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Babe Ruth: His Life and Legend
by Kal WagenheimThe most famous baseball player in history, and the most enduring legend, Babe Ruth is remembered for his dramatic heroism not only on the baseball diamond but also in his life. Kal Wagenheim illustrates this larger than life athlete in his book Babe Ruth: His Life and Legends, and describes him as both a product of his childhood in Baltimore and of his formative years as a New York Yankee. Ruth struggled desperately with the dramatic contrast between the poverty of his youth and the glamour and stardom that his famed career brought him, and although his name became synonymous with wooing women and abusing alcohol, nothing could prevent him from becoming one of history&’s greatest athletes.
The Alibi Breakfast: A Novel
by Larry DubersteinEight years ago, readers were invited to accompany Maurice Locksley on his rounds, as he paid court to his wife, his ex-wife, and his mistress in dizzying succession. THE MARRIAGE HEARSE, his account of that wild winter's night, was judged "one of the funniest, smartest, and most generous novels about marriage from a male point of view." (Phyllis Rose, in The Nation) Now, eight years older in THE ALIBI BREAKFAST, Locksley is still "Laugh-out-loud funny" (Bloomsbury Review) but not nearly so cocky as he contemplates the possibility that his riches are reduced to a single woman-or is it even worse than that? Duberstein's prose is as rich, precise, and allusive as ever; the people in his "house" are as real as the people in your house (terrifying thought), and he weaves the varied strands of plot into a tale of rare depth and integrity.
AKA (Sheridan House Ser.)
by Tristan JonesIn a last-ditch stab at fortune and glory, middle-aged adventurer Bill Conan enters a 30,000-mile single-handed round-the-world race. This ultimate test of skill, strength, and endurance leads him across the treacherous Atlantic Ocean's vast expanse, where a sudden change in wind throws him off balance and sends him overboard. Alone in the still, open sea, he struggles to keep from drowning, knowing it is a fight that he will eventually lose. But Conan has stumbled into the migratory path of a bottle-nosed dolphin named Aka and his tribe. In an exhilarating encounter, he senses Conan's plight, communicates with him, and works to keep him afloat and alive. A stirring adventure tale, Aka depicts the ancient history of dolphins, their extraordinary traits and abilities, and their eternal friendship with humans.
The Beauty of the Beasts: Tales of Hollywood's Wild Animal Stars
by Ralph HelferA trainer shares true stories of famous lion, orangutan, and other animal actors that &“will hold readers enthralled&” (School Library Journal). They are major stars who do not speak a word onscreen, yet are world famous for their compelling performances. Who are they? The animal stars of the big screen, of course! In The Beauty of the Beasts, Ralph Helfer shares with the reader his love of animals and his work with some of Hollywood&’s biggest stars: Clarence the Cross‑Eyed Lion, Gentle Ben, the Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull, Clint Eastwood&’s orangutan sidekick Clyde, and many more. Helfer shares his philosophy on training these beautiful beasts to do amazing feats and maximize their acting potential without coercion. Join Ralph Helfer in his exploration of animal acting and read of his masterful use of TLC to work with these phenomenal, non‑human actors.
The Blood We Shed: A Novel of the Middle East War
by William ChristieThe United States Marine Corps is a legendary fighting force. Literally thousands of books and movies have glorified its history. But now a Marine veteran has written a novel that opens up the curtain and provides a look deep inside the modern Corps: the good, the bad, and the sometimes just plain embarrassing.Lieutenant Mike Galway takes command of his first platoon and it is not at all what he bargained for. What he anticipated was the challenge of training a unit of disciplined Marine infantrymen to go to war. Instead he finds himself responsible for a group of unruly American teenagers, for whom he has to become a combination of surrogate father, psychologist, high school principal, marriage counselor, financial advisor, conflict mediator, and drug and alcohol therapist. The results are frequently hilarious, always frustrating, and sometimes heartbreakingly tragic.While Galway learns the secrets of leadership he and his men are overtaken by the events of September 11, 2001, and the time for playing war is over. Now at the place where Marines always expect to be, the tip of the spear, the men of Echo company deploy aboard ship and race towards the Middle East. There they find themselves fighting the first battle of a war that continues to this day, in a place none of them could expect.
The Not Forgotten War
by Nicholas Dick Jr.The Not Forgotten War chronicles the experiences of Private Nicholas Dick, who served in a machine gun crew during the last few months of the Korean conflict. Those last months were among the bloodiest, as both sides fought to claim as much territory as possible prior to reaching a cease-fire agreement. For years after his discharge, Nick was never able to talk about his horrific experiences and never mentioned the frequent nightmares he suffered. After a job injury forced him to take early retirement, he suddenly found himself becoming a victim of post-traumatic stress syndrome. Here is one GI&’s story of war and its aftermath.
Rivers in the Desert: William Mulholland and the Inventing of Los Angeles
by Margaret Leslie DavisThe rise and fall of William Mulholland, and the story of L.A.&’s disastrous dam collapse: &“A dramatic saga of ambition, politics, money and betrayal&” (Los Angeles Daily News). Rivers in the Desert follows the remarkable career of William Mulholland, the visionary who engineered the rise of Los Angeles as the greatest American city west of the Mississippi. He sought to transform the sparse and barren desert into an inhabitable environment by designing the longest aqueduct in the Western Hemisphere, bringing water from the mountains to support a large city. This &“fascinating history&” chronicles Mulholland&’s dramatic ascension to wealth and fame—followed by his tragic downfall after the sudden collapse of the dam he had constructed to safeguard the water supply (Newsweek). The disaster, which killed at least five hundred people, caused his repudiation by allies, friends, and a previously adoring community. Epic in scope, Rivers in the Desert chronicles the history of Los Angeles and examines the tragic fate of the man who rescued it. &“An arresting biography of William Mulholland, the visionary Los Angeles Water Department engineer . . . [his] personal and public dramas make for gripping reading.&” —Publishers Weekly &“A fascinating look at the political maneuvering and engineering marvels that moved the City of Angels into the first rank of American cities.&” —Booklist
A Bus of Our Own
by Shawn Costello Freddi Williams EvansBased on real events, this story celebrates the spirit of the African Americans who lived in rural Mississippi in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Though they paid taxes and many owned land, they received separate and unequal public services and educational opportunities.
Houdini: The Ultimate Spellbinder
by Tom LalickiOriginally published as: SPELLBINDER: The Life of Harry Houdini.He was born Ehrich Weiss but, at an early age, he chose another name for himself. He wanted a name to suit his career of magic and entertainment and he chose a name that paid homage to one of the legendary magicians of all time: Robert Houdin. His illusions and escapes were more astonishing and more challenging than anyone had ever done before and he eclipsed the names of all other magicians as his fame reached around the world, made him famous and made him the most famous illusionist ever.Houdini disappeared through brick walls. He escaped from straitjackets and then straitjackets immersed in water. He performed escapes in public places and from jail cells in major cities--and the crowds flocked to his performances.Tom Lalicki tells Houdini's story with a fascinating mix of text and images, revealing the facts and juxtaposing them with startling images of a master entertainer performing masterfully and mysteriously, mesmerizing his audiences and mystifying experts with his skill and his invention.
A Wind from the North: The Life of Henry the Navigator
by Ernle BradfordThe captivating biography of Prince Henry of Portugal, the navigator and explorer who helped usher in the Age of Discovery. Before Columbus, Vespucci, and Sir Francis Drake, there was Henry the Navigator. Pirate hunter, intrepid explorer, and ship designer, the Portuguese prince was one of the great innovators who pioneered the Age of Discovery. In an effort to locate the mythic kingdom of Prester John, Prince Henry organized voyages into the Southern Atlantic and developed a new kind of ship, the caravel, specifically for the task. His explorations yielded riches and fame for Portugal, as well as the discovery of Madeira and the Canary Islands. Yet the scope of his contribution to the world is often overshadowed by other figures. In this expertly researched biography, Ernle Bradford brings to light the captivating tale of a pioneer who initiated an era of exploration and forever changed the course of history.
Christopher Columbus
by Ernle BradfordThe &“outstanding&” biography of the Italian navigator and explorer from the bestselling author of The Great Siege (The New York Times). Christopher Columbus, credited with discovering America in 1492, was a great explorer who forever changed the world—but his iconic image obscures a far more complex and fascinating life story. Born Cristoforo Colombo, the son of a weaver from Genoa, he renounced his father&’s trade early in life and took to sailing. Though he began in the Mediterranean, Columbus soon found employment sailing the Atlantic Ocean, where he experienced shipwreck, inclement weather, and perhaps the Norse legends of uncharted lands to the west. With the help of Florentine astronomer Paolo Toscanelli, who in turn based his theories on the works of Marco Polo, Columbus devised a plan to find a western passage to the Indies. Though he achieved something far greater—the discovery of a hemisphere previously unknown to Europeans—Columbus insisted to the end of his days that he had succeeded. In this engrossing and deeply researched biography, historian Ernle Bradford portrays Columbus&’s stubbornness and greed, as well as his genius, bravery, and masterly navigation skills.
Drake: England's Greatest Seafarer
by Ernle BradfordThe authoritative biography of British explorer Sir Francis Drake, from the bestselling author of The Great Siege. Long considered one of the great heroes of British history, Sir Francis Drake was a brilliant navigator, intrepid explorer, and fearsome warrior in Queen Elizabeth&’s Royal Navy. He was also a pirate and profiteer who made a small fortune trading slaves. In this compelling biography, Ernle Brandford offers an unvarnished and finely detailed portrait of this complex and influential man. Born to impoverished parents in Devon, Drake rose to power by his own efforts. In his most famous expedition, he sailed around South America through the Strait of Magellan, opening new trade routes for Great Britain. Continuing across the Pacific and around the tip of Africa, he became the first Englishman to sail around the world. Drake also played a key role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada when England was threatened with invasion in 1588. Vastly outnumbered, he led raids into Spanish ports, destroying dozens of ships. But while tales of his exploits have been told for generations, few authors have approached the story of his life with as much depth, authority, and honesty as Bradford.
Hannibal
by Ernle BradfordThe life of the great military commander of ancient Carthage from the bestselling author of Thermopylae and Gibraltar. Born in Carthage in 247 BC, Hannibal Barca is considered one of the greatest military commanders of all time. Following the example set by his father, Hamilcar, he dedicated his life to the defeat of Rome. At the outbreak of the Second Punic War, Hannibal famously led an army across the Pyrenees and the Alps to victory against the Romans at the Battle of Trebia. In the years that followed, Hannibal led the Carthaginian war on Rome through some of the most brutal and costly battles in recorded history. In this richly detailed biography, Ernle Bradford tells the story of a great leader whose military strategies have been studied and copied by commanders throughout history, from his own Roman enemies to Napoleon Bonaparte.
Julius Caesar: The Pursuit of Power
by Ernle BradfordThe epic life story of the Roman statesman, military commander, and dictator, from the bestselling author of Thermopylae. Born to Roman aristocracy in 100 BC, Julius Caesar became one of the most powerful men in history. He was a military genius, a fierce politician, and a brilliant writer and orator. When he formed an alliance with Pompey and Crassus, the triumvirate of officials took control of the Roman Republic. But Caesar&’s quest for power was only beginning. As proconsul, he went to war against the Gallic tribes of the north, extending Roman territory into Gaul, Belgium, Germany, and Britain. When the Gallic Wars ended, the Roman senate called on Caesar to return to private life. But rather than relinquish his title, Caesar led his legion into a civil war that would spell the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire. In this thrilling and thoroughly researched biography, Ernle Bradford cuts through the legends in order to present a truthful and nuanced portrait of a man whose pursuit of power knew no bounds.
Nelson: The Essential Hero
by Ernle BradfordA gripping biography of Admiral Nelson, Napoleonic War hero and one of Britain&’s greatest naval tacticians. In the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson sent the signal from his flagship HMS Victory, &“England expects that every man will do his duty.&” His defeat of the French that day in 1805 was a decisive turning point in the Napoleonic Wars, establishing British control of the seas. His death in that heroic battle gave those words immortal significance. For his bravery in battle and brilliance as a naval tactician, Admiral Nelson remains one of Britain&’s most inspiring heroes. In this nuanced and lively biography, Ernle Bradford presents the man behind the legend. From his youthful days in the Royal Navy to his famous battles and scandalous personal life, Horatio Nelson is shown here in all his human complexity. &“This skillful portrait . . . combines accessible naval history with a psychological examination of heroism.&” —Kirkus Reviews
The Journeying Moon: Sailing into History
by Ernle BradfordA memoir of life as an adventurer and sailor in the Mediterranean, by the noted naval historian. Ernle Bradford spent his twenty-first birthday in Egypt, serving in the Royal Navy during World War II. It was there that he came across the profoundly affecting words of Anton Chekhov: &“Life does not come again; if you have not lived during the days that were given to you, once only, then write it down as lost.&” After the war, Bradford married and settled in London, but the mandate of those words inspired him and his wife to quit their jobs, sell their home, and sail to France in their small ship Mother Goose. The Journeying Moon chronicles their adventures as they travel through Europe and the Mediterranean. From the people of Malta who believed Bradford was a spy from MI5, to his interactions with the Sicilian Mafia, Bradford tells the charming and vivid tale of his days as a true adventurer.
The Wind Off the Island: Voyage To The Playground Of The Gods
by Ernle BradfordThe bestselling author of The Journeying Moon explores the history and culture of Sicily in this colorful travel memoir. In his memoir The Journeying Moon, historian Ernle Bradford recounts the call to adventure that brought him and his wife, Janet, to a life on the sea. Continuing their adventures aboard the Mother Goose, Bradford and Janet now voyage around the island of Sicily, where the couple explores the land and learns its captivating history. Home to ancient temple ruins, charming villages, and Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe, Sicily provides the perfect backdrop for this tale of exploration and wonder. In a model travel narrative, Bradford captures the sights, sounds, and flavors of Sicily in his lively portrayal of an excursion across an ancient and extraordinary island, a part of Italy and yet a world unto itself.
China to Me: A Partial Autobiography
by Emily HahnA candid, rollicking literary travelogue from a pioneering New Yorker writer, an intrepid heroine who documented China in the years before World War II. Deemed scandalous at the time of its publication in 1944, Emily Hahn&’s now classic memoir of her years in China remains remarkable for her insights into a tumultuous period and her frankness about her personal exploits. A proud feminist and fearless traveler, she set out for China in 1935 and stayed through the early years of the Second Sino-Japanese War, wandering, carousing, living, loving—and writing. Many of the pieces in China to Me were first published as the work of a roving reporter in the New Yorker. All are shot through with riveting and humanizing detail. During her travels from Nanjing to Shanghai, Chongqing, and Hong Kong, where she lived until the Japanese invasion in 1941, Hahn embarks upon an affair with lauded Chinese poet Shao Xunmei; gets a pet gibbon and names him Mr. Mills; establishes a close bond with the women who would become the subjects of her bestselling book The Soong Sisters; battles an acquired addiction to opium; and has a child with Charles Boxer, a married British intelligence officer. In this unflinching glimpse of a vanished world, Hahn examines not so much the thorny complications of political blocs and party conflict, but the ordinary—or extraordinary—people caught up in the swells of history. At heart, China to Me is a self-portrait of a fascinating woman ahead of her time.
England to Me: A Memoir (American Autobiography Ser.)
by Emily HahnAuthor of such celebrated and acclaimed works as The Soong Sisters, China to Me, and Fractured Emerald: Ireland, Emily Hahn has been called by the New Yorker &“a forgotten American literary treasure.&” Now Hahn is reintroduced to a new generation of readers, bringing to light her richly textured voice and unique perspective on a world that continues to exist through both history and fiction.It was August 2nd, 1946, when we arrived. The war was not so long over that we had shed every reminder of it, even in New York, and the Queen Mary was still fitted up as a troopship. From this opening, Emily Hahn&’s England to Me takes readers into a world filled with uncertainty as she tries to settle into the English countryside after her harrowing years in the Far East. From Southampton to London, here is a portrait of a country in flux, and of a woman of strong insight determined to find her place in it.
Hong Kong Holiday: China To Me, Hong Kong Holiday, And England To Me
by Emily HahnAuthor of such celebrated and acclaimed works as The Soong Sisters, China to Me, and Fractured Emerald: Ireland, Emily Hahn has been called by the New Yorker &“a forgotten American literary treasure.&” Now Hahn is reintroduced to a new generation of readers, bringing to light her richly textured voice and unique perspective on a world that continues to exist through both history and fiction. In a sense, Hong Kong Holiday is a supplement to Emily Hahn&’s China to Me, marked by the illustrative anecdote and incisive wit that spotlighted the most important incidents of her life during the long months from the Japanese capture of Hong Kong until she was finally returned home on the second voyage of the exchange ship, Gripsholm. Presented here is a crystal-clear picture of the oppressed city—its life in the bazaars, beauty shops, restaurants, and dens. Among the rich and among the poor, in hospitals and in internment camps, Hong Kong Holiday is exotic, intriguing, and all too real.
No Hurry to Get Home: A Memoir (Adventura Bks.)
by Emily HahnA fascinating memoir by a free-spirited New Yorker writer, whose wanderlust led her from the Belgian Congo to Shanghai and beyond. Originally published in 1970, under the title Times and Places, this book is a collection of twenty-three of her articles from the New Yorker, published between 1937 and 1970. Well reviewed upon first publication, the book was re-published under the current title in 2000 with a foreword by Sheila McGrath, a longtime colleague of hers at the New Yorker, and an introduction by Ken Cuthbertson, author of Nobody Said Not to Go: The Life, Loves and Adventures of Emily Hahn. One of the pieces in the book starts with the line, &“Though I had always wanted to be an opium addict, I can&’t claim that as a reason why I went to China.&” Hahn was seized by a wanderlust that led her to explore nearly every corner of the world. She traveled solo to the Belgian Congo at the age of twenty-five. She was the concubine of a Chinese poet in Shanghai in the 1930s—where she did indeed become an opium addict for two years. For many years, she spent part of every year in New York City and part of her time living with her husband, Charles Boxer, in England. Through the course of these twenty-three distinct pieces, Emily Hahn gives us a glimpse of the tremendous range of her interests, the many places in the world she visited, and her extraordinary perception of the things, large and small, that are important in a life.
The Soong Sisters
by Emily Hahn&“If the story of the Soong family were told as fiction, people would say it was fascinating but too improbable. . . . A dramatic human chronicle . . . engrossing.&” —The New York Times Book Review In the early twentieth century, few women in China were to prove so important to the rise of Chinese nationalism and liberation from tradition as the three extraordinary Soong sisters—Eling, Chingling and Mayling—who would each marry historic figures. Told with wit and verve by New Yorker correspondent Emily Hahn, a remarkable woman in her own right, the biography of the Soong sisters reveals the story of China through both World Wars. It also chronicles the changes to Shanghai as they relate to a very eccentric family that had the courage to speak out against the ruling regime. Greatly influencing the history of modern China, they interacted with their government and military to protect the lives of those who could not be heard, and appealed to the West to support China during the Japanese invasion. &“[A] first-rate reportorial job on three distinguished women.&” —Kirkus Reviews &“A spirited, well-informed book . . . a fascinating saga . . . Hahn skillfully interweaves the personal material which she has collected in abundance with some indispensable background knowledge of Chinese history.&” —The Atlantic
Winter of Frozen Dreams: The Shocking True Story of Seduction, Suspicion, and Murder in Madison
by Karl HarterThe true story of Barbara Hoffman is a tale of money, men, and the Madison, Wisconsin, massage parlor where a biochemistry major turned into a murderer. On a freezing Christmas morning, a distraught young man named Gerald Davies led Madison police to Tomahawk Ridge, where they found the body of Harold Berge, naked, bloody, and beaten. Davies insisted that he hadn&’t killed the man, but that he and his fiancée had simply buried the corpse in a snowbank. The investigation confirmed that the victim had died in the apartment of Barbara Hoffman—a young woman who had dropped out of the University of Wisconsin and had worked at Jan&’s Health Studio, a local massage parlor. She and Davies, whom she met at Jan&’s, had recently become engaged. The circumstances were suspicious already. But when the police discovered that Berge was Hoffman&’s ex-lover, that he had signed over his house and an insurance policy to her—and that Davies had also made her his beneficiary—they began to suspect that Davies might also be in danger . . . The police kept him under watch, but eventually had to stop surveillance. Soon after, Davies turned up dead in his bathtub, a Valium bottle nearby, in an apparent suicide. But, an accomplished student of chemistry, Hoffman knew how tricky it could be to detect cyanide poisoning. It would take a dedicated effort by detectives to sort out the truth about the highly intelligent masseuse, her work in the shadowy local sex trade, and the real circumstances that led two of her clients to their deaths. Winter of Frozen Dreams is the full story of the case that would become a sensational televised trial and inspire a film of the same name starring Thora Birch. It&’s a &“snappy read&” by an author with a &“talent for sleuthy description and psychological insight&” (Kirkus Reviews).
EMT Rescue
by Pat IveyThese are the trying, true stories of the mobile emergency medical technicians who often are the only thing standing between any one of us and death. Author Pat Ivey uses her extensive firsthand experiences, as well as an unflinching eye for drama and detail, to bring us the unheard tales of heroism and courage of the EMT units. She takes us into a hidden world of children in need, women seeking shelter from the storm of abuse, and the realities of industrial accidents. A simple car crash turns into a Herculean effort, an epic struggle against the clock and against the odds. Tragic misfortunes that usually occur silently in everyday America and the men and women who try to heal these heart‑pounding predicaments are put reverently on stage in this heroic, honest, and compassionate compilation of true action adventures.
Doctor Rat
by William KotzwinkleWinner of the World Fantasy Award"DOCTOR RAT is dazzlingly original, witty and insanely satiric. It is also occasionally quite beautiful. Kotzwinkle's tale is a dizzying montage...from scenes of gross black humor in the experimental lab to idyllic glimpses of the animal kingdom. Designed to shock us into ecological awareness, Kotzwinkle's lab experiments are hair-raising."--Los Angeles TimesA bloodcurdling novel in the spirit of ANIMAL FARM and 1984, DOCTOR RAT is a trip through a laboratory worthy of a Nazi mad doctor, except this doctor is a wisecracking rodent who could have been played by Groucho Marx. The London Times called DOCTOR RAT, "a splendidly nutty animal Magnificat with echoes of William Blake.""Mr. Kotzwinkle is a first-rate fabulist."--The New York Times