the family found undreamed of landscapes and people, unbearable setbacks, and advances beyond their wildest dreams. This is a deeply moving, truly one-of-a-kind story--of a family willing to go to the ends of the earth to help their son, and of a boy learning to connect with the world for the first time.
The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse
by Lawrence Scanlan<p>Most of us know the legend of Secretariat, the tall, handsome chestnut racehorse whose string of honors runs long and rich: the only two-year-old ever to win Horse of the Year, in 1972; winner in 1973 of the Triple Crown, his times in all three races still unsurpassed; featured on the cover of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated; the only horse listed on ESPN's top fifty athletes of the twentieth century (ahead of Mickey Mantle). His final race at Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack is a touchstone memory for horse lovers everywhere. Yet while Secretariat will be remembered forever, one man, Eddie "Shorty" Sweat, who was pivotal to the great horse's success, has been all but forgotten---until now. <p>In The Horse God Built, bestselling equestrian writer Lawrence Scanlan has written a tribute to an exceptional man that is also a backroads journey to a corner of the racing world rarely visited. As a young black man growing up in South Carolina, Eddie Sweat struggled at several occupations before settling on the job he was born for---groom to North America's finest racehorses. As Secretariat's groom, loyal friend, and protector, Eddie understood the horse far better than anyone else. A wildly generous man who could read a horse with his eyes, he shared in little of the financial success or glamour of Secretariat's wins on the track, but won the heart of Big Red with his soft words and relentless devotion. <p>In Scanlan's rich narrative, we get a groom's-eye view of the racing world and the vantage of a man who spent every possible moment with the horse he loved, yet who often basked in the horse's glory from the sidelines. More than anything else, The Horse God Built is a moving portrait of the powerful bond between human and horse. </p>
The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse
by Lawrence ScanlanThis amazing and heartwarming story of Secretariat and the African-American man who knew him best is “detailed in all its equine awesomeness” (Maxim).Most of us know the legend of Secretariat: the only two-year-old ever to win Horse of the Year, in 1972; winner in 1973 of the Triple Crown, his times in all three races still unsurpassed, Yet while Secretariat will be remembered forever, one man, Eddie “Shorty” Sweat, who was pivotal to the great horse’s success, has been all but forgotten—until now.In The Horse God Built, bestselling equestrian writer Lawrence Scanlan has written a tribute to an exceptional man that is also a backroads journey to a corner of the racing world rarely visited. As a young black man growing up in South Carolina, Eddie Sweat struggled at several occupations before settling on the job he was born for—groom to North America’s finest racehorses. As Secretariat’s groom, loyal friend, and protector, Eddie understood the horse far better than anyone else. A wildly generous man who could read a horse with his eyes, he shared in little of the financial success or glamour of Secretariat’s wins on the track, but won the heart of Big Red with his soft words and relentless devotion.In Scanlan’s rich narrative, we get a groom’s-eye view of the racing world and the vantage of a man who spent every possible moment with the horse he loved, yet who often basked in the horse’s glory from the sidelines. More than anything else, The Horse God Built is a moving portrait of the powerful bond between human and horse.
The Horse Lover: A Cowboy's Quest to Save the Wild Mustangs
by H. Alan Day Lynn Wiese Sneyd Justice Sandra O'ConnorHe already owned and managed two ranches and needed a third about as much as he needed a permanent migraine: that’s what Alan Day said every time his friend pestered him about an old ranch in South Dakota. But in short order, he proudly owned 35,000 pristine grassy acres. The opportunity then dropped into his lap to establish a sanctuary for unadoptable wild horses previously warehoused by the Bureau of Land Management. After Day successfully lobbied Congress, those acres became Mustang Meadows Ranch, the first government-sponsored wild horse sanctuary established in the United States.The Horse Lover is Day’s personal history of the sanctuary’s vast enterprise, with its surprises and pleasures and its plentiful dangers, frustrations, and heartbreak. Day’s deep connection with the animals in his care is clear from the outset, as is his maverick philosophy of horse-whispering, with which he trained fifteen hundred wild horses. The Horse Lover weaves together Day’s recollections of his cowboying adventures astride some of his best horses, all of which taught him indispensable lessons about loyalty, perseverance, and hope. This heartfelt memoir reveals the Herculean task of balancing the requirements of the government with the needs of wild horses.
The Horseman's Guide to the Meaning of Life: Lessons I've Learned from Horses, Horsemen, and Other Heroes
by Steven D. Price Don BurtDon Burt believes that we can learn as much about patience, commitment, strengths and weaknesses, and goals from our horses and other horsemen as we can teach them. He has made that perception an integral part of his life and his work with horses and riders. Whether introducing a young colt to saddle and bridle, competing in or judging an entry-level horse show or a national championship, or organizing an informal trail ride or running an international organization, Burt has observed, analyzed, and applied what he has experienced or observed to other aspects of his life.Drawing from decades of familiarity with thousands of horses and horsemen, the author distills and shares this wisdom in a folksy yet insightful style in The Horseman’s Guide to the Meaning of Life. As Burt tells us in this profound and entertaining reflection on his life and craft, “the horse will tell you everything if you take the time to pay attention.” “My experience working with Skyhorse is always a positive collaboration. The editors are first-rate professionals, and my books receive top-shelf treatment. I truly appreciate our working relationship and hope it continues for years to come.” –David Fischer, author
The Hospital Always Wins: A Memoir
by Issa IbrahimIssa Ibrahim's memoir details in searing prose his development of severe mental illness leading to the accidental killing of his mother, his acquittal by reason of insanity, and his subsequent commission to a mental hospital for nearly 20 years. Raised in an idyllic creative environment, mom and dad cultivating his talent, Issa watches his family's descent into chaos in the drug-crazed late 1980s. Following his father's death, Issa, grief-stricken and vulnerable, develops a drug habit. Within two years he is addicted, psychosis prompting his belief that his mother is possessed and he must exorcise her. Issa receives the insanity plea and is committed to an insane asylum with no release date. But that is only the beginning of his odyssey. Institutional and sexual sins cause further punishments, culminating in a heated legal battle for freedom. Written with great verve and immediacy, The Hospital Always Wins paints a detailed picture of a broken mental health system, but also reveals the power of art, when nurtured in a benign environment, to provide a resource for recovery. Ultimately this is a story about survival and atonement through creativity and courage against almost insurmountable odds.
The Hospital by the River: A Story of Hope
by Catherine Hamlin John LittleIn this awe-inspiring book, Dr. Catherine Hamlin recalls her life and career in Ethiopia aiding suffering women. Her unyielding courage and solid faith will astound Christians worldwide as she shares her amazing journey.
The Hostage's Daughter: A Story of Family, Madness, and the Middle East
by Sulome AndersonIn this gripping blend of reportage, memoir, and analysis, a journalist and daughter of one of the world’s most famous hostages, Terry Anderson, takes an intimate look at her father’s captivity during the Lebanese Hostage Crisis and the ensuing political firestorm on both her family and the United States—as well as the far-reaching implications of those events on Middle Eastern politics today.In 1991, seven-year-old Sulome Anderson met her father, Terry, for the first time. While working as the Middle East bureau chief for the Associated Press covering the long and bloody civil war in Lebanon, Terry had been kidnapped in Beirut and held for more than six years by a Shiite Muslim militia associated by most with the Hezbollah movement.As the nation celebrated, the media captured a smiling Anderson family joyously reunited. But the truth was far darker. Plagued by PTSD, Terry was a moody, aloof, and distant figure to the young daughter who had long dreamed of his return—and while she smiled for the cameras all the same, she absorbed his trauma as her own. Years later, after long battles with drug abuse and mental illness, Sulome would travel to the Middle East as a reporter, seeking to understand her father, the men who had kidnapped him, and ultimately, herself. What she discovered was shocking—not just about Terry, but about the international political machinations that occurred during the years of his captivity.The Hostage’s Daughter is an intimate look at the effect of the Lebanese Hostage Crisis on Anderson’s family, the United States, and the Middle East today. Sulome tells moving stories from her experiences as a reporter in the region and challenges our understanding of global politics, the forces that spawn terrorism and especially Lebanon, the beautiful, devastated, and vitally important country she came to love. Powerful and eye-opening The Hostage’s Daughter is essential reading for anyone interested in international relations, this violent, haunted region, and America's role in its fate.
The Hot One: A Memoir of Friendship, Sex, and Murder
by Carolyn MurnickA gripping memoir of friendship with a tragic twist—two childhood best friends diverge as young adults, one woman is brutally murdered and the other is determined to uncover the truth about her wild and seductive friend.As girls growing up in rural New Jersey in the late 1980s, Ashley and Carolyn had everything in common: two outsiders who loved spending afternoons exploring the woods. Only when the girls attended different high schools did they begin to grow apart. While Carolyn struggled to fit in, Ashley quickly became a hot girl: popular, extroverted, and sexually precocious. After high school, Carolyn entered college in New York City and Ashley ended up in Los Angeles, where she quit school to work as a stripper and an escort, dating actors and older men, and experimenting with drugs. The last time Ashley visited New York, Carolyn was shocked by how the two friends had grown apart. One year later, Ashley was stabbed to death at age twenty-two in her Hollywood home. The man who may have murdered Ashley—an alleged serial killer—now faces trial in Los Angeles. Carolyn Murnick traveled across the country to cover the case and learn more about her magnetic and tragic friend. Part coming-of-age story, part true-crime mystery, The Hot One is a behind-the-scenes look at the drama of a trial and the poignancy of searching for the truth about a friend’s truly horrifying murder.
The Hot Seat: Love, War, and Cable News
by Piers MorganFrom ultimate media insider Piers Morgan, an adrenaline-fueled account of life at CNN, exclusive stories about his celebrity encounters, and details about his high-profile decision to take on the issue of gun control at its historical tipping point.When Piers Morgan arrived in the US, he was a thoughtful outsider and observer of our country--a modern-day Alexis de Tocqueville, if a limousine-chasing British tabloid editor could be called that. From rushing to the roof of the studio that filmed America's Got Talent so that he could broadcast live breaking news about the tsunami in Japan, only to rush back and judge a singing, dancing Christmas tree; from being snubbed by Bill O'Reilly, who pretended not to recognize him (despite the largest cable news marketing campaign in television history) to, moments later, consenting to take a picture with O'Reilly's daughter, who happened to be a big fan of America's Got Talent (Bill was immediately scolded by security for "photographing the talent," which is a comeuppance more artful than one could make up); from declaring in no uncertain terms that the 2011 shooting of Gabby Giffords would change American guns laws as surely as the 1996 massacres in Dunblain, Scotland, and Tasmania, Australia, had done, only to rail in disbelief the following year at the Newtown, Connecticut, massacre in 2012, and the gun lobby's insistence that it was "too soon" to discuss the problem of guns in America.The hit HBO series Newsroom posits that America needs a newsman who has a point of view, who does not suffer fools, and who does not give "equal time" to idiocy. Watching Piers Morgan, one gets the sense that he is as close to the character Will McAvoy as we have in this country presently. A scrappier version of Anderson Cooper. A thinking man's bruiser.Piers gives an adrenaline-fueled account of life at CNN and a reflective and heartfelt account of his continuing love affair with America, including his high profile participation in the gun debate. He is also happy to weave personal material on his wife and family, so you have a sense of really knowing the man.
The Hot Young Widows Club: Lessons On Survival From The Front Lines Of Grief (Ted Bks.)
by Nora McInernyHere is one important thing we all have in common: literally everyone we know and love will die. That one uplifting and crowd-pleasing fact is not enough to make it easier when it actually happens. Other bad things happen, too, and sometimes they happen in quick succession, as they did to Nora McInerny. In the span of a few weeks, thirty-something Nora lost her husband, her unborn baby, and her father. Her life fell apart. What Nora discovered was that, when you’re in these hard moments, it can feel nearly impossible to feel even a shadow of the person you once were. People will give you all sorts of advice of how to hold onto your sanity and sense of self. But how exactly? How do you find that person again? Welcome to The Hot Young Widows Club. This is not a book with all of the answers, but it is a book with some of the answers to help you navigate life’s biggest struggles. This is a book that will help you do your best when you’re faced with the worst. Not because you’re perfect, but because you care enough to try. The Hot Young Widows Club isn’t just a book for people who have lost a spouse, but a book for anyone who has gone through a major life blow and is eager to learn how to regain their sense of self. Calling from her own experiences and those of her dedicated listeners, Nora will offer wise, heartfelt, and often humorous advice to any reader navigating a painful period in their lives. Full of practical guidance, Nora will also explore how readers can educate the people around them on what to do, what to say, and how to best support. Ultimately, this book is a space for people to recognise that they aren’t alone, and to learn how to get through life’s hardest moments with grace and humour.
The Hotel Tacloban: The Explosive True Story of One American's Journey to Hell in a Japanese POW Camp
by Douglas ValentineA &“very dramatic [and] compelling&” World War II story of murder, mutiny, and a military cover-up, from the author of The Phoenix Program (The New York Times). Captured by the Japanese while on patrol in the fetid jungles of New Guinea, Douglas Valentine&’s father, who&’d enlisted in the US Army at age sixteen, was sent to a prison camp in the Philippines, where he was interned with Australian and British soldiers. The events that followed make up this &“well-told, chilling&” story of betrayal and brutality—a powerful tale of a son uncovering the traumatic events that shaped the rest of his father&’s life (Los Angeles Times Book Review). &“Not just a searing picture of life in a terrible POW camp, it is also a significant historical document about a place that the U.S. military says never existed.&” —Publishers Weekly
The Hotel on the Roof of the World: Five Years in Tibet
by Alec Le SueurFew foreigners are lucky enough to set foot on Tibetan soil, but Alec Le Sueur spent five extraordinary years there, working in the unlikeliest Holiday Inn in the world. Set against the beauty of the Himalayas, this is an amusing and enlightening account of his experiences and a fascinating insight into Tibet’s intriguing cultural background.
The Hottest Girl at Burn Camp: How to Survive a Fire and A Chaotic Upbringing (Without Losing Your Sense of Humour)
by Krystal Evans'Krystal Evans is a born writer - from the first page you know you are in the hands of someone who knows what the hell she's doing. This a wonderful book: funny, heart breaking, beautifully paced - I don't expect to read a better memoir for a very long time.' ROBERT WEBB, author of How Not To Be A Boy'Funny and heart breaking in equal measure, Krystal's cool, clear voice cuts through the noise of growing up in chaos' FERN BRADY, author of Strong Female Character'The guiltiest of literary pleasures: a memoir that you open with trepidation and stay up til 6am to finish' KATE SPICER, author of Lost Dog.'Krystal's writing is compelling, edgy and always hilarious. Hottest Girl At Burn Camp is so much more than your average comedian's memoir. Absolutely essential reading.' JOSIE LONGWhen Krystal Evans was 14, the house that she shared with her mother and little sister burned down. Narrowly escaping by breaking a window and jumping out head-first Krystal suffered burns, smoke inhalation, and the unimaginable tragedy of losing her sister. That Evans has written such a warm and disarmingly funny memoir about what led the family to that fatal night, and how they coped with its aftermath, is nothing less than astonishing.This is a spellbinding story of growing up poor in America, living with a mentally ill mother, and having a wolf for a pet (really). From the indignities of being rejected from a summer camp for burn victims, to putting up with a succession of her mom's increasingly shady friends and partners, Krystal and Katie's childhoods were marked by adult chaos, inappropriate behaviour, and never knowing what the next day would bring.But, writing with joy, skill and candour, we witness Krystal growing as a person from the ashes of disaster into the confident, funny, and (reasonably) well-hinged adult, mother and comedian that she is today.At the same time, funny, tragic and inspiring, it is the story of a family dangerously close to the edge, and of a girl struggling to make her way into adulthood, once the smoke clears.
The Hottest Girl at Burn Camp: How to Survive a Fire and A Chaotic Upbringing (Without Losing Your Sense of Humour)
by Krystal Evans'Krystal Evans is a born writer - from the first page you know you are in the hands of someone who knows what the hell she's doing. This a wonderful book: funny, heart breaking, beautifully paced - I don't expect to read a better memoir for a very long time.' ROBERT WEBB, author of How Not To Be A Boy'Funny and heart breaking in equal measure, Krystal's cool, clear voice cuts through the noise of growing up in chaos' FERN BRADY, author of Strong Female Character'The guiltiest of literary pleasures: a memoir that you open with trepidation and stay up til 6am to finish' KATE SPICER, author of Lost Dog.'Krystal's writing is compelling, edgy and always hilarious. Hottest Girl At Burn Camp is so much more than your average comedian's memoir. Absolutely essential reading.' JOSIE LONGWhen Krystal Evans was 14, the house that she shared with her mother and little sister burned down. Narrowly escaping by breaking a window and jumping out head-first Krystal suffered burns, smoke inhalation, and the unimaginable tragedy of losing her sister. That Evans has written such a warm and disarmingly funny memoir about what led the family to that fatal night, and how they coped with its aftermath, is nothing less than astonishing.This is a spellbinding story of growing up poor in America, living with a mentally ill mother, and having a wolf for a pet (really). From the indignities of being rejected from a summer camp for burn victims, to putting up with a succession of her mom's increasingly shady friends and partners, Krystal and Katie's childhoods were marked by adult chaos, inappropriate behaviour, and never knowing what the next day would bring.But, writing with joy, skill and candour, we witness Krystal growing as a person from the ashes of disaster into the confident, funny, and (reasonably) well-hinged adult, mother and comedian that she is today.At the same time, funny, tragic and inspiring, it is the story of a family dangerously close to the edge, and of a girl struggling to make her way into adulthood, once the smoke clears.
The Hounding of David Oluwale
by Kester Aspden'David Oluwale's story has a raw power...and Kester Aspden makes it relevant for the reader of today' Mishal HusainAn award-winning microhistory that examines the death of David Oluwale and institutionalised police racism in Britain.When, in May 1969, the body of David Oluwale was found in the River Aire near Leeds, few questions were asked about the circumstances of his death. Oluwale was homeless and had spent time in a psychiatric hospital, an immigrant from Nigeria who was trapped in a system that had failed him miserably.Eighteen months later a lengthy campaign of harassment by two Leeds policemen was uncovered - Oluwale became national news in Britain, and a symbol for its black community. This extraordinary book draws on original archival material only recently released to revisit one of the most chilling crimes in British history, and at the same time raises questions as relevant today as they were at the end of the sixties.Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction 2008'Aspden's painstaking research, empathetic approach and ability to weave together a vivid wider social critique show Oluwale was done a terrible disservice' Metro
The Hour of Sunlight: One Palestinian's Journey from Prisoner to Peacemaker
by Sami Al Jundi Jen MarloweAs a teenager in Palestine, Sami al Jundi had one ambition: overthrowing Israeli occupation. With two friends, he began to build a bomb to use against the police. But when it exploded prematurely, killing one of his friends, al Jundi was caught and sentenced to ten years in prison. It was in an Israeli jail that his unlikely transformation began. Al Jundi was welcomed into a highly organized, democratic community of political prisoners who required that members of their cell read, engage in political discourse on topics ranging from global revolutions to the precepts of nonviolent protest and revolution. Al Jundi left prison still determined to fight for his people’s rights-but with a very different notion of how to undertake that struggle. He cofounded the Middle East program of Seeds of Peace Center for Coexistence, which brings together Palestinian and Israeli youth. Marked by honesty and compassion for Palestinians and Israelis alike,The Hour of Sunlightilluminates the Palestinian experience through the story of one man’s struggle for peace.
The Hours After: Letters of Love and Longing in War's Aftermath
by Gerda Weissmann Klein Kurt KleinThe love letters of Gerda and Kurt Klein, revealing one of the greatest love stories ever told.Over fifty years ago, Gerda Weissmann was barely alive at the end of a 350-mile death march that took her from a slave labor camp in Germany to the Czech border. On May 7, 1945, the American military stormed the area, and the first soldier to approach Gerda was Kurt Klein. She guided him to her fellow prisoners who lay sick and dying on the ground, and quoted Goethe: "Noble be man, merciful and good." Perhaps it was her irony, her composure, her evident compassion in the face of tragedy, that struck Kurt Klein. A great love had begun. Forced to separate just weeks after liberation and hours after their engagement, Gerda and Kurt began a correspondence that lasted until their reunion and wedding in Paris a year later. Their poignant letters reflect upon the horrors of war and genocide, but above all, upon the rapture and salvation of true love.
The Hours of Richard III
by Anne F. Sutton Livia Visser-FuchsAs a person’s religious convictions, especially in times past, can be considered fundamental to their character and behaviour, the nature of King Richard III’s piety has been the subject of considerable debate. Much of this controversy has focused on the Book of Hours adopted by the king for his own private use following his coronation, and to which certain prayers, including that known as the ‘Prayer of Richard III’, were added.In The Hours of Richard III Ricardian experts Anne F. Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs explore the manuscript and the prayer’s text. The manuscript (now preserved in Lambeth Palace Library) was originally produced in London around 1420 and the text shows the preoccupations of a devout man of the fifteenth century, while its decoration showcases the development of London manuscript illumination during that period. Moreover, in this analysis of the manuscript, the authors offer an insight into the personality of Richard III, one of the most controversial figures in medieval history.
The House Baba Built: An Artist's Childhood in China
by Ed Young Libby KoponenThis book is a nostalgic picture book memoir by Ed Young, one of our most beloved children's illustrators, about his childhood in Shanghai.
The House Guests
by John D. MacdonaldThe House Guests, a classic memoir of animal companionship from John D. MacDonald, the beloved author of Cape Fear and the Travis McGee series, is now available as an eBook. A master of the noir novel turns his sharp insights and considerable narrative talents to the human-animal bond in this charming work of nonfiction. In The House Guests, John D. MacDonald tells the story of his family's unforgettable pets: tomcats Roger and Geoffrey, two mischievous boys whose zany habits and remarkable senses of humor endeared them to everyone they met, and an extraordinary goose called Knees. Both a rare peek inside MacDonald's private life and a fascinating compendium of information about the animal kingdom, The House Guests is by turns touching, hilarious, and absorbing, sure to mesmerize MacDonald fans and pet lovers alike. Features a new Introduction by Dean Koontz Praise for John D. MacDonald "The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller."--Stephen King "My favorite novelist of all time."--Dean Koontz "To diggers a thousand years from now, the works of John D. MacDonald would be a treasure on the order of the tomb of Tutankhamen."--Kurt Vonnegut "A master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer . . . John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field. Talk about the best."--Mary Higgins Clark
The House That George Built: With a Little Help from Irving, Cole, and a Crew of About Fifty
by Wilfrid SheedFrom Irving Berlin to Cy Coleman, from "Alexander's Ragtime Band" to "Big Spender," from Tin Pan Alley to the MGM soundstages, the Golden Age of the American song embodied all that was cool, sexy, and sophisticated in popular culture. For four glittering decades, geniuses like Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Harold Arlen ran their fingers over piano keys, enticing unforgettable melodies out of thin air. Critically acclaimed writer Wilfrid Sheed uncovered the legends, mingled with the greats, and gossiped with the insiders. Now he's crafted a dazzling, authoritative history of the era that "tripled the world's total supply of singable tunes." It began when immigrants in New York's Lower East Side heard black jazz and blues--and it surged into an artistic torrent nothing short of miraculous. Broke but eager, Izzy Baline transformed himself into Irving Berlin, married an heiress, and embarked on a string of hits from "Always" to "Cheek to Cheek." Berlin's spiritual godson George Gershwin, in his brief but incandescent career, straddled Tin Pan Alley and Carnegie Hall, charming everyone in his orbit. Possessed of a world-class ego, Gershwin was also generous, exciting, and utterly original. Half a century later, Gershwin love songs like "Someone to Watch Over Me," "The Man I Love," and "Love Is Here to Stay" are as tender and moving as ever. Sheed also illuminates the unique gifts of the great jazz songsters Hoagy Carmichael and Duke Ellington, conjuring up the circumstances of their creativity and bringing back the thrill of what it was like to hear "Georgia on My Mind" or "Mood Indigo" for the first time. The Golden Age of song sparked creative breakthroughs in both Broadway musicals and splashy Hollywood extravaganzas. Sheed vividly recounts how Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Jerome Kern, and Johnny Mercer spread the melodic wealth to stage and screen. Popular music was, writes Sheed, "far and away our greatest contribution to the world's art supply in the so-called American Century." Sheed hung out with some of the great artists while they were still writing-and better than anyone, he knows great music, its shimmer, bite, and exuberance. Sparkling with wit, insight, and the grace notes of wonderful songs, The House That George Built is a heartfelt, intensely personal portrait of an unforgettable era. A delightfully charming, funny, and most illuminating portrait of songwriters and the Golden Age of American Popular Song. Mr. Sheed's carefully chosen depictions and anecdotes recapture that amazingly creative period, a moment in time in which I was so fortunate to be surrounded by all that magic." -Margaret Whiting