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Showing 3261 - 3280 of 6837 items
We love animals but insult humans by calling them everything from weasels or pigs to sheep, mice, chickens, sharks, snakes,…
and bird-brains. Animal epithets, words, and phrases are so widespread we often take them for granted or remain ignorant of the fascinating stories and facts behind them. Spanning the entire animal kingdom, Holy Cow! explains: Why hot dogs are named after canines. Why people talk turkey or go cold turkey. Why curiosity killed the cat, although dogs are more curious about us. Why letting the cat out of the bag originally referred to a duped shopper. What a horse of another color is, what horsefeathers politely alludes to, why a mule is a lady’s slipper, and what horseradish has to do with horses. Why the combination of humans and cows probably led to capitalism--its name from Latin for head, as in heads of cows. Why holy cow and sacred cow have almost opposite meanings. Whether people actually chewed the fat or ate crow (and why it’s a crowbar). How a hog became a motorcycle and a chick a young woman. What happens to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. What buck has to do with being naked. Why the birds and the bees. Why a piggy bank and why one feeds the kitty. What lame ducks have to do with U. S. presidents. How red herring came about via activists opposed to fox hunting. Where snake oil, popular in the 1800s and rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, came from. That the proverbial fly in the ointment goes back to the Bible’s Ecclesiastes (10:1). How Swiss watchmakers created teensy-weensy coaches for fleas to pull in flea circuses. And much--much!--more. Don't be a lame duck and get this book!By Chris Cheng, Dustin Ellermann, Iain Harrison. 2014
Chris Cheng won the title of "Top Shot," a $100,000 cash prize, and a professional marksman contract with the show…
sponsor, Bass Pro Shops. How did a tech support guy who didn't shoot a lot of guns beat out seventeen other competitors-including seasoned military veterans, law enforcement officers, and pro marksmen-in History Channel's Top Shot season 4?An excellent guide for beginning shooters, Cheng focuses on the basics and ammunition of pistols, rifles, and shotguns, marksmanship fundamentals, and buying a firearm. Other chapters include:Dry Fire PracticeFirearm AccessoriesSafely Storing Your FirearmCleaning and Maintaining Your GunsAnd much more!Additionally, Cheng covers his approach to staying calm under pressure, teamwork, sportsmanship, and leadership. These traits contributed to his coming out on top and staying above the fray.With a foreword written by Top Shot season 3 champion Dustin Ellermann and an afterword written by the original Top Shot champion Iain Harrison, Shoot to Win is sure to please shooters of all stripes, but especially fans of History Channel's program Top Shot.By Jonathan Coe. 2013
Over a career that spanned forty-three years and seventy-seven films, Jimmy Stewart went from leading man to national idol. Classics…
such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Philadelphia Story, Harvey, and, of course, It’s A Wonderful Life are far more than mere movies; they are visions of America as it wanted to be seen. With his inimitable (though widely mimicked) down-home drawl, Jimmy Stewart came to embody the ideal American male, lean, affably sarcastic, honorable, endearingly awkward. His double takes were memorable; his way of muttering his asides charmed audiences. Most of all, he was the man whose heart was always in the right place, and who would see always see his way clear to doing the right thing. “If Bess and I had a son,” Harry Truman once said, “we’d want him to be just like Jimmy Stewart.” Jonathon Coe traces Stewart’s beginnings in a small town in Pennsylvania, his amateur dramatics and college years at Princeton, and the early films and stardom through to his heroics as an air force pilot during World War II and his triumphant return to Hollywood. Though he was adored in black and white, Stewart’s mature work shows his range as an actor, his ability to play far more than just the good-natured leading man. By the time he retired from acting, Stewart had films credits that were unparalleled—and a place in the American heart that was unrivaled. Illustrated with 150 photographs, taken on and off the set, this handsome tribute gives us the private man as well as the screen legend and guides us through the whole wonderful life of Jimmy Stewart.A New York Times Notable Book of the Year that Sir Ian McKellen called "a shocking tale of heroes and…
villains-illuminating and upsetting in equal measure.”The first production of Oscar Wilde’s Salomé in 1918, with American exotic dancer Maud Allan dancing lead, ignited a firestorm in London spearheaded by Noel Pemberton Billing, a member of Parliament and self-appointed guardian of family values. Billing attacked Allan in the right-wing newspaper Vigilante as a member of the "Cult of the Clitoris,” a feminine version of the "Cult of the Wilde,” a catchall for the degeneracy and perversion he was convinced had infected the land. He claimed that a black book was in the hands of their enemies the Germans, a book that contained the names of thousands of the British establishment who without doubt were members of the cult. Threat of exposure was costing England the war.Allan sued Billing for libel, and the ensuing trial, brought to life in this authoritative, spellbinding book, held the world in thrall. Was there or was there not a black book? What names did it contain? The trial was both hugely entertaining and deadly serious and raised specters of hysteria, homophobia, and paranoia that, like Oscar Wilde himself, continue to haunt us. As in Wilde’s own trial in 1895, libel was hardly the issue; the fight was for control over the country’s moral compass. In Oscar Wilde’s Last Stand, biographer and historian Philip Hoare gives us the full drama of the Billing trial, gavel to gavel, and brings to life this unique, bizarre, and fascinating event.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.By David Revill. 2011
Composer John Cage is often described as the most influential musician of the last half-century. He has defined - and…
continues to define - our whole concept of "avant-garde", not just in music but increasingly as writer and visual artist. "The Roaring Silence" is the first full-length biography of Cage. It documents his life in unrivalled detail, interweaving a close account of the evolution of his work with an exploration of his aesthetic, political and philosophical ideas. David Revil maintains that Cage's extraordinary productivity and versatility are best understood in the light of his inner development. His life, work and ideas have clarified, refined and reinforced one another, and thereby Cage has made himself what he is. While never assuming specialist knowledge, this book discusses all of Cage's works in depth and sets them in the context of his compositional, theoretical and personal development. Also included are the most comprehensive worklist, discography and bibliography available to date, as well as many previously unpublished photographs. The author draws judiciously on extensive library and archive material, and on exclusive interviews and conversations with Cage and many of his friends and associates. The result is a true-to-life and true-to-form appreciation of a genuine original, of interest not only to the serious researcher and the musician but to everyone interested in the cultural influences that have shaped, and are shaping 20th century thought.By Michelle Morgan. 2012
For the first time in paperback, this valuable biography by the president of Marilyn Monroe's UK fan club contains the…
most comprehensive collection of primary source material on Marilyn Monroe, covering all stages of her life. It includes seventy rare and unpublished photographs. They include locations from various periods of her life-the schools she attended as Norma Jeane, the ballroom where she danced with first husband Jim Dougherty, the street where Marilyn claimed she was attacked by an intruder, and candid shots of her on the sets of films. Morgan has also interviewed every single person accessible who knew or was related to Marilyn in any way, including the main players in her life, as well as work colleagues, and more casual acquaintances. More than fifty interviewees are featured, many who've never gone on the record before, including contacts from her orphaned childhood and early years-details of which until now have remained mysterious. Documentary sources range from the private testimony of her gynecologist, to the previously undisclosed Laurence Olivier papers relating to Marilyn's time in England. Following a series of sensationalist biographies of Marilyn Monroe in recent years, this comprehensive, meticulously researched volume brings an important, fresh perspective to the many controversies in her life, and will serve as an essential sourcebook of documentary and photographic evidence.Back in January 1995 in Los Angeles, California, a Singaporean pornstar named Annabel Chong took cultural rebellion to an extreme,…
on terms that had never been negotiated before. She was filmed having sex with a long receiving line of men, servicing them 251 times over a ten-hour period to set a new world record: The World's Biggest Gangbang. Now bestselling author Gerrie Lim, Annabel's longtime friend and confidant, revisits those events and reexamines those scenarios to shed new light on her legend, to discover why such an enduring curiosity about her exists, and to learn why she is still regarded in her own native Singapore as something akin to a mythological figure. As Lim writes, "she did this gangbang as a gender studies/liberal- progressive/feminist statement to subvert gender stereotypes, but no one got it." This book, featuring many of the author's own conversations and correspondences with Annabel over the years, is the first serious inquiry into the fascinating persona of a seldomdiscussed, yet often secretly venerated, Asian celebrity.By Kathleen Turner, Dustin Morrow. 2018
Few actors have had a career as dynamic as that Kathleen Turner's; success has followed her from the television screen…
to major blockbusters, from indie films to the theater stage. Over her forty-year career, Turner has developed an instinctual knowledge of what it takes to be a successful actor, and, in her conversations with esteemed film professor Dustin Morrow, she shares these lessons with the world. With her iconic wit on full display, Turner dazzles readers with her shrewd insights on the craft of acting and charming anecdotes from her own storied career. Touching on each of her roles, she expounds on the lessons she’s learned and describes her journey of discovery in the world of acting. An epic and intense one-on-one master class in acting from the best teacher imaginable, Kathleen Turner on Acting is a must for acting and directing students of every age, established actors and directors, filmmakers, theater pros, and artists of every stripe.By Richard Buskin, Jay Margolis. 2016
A New York Times Best Seller!Since Marilyn Monroe died among suspicious circumstances on the night of August 4, 1962, there…
have been queries and theories, allegations and investigations, but no definitive evidence about precisely what happened and who was involved . . . until now. In The Murder of Marilyn Monroe: Case Closed, renowned MM expert Jay Margolis and New York Times bestselling author Richard Buskin finally lay to rest more than fifty years of wild speculation and misguided assertions by actually naming, for the first time, the screen goddess’s killer while utilizing the testimony of eye-witnesses to exactly what took place inside her house on Fifth Helena Drive in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood.Implicating Bobby Kennedy in the commission of Marilyn’s murder, this is the first book to name the LAPD officers who accompanied the US Attorney General to her home, provide details about how the Kennedys used bribes to silence one of the ambulance drivers, and specify how the subsequent cover-up was aided by a noted pathologist’s outrageous lies. This blockbuster volume blows the lid off the world’s most notorious and talked-about celebrity death, and in the process exposes not only the truth about an iconic star’s tragic final hours, but also how a legendary American politician used powerful resources to protect what many still perceive as his untarnished reputation.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.By Kevin Liles, Samantha Marshall. 2005
Kevin Liles rose from intern to president of Def Jam Records in only nine years. Today, at age thirty-seven, he…
is executive vice president of the Warner Music Group and has helped discover and direct the careers of stars such as Jay-Z and Ludacris. Liles' meteoric climb from urban street kid with hip-hop aspirations to one of the most successful and influential executives in the music industry is far more than a rags-to-riches story. It is a tribute to Liles' incredible work ethic, wisdom and confidence in doing his thing his way -- the hip-hop way. "Every real success story in hip hop comes down to the same thing: someone who finds the will, focus and drive to achieve," Liles writes in Make It Happen: The Hip-Hop Generation Guide to Success. "It doesn't matter if you are male or female. It doesn't matter what race or religion you are. It doesn't matter what hustle you choose." What does matter, Liles says, is that you fight against the odds to realize a dream and be the best that you can be. You empower yourself and make it happen. Kevin Liles presents ten rules of business success, which range from "Find Your Will" and "The Blueprint" to "Don't Let Cash Rule" and "Play Your Position." As he outlines his philosophy, Liles shares how he put his principles to work, chronicling his journey to the top and the stories of others -- executives, artists, mentors and friends -- he has worked with along the way. Make It Happen is both an American success story and a guidebook for the road to having a career and a life you love.By Katie Pavlich, Chris Cheng. 2018
A surprising journey from tech support to professional marksman in front of the cameras.Chris Cheng won the title of "Top…
Shot,” a $100,000 cash prize, and a professional marksman contract with the show sponsor, Bass Pro Shops. How did a tech support guy who didn’t shoot a lot of guns beat out seventeen other competitors-including seasoned military veterans, law enforcement officers, and pro marksmen-in History Channel’s Top Shot season 4?An excellent guide for beginning shooters, Cheng focuses on the basics and ammunition of pistols, rifles, and shotguns, marksmanship fundamentals, and buying a firearm. Other chapters include:Dry Fire PracticeFirearm AccessoriesSafely Storing Your FirearmCleaning and Maintaining Your GunsAnd much more!Additionally, Cheng covers his approach to staying calm under pressure, teamwork, sportsmanship, and leadership. These traits contributed to his coming out on top and staying above the fray.With a foreword written by Top Shot season 3 champion Dustin Ellermann and an afterword written by the original Top Shot champion Iain Harrison, Shoot to Win is sure to please shooters of all stripes, but especially fans of History Channel’s program Top Shot.Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.By Jonathan Rosenbaum. 2018
Godard. Fuller. Rivette. Endfield. Tarr. In his celebrated career as a film critic, Jonathan Rosenbaum has undertaken wide-ranging dialogues with…
many of the most daring and important auteurs of our time. Cinematic Encounters collects more than forty years of interviews that embrace Rosenbaum's vision of film criticism as a collaboration involving multiple voices. Rosenbaum accompanies Orson Welles on a journey back to Heart of Darkness , the unmade film meant to be Welles's Hollywood debut. Jacques Tati addresses the primacy of décor and soundtrack in his comedic masterpiece PlayTime, while Jim Jarmusch explains the influence of real and Hollywoodized Native Americans in Dead Man. By arranging the chapters chronologically, Rosenbaum invites readers to pursue thematic threads as if the discussions were dialogues between separate interviews. The result is a rare gathering of filmmakers trading thoughts on art and process, on great works and false starts, and on actors and intimate moments.By Alex Kitts. 2011
No-holds-barred account of one of Britain's most gifted and creative musical talentsIn 2003, at the age of 17, Dizzee Rascal…
became an overnight name to drop when his debut album, Boy In Da Corner, beat Coldplay, Radiohead and The Darkness to the Mercury Music Prize.Dizzee was born in Nigeria, but raised by his mum in Bow, east London after the death of his father when he was two years old. Dizzee was thrown out of four schools in four years, got involved with drugs and crime. But, whilst he dropped out of most formal education, music always had a guiding influence on Dizzee. With four bestselling albums to his name, Dizzee is not only famed for pioneering grime - his style has evolved and progressed and he has become one of the biggest popstars in the UK today. Recent collaborations with artists as diverse as Arctic Monkeys and Fatboy Slim demonstrate Dizzee's vision and musical genius. Citing influences which range from old skool hip hop to jungle and heavy metal, Dizzee embodies an artist with a unique talent who's pioneering approach guarantee his longevity.By Katie Piper, Diane Piper. 2018
Whether you're only just becoming a mum for the first time or you have children who are growing up faster…
than you could have ever imagined, motherhood can feel like the most joyful and yet the most daunting of times. But you're not alone. From the moment I knew my first baby was a girl I started to plan, hope and dream. I couldn't wait to experience that special bond, but I also wondered how I'd feel about being a working mum, how I'd hold on to the person I am. I also knew that the world has changed so much since I was growing up. What advice, values and role models would help give my daughter the confidence and strength to cope with all that might come her way - and to give her an open mind and warm heart? And how would I guide her through the issues girls face today? This is my journey in motherhood: my experiences, hopes and fears - with my mum's stories of raising me, a parenting expert's advice and empowering exercises - to guide you from those first wobbly moments to being a happy, healthy mum and raising feisty, independent children who aren't afraid to be themselves - and to go for the life they want. Katie PiperFrom Mother to Daughter is about motherhood, about what you learn as a mother and the things you would tell your daughter and most of all it's Katie and Diane' Piper's celebration of the incredible power of mother-daughter relationships.By Megan Stine. 2015
Born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, Michael Jackson was definitely not a regular kid. A superstar with The…
Jackson 5 before he was eight years old, he became the King of Pop as a solo artist. Michael was a creative--yet deeply troubled--genius who always remained devoted to his art right up until his death is 2009 before a much anticipated tour. He had a pitch-perfect voice and footwork that his idol Fred Astaire admired. Who will ever forget the Moonwalk? Kids today who only know Jackson through video performances are nevertheless fascinated by him. Megan Stine provides a sensitive, fair-minded depiction of this unique music legend.By Gary W. Moore. 2011
The “thoroughly fun . . . [and] crazy good” memoir about one man’s life and how it was changed by…
the legacy of a rockabilly legend (Chicago Sun-Times). Buddy Holly, icon: black horn-rimmed glasses, blue jeans, a white T-shirt, white socks, loafers, and “Peggy Sue.” Not so much to Gary W. Moore. Admitting he “grew up in a Rock & Roll vacuum,” Gary favored jazz. He couldn’t name a single Buddy Holly song. Buddy Rich? Yes. But that changed in a single evening when Gary was dragged along to a Winter Dance Party in Cedar Falls, Iowa—a tribute to Buddy’s final, tragic 1959 tour. It was headlined by musician extraordinaire John Mueller, whose uncanny recreation of the legend was hailed by Buddy’s own brother Travis as “the best I’ve ever seen.” It took just one song to seize Gary’s heart and soul. From then on, for Gary, it was everything Buddy. In this inspiring “rock-and-rollercoaster of a read”, Moore shares his personal journey to learn more about Buddy’s life, music, his influence, his impact, and the times in which he lived (Bill Guertin, author of Reality Sells). He’d meet Buddy’s friends and family, celebrities, Buddy Holly fans, and make a new friend himself in John Mueller. The result is “as American as apple pie and as compelling as Don McLean’s legendary hit about The Day the Music Died” (James Riordan, New York Times–bestselling author).By Steve Ward. 2018
The world of the circus has a long and colorful history but it was with a man named Philip Astley…
that the modern circus was founded. It was 250 years ago, in April 1768, that Astley pegged out a circular ride on the banks of the river Thames and gave performances of trick riding to a paying audience. Trick riding was nothing new, so what made Astley so popular? He was an accomplished horseman, a military hero and an instinctive showman. Above all, he was an entrepreneur who realized that people would pay good money to be entertained and to be entertained well. He created the comic character of Billy Buttons, and other acts were added to his performances: clowns, rope dancers, tumblers and strongmen. The circus, as we might recognize it today, was born.Father of the Modern Circus Billy Buttons investigates the life and times of this veritable giant of the circus world. Standing well over 6 feet tall, with a stentorian voice and character to match, it was difficult to ignore him wherever he went. From his early days as an apprentice cabinetmaker and his military exploits in the 15th Dragoons to the trials and tribulations of establishing himself as a respected performer and his international successes in France and Ireland, this book gives a detailed account of the larger than life figure that was Philip Astley.By Derek Tait. 2018
Houdini and beyond: a historic magical mystery tour of the great showmen who inspired the likes of David Blaine, Penn…
& Teller, and Siegfried & Roy. Today, Harry Houdini stands as the most famous illusionist and escape artist in history. But from the late nineteenth century to early twentieth century, magicians and escapologists who inspired—and were inspired by—Houdini packed vaudeville houses and local theaters across the globe. The Great Illusionists reveals the careers, lives, and sometimes shocking on-stage deaths of the greatest showmen to ever wow the world. In addition to the astounding accomplishments of Houdini, marvel at the feats of Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, the “Father of Modern Conjuring”; the Davenport Brothers, music hall mediums and devotees of the Spiritualist movement; the “Dean of American Magicians” Harry Kellar; master illusionists, the Great Raymond, David Devant, the Great Lafayette, and Chung Ling Soo; the novelty performances of The Human Fly and Datas, “The Living Encyclopedia”; and many more. From vanishing acts and public seances to harrowing bullet-tricks and psychic wizardry, The Great Illusionists brings to life a unique history of entertainment.By Ian Buruma. 2018
A classic memoir of self-invention in a strange land: Ian Buruma's unflinching account of his amazing journey into the heart…
of Tokyo's underground culture as a young man in the 1970'sWhen Ian Buruma arrived in Tokyo in 1975, Japan was little more than an idea in his mind, a fantasy of a distant land. A sensitive misfit in the world of his upper middleclass youth, what he longed for wasn’t so much the exotic as the raw, unfiltered humanity he had experienced in Japanese theater performances and films, witnessed in Amsterdam and Paris. One particular theater troupe, directed by a poet of runaways, outsiders, and eccentrics, was especially alluring, more than a little frightening, and completely unforgettable. If Tokyo was anything like his plays, Buruma knew that he had to join the circus as soon as possible. Tokyo was an astonishment. Buruma found a feverish and surreal metropolis where nothing was understated—neon lights, crimson lanterns, Japanese pop, advertising jingles, and cabarets. He encountered a city in the midst of an economic boom where everything seemed new, aside from the isolated temple or shrine that had survived the firestorms and earthquakes that had levelled the city during the past century. History remained in fragments: the shapes of wounded World War II veterans in white kimonos, murky old bars that Mishima had cruised in, and the narrow alleys where street girls had once flitted. Buruma’s Tokyo, though, was a city engaged in a radical transformation. And through his adventures in the world of avant garde theater, his encounters with carnival acts, fashion photographers, and moments on-set with Akira Kurosawa, Buruma underwent a radical transformation of his own. For an outsider, unattached to the cultural burdens placed on the Japanese, this was a place to be truly free.A Tokyo Romance is a portrait of a young artist and the fantastical city that shaped him. With his signature acuity, Ian Buruma brilliantly captures the historical tensions between east and west, the cultural excitement of 1970s Tokyo, and the dilemma of the gaijin in Japanese society, free, yet always on the outside. The result is a timeless story about the desire to transgress boundaries: cultural, artistic, and sexual.By Rainn Wilson. 2015
Rainn Wilson's memoir about growing up geeky and finally finding his place in comedy, faith, and life. For nine seasons…
Rainn Wilson played Dwight Schrute, everyone's favorite work nemesis and beet farmer. Viewers of The Office fell in love with the character and grew to love the actor who played him even more. Rainn founded a website and media company, SoulPancake, that eventually became a bestselling book of the same name. He also started a hilarious Twitter feed (sample tweet: "I'm not on Facebook" is the new "I don't even own a TV") that now has more than four million followers. Now, he's ready to tell his own story and explain how he came up with his incredibly unique sense of humor and perspective on life. He explains how he grew up "bone-numbingly nerdy before there was even a modicum of cool attached to the word." The Bassoon King chronicles his journey from nerd to drama geek ("the highest rung on the vast, pimply ladder of high school losers"), his years of mild debauchery and struggles as a young actor in New York, his many adventures and insights about The Office, and finally, Wilson's achievement of success and satisfaction, both in his career and spiritually, reconnecting with the artistic and creative values of the Bahá'í faith he grew up in.From the Hardcover edition.