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Showing 41 - 60 of 4277 items
During the course of 30 days in early 2009, Richard Roeper risked more than a quarter million dollars on practically…
every method of gambling currently available in America. Chronicling his wild ride in a breezy, humorous manner, this entertaining exploration both celebrates and details the many pitfalls and lures through Roeper's stories about his lifelong affair with gambling. With insight and aplomb, the narrative answers the questions What is it like to bet money you don't have, knowing that if you lose, you're in serious trouble? What is it like to play in a poker tournament alongside celebrities and world champions? and What are the 10 best gambling movies of all time? This delightful dalliance proves that the true national pastimes aren't baseball, basketball, or football, but instead fantasy football, March Madness, poker, slots, the lottery, craps, blackjack, church raffles, and bingo.By P. F. Prestwich. 1999
In 1896 Marie Nordlinger arrived in Paris to study painting. Her cousin, Reynaldo Hahn, was becoming known as a composer…
and his friend Marcel Proust was an aspiring novelist. P.F. Prestwich recounts the relationship between these young people.By Charles Jennings. 2012
Jane Austen is a mystery. The first incontrovertibly great woman novelist, she is, among other things, one of the finest…
prose stylists in literature; the first truly modern writer, the Godmother of chick lit. She is also the greatest enigma (next to Shakespeare) in English literature. Soldiers in the First World War sat in the trenches and read them for the civilising comforts they provided. Hard-nut literary critics such as F. R. Leavis lauded their austere complexity. World Book Day, 2007, found that Pride and Prejudice was the one book 'The nation can't live without'.In this witty, accessible guide, Charles Jennings goes in search of this enigma through her words as well as her times, including a short biography, an overview of the novels, as well as the world that she inhabited. Finally, the book contains Jane's very own words of advice for the modern life.By Joan Russell Noble. 1972
A landmark study of Virginia Woolf, now back in printRecollections, anecdotes and first-hand impressions--including pieces from some of the leading…
lights of the Bloomsbury Group--are gathered together in this perceptive and profound volume. Many pieces were specially written for the original edition of this book, including work by Duncan Grant, Rebecca West, and T.S. Eliot, while perhaps its most famous piece--by a member of her household staff--movingly describes her on the day of her death. From all these reminiscences, a composite and complex portrait of the artist emerges, one that no fan of her writings should be without.By Evelyn Farr. 2017
Delve deeper into the world of the BBC hit drama series Versailles, and discover the real Marie-Antoinette in this ground-breaking…
study of her secret love affair with the Swedish diplomat Count Axel von Fersen. For the first time an historian has compiled all the known letters between Swedish count Axel von Fersen and Marie-Antoinette, including six letters never before published. With unprecedented access to French and Swedish archives, Evelyn Farr has proven beyond doubt one of history's greatest romances. Axel von Fersen was Queen Marie-Antoinette's lover and loyal counsellor who gave her political advice from 1785 to the fall of the French monarchy at the time of the French Revolution. He organized the Royal Family's escape from Paris in 1791. Evelyn Farr's revelatory work on the subject also goes some way to proving that Count Fersen was in fact the biological father of Marie Antoinette's two younger children. Farr unveils the logistics and practicalities behind the romance; the use of code and invisible ink, the role of intermediaries, secret seals, double envelopes, codenames and the location of Fersen's clandestine lodgings at Versailles. I Love You Madly is a meticulously researched and enjoyable study of a forbidden love at a time of revolution. The letters portray a rebellious and independent queen who risked everything and broke all the rules to love the man who succeeded in conquering her heart.By David Hunter. 2015
A major literary figure in pre-war Paris, Guillaume Apollinaire volunteered for war in 1914, trained as an artilleryman and was…
posted in April 1915 to the Champagne front in northern France, participating in the bloody but little-known offensive that September and then moving into the front line as an infantry officer, before being wounded in March 1916 and invalided out of active service. Back in Paris, Apollinaire plunged back into the activities of the capital's artistic avant-garde, meanwhile publishing poetry, prose and plays that were deeply influenced by his involvement in the conflict. He died on 9 November 1918, two days before the Armistice, a victim of the influenza pandemic, but with a literary reputation secured, as well as a certain fame for coining the term 'Surrealism'. This book draws heavily on Apollinaire's writings to tell the story of his war years, within the wider context of the French experience of the Great War. In this period, Apollinaire also wrote hundreds of letters, the bulk of them to two women: Louise de Coligny, a flighty socialite of aristocratic origin, and Madeleine Pagès, a young schoolteacher. In these letters he poured out his passionate feelings for both in often highly erotic poetry and prose, as well as giving detailed descriptions of his life as a front-line soldier.By Bernhard Zeller. 2008
An illustrated biography drawing on Hesse's own work and on the recollections of his family and friendsBernhard Zeller depicts Herman…
Hesse's ancestry and childhood, spent in the small German town where Hesse was born in 1877, and traces his adolescence and early manhood. He describes his relationship with his first wife, his emigration to Switzerland in protest against German militarism, his Jungian psychoanalysis, the visit to India which inspired his narrative masterpieces Siddhartha and Journey to the East, and the breakup of his marriage. Hesse's growing Iiterary reputation coincided with his brief second marriage, and with his peaceful later years in Montagnola spent in the company of his third wife, Ninon, whom he married in 1931. His stature was not fully recognized outside German-speaking countries until after his death in 1962. Zeller also recalls Hesse's circle of friends, including his famous contemporaries such as Thomas Mann and Andre Gide. This valuable documentary portrait is illustrated with photographs from Hermann Hesse's private collection. In addition, it includes a bibliography and chronology.By Frank Hilton. 2004
An acclaimed and most unusual biography of Baudelaire, showing him ensnared by his passions for poetry, prostitutes, and drugs.A crucial…
link between romanticism and modernism, Charles Baudelaire is a pivotal figure in European literature and thought. His influence on modern poetry is immense. In the English language, where his literary reputation is less well known, it is his link with drug culture that gives him contemporary resonance. It is commonly known that Baudelaire used opium. Many writers have described him as being addicted to the drug, but none of his biographers, Frank Hilton argues, has fully understood the effect of opiate addiction on the personality and, in the case of Baudelaire, the extent to which it damaged his life and work. In this original contribution to Baudelaire studies Hilton contends that the drug is at the root of all Baudelaire's problems and in particular--something that constantly tormented him--his chronic inability to apply himself to any prolonged creative work. Unquestionably, there is significantly more to Baudelaire than his opium addiction. But a proper awareness of what it did to the poet helps to illuminate those puzzling aspects of his life and behavior that were not previously understood. Written with the general reader in mind, Baudelaire in Chains will give those who know little or nothing about him a comprehensive picture of his life. To those who know a great deal it will present him in an unexpected light.By Michael Sherborne. 2010
An unlikely lothario, one of the most successful writers of his time, a figure at the heart of the age's…
political and artistic debates--H. G. Wells' life is a great story in its own right When H. G. Wells left school in 1880 at 13 he seemed destined for obscurity--yet he defied expectations, becoming one of the most famous writers in the world. He wrote classic science-fiction tales such as The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds; reinvented the Dickensian novel in Kipps and The History of Mr Polly; pioneered postmodernism in experimental fiction; and harangued his contemporaries in polemics which included two bestselling histories of the world. He brought equal energy to his outrageously promiscuous love life--a series of affairs embraced distinguished authors such as Dorothy Richardson and Rebecca West, the gun-toting travel writer Odette Keun, and Russian spy Moura Budberg. Until his death in 1946 Wells had artistic and ideological confrontations with everyone from Henry James to George Orwell, from Churchill to Stalin. He remains a controversial figure, attacked by some as a philistine, sexist, and racist, praised by others as a great writer, a prophet of globalization, and a pioneer of human rights. Setting the record straight, this authoritative biography is the first full-scale account to include material from the long-suppressed skeleton correspondence with his mistresses and illegitimate daughter.By Loren Glass. 1916
The first comprehensive and systematic study of literary celebrity in the twentieth-century United States, Authors Inc. focuses on the autobiographical…
work of Mark Twain, Jack London, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, and Norman Mailer. Through these classic American authors, Loren Glass reveals the degree to which literary modernism in the United States is inseparable from the mass cultural forces it opposed. Chronicling the emergence of literary celebrity in the late nineteenth century up through its contemporary manifestations, Glass focuses on how individual authors themselves struggled with the conditions of mass cultural renown. Furthermore, by emphasizing the complex relation between masculinity and modernist authorship in the United States, the book provides a bracing new account of the psychosexual economy of the American profession of authorship. By combining a socio-historical approach with a rhetorical analysis of the autobiographical work in which classic American writers attempted to intervene in the formation of their public personae, Authors Inc. offers a long overdue study of one of the most important, and neglected, aspects of modern American literature.By Robert Hollander, Paget Toynbee. 2005
One of the most frequently cited texts on Dante's life and writings, this invaluable study illuminates the Divine Comedy as…
well as the great Florentine poet's other works. Author Paget Toynbee was the most influential Dantean scholar of his era, and this, his most widely known work, presents an exceptional account of one of the pivotal thinkers of the early Italian Renaissance. Toynbee's meticulous attention to detail and clear analysis offer a concise account of Dante's world. Besides being a valuable reference for scholars, the book also serves as a gateway to the past for anyone interested in history or literature.Toynbee's study opens with historical background on thirteenth-century Florence, which comes alive with the rivalry between the two political parties, the Guelfs and the Ghibellines. It traces the poet's birth and ancestry; his youth, education, and military service; and his private and public life, from his condemnation and exile to his death and subsequent fame. Anecdotes about Dante's personality and character by Boccaccio and other contemporaries enliven the book, which concludes with an exploration of the Vita Nuova, the Convivio, and the Divine Comedy, as well as Dante's Latin works.By Sander Hicks, Joe Biel, Joyce Brabner. 2016
In 1996, everything about Joe Biel's life seemed like a mistake. He was 18, he lived in Cleveland, he got…
drunk every day, and he had mystery health problems and weird social tics. All his friends' lives were as bad or worse. To escape a nihilistic, apocalyptic worldview and to bring reading and documentation into a communal punk scene, he started assembling zines and bringing them in milk crates to underground punk shows. Eventually this became Microcosm Publishing. But Biel's head for math was stronger than his ability to relate to people, and it wasn't until he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome that it all began to fall into place. This is the story of how, over 20 years, one person turned a litany of continuing mistakes and seeming wrong turns into a happy, fulfilled life and a thriving publishing business that defies all odds.By Andrew Lycett. 2003
Dylan Thomas was a romantic and controversial figure; a poet who lived to excess and died young. An inventive genius…
with a gift for both lyrical phrases and impish humour, he also wrote for films and radio, and was renowned for his stage performances. He became the first literary star in the age of popular culture - a favourite of both T.S. Eliot and John Lennon. As his status as a poet and entertainer increased, so did his alcoholic binges and his sexual promiscuity, threatening to destroy his marriage to his fiery Irish wife Caitlin. As this extraordinary biography reveals, he was a man of many contradictions. But out of his tempestuous life, he produced some of the most dramatic and enduring poetry in the English language.By Catherine Texier. 1998
I will never forgive you.I will never make love with you again.I do not love you anymore.Breakup is the erotically…
charged chronicle of the tempestuous final months of an eighteen-year romantic and literary partnership, self-destructing in the aftermath of the ultimate betrayal. Fearlessly and courageously, Texier chronicles the end of that love as it is wrecked by infidelity and deceit in a literary tour de force reminiscent by turns of Marguerite Duras and Henry Miller.Texier writes in harrowing detail about the powerful sexual relationship she shared with her husband even during their breakup, how sex between them became a substitute for real intimacy, and how the fabric of a marriage (a shared cup of café au lait on a yellow table every morning, the memories of giving birth to two glorious daughters, of coediting their own literary magazine) is brutally dissolved.Breakup is unsentimental and unflinching, a journal of love's exquisite torture. Every emotion, including rage, disgust, self-pity, hatred, sympathy, and jealousy, is mined. Heartbreaking, too, is the effect of the breakup on Texier's two children who, sometimes caught in the crossfire of their parents' turmoil, are trapped as the relationship spirals out of control and their once-secure home becomes a battlefield.Ultimately, Breakup is about the risks one great passion involves. It is a journey of the heart in all its wild beating; a courageous diary of a soul laid bare, and the redemptive power of love.By Colin Thiele, Anita Mertzlin. 2002
With Dew on my Boots is a rich evocation of the childhood of Colin Thiele, who has delighted generations of…
Australian children for years. A fascinating account of what it was like to grow up at a particular time and place: the predominately German-speaking farming community of Eudunda, just north of the Barossa Valley, in the 1920s and 30s. With Dew on my Boots is instilled with Colin's characteristic warmth, humour and wisdom.Other Footprints traces moments in Colin?s life beyond the early years. During his many journeys across the length and breadth of Australia with his wife, Rhonda, he delighted in encounters with people of all ages in cities, country towns and `microscopic dots on outback maps?, as well as with wildlife and the land itself.By Penelope Green. 2007
The second book in a much loved Italian travel memoir trilogy which also includes the delightful When in Rome and…
Girl by Sea.After three years living and working in Italy, Australian journalist Penelope Green needs a reason to stick around - true love or gainful employment.When a job comes up in Naples - crime capital of Italy, home of pizza and the Camorra, and crouched at the foot of a volcano - Penny launches herself into the unknown.With her innate curiosity and eye for detail, Penny prises Naples open to show us the real city, in all its splendour... and all its depravity. She uncovers a chaotic metropolis when crime and poverty blur with abundant natural beauty, and where the shadow of Mount Vesuvius is a daily reminder that life must be lived for the moment.And when Penny meets a bass player in a local band, she thinks she might have found that other reason to stick around.'This is a bewitching, true tale of a tantalising city. Magnifico!' - Marie Claire'frank, funny and honest' - Notebook'Her down to earth tone and genuine curiosity make for an interesting and insightful read' - Sun-HeraldAuthor BiographyPenelope Green was born in Sydney and worked as a print journalist around Australia for a decade before moving to Rome in 2002. Her first book, When in Rome, recounts her early experiences in the Eternal City. In 2005 she moved to Naples to work for ANSAmed, a Mediterranean news service. She found an apartment in the city's colourful Spanish Quarter, worked hard at mastering the Neapolitan dialect, and writing her second travel memoir, See Naples and Die. Girl by Sea completes Penny's Italian experience as she moves to the idyllic island of Procida, across the bay from Capri, with her Italian partner, Alfonso. The couple have now returned to Australia, where they are making a new life for themselves back in the Southern hemisphere. For more information visit penelopegreen.com.auBy Penelope Green. 2009
The conclusion to Penelope Green's bestselling trilogy about her life in Italy that includes When in Rome and See Naples…
and DieFrom her rooftop terrace, Penelope looks out across the sparkling waters of the Bay of Naples, and into a garden of lemon trees and magnolias. Has her Italian dream come true? Imagine catching a ferry home and stepping onto a waterfront lined with multicoloured buildings, busy with fishing boats and couples strolling to their favourite café. For Penny and her Italian love Alfonso, the idyllic island of Procida can offer the life they are looking for. But first Penny has to find a way into its small community. One thing she has in common with the locals is a love of food, so she sets herself a goal - to master the Procidan cuisine and become more than just a visitor. Across kitchen tables, in bustling cafés, and over long lunches under vine-covered pergolas, Penny learns the art of Italian cooking, builds friendships, and discovers the rhythms and secrets of island life. 'It?s a lovely chronicle of the joys and pitfalls of moving to a small community... A charming concoction of love, food and life ? with recipes!' - The Australian Women?s Weekly'With her observant eye for detail, young Sydney-born journalist Penelope Green's account of her time living on the beautiful Italian island of Procida with her partner, Alfonso, is an endearing insight into a small community where life, love and food reign supreme' - Sunday Telegraph'interspersed with mouthwatering recipes and Procida is explored from a historical, cultural, architectural, social and heart-on-the-sleeve personal perspective. Delivered with a light and breezy tone, it's easy to consume' - Courier MailAuthor BiographyPenelope Green was born in Sydney and worked as a print journalist around Australia for a decade before moving to Rome in 2002. Her first book, When in Rome, recounts her early experiences in the Eternal City. In 2005 she moved to Naples to work for ANSAmed, a Mediterranean news service. She found an apartment in the city's colourful Spanish Quarter, worked hard at mastering the Neapolitan dialect, and writing her second travel memoir, See Naples and Die. Girl by Sea completes Penny's Italian experience as she moves to the idyllic island of Procida, across the bay from Capri, with her Italian partner, Alfonso. The couple have now returned to Australia, where they are making a new life for themselves back in the Southern hemisphere. For more information visit penelopegreen.com.auBy Philippe Pozzo di Borgo. 2012
Soon to be a major motion picture—The Upside—starring Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart, and Nicole Kidman.Born with wealth and privilege, Philippe…
Pozzo di Borgo was not generally someone in the habit of asking for help. Then, in 1993, right on the heels of his wife’s diagnosis of a terminal illness, a paragliding accident left him a quadriplegic. He was forty-two-years-old and unable to do anything—even feed himself—without the help of another person. Passing his days hidden behind the high walls of his townhouse, after his paralysis Philippe found himself isolated and depressed. The only person who seemed unaffected by Philippe’s condition was someone who had been marginalized his entire life—Abdel, the unemployed, outspoken Algerian immigrant who would become his unlikely caretaker. In between dramas and jokes, he sustained Philippe’s life for the next ten years. A Second Wind, the basis for the upcoming major motion picture The Upside, is the inspiring true story of two men who refused to ask for help, and then wound up helping each other.By Mark Slouka. 2016
“There comes a time in your life when the past decides to run you down,” Mark Slouka writes in this…
heartbreaking and soul-searching memoir about one man's attempt to reckon with the past. Born in Czechoslovakia, Mark Slouka’s parents survived the Nazis only to have to escape the Communist purges after the war. Smuggled out of their own country, the newlyweds joined a tide of refugees moving from Innsbruck to Sydney to New York, dragging with them a history of blood and betrayal that their son would be born into. From World War I to the present, Slouka pieces together a remarkable story of refugees and war, displacement and denial—admitting into evidence memories, dreams, stories, the lies we inherit, and the lies we tell—in an attempt to reach his mother, the enigmatic figure at the center of the labyrinth. Her story, the revelation of her life-long burden and the forty-year love affair that might have saved her, shows the way out of the maze.By Gary Lachman. 2016
Historian Gary Lachman delivers a fascinating, rollicking biography of literary and cultural rebel Colin Wilson, one of the most adventurous,…
hopeful, and least understood intellects of the past century.You will embark on the intellectual ride of a lifetime in this rediscovery of the life and work of writer, rebel, and social experimenter Colin Wilson (1931-2013).Author of the classic The Outsider, Wilson, across his 118 books, purveyed a philosophy of mind power and human potential that made him one of the least understood and most important voices of the twentieth century. Wilson helped usher in the cultural revolution of the 1960s with his landmark work, The Outsider, published in 1956. The Outsider was an intelligent, meticulous, and unprecedented study of nonconformity in all facets of life. Wilson, finally, became a prolific and unparalleled historian of the occult, providing a generation of readers with a responsible and scholarly entry point to a world of mysteries. Now, acclaimed historian Gary Lachman, a friend of Wilson and a scholar of his work, provides an extraordinary and delightful biography that delves into the life, thought, and evolution of one of the greatest intellectual rebels and underrated visionaries of the twentieth century.From the Trade Paperback edition.