1823 год. Трапперы «Пушной компании Скалистых гор» ведут суровую жизнь на фронтире. Охотясь на бобра, они каждый день противостоят угрозе со стороны индейских племен, ступивших на тропу войны после вторжения белого человека на их земли, и другим враждебным силам прерий – беспощадной местности и её обитателям. Хью Гласс в числе самых ценных людей компании, опытный пионер и искусный следопыт. Но после встречи лицом к лицу с гризли в одной из разведывательных экспедиций он получает серьёзные увечья и находится при смерти.
Капитан компании выделяет двух людей, чтобы те остались присмотреть за Глассом до его кончины и предали земле. Но когда вместо этого они покидают его, прихватив с собой единственные средства защиты – его драгоценное ружье и тесак – Гласс одержим единственным желанием: выжить, чтобы отомстить.
С невероятным мужеством и решимостью Гласс ползком преодолевает три тысячи миль дикого американского фронтира, справляясь с хищниками, как двуногими, так и четвероногими, с угрозой голодной смерти и мучительными болями от ужасных ран. «Возвращенец» – необыкновенный рассказ об одержимости, о безграничной воле, о том, как далеко может зайти человек в поисках возмездия.
1823 год. Трапперы «Пушной компании Скалистых гор» ведут суровую жизнь на фронтире. Охотясь на бобра, они каждый день противостоят угрозе со стороны индейских племен, ступивших на…
Born in Budapest in 1903, Ervin Nyiregyházi (nyeer-edge-hah-zee) was composing at two, giving his first public recital at six, and performing all over Europe by eight. He was soon recognized as one of the most remarkable child prodigies in history and became the subject of a four-year study by a psychologist. By twenty-five, he had all but disappeared. Mismanaged, exploited, and insistent on an intensely Romantic style, his career foundered in adulthood and he was reduced to penury. In 1928, he settled in Los Angeles, where he performed sporadically and worked in Hollywood. Psychologically, he remained a child, and found the ordinary demands of daily life onerous — he struggled even to dress himself. He drank heavily, was insatiable sexually (he married ten times), and lived in abject poverty, yet such was his talent and charisma that he numbered among his friends and champions Rudolph Valentino, Harry Houdini, Theodore Dreiser, Bela Lugosi, and Gloria Swanson. Rediscovered in the 1970s, he enjoyed a sensational and controversial renaissance. Kevin Bazzana explores the brilliant but troubled mind of a geniune Romantic adrift in the modern age. The story he tells is one of the most fascinating - and bizarre - in the history of music.
Born in Budapest in 1903, Ervin Nyiregyházi (nyeer-edge-hah-zee) was composing at two, giving his first public recital at six, and performing all over Europe by eight. He was soon…
Michael Harrison had it all: good looks, charm, natural leadership, a wicked sense of humor, and now Ashley, his fiancee. While out celebrating with a group of friends a few nights before the wedding, Michael suddenly and unexpectedly finds himself enclosed in a coffin equipped only with a flashlight, a dirty magazine, a walkie-talkie, and a tiny breathing tube. It's all in good fun — payback for the grief his buddies had suffered at the hands of his own penchant for tomfoolery — that is, until his four buddies are killed in a drunk driving accident just moments after leaving Michael buried alive in his coffin. Detective Superintendent Grace — himself dealing with the pain of losing a wife — is brought on to the case when Ashley reports Michael missing. Suspicions are raised when Michael's only friend not at the bachelor party refuses to cooperate and Ashley's faithfulness — not to mention her increasingly mysterious past — are suddenly thrown into question. As Superintendent Grace soon discovers, one man's disaster is another man's fortune ...dead simple.
Michael Harrison had it all: good looks, charm, natural leadership, a wicked sense of humor, and now Ashley, his fiancee. While out celebrating with a group of friends a few…
A comprehensive and meticulously researched treasure trove of information that brings to light the ordinary domestic details to the countless controversies of Marilyn Monroe’s life. Dozens of people who knew or were related to Marilyn — from the key
A comprehensive and meticulously researched treasure trove of information that brings to light the ordinary domestic details to the countless controversies of Marilyn Monroe’s…
Tom Bryce did what any decent person would do. But within hours of picking up the CD that had been left behind on the train seat next to him, and attempting to return it to its owner, he is the sole witness to a vicious murder. Then his young family are threatened with their lives if he goes to the police. But supported by his wife, Kellie, he bravely makes a statemenet to the murder enquiry team headed by Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, a man with demons of his own to contend with. And from that moment, the killing of the Bryce family becomes a mere formality — and a grisly attraction. Kellie and Tom's deaths have already been posted on the internet; you can log on and see them on a website. They are looking good dead.
Tom Bryce did what any decent person would do. But within hours of picking up the CD that had been left behind on the train seat next to him, and attempting to return it to its…
It is the summer of 1604, many years after the defeat of the Armada, and the Spanish are in London to negotiate a peace treaty. Nick Revill's theater company— newly promoted to the King's Men now that James I is on the throne—are given a ceremonial role at the celebrations. But not everybody welcomes this outbreak of peace. Sir Walter Raleigh, imprisoned in the Tower of London, is far from inactive—he has many friends on the outside who may try to sabotage the negotiations. Nick, meanwhile, has been invited by Shakespeare's rival, Ben Jonson, to take part in a masque at Somerset House, where the Spanish are lodged. He soon finds himself unwillingly caught up in a conspiracy. During a rehearsal, the courtier Sir Philip Blake dies an apparently accidental death when he tumbles from a chair in which he is being lowered to the stage. But this is only the first of a series of suspicious deaths, and Nick must look hard at those around him: the robust Ben Jonson, once imprisoned for killing a fellow player; the embittered and satirical playwright Martin Barton; the smooth courtier Giles Cass; and Maria More, devoted companion to the bereft Lady Blake.
It is the summer of 1604, many years after the defeat of the Armada, and the Spanish are in London to negotiate a peace treaty. Nick Revill's theater company— newly promoted to…
Dandy Gilver, her husband back from the War, her children off at school and her uniform growing musty in the attic, is bored to a whimper in the spring of 1923 and a little light snooping seems like harmless fun. And what could be better than to seek out the Duffy diamonds, stolen from the Esselmont's country house, Croys, after the Armistice Ball? Before long, though, the puzzle of what really happened to the Duffy diamonds has been swept aside by the sudden, unexpected death of lovely young Cara Duffy in a lonely seaside cottage in Galloway. Society and the law seem ready to call it an accident but Dandy, along with Cara Duffy's fiancé Alec, is sure that there is more going on than meets the eye. What is being hidden by members of the Duffy family: the watchful Lena, the cold and distant Clemence and old Gregory Duffy with his air of quiet sadness, not to mention Cara herself whose secret always seems just tantalizingly out of view? Dandy must learn to trust her instincts and swallow most of her scruples if he is to uncover the truth and earn the right to call herself a sleuth.
Dandy Gilver, her husband back from the War, her children off at school and her uniform growing musty in the attic, is bored to a whimper in the spring of 1923 and a little light…
Each time history repeats itself, the cost goes up. The twentieth centurya time of unprecedented progresshas produced a tremendous strain on the very elements that comprise life itself: This raises the key question of the twenty-first century: How much longer can this go on? With wit and erudition, Ronald Wright lays out a-convincing case that history has always provided an answer, whether we care to notice or not. From Neanderthal man to the Sumerians to the Roman Empire, A Short History of Progress dissects the cyclical nature of humanity's development and demise, the 10,000-year old experiment that we've unleashed but have yet to control. It is Wright's contention that only by understanding and ultimately breaking from the patterns of progress and disaster that humanity has repeated around the world since the Stone Age can we avoid the onset of a new Dark Age. Wright illustrates how various cultures throughout history have literally manufactured their own end by producing an overabundance of innovation and stripping bare the very elements that allowed them to initially advance. Wright's book is brilliant; a fascinating rumination on the hubris at the heart of human development and the pitfalls we still may have time to avoid.
Each time history repeats itself, the cost goes up. The twentieth centurya time of unprecedented progresshas produced a tremendous strain on the very elements that…
Based on hundreds of hours of interviews with the man who authored In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's, as well as with nearly everyone who knew him, this absorbing, definitive biography follows Truman Capote from his eccentric childhood in Alabama to the heights of New York society. Featuring many photographs, this book also candidly recounts a gifted and celebrated writer's descent into the life of alcohol and drugs that would ultimately consume his bulldog spirit and staggering talentbut not before he'd hobnob with the likes of Grace Paley and Lee Radziwill, feud outrageously with Gore Vidal and Jacqueline Susann, and stage at New York's Plaza Hotel the sensational Black and White Ball.
Based on hundreds of hours of interviews with the man who authored In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's, as well as with nearly everyone who knew him, this absorbing,…
In this lovely and informative book, Carolyn White delves into one of the most intriguing aspects of Irish folklore, the otherworld of fairies. Whether you're a true believer or not, it's impossible not to be seduced by the details of their
In this lovely and informative book, Carolyn White delves into one of the most intriguing aspects of Irish folklore, the otherworld of fairies. Whether you're a true believer or…
From one of the world's most passionately engaged literary citizens comes Writing with Intent, the largest collection to date of Margaret Atwood's nonfiction, ranging from 1983 to 2005. Composed of autobiographical essays, cultural commentary, book reviews, and introductory pieces written for great works of literature, this is the award-winning author's first book-length nonfiction publication in twenty years. Arranged chronologically, these writings display the development of Atwood's worldview as the world around her changes. Included are the Booker Prize–winning author's reviews of books by John Updike, Italo Calvino, Toni Morrison, and others, as well as essays in which she remembers herself reading Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse at age nineteen, and discusses the influence of George Orwell's 1984 on the writing of The Handmaid's Tale. Atwood's New York Times Book Review piece that helped make Orhan Pamuk's Snow a bestseller can be found here, as well as a look back on a family trip to Afghanistan just before the Soviet invasion, and her "Letter to America," written after September 11, 2001. The insightful and memorable pieces in this book serve as a testament to Atwood's career, reminding readers why she is one of the most esteemed writers of our time.
From one of the world's most passionately engaged literary citizens comes Writing with Intent, the largest collection to date of Margaret Atwood's nonfiction, ranging from 1983 to…
Scott Bradfield's newest collection, Hot Animal Love, reads as if Raymond Carver penned Charlotte's Web — though for the kids this collection is surely not. Bradfield's witty, sardonic prose is brilliantly on display as the harsh emotional realities of contemporary life — exemplified by the basic instincts of love and hate — are played out across all facets of the animal kingdom. From a duck struggling to gain academic tenure and a penguin trying to drink himself to death, to personal ads for lonely canines, and the familiar antics of those poor, pitiful, humans themselves, Bradfield strips bare the very essence of human behavior and asks us to consider who the real beasts are — the results are both hilarious and profoundly moving.
Scott Bradfield's newest collection, Hot Animal Love, reads as if Raymond Carver penned Charlotte's Web — though for the kids this collection is surely not. Bradfield's witty,…
Mike Ashley is back with an all-new edition of one of the bestselling Mammoth Books ever, from the funniest writers in the field, including Neil Gaiman, Tom Holt, and Terry Jones. The thirty- five off-the-wall comic fantasies featured in
Mike Ashley is back with an all-new edition of one of the bestselling Mammoth Books ever, from the funniest writers in the field, including Neil Gaiman, Tom Holt, and Terry Jones.…
Set in the dark years following the death of Arthur in the Battle of Camlann, this mystical adventure revolves around the attempts of Budoc the Hermit to preserve and protect the Arthurian legacy. Once Arthur's proud companion, Budoc has sought
Set in the dark years following the death of Arthur in the Battle of Camlann, this mystical adventure revolves around the attempts of Budoc the Hermit to preserve and protect the…
Marilyn Monroe?s death in August 1962, apparently a suicide, shocked the world. The coroner?s report stated that her death was due to a massive overdose of Nembutal capsules. But what about the discrepancies between the officialreport and
Marilyn Monroe?s death in August 1962, apparently a suicide, shocked the world. The coroner?s report stated that her death was due to a massive overdose of Nembutal capsules. But…
Through the last three presidential administrations and two wars with Iraq, no one has personally witnessed, influenced, or fueled news over more history-making events than Joseph Wilson. The last American diplomat to sit face-to-face with Saddam Hussein, he is a consummate insider who has the intelligence, principles, and independence to examine current American foreign policy and the inner workings of government and to form a candid assessment of the United States’ involvement in the world. In February 2002, Joseph Wilson was sent to Niger by the CIA to investigate claims that Iraq had sought to purchase uranium in that country. Wilson’s report, and two from other American officials, conclusively negated such rumors, yet all were brushed aside by the White House. Startled by the infamous words uttered by George W. Bush in his 2003 State of the Union Address: “The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa,” Wilson decided to reveal the truth behind the initiation of the Iraq war. The Politics of Truth is an explosive and revelatory book by a man who stands for the accurate recording of history against those forces bent on fabricating truth.
Through the last three presidential administrations and two wars with Iraq, no one has personally witnessed, influenced, or fueled news over more history-making events than Joseph…
On March 19, 1945, a Japanese bomber screamed toward the USS Franklin and dropped two 500-pound bombs through the ship's decks, killing hundreds of officers and enlisted men in just the first few moments, and thrusting the lives of nearly 3,000 other American seamen and aviators into mortal danger. As the Franklin listed dangerously near capsizing, the light cruiser USS Santa Fe, nicknamed the Lucky Lady, bellied up alongside her flaming hull and attempted the most daring rescue in U.S. naval history. Lucky Lady recreates the legendary World War II careers of the Franklin—the most decorated naval vessel of the war—and the Santa Fe—unparalleled in frontline service and avoiding casualties—through the eyes of the men on board. Perspectives range from the highest levels of rank and flying altitude to deep within the ships' bowels. Through the bloody years of the Pacific campaign—from Pearl Harbor to the Philippines to the waters just off the coast of Japan, and finally the decimated city of Nagasaki—the crewmembers encountered all the circumstances of war. Now in paperback, this book will be cherished by readers of military history as a fitting tribute with stirring echoes in our present time. Photographs are featured.
On March 19, 1945, a Japanese bomber screamed toward the USS Franklin and dropped two 500-pound bombs through the ship's decks, killing hundreds of officers and enlisted men in…
With this unique collection, acclaimed author Glen Hirshberg breathes new life into an age-old literary tradition. In the title story a husband struggles with the grief and confusion of losing two children, and forms an odd bond with the infant spectrals that visit him in the night. “Dancing Men” depicts one of the creepiest rites of passage in recent memory when a boy visits his deranged grandfather in the New Mexico desert. “Struwwelpeter” introduces us to a brilliant, treacherous adolescent whose violent tendencies and reckless mischief reach a sinister pinnacle as Halloween descends on a rundown Pacific Northwest fishing village. Tormented by his guilty conscience, a young man plumbs the depths of atonement as he and his favorite cousin commune with the almighty Hawaiian surf in “Shipwreck Beach.” In “Mr. Dark’s Carnival,” a college professor confronts his own dark places in the form of a mysterious haunted house steeped in the folklore of grisly badlands justice.
With this unique collection, acclaimed author Glen Hirshberg breathes new life into an age-old literary tradition. In the title story a husband struggles with the grief and…
Marilyn Monroe's death in August 1962, apparently a suicide, shocked the world. The coroner's report stated that her death was due to a massive overdose of Nembutal capsules. But what about the discrepancies between the official report and the
Marilyn Monroe's death in August 1962, apparently a suicide, shocked the world. The coroner's report stated that her death was due to a massive overdose of Nembutal capsules. But…
Here is the first biography to explore, with shocking detail, the drama that formed this troubled, tragic rock star. Neither an apology nor a condemnation, Kurt Cobain presents a vivid insider's view of the life and death of a man who galvanized a
Here is the first biography to explore, with shocking detail, the drama that formed this troubled, tragic rock star. Neither an apology nor a condemnation, Kurt Cobain presents a…
