When Marilyn Monroe became famous in the 1950s, the world was told that her mother was either dead or simply not a part of her life. However, that was not true. In fact, her mentally ill mother was very much present in Marilyn's world and the complex family dynamic that unfolded behind the scenes is a story that has never before been told...until now. In this groundbreaking book, Taraborrelli draws complex and sympathetic portraits of the women so influential in the actress' life, including her mother, her foster mother, and her legal guardian. He also reveals, for the first time, the shocking scope of Marilyn's own mental illness, the identity of Marilyn's father and the half-brother she never knew, and new information about her relationship with the Kennedy's-Bobby, Jack, and Pat Kennedy Lawford. Explosive, revelatory, and surprisingly moving, this is the final word on the life of one of the most fascinating and elusive icons of the 20th Century.

The Story of My Life is Helen Keller's own account of how she miraculously triumphed over blindness and deafness-and became one of the most inspiring and intriguing figures of our time. "I recall my surprise on discovering that a mysterious hand had stripped the trees and bushes, leaving only here and there a wrinkled leaf. The birds had flown, and their empty nests in the bare trees were filled with snow. Winter was on hill and field. The earth seemed benumbed by his icy touch, and the very spirits of the trees had withdrawn to their roots, and there, curled up in the dark, lay fast asleep. All life seemed to have ebbed away, and even when the sun shone the day was. "

A fascinating exploration of the contents of Agatha Christie's 73 recently discovered notebooks, including illustrations, deleted extracts, and two unpublished Poirot stories. When Agatha Christie died in 1976, aged 85, she had become the world's most popular author. With sales of more than two billion copies worldwide in more than 100 countries, she had achieved the impossible - more than one book every year since the 1920s, every one a bestseller. So prolific was Agatha Christie's output - 66 crime novels, 20 plays, 6 romance books under a pseudonym and over 150 short stories - it was often claimed that she had a photographic memory. Was this true? Or did she resort over those 55 years to more mundane methods of working out her ingenious crimes? Following the death of Agatha's daughter, Rosalind, at the end of 2004, a remarkable secret was revealed. Unearthed among her affairs at the family home of Greenway were Agatha Christie's private notebooks, 73 handwritten volumes of notes, lists and drafts outlining

In her acclaimed collections Happy Family and Music Minus One,Jane Shore traced her life from childhood to coming of age toparenthood. Now, in A Yes-or-No Answer, Shore etches thepersistence of the past in a life that has moved into a mature newphase as a member of the baby boom generation. Recalling her Jewishchildhood in New Jersey, living in the apartment above the family'sclothing store, Shore lovingly imagines her parents, now gone,reunited with relatives over a Scrabble board in the afterlife. Thepoet's teenage daughter sorts through the "vintage" clothes of hermother's own hippie days. Cherished items left behind -- an addressbook, a piano, an easy chair, a favorite doll -- continue to hauntthe living. The poems in A Yes-or-No Answer dignify memory throughprecise detail, with a voice that will resonate for a generation ata crossroads.

It doesn't matter whether you love or hate Jack Welch. Who can resist hearing the man tell his story? This abridged version of his recently published autobiography, featuring Welch himself, is quite entertaining. With his slightly raspy Boston accent, Welch discusses his childhood and his career. When he proclaims something, he gives examples to illustrate his point. For instance, he says his mother was the strongest influence on his life. He then recalls the time he threw a hockey stick across the ice in disgust after losing a game, and his mother stormed into the locker room as some teammates were changing to exclaim loudly, "If you don't know how to lose, you'll never know how to win." When discussing his long career at GE, Welch is equally detailed. While some listeners unfamiliar with the corporation may find some of the discussions tedious, most will be captivated by what appears to be Welch's brutal honesty. He talks about having to lobby for promotions because he didn't "fit the GE mold," and he's ope

Manchester United:The Biography will do for the football team what Peter Ackroyd did for London in his huge biog of the same name. The book follows the club's extraordinary journey from its birth in the railway works of Newton Heath to its current status as Premier League and European champions. The key stages in United's history will, of course, be covered: the Munich Air Crash of 1958, which saw the best part of an entire team (the Busby Babes) being killed; becoming the first English team to win the European Cup in 1968 (with Bobby Charlton and George Best); the dominance of the club in the Premiership; the controversial sale to American tycoon Malcolm Glazer, right up to Moscow 2008. But by drawing on the recollections of everyone from players and managers to fans and backroom staff, Jim has unearthed enough new material to interest die-hard fans and casual supporters alike. A fascinating history of a remarkable football club, by one of Britain's best-known and most popular sports writers.

Most 31-year olds can't boast of being the instigator of a revolution. But then again, the world's leading promoter of open source software and creator of the operating system Linux does humbly call himself an accidental revolutionary--accidental being the operative word here. Just for Fun is the quirky story of how Linus Torvalds went from being a penniless, introverted code writer in Helsinki in the early 1990s to being the unwitting (and rather less than penniless) leader of a radical shift in computer programming by the end of the decade. OK, perhaps "story" in the traditional sense of the term is stretching it a bit. This whole book is more like a series of e-mails, an exercise in textual communication for someone more used to code language than conversation: choppy sentences packed into short paragraphs, and sometimes just one-liners. The pace is fast, but the quippy tone can get somewhat tiring, though it definitely suits the portrayal of a computer-dominated life. And like an e-mail conversation

With the passing of this great movie star, philanthropist,and-bona fide, in her day-living legend, it is our pleasure as muchas our duty to celebrate her glorious life. Our cameras weretrained on Liz since National Velvet, and our splendid archive ofphotography needs to be seen-by you, her fans, right now, in thismoment. Elizabeth first appeared on LIFE's cover when she was barely ateenager, and last graced the cover when she trusted LIFE to tellthe story of her late-in-life brain surgery with taste andaccuracy. In between there was all the rest: the child-star days,the early marriages, the sensational movies, the incredible dramathat was "Liz and Dick," the later success on the Broadway stage,the transition to regal presence: benefactor, Dame Commander of theOrder of the British Empire, American icon. It is all in the pages of this special commemorative book.

Sir Alex announced his retirement as manager of ManchesterUnited after 27 years in the role. He has gone out in a blaze ofglory, with United winning the Premier League for the 13th time,and he is widely considered to be the greatest manager in thehistory of British football. Over the last quarter of a century there have been seismicchanges at Manchester United. The only constant element has beenthe quality of the manager's league-winning squad and United's runof success, which included winning the Champions League for asecond time in 2008. Sir Alex created a purposeful, but welcoming,and much envied culture at the club which has lasted the test oftime. Sir Alex saw Manchester United change from a conventionalfootball club to what is now a major business enterprise, and henever failed to move with the times. It was directly due to hisvision, energy and ability that he was able to build teams both onand off the pitch. He was a man-manager of phenomenal skill, andincreasingly he had to deal with global stars.

In 1997, Tony Blair won the biggest Labour victory in history tosweep the party to power and end eighteen years of Conservativegovernment. He has been one of the most dynamic leaders of moderntimes; few British prime ministers have shaped the nation's courseas profoundly as Blair during his ten years in power, and hisachievements and his legacy will be debated for years to come. Nowhis memoirs reveal in intimate detail this unique political andpersonal journey, providing an insight into the man, the politicianand the statesman, and charting successes, controversies anddisappointments with an extraordinary candour. A Journey will proveessential and compulsive reading for anyone who wants to understandthe complexities of our global world. As an account of the natureand uses of power, it will also have a readership that extends wellbeyond politics, to all those who want to understand the challengesof leadership today.

This book comes with a foreword by President Barack Obama. Nelson Mandela is one of the most inspiring and iconic figures of our age. Now, after a lifetime of taking pen to paper to record thoughts and events, hardships and victories, he has opened his personal archive, which offers an unprecedented insight into his remarkable life. "Conversations With Myself" gives readers access to the private man behind the public figure: from letters written in the darkest hours of Mandela's twenty-seven years of imprisonment to the draft of an unfinished sequel to "Long Walk to Freedom". Here he is making notes and even doodling during meetings, or recording troubled dreams on the desk calendar of his cell on Robben Island; writing journals while on the run during the anti-apartheid struggles in the early 1960s, or conversing with friends in almost seventy hours of recorded conversations. In these pages, he is neither an icon nor a saint; here he is like you and me. An intimate journey from the first stirrings of his pol

Eva was arrested by the Nazis on her fifteenth birthday andsent to Auschwitz. Her survival depended on endless strokes ofluck, her own determination and the love and protection of hermother Fritzi, who was deported with her. When Auschwitz was liberated, Eva and Fritzi began the longjourney home. They searched desperately for Eva's father andbrother, from whom they had been separated. The news came somemonths later. Tragically, both men had been killed. Before the war, in Amsterdam, Eva had become friendly with ayoung girl called Anne Frank. Though their fates were verydifferent, Eva's life was set to be entwined with her friend's forever more, after her mother Fritzi married Anne's father Otto Frankin 1953. This is a searingly honest account of how an ordinary personsurvived the Holocaust. Eva's memories and de*ions areheartbreakingly clear, her account brings the horror as close as itcan possibly be. But this is also an exploration of what happened next, of Eva'sstruggle to live with herself after t

Hillary Rodham Clinton is known to hundreds of millions ofpeople around the world. Yet few beyond her close friends andfamily have ever heard her account of her extraordinary journey.She writes with candor, humor and passion about her upbringing insuburban, middle-class America in the 1950s and her transformationfrom Goldwater Girl to student activist to controversial FirstLady. Living History is her revealing memoir of life through theWhite House years. It is also her chronicle of living history withBill Clinton, a thirty-year adventure in love and politics thatsurvives personal betrayal, relentless partisan investigations andconstant public scrutiny. Hillary Rodham Clinton came of age during a time of tumultuoussocial and political change in America. Like many women of hergeneration, she grew up with choices and opportunities unknown toher mother or grandmother. She charted her own course throughunexplored terrain -- responding to the changing times and her owninternal compass -- and became an

Audrey Hepburn's exquisite style and grace is much documented-her debut in Roman Holiday in 1953 redefined perceived notions of Hollywood glamour and ushered in an age of sophistication and elegance, Hepburn's legacy on screen and in fashion is undisputed, her image attaining that rare feat in cinema of becoming as synonymous with her fame as her films. Audrey Hepbum: The Pdrdmount Years collects together for the first time those memorable billboard images which established her iconic status. Featuring the golden period of Hepburn's film career, this sumptuous book includes never-before-seen poster artwork for Roman Holiddy; Sobrina, Funny Face and Breakfast At Tiffony's along with magazine covers from the period, lobby cards, stunning costume designs and rare behind-the-scenes stills from her Paramount films. With a foreword written by Sir Christopher Frayling, Chair dArts Council England and Rector of the Royal College of Art, this book shows, film by film, how Hepburn's classic image was created th

Partly by chance, partly by design-is there anyone else who so wanted to be different?-there was never a life like Michael Jackson's. Preposterously talented, fronting the Jackson 5 from early childhood, he captivated kids, and more than a few grown-ups, with fancy footwork, effortless high C's and charisma to burn. And that was only prelude. Thriller launched Jackson into a new level of celebrity stratosphere - more media, more attention, more intensity - that even Elvis or the Beatles had never experienced. How he dealt with that fame - how he used it, and how it, arguably, overwhelmed him - became, in later years, the heart of the Michael Jackson story. Remembering Michael looks back at the triumphs, and struggles, of a life like no other.

Stop feeding me bullshit. Tell me the truth." --Lady Gaga, 2009 "I hate the truth. I hate the truth so much I prefer a giant doseof bullshit any day over the truth." --Lady Gaga, 2010 In little over a year, Stefani Germanotta, a struggling performerin New York's Lower East Side burlesque scene, has become theglobal demographic-smashing pop icon known as Lady Gaga. She is aonce-in-a-decade artist, a gifted singer, composer, designer, andperformance artist who mixes high and low culture, the avant-gardewith the accessible, authenticity with artifice. Who is Lady Gaga? She is a twenty-four-year-old woman whose stagemantra--"I'm a free bitch!"--is the polar opposite of who she isoffstage: isolated, insecure, and unable to be alone. She is anoutr? artist who wanted to be a sensitivesinger-songwriter, whose musical heroes include Britney Spears,Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen. She is a woman who says no mancan ever compete with her career, but who still isn't over theex-boyfr

Totally frank is the hard-hitting career autobiography of the England and Chelsea footballer,featuring a full account of his life on and off the pitch,including all the stories from World Cup 2006.

At 16, Justin Bieber has done it all. Two chart-topping albums,a best-selling book and a 3-D concert movie on the way. Not tomention stealing the hearts of millions of girls around the world.In Superstars! Justin Bieber: In the Spotlight and Behind theScenes , readers will get a backstage pass to Justin's life.What is he truly like offstage? Who inspires him? What makes himlaugh? And what video games can he never get enough of? Packed withmore than 150 drool-worthy pics, this is a must-have for anyself-respecting Bieber fan.

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

This Bantam Classic edition presents us with a new,wide-ranging selection of Benjamin Franklin's writings that illuminates the complex and appealing character of that quintessential American, who rose to fame as a publisher, inventor, educator, bon vivant, and statesman.

Elizabeth Taylor passed away on March 23, 2011 in Los Angelesat the age of 79. For decades, Elizabeth Taylor has been a part of our lives. Nowacclaimed biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli looks past the tabloidversion of Elizabeth's life and offers the first‐ever fullyrealized portrait of this American icon. You'll meet hercontrolling mother who plotted her daughter's success from birth,see the qualities that catapulted Elizabeth to stardom in 1940sHollywood, understand the psychological and emotional underpinningsbehind the eight marriages, and, finally, rejoice in Elizabeth'smost bravura performance of all: the new success in family,friendships, and philanthropy she achieved despite substance abuseand chronic illness. It's the story of the woman you thought youknew, and now can finally understand.