It is the most famous military installation in the world. Andit doesn't exist. Located a mere seventy-five miles outside of LasVegas in Nevada's desert, the base has never been acknowledged bythe U.S. government-but Area 51 has captivated imaginations fordecades. Myths and hypotheses about Area 51 have long abounded, thanks tothe intense secrecy enveloping it. Some claim it is home to aliens,underground tunnel systems, and nuclear facilities. Others believethat the lunar landing itself was filmed there. The prevalence ofthese rumors stems from the fact that no credible insider has everdivulged the truth about his time inside the base. Until now. Annie Jacobsen had exclusive access to nineteen men who servedthe base proudly and secretly for decades and are now aged 75-92,and unprecedented access to fifty-five additional military andintelligence personnel, scientists, pilots, and engineers linked tothe secret base, thirty-two of whom lived and worked there forextended periods. In Area 51, Jac

From the moment these two legendary players took the court onopposing sides, they engaged in a fierce physical and psychologicalbattle. In Celtic green was Larry Bird, the hick from French Lick,with laser-beam focus, relentless determination, and a deadly jumpshot, a player who demanded excellence from everyone around him andwhose caustic wit left opponents quaking in their high-tops. MagicJohnson was Mr. Showtime, a magnetic personality with all the rightmoves. Young, indomitable, he was a pied piper in purple and gold.And he burned with an inextinguishable desire to win. Their uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize themost thrilling rivalry in the NBA—East vs. West, physical vs.finesse, old school vs. Showtime, even white vs. black. Each pushedthe other to greatness, and together Bird and Johnson collectedeight NBA Championships and six MVP awards, helping to save afloundering NBA. At the start they were bitter rivals, but alongthe way they became lifelong friends.

Karen Wynn Fonstad's THE ATLAS OF MIDDLE-EARTH is an essentialvolume that will enchant all Tolkien fans. Here is the definitiveguide to the geography of Middle-earth, from its founding in theElder Days through the Third Age, including the journeys of Bilbo,Frodo, and the Fellowship of the Ring. Authentic and updated --nearly one third of the maps are new, and the text is fully revised-- the atlas illuminates the enchanted world created in THESILMARILLION, THE HOBBIT, and THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Hundreds oftwo-color maps and diagrams survey the journeys of the principalcharacters day by day -- including all the battles and keylocations of the First, Second, and Third Ages. Plans andde*ions of castles, buildings, and distinctive landforms aregiven, along with thematic maps describing the climate, vegetation,languages, and population distribution of Middle-earth throughoutits history. An extensive appendix and an index help readerscorrelate the maps with Tolkien's novels.

The last decades of the nineteenth century were a violent periodin China's history, marked by humiliating foreign incursions anddomestic rebellions and ending in the demise of the Ch'ing Dynasty.The only constant during this tumultuous time was the power wieldedby one woman, the resilient, ever-resourceful Tsu Hsi -- or EmpressOrchid, as readers came to know her in Anchee Min's criticallyacclaimed, best-selling novel covering her rise to power. The LastEmpress is the story of Orchid's dramatic transition from astrong-willed, instinctive young woman to a wise and politicallysavvy leader who ruled China for more than four decades. In thisconcluding volume Min gives us a compelling, very human leader whoassumed power reluctantly and sacrificed all to protect those sheloved and an empire that was doomed to die.

Together in one extraordinary boxed set- "Naked in Death,""Glory in Death," and "Immortal in Death"-the first three In Deathnovels featuring New York Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas. Naked inDeath Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant using herinstincts to hunt for a ruthless killer. Breaking every rule, Evegets involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire-and a suspect inEve's murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rulesall their own. Glory in Death Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas has noproblem finding connections between two violent crimes. Bothvictims were beautiful and highly successful women whose intimaterelations with men of great power and wealth provide Eve with along list of suspects-including her own lover, Roarke. Immortal inDeath A top model is dead, the victim of a brutal murder. PoliceLieutenant Eve Dallas puts her professional life on the line totake the case when suspicion falls on her best friend, the otherwoman in a fatal love triangle. And beneath the facade of glamour,Ev

Doc Ebersole lives with the ghost of Hank Williams—not just inthe figurative sense, not just because he was one of the lastpeople to see him alive, and not just because he is rumored to havegiven Hank the final morphine dose that killed him. In 1963, ten years after Hank's death, Doc himself is wracked byaddiction. Having lost his license to practice medicine, hismorphine habit isn't as easy to support as it used to be. So helives in a rented room in the red-light district on the south sideof San Antonio, performing abortions and patching up the odd knifeor gunshot wound. But when Graciela, a young Mexican immigrant,appears in the neighborhood in search of Doc's services, miraculousthings begin to happen. Graciela sustains a wound on her wrist thatnever heals, yet she heals others with the touch of her hand.Everyone she meets is transformed for the better, except, maybe,for Hank's angry ghost—who isn't at all pleased to see Doc doingwell. A brilliant excavation of an obscure piece of m

WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT is an incredibly exciting debut from anextraordinary new voice in fiction. Spanning four decades, from1968 onwards, this is the story of a fabulous but flawed family andthe slew of ordinary and extraordinary incidents that shape theireveryday lives. It is a story about childhood and growing up, lossof innocence, eccentricity, familial ties and friendships, love andlife. Stripped down to its bare bones, it's about the unbreakablebond between a brother and sister.

This is a unique tribute to Florence, combining history,artistic de*ion, and social observation. A memorable portraitof the Florentine spirit and of those figures who exemplify thisspirit, such as Dante, Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Donatello, andMachiavelli.

In the form of warm, relaxed letters to a close friend, Lewismeditates on many puzzling questions concerning the intimatedialogue between man and God. Lewis also considers practical andmetaphysical aspects of private prayer, petitionary prayer, theLords Prayer, and other forms of prayer. A beautifully executed anddeeply moving book (Saturday Review).

In this compelling first novel, Kerouac draws on his New Englandmill-town boyhood to create the world of George and MargueriteMartin and their eight children, each endowed with an energy and avision of life.

In Dark Star Safari the wittily observant and endearinglyirascible Paul Theroux takes readers the length of Africa byrattletrap bus, dugout canoe, cattle truck, armed convoy, ferry,and train. In the course of his epic and enlightening journey, heendures danger, delay, and dismaying circumstances. Gauging the state of affairs, he talks to Africans, aid workers,missionaries, and tourists. What results is an insightfulmeditation on the history, politics, and beauty of Africa and itspeople, and "a vivid portrayal of the secret sweetness, the hiddenvitality, and the long-patient hope that lies just beneath thesurface" (Rocky Mountain News). In a new post*, Therouxrecounts the dramatic events of a return to Africa to visitZimbabwe.

Vicki Forman gave birth to Evan and Ellie, weighing just a poundat birth, at twenty-three weeks gestation. During the delivery shebegged the doctors to "let her babies go" she knew all too wellthat at twenty-three weeks they could very well die and, if theysurvived, they would face a high risk of permanent disabilities.However, California law demanded resuscitation. Her daughter diedjust four days later; her son survived and was indeed multiplydisabled: blind, nonverbal, and dependent on a feeding tube. ThisLovely Life tells, with brilliant intensity, of what became of theForman family after the birth of the twins the harrowing medicalinterventions and ethical considerations involving the sanctity oflife and death. In the end, the longdelayed first steps of afive-year-old child will seem like the fist-pumping stuff of atriumph narrative. Formans intelligent voice gives a sensitive,nuanced rendering of her guilt, her anger, and her eventualacceptance in this portrait of a mothers fierce love for herchildren.

1855: The Industrial Revolution is in full and inexorable swing,powered by steam-driven cybernetic Engines. Charles Babbageperfects his Analytical Engine and the computer age arrives acentury ahead of its time. And three extraordinary charactersrace toward a rendezvous with history—and the future: Sybil Gerard —a fallen woman, politician’s tart, daughter ofa Luddite agitator Edward “Leviathan” Mallory —explorer and paleontologist Laurence Oliphant —diplomat, mystic, and spy. Their adventure begins with the discovery of a box of punchedEngine cards of unknown origin and purpose. Cards someonewants badly enough to kill for…. Part detective story, part historical thriller, The DifferenceEngine is the collaborative masterpiece by two of the mostacclaimed science fiction authors writing today. Provocative,compelling, intensely imagined, it is a startling extension ofGibson’s and Sterling’s unique visions—and the beginning ofmovement we know today as “steampunk!” From the Paperb

This superb Pulitzer Prize-winning collection gives voice tofailure with a wry, deft touch from one of this country's mostengaging and uncompromising poets. In "Failure, "Philip Schultzevokes the pleasures of family, marriage, beaches, and dogs; NewYork City in the 1970s; revolutions both interior and exterior; andthe terrors of 9/11 with a compassion that demonstrates he is amaster of the bittersweet and fierce, the wondrous and direct, andthe brilliantly provocative. Filled with poems of "heartbreakingtenderness that go] beyond mere pity" (Gerald Stern), "Failure "isa collection to savor from this major American poet.

“Philip Roth has become an American Master,a writercertainlyin出e upper rank of artistic achievement．1ikeJohn Coltrane in musicor Jackson Pollock in artThe prolific Roth is athe height of hisconsiderablepowers，and his work transcends much of hiscontem—poraries’output in psychological insight，pure intelli—genceand even readability,”

Love blooms in the second novel in Nora Roberts's celebratedBride Quartet series. As little girls MacKensie, Emma, Laurel, andParker spent hours acting out their perfect make believe "I do"moments. Years later their fantasies become reality when they starttheir own wedding planning company to make every woman's dream daycome true. With perfect flowers, delicious desserts, and joyfulmoments captured on film, Nora Roberts's Bride Quartet shares eachwoman's emotionally magical journey to romance. "In Bed of Roses,"florist Emma Grant is finding career success with her friends atVows wedding planning company, and her love life appears to bethriving. Though men swarm around her, she still hasn't found Mr.Right. And the last place she's looking is right under her nose.But that's just where Jack Cooke is. He's so close to the women ofVows that he's practically family, but the architect has begun toadmit to himself that his feelings for Emma have developed intomuch more than friendship. When Emma returns his pa

In 1925, four-year-old Michael Tolkien lost his beloved toydog on the beach. To console him, his father, J.R.R. Tolkien,improvised a story about Rover, a real dog who is magicallytransformed into a toy and is forced to seek out the wizard whowronged him in order to be returned to normal. This charming tale,peopled by a sand-sorcerer and a terrible dragon, by the king ofthe sea and the Man-in-the-Moon, endured several drafts over theyears. Now, more than seventy years later, the adventures of Roverare published for the first time. Rich in wit and wordplay,Roverandom is edited and introduced by Christina Scull and Wayne G.Hammond and illustrated with Tolkien's own delightful drawings.