With the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the riffs, thelyrics and the songs that roused the world, and over four decadeshe lived the original rock and roll life: taking the chances hewanted, speaking his mind, and making it all work in a way that noone before him had ever done. Now, at last, the man himself tellsus the story of life in the crossfire hurricane. And what a life.Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records as achild in post-war Kent. Learning guitar and forming a band withMick Jagger and Brian Jones. The Rolling Stones' first fame andsuccess as a bad-boy band. The notorious Redlands drug bust andsubsequent series of confrontations with a nervous establishmentthat led to his enduring image as outlaw and folk hero. Creatingimmortal riffs such as the ones in 'Jumping Jack Flash' and 'StreetFighting Man' and 'Honky Tonk Women'. Falling in love with AnitaPallenberg and the death of Brian Jones. Tax exile in France,wildfire tours of the US, 'Exile on Main Street' and 'So

The private letters of Truman Capote, lovingly assembled herefor the first time by acclaimed Capote biographer Gerald Clarke,provide an intimate, unvarnished portrait of one of the twentiethcentury’s most colorful and fascinating literary figures. Capote was an inveterate letter writer. He wrote letters as hespoke: emphatically, spontaneously, and passionately. Spanning morethan four decades, his letters are the closest thing we have to aCapote autobiography, showing us the uncannily self-possessed na?fwho jumped headlong into the post—World War II New York literaryscene; the more mature Capote of the 1950s; the Capote of the early1960s, immersed in the research and writing of In Cold Blood; andCapote later in life, as things seemed to be unraveling. Withcameos by a veritable who’s who of twentieth century glitterati,Too Brief a Treat shines a spotlight on the life and times of anincomparable American writer.

In an engaging book that sweeps from the Gilded Age to the1960s, award-winning author Laura Claridge presents the firstauthoritative biography of Emily Post, who changed the mindset ofmillions of Americans with Etiquette, a perennial bestseller andtouchstone of proper behavior. A daughter of high society and one of Manhattan’s mostsought-after debutantes, Emily Price married financier Edwin Post.It was a hopeful union that ended in scandalous divorce. But thetrauma forced Emily Post to become her own person. After writingnovels for fifteen years, Emily took on a different sort ofproject. When it debuted in 1922, Etiquette represented afifty-year-old woman at her wisest–and a country at its wildest.Claridge addresses the secret of Etiquette’s tremendous success andgives us a panoramic view of the culture from which it took itsshape, as its author meticulously updated her book twice a decadeto keep it consistent with America’s constantly changing sociallandscape. Now, nearly fifty years aft

The first dual biography of two of the world’s most remarkablewomen—Elizabeth I of England and Mary Queen of Scots—by one ofBritain’s “best biographers” ( The Sunday Times ). In a rich and riveting narrative, Jane Dunn reveals theextraordinary rivalry between the regal cousins. It is the story oftwo queens ruling on one island, each with a claim to the throne ofEngland, each embodying dramatically opposing qualities ofcharacter, ideals of womanliness (and views of sexuality) anddivinely ordained kingship. As regnant queens in an overwhelmingly masculine world, they weredeplored for their femaleness, compared unfavorably with each otherand courted by the same men. By placing their dynamic andever-changing relationship at the center of the book, Dunnilluminates their differences. Elizabeth, inheriting a weak,divided country coveted by all the Catholic monarchs of Europe, isrevolutionary in her insistence on ruling alone and inspired in heruse of celibacy as a political tool—yet also possessed of

In a brilliant combination of biography, literary criticism,and history, The Bronté Myth shows how Charlotte, Emily, and AnneBronté became cultural icons whose ever-changing reputationsreflected the obsessions of various eras. When literary London learned that Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heightshad been written by young rural spinsters, the Brontés instantlybecame as famous as their shockingly passionate books. Soon aftertheir deaths, their first biographer spun the sisters into apicturesque myth of family tragedies and Yorkshire moors. Eversince, these enigmatic figures have tempted generations ofreaders–Victorian, Freudian, feminist–to reinterpret them, castingthem as everything from domestic saints to sex-starved hysterics.In her bewitching “metabiography,” Lucasta Miller follows thetwists and turns of the phenomenon of Bront-mania and rescues thesethree fiercely original geniuses from the distortions oflegend.

“Christopher Hogwood came home on my lap in a shoebox. He wasa creature who would prove in many ways to be more human than Iam.” –from The Good Good Pig A naturalist who spent months at a time living on her own amongwild creatures in remote jungles, Sy Montgomery had always feltmore comfortable with animals than with people. So she gladlyopened her heart to a sick piglet who had been crowded away fromnourishing meals by his stronger siblings. Yet Sy had no inklingthat this piglet, later named Christopher Hogwood, would not onlysurvive but flourish–and she soon found herself engaged with hersmall-town community in ways she had never dreamed possible.Unexpectedly, Christopher provided this peripatetic traveler withsomething she had sought all her life: an anchor (eventuallyweighing 750 pounds) to family and home. The Good Good Pig celebrates Christopher Hogwood in all hisglory, from his inauspicious infancy to hog heaven in rural NewHampshire, where his boundless zest for life a

Michael Jackson was the undisputed King of Pop and his untimely death has provoked tributes from around the world. With a colourful life spanning from 1968 when Michael was a member of the Jackson 5 to his recent announcement of a final comeback tour at the O2 in London, nobody can dispute the achievements of the man who was arguably the greatest artist of the millenium. This fully illustrated book offers an insightful tribute to the man behind Thriller, the world's best selling album of all time. Including sections on Michael's early life and the Jackson 5, the making of Off the Wall and Thriller, and the troubled years leading right up to his announcement of a comeback tour, this will be a comprehensive and fitting tribute to a legendary pop star, the likes of which the world will never be seen again.

Filled with keen observations,autobiographical notes, and the seeds of many of Maugham's greatestworks, A Writer's Notebook is a unique and exhilarating lookinto a great writer's mind at work. From nearly five decades, Somerset Maugham recorded anintimate journal. In it we see the budding of his incomparablevision and his remarkable career as a writer. Covering the yearsfrom his time as a youthful medical student in London to a seasonedworld traveler around the world, it is playful, sharp witted, andalways revealing. Undoubtedly one of his most significant works, A Writer's Notebook is a must for Maugham fans and anyoneinterested in the creative process.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom is the monumentalwork that assured T.E. Lawrence's place in history as "Lawrence ofArabia." Not only a consummate military history, but also acolorful epic and a lyrical exploration of the mind of a great man,this is one of the indisputable classics of 20th century Englishliterature. Line drawings throughout.

An inspiring story of one doctor’s struggle in a war-tornvillage in the heart of Sudan In 2007, James Maskalyk, newly recruited byDoctors Without Borders, set out for the contested border town ofAbyei, Sudan. An emergency physician drawn to the ravaged parts ofthe world, Maskalyk spent six months treating malnourishedchildren, coping with a measles epidemic, watching for war, andstruggling to meet overwhelming needs with few resources. Six Months in Sudan began as a blog thatMaskalyk wrote from his hut in Sudan in an attempt to bring hisfamily and friends closer to his experiences on the medical frontline of one of the poorest and most fragile places on earth. It isthe story of the doctors, nurses, and countless volunteers wholeave their homes behind to ease the suffering of others, and it isthe story of the people of Abyei, who endure its hardship becauseit is the only home they have. A memoir of volunteerism that recalls Three Cupsof Tea, Six Months in Sudan is written with humanity, convicti

The long-awaited autobiography of the guitarist,songwriter, singer, and founding member of the Rolling Stones.Ladies and gentlemen: Keith Richards. With The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created thesongs that roused the world, and he lived the original rock androll life. Now, at last, the man himself tells his story of life in thecrossfire hurricane. Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and MuddyWaters records, learning guitar and forming a band with Mick Jaggerand Brian Jones. The Rolling Stones's first fame and the notoriousdrug busts that led to his enduring image as an outlaw folk hero.Creating immortal riffs like the ones in "Jumping Jack Flash" and"Honky Tonk Women." His relationship with Anita Pallenberg and thedeath of Brian Jones. Tax exile in France, wildfire tours of theU.S., isolation and addiction. Falling in love with Patti Hansen.Estrangement from Jagger and subsequent reconciliation. Marriage,family, solo albums and Xpensive Winos, and the road that goes onforever. With his trademark di

"A FRESH AND UNVARNISHED PORTRAIT OF A FASCINATING, TALENTED,AND DEEPLY FLAWED FAMILY." —Boston Herald Laurence Leamer was granted unheralded access to private Kennedypapers, and he interviewed family and old friends, many of whom hadnever been interviewed before, for this incredible portrait of thewomen in America’s "royal family." From Bridget Murphy, theforemother who touched shore at East Boston in 1849, to theintelligent, independent Kennedy women of today, Laurence Leamertells their unforgettable stories. Here are the private thoughts of Kathleen, the flirtatiousdebutante in prewar England . . . the truth behind Joe Kennedy’sinsistence that his mildly retarded daughter, Rosemary, belobotomized . . . the real story behind Joan and Ted’s whirlwindromance . . . Jackie’s desire for a divorce from JFK in the 1950s .. . Pat Lawford’s disastrous Hollywood marriage . . . how Carolinediscovered her cousin David’s death by overdose, and more. Tough enough to withstand the un

Shortlisted for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs BusinessBook of the Year Prize 2008 The Snowball is the first and will bethe only biography of the world's richest man, Warren Buffett,written with his full cooperation and collaboration. Combining aunique blend of "The Sage of Omaha's" business savvy, life storyand philosophy, The Snowball is essential reading for anyonewishing to discover and replicate the secrets of his business andlife success. Warren Buffett is arguably the world's greatestinvestor. Even as a child he was fascinated by the concept of riskand probability, setting up his first business at the age of six.In 1964 he bought struggling Massachusetts textile firm BerkshireHathaway and grew it to be the 12th largest corporation in the USpurely through the exercise of sound investing principles - a featnever equalled in the annals of business. Despite an estimated networth of around US$62 billion, Buffett leads an intriguingly frugallife taking home a salary of only GBP50,000 a year. Hi

As a singer and songwriter, Gram Parsons stood at the nexus ofcountless musical crossroads, and he sold his soul to the devil atevery one. His intimates and collaborators included Keith Richards,William Burroughs, Marianne Faithfull, Peter Fonda, Roger McGuinn,and Clarence White. Parsons led the Byrds to create the seminalcountry rock masterpiece Sweetheart of the Rodeo, helped to guidethe Rolling Stones beyond the blues in their appreciation ofAmerican roots music, and found his musical soul mate in EmmylouHarris. Parsons’ solo albums, GP and Grievous Angel, are nowrecognized as visionary masterpieces of the transcendentaljambalaya of rock, soul, country, gospel, and blues Parsons named“Cosmic American Music.” Parsons had everything–looks, charisma,money, style, the best drugs, the most heartbreaking voice–andthrew it all away with both hands, dying of a drug and alcoholoverdose at age twenty-six. In this beautifully written, raucous, meticulously researchedbiography, David N. Meyer gi

In this exhaustive and enlightening biography—nearly two decadesin the making—Gerald Martin dexterously traces the life and timesof one of the twentieth century’s greatest literary titans, NobelPrize-winner Gabriel García Márquez. Martin chronicles the particulars of an extraordinary life, fromhis upbringing in backwater Columbia and early journalism career,to the publication of One Hundred Years of Solitude at ageforty, and the wealth and fame that followed. Based on interviewswith more than three hundred of Garcia Marquez’s closest friends,family members, fellow authors, and detractors—as well as the manyhours Martin spent with ‘Gabo’ himself—the result is a revelationof both the writer and the man. It is as gripping as any of GabrielGarcía Márquez’s powerful journalism, as enthralling as any of hisacclaimed and beloved fiction.

Edith Kermit Carow grew up in New York City in the same circlesas did Theodore Roosevelt. But only after TR's first wife died atage twenty-two did the childhood friends forge one of the mostsuccessful romantic and political partnerships in American history.Sylvia Jukes Morris's access to previously unpublished letters anddiaries brings to full life her portrait of the Roosevelts andtheir times. During her years as First Lady (1901-09), Edith KermitRoosevelt dazzled social and political Washington as hostess,confidante, and mother of six, leading her husband to remark, "Mrs.Roosevelt comes a good deal nearer my ideal than I do myself."

He’s been imprisoned, shot at, denounced, shunned, and banned,yet Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams remains resolute in his beliefthat peace is the only viable option for the Irish people. Adamsled the oldest revolutionary movement in Ireland on anextraordinary journey from armed insurrection to activeparticipation in government. Now he tells the story of thetumultuous series of events that led to the historic Good FridayAgreement as only he can: with a tireless crusader’s conviction andan insider’s penetrating insight. In vivid detail, Adams describes the harrowing attack on his life,and he offers new details about the peace process. We learn ofpreviously undisclosed talks between republicans and the Britishgovernment, and of conflicts and surprising alliances between keyplayers. Adams reveals details of his discussions with the IRAleadership and tells how republicans differed, “dissidents”emerged, and the first IRA cessation of violence broke down. Herecounts meetings in the Clinton White House,

"Authorized, intimate, and definitive, Ben Hogan: A Life isthe long-awaited biography of one of golf's greatest, mostenigmatic legends, narrated with the unique eloquence that has madeauthor James Dodson a critically acclaimed national bestseller. "One man is often credited with shaping the landscape of moderngolf. Ben Hogan was a short, trim, impeccably dressed Texan whosefierce work ethic, legendary steel nerves, and astonishing triumphover personal disaster earned him not only an army of adoring fans,but one of the finest careers in the history of the sport. Hogancaptured a record-tying four U.S. Opens, won five of six majortournaments in a single season, and inspired future generations ofprofessional golfers from Palmer to Norman to Woods. Yet for allhis brilliance, Ben Hogan was an enigma. He was an American herowhose personal life, inner motivation, and famed "secret" were thesource of great public mystery. As Hogan grew into a giant on thepro tour, the combination of his cool outward demeanor an

With the utterance of a single line—“Doctor Livingstone, Ipresume?”—a remote meeting in the heart of Africa was transformedinto one of the most famous encounters in exploration history. Butthe true story behind Dr. David Livingstone and journalist HenryMorton Stanley is one that has escaped telling. Into Africa is anextraordinarily researched account of a thrilling adventure—definedby alarming foolishness, intense courage, and raw humanachievement. In the mid-1860s, exploration had reached a plateau. The seasand continents had been mapped, the globe circumnavigated. Yet onevexing puzzle remained unsolved: what was the source of the mightyNile river? Aiming to settle the mystery once and for all, GreatBritain called upon its legendary explorer, Dr. David Livingstone,who had spent years in Africa as a missionary. In March 1866,Livingstone steered a massive expedition into the heart of Africa.In his path lay nearly impenetrable, uncharted terrain, hostilecannibals, and deadly predators. W

As a child in German-occupied Poland, Roma Ligocka was known forthe bright strawberry-red coat she wore against a tide of gatheringdarkness. Fifty years later, Roma, an artist living in Germany,attended a screening of Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, andinstantly knew that “the girl in the red coat”—the only splash ofcolor in the film—was her. Thus began a harrowing journey into thepast, as Roma Ligocka sought to reclaim her life and put togetherthe pieces of a shattered childhood. The result is this remarkable memoir, a fifty-year chronicle ofsurvival and its aftermath. With brutal honesty, Ligocka recollectsa childhood at the heart of evil: the flashing black boots, thesudden executions, her mother weeping, her father vanished…then herown harrowing escape and the strange twists of fate that allowedher to live on into the haunted years after the war. Powerful,lyrical, and unique among Holocaust memoirs, The Girl in the RedCoat eloquently explores the power of evil to twist our liveslong

A comprehensive, authoritative, in depth andentertaining biography of one of the greatest and most influentialfantasy authors in modern time, J.R.R. Tolkien. In this informed an entertaining account, renowned biographerMichael White delves into the little-known life of one of the mosttreasured and enduring authors of our time, J.R.R. Tolkien. In absorbing and revealing detail, White describes Tolkien'slife -- from his childhood years and the tragic early death of hisparents; his burgeoning romance with Edith Brett; fighting on thefront lines in WWII; his many years as an Oxford academic, wherethe idea of the Hobbit struck him while marking a term paper; tohis friendship with C.S. Lewis and the founding of the group "TheInklings"; and why The Lord of the Rings became the mostinfluential book in the late sixties counter-culture, one of themost respected and most-read trilogies ever written, and the centerof a major film phenomenon. With 16 pages of black and white photos.

The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau burst unexpectedly onto the eighteenth-century literary scene as a provocateur whose works electrified readers. An autodidact who had not written anything of significance by age thirty, Rousseau seemed an unlikely candidate to become one of the most influential thinkers in history. Yet the power of his ideas is felt to this day in our political and social lives. In a masterly and definitive biography, Leo Damrosch traces the extraordinary life of Rousseau with novelistic verve. He presents Rousseau's books -- The Social Contract, one of the greatest works on political theory; Emile, a groundbreaking treatise on education; and the Confessions, which created the genre of introspective autobiography -- as works uncannily alive and provocative even today. Jean-Jacques Rousseau offers a vivid portrait of the visionary’s tumultuous life.