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I am Not a Brain: Philosophy of Mind for the 21st Century
by Markus GabrielMany consider the nature of human consciousness to be one of the last great unsolved mysteries. Why should the light turn on, so to speak, in human beings at all? And how is the electrical storm of neurons under our skull connected with our consciousness? Is the self only our brain’s user interface, a kind of stage on which a show is performed that we cannot freely direct? In this book, philosopher Markus Gabriel challenges an increasing trend in the sciences towards neurocentrism, a notion which rests on the assumption that the self is identical to the brain. Gabriel raises serious doubts as to whether we can know ourselves in this way. In a sharp critique of this approach, he presents a new defense of the free will and provides a timely introduction to philosophical thought about the self – all with verve, humor, and surprising insights. Gabriel criticizes the scientific image of the world and takes us on an eclectic journey of self-reflection by way of such concepts as self, consciousness, and freedom, with the aid of Kant, Schopenhauer, and Nagel but also Dr. Who, The Walking Dead, and Fargo.
I am Rosa Parks (Ordinary People Change the World)
by Brad MeltzerCivil Rights leader Rosa Parks is the 3rd hero in in the New York Times bestselling picture book biography series for ages 5 to 8. (Cover may vary)Each picture book in this series is a biography of a significant historical figure, told in a simple, conversational, vivacious way, and always focusing on a character trait that made the person heroic. The heros are depicted as children throughout, telling their life stories in first-person present tense, which keeps the books playful and accessible to young children. And each book ends with a line of encouragement, a direct quote, and photos on the last page. This story focuses on Rosa Parks and how she always stood up for what's right. This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big. Included in each book are: • A timeline of key events in the hero&’s history • Photos that bring the story more fully to life • Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable • Childhood moments that influenced the hero • Facts that make great conversation-starters • A virtue this person embodies: Rosa Parks's strength is highlighted in this biography. You&’ll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series!
I am Sacagawea (Ordinary People Change the World)
by Brad MeltzerSacagawea, the only Indigenous person included in Lewis and Clark&’s historic expedition, is the 13th hero in the New York Times bestselling picture book biography series for ages 5 to 8. (Cover may vary) Sacagawea was the only girl, and the only Native American, to join Lewis and Clark&’s Corps of Discovery, which explored the United States from the Mississippi River all the way to the Pacific Ocean in the early 1800s. As a translator, she helped the team communicate with members of the Shoshone nation across the continent, carrying her child on her back the whole way. By the time the expedition arrived at the west coast, Sacagawea had proved that she truly was a trailblazer. This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big. Included in each book are: • A timeline of key events in the hero&’s history • Photos that bring the story more fully to life • Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable • Childhood moments that influenced the hero • Facts that make great conversation-starters • A virtue this person embodies: Sacagawea's courage to be a trailblazer and forge a new path is celebrated in this biography. You&’ll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series!
I am Unstoppable: A Little Book About Amelia Earhart (Ordinary People Change the World)
by Brad MeltzerThe littlest readers can learn about Amelia Earhart in this board book version of the New York Times bestselling Ordinary People Change the World biography.This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. In this new board book format, the very youngest readers can learn about one of America's icons in the series's signature lively, conversational way. The short text focuses on drawing inspiration from these iconic heroes, and includes an interactive element and factual tidbits that young kids will be able to connect with. This volume tells the story of Amelia Earhart, the famous pilot.
I am heartily ashamed: The Revolutionary War's Final Campaign as Waged from Canada in 1782
by Gavin K. WattThe second installment in Gavin K. Watt’s Revolutionary War series, I am heartily ashamed picks up where A dirty, trifling piece of business leaves off. It’s a new year with new challenges. An incredibly fierce Canadian winter was endured before raiding was resumed against the enemy’s frontiers. The rebels’ Mohawk region defence soon fell into disarray when two colonels jousted for control. Continued negotiations encouraged Vermont to not support the rebellion and the republic became a haven for loyalists escaping persecution. Vermont’s adherents even felt free to militarily challenge New York. After the poor results of Ross’s October raid, Haldimand chose to alter his strategy. For years, his native allies had sent small war parties against the frontiers and, that summer, he gave command of large projects to First Nations leaders whose methods greatly challenged the rebels. A new British ministry announced a cessation of arms in July, soon followed by peace talks. Despite the ceasefire, Washington ordered an attack on the new British post at Oswego, which failed miserably. When Haldimand discovered that the treaty’s articles threatened the security of Canada and made no provisions for the natives or loyalists, he confessed, "My soul is completely bowed down with grief I am heartily ashamed."
I am the Blues: The Willie Dixon Story
by Willie DixonI Am The Blues captures Willie Dixon's inimitable voice and character as he tells his life story: the segregation of Vicksburg, Mississippi, where Dixon grew up, the prison farm from which he escaped and then hoboed his way north as a teenager, his equal-rights-based draft refusal in 1942, his work--as songwriter, bassist, producer, and arranger--with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry which shaped the definitive Chicago blues sound of Chess Records: and his legal battles to recapture the rites to his historic catalog of songs. Don Snowden has supplemented Dixon's reflections with interviews with other performers and Chess insiders. In the Appendixes, Snowden gives a comprehensive discography and a list of the major artists who have recorded Dixon's songs.
I demà, el paradís
by Antoni VivesLa gran fabulació narrativa amb un estil pletòric i expressiu que confirma Antoni Vives com un dels millors, més agosarats i ambiciosos novel·listes catalans actuals. La colònia espanyola de Fernando Poo, a Guinea Equatorial, als anys cinquanta: una jove barcelonina, Teresa, hi acut per viure amb el seu marit, el terratinent Alberto Cirer, amb qui s’ha casat a distància. La Teresa, per fi lliure, per fi feliç. Però allà, les finors provincianes de la colònia conviuen amb la natura salvatge, la violència i l’explotació. En paral·lel, un fresc coral extraordinari del Cadaqués aïllat dels anys vint i trenta ens submergeix en les tensions latents entre les faccions del poble, empeses per les enveges personals i la presència indefugible de les bruixes. I, en un contrast colpidor, la segona part del llibre ens porta al Cadaqués dels anys seixanta, amb els estiuejants progres, l’ambient desinhibit, els artistes, les festes...
I dieci grandi generali della storia: uomini che conquistarono imperi e rivoluzionarono la guerra
by Michael Rank Paola VitaleIl ritratto dei dieci grandi condottieri che hanno fatto la storia: da Alessandro Magno al generale Lee, passando per Annibale, Cesare, Napoleone e altri, in una appassionante e documentata panoramica sulle loro imprese. E soprattutto, queste grandi figure hanno ancora qualcosa da dirci?
I doni di Julia
by Ellen Gable Daniela MastropasquaIl primo capitolo di una trilogia intitolata Grande Guerra, Grande Amore. Da piccola Julia ha iniziato a comprare regali per il futuro marito, un uomo il cui aspetto e personalità sono definite nella sua mente, un uomo al quale lei si rivolge come "il mio amato". Subito dopo gli Stati Uniti entrano nella Grande Guerra e Julia si offre impulsivamente volontaria come operatrice sanitaria, senza una vera esperienza né formazione. Scoraggiata dalla realtà della guerra, Julia abbandonerà la ricerca del suo amato? Il suo ingenuo gioco dei regali la distrarrà dal riconoscere il Vero Amore? Da Philadelphia a una Francia dilaniata dalla guerra, seguiamo Julia nel percorso che la porterà da essere una giovane ragazza mondana a una compassionevole volontaria.
I have always loved the Holy Tongue: Isaac Casaubon, the Jews, and a Forgotten Chapter in Renaissance Scholarship
by Anthony Grafton Joanna WeinbergIsaac Casaubon (1559-1614) was one of Europe’s greatest Protestant scholars during the late Renaissance and was renowned for his expert knowledge of the early history of the church. Today, however, most of Casaubon’s books remain unread, and much of his vast archive remains unexplored. Grafton and Weinberg’s close examination of his papers reveal for the first time that Casaubon’s scholarship was broader and richer than anyone has previously suspected, and they present a Casaubon not found in earlier literature: one who used Jewish materials to illuminate, and at times to transform, scholars’ understanding of of early Christianity; and one who, at the end of his life, worked with a little-known Jewish scholar in order to master parts of the Talmud, which few Christians could study on their own. Most importantly , this book shows that a Christian scholar of the European Renaissance could explore—and develop striking sympathy and affection for—the alien world and worship of the Jews.
I is for Infidel: From Holy War to Holy Terror in Afghanistan
by Kathy GannonIn early 1986 Kathy Gannon sold pretty much everything she owned (which wasn't much) to pursue her dream of becoming a foreign correspondent. She had the world to choose from: she chose Afghanistan. She went to witness the final humiliation of a superpower in terminal decline as the Soviet Union was defeated by the mujahedeen. What she didn't know then was that Afghanistan would remain her focus for the next eighteen years. Gannon, uniquely among Western journalists, witnessed Afghanistan's tragic opera: the final collapse of communism followed by bitterly feuding warlords being driven from power by an Islamicist organization called the Taliban; the subsequent arrival of Arabs and exiles, among them Osama bin Laden; and the transformation of the country into the staging post for a global jihad. Gannon observed something else as well: the terrible, unforeseen consequences of Western intervention, the ongoing suffering of ordinary Afghans, and the ability of the most corrupt and depraved of the warlords to reinvent and reinsert themselves into successive governments. I is for Infidelis the story of a country told by a writer with a uniquely intimate knowledge of its people and recent history. It will transform readers' understanding of Afghanistan, and inspire awe at the resilience of its people in the face of the monstrous warmongers we have to some extent created there.
I nemici di Dio
by RonyFerIn quel mondo saturo di divinità terrestri, sparsi per i quattro punti cardinali, i più meschini e potenti esseri si spartivano avidamente le le ricchezze fornite dalla provvidenza. Nella loro ingordigia senza limite si nutrivano del sangue di milioni di esseri. Quelle divinità temporali, selvagge, si lanciavano nelle conquiste di terre altrui. Le privavano dei propri beni e delle proprie risorse e, una volta ottenuto l'altrui bottino, facevano vanagloria del loro potere e di tutto il loro arsenale. Gli dei della guerra, di tutte le guerre, si divertivano con il loro potere distruttivo. Con la loro crudeltà senza limite si trasformarono allora in nemici di Dio.
I sentieri del destino: Prequel Story
by Christina McKnightSnobbata dalla buona società a cause delle origini barbadiane della famiglia materna, Alaya Banesworth ha passato la vita a desiderare di essere accettata. Quando il conte di Holderness la corteggia, pensa di aver trovato il vero amore. Anche se è diventata una contessa, deve affrontare la disapprovazione e il disprezzo della famiglia del marito. Solo la nascita della figlia, Katherina le può dare felicità. Ma Alaya sottovaluta la malvagità dei suoi nemici. E dovrà avere molto coraggio e determinazione per mettersi alla ricerca di Katherina, la bambina che le è stata sottratta con l'inganno. Viaggiando per la campagna inglese con una nuova identità, guidata solo dal desiderio di ritrovare la figlia, Alaya si fiderà solo del legame di sangue e dell'amore. Sarà sufficiente a percorrere i sentieri che sfidano il destino?
I sold Andy Warhol (too soon)
by Richard PolskyIn early 2005, Richard Polsky decided to put his much-loved, hard-won Warhol Fright Wig, up for auction at Christie's. The market for contemporary art was robust and he was hoping to turn a profit. His instinct seemed to be on target: his picture sold for $375,000. But if only Polsky had waited . . . Over the next two years, prices soared to unimaginable heights with multimillion-dollar deals that became the norm and not the exception. Buyers and sellers were baffled, art dealers were bypassed for auction houses, and benchmark prices proved that trees really do grow to the sky. Had the market lost all reason? InI Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon), Polsky leads the way through this explosive, short-lived period when the "art world" became the "artmarket. " He delves into the behind-the-scenes politics of auctions, the shift in power away from galleries, and the search for affordable art in a rich man's playing field. Unlike most in the art world, Polsky is not afraid to tell it like it is as he negotiates deals for clients in New York, London, and San Francisco and seeks out a replacement for his lost Fright Wig in a market that has galloped beyond his means. A compelling backdoor tell-all about the strange and fickle world of art collecting,I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon) takes an unvarnished look at how the industry shifted from art appreciation to monetary appreciation.
I'd Fight the World: A Political History of Old-Time, Hillbilly, and Country Music
by Peter La ChapelleLong before the United States had presidents from the world of movies and reality TV, we had scores of politicians with connections to country music. In I’d Fight the World, Peter La Chapelle traces the deep bonds between country music and politics, from the nineteenth-century rise of fiddler-politicians to more recent figures like Pappy O’Daniel, Roy Acuff, and Rob Quist. These performers and politicians both rode and resisted cultural waves: some advocated for the poor and dispossessed, and others voiced religious and racial anger, but they all walked the line between exploiting their celebrity and righteously taking on the world. La Chapelle vividly shows how country music campaigners have profoundly influenced the American political landscape.
I'll Always Love You (The Worthingtons)
by Ella QuinnWhen it comes to love, there’s never a dull moment in the Worthingtons’ extended family circle . . . Gerald, Earl Elliott, has finally decided to marry. Unfortunately, he seems only to fall for a lady once she is engaged to another. When his close friend, the Duke of Rothwell, asks him to look out for his sister, Lady Lucinda Hughlot, during her first London Season, Gerald is happy to oblige. After all, it will put him even more conveniently in the way of eligible ladies. Yet he’s completely oblivious to Lucinda’s growing attraction to him . . . Lucinda is thrilled to finally be having her Season. Her mother would be thrilled as well except for the scandal the late duke caused before his death. To avoid gossip, the dowager duchess has decided an arranged match will cover her chaperoning duties. Lucinda, however, is far from pleased with her mother’s choice of the Marquis of Quorndon—especially with her heart set on Lord Elliott. There is only one solution: Lucinda will find a lady for Quorndon. Then she will convince Lord Elliott of their love—and together they will convince her mother. All it will require are good theatrical skills—and a very genuine kiss . . .
I'll Be Back Right After This: My Memoir
by Pat O'BrienA New York Times Best seller!Pat O'Brien was a skinny South Dakota kid with long hair, a rock and roll band, divorced parents and an alcoholic father. In all the familiar ways, he was on the road to nowhere until a professor, who envisioned his future as the household name he would soon become, dramatically changed his life.From that day forward Pat's life took turns that were both spectacular and destructive: from the Huntley-Brinkley Report and afternoons at Bobby Kennedy's living room with Muhammad Ali to conversations with six Presidents. He did acid with Timothy Leary, drank with Mickey Mantle, and over the course of a remarkable career up close and personal with the Beatles, The Stones, The Kennedy's, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and virtually every star in Hollywood. In I'LL BE BACK RIGHT AFTER THIS, Pat reveals the highs and lows of the life of a radio and TV broadcaster, spent sharing the mic with the world's rich and famous while battling an infamous public scandal and demons that nearly killed him. With laughter, tears and miracles he reveals how he learned to accept his mistakes, find redemption and become the father he never had, proving there really are second and even third acts in life.
I'll Be Damned: How My Young and Restless Life Led Me to America's #1 Daytime Drama
by Eric BraedenEric Braeden, Emmy Award-winning star of The Young and The Restless, chronicles his amazing life as a famous actor and selfless humanitarian.For more than four decades, fans have welcomed the star of television’s number-one daytime show, The Young and the Restless, into their living rooms. While they’ve come to know and love the suave Victor Newman, few truly know the man behind the character, the supremely talented Eric Braeden. I’ll Be Damned is his story—a startling and uplifting true tale of war, deprivation, determination, fame, and social commitment that spans from Nazi Germany to modern Hollywood.Braeden’s journey from a hospital basement in Kiel to the soundstages of Los Angeles has taught him more about joy, heartbreak, fear, dignity, loss, love, loneliness, exhilaration, courage, persecution, and profound responsibility to the global community than he could have hoped to learn in several lifetimes. Growing up in the years after Germany’s World War II defeat, Braeden knew very little about the atrocities of his parents’ generation, until he arrived in America as a teenager—a discovery that horrified and transformed him. Trying to redress the wrongs of his homeland, he has dedicated his life to humanitarian work—even forming the German American Culture Society—working for decades to show the world that what we share as humans is far more important than what separates us from one another.Told with openness, candor, humor, heart, and occasional raw vulnerability, I’ll Be Damned reveals a man committed to making the world a better, more loving place, and is an inspiring testament to the goodness within us all.Includes Photographs
I'll Be Home for Christmas
by Dawn StewardsonHer Dead Husband Called......saying he was the culprit who'd snatched Ali Weyden's son from Santa's lap. Little Robbie was safe. He'd be returned in time for Christmas-as soon as Ali got the bank to release the hefty insurance settlement she'd received upon her husband's falsified death.Ali's dead husband was alive, her son was missing and her mind was reeling. She turned to the one man she could almost trust-the single dad next door, crime writer Logan Reed.Logan's strong arms comforted, his lips reassured...and while his razor-sharp mind pieced together the puzzle, Ali began to love again. But the stakes were raised: her deceased husband was found dead-again. And her son was still missing....
I'll Be Seeing You
by Loretta Nyhan Suzanne Hayes"I hope this letter gets to you quickly. We are always waiting, aren't we? Perhaps the greatest gift this war has given us is the anticipation..."It's January 1943 when Rita Vincenzo receives her first letter from Glory Whitehall. Glory is an effervescent young mother, impulsive and free as a bird. Rita is a sensible professor's wife with a love of gardening and a generous, old soul. Glory comes from New England society; Rita lives in Iowa, trying to make ends meet. They have nothing in common except one powerful bond: the men they love are fighting in a war a world away from home.Brought together by an unlikely twist of fate, Glory and Rita begin a remarkable correspondence. The friendship forged by their letters allows them to survive the loneliness and uncertainty of waiting on the home front, and gives them the courage to face the battles raging in their very own backyards. Connected across the country by the lifeline of the written word, each woman finds her life profoundly altered by the other's unwavering support.A collaboration of two authors whose own beautiful story mirrors that on the page, I'll Be Seeing You is a deeply moving union of style and charm. Filled with unforgettable characters and grace, it is a timeless celebration of friendship and the strength and solidarity of women.
I'll Be Seeing You: A spellbinding and emotional wartime novel of love and secrets
by Margaret MayhewAn enthralling novel of love and secrets from the Second World War, perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Fiona Valpy.READERS ARE LOVING I'LL BE SEEING YOU!"I consider Margaret Mayhew to be an exceptional author and this is one of her best offerings!" - 5 STARS"Exceptional story kept me enthralled until the end. I loved the way this book was written." - 5 STARS"This is the first book I have read by Margaret Meyhew. It won't be the last." - 5 STARS"Absolutely loved this story, so much so I just stayed up all night reading it , desperate to see how it unfolded, yet hating seeing it come to an end. So well written and researched." - 5 STARS*********************************WHAT IF EVERYTHING YOU BELIEVED TURNED OUT TO BE A LIE?1992: When Juliet Porter's mother dies, she leaves her some old letters and a photograph which shatter everything Juliet thought she knew about her upbringing. Discovering her real father was an American bomber pilot who met her mother while serving in England during the Second World War, she sets out to trace him...1944: Daisy, Juliet's mother, is in the WAAF and plans to marry the American bomber pilot she has fallen deeply in love with once his tour is over. But one day he is shot down over France and posted missing, presumed dead. Pregnant and grieving, she marries Vernon - a long term admirer - only to discover at the end of the war that her pilot has survived...
I'll Be Seeing You: Code Talker Chronicles (Code Talker Chronicles #1)
by Eileen CharbonneauLuke Kayenta and his childhood friend Nantai Riggs are young shepherds of the Navajo reservation in Arizona. They volunteer for an experiment: to come up with an uncrackable code based on their language to be used by the US as it enters World War II. They fly into New York to join the spy agency the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). While on the airfield, Luke catches sight of a young woman. He is first enchanted, then heartsick when he finds that Kitty Charante is the devoted wife of his Canadian RAF pilot and instructor in espionage. Their paths will cross again.
I'll Be Watching
by Pamela PorterShortlisted for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize In a small prairie town like Argue, Saskatchewan, everyone knows everybody else’s business. Everyone knows that the Loney family has been barely hanging on -- the father, George, reduced to drink and despair since the loss of his farm and the death of his wife, Margaret. That the four Loney children do not get along with George’s second wife, the pious, bitter Effie. Then George dies in a drunken stupor -- locked out, it seems, by Effie to freeze to death on his own doorstep. Effie takes off with a traveling Bible salesman, and it looks as though the children are done for. Who’s to save them when everyone is coping with their own problems -- the lingering depression and the loss of the town’s young men to the Second World War. Yet somehow the children find a way, under the watchful eye of their ghostly parents and through the small kindnesses of a few neighbors, but mostly by dint of their own determination and ingenuity. This is an extremely powerful novel about children at risk because of adult hypocrisy, indifference, self-interest and outright immorality, all cloaked in a self-righteous exterior. In the end they redeem their own lives by drawing good people to them and by rising to the occasion themselves. And when they at last are able to leave Argue, they do so together, as a family looking ahead to a future of promise and hope.
I'll Be Your Sweetheart: A heart-warming saga of mothers, daughters and best friends (Molly and Nellie series, Book 8)
by Joan JonkerWhile Molly and Nellie play detective, for Molly's youngest, there's also a party to plan and a boy to impress... Joan Jonker brings us another instalment of her hugely popular Molly and Nellie series in I'll Be Your Sweetheart, as the two friends get up to more mischief in their beloved Liverpool. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Anne Baker. Not a day goes by without Molly Bennett and Nellie McDonough counting their blessings. But when an elderly neighbour, Flora Parker, is robbed of her most treasured possession, and left without a penny to her name, the two friends jump at the chance of setting their detecting skills in motion. Meanwhile, Molly's youngest daughter, Ruthie, and her best friend, Bella, are making plans for their joint sixteenth birthday party. Ruthie is determined to look glamorous, a real knock out, to catch the eye of a certain boy for whom she's got more than a soft spot. What readers are saying about I'll Be Your Sweetheart: 'This is another excellent read from Joan Jonker. We are back with her most popular characters Molly and Nellie, and as usual, you feel right at the centre of the action. Once again Molly and Nellie are called on to help a neighbour and there's lots of fun and laughter before things reach the feel-good conclusion I've come to expect from Joan. First class as usual!'
I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise: A Life of Bunny Mellon
by Mac Griswold“I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise is like an exquisite string of pearls: the perfect balance of elegance, style, design, and beauty. This book is inspiring, spirited, and totally absorbing.” —Diane von FurstenbergThe story of Bunny Mellon, the great landscape and interior designer, becomes a revelatory exploration of extreme wealth in the American century. Bunny Mellon, whose life was marked by astonishing good fortune as well as tragedy and scandal, remains a singular figure in the annals of American design. She had her finger on the pulse of American culture and possessed a rare, once-in-a-generation sense of style and grace. Her most celebrated work—the White House Rose Garden, designed during the presidency of John F. Kennedy—demonstrated how formal restraint and the sparing use of color could be deployed to maximal effect. Later, her understated landscape design for the Kennedy grave site at Arlington National Cemetery changed the face of American public memorials.Mellon was a famously private person, and many of her greatest achievements remained concealed from public view. Her rarely seen gardens and domestic interiors at eight different properties on three continents became legends and models. At Oak Spring Farm in Virginia, the bibliographic riches of her Garden Library were twinned with the expansive flowering gardens lying below the Edward Larrabee Barnes–designed building. At her home on Nantucket, she pruned back the landscape to reveal the elemental forms of nature. Mellon also ranked as one of the great art collectors of her era, encouraging her husband Paul to use his family’s vast wealth to acquire hundreds of nineteenth-century French paintings, many of which were donated to the National Gallery of Art. Her own tastes ranged from Mark Rothko to Richard Diebenkorn—in quantity.In I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise, Mac Griswold—who knew Mellon personally—delves into her subject’s closely guarded personal archives to construct an unrivaled portrait of a woman as complex and multifaceted as the gardens and homes on which she left her mark. Mellon tested the anodyne 1950s model of woman-as-wife-as-mother by getting a divorce, admitting candidly to her first husband that she wanted a richer one. She imperiously traded old friends for new and ultimately used her reputation, her connections, and above all her money to help fund John Edwards’s short-lived presidential campaign. She led an American version of a royal court that, over the years, included Jackie Kennedy, Hubert de Givenchy, and I. M. Pei.How Mellon’s character, style, and taste developed together to produce her greatest accomplishments—private and public—is the real subject of this biography.