Biographies & Memoirs - Books

Gobi et moi

Biographies & Memoirs

Traduit de l’anglais (Australie) par Z. Papillon Un homme, un chien, des kilomètres à parcourir : une incroyable histoire vraie… Coureur marathonien de l’extrême, Dion Leonard s’apprête à participer à une course d’endurance de 250 kilomètres au cœur des terres sauvages du désert de Gobi, en Chine. Une course redoutable, éprouvante. Le deuxième jour de l’épreuve, un petit chien se mêle aux coureurs sur la ligne de départ. Il semble avoir jeté son dévolu sur Dion, bien décidé à le suivre à chaque étape de la course…Dion n’a pas du tout l’intention de courir ce marathon en binôme. Et pourtant, comment résister à cette petite boule de poils, endurante et courageuse, et qui ne le lâche pas d’une semelle ? Bio : Coureur de l’extrême, Dion Leonard, Australien, réside en Ecosse avec son épouse, Lucja. Il a couru parmi les marathons les plus exigeants au monde, le plus souvent dans des territoires inhospitaliers. La rencontre avec Gobi a marqué un tournant dans sa vie sportive.

TÖPFFER No 5 Voyage en zigzag

Biographies & Memoirs

Quelques expéditions en Suisse et même à Venise, ça vous le dit ? Découvrez l'homme, ses pensées et les magnifiques paysages de ces contrées.

The Ultimate H.P. Blavatsky Collection

Biographies & Memoirs

Includes: •Charles River Editors original biography of H.P. Blavatksy •Blavatsky’s classics The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled Among the New Age Movement and modern spiritualists, one name stands above the rest: Helena Petrovna (H.P.) Blavatsky. Blavatsky is best known today for co-founding the Theosophical School, a religious school of thought that she labeled "the archaic Wisdom-Religion, the esoteric doctrine once known in every ancient country having claims to civilization”, and nobody was more qualified than Blavatsky to forge such a creation. During her second marriage, Blavatsky traveled to various parts of the world, including Egypt, France, Germany, Mexico, South America, Canada, and India, absorbing all the diverse cultures, customs, religions, and philosophies she came across. Once she had extensively studied all of the different movements she had experienced, Blavatsky went about synthesizing Theosophy and creating a worldview that offered explanations for the origin, workings and ultimate fate of every aspect of mankind’s existence, in order to “form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color.” Blavatsky did so by becoming an incredibly prolific writer, and some of her works have become cult classics, particularly The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled. These works included her unique blend of science, esoteric ideas, the occult, and ancient religions and philosophies, and they remain popular today. The Ultimate H.P. Blavatsky Collection profiles the life, works, and legacy of the influential scholar, writer, philosopher and theologian, examining her movement and its origins. This collection includes an original biography of Blavatsky’s life and her two seminal classics, The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled. This collection also includes pictures, a bibliography, and a Table of Contents.

Nič ma nezlomí

Biographies & Memoirs

„Toto je príbeh o zrodení hrdinu. Tým hrdinom ste vy.“ Pre Davida Gogginsa bolo detstvo nočnou morou – chudoba, predsudky a fyzické násilie mu vypĺňali dni a strašili ho po nociach. Vďaka sebadisciplíne, psychickej odolnosti a tvrdej práci sa však zmenil z deprimovaného mladého muža s nadváhou a bez budúcnosti na ikonu amerických ozbrojených síl a jedného z najlepších vytrvalostných športovcov na svete. Ako jediný človek v dejinách úspešne absolvoval elitný výcvik špeciálnych jednotiek amerických námorných, vzdušných a pozemných tímov Navy SEALs, ľahkej pechoty Army Rangers aj taktických jednotiek vzdušných síl Air Force Tactical Air Controller, vytvoril rekordy v množstve vytrvalostných súťaží a časopis Outside mu preto dal prezývku najzdatnejší muž Ameriky. V knihe Nič ma nezlomí rozpráva svoj ohromujúci životný príbeh a odhaľuje, že väčšina z nás využíva približne štyridsať percent svojich schopností. Nazýva to štyridsaťpercentným pravidlom a svojimi skúsenosťami ukazuje cestu, ktorou môže hocikto zvládnuť bolesť, rozdrviť strach a naplno zúročiť svoj potenciál.

Die größten Meister der Literatur - Biographien & Memoiren

Biographies & Memoirs

Die Anthologie 'Die größten Meister der Literatur - Biographien & Memoiren' öffnet ein faszinierendes Fenster zu den Lebensgeschichten und geistigen Welten einiger der bedeutendsten literarischen Persönlichkeiten. Diese Sammlung vereint eine bemerkenswerte Bandbreite literarischer Stile und kontextueller Hintergründe und bietet dem Leser einen reichhaltigen Querschnitt durch die Epochen und kulturellen Bewegungen, die die europäische Literatur maßgeblich geprägt haben. Mit ihren lebendigen und sorgfältig kuratierten Texten von Prosa über Essays bis hin zu Reflexionen vermittelt die Anthologie ein beeindruckendes Puzzle der literarischen Genialität und schöpferischen Vielfalt. Die Autoren, darunter Lew Tolstoi, Charles Dickens, Stefan Zweig und Bertha von Suttner, sind herausragende Stimmen ihrer Zeit, die durch ihre einzigartigen Biographien und Memoiren ein Licht auf die komplexen Verzahnungen von Literatur, Geschichte und Gesellschaft werfen. Sie bieten nicht nur persönliche Einblicke in ihr eigenes Wirken, sondern auch scharfsinnige Kommentare zu den Bewegungen und Umbrüchen, die ihre kreative Existenz beeinflusst haben. Durch das Zusammenkommen dieser vielfältigen Perspektiven wird der Leser angeregt, das literarische Erbe in seiner Gesamtheit neu zu überdenken und wertzuschätzen. Dieses Buch ist eine unvergleichliche Einladung an alle Liebhaber der Literatur, sich auf eine intellektuelle Reise zu begeben, die sowohl aufschlussreich als auch inspirierend ist. Es ist eine Gelegenheit, innerhalb eines einzigen Bandes in die Köpfe der großen Meister einzutauchen und die Fülle an Gedanken, Stilen und kulturellen Diskussionen zu erleben, die diese bemerkenswerte Sammlung zu bieten hat. Tauchen Sie ein und lassen Sie sich von der Vielfalt beeindrucken, die weit über konventionelle literarische Erkundungen hinausgeht und einen tiefgehenden Dialog zwischen den Autoren und dem Leser eröffnet.

Hvor friheden begynder

Biographies & Memoirs

Nelson Mandela nåede ikke at gøre sin erindringsbog færdig, men den sydafrikanske forfatter Mandla Langa har haft adgang til Mandelas ufærdige kladder og omfattende notesbøger samt et stort arkivmateriale og har samlet det i en levende og inspirerende beretning om Mandelas præsidentperiode. Det er historien om et land i opbrud og fødslen af et demokrati. Det er også historien om de udfordringer, som Mandela måtte overvinde for at nå sin vision om et befriet Sydafrika. Og frem for alt fuldender den portrættet af en enestående statsmand, som få i verdenshistorien har kunnet måle. Bogen lægger sig i forlængelse af den internationale bestseller Vejen til frihed og har forord af Mandelas enke, Graça Machel. Den udkommer i en lang række lande verden over.

Pamantul fagaduintei

Biographies & Memoirs

O RELATARE EXTREM DE INTERESANTĂ ȘI FOARTE PERSONALĂ DESPRE CUM SE SCRIE ISTORIA – DE LA PREȘEDINTELE CARE NE-A FĂCUT SĂ CREDEM ÎN PUTEREA DEMOCRAȚIEIÎn primul volum așteptat cu multă emoție din memoriile sale prezidențiale, Barack Obama ne spune povestea odiseei sale improbabile, de la un tânăr aflat în căutarea propriei identități la liderul lumii libere, descriind prin amănunte deosebit de intime atât educația sa politică, cât și momentele cruciale din primul mandat al președinției sale istorice – o perioadă de frământări și de transformări dramatice. Obama își poartă cititorii într-o călătorie fascinantă, pornind de la cele mai timpurii ambiții politice ale sale, la victoria în prima rundă din alegeri în Iowa, care a reprezentat un punct de cotitură în cariera sa și care a demonstrat forța activismului la firul ierbii, până la noaptea istorică din 4 noiembrie 2008, când a fost ales al 44-lea președinte al Statelor Unite ale Americii, devenind primul afro-american care a ocupat cea mai înaltă funcție în stat. Reflectând la perioada în care a fost președinte, Barack Obama ne prezintă o analiză unică și minuțioasă a influenței uluitoare și a limitelor puterilor prezidențiale, dând dovadă de o înțelegere remarcabilă a dinamicii politicii partizane din SUA și a diplomației internaționale. Obama aduce cititorii în interiorul Biroului Oval și în Sala situațiilor speciale și îi poartă prin Moscova, Cairo, Beijing și prin alte astfel de locuri îndepărtate. Suntem martorii intimi ai gândurilor sale în timp ce-și formează cabinetul, se luptă cu o criză economică globală, îl evaluează pe Vladimir Putin, urnește munții din loc ca să se asigure că reforma ser - viciilor medicale va fi înfăptuită, își înfruntă generalii cu privire la strategia Statelor Unite în Afghanistan, abordează reforma de pe Wall Street, gestionează situația iscată de incidentul devastator de la Deepwater Horizon și autorizează Operațiunea Neptune’s Spear, care duce la moartea lui Osama bin Laden.Pământul făgăduinței este o relatare deosebit de intimă și de introspectivă – povestea unui om care a pus pariu cu istoria, credința unui organizator al comunității, testată pe scena mondială. Obama vorbește cu franchețe despre cum a împăcat candidatura la fotoliul prezidențial ca afro-american, în care își pusese speranțele o generație îmbărbătată de mesaje de „speranță și schimbare“, cu provocările de ordin moral pe care le presupun deciziile de mare miză ce trebuie luate. Relatează în mod deschis despre forțele care i s-au opus atât în țară, cât și în străinătate, despre impactul pe care traiul la Casa Albă l-a avut asupra soției și a fiicelor sale, și nu-i este teamă să-și dezvăluie îndoielile de sine și dezamăgirile. Cu toate acestea, păstrează credința nestrămutată în ideea că e întotdeauna loc pentru progres în mărețul experiment american. Acest volum minunat scris și plin de forță surprinde convingerea lui Barack Obama că democrația nu este un dar venit din ceruri, ci o realitate bazată pe empatie și înțelegere, pe care o construim împreună, zi de zi.BARACK OBAMA a fost cel de-al 44-lea președinte al Statelor Unite ale Americii, ales în noiembrie 2008, și a ocupat această funcție vreme de două mandate. Este autorul a două bestsellere New York Times, Dreams from My Father și The Audacity of Hope, și laureat al Premiului Nobel pentru Pace în 2009. Locuiește în Washington D.C. cu soția lui, Michelle. Au două fiice, Malia și Sasha.

A Woman of No Importance

Biographies & Memoirs

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERChosen as a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, the Seattle Times, the Washington Independent Review of Books, PopSugar, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, BookBrowse, the Spectator, and the Times of LondonWinner of the Plutarch Award for Best Biography“Excellent…This book is as riveting as any thriller, and as hard to put down.” -- The New York Times Book Review"A compelling biography of a masterful spy, and a reminder of what can be done with a few brave people -- and a little resistance." - NPR"A meticiulous history that reads like a thriller." - Ben MacintyreA never-before-told story of Virginia Hall, the American spy who changed the course of World War II, from the author of Clementine.In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill's "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and--despite her prosthetic leg--helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it. Virginia established vast spy networks throughout France, called weapons and explosives down from the skies, and became a linchpin for the Resistance. Even as her face covered wanted posters and a bounty was placed on her head, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped through a death-defying hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown. But she plunged back in, adamant that she had more lives to save, and led a victorious guerilla campaign, liberating swathes of France from the Nazis after D-Day.Based on new and extensive research, Sonia Purnell has for the first time uncovered the full secret life of Virginia Hall--an astounding and inspiring story of heroism, spycraft, resistance, and personal triumph over shocking adversity. A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war.

The Ultimate Jefferson Davis Collection

Biographies & Memoirs

Includes: •Charles River Editors’ original biography of Jefferson Davis •Davis’ The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government: All Volumes •The True Story of the Capture of Jefferson Davis •Davis’ Inaugural Address “If the Confederacy falls, there should be written on its tombstone: Died of a theory.” –Jefferson Davis Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) holds a unique place in American history, as the man best remembered for being the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War. While other famous Confederates like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are still celebrated across the reunited country, Davis continues to be the object of scorn, derided over his attempt to flee after the Civil War and criticized as ineffective by historians. Among the Confederates still lauded among some Southerners, Davis is well down the list. Given his Civil War legacy, which often obscures his antebellum and postwar life, it’s easy to forget why Davis was made president in the first place. As a career civil servant in the United States government during much of his adult life, both as a Senator and Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis was a natural choice to be elected President of the seceding Southern states in early 1861. History has accorded Abraham Lincoln a spot in the pantheon of American politics for the manner in which he steered the Union to victory and into the Reconstruction period after the war. In turn, Davis has been heavily criticized. Davis constantly clashed with Confederate generals like Joseph Johnston, the South’s diplomacy failed to obtain foreign intervention, and he was unable to keep the Southern states together cohesively as the Confederate economy began to collapse. Whether the Civil War would have ended any differently with someone else in charge of the Confederacy will never be known, but Davis had a tumultuous presidency. Making matters worse, when Davis was captured by Union troops in May 1865, rumors spread that he was trying to escape in women’s clothing. Davis was accused of treason and held prisoner for a few years before he was released, living out the rest of his years in the South. Even in death, Mother Nature hasn’t left him alone. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of his postwar home in Biloxi, Mississippi. However, while others went quietly, Davis aimed to set the record straight in his gigantic, two volume memoir, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government. In his tome, Davis skipped over his own personal life and dove headfirst into explaining the country’s and the war’s political and military details in extremely exacting manner. Davis was obviously one of the best authorities from the Southern standpoint, and his book remains an invaluable source for historians today. The Ultimate Jefferson Davis Collection looks at the life and times of the Confederate president, with an original biography on his life and legacy, as well as his voluminous memoirs about the Confederacy. It also includes the Confederate President’s Inaugural Address and a contemporary account of his capture by Union forces. The Ultimate Jefferson Davis Collection also includes a Table of Contents and pictures of Davis and other important people and events in his life.

The Storyteller

Biographies & Memoirs

Por suerte, mi memoria se ha mantenido relativamente intacta. Desde pequeño, siempre he medido mi vida en avances musicales, y no en meses o años. Para recordar un momento y un lugar en concreto, mi mente vuela a canciones, álbumes y bandas. Desde las emisoras AM de los setenta hasta cada uno de los micrófonos que he usado, te puedo ir diciendo el qué, el quién, el dónde y el cuándo desde las primeras notas de cualquier canción que haya saltado de un altavoz a mi alma. O de mi alma al altavoz. Para algunas personas, el detonante de un recuerdo es un sabor, para otras puede ser un olor o algo que vean. Mi detonante es el sonido, como un recopilatorio inacabado a la espera de ser enviado.Aunque nunca he sido de los que coleccionan «cosas», sí colecciono momentos. En ese sentido, mi vida pasa ante mis ojos y a través de mis oídos todos los días. En este libro he tratado de reflejar algunos de esos momentos lo mejor que he podido. Por supuesto, esos recuerdos están llenos de música. Y a veces pueden ser ruidosos.Sube el volumen. Escucha conmigo.En The Storyteller, una colección de momentos de todas las épocas de su vida, Dave Grohl nos ofrece algo extraordinario: un retrato crudo y sincero de una vida excepcional hecha a base de momentos normales y corrientes. Cuando nos habla del amor visceral por la música y sus compañeros, de su profunda conexión con su ciudad natal, Springfield (Virginia), y del asombro con el que ve crecer a sus hijas, Dave Grohl nos cuenta sus recuerdos del mismo modo en que escribe sus canciones, desde lo más hondo de su alma. Repleto de reflexiones sobre sus giras con los Scream, su entrada en Nirvana y el desmoronamiento del grupo, la creación de los Foo Fighters cuando se encontraba en un momento decisivo de su vida y cómo ahora recorre el mundo como un padre de familia, The Storyteller son unas memorias llenas de vida y humor en las que Dave nos transmite su lúcida visión de la fama.Ahora que ya sabemos que Dave Grohl es uno de nuestros músicos más valiosos, The Storyteller nos los presenta como un escritor rebosante de encanto y talento.

In Order to Live

Biographies & Memoirs

“I am most grateful for two things: that I was born in North Korea, and that I escaped from North Korea.” - Yeonmi Park"One of the most harrowing stories I have ever heard - and one of the most inspiring." - The Bookseller“Park's remarkable and inspiring story shines a light on a country whose inhabitants live in misery beyond comprehension. Park's important memoir showcases the strength of the human spirit and one young woman's incredible determination to never be hungry again.” —Publishers WeeklyIn In Order to Live, Yeonmi Park shines a light not just into the darkest corners of life in North Korea, describing the deprivation and deception she endured and which millions of North Korean people continue to endure to this day, but also onto her own most painful and difficult memories. She tells with bravery and dignity for the first time the story of how she and her mother were betrayed and sold into sexual slavery in China and forced to suffer terrible psychological and physical hardship before they finally made their way to Seoul, South Korea—and to freedom. Park confronts her past with a startling resilience. In spite of everything, she has never stopped being proud of where she is from, and never stopped striving for a better life. Indeed, today she is a human rights activist working determinedly to bring attention to the oppression taking place in her home country. Park’s testimony is heartbreaking and unimaginable, but never without hope. This is the human spirit at its most indomitable.

The Confessions of Saint Augustine (Translated by Edward Bouverie Pusey with an Introduction by Arthur Symons)

Biographies & Memoirs

Written between 397 and 400 A.D., “The Confessions of Saint Augustine” is thought to be the first autobiography in Western civilization and is considered by many to be one of the most important religious works of all time. While not a complete account of Augustine’s life, for Augustine wrote “Confessions” in his early forties and would live well into his seventies, it is one of the most complete first-hand accounts of anyone’s life from the fourth or fifth century, in which the author outlines the sins of his youth and conversion to Christianity. “The Confessions” tells of its author’s upbringing in Algeria, his place at the Imperial court of Milan, his struggle to overcome his sexual desires, and the ultimate dedication of his life to Christ and Christian ways. “The Confessions” are not simply a recount of the author’s life but a true exploration of what it is to be Christian and the struggles that one must overcome in order to find Christ and live a more pious life. A pioneering work of autobiography, “The Confessions” remains one of the most important works of spiritual devotion ever written. This edition follows the translation of Edward Bouverie Pusey and includes an introduction by Arthur Symons.

Coming Back Stronger

Biographies & Memoirs

When a potentially career-ending shoulder injury left quarterback Drew Brees without a team—and facing the daunting task of having to learn to throw a football all over again—coaches around the NFL wondered, Will he ever come back? After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, leaving more than 80 percent of the city underwater, many wondered, Will the city ever come back? And with their stadium transformed into a makeshift refugee camp, forcing the Saints to play their entire 2005 season on the road, people questioned, Will the Saints ever come back? It takes a special person to turn adversity into success and despair into hope—yet that is exactly what Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees has done—and with the weight of an entire city on his shoulders. Coming Back Stronger is the ultimate comeback story, not only of one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, but also of a city and a team that many had all but given up on. Brees’s inspiring message of hope and encouragement proves that with enough faith, determination, and heart, you can overcome any obstacle life throws your way and not only come back, but come back stronger.

Na casa dos sonhos

Biographies & Memoirs

Ao expor a história de seu relacionamento com uma mulher encantadora, mas também volátil e abusiva, Carmen Maria Machado traça um arco narrativo que vai desde o início cheio de promessas até o final difícil e confuso, que deixa marcas impossíveis de ignorar. Carmen se apaixonou por uma mulher que parecia maravilhosa — elas fazem sexo, viajam juntas, conhecem as respectivas famílias —, mas que acaba se tornando opressiva e aterrorizante, apesar de ainda sedutora. Embora seja difícil resistir ao charme da companheira, a autora cada vez mais se dá conta de que os limites autoimpostos — aquelas balizas que fazem dela a pessoa que quer ser — estão sendo ignorados. A casa dos sonhos deveria ser um lugar de felicidade e acolhimento, mas como é possível entender a transformação dela em assombro e violência? Em vez de traçar seu passado de forma linear, Carmen Maria Machado o fragmenta para alcançar o maior efeito possível na pessoa que lê, criando um mergulho emocional ao mesmo tempo angustiante e belo. Neste livro de memórias ousado e brutal, Machado examina um relacionamento abusivo através de sua percepção pessoal, mas também por um viés cultural e sociológico. Ao registrar sua experiência de sexualidade queer e violência psicológica íntima, a autora chama ao palco personagens largamente marginalizados e esquecidos pela história que, invisíveis na narrativa coletiva, encontram ainda mais dificuldade para entender o significado de seus próprios sentimentos."Já que existem tão poucos relatos literários sobre relacionamentos abusivos entre pessoas do mesmo sexo, Machado forja uma nova maneira de contar sua história." — The Guardian "Inovador a ponto de tirar o fôlego." — The New Yorker

Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends

Biographies & Memoirs

In 1841 a serf belonging to a Russian nobleman purchased his freedom and the freedom of his family for 3,500 roubles, being at the rate of 700 roubles a soul, with one daughter, Alexandra, thrown in for nothing. The grandson of this serf was Anton Chekhov, the author; the son of the nobleman was Tchertkov, the Tolstoyan and friend of Tolstoy. There is in this nothing striking to a Russian, but to the English student it is sufficiently significant for several reasons. It illustrates how recent a growth was the educated middle-class in pre-revolutionary Russia, and it shows, what is perhaps more significant, the homogeneity of the Russian people, and their capacity for completely changing their whole way of life. Chekhov's father started life as a slave, but the son of this slave was even more sensitive to the Arts, more innately civilized and in love with the things of the mind than the son of the slaveowner. Chekhov's father, Pavel Yegorovitch, had a passion for music and singing; while he was still a serf boy he learned to read music at sight and to play the violin. A few years after his freedom had been purchased he settled at Taganrog, a town on the Sea of Azov, where he afterwards opened a "Colonial Stores." This business did well until the construction of the railway to Vladikavkaz, which greatly diminished the importance of Taganrog as a port and a trading centre. But Pavel Yegorovitch was always inclined to neglect his business. He took an active part in all the affairs of the town, devoted himself to church singing, conducted the choir, played on the violin, and painted ikons. In 1854 he married Yevgenia Yakovlevna Morozov, the daughter of a cloth merchant of fairly good education who had settled down at Taganrog after a life spent in travelling about Russia in the course of his business. There were six children, five of whom were boys, Anton being the third son. The family was an ordinary patriarchal household of the kind common at that time. The father was severe, and in exceptional cases even went so far as to chastise his children, but they all lived on warm and affectionate terms. Everyone got up early, the boys went to the high school, and when they returned learned their lessons. All of them had their hobbies. The eldest, Alexandr, would construct an electric battery, Nikolay used to draw, Ivan to bind books, while Anton was always writing stories. In the evening, when their father came home from the shop, there was choral singing or a duet.

Memoirs from the Hippie Trail

Biographies & Memoirs

Journal of a trip for 21 months from Eastern Europe to Western Asia.

The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel

Biographies & Memoirs

I had a father and mother, who were devout and feared God. Our Lord also helped me with His grace. All this would have been enough to make me good, if I had not been so wicked. My father was very much given to the reading of good books; and so he had them in Spanish, that his children might read them. These books, with my mother's carefulness to make us say our prayers, and to bring us up devout to our Lady and to certain Saints, began to make me think seriously when I was, I believe, six or seven years old. It helped me, too, that I never saw my father and mother respect anything but goodness. They were very good themselves. My father was a man of great charity towards the poor, and compassion for the sick, and also for servants; so much so, that he never could be persuaded to keep slaves, for he pitied them so much: and a slave belonging to one of his brothers being once in his house, was treated by him with as much tenderness as his own children. He used to say that he could not endure the pain of seeing that she was not free. He was a man of great truthfulness; nobody ever heard him swear or speak ill of any one; his life was most pure. My mother also was a woman of great goodness, and her life was spent in great infirmities. She was singularly pure in all her ways. Though possessing great beauty, yet was it never known that she gave reason to suspect that she made any account whatever of it; for, though she was only three-and-thirty years of age when she died, her apparel was already that of a woman advanced in years. She was very calm, and had great sense. The sufferings she went through during her life were grievous, her death most Christian. We were three sisters and nine brothers. All, by the mercy of God, resembled their parents in goodness except myself, though I was the most cherished of my father. And, before I began to offend God, I think he had some reason,--for I am filled with sorrow whenever I think of the good desires with which our Lord inspired me, and what a wretched use I made of them. Besides, my brothers never in any way hindered me in the service of God. One of my brothers was nearly of my own age; and he it was whom I most loved, though I was very fond of them all, and they of me. He and I used to read Lives of Saints together. When I read of martyrdom undergone by the Saints for the love of God, it struck me that the vision of God was very cheaply purchased; and I had a great desire to die a martyr's death,--not out of any love of Him of which I was conscious, but that I might most quickly attain to the fruition of those great joys of which I read that they were reserved in Heaven; and I used to discuss with my brother how we could become martyrs. We settled to go together to the country of the Moors, begging our way for the love of God, that we might be there beheaded; and our Lord, I believe, had given us courage enough, even at so tender an age, if we could have found the means to proceed; but our greatest difficulty seemed to be our father and mother. It astonished us greatly to find it said in what we were reading that pain and bliss were everlasting. We happened very often to talk about this; and we had a pleasure in repeating frequently, "For ever, ever, ever." Through the constant uttering of these words, our Lord was pleased that I should receive an abiding impression of the way of truth when I was yet a child. As soon as I saw it was impossible to go to any place where people would put me to death for the sake of God, my brother and I set about becoming hermits; and in an orchard belonging to the house we contrived, as well as we could, to build hermitages, by piling up small stones one on the other, which fell down immediately; and so it came to pass that we found no means of accomplishing our wish. Even now, I have a feeling of devotion when I consider how God gave me in my early youth what I lost by my own fault. I gave alms as I could--and I could but little. I contrived to be alone, for the sake of saying my prayers--and they were many--especially the Rosary, to which my mother had a great devotion, and had made us also in this like herself. I used to delight exceedingly, when playing with other children, in the building of monasteries, as if we were nuns; and I think I wished to be a nun, though not so much as I did to be a martyr or a hermit.

Green Hills of Africa

Biographies & Memoirs

The most intimate and elaborately enhanced addition to the Hemingway Library series: Hemingway’s memoir of his safari across the Serengeti—presented with archival material from the Hemingway Collection at the John F. Kennedy Library and with the never-before-published safari journal of Hemingway’s second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer.When it was first published in 1935, The New York Times called Green Hills of Africa, “The best-written story of big-game hunting anywhere,” Hemingway’s evocative account of his safari through East Africa with his wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, captures his fascination with big-game hunting. In examining the grace of the chase and the ferocity of the kill, Hemingway looks inward, seeking to explain the lure of the hunt and the primal undercurrent that comes alive on the plains of Africa. Green Hills of Africa is also an impassioned portrait of the glory of the African landscape and the beauty of a wilderness that was, even then, being threatened by the incursions of man.This new Hemingway Library Edition offers a fresh perspective on Hemingway’s classic travelogue, with a personal foreword by Patrick Hemingway, the author’s sole surviving son, who spent many years as a professional hunter in East Africa; a new introduction by Seán Hemingway, grandson of the author; and, published for the first time in its entirety, the African journal of Hemingway’s wife, Pauline, which offers an intimate glimpse into thoughts and experiences that shaped her husband’s craft.

Frederick Douglass 1899

Biographies & Memoirs

According to Wikipedia: "Charles Waddell Chesnutt (June 20, 1858 – November 15, 1932) was an African-American author, essayist and political activist, best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity…. Chesnutt's stories were more complex than those of many of his contemporaries. He wrote about characters' dealing with difficult issues of miscegenation, "passing", illegitimacy, racial identities and social place throughout his career. The issues were especially pressing in the social volatility of Reconstruction and late 19th century society, as whites in the South tried to press all people with any African ancestry into one lower caste. At the same time, there was often distance and competition between families who had long been free persons of color, especially if educated and people of property, and newly freed slaves."

Life of Charlotte Brontë — Volume 1

Biographies & Memoirs

The Leeds and Skipton railway runs along a deep valley of the Aire; a slow and sluggish stream, compared to the neighbouring river of Wharfe. Keighley station is on this line of railway, about a quarter of a mile from the town of the same name. The number of inhabitants and the importance of Keighley have been very greatly increased during the last twenty years, owing to the rapidly extended market for worsted manufactures, a branch of industry that mainly employs the factory population of this part of Yorkshire, which has Bradford for its centre and metropolis.

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