Creative Biography

This is the story of how Thomas Day, a young man of means, decided he could never marry a woman with brains, spirit or fortune. Instead, he adopted two orphan girls from a Foundling Hospital, and set about educating them to become the meek, docile women he considered marriage material. Unsurprisingly, Day's marriage plans did not run smoothly.

This is a true story about a man who was passionate about airplanes—flying them, designing them and building them. His innovative designs and creative vision were so much a part of aviation history that his breakthrough biplane design, the Staggerwing, shown on the cover of this book, hangs in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. Ted Wells not only designed the Staggerwing, but also the Bonanza and many other extremely popular and enduring commercial and military aircraft. Beech Aircraft, the company he co-founded with Walter and Olive Ann Beech...

For as long as Rachel could remember, she wanted to be a wife and mom and the Proverbs 31 woman in order to please God after he miraculously healed her broken collarbone at the age of four. On the surface, she was living the life of her dreams. Yet, deep down she was incredibly unhappy. She felt abandoned by God, unknown and unloved in her marriage, and unseen in motherhood as she tried to fill all the roles and expectations placed upon her.

Kate Ceberano is used to a hush descending as she draws breath to release that magnificent voice but when the whole world quietened in 2020, she found the silence disorientating. Without an audience or long hours of travel with her tribe of musicians, there was time to think. But what does an artist do when they can’t make art? They find a way. With characteristic passion, abundance and joy, Kate liberated her unsung songs.

What propels some individuals to reach extraordinary creative heights in the earliest years of life while others discover their passions decades later? Are prodigies imbued with innate talent? Do late bloomers reveal their talents because their skills require life experience and contemplation? Through engaging storytelling and intriguing historical and cutting-edge scientific research, best-selling author and acclaimed journalist Claudia Kalb explores these questions to uncover what makes a prodigy and what drives a late bloomer.

In 1998, the thought of launching a startup in San Antonio was ludicrous. Just over two decades later, the scrappy little underdog that no one believed in is a billion-dollar business with more than 6,000 employees worldwide. The rocket-ship growth was exhilarating, but exposed Rackspace’s early flaws. The Rack We Built is Lorenzo’s recollections from those days, told only as he can tell it. With the principles in the book, you can create the type of culture that makes people want to volunteer their best.

Dr. Tonya Echols Cole knows cancer intimately. Not only has she worked as an oncologist for decades, she is also a breast cancer survivor. Her unique position of having been both cancer doctor and cancer patient allows her to give real-world advice about how to overcome challenges that cancer survivors face, both during and after treatment. Dr. Cole combines anecdotes from her own cancer journey with personal development strategies and health maintenance advice into a comprehensive prescription for cancer survivors to thrive in a more healthy, confident, and abundant life.

When Jules Verne was born in 1828, his family had his future planned out for him. They expected him to become a lawyer, but he dreamed of writing. He started out writing more traditional poetry and plays, but then he began to create a new, unconventional kind of fiction. It combined adventure, the modern world of science and invention, and his personal view of the future. With fantastical characters, spaceships to the moon, and deep-sea submarines, his books told of things that would not actually occur for decades.

A concise biography of the life of the legendary American field commander of World War II, George S Patton, Jnr.George S. Patton, Jr. was the iconic American field commander of World War II, and is widely regarded as the US Army's finest practitioner of mechanized warfare. Having chased bandits in the Mexican border war of 1917, he led the first US tank units in World War I.

In this compelling portrait of Paul the man, his message, and his world, Robin Griffith-Jones reveals the apostle as a brilliantly entrepreneurial witness to the transforming presence of Jesus himself. This groundbreaking book unlocks Paul′s letters, revealing their purpose and power as never before.

How to Think Like David Bowie offers an entertaining guide to the habits, techniques, and personal qualities that Bowie nurtured to defy convention and stimulate his creativity. You will also find plenty of helpful tips and suggestions so that you can stretch your own potential, lead a more creative life, and nurture your mind.

Lydia Maria Child grew up in the 1800s reading countless books. She defied the idea that girls weren't supposed to fill their minds with ideas and stories. They weren't supposed to write their own books, either, but that is exactly what Lydia Maria did. Although she gained remarkable success as a writer for children and adults, she sacrificed everything when she took up her pen against slavery. Lydia Maria believed that slavery was wrong—and she wasn't afraid to say so. As a result, her courageous words changed her life and helped change the course of American history.

Trailer park girl. Teen bride. Single mom. Instagram celebrity. It would be easy to mistake Jessica Wilde’s life for a simple rags-to-riches story. After all, she went from a youth marred by poverty, sexual abuse, and bad decisions, to internet fame that gave her control over her own fate, and provided a lucrative living. If happiness were only that simple. In reality, Wilde’s personal journey of growth and triumph involved a daunting struggle to define the real woman behind her online creation.

Andreas Souvaliotis was raised at a time when being on the autism spectrum wasn't easily diagnosed or even discussed. Minds like his were simply considered odd. He also knew from an early age he was gay, and it terrified him as he was growing up with openly homophobic parents in one of Europe's least tolerant societies. Andreas' differences made him an outsider, right through to his mid-40s. And then suddenly, everything changed. Misfit is the extraordinary memoir of a man who realized there was strength in his strangeness, that it could be used as a force for good.

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull (with Amy Wallace) takes a close look at the special culture that the author helped establish at Pixar, the computer-generated animation studio that he co-founded. Reflecting on his personal career, his management philosophy and the highs and lows of Pixar's history as a company, Catmull discusses strategies for nurturing creativity and diagnoses common problems faced by creative professionals.

In November 1923, Max Ehrmann, the poet of the classic Desiderata, interviewed Theodore Dreiser, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. For two days, they discussed the life of Paul Dresser (Dreiser’s brother), the composer of "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away". When Dresser died, in 1906, he was a penniless alcoholic. Ehrmann was determined to rehabilitate his image. Dalgleish explores the background to Ehrmann’s quest, his relationship with Dreiser, and the consequences of their meeting in Washington, DC.

In 1877 a young man developed a way to reproduce sounds so they could be heard again and again. This young man, Thomas Edison, has since been heralded as one of the world's greatest inventors. This inspiring biography details the creation of Edison's favorite invention, the phonograph. Young listeners will also discover that Edison did not allow his handicap (he was hard of hearing) to slow him down.

After spending a few moments on heaven's front porch with God, he is thrust back into his old life. In the moments that follow, he struggles to find purpose and meaning in the day-to-day grind of life. On his quest he meets some wonderful individuals who support him as he uncovers five principles necessary to move him from just living again to being fully alive. Back from Heaven's Front Porch is about one man's struggle to be alive again after an accident claims the life of his friend and nearly his own.

Innovator. Genius. Legend. Jim Henson was a talent like no other. The iconic characters he created - Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird - made Jim Henson a household name. But they were just a part of his remarkable story. Now, in this extraordinary biography, written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family, Jim’s life is given full rein: his vibrant imagination, winning sense of humour, and infectious enthusiasm.

Tea with a hedgehog and supper with a rabbit? Beatrix Potter entertained guests that most people—certainly Beatrix Potter's proper Victorian parents—would have thought belonged in a meadow, not in a London nursery. Such unlikely companions were company for lonely Beatrix, and she spent much of her time sketching and making up stories about these small creatures. Beatrix was so well acquainted with the characters of her various animal friends that when she was older it seemed natural to write and illustrate small books about their delightful adventures.