Hermione Lee is one of the leading literary biographers in the English-speaking world, the author of widely acclaimed lives of Edith Wharton and Virginia Woolf. Now, in this Very Short Introduction, Lee provides a magnificent look at the genre in which she is an undisputed master--the art of biography. Here Lee considers the cultural and historical background of different types of biographies, looks at the factors that affect biographers, and asks whether there are different strategies, ethics, and principles required for writing about one person compared to another. She also discusses contemporary biographical publications and considers what kind of "lives" are the most popular and in demand. And along the way, she answers such questions as why do certain people and historical events arouse so much interest? How can biographies be compared with history and works of fiction? Does a biography need to be true? Is it acceptable to omit or conceal things? Does the biographer need to personally know the subject? Must a biographer be subjective? About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.

The cookbook hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a "showstopper" and by Jeffrey Steingarten of Vogue as "the most glorious spectacle of the season...like no other book I have seen in the past twenty years" is now available in a reduced-price edition. With a reduced trim size but an identical interior, this lavishly illustrated, stunningly designed, and gorgeously photographed masterpiece takes you inside the head of maverick restaurateur Heston Blumenthal. Separated into three sections (History; Recipes; Science), the book chronicles Blumenthal's improbable rise to fame and, for the first time, offers a mouth-watering and eye-popping selection of recipes from his award-winning restaurant. He also explains the science behind his culinary masterpieces, the technology and implements that make his alchemical dishes come to life. Designed by acclaimed artist Dave McKean-and filled with photographs by Dominic Davies-this artfully rendered celebration of one of the world's most innovative and renowned chefs is a foodie's dream.

Hilly Kristal originally intended his club to showcase the type of music his venue's notorious letters stand Country, Bluegrass, Blues. Little did he know his club on the Bowery would be the birthplace of a new era of music in New York Punk. While CBGB ultimately didn't describe the music the club was known for, OMFUG (Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers) still represents what the club provides for all voracious "eaters" of music.CBGB & OMFUG is a musical and cultural landmark, recognized worldwide and visited by countless tourists and music lovers each year. In these luminous pages, CBGB's influence and legacy is honored with 200 photos of some of the most celebrated artists in music history. With an introduction by Hilly Kristal, an afterword by David Byrne, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and cofounder of Talking Heads, and additional commentary by numerous performers and patrons, CBGB & OMFUG features unforgettable images by the many photographers who documented an American institution.

Broadcast from New York's Mercury Theatre in 1938, this infamous radio play, based on the novel by H. G. Wells, had many terrified listeners convinced that an actual alien invasion of Earth was taking place. Adapted by Howard E. Koch, co-writer of Casablanca, and directed and narrated by Orson Welles, this original script detailing the frightening tale of an extraterrestrial takeover is now available to bring to life onstage to thrill and chill audiences.

Describes how the CEO of Starbucks gained new insights into leadership upon resuming his position eight years after stepping down, a comeback he accepted to restore the company's performance and sustainability values

This book Will-teach the notation of music to those who have never known it before-serve as a systematic reminder for those who once knew how to read music but have forgotten most of it-serve as a practical classroom text book in the rudiments of music-serve as a helpful reference book for the student in music appreciation and related coursesThis book Will Not-teach you to sing like Tebaldi-make you a wizard at the piano or any other instrument-turn you into an Irving Berlin or a BeethovenBut it will teach Anyone—even the tone-deaf—to read melodies and pick them out on the piano.

Howard Stern versus the world in Miss America. Including eight pages of full-color photos, this book covers the celebrity shock jocks thoughts on himself and the world in which he leaves. From the author of the New York Times bestselling author of Private Parts. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER An engaging no-holds-barred memoir that reveals Howie Mandel’s ongoing struggle with OCD and ADHD—and how it has shaped his life Howie Mandel is one of the most recognizable names in entertainment. But there are aspects of his personal and professional life he’s never talked about publicly—until now. Twelve years ago, Mandel first told the world about his “germophobia.” He’s recently started discussing his adult ADHD as well. Now, for the first time, he reveals the details of his struggle with these challenging disorders. He speaks candidly about the ways his condition has affected his personal life—as a son, husband, and father of three. Along the way, the versatile performer reveals “the deal” behind his remarkable rise through the show-business ranks, sharing never-before-told anecdotes about his career. As heartfelt as it is hilarious, Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me is the story of one man’s effort to draw comic inspiration out of his darkest, most vulnerable places.

In unraveling the long-hidden issues of the most famous free speech case of all time, noted author I.F. Stone ranges far and wide over Roman as well as Greek history to present an engaging and rewarding introduction to classical antiquity and its relevance to society today. The New York Times called this national best-seller an "intellectual thriller."

On a cold November day in Amsterdam, an angry young Muslim man, the son of Moroccan immigrants, killed celebrated and controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, great-grandnephew of Vincent and iconic European provocateur, for making a movie that "blasphemed" Islam. The murder horrified quiet, complacent, prosperous Holland, a country that prides itself on being a bastion of tolerance, and sent shock waves across Europe and around the world. Ian Buruma returned to his native Netherlands to try to make sense of it all and to see what larger meaning should and shouldn't be drawn from this story. The result is a true-crime page-turner with the intellectual resonance we've come to expect from this well-regarded journalist and thinker: the exemplary tale of our age, the story of what happens when political Islam collides with the secular West and tolerance finds its limits.--From publisher description

Corporations, like living organisms, experience predictable patterns of behavior as they grow and develop. And, like living organisms, they are faced with specific problems as they progress through the various stages of their lifestyle. According to Dr. Ichak Adizes, the success or failure of any organization depends on its ability to meet the challenges presented by this growth, and make healthy transitions from one stage of development to the next. And if there is anyone who really understands organizational behavior and what keep an organization vital and growing, it's Ichak Adizes. Regarded as one of the world's foremost management theorists, Dr. Adizes has spent more than 22 years successfully helping to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of hundreds of companies around the world. In this revolutionary new guide, Dr. Adizes gives you a close look at how corporations develop -- and how to keep yours a dynamic and vital entity. He shows you step-by-step how to assess your organization's strengths and weaknesses and how to determine where your company is located on the lifecycle curve. He offers tested strategies which can be used to change the organizational climate and remove obstacles that prevent growth. Adizes also provides innovative forecasting methods that will help you predict what problems lie ahead for your company and specific preventative measures you can take to avoid them. Designed for executives, manages and entrepreneurs in all sized companies, this practical, comprehensive guide provides you with the tools you need to keep your organization running as efficiently and profitably as possible. Nowhere else has such a simple but comprehensive means been made available for business professionals to assess and improve the health of their corporation. This is one book that should be on every executive's desk..

'A Scrap of Time' is a haunting collection of stories about life in Poland during World War II. These shattering stories describe the lives of ordinary people as they are compelled to do the unimaginable.

List Yourself is the original listmaking journal that unlocks the door to your personal identity. This best-selling journal provides an easy, provocative, and liberating way to get to know yourself. Ilene Segalove and Paul Bob Velick offer more than 175 journaling prompts designed to encourage serious self-reflection. Categories encourage readers to write about their fears, loves, regrets, life changes, friendships, health regimes, superpowers, wishes, and more--all of which are destined to lead to a deeper knowledge of themselves, their goals, and dreams. Kooky, de-stressing, and thoughtful, these journal prompts help you get in-tune with your inner self and combat self-rejection. It's list-making like you've never seen it before.

Deaf Republic opens in a time of political unrest in an occupied territory. It is uncertain where we are or when, in what country or during what conflict, but we come to recognise that these events are also happening here, right now. This astonishing parable in poems unfolds episodically like a play, its powerful narrative provoked by a tragic opening scene: when soldiers breaking up a protest kill a deaf boy, the gunshot becomes the last thing the citizens hear - in that moment, all have gone deaf. Inside this silence, their dissent becomes coordinated by sign language. The story then follows the private lives of townspeople encircled by public violence: a newly married couple, Alfonso and Sonya, expecting their child; the daring Momma Galya, instigating the insurgency from her puppet theatre; and Galya's puppeteers, covertly teaching signs by day and by night heroically luring soldiers one by one to their deaths behind the curtain. At once a love story, an elegy, and an urgent plea, Deaf Republic confronts our time's vicious atrocities and our collective silence in the face of them.

Reissued with a new afterword Leonard Cohen is back! With a #1 bestselling poetry collection, The Book of Longing , flying off bookshelves; Lian Lunson’s acclaimed documentary, Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man , in theatres this summer (the DVD will release this fall); and the superb soundtrack in music stores everywhere, Leonard Cohen proves he is Canada’s most enduring icon. Now, in the newly reissued Various Positions , Ira Nadel peels back the many layers to reveal the man and explain the fascinating relationship between Leonard Cohen’s life and his art. This book is a remarkable and rare look at Leonard Cohen, up close and personal. For nearly forty years, Leonard Cohen has endured the ups and downs of an international career that has alternately identified him as the "Prince of Bummers" and Canada's most respected poet and performer. Now, author Ira Nadel brings us closer to understanding these conflicting descriptions and allows us to enter Cohen's private world. He peels back the many layers to reveal the man and explain the fascinating relationship between Cohen's life and his art. This is a remarkable and rare look at Leonard Cohen, up close and personal.

Reissued with a new afterword Leonard Cohen is back! With a #1 bestselling poetry collection, The Book of Longing, flying off bookshelves; Lian Lunson’s acclaimed documentary, Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man, in theatres this summer (the DVD will release this fall); and the superb soundtrack in music stores everywhere, Leonard Cohen proves he is Canada’s most enduring icon. Now, in the newly reissued Various Positions, Ira Nadel peels back the many layers to reveal the man and explain the fascinating relationship between Leonard Cohen’s life and his art. This book is a remarkable and rare look at Leonard Cohen, up close and personal. For nearly forty years, Leonard Cohen has endured the ups and downs of an international career that has alternately identified him as the "Prince of Bummers" and Canada's most respected poet and performer. Now, author Ira Nadel brings us closer to understanding these conflicting descriptions and allows us to enter Cohen's private world. He peels back the many layers to reveal the man and explain the fascinating relationship between Cohen's life and his art. This is a remarkable and rare look at Leonard Cohen, up close and personal. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Reissued with a new afterword Leonard Cohen is back! With a #1 bestselling poetry collection, The Book of Longing, flying off bookshelves; Lian Lunson’s acclaimed documentary, Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man, in theatres this summer (the DVD will release this fall); and the superb soundtrack in music stores everywhere, Leonard Cohen proves he is Canada’s most enduring icon. Now, in the newly reissued Various Positions, Ira Nadel peels back the many layers to reveal the man and explain the fascinating relationship between Leonard Cohen’s life and his art. This book is a remarkable and rare look at Leonard Cohen, up close and personal. For nearly forty years, Leonard Cohen has endured the ups and downs of an international career that has alternately identified him as the "Prince of Bummers" and Canada's most respected poet and performer. Now, author Ira Nadel brings us closer to understanding these conflicting descriptions and allows us to enter Cohen's private world. He peels back the many layers to reveal the man and explain the fascinating relationship between Cohen's life and his art. This is a remarkable and rare look at Leonard Cohen, up close and personal. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Includes KR-A-ZY for You * I Can't Be Bothered Now * Bidin' My Time * Things Are Looking Up * Could You Use Me? * Shall We Dance? * Someone to Watch Over Me * S lap That Bass * Embraceable You * Tonight's the Night * I Got Rhythm * Stiff Upper Lip * They Can't Take That Away From Me * But Not For Me * Nice Work If You C an Get It.