Starting with a rush-hour subway ride to South Station inBoston to catch the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago, Theroux winds upon the poky, wandering Old Patagonian Express steam engine, whichcomes to a halt in a desolate land of cracked hills and thornbushes. But with Theroux the view along the way is what matters:the monologuing Mr. Thornberry in Costa Rica, the bogus priest ofCali, and the blind Jorge Luis Borges, who delights in havingTheroux read Robert Louis Stevenson to him.

Two twentieth-century literary masterpieces from the NobelPrize winner Saul Bellowas Pulitzer Prizeawinning novel exploresthe long friendship between Charlie Citrine, a young man with anintense passion for literature, and the great poet Von HumboldtFleisher. At the time of his death, however, Humboldt is a failure,and Charlieas life is falling apart: his career is at a standstill,and heas enmeshed in an acrimonious divorce, infatuated with ahighly unsuitable young woman, and involved with a neuroticmafioso. And then Humboldt acts from beyond the grave, bestowingupon Charlie an unexpected legacy that may just help him turn hislife around.

This book covers a critical part of the Battle ofGettysburg.

Now a classic of the travel genre, The Great Railway Bazaarchronicles Paul Theroux's adventures by rail from Victoria Stationin London to Tokyo Central, told with his signature wryobservations.

Last year, awareness about global warming reached a tippingpoint. Now one of the most dynamic writers and one of the mostrespected scientists in the field of climate change offer the firstconcise guide to both the problems and the solutions. Guiding uspast a blizzard of information and misinformation, Gabrielle Walkerand Sir David King explain the science of warming, the mostcutting-edge technological solutions from small to large, and thenational and international politics that will affect our efforts.While there have been many other books about the problem of globalwarming, none has addressed what we can and should do about it soclearly and persuasively, with no spin, no agenda, and noexaggeration. Neither Walker nor King is an activist or politician,and theirs is not a generic green call to arms. Instead theypropose specific ideas to fix a very specific problem. Mostimportant, they offer hope: This is a serious issue, perhaps themost serious that humanity has ever faced. But we can still dosomething about

Whether you are working on the novel that's been in the back ofyour mind for years or simply facing an increasing demand to writewell at work or school, the fact remains: more and more of us arewriting more often these days-reports, e-mails, faxes, andnewsletters. But despite the increase in written communication,something has been lost-the fundamentals of good writing. Grammarmaven Patricia T. O'Conner comes to the rescue with the mostpainless, practical, and funny writing book ever written. In short,snappy chapters filled with crystal-clear examples, amusingcomparisons, and humorous allegories that cover everything from"Pronoun Pileups" and "Verbs That Zing" to "What to Do When You'reStuck," O'Conner provides simple, straightforward tips to help yousort your thoughts and make sentences that make sense. Push asidethose stuffy old-fashioned rule books, because O'Conner has writtenthe most accessible and enjoyable book yet for today's writer.

An aging but formidable strip club owner, Claudiu "Manco"Kapak, is robbed as he places his cash receipts in a bank’snight-deposit box. Enraged, he sends his henchmen out to find asuspect who is spending lots of cash and is too new to Los Angelesto realize he’s stolen from a gangster. Their search leads to JoeCarver, an innocent who evades capture and sets out to make Kapakwish he’d chosen someone else. Meanwhile, the real culprit,Jefferson Davis Falkins, and his girlfriend Carrie seem to believethey’ve found a whole new profession: robbing Manco Kapak. Lieutenant Nick Slosser, the detective in charge of the puzzlingand increasingly violent case, has his own troubles, includingworries about how he’s going to afford to send the oldest child ofeach of his two bigamous marriages to college without making theirmothers suspicious. As this odd series of difficulties explodesinto a triple killing, Carver finds himself in the middle of a gangwar over Kapak’s empire, while Falkins and Carrie jo

From the "New York Times" bestselling author, one of the mostcritically acclaimed novels of the year. In the days before theCivil War, a runaway slave named Liz Spocott breaks free from hercaptors and escapes into the labyrinthine swamps of Marylandaseastern shore, setting loose a drama of violence and hope amongslave catchers, plantation owners, watermen, runaway slaves, andfree blacks. Liz is near death, wracked by disturbing visions ofthe future, and armed with athe Code, a a fiercely guarded crypticmeans of communication for slaves on the run. Lizas flight and herdreams of tomorrow will thrust all those near her toward amysterious, redemptive fate. Filled with rich, true detailsamuch ofthe story is drawn from historical eventsaand told in "New YorkTimes" bestselling author James McBrideas signature lyrical style,"Song Yet Sung" is a story of tragic triumph, violent decisions,and unexpected kindness

Anecdotal, funny, frank, POPism is Warhols personal view of thePop phenomenon in New York in the 1960s and a look back at therelationships that made up the scene at the Factory, including hisrelationship with Edie Sedgewick, focus of the upcoming filmFactory Girl. In the detached, back-fence gossip style he wasfamous for, Warhol tells allthe ultimate inside story of a decadeof cultural revolution.

Written in the third century BC in Alexandria, this is theonly full surviving account of Jason's legendary quest for theGolden Fleece. It describes the thrilling adventures of theArgonauts on their voyage to Colchis to plead with king Aeetes forthe fleece, his greatest treasure and the Eros-inspired passionfelt by his daughter, the beautiful witch-princess Medea, for thescheming Jason. Chronicling a journey that sees Jason and his crewtraverse perilous seas, negotiate the treacherous Cyanean Rocks,and confront the lure of the Sirens' song, The Voyage of Argo is amasterful depiction of distinctly human heroism and betrayal causedby love. An eloquent marriage of romance and realism, it tells thedefinitive version of one of the greatest legends of the classicalage: an epic tale of bravery, prophecy and magic.

The editors of the best-selling rediscovered Tolkien novelRoverandom present an expanded fiftieth anniversary edition ofTolkien's beloved classic Farmer Giles of Ham, complete with a map,the original story outline, the original first-editionillustrations by Pauline Baynes, and the author's notes for anunpublished sequel. Farmer Giles of Ham is a light-hearted satirefor readers of all ages that tells the tale of a reluctant hero whomust save his village from a dragon. It is a small gem of a talethat grows more delightful with each rereading.

The Book of Salt serves up a wholly original take on Paris inthe 1930s through the eyes of Binh, the Vietnamese cook employed byGertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Viewing his famous mesdames andtheir entourage from the kitchen of their rue de Fleurus home, Binhobserves their domestic entanglements while seeking his own placein the world. In a mesmerizing tale of yearning and betrayal,Monique Truong explores Paris from the salons of its artists to thedark nightlife of its outsiders and exiles. She takes us back toBinh's youthful servitude in Saigon under colonial rule, to hislife as a galley hand at sea, to his brief, fateful encounters inParis with Paul Robeson and the young Ho Chi Minh.

Since the series' inception in 1915, the annual volumes of TheBest American Short Stories have launched literary careers,showcased the most compelling stories of each year, and confirmedfor all time the significance of the short story in our nationalliterature. Now THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES OF THE CENTURYbrings together the best -- fifty-six extraordinary stories thatrepresent a century's worth of unsurpassed achievements in thisquintessentially American literary genre. This expanded editionincludes a new story from The Best American Short Stories 1999 toround out the century, as well as an index including every storypublished in the series. Of all the writers whose work has appearedin the series, only John Updike has been represented in each of thelast five decades, from his first appearance, in 1959, to his mostrecent, in 1998. Updike worked with coeditor Katrina Kenison tochoose the finest stories from the years since 1915. The result is"extraordinary . . . A one-volume literary history of thi

I find myself inclined to set down for whomever, before mymemory goes kaput altogether, some account of our little community,in particular of what Margie and I consider to have been its mostinteresting hour: the summer of the Peeping Tom.” Something hasdisturbed the comfortably retired denizens of a pristineFlorida-style gated community in Chesapeake Bay country. In thedawn of the new millennium and the evening of their lives, theseempty nesters discover that their tidy enclave can be as colorful,shocking, and surreal as any of John Barth’s fictional locales.From the high jinks of a toga party to marital infidelities, abaffling suicide pact, and the sudden, apocalyptic destruction ofthe short-lived development, Barth brings mordant humor andcompassion to the lives of characters we all know well. From “oneof the most prodigally gifted comic novelists writing in Englishtoday” ( Newsweek ), The Development is John Barth athis most accessible and sympathetic best.

Newlyweds Mr and Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy begin their marriedlife at Pemberley quite blissfully but it is not long before thetranquillity they relish is cut short by a series of traumas. Theformidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh makes little attempt to hideher distain for her nephew’s wife. She is joined by CarolineBingley, as sharp tongued and resentful as ever, in the sharedamusement of criticising Elizabeth. But the new mistress ofPemberley soon has more pressing matters on her mind, the fact thatshe is carrying the Darcy heir being the most pleasant of them. Thesudden return of her sister Lydia brings cause for concern.Alarming reports of a seduction, blackmail and the need to keepnews of another’s confinement secret dampen even Elizabeth’snotoriously high spirits and Darcy shows his true character whenfaced with the most difficult decision of his life. Has he beensoftened by his love for Elizabeth or is his former remotenessabout to be resurrected?

If you had to pick the top-ten iconic sporting events, whatwould they be? Jim Gorant asked himself this question, and theanswer resulted in a yearlong journey into the heart of sports.From the Kentucky Derby to the Super Bowl, from a day game atWrigley Field to a fortnight at Wimbledon, from the NCAA Final Fourto the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, Gorant takes us along forthe ride, evoking the best (and sometimes the worst) sports has tooffer. He enters the inner sanctum of NASCAR, witnesses JackNicklaus teeing off for the last time at the Masters, and takespart in one of college football’s biggest rivalries—Ohio Stateversus Michigan. Fanatic is a rollicking story of the ultimatesports road trip. Jim Gorant captures these ten unforgettableevents in all their color and commotion and gives sports fanseverywhere reason to cheer.

In midtown Manhattan, Mike Hammer, recovering from anear-fatal mix-up with the Mob, runs into drug dealers assaulting ayoung hospital messenger. He saves the kid, but the muggers are notso lucky. Hammer considers the rescue a one-off, but someone hasdifferent ideas, as indicated by a street-corner knife attack.Withhimself for a client, Hammer—with his beautiful, deadly partnerVelda—take on the narcotics racket in New York just as the streetshave dried up and rumors run rampant of a massive heroin shipmentdue any day. In a New York of flashy discotheques, swanky bachelorpads, and the occasional dark alley, Hammer confronts doctorsand drug addicts, hippie chicks and hit men, meeting the changingtimes with his timeless brand of violent vengeance. Originallybegun and outlined by Spillane in the mid-Sixties, and expertlycompleted by his longtime collaborator Max Allan Collins, TheBig Bang is vintage Mike Hammer on acid . . . literally.

The dramatic final book in the epic historical trilogy aboutthe lives and loves of the three daughters of the great Talmudscholar Rashi Rachel is the youngest and most beautiful daughter ofmedieval Jewish scholar Salomon ben Isaac, or "Rashi." Her father'sfavorite and adored by her new husband, Eliezer, Rachel's lifelooks to be one of peaceful scholarship, laughter, and love. Butevents beyond her control will soon threaten everything she holdsdear. Marauders of the First Crusade massacre nearly the entireJewish population of Germany, and her beloved father suffers astroke. Eliezer wants their family to move to the safety of Spain,but Rachel is determined to stay in France and help her family savethe Troyes yeshiva, the only remnant of the great centers of Jewishlearning in Europe. As she did so effectively in "Joheved" and"Miriam," Maggie Anton vividly brings to life the world ofeleventh-century France and a remarkable Jewish woman of dignity,passion, and strength.