Great Authors

When he graduated from Columbia in 1958, John Giorno was handsome, charismatic, ambitious, and eager to soak up as much of Manhattan's art and culture as possible. Poetry didn't pay the bills, so he worked on Wall Street, spending his nights at the happenings, underground movie premiers, art shows, and poetry readings that brought the city to life. An intense romantic relationship with Andy Warhol - not yet the global superstar he would soon become - exposed Giorno to even more of the downtown scene, but after starring in Warhol's first movie, Sleep, they drifted apart.

A major new history from the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Founding Brothers and the National Book Award winner American Sphinx, on how America’s founders—Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams—regarded the issue of slavery as they drafted the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. In this daring and important work, our most trusted voice on the founding era reckons with the realities and regrets of our founding and the tragedy of its two great failures: the failure to end slavery and the failure to avoid Indian removal

Marcel Proust (1871-1922) was born in Paris during a time of great social and political upheaval, a ferment that is dealt with extensively in his monumental work In Search of Lost Time. He was a sickly child and spent the earlier part of his short life pursuing a variety of sometimes frivolous activities, which led to his not being taken seriously as a writer. It was not until 1909, when he was 38 years old, that he began work on the groundbreaking novel for which he is known, a task that consumed the rest of his life.

Author MK Mueller's journey to her ideal weight was 40 years in the making with a trail of unsuccessful diets in her wake. Once she learned the truth about how simple it was to end sugar cravings, she created her own methodology based on an 8-step process Mike Dooley calls "inspired". With her encouragement and gentle guidance, you will let go of the burden of living life as a weight number and reclaim your energy, self-esteem, and personal power.

Seventeen of Twain's best-loved and funniest shorter works, including "The Jumping Frog of Calavarous County", "The Story of Old Ram", "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses", "Tom Quartz", and "The Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut". Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He grew up in the Mississippi River town of Hannibal. Sam was to be a printer, a river boat pilot, an officer in the Confederacy, a silver prospector and a journalist. He once wrote, "To simply amuse would have satisfied my dearest ambition".

In the public imagination, Ernest Hemingway looms larger than life. But the actual person behind the legend has long remained elusive. Now, his son Patrick shares the letters they exchanged over two decades, offering a glimpse into how one of America’s most iconic writers interacted with his children. These letters reveal a father who wished for his children to share his interests—hunting, fishing, travel—and a son who was receptive to the experiences his father offered.

In Simply Beckett, professor Katherine Weiss provides a highly accessible and insightful introduction to the award-winning author and his paradoxical works, with a particular focus on Beckett’s theater activities, both as a writer and director. Through discussion of the written texts, significant productions of the plays, and audience and critical reactions to Beckett’s work, Weiss helps the listener understand the groundbreaking nature of his achievements and points the way toward a greater appreciation of his oeuvre.

From the poignant novel about a troubled Southern family, written when he was 26, William Styron reads with tenderness about the disabled younger child finding joy in the magic tricks of a workman, as her mother looks on, knowing her child’s sad fate.

Al Silverman, a noted figure in American publishing, has written a wonderful chronicle of book publishing for all who cherish books. The Time of Their Lives is not only a love song to the industry's golden age, an era that began after World War II and lasted for three-plus decades, but it is also a reflection of the tastes and cultural appetites of the American public.

It's 1831, and Lady Gwendolyn Crichton has been appointed royal sorceress following the tragic events known as the Swing. Now alone at the head of the Royal College of Sorcerers, Gwen must overcome prejudice against her gender and age if she is to exercise her authority and fulfill her responsibilities. Soon, an unexpected responsibility is made manifest when Sir Travis Mortimer, a senior magician recently returned from India, is found murdered in a locked room.

Abraham Lincoln called "Billy" Herndon, “My man always above all other men on the globe". They were business partners for 16 years. After Lincoln's assassination Herndon did interviews with Lincoln's family and friends for this biography. Co-author Jesse Weik also conducted many original interviews. The result - although not without flaws - has been recognized as one of the most important biographies of the Great Emancipator ever published.

The Magical Season 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers: And the Greatest Record in Pro Sports History profiles the Los Angeles Lakers’ first championship since moving to LA 15 years earlier, but also covers their record-setting 33-game winning streak that season. This record of 33 straight wins, covering over two months of play, still stands unbroken even after 50 years. This accomplishment is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest team records in pro sports history. No other team in any major pro sport has even come close to breaking that record since that achievement in 1972.

Behind every acclaimed work of literature is a trove of heartfelt decisions. The best authors put painstaking - sometimes obsessive - effort into each element of their stories, from plot and character development to dialogue and point of view. Veteran editor and teacher Richard Cohen draws on his vast reservoir of a lifetime's reading and his insight into what makes good prose soar.

Three French Hens Department Store is an icon for Christmas in New York. When the owner wants to retire, she decides to do it in French Hens style and opens a MyHeartChannel Christmas Contest. Five of her prized employees will compete in a Christmas Giving Contest like none before; giving away her $25,000 before Christmas Eve. The winner of the contest will take ownership of Three French Hens and become an overnight millionaire. Twenty-six-year-old Samantha Noel works in the Women’s Department at Three French Hens. Her life hasn’t turned out exactly like she’d planned; but, whose has?...

Marriage is one of the most important commitments into which you will ever enter. If you and your fiancé are Christ-followers, it makes sense to know what God's design for marriage looks like and to create a relationship that honors him. Beyond the Celebration will lead every couple through the essential steps of planning a life-long marriage. From questions to ask prior to the ceremony to life-tested techniques guiding you through the years to come, this book is the essential pre-marital guidebook.

“It is a far, far better thing that I do now, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.” Dicken's ending to "A Tale of Two Cities" resonates for all readers of this master author and in this journal, you can follow in the footsteps of his life and works. Visit the locations that inspired his great classics and appreciate the contribution that Dickens not only made to literary history, but social matter as well.

Agatha Christie, born in upper-middle-class British society during the late Victorian era, turned into one of the most prolific and popular mystery writers of all time. Her novels have been translated into 44 languages and have sold over two billion copies worldwide. Her mysteries continue to sell as new generations of readers discover the delights of her main characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. In addition, Christie’s plays have been a tremendous success, with The Mousetrap running in London for the past 70 years.

Jane Austen is famous for such books as Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. Now learn about the author’s journey through a life spent making up stories that touched the lives of millions.

Each of us is living a story-the story of our life. For Sam Collier, his story started with rejection, because when he and his twin sister were born, their biological mother gave them up for adoption. Though Sam loved his adoptive family, life sometimes felt like a puzzle missing crucial pieces. But it was also the way God would reach into Sam's life and show him that he didn't have to write his own story-because it was really God who was telling his story through Sam.

The Diary of Samuel Pepys is perhaps the most well known collection of reminiscences. He maintained it, in secrecy, from 1660, the year of the Restoration, until 1669 when fear of blindness prevented his daily labours. Though it covers less than a decade, it offers a lively and detailed insight into a period and a personality, for he noted events in both public and private life. Famous passages include descriptions of The Plague and the Great Fire of London.