Critical Companion to Philip Roth is a comprehensive reference to this talented writer's life and works. Coverage includes: A concise but thorough biography of Roth Entries on all of Roth's works, including American Pastoral, The Ghost Writer, Sabbath's Theater, The Human Stain, Zuckerman Unbound, the stories collected in Goodbye, Columbus, The Plot Against America, his nonfiction works, and more. Each entry on a fictional work contains subentries on the work's main characters (including Nathan Zuckerman, Alexander Portnoy, "Swede" Levov, and more) Entries on related people, places, and topics, such as anti-Semitism, Claire Bloom, Newark, satire, and many more Appendixes, including a chronology, a bibliography of Roth's works, and a secondary-source bibliography.

Seeks the reasons for America's declining productivity, argues that U.S. businesses have not kept pace with their international competition, and suggests possible remedies

Einhorn was a well-known counter-culture figure during the 1960s; now he's known as the infamous "Unicorn Killer."

Back in the early 1940s, late at night in the clubs of Harlem, a handful of jazz musicians began to experiment with a style that no one had ever heard before. The music was fast, complicated, impossible to play for many of the older musicians -- but it soon became the lingua franca of jazz music. They called it bebop, and as the years went by, it became even more popular. Today it reigns as perhaps the best-loved style of jazz ever created. Ira Gitler conveys the excitement of this musical birth as only someone who was there can. In The Masters of Bebop, Gitler traces the advent of what was a revolution in sound. He profiles the leading players -- Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillepie, Max Roach -- but also studies the style and music of the first disciples, such as Dexter Gordon and J. J. Johnson, to reveal bebop's pervasive influence throughout American culture. Revised with an updated discography -- and with a new chapter covering bebop right up through the end of the twentieth century -- The Masters of Bebop is the essential listener's handbook.

Back in the early 1940s, late at night in the clubs of Harlem, a handful of jazz musicians began to experiment with a style that no one had ever heard before. The music was fast, complicated, impossible to play for many of the older musicians—but it soon became the lingua franca of jazz music. They called it bebop, and as the years went by, it became even more popular. Today it reigns as perhaps the best-loved style of jazz ever created. Ira Gitler conveys the excitement of this musical birth as only someone who was there can. In The Masters of Bebop, Gitler traces the advent of what was a revolution in sound. He profiles the leading players—Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillepie, Max Roach—but also studies the style and music of the first disciples, such as Dexter Gordon and J. J. Johnson, to reveal bebop's pervasive influence throughout American culture. Revised with an updated discography—and with a new chapter covering bebop right up through the end of the twentieth century— The Masters of Bebop is the essential listener's handbook.

In City Trenches, Ira Katznelson looks at an important phenomenon of the sixtiesâ the resurgence of community activismâ and explains its sources, challenges, and failure. Katznelson argues that the American working class perceives workplace politics and community politics as separate and distinct spheres, a perception that defeats attempts to address grievances or raise demands that break the rules of local politics or of bread-and-butter unionism. He supports his thesis with an absorbing case study of Washington Heights-Inwood, a multiethnic working-class community in Manhattan.

Examines the public school systems in Chicago and San Francisco, and argues that equal opportunity is no longer regarded as a right

Sergeant King thinks backwoods hillbilly-turned-new recruit Will Stockdale might the dumbest private ever to join the Air Force. When King puts him permanently in charge of the latrines, Stockdale thinks it's a promotion. Somehow, all King's attempts to make Stockdale look foolish backfire, and one of them even finds the sergeant demoted to private by his superiors. Stockdale, meanwhile, squeaks through training, and soon begins wreaking havoc in the skies.

This chilling mystery thriller by the author of Rosemary's Baby explores the thin line between fantasy and reality, madness and murder. Students Susan and Larry find themselves as guests enticed to the Brabissant mansion by it's dissolute caretakers the lonely Mackeys. Struck by Susan's strong resemblance to Veronica Brabissant, long-dead daughter of the family for whom they work, the older couple gradually induce her to impersonate Veronica briefly to solace the only living Brabissant, her addled sister who believes Veronica alive.-2 women, 2 men

Collects the stories of Marianne Kohn and Sophie Mandel, following their journey from Germany on the Kindertransport to England, and their new lives there.

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'It's enthralling stuff, mixing the scholarly with the accessible and placing storytelling right at the heart of the human experience.' - History Revealed 'A fascinating journey' - Yorkshire Post 'Marvellous...Finkel is an expert in Mesopotamian cultures at the British Museum, and is one of the most clever, and nicest, of people it has ever been my pleasure to encounter...A fascinating journey' - The Scotsman There are few things more in common across cultures than the belief in ghosts. Ghosts inhabit something of the very essence of what it is to be human. Whether we personally 'believe' or not, we are all aware of ghosts and the rich mythologies and rituals surrounding them. They have inspired, fascinated and frightened us for centuries - yet most of us are only familiar with the vengeful apparitions of Shakespeare, or the ghastly spectres haunting the pages of 19th century gothic literature. But their origins are much, much older... The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies takes us back to the very beginning. A world-renowned authority on cuneiform, the form of writing on clay tablets which dates back to 3400BC, Irving Finkel has embarked upon an ancient ghost hunt, scouring these tablets to unlock the secrets of the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians to breathe new life into the first ghost stories ever written. In The First Ghosts , he uncovers an extraordinarily rich seam of ancient spirit wisdom which has remained hidden for nearly 4000 years, covering practical details of how to live with ghosts, how to get rid of them and bring them back, and how to avoid becoming one, as well as exploring more philosophical questions: what are ghosts, why does the idea of them remain so powerful despite the lack of concrete evidence, and what do they tell us about being human?

Short Shorts is a delightful anthology of miniature masterpieces. Here are thirty-eight brief, brilliant flashes of fiction, both classic and contemporary. Each work is superb, intense, and speaks to the human condition in a profound, often provocative way-a truly outstanding collection by some of the worlds greatest authors.

In this long-awaited book from one of show business’s most notorious, beloved, and legendary figures, learn of the life behind the man who elevated the deal to an art form. Irving Paul Lazar, known to the world as Swifty, reigned supreme as the agent and deal-maker extraordinaire on both coasts. Lazar shares vivid anecdotes and details fo the past as he recounts his move to Hollywood, his interactions with studio moguls, his war service, and his emergence in book publishing.

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award (Holocaust Category) Winner of the Canadian Historical Association John A. Macdonald Prize Featured in The Literary Review of Canada 100: Canada's Most Important Books [This] is a story best summed up in the words of an anonymous senior Canadian official who, in the midst of a rambling, off-the-record discussion with journalists in 1945, was asked how many Jews would be allowed into Canada after the war ... 'None,' he said, 'is too many.' From the Preface One of the most significant studies of Canadian history ever written, None Is Too Many conclusively lays to rest the comfortable notion that Canada has always been an accepting and welcoming society. Detailing the country's refusal to offer aid, let alone sanctuary, to Jews fleeing Nazi persecution between 1933 and 1948, it is an immensely bleak and discomfiting story - and one that was largely unknown before the book's publication. Irving Abella and Harold Troper's retelling of this episode is a harrowing read not easily forgotten: its power is such that, 'a manuscript copy helped convince Ron Atkey, Minister of Employment and Immigration in Joe Clark's government, to grant 50,000 "boat people" asylum in Canada in 1979, during the Southeast Asian refugee crisis' (Robin Roger, The Literary Review of Canada). None Is Too Many will undoubtedly continue to serve as a potent reminder of the fragility of tolerance, even in a country where it is held as one of our highest values.

A collection of thirty photographs by Irving Penn featuring actors, intellectuals, and other notable figures from his time.

Mass market paperback.

In this acclaimed biographical novel, Irving Stone brings to life the tender and poignant love story of Rachel and Andrew Jackson. "Beyond any doubt one of the great romances of all time." -- The Saturday Review of Literature

When the hunger for power becomes an obsession, the head of a huge news empire not only wants to shape the news, but to manipulate and control it. Only two of his own reporters stand in his way.

Presents brief biographical portraits of the 106 recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize during its 100-year history.