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Monetary Policy And The Onset Of The Great Depression The Myth Of Benjamin Strong As Decisive Leader
by Mark TomaMonetary Policy and the Onset of the Great Depression challenges Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz's now consensus view that the high tide of the Federal Reserve System in the 1920s was due to the leadership skills of Benjamin Strong, head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Mons, Anzac and Kut: A British Intelligence Officer In Three Theatres Of The First World War, 1914-18
by Aubrey HerbertA brilliant British memoir from three different theatres of the First World War; widely regarded as one of the finest written during the early period after the war. Despite being badly short-sighted, the author wished to serve his country with a passion and started off his military carrier as an interpreter. However, it wasn't long before he found himself in the thick of the fighting in 1914. At the forefront, in the confused fighting around Mons as the British turned at bay, he was wounded and captured. In a throwback to earlier days of chivalry, he was exchanged for a German prisoner of equal rank and standing.Out of the frying pan and into the fire of Gallipoli, Herbert writes passionately of the experiences and suffering of his fellow Allied soldiers, but he is characteristically self-depreciating of his own heroic conduct under the shellfire. After the end of the campaign in the Dardanelles, the author was posted out to Mesopotamia as an intelligence officer, ending his military career."Fascinating, straightforward, and very well written, best on Mons and Gallipoli." - p. 120, Edward Lengel, World War I Memories, 2004, The Scarecrow Press, Lanham Maryland, Toronto, Oxford. Author - Herbert, Aubrey, 1880-1923.Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in London, E. Arnold, 1919.Original Page Count - 251 pages.Illustrations -- 4 maps.
Monster: Monsters Of Advanced Fighting Fantasy
by Steve JacksonAn account of serial killer Tom Luther that&’s &“one of the best books short of the famous Ann Rule works&” from the New York Times bestselling author (True Crime Book Reviews). On a snowy winter evening in 1982, twenty-one-year-old Mary Brown accepted a ride from a handsome stranger in the resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado. The trip ended with her brutally beaten and raped. Mary survived, but her predator&’s violence had only just begun. After ten years in prison, Tom Luther was released a far more vicious criminal. Soon, from the Rockies to West Virginia, like Ted Bundy, Luther enticed a chain of women into his murderous trap. In this gripping new edition of a true crime masterpiece, acclaimed author Steve Jackson recounts the intriguing pursuit and long-awaited conviction of a charismatic, monstrous psychopath, one who remains a suspect in three other crimes—and has never given up hope of escape.Includes sixteen pages of dramatic photosPraise for Steve Jackson &“He writes with both muscle and heart.&” —Gregg Olsen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of If You Tell &“A born storyteller. He makes you sweat . . . and turn the page.&” —Ron Franscell, national bestselling author of Alice & Gerald: A Homicidal Love Story
Monster Loyalty
by Jackie Huba"WE IDENTIFY WITH EACH OTHER. I SEE MYSELF IN MY FANS AND MY FANS SEE THEMSELVES IN ME. I CALL THEM LITTLE MONSTERS BECAUSE THEY ARE MY INSPIRATION. ” -LADY GAGA Famous for her avant-garde outfits, over-the-top performances, and addictive dance beats, Lady Gaga is one of the most successful pop musicians of all time. But behind her showmanship lies another achievement: her wildly successful strategy for attracting and keeping insanely loyal fans. She’s one of the most popular social media voices in the world with more than 33 million Twitter followers and 55 million Facebook fans. And she got there by methodically building a grassroots base of what she calls her "Little Monsters”-passionate fans who look to her not just for music but also for joy, inspiration, and a sense of community. In Monster Loyalty marketing expert Jackie Huba explores Gaga’s biography and fan philosophy and isolates the seven lessons any business can learn from her. For instance... Focus on your One Percenters: Lady Gaga is investing today in the audience she hopes to have twenty-five years from now. She spends most of her efforts on just 1 percent of her base, the highly engaged superfans who spread her message. Lead with values: Gaga stands out not just for her music but also for her message that it’s okay to be yourself and to love others for who they are. When you connect with customers beyond just providing a product or service, you create a lasting bond. Give them something to talk about: Whether she’s wearing a meat dress or delivering jaw-dropping performances, Lady Gaga knows what will get people talking. Making your business word-of-mouth-worthy cuts down on advertising costs and spreads buzz faster than anything else. Love her or hate her, you can’t ignore Lady Gaga. And while not all businesses want to stand out the way she does, any business can win big by creating monster loyalty. .
Monteagudo. Pionero y mártir de la unión americana
by Pacho O'DonnellAmbicioso, seductor, déspota, genio político, terrorista por temperamento y por sistema, pluma talentosa, demagogo exaltado, estadista de carácter, trabajador incansable, traidor y corrupto, honesto y fiel, oportunista, patriota. Esos y muchos otros juicios contradictorios ha recibido la corta vida pública del jacobino Bernardo Monteagudo. Ambicioso, seductor, déspota, genio político, terrorista por temperamento y por sistema, pluma talentosa, demagogo exaltado, estadista de carácter, trabajador incansable, traidor y corrupto, honesto y fiel, oportunista, patriota. Esos y muchos otros juicios contradictorios ha recibido la corta vida pública del jacobino Bernardo Monteagudo, desde los diecinueve años, cuando se doctoró en Chuquisaca -cuna de revolucionarios como Moreno y Castelli-, hasta los treinta y cinco, cuando una puñalada le atravesó el pecho en una preciosa noche de verano limeña. Dieciséis años intensos, fulgurantes, que lo mantuvieron, tan joven, en el centro de las grandes decisiones políticas; junto a Castelli en el Ejército del Norte; figura clave de la Asamblea del Año XIII cuando gobernaba Alvear; mano derecha insustituible de San Martín y O'Higgins durante las luchas independentistas en Chile y Perú; finalmente ladero y hombre de confianza de Bolívar en la consolidación de la victoria revolucionaria. Siempre fue pobre y fue siempre un gran escritor, revulsivo, provocador, apasionado, convincente, que aún hoy es de lectura fluida, como puede comprobarse en los textos recopilados en el Apéndice de este libro. Un colosal propagandista de las ideas y proyectos que concebía. Entre ellos, como pionero y mártir, la unión latinoamericana. La defensa innegociable de esa causa le otorgó para siempre su lugar en la Historia. Escribía Monteagudo, para el futuro, en 1812: "Nosotros estamos en nuestra aurora, la Europa toca su occidente; y si las tinieblas se apresuran a envolverla, para nosotros amanecerá un día puro y risueño; ciudades numerosas saldrán del seño de estos desiertos inmensos; nuestros buques cubrirán los mares, la abundancia reinará dentro de nuestros muros y no se verán sobre nuestros altares y en nuestros tribunales sino dos palabras: humanidad y libertad". La crítica ha dicho... «Con una prosa clara, rítmica, sin dilaciones y hasta didáctica, O'Donnell se atreve a develar todo sobre este personaje». Dolores Caviglia, La Gaceta (Tucumán)
Moondog
by Robert Scotto Philip Glass<P>The basis of a full-length documentary."Moondog is one of America's great originals."-Alan Rich, New York Magazine <P>Here is a revised edition of a book that celebrates one of the most improbable lives of the twentieth century: a blind and homeless man who became the most famous eccentric in New York and who, with enormous diligence, rose to prominence both in major label pop music recordings in addition to symphonic concerts of his compositions. <P>This edition of Moondog will soon be seen a as a feature documentary titled The Viking of 6th Avenue directed by Holly Elson and produced by Hard Working Movies.Born Louis Thomas Hardin in 1916, Moondog first made an impression in the late 1940s when he became a mascot of The New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. His unique, melodic compositions were released on the Prestige jazz label. In the late 1960s the Viking-garbed Moondog was a pop music sensation on Columbia Records. <P>Moondog's compositional style influenced his former roommate Philip Glass, whose preface appears in the book. Moondog's work transcends labels and redefines the distinction between popular and high culture. <P>A wide-ranging compilation of Moondog recordings, which includes four Madrigals played by Philip Glass, Steven Reich, Jon Gibson, and Moondog himself, are offered as free downloads for every purchaser of this biography.
The Moonlight Sonata at the Mayo Clinic
by Nora GallagherThis taut yet lyrical memoir tells of the author's experience with a baffling illness poised to take her sight, and gives a deeply felt meditation on vulnerability and on what it means to lose the faith you had and find something better. One day at the end of 2009, during a routine eye exam that Nora Gallagher nearly skipped, her doctor said, "Darn." Her right optic nerve was inflamed, the cause unknown, a condition that if left untreated would cause her to lose her sight. And so began her departure from ordinary life and her travels in what she calls Oz, the land of the sick. It looks like the world most of us inhabit, she tells us, except that "the furniture is slightly rearranged": her friends can't help her, her trusted doctors don't know what's wrong, and what faith she has left just won't cover it. After a year of searching for a diagnosis and treatment, she arrives at the Mayo Clinic and finds a whole town built around Oz.In the course of her journey, Gallagher encounters inhuman doctors, the modern medical system--in which knowledge takes fifteen years to trickle down--and the strange world that is the famous Mayo Clinic, complete with its grand piano. With unerring candor, and no sentimentality whatsoever, Gallagher describes the unexpected twists and turns of the path she took through a medical mystery and an unfathomably changing life. In doing so, she gives us a singular, luminous map of vulnerability and dark landscapes. "It's the nature of things to be vulnerable," Gallagher says. "The disorder is imagining we are not."
More Letters From Billy, By the Author of “A Sunny Subaltern”.
by Anon Billy"Further letters from the Front, continuing on from "A Sunny Subaltern, Billy's Letters from Flanders." The young Canadian officer continues his adventures, in and out of the trenches. He begins with a quick note to his mother to confirm that he was recovering well from shrapnel wounds in London. After a brief convalescence, he is back in the thick of the fighting, sending one letter to his mother postmarked "In the Field (of mud)". His naiveté of the first volume is still evident, but is beginning to wane as he becomes almost fatalist in tone toward the later part of the book. In hospital once again with appendicitis, he emotionally recounts his meetings with the many casualties with him, including those gassed and blinded. His letters are packed with the details of his service such as dug-outs, observation posts and the "dreary ditch known as 'The line.'". His letters offer a fascinating insight into the First World War at the Front.Collected and posthumously published by his mother, they make for a gripping and atmospheric read.Author -- Anon "Billy"Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in Toronto, McClelland, Goodchild and Stewart, 1917.Original Page Count - 121 pages.
More of a Man
by Robert K. Kristofferson Andrew HolmanMore of a Man presents the only known diaries of a skilled craft-worker in Victorian Canada: Andrew McIlwraith, a Scottish journeyman who migrated to North America during a tumultuous period marked by economic depression and early industrial change. McIlwraith's journals illuminate his quest to succeed financially and emotionally amidst challenging circumstances. The diaries trace his transformations, from an immigrant newcomer to a respected townsman, a wage worker to an entrepreneur, and a bachelor to a married man.Carefully edited and fully annotated by historians Andrew C. Holman and Robert B. Kristofferson, More of a Man features an introduction providing historical context for McIlwraith's life and an epilogue detailing what happened to him after the diaries end. Historians of labour, gender, and migration in the North Atlantic world will find More of a Man a valuable primary document of considerable insight and depth. All readers will find it a lively story of life in the nineteenth century.
More Scenes from the Rural Life
by Verlyn Klinkenborg Nigel PeakeVerlyn Klinkenborg's regular column, The Rural Life, is one of the most read and beloved in the New York Times. Since 1997, he has written eloquently on every aspect, large and small, of life on his upstate New York farm, including his animals, the weather and landscape, and the trials and rewards of physical labor, as well as broader issues about agriculture and land use behind farming today. Klinkenborg's pieces are admired as much for their poetic writing as for their insight: peonies are "the sheepdog of flowers," dry snow "tumbles off the angled end of the plow-blade as if each crystal were completely independent, almost charged with static electricity," and land is most valuable "for its silence,its freedom from language."
More Than Things
by Margaret RandallMore Than Things is a collection of essays on a variety of political, cultural, and literary issues, all linked by Margaret Randall’s attention to power: its use, misuse, and impact on how we live our lives. There are texts on sex, fashion, food, LGBT rights, automobiles, forgiving, women’s self-image, writing, books, and more. Two of the essays provide glimpses into present-day Cuba and Tunisia. She reflects on her family; her romantic partners; and the revolutionaries, writers, artists, and activists she has known personally and admired: Roque Dalton, Meridel LeSueur, and Haydée Santamaría. Randall’s writings move in unexpected directions, evoked by the “things” and ideas in her life: objects picked up around the world, her children’s names, family heirlooms, artistic practices, dreams, poems, and memories. Elegantly weaving together the personal and the political, More Than Things is a tour de force by one of America’s most formidable and elegiac writers and political activists.
Mosby's Raids in Civil War Northern Virginia (Civil War Sesquicentennial Series)
by William S ConneryThe fascinating life of Colonel John Singleton Mosby, the Gray Ghost, before, during, and after the Civil War. The most famous Civil War name in Northern Virginia—other than General Lee—belongs to Colonel John Singleton Mosby, the Gray Ghost. His early life characterized by abuse of childhood bullies, a less-than-outstanding academic career, and even a brief incarceration, Mosby stands out among nearly one thousand generals who served in the war. Even though Mosby was opposed to secession, he joined the Confederate army as a private in Virginia, and quickly rose through the ranks. He became celebrated for his raids that captured Union general Edwin Stoughton in Fairfax and Colonel Daniel French Dulany in Rose Hill. By 1864, he was a feared partisan guerrilla in the North and a nightmare for Union troops protecting Washington City. After the war, his support for presidential candidate Ulysses S. Grant forced Mosby to leave his native Virginia for Hong Kong as U.S. consul. A mentor to young George S. Patton, Mosby&’s military legacy extended far beyond the War Between the States and into World War II. William S. Connery brings alive the many dimensions of this American hero.
The Moth
by The Moth Catherine Burns Adam Gopnik George Dawes GreenThe first collection from celebrated storytelling phenomenon The Moth presents fifty spellbinding, soul-bearing stories selected from their extensive archive. With tales from writer Malcolm Gladwell's wedding toast gone horribly awry; legendary rapper Darryl "DMC" McDaniels' obsession with a Sarah McLachlan song; poker champion Annie Duke's two million-dollar hand; and A. E. Hotchner's death-defying stint in a bullring . . . with his friend Ernest Hemingway. Read about the panic of former Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart when he misses Air Force One after a hard night of drinking in Moscow, and Dr. George Lombardi's fight to save Mother Teresa's life. Inspired by friends telling stories on a porch, The Moth was born in small-town Georgia, garnered a cult following in New York City, and then rose to national acclaim with the wildly popular podcast and Peabody Award-winning weekly public radio show The Moth Radio Hour. A beloved read for Moth enthusiasts and all who savor well-told, hilarious, and heartbreaking stories.
Mother Daughter Me
by Katie HafnerThe complex, deeply binding relationship between mothers and daughters is brought vividly to life in Katie Hafner's remarkable memoir, an exploration of the year she and her mother, Helen, spent working through, and triumphing over, a lifetime of unresolved emotions. Dreaming of a "year in Provence" with her mother, Katie urges Helen to move to San Francisco to live with her and Zoë, Katie's teenage daughter. Katie and Zoë had become a mother-daughter team, strong enough, Katie thought, to absorb the arrival of a seventy-seven-year-old woman set in her ways. Filled with fairy-tale hope that she and her mother would become friends, and that Helen would grow close to her exceptional granddaughter, Katie embarked on an experiment in intergenerational living that she would soon discover was filled with land mines: memories of her parents' painful divorce, of her mother's drinking, of dislocating moves back and forth across the country, and of Katie's own widowhood and bumpy recovery. Helen, for her part, was also holding difficult issues at bay. How these three women from such different generations learn to navigate their challenging, turbulent, and ultimately healing journey together makes for riveting reading. By turns heartbreaking and funny--and always insightful--Katie Hafner's brave and loving book answers questions about the universal truths of family that are central to the lives of so many. Advance praise for Mother Daughter Me "This brilliant, funny, poignant, and wrenching story of three generations under one roof is quite unlike anything else I have ever read. I love Katie Hafner's prose, her humor, the images she conjures, her choices of what to tell and when, the weaving together of family threads to produce this luminous and lasting tapestry. The story lingered with me long after I read the last page."--Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone "Brilliant . . . Mother Daughter Me is a beautifully written, intimately provocative, and courageous unpeeling of the deep rhythms of love, hate, fear, and redemption in three generations of females. I love this book!"--Louann Brizendine, author of The Female Brain "An emotional whodunit that uses brilliant journalistic acumen to crack the code of old family secrets."--Madeleine Blais, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Uphill Walkers "Heartbreakingly honest . . . In a narrative that skillfully moves between her present predicament and her difficult childhood, Hafner offers a compelling portrait of her remarkable mother and their troubled relationship."--Kirkus ReviewsFrom the Hardcover edition.
A Mother's War: One Woman's Fight for the Truth Behind Her Son's Death at Deepcut
by Yvonne Collinson HeathYvonne Collinson Heath will never forget the telephone call that changed her life for ever. On 23 March 2002, her eldest son, James – a private with the Royal Logistic Corps – was found dead in mysterious circumstances at the notorious Deepcut barracks. He had a single gunshot wound to the head. It was a tragedy that to this day raises questions.A Mother’s War recounts Yvonne’s anguish at losing her son, a boy who dreamed of serving his country but died before he had even reached his 18th birthday. It is also the powerful story of an extraordinary woman who overcame adversity – including the hurt of being abandoned by her father, bullied as a child and abused by a trusted uncle – to find love and raise a son, only to see him cruelly taken from her within weeks of his joining the Army. It reveals how her decade-long quest for answers uncovered sinister secrets and a series of cover-ups that went right to the heart of Whitehall.Above all else, A Mother’s War is the story of how Yvonne’s grief triggered a search for the truth that took her to Downing Street and captured the hearts of the nation.
The Mountain: My Time on Everest
by Ed Viesturs David RobertsIn national bestseller The Mountain, world-renowned climber and bestselling author Ed Viesturs and cowriter David Roberts paint a vivid portrait of obsession, dedication, and human achievement in a true love letter to the world’s highest peak.In The Mountain, veteran world-class climber and bestselling author Ed Viesturs—the only American to have climbed all fourteen of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks—trains his sights on Mount Everest in richly detailed accounts of expeditions that are by turns personal, harrowing, deadly, and inspiring.The highest mountain on earth, Everest remains the ultimate goal for serious high-altitude climbers. Viesturs has gone on eleven expeditions to Everest, spending more than two years of his life on the mountain and reaching the summit seven times. No climber today is better poised to survey Everest’s various ascents—both personal and historic. Viesturs sheds light on the fate of Mallory and Irvine, whose 1924 disappearance just 800 feet from the summit remains one of mountaineering’s greatest mysteries, as well as the multiply tragic last days of Rob Hall and Scott Fischer in 1996, the stuff of which Into Thin Air was made.Informed by the experience of one who has truly been there, The Mountain affords a rare glimpse into that place on earth where Heraclitus’s maxim—“Character is destiny”—is proved time and again.
The Mountain Family: An Appalachian Family Of 12 -- And Their Fascinating Journey To Judaism
by Tzirel Rus Berger Penina NeimanFrom the Appalachian backwoods comes a family so amazing, a true story so incredible, and a light so bright - it will illuminate our own lives as well. When Sheryl Youngs married John Massey, she looked forward to a life based on the Biblical principles her parents, members of a small but fervently religious congregation, had instilled in her. What she didn't expect was to be making that life in a shack on a mountain in impoverished Appalachia. And she didn't expect that she would end up living on that mountain, homeschooling her ten children. And she most certainly didn't expect that somehow, incredibly, miraculously, she and her entire family would discover the truth of Judaism, the beauty of Torah - and the Jewish People the entire family would ultimately come to join. This is the story of the pastor's daughter who became a Jew, mother of ten Jews, all devoted to Torah learning and mitzvah observance. It is a story of struggle and search, of searing disappointment and unlooked for hopes, of questions asked and prayers answered. Most of all, it is the story, told in her own words, of a woman whose deep love of Torah is an inspiration to us all.
Mountain of the Dead: The Dyatlov Pass Incident
by Keith MccloskeyThe Dyatlov Pass incident resulted in nine unsolved, mysterious deaths; Keith McCloskey attempts to decipher the bizzare events that led up to that night and the subsequent aftermath In January 1959, 10 experienced young skiers set out to travel to a mountain named Mount Otorten in the far north of Russia. Otorten translates to "don't go there" in the local Mansi language. During the trip, one of the skiers fell ill and returned. The remaining nine lost their way and ended up on another mountain slope known as Kholat Syakhl, or "Mountain of the Dead. " On the night of February 1, 1959, something or someone caused the skiers to flee their tent in terror, using knives to slash their way out instead of using the entrance. When they failed to return home, search parties were sent out and their bodies were found, some with massive internal injuries but all without external marks. The autopsy report showed that the injuries were caused by "an unknown compelling force. " Subsequently, the area was sealed off for years by the authorities and the deaths and events of that night remained unexplained. Benefiting from original research carried out in Russia, this book attempts to explain what happened to the nine skiers who lost their lives in what has come to be known as the "Dyatlov Pass Incident. "
Mountains Beyond Mountains (Adapted for Young People): The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World
by Tracy Kidder Michael FrenchMeet Dr. Paul Farmer, a Harvard-educated doctor with a self-proclaimed mission to transform healthcare on a global scale. Tracy Kidder follows Farmer's quest as he focuses his attention on some of the world's most impoverished people and uses unconventional ways in which to provide healthcare, to achieve real results and save lives.<P><P> Tracy Kidder's critically acclaimed adult nonfiction work, Mountains Beyond Mountains has been adapted for young people by Michael French. In this young adult edition, readers are introduced to Dr. Paul Farmer, a Harvard-educated doctor with a self-proclaimed mission to transform healthcare on a global scale. Farmer focuses his attention on some of the world's most impoverished people and uses unconventional ways in which to provide healthcare, to achieve real results and save lives.
The Mouth That Roared: My Six Outspoken Decades in Baseball
by Dallas Green Alan MaimonFrom profanity-laced clubhouse tirades and outspoken opinions on the state of the game to tears at an emotional funeral for his murdered granddaughter, Dallas Green tells his story for the first time in this autobiography. In his nearly 60 years in baseball as a pitcher; manager of three franchises, including both New York squads, the Mets and Yankees; general manager; and executive, Dallas Green has never minced words or shied away from making enemies. Though many bristled at his gruff style, nobody could argue with the result of his leadership: as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, he led the team to a World Series championship in 1980 and as general manger of the Chicago Cubs, he pulled off one of the most lopsided trades in the history of the sport by dealing journeyman Ivan DeJesus to the Phillies in exchange for Larry Bowa and future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. This larger-than-life baseball personality shares insights from the mound, the dugout, and the front office as well as anecdotes of some of the game's biggest stars and encounters with the press, player agents, and the unions. Dallas Green also shares his feelings about his granddaughter, Christina-Taylor Green, who was shot and killed by a deranged stalker in Tucson, Arizona, during an assassination attempt on the life of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Knowing that the loss of his beloved granddaughter has irrevocably changed him, Green discusses how, in the wake of her death, baseball became a coping mechanism for him.
Movie Houses of Greater Newark (Images of America)
by Philip M. ReadFor decades, Newark and its environs have been lit up by the bright neon lights of grand movie palaces and theaters. In the early 20th century, stages that were originally built for vaudeville acts were turned over to silver screens and the flickering images from motion-picture projectors. This new technology ushered Hollywood movies to the East Coast and made cinema accessible for locals to enjoy. Movie houses and palaces provided moviegoers a new type of viewing experience. With ornate interiors and rich architecture, these institutions offered their patrons a beautiful setting to watch classic films. Over time, these establishments evolved and began hosting burlesque shows and rock concerts. Today, many of these downtown landmarks have been demolished, replaced, or adaptively renovated into the modern multiplexes of today. Images of the Paramount and the Mosque Theater help Movie Houses of Greater Newark tell the story of an era when going to the movies was an event.
Mozart
by Paul JohnsonEminent historian Paul Johnson dazzles with a rich, succinct portrait of Mozart and his music As he's done in Napoleon, Churchill, Jesus, and Darwin, acclaimed historian and author Paul Johnson here offers a concise, illuminating biography of Mozart. Johnson's focus is on the music--Mozart's wondrous output of composition and his uncanny gift for instrumentation. Liszt once said that Mozart composed more bars than a trained copyist could write in a lifetime. Mozart's gift and skill with instruments was also remarkable as he mastered all of them except the harp. For example, no sooner had the clarinet been invented and introduced than Mozart began playing and composing for it. In addition to his many insights into Mozart's music, Johnson also challenges the many myths that have followed Mozart, including those about the composer's health, wealth, religion, and relationships. Always engaging, Johnson offers readers and music lovers a superb examination of Mozart and his glorious music, which is still performed every day in concert halls and opera houses around the world.
Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood: Edie and Lew Wasserman and Their Entertainment Empire
by Kathleen SharpThe Wassermans ruled over twentieth-century Hollywood by building MCA, the world's largest talent agency, which ultimately devoured the global multibillion-dollar conglomerate, Universal Studios. Hounded by antitrust prosecutors, attacked by lesser rivals, and betrayed by their own proteges, this supremely powerful couple vanquished their enemies while extending their influence beyond Sunset Strip, into governors' mansions, Senate chambers, the White House, and international boardrooms. Lew was uber-agent to legendary stars, a pioneering TV producer, and a film mogul with a Midas touch. He was a boss to sixty-two labor unions, a diplomat, political kingmaker, and cultural statesman. His wife and champion, Edie, was the daughter of a Cleveland mob attorney, the queen of Hollywood's social A-list, and Lew's secret agent who used her cunning and charm to help him. For more than sixty years, the couple played a central role in shaping the Golden Age of TV, the glamorization of Las Vegas, and the development of the blockbuster film (Psycho, Jaws, E.T). Based on hundreds of interviews, and featuring the likes of Jimmy Stewart, Ted Kennedy, Errol Flynn, Jane Wyman, the Reagans and Clinton, this fascinating dual biography uncovers how the Wasserman's built the world's largest entertainment incorporation.
Mr. Poilu; Notes And Sketches With The Fighting French [Illustrated Edition]
by Herbert WardIllustrated with 45 pictures and vignettes many in colour.Herbert Ward was a patriotic and passionate Englishman at an unfortunate juncture in his life during the First World War, he was over 40 and would not be allowed to enlist in the British Army for service in the fields of Flanders under ordinary circumstances. However this was a minor issue when the Kaiser's German hordes advanced to within artillery range of his home in France; he at once gave over his large estate to the Red Cross and argued and created so much fuss that he was finally allowed to join the famous No. 3 Convoy of the British Ambulance Committee. He worked with at a furious rate and his work with the units, which was attached to the French army at the time, surely saved many lives of the "Poilus" that he so admired. Despite the huge burdens that work placed him under he set about recording the admirable bravery and courage of the Allied French soldiers fighting the common German foe.
"Mr. President": George Washington and the Making of the Nation's Highest Office
by Harlow Giles UngerAlthough the framers gave the president little authority, George Washington knew whatever he did would set precedents for generations of future leaders. To ensure their ability to defend the nation, he simply ignored the Constitution when he thought it necessary. In a revealing new look at the birth of American government, #147;Mr. President” describes Washington’s presidency in a time of continual crisis, as rebellion and attacks by foreign enemies threatened to destroy this new nation. Constantly weighing preservation of the Union against preservation of individual liberties and states’ rights, Washington assumed more power with each crisis. In a series of brilliant but unconstitutional maneuvers he forced Congress to cede control of the four pillars of executive power: war, finance, foreign affairs, and law enforcement. Drawing on rare documents and letters, Unger shows how Washington combined political cunning and sheer genius to seize ever-widening powers, impose law and order while ensuring individual freedom, and shape the office of President of the United States.