Biographies & Memoirs - Books

The Age of Alexander

Biographies & Memoirs

Plutarch's parallel biographies of the great men in Greek and Roman history are cornerstones of European literature, drawn on by writers and statesmen since the Renaissance, most notably by Shakespeare. This selection provides intimate glimpses into the lives of these men, depicting, as he put it, 'those actions which illuminate the workings of the soul'. We learn why the mild Artaxerxes forced the killer of his usurping brother to undergo the horrific 'death of two boats'; why the noble Dion repeatedly risked his life for the ungrateful mobs of Syracuse; why Demosthenes delivered a funeral oration for the soldiers he had deserted in battle; and why Alexander, the most enigmatic of tyrants, self-destructed after conquering half the world.

Barack and Joe

Biographies & Memoirs

A Washington Post 2019 Notable SelectionA vivid and inspiring account of the "bromance" between Barack Obama and Joe Biden.The extraordinary partnership of Barack Obama and Joe Biden is unique in American history. The two men, their characters and styles sharply contrasting, formed a dynamic working relationship that evolved into a profound friendship. Their affinity was not predestined. Obama and Biden began wary of each other: Obama an impatient freshman disdainful of the Senate's plodding ways; Biden a veteran of the chamber and proud of its traditions. Gradually they came to respect each other's values and strengths and rode into the White House together in 2008. Side-by-side through two tension-filled terms, they shared the day-to-day joys and struggles of leading the most powerful nation on earth. They accommodated each other's quirks: Biden's famous miscues kept coming, and Obama overlooked them knowing they were insignificant except as media fodder. With his expertise in foreign affairs and legislative matters, Biden took on an unprecedented role as chief adviser to Obama, reshaping the vice presidency. Together Obama and Biden guided Americans through a range of historic moments: a devastating economic crisis, racial confrontations, war in Afghanistan, and the dawn of same-sex marriage nationwide. They supported each other through highs and lows: Obama provided a welcome shoulder during the illness and death of Biden's son Beau. As many Americans turn a nostalgic eye toward the Obama presidency, Barack and Joe offers a new look at this administration, its absence of scandal, dedication to truth, and respect for the media. This is the first book to tell the full story of this historic relationship and its substantial impact on the Obama presidency and its legacy.

Ma mère était un monstre

Biographies & Memoirs

La petite Alloma n'a jamais eu de chance dans la vie. Ses parents sont toxicomanes et la négligent au point que les services sociaux doivent la placer dans une famille d'accueil. Mais ce qui était la promesse d'une nouvelle vie est le début d'un cauchemar pour la fillette de 7 ans. Sous l'apparence d'une femme aimante, sa nouvelle maman est un bourreau. Humiliée, battue, Alloma vit un calvaire. La femme qui devrait prendre soin d'elle la punit en permanence, la roue de coups, l'empoisonne ou l'affame pendant des mois. Pourtant, Alloma trouvera la force de résister au monstre et de s'enfuir. Mais, abandonnée dans le monde, elle devient une proie facile pour des hommes barbares et violents. Seule la naissance de sa petite fille sauvera Alloma en lui montrant ce qu'est réellement l'amour...

The Writings of Thomas Jefferson

Biographies & Memoirs

Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia, United States. He was one of the America’s Founding Fathers, the third President of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He was a Democrat who accepted the principles of republicanism and the individual’s rights. He died on July 4, 1826, in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. In his life he wrote over sixteen thousand letters to different people, on different topics. In this book you will find a collection of all of his writings, his autobiography, notes of Virginia, official papers, messages and addresses, parliamentary manual. Also, in this book are included all the original manuscripts and numerous illustrations, and an analytical index. If you are one of those who are interested in American history or you just enjoy reading about the life of important people from the history, this book is a real treasure and the perfect piece of literature for you.

El combate

Biographies & Memoirs

El 30 de octubre de 1974 tuvo lugar en el Estadio 20 de Mayo de Kinshasa, Zaire (hoy República Democrática del Congo), uno de los combates de boxeo más célebres de la historia del pugilismo. Enfrentó al vigente campeón de los pesos pesados, George Foreman, un púgil de una agresividad e instinto asesino sin parangón, y al que probablemente fue el más grande boxeador de todos los tiempos y un icono del siglo XX, Cassius Clay, rebautizado como Muhammad Alí.Norman Mailer, padre del Nuevo Periodismo y una de las voces más poderosas de la literatura norteamericana de la segunda mitad del siglo pasado, relata con maestría el enfrentamiento que se disputó en el seno del imperio africano del feroz y megalómano dictador Mobutu, en pleno "corazón de las tinieblas", que Joseph Conrad inmortalizó en su novela.Mailer, en calidad de reportero, asiste a los preparativos del combate, lo que le permite ser testigo de excepción de los duros entrenamientos y retratar al séquito de excéntricos entrenadores y sparrings que acompaña a los púgiles, incluido al promotor en ciernes Don King y a otros reporteros desplazados como George Plimpton o Hunter S. Thompson. Pero, sobre todo, Mailer logra establecer una relación de proximidad tanto con Foreman como con Alí y conocer de primera mano las tensiones, miedos y anhelos que laten en su interior.El combate es también el del propio Mailer con la literatura, el de un escritor ambicioso que, con su inconfundible estilo armado de barrocas metáforas y un humor visceral e insobornable, lucha por hacer el retrato definitivo de un combate de boxeo; tanto de las dudas, flaquezas y arrogancia desmedida de sus protagonistas, como de la dureza e intensidad de la pelea que dejó a ambos púgiles al borde de la extenuación, así como del entorno de excepción en el que se disputó el combate un Zaire depauperado de tradiciones ancestrales en el que irrumpe el opulento despliegue mediático que cubre el evento, dando rienda suelta a su incombustible y polémica mirada presidida por un ego apenas superado por el de Muhammad Alí.

Memoirs of Casanova

Biographies & Memoirs

In the sixth volume of this English translation of eighteenth-century Italian writer Giacomo Casanova's memoirs, Casanova recalls his various adventures in France and Italy.

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (Annotaded Edition)

Biographies & Memoirs

Known by such nicknames such as Boy Plunger , the Great Bear or The Wall Street Wonder and the Cotton King. Livermore both made, and subsequently lost, four multi-million dollar fortunes during his career as a speculator, which lasted over three decades.Livermore was an early starter. He went to work at age 16 as a stock quotation boy for a local firm. He must have found his calling early as numbers came very easy for him and he must have had a great, almost perfect memory recall to remember earlier days activities.He finished 4 years of math in one while working as a quote boy at the local Broker's office. This is a classic book on Livermore, a fictionalized but true life story of a man who shorted Wall Street in 1929.As a very secretive person he remained a personal and business enigma to many. People have tried to emulate his trading stile and this special edition attempts to shed some lights of the men and his style of speculating.

The Portable Anna Julia Cooper

Biographies & Memoirs

A collection of essential writings from the iconic foremother of Black women's intellectual history, feminism, and activism, who helped pave the way for modern social justice movements like Black Lives Matter and Say Her NameA Penguin ClassicThe Portable Anna Julia Cooper brings together, for the first time, Anna Julia Cooper's major collection of essays, A Voice from the South, along with several previously unpublished poems, plays, journalism and selected correspondences, including over thirty previously unpublished letters between Anna Julia Cooper and W. E. B. Du Bois. The Portable Anna Julia Cooper will introduce a new generation of readers to an educator, public intellectual, and community activist whose prescient insights and eloquent prose underlie some of the most important developments in modern American intellectual thought and African American social and political activism.Recognized as the iconic foremother of Black women's intellectual history and activism, Cooper (1858-1964) penned one of the most forceful and enduring statements of Black feminist thought to come of out of the nineteenth century. Attention to her work has grown exponentially over the years--her words have been memorialized in the US passport and, in 2009, she was commemorated with a US postal stamp. Cooper's writings on the centrality of Black girls and women to our larger national discourse has proved especially prescient in this moment of Black Lives Matter, Say Her Name, and the recent protests that have shaken the nation.

Memoirs of Casanova — Volume 26: Spain

Biographies & Memoirs

Expelled from Vienna, the infamous Venetian womanizer makes his way west to Paris, from which he is in turn expelled on less than a day’s notice, forcing a quick retreat to Spain.

San-Antonio Duetto

Biographies & Memoirs

« L'histoire de San-Antonio, c'est aussi l'histoire de la reconnaissance de tout un pan méprisé de notre littérature. Pendant longtemps, San-Antonio a incarné, aux côtés de SAS et OSS 117, la littérature de gare facile, violente et vulgaire. Aujourd'hui, on sait que son créateur est un vrai et grand écrivain, un de ces magiciens de la langue qui la maltraitent avec génie et la réinventent en permanence. Derrière son célèbre commissaire se cache une œuvre profuse, noire, diverse, avec laquelle, en graphomane impénitent, Frédéric Dard a entretenu une relation houleuse qui l'a amené jusqu'à une tentative de suicide, heureusement ratée. Pour les gens bien élevés comme moi, grandir avec San-Antonio, ça a été le rejet de la culture officielle, le bonheur d'avoir son grand écrivain à soi et de l'opposer aux bien-pensants, l'apprivoisement rigolard de la sexualité... Une sorte de révélation... » Hubert Prolongeau. La collection Duetto invite écrivains et critiques à évoquer leur grande passion littéraire, à parler d'un auteur qu'ils admirent, qu'il s'agisse d'un maître disparu depuis longtemps ou d'un contemporain qu'ils ont eu la chance de rencontrer.

Famous Imposters

Biographies & Memoirs

In "Famous Imposters," Bram Stoker explores the intriguing phenomenon of identity deception through a collection of unsettling and captivating narratives. His prose, steeped in gothic sensibilities, deftly intertwines historical fact with imaginative speculation, illustrating the psychological motivations that drive individuals to adopt false personas. Set against a backdrop of Victorian fascination with crime and mystery, Stoker crafts a literary tapestry that challenges the reader's understanding of authenticity and reputation, situating the work within the broader context of both social critique and the era's emerging psychological understandings. Bram Stoker, best known for his seminal work "Dracula," showcases his talent for character exploration in this non-fiction collection. Stoker's extensive research into historical figures, coupled with his literary genius, reflects a deep interest in the dynamics of truth and deception. His observations are likely influenced by his own experiences in a society obsessed with social standing and public perception, lending an authentic urgency to his discussions on the nature of fame and infamy. I highly recommend "Famous Imposters" to readers drawn to psychological intrigue and historical narrative, as it offers a rich exploration of the facades that individuals maintain in pursuit of notoriety. Stoker's compelling style invites thoughtful reflection on the societal implications of identity theft, making this work relevant for contemporary discussions on authenticity.

Lost Woods

Biographies & Memoirs

Discover the previously uncollected works of Silent Spring author Rachel Carson—considered one of the best nature writers of the 20th century. “Lyric, descriptive, informative, and moving.” —The New York Times When Rachel Carson died of cancer in 1964, her four books, including the environmental classic Silent Spring, had made her one of the most famous people in America. This anthology of previously uncollected writings is a priceless addition to our knowledge of Rachel Carson, her affinity with the natural world, and her life. Featuring nature writing, speeches, field notebook passages, and letters, this collection is an invaluable insight to Carson's thought and philosophy and a treasure trove for environmentalists.

Habla, memoria

Biographies & Memoirs

Vladimir Nabokov no podía escribir una autobiografía corriente, y Habla, memoria lo demuestra. A través de una serie de relatos largos, Nabokov, con el pretexto de contar su vida, construye un libro tan ameno, original, divertido y estilizado como sus novelas.Nabokov rememora aquí sus meditaciones infantiles en el retrete, sus vacaciones en la finca campestre de la familia, sus amoríos adolescentes con Tamara en los museos de San Petersburgo; narra las peripecias de su huida de las huestes de Lenin y de su exilio europeo; escribe un homenaje a la honestidad política de su padre y a la belleza y ternura de su madre; pero lo que menos importa son los temas, porque de lo que se trata al fin y al cabo es de celebrar un festín de ingenio e inteligencia, de mordacidad despiadada y de nostalgia desgarradora, y en el que Nabokov es fiel a los consejos que daba a sus estudiantes de literatura: «¡Acariciad los detalles! ¡Los divinos detalles!»Esta edición definitiva de Habla, memoria, corregida y aumentada por el autor, resulta, pues, una excelente introducción a Nabokov, una antología, un conjunto de pistas y claves que permitirán hacer una lectura más intensa y profunda de sus novelas. Y es, también, un elogio de sus grandes pasiones: la literatura, las mariposas, el ajedrez y, ¡oh sorpresa!, la familia.

Marie Antoinette

Biographies & Memoirs

Originally published in 1932 and for decades since one of Stefan Zweig’s most popular biographies, this “portrait of an average woman,” betrothed at fourteen, crowned queen at nineteen, and beheaded at thirty-seven, aimed “not to deify, but to humanize.” Supplementing library and archival research with psychological insight,Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman is a vivid narrative of France’s most famous queen, her relations with her mother Empress Maria Theresa, her husband Louis XVI, and her lover Swedish Count von Fersen, set against the backdrop of the French and Austrian courts of the ancien régime, the French Revolution and the Terror. “... the biography to end all biographies on Marie Antoinette ... [Zweig's book] possesses all the qualities of the excellent biography — directness, frankness, full exposition, picturesqueness, characterization, color and delectable readableness.” — The New York Times “Powerful, magnificent, poignant…” — The New Republic “A stupendous and superb piece of work.” — Chicago Daily Tribune

True to His Home

Biographies & Memoirs

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts Bay. He was the youngest of the seventeen brothers and sisters. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a leading author, politician, printer, scientist, inventor, civic activist, postmaster, statesman and diplomat. He died on April 17, 1790 from pleuritic attack. This book, written by Hezekiah Butterworth, is a biography about Benjamin Franklin. It describes his entire life, giving an overview of his childhood, adolescence and his later life and achievements. This book represents a historical fiction, based on Franklin’s biography, and includes the most interesting and picturesque episodes from the private life of the president. It is written with the intention to present to the public the real story of Franklin’s life and his intentions, which inspire many people, even today. In this, seventh, volume of the Creators of Liberty Series of books of historical fiction, which is based mostly on real events, the purpose is to present Benjamin Franklin’s biography in picture. The story this book bears makes it a book with cultural value, for it is a story of the life of one of the Founding Fathers of America. If you are a person who enjoys reading this type of literature, or enjoys historical readings, this book is the perfect choice. Giving you detailed information about the home side life of Franklin, it satisfies your hunger for knowledge.

Elon Musk

Biographies & Memoirs

Dall'autore di Steve Jobs e altre biografie di successo, il ritratto sorprendentemente intimo dell'innovatore più affascinante e controverso della nostra epoca: un visionario che ha infranto le regole e portato il mondo in un'era di veicoli elettrici, missioni spaziali private e intelligenza artificiale. E ha anche acquistato Twitter.Quando Elon Musk era ragazzino, in Sud Africa, veniva picchiato regolarmente dai bulli. Un giorno un gruppo lo spinse giù per una scalinata di cemento e lo prese a calci fino a ridurgli la faccia gonfia come un pallone. Elon rimase in ospedale per una settimana. Ma le cicatrici fisiche non furono paragonabili a quelle emotive inflitte poi dal padre - ingegnere, disonesto e carismatico. L'influenza del padre sarebbe durata a lungo. Musk è diventato un uomo-bambino duro e vulnerabile al tempo stesso, incline a bruschi sbalzi d'umore alla dottor Jekyll e mister Hyde, con un'elevata propensione al rischio e un senso epico per le missioni che intraprende e porta avanti con intensità maniacale e talvolta distruttiva. Agli inizi del 2022 - dopo un anno segnato da trentun razzi lanciati in orbita dalla sua azienda, SpaceX, dalla vendita di quasi un milione di auto da parte di Tesla, e dalla sua ascesa come uomo più ricco della Terra - Musk ha parlato con amarezza della sua inclinazione a suscitare drammi. «Devo allontanare la mia mentalità dalla modalità di crisi, in cui si trova da circa quattordici anni, o forse da quasi tutta la vita» ha detto. Era un commento malinconico, non un proposito per l'anno nuovo. Ma già mentre faceva questa promessa, comprava in gran segreto quote di Twitter, il parco giochi per definizione. Nel corso degli anni, ogni volta che si è trovato in un momento buio, è tornato agli orrori di quando veniva bullizzato al parco giochi. Lo stesso che ora ha la possibilità di possedere. Per due anni, Isaacson ha seguito Musk, partecipando alle sue riunioni, l'ha accompagnato nelle sue aziende, e ha passato ore a intervistare lui, la sua famiglia, gli amici, i colleghi e gli avversari. Il risultato è una storia intima, colma di racconti straordinari di trionfi e turbolenze, che risponde alla domanda: i demoni che spingono Musk sono anche ciò che serve per guidare l'innovazione e il progresso?

Everybody's Autobiography

Biographies & Memoirs

“Alice B. Toklas wrote hers and now everybody will write theirs.” In 1933 Gertrude Stein’s The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas skyrocketed to the top of the bestseller lists, and the author found herself a celebrity. Everybody’s Autobiography is the very Steinian account of her soul-satisfying next five years in France, England, and America, where she made a triumphant tour of the country. Here are Stein’s devastating analyses of some of the major figures of the day whom she met—among them Dashiell Hammett, Charlie Chaplin, Pablo Picasso, Marianne Moore, Mrs. Roosevelt, and Sherwood Anderson—and also of her own life and work.

No Laughing Matter

Biographies & Memoirs

An uproarious and frank memoir of illness and recovery, No Laughing Matter is a story of friendship and recuperation from the author of the classic Catch-22.It all began one typical day in the life of Joe Heller. He was jogging four miles at a clip these days, working on his novel God Knows, coping with the complications of an unpleasant divorce, and pigging out once or twice a week on Chinese food with cronies like Mel Brooks, Mario Puzo, and his buddy of more than twenty years, Speed Vogel. He was feeling perfectly fine that day—but within twenty-four hours he would be in intensive care at Manhattan's Mount Sinai Hospital. He would remain hospitalized for nearly six months and leave in a wheelchair. Joseph Heller had Guillain-Barré syndrome, a debilitating, sometimes fatal condition that can leave its victims paralyzed from head to toe. The clan gathered immediately. Speed—sometime artist, sometime businessman, sometime herring taster, and now a coauthor—moved into Joe's apartment as messenger, servant, and shaman. Mel Brooks, arch-hypochondriac of the Western world, knew as much about Heller's condition as the doctors. Mario Puzo, author of the preeminent gangster novel of our time, proved to be the most reluctant man ever to be dragged along on a hospital visit. These and lots of others rallied around the sickbed in a show of loyalty and friendship that not only built a wild and spirited camaraderie but helped bring Joe Heller, writer and buddy extraordinaire, through his greatest crisis. This book is an inspiring, hilarious memoir of a calamitous illness and the rocky road to recuperation—as only the author of Catch-22 and the friend who helped him back to health could tell it. No Laughing Matter is as wacky, terrifying, and greathearted as any fiction Joseph Heller ever wrote.

Janet Malcolm: The Last Interview

Biographies & Memoirs

A provocative collection of interviews with the sublimely talented author of The Journalist and the MurdererThe legendary journalist, Janet Malcolm, opened her most famous work The Journalist and the Murderer with the line: “Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible.”Ever since its publication in 1980, she only increased her reputation as a devastatingly sharp writer, whose eye for observation is matched only by her formal inventiveness and philosophical interrogations of the relationship between journalist and subject.Predictably, as an interview subject herself, she was an intimidating mark. In this collection, interviewers tangle with their own projections and identifications, while she often, gamely, plays along. Full of insights about her writing process, the craft of journalism, and her own analysis of her most famous works, this collection proves that Janet Malcolm is just as elusive and enlightening in conversation as she was on paper.

Kiss or Kill

Biographies & Memoirs

* Mark Twight's collected works, some never before published in North America * Includes dramatic black and white mountaineering photos * Features brand new epilogues to all of the stories They call him Dr. Doom. Raving and kicking against mediocrity, his anger and pain simmer close to the surface. He speaks and writes the language of the punk music that defined him. He is extreme alpinist Mark Twight, and he doesn't back down from the truth. He's a one-man literary punk band. If you have any doubt, here comes his knockout punch: the only collection of writing Twight swears he'll ever publish. Kiss or Kill: Confessions of a Serial Climber is raw, unfiltered Twight. These author's cut are the real deal, not the homogenized fluff offered up by magazine editors who are often unwilling to offend. Twight's words make it clear that climbing is only distantly about the summit. Several of these pieces are new to U.S. readers. Twight edited all of the selections and appended each with a current author's note; confessing his inspiration, events that followed, and lessons learned (or not learned, some might say). It adds up to a frightfully lucid look into Twight's personal life as both man and hardcore alpine climber. The dissection scares me sometimes...Whether railing against the spinelessness of American siege-style mountaineering, admitting addiction to pushing the bounds of the possible, or reveling in his ability to cut away anything in life that holds him back, Twight never blinks. Along the way, there is the drama of new and epic routes, unbreakable bonds between climbing partners, and Twight's evolution as a climber and a man. He tells every story in a unique, in-your-face style. Kiss or Kill is not an easy read. It may scare some readers-but that's the point. "I want this book to help you recognize your own anger, which will help you understand mine", says Twight. "Somewhere out there somebody understands these words and knows they matter. They were written in blood, learned by heart."

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