Originally published in six volumes, Sandburgs Abraham Lincolnwas called the greatest historical biography of our generation.Sandburg distilled this work into one volume that became thedefinitive life of Lincoln. Index; photographs.

Acclaimed British historian Anthony Everitt delivers a compelling account of the former orphan who became Roman emperor in A.D. 117 after the death of his guardian Trajan. Hadrian strengthened Rome by ending territorial expansion and fortifying existing borders. And - except for the uprising he triggered in Judea - his strength-based diplomacy brought peace to the realm after a century of warfare.

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.

He was The Kid. The Splendid Splinter. Teddy Ballgame. One ofthe greatest figures of his generation, and arguably the greatestbaseball hitter of all time. But what made Ted Williams a legend –and a lightning rod for controversy in life and in death? Whatmotivated him to interrupt his Hall of Fame career twice to servehis country as a fighter pilot; to embrace his fans while tanglingwith the media; to retreat from the limelight whenever possibleinto his solitary love of fishing; and to become the most famousman ever to have his body cryogenically frozen after his death? NewYork Times bestselling author Leigh Montville, who wrote thecelebrated Sports Illustrated obituary of Ted Williams, nowdelivers an intimate, riveting account of this extraordinarylife. Still a gangly teenager when he stepped into a Boston Red Soxuniform in 1939, Williams’s boisterous personality and penchant fortowering home runs earned him adoring admirers--the fans--andvenomous critics--the sportswriters. In 1941, the enti

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the mostsuccessful romantic and political partnerships in American history.Sylvia Jukes Morris's access to previously unpublished letters anddiaries brings to full life her portrait of the Roosevelts andtheir times.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."

Richard Le Gallienne’s elegant abridgment of the Diary captures the essential writings of Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), aremarkable man who witnessed the coronation of Charles II, theGreat Plague of 1665, and the Great Fire of 1666. Originallyscribbled in a cryptic shorthand, Pepys’s quotidian journal of lifein Restoration London provides an astonishingly frank and divertingaccount of political intrigues; naval, church, and culturalaffairs; and the sexual escapades and domestic strife of a man witha voracious, childlike appetite for living. “As a human documentthe Diary is literally unique,” notes Le Gallienne. “It willhave a still greater value for its historical importance.”

Warren Buffett is the most successful investor of all time. His ability to consistently find undervalued companies has made him one of the world's richest men. Yet while his track record is hard to argue with, the Buffett way isn't the only way, nor is it always the best way, to invest. Even Buffett Isn't Perfect dispels many myths about Buffett and his "solid as a rock" style. It shows readers how to learn from the master's best moves while avoiding strategies that don't apply to small investors -- and avoiding Buffett's mistakes, such as sometimes riding his winners too long.

Saddle shoes. Camp shorts. Girdles. Bell-bottoms. Each plays asignificant role as we follow B., the wardrobe's owner, through herbuttoned-up Midwestern childhood to the freedom of miniskirts,sundresses, and New York City. We watch as B. copes with theuntimely death of her mother, makes a go of glamorous magazinework, and, after the inevitable false starts and fashion missteps,finally comes into her own.Part memoir, part fashion and culturalhistory of the last five decades, Autobiography of a Wardrobe is anexploration of the clothes each generation has embraced and thesmallest details in which we are able to seek comfort andmeaning.

Of all our great presidents, Theodore Roosevelt is the only onewhose greatness increased out of office. When he toured Europe in1910 as plain “Colonel Roosevelt,” he was hailed as the most famousman in the world. Crowned heads vied to put him up in theirpalaces. “If I see another king,” he joked, “I think I shall bitehim.” Had TR won his historic “Bull Moose” campaign in1912 (when he outpolled the sitting president, William HowardTaft), he might have averted World War I, so great was hisinternational influence. Had he not died in 1919, at the early ageof sixty, he would unquestionably have been reelected to a thirdterm in the White House and completed the work he began in 1901 ofestablishing the United States as a model democracy, militarilystrong and socially just. This biography by Edmund Morris, the PulitzerPrize and National Book Award–winning author of The Rise ofTheodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex, is itself the completion of atrilogy sure to stand as definitive. Packed with m

Ashley Judd is best known as the acclaimed actress in films suchas De Lovely and Double Jeopardy , but these days sheis more likely to be found wading through an African refugee campor Asian brothel than on a film set. For most of the past decadeJudd has been visiting human rights hotspots around the world tospread the word of hope, health, and gender equality on behalf ofone of the leading public health nonprofits, PSI/YouthAIDS. Herwork has put her in the company of Bono, Bill Clinton, and otherworld leaders in the battle against disease and poverty and inadvocating grassroots programs to improve the lives of women andchildren. Memories of her own painful childhood inspired Judd to reach out tothose in desperate need, especially abused and abandoned girls. Shewrites movingly of friends such as Kausar, an AIDS sufferer in theslums of Mumbai who becomes an activist and peer-educator, andheroes such as Dr. Rene, who lends his heart and soul to keep thesex workers of Madagascar from contracting and spreadi

"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

“Number One” was a phrase my father—and, for that matter, mymother—repeated time and time again. It was a phrase spoken by myparents’ friends and by their friends’ children. Whenever adultsdiscussed the great Chinese painters and sculptors from the ancientdynasties, there was always a single artist named as Number One.There was the Number One leader of a manufacturing plant, theNumber One worker, the Number One scientist, the Number One carmechanic. In the culture of my childhood, being best waseverything. It was the goal that drove us, the motivation that gavelife meaning. And if, by chance or fate or the blessings of thegenerous universe, you were a child in whom talent was evident,Number One became your mantra. It became mine. I never begged myparents to take off the pressure. I accepted it; I even enjoyed it.It was a game, this contest among aspiring pianists, and although Imay have been shy, I was bold, even at age five, when faced with afield of rivals. Born in China to parents whose mu

As he magnificently combines meticulous scholarship withirresistible narrative appeal, Richardson draws on his closefriendship with Picasso, his own diaries, the collaboration ofPicasso's widow Jacqueline, and unprecedented access to Picasso'sstudio and papers to arrive at a profound understanding of theartist and his work. 800 photos.

Book De*ion Isaac Newton was born in a stone farmhouse in 1642, fatherlessand unwanted by his mother. When he died in London in 1727 he wasso renowned he was given a state funeral—an unheard-of honor for asubject whose achievements were in the realm of the intellect.During the years he was an irascible presence at Trinity College,Cambridge, Newton imagined properties of nature and gave themnames—mass, gravity, velocity—things our science now takes forgranted. Inspired by Aristotle, spurred on by Galileo’s discoveriesand the philosophy of Descartes, Newton grasped the intangible anddared to take its measure, a leap of the mind unparalleled in hisgeneration. James Gleick, the author of Chaos and Genius, and one of the mostacclaimed science writers of his generation, brings the reader intoNewton’s reclusive life and provides startlingly clear explanationsof the concepts that changed forever our perception of bodies,rest, and motion—ideas so basic to the twenty-first century, it cant

“The most comprehensive and authoritative study ofWashington’s military career ever written.” –Joseph J. Ellis, author of His Excellency: GeorgeWashington Based largely on George Washington’s personal papers, thisengrossing book paints a vivid, factual portrait of Washington thesoldier. An expert in military history, Edward Lengel demonstratesthat the “secret” to Washington’s excellence lay in hiscompleteness, in how he united the military, political, andpersonal skills necessary to lead a nation in war and peace.Despite being an “imperfect commander”–and at times even atactically suspect one–Washington nevertheless possessed therequisite combination of vision, integrity, talents, and goodfortune to lead America to victory in its war for independence. Atonce informative and engaging, and filled with some eye-openingrevelations about Washington, the American Revolution, and the verynature of military command, General George Washington is a bookthat reintroduces reader

Using the oral-biography style that made his Edie (editedwith Jean Stein) a bestseller, George Plimpton has blended thevoices of Capote's friends, lovers, and colleagues into acaptivating and narrative. Here we see the entire span of Capote'slife, from his Southern childhood, to his early days in New York;his first literary success with the publication of Other Voices,Other Rooms; his highly active love life; the groundbreakingexcitement of In Cold Blood, the first "nonfiction novel"; hisyears as a jet-setter; and his final days of flagging inspiration,alcoholism, and isolation. All his famous friends and enemies arehere: C.Z. Guest, Katharine Graham, Lauren Bacall, Gore Vidal,Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, John Huston, William F. Buckley, Jr.,and dozens of others.