In 2004, two great scientist-explorers attempted to find thebottom of the world. American Bill Stone took on the vast, deadlyCheve Cave in southern Mexico. Ukrainian Alexander Klimchouktargeted Krubera, a freezing nightmare of a supercave in thewar-torn former Soviet republic of Georgia. Both men spent monthsalmost two vertical miles deep, contending with thousand-footdrops, raging whitewater rivers, monstrous waterfalls, mile-longbelly crawls, and the psychological horrors produced by weeks inabsolute darkness, beyond all hope of rescue. Based on hisunprecedented access to logs and journals as well as hours ofpersonal interviews, James Tabor has crafted a thrillingexploration of man’s timeless urge to discover—and of twoextraordinary men whose pursuit of greatness led them to theheights of triumph and the depths of tragedy. Blind Descent is anunforgettable addition to the classic literature of true-lifeadventure, and a testament to human survival and endurance.

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.

V. S. Naipaul is perhaps the most famous émigré writer sinceVladimir Nabokov, and though he always spoke and wrote English, hisself-imposed exile to England from his native Trinidad representeda cultural shift as profound as learning to think in anotherlanguage. In this moving, novel-like correspondence, we witness thegreat writer’s early transformation from an expatriate adrift to aworld-renowned man of letters. The letters collected here illuminate with unalloyed candor therelationship between a sacrificing father and his determined son asthey encourage each other to persevere with their writing. Forthough his father’s literary aspirations would go unrealized,Naipaul’s triumphant career would ultimately vindicate his belovedmentor’s legacy.

Book De*ion Admired and beloved by movie audiences for over sixty years,four-time Academy Award-winner Katharine Hepburn is an Americanclassic. Now Miss Hepburn breaks her long-kept silence about herprivate life in this absorbing and provocative memoir.A NEW YORKTIMES Notable Book of the YearA Book-of-the-Month-Club MainSelection Amazon.com From Publishers Weekly Beloved actress Hepburn's episodic autobiography spent 24 weekson PW 's hardcover bestseller list and was a BOMC main selection incloth. From Booklist From School Library Journal Katherine Hepburn is, at 84, still the positive, feisty,upper-class lady she portrayed in The Philadelphia Story . Herautobiography, clearly not ghostwritten, tells some stories of herlife but not all--she comes from a class that didn't let it allhang out. Her 27-year affair with Spencer Tracy is discussed withfond memories (the years together were to her ``absolutebliss'')--the idea that it was scandalous at the time doesn't

Jimmy Stewart’s all-American good looks, boyish charm, anddeceptively easygoing style of acting made him one of Hollywood’sgreatest and most enduring stars. Despite the indelible image heprojected of innocence and quiet self-assurance, Stewart’s life wasmore complex and sophisticated than most of the characters heplayed. With fresh insight and unprecedented access, bestsellingbiographer Marc Eliot finally tells the previously untold story ofone of our greatest screen and real-life heroes. Born into a family of high military honor and economic successdominated by a powerful father, Stewart developed an interest intheater while attending Princeton University. Upon graduation, heroomed with the then-unknown Henry Fonda, and the two began afriendship that lasted a lifetime. While he harbored a secretunrequited love for Margaret Sullavan, Stewart was paired with manyof Hollywood’s most famous, most beautiful, and most alluringleading ladies during his extended bachelorhood, among them GingerRogers, Olivi

Paris. The name alone conjures images of chestnut-linedboulevards, sidewalk cafés, breathtaking fa?ades around everycorner--in short, an exquisite romanticism that has captured theAmerican imagination for as long as there have beenAmericans. In 1995, Adam Gopnik, his wife, and their infant son left thefamiliar comforts and hassles of New York City for the urbaneglamour of the City of Light. Gopnik is a longtime New Yorkerwriter, and the magazine has sent its writers to Paris fordecades--but his was above all a personal pilgrimage to the placethat had for so long been the undisputed capital of everythingcultural and beautiful. It was also the opportunity to raise achild who would know what it was to romp in the Luxembourg Gardens,to enjoy a croque monsieur in a Left Bank café--a child (andperhaps a father, too) who would have a grasp of that Parisiansense of style we Americans find so elusive. So, in the grand tradition of the American abroad, Gopnik walkedthe paths of the Tuileries, enjoy

In his first-ever work of nonfiction, Graham Swift—BookerPrize-winning author of Waterland and Last Orders—gives us a highlypersonal book: a singular and open-spirited account of a writer’slife. Here Kazuo Ishiguro advises on how to choose a guitar; SalmanRushdie arrives for Christmas under guard; Caryl Phillips shares abeer with the author at a nightclub in Toronto. There are privatemoments with Swift’s father and with his own younger self, as wellas musings—on history, memory, and imagination—that illuminate hiswork. As generous in its scope as it is acute in its observations,Making an Elephant brings together a richly varied selection ofessays, portraits, poetry and interviews, full of insights intoSwift’s passions and motivations, and wise about the friends,family and other writers who have mattered to him over theyears.

No one is better poised to write the biography of JamesHerriot than the son who worked alongside him in the Yorkshireveterinary practice when Herriot became an internationallybestselling author. Now, in this warm and poignant biography, JimWight ventures beyond his father's life as a veterinarian to revealthe man behind the stories--the private individual who refused toallow fame and wealth to interfere with his practice or his family.With access to all of his father's papers, correspondence,manu*s, and photographs--and intimate recollections of thefarmers, locals, and friends who populate the James Herriotbooks--only Jim Wight could write this definitive biography of theman who was not only his father but his best friend.

波姬·小丝（Brooke Christa Shields）， 美国 著名 女演员 和 模特 ，1965年生于 纽约 城，拥有 意大利 、 法国 、 爱尔兰 和 英国 的贵族血统，其祖母是意大利公主Donna Marina Torlonia。小丝出生11个月就为香皂拍过广告，14岁就成为Vogue杂志封面年轻的时装模特；更是用家喻户晓的广告成就了Calvin Klein品牌牛仔装。13岁就在1978年的影片《漂亮宝贝》(Pretty Baby)中扮演一个童妓；1980年的《青春珊瑚岛/蓝色泻湖》(Blue Lagoon)中，出演因海上事故流落荒岛逐渐长大成为少年的两个孩子中的女孩，青春靓丽脱俗的形象让年仅15岁的波姬·小丝红极一时。

An astonishing and at times outright comic memoir that marksthe brilliant debut of a writer raised in a creative, bohemianhousehold characterized by extreme privilege tinged withneglect. Born into one of the most celebrated Anglo-Irish families, theGuinnesses, Ivana Lowell tells a stunning story of coming to termswith her blue-blood heritage and her own childhood traumas. It isalso the story of her intense relationship with her formidablyintelligent and complicated mother, the writer Caroline Blackwood.A keen observer with an incisive eye, a wicked sense of humor, andno self-pity, Lowell sets a wide range of scenes with a trulyunexpected, almost madcap cast of characters, introducing us tosuch eccentric figures as her maternal grandmother, Maureen, theMarchioness of Dufferin and Ava. She takes us from themarchioness’s annual ball for her idol and old friend, the QueenMother, to Maureen’s stately Irish home, Clandeboye (where themarchioness hopes to die), to summers in Dufferin’s villa inSar

While many people dream of abandoning civilization and headinginto the wilderness, few manage to actually do it. One exceptionwas twenty-four-year-old Elliott Merrick, who in 1929 left hisadvertising job in New Jersey and moved to Labrador, one ofCanada’s most remote regions. First published by Scribner’s in1933, True North tells the captivating story of one of the highpoints of Merrick’s years there: a hunting trip he and his wife,Kay, made with trapper John Michelin in 1930. Covering 300 milesover a harsh winter, they experienced an unexplored realm of natureat its most intense and faced numerous challenges. Merrickaccidentally shot himself in the thigh and almost cut off his toe.Freezing cold and hunger were constant. Nonetheless, the groupfound beauty and even magic in the stark landscape. The couple andthe trappers bonded with each other and their environment throughsuch surprisingly daunting tasks as fabricating sunglasses to avoidsnow blindness and learning to wash underwear without it fre

Prize-winning biographer Robert D. Richardson has written thedefinitive biography of the fascinating William James, whose lifeand writing put an indelible stamp on psychology, philosophy,teaching, and religion—and on modernism itself. A pivotal member ofthe Metaphysical Club, author of The Varieties of ReligiousExperience, and older brother of extraordinary siblings Henry andAlice, William emerges here as an immensely complex man.Richardson’s thought-provoking and utterly moving work, ten yearsin the making, draws on a vast number of unpublished letters,journals, and family records. Through impassioned scholarship,Richardson illuminates James’s hugely influential works: TheVarieties, Principles of Psychology, Talks to Teachers, andPragmatism. Finally, brought richly to life through Richardson’sbrilliant insights, James is given his due as a man whose influenceresonates in innumerable areas of modern life.

There has never been a golfer to rival Arnold Palmer. To thelegions of golf fans around the world, Palmer is a charismatichero, the winner of sixty-one tournaments on the PGA Tour and stillgoing strong on the Senior PGA Tour. But behind the legend, thereis the private Palmer--a man of wit, compassion, loyalty, and truegrit in the face of personal adversity. Writing with the humor and candor that are as much his trademarkas his unique golf swing, Palmer narrates the deeply moving storyof his life both on and off the links. He recounts the lovingrelationship he shared with his father, "Deacon" Palmer, the coursesuperintendent and head professional at the Latrobe Country Clubwhere young Arnie developed his game, his friendships and rivalrieswith golf greats, his enduringly happy marriage with Winnie, hislegendary charges to triumph and titanic disasters, and his valiantbattle against cancer and remarkable recovery. Arnold Palmer has lived one of the great sporting lives of thetwentieth century

How does he assess the information that is brought to him? Howdoes his personal or political philosophy, or a moral sense,sustain him? How does he draw inspiration from those around him?How does he deal with setbacks and disasters? In this brilliantclose-up look at Winston Churchill's leadership during the SecondWorld War, Gilbert gets to the heart of the trials and strugglesthat have confronted the world's most powerful leaders, even up tocurrent politicians such as George Bush and Tony Blair. Basing the book on his intimate knowledge of Churchill's privateand official papers, Sir Martin Gilbert, Churchill’s officialbiographer, looks at the public figure and wartime propaganda, toreveal a very human, sensitive, and often tormented man, whonevertheless found the strength to lead his nation forward from thedarkest and most dangerous of times.

Barbara Leaming's Marilyn Monroe is a complex, sympatheticportrait that will forever change the way we view the most enduringicon of America sexuality. To those who think they have heard allthere is to hear about Marilyn Monroe, think again. Leaming's booktells a brand-new tale of sexual, psychological, and politicalintrigue of the highest order. Told for the first time in all itscomplexity, this is a compelling portrait of a woman at the centerof a drama with immensely high stakes, a drama in which the otherplayers are some of the most fascinating characters from the worldsof movies, theater, and politics. It is a book that shines a brightlight on one of the most tumultuous, frightening, and excitingperiods in American culture. Basing her research on new interviews and on thousands of primarydocuments--including revealing letters by Arthur Miller, EliaKazan, John Huston, Laurence Olivier, Tennessee Williams, DarrylZanuck, Marilyn's psychiatrist Dr. Ralph Greenson, and manyothers--Leaming has rec