Best of
Biography

1953

Amazing Love: True Stories of the Power of Forgiveness


Corrie ten Boom - 1953
    Her story has been told in the movie The Hiding Place, and in this wonderful book she shares with us many more amazing encounters with people in camps and jails, with students and actresses, and with the sophisticated and the illiterate. We meet on these pages not Corrie, but Corrie's Christ.

Angel Unaware: A Touching Story of Love and Loss


Dale Evans Rogers - 1953
    But their excitement turned to concern when they were informed that Robin was born with Down's Syndrome and advised to "put her away." The Rogers ignored such talk and instead kept Robin, and she graced their home for two and a half years. Though Robin's time on earth was short, she changed her parents' lives and even made life better for other children born with special needs in the years to come. Angel Unaware is Robin's account of her life as she looks down from heaven. As she speaks to God about the mission of love she just completed on earth, the reader sees how she brought her parents closer to God and encouraged them to help other children in need. This book, which changed the way America treated children with special needs, is now available to a new generation. It is the perfect gift for parents of special needs children, parents grieving the death of a child, or anyone whose life has been touched by a special child.

A Writer's Diary


Virginia Woolf - 1953
    The first entry included here is dated 1918 and the last, three weeks before her death in 1941. Between these points of time unfolds the private world??—??the anguish, the triumph, the creative vision??—??of one of the great writers of the twentieth century. “A Writer’s Diary . . . is Virginia Woolf . . . The whole vibrates with the ups and downs of a passionate relationship . . . in the intensities, variations, alarms and excursions, panics and exaltations of her relationship to her art.”??—??New York Times Book ReviewEdited and with a Preface by Leonard Woolf.

The First and the Last


Adolf Galland - 1953
    Now he offers an insider's look at the division's triumphs in Poland and France and the last desperate battle to save the Reich. "The clearest picture yet of how the Germans lost their war in the air".--Time. Illustrations. (War History)

Seven Years in Tibet


Heinrich Harrer - 1953
    Recounts how the author, an Austrian, escaped from an English internment camp in India in 1943 and spent the next seven years in Tibet, observing its social practices, religion, politics, and people.

Selected Diaries


Virginia Woolf - 1953
    Between 1st January 1915 and her death in 1941 she regularly recorded her thoughts with unfailing grace, courage, honesty and wit. The result is one of the greatest diaries in the English language.

Henry James: A Life


Leon Edel - 1953
    Born in America, Henry James was educated both there and in Europe before settling in London, where he was to spend most of his life, in 1876. His novels represent the culmination of the 19th-century realist tradition of Austen, George Eliot, Flauberty and Balzac, and a decisive step towards the experimental modernism of Woolf and T.S. Eliot. His works often focus upon an innocent American in Europe, and assess the qualities and dangers of both American and European culture at the time, as well as showing their vast differences.

Mary Lincoln: Biography of a Marriage


Ruth Painter Randall - 1953
    As its title implies, not only is it a full-length portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln but, in reality, a double biography of Abraham and his hitherto misunderstood and much maligned wife.” Harry J. Carman, The American Historical Review Many people in history have claimed that Abraham Lincoln never loved Mary Todd Lincoln, and that in fact his love was focused upon Anne Rutledge. They have claimed that his wife hurt him politically though she drove him to the Presidency, that she embarrassed him financially as well as socially and inflicted on him the agony of adjustment to her psychopathic personality. Yet, is there any truth to any of these claims? Ruth Painter Randall’s brilliant biography of Mary and Abraham Lincoln sheds new light upon their marriage and dispels the myths that have surrounded it. By using a huge quantity of material, including long-lost telegrams and letters, Randall has reconstructed what the marriage was truly like and provided a picture of Mary Lincoln without any prejudice or unsupported evidence. This book rehabilitates the reputation of Mary Lincoln and deserves to be read by all those who wish to find the truth about the remarkable relationship between Mary and her husband and the impact that she made on him throughout his years in office. “Never has such a story seemed better worth telling or better told.” Saturday Review "Out of the most searching scrutiny ever leveled on the Lincolns' family affairs comes the picture of a tempestuous yet essentially happy marriage." New York Herald Tribune "This is a very moving book. It is also a nice example of what a first-rate historian can do with a difficult subject." The New Yorker "It is a book that can be recommended without reservation: A combination of profound research and fine prose style, it meets both the requirements of the Lincoln scholar and the casual reader who is looking for a truly fascinating story." San Francisco Chronicle "A miracle of sound scholarship, graceful writing, and feminine understanding." Chicago Sunday Tribune ". . . documented fact far more absorbing than any fiction that has lately come my way." Christian Science Monitor “A passionate defense of Mary Lincoln and a revelation conclusively documented of a marriage rooted in unremitting devotion and mutual love.” Kirkus Review “a vivid portrayal of mid-nineteenth-century life in Illinois and at Washington, as it confronted a sensitive, warm-hearted, cultivated, ill-balanced personality eventually thrust into an environment beyond her powers of understanding or of self-control.” Jeannette P. Nichols, The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography Ruth Painter Randall was an American biographer who focused upon the lives of the Lincoln family. Her other books include Lincoln's Sons and Colonel Elmer Ellsworth: a biography of Lincoln's friend and first hero of the Civil War. Mary Lincoln: Biography of a Marriage was first published in 1953 and Randall passed away in 1971.

Exploration Fawcett


Percy Harrison Fawcett - 1953
    For 10 years, he had wandered the forests and death-filled rivers in search of a "lost" cities; convinced he knew the location of one, he headed off for the last time--never to be heard from again. The thrilling story of what occurred during that time has now been compiled by his son from manuscripts, letters, and logbooks. What happened to him after remains a mystery. "...should be read by everyone."--Daily Telegraph.

Life Among the Savages / Raising Demons


Shirley Jackson - 1953
    In Shirley Jackson's hands the chaos and crises of 1950s Vermont family life become something else entirely, and the two books give further evidence of Jackson's remarkable insight into people—especially children—and why they behave the way they do.

Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur


Frank L. Houghton - 1953
    She had not heard the Gospel before, but was willing and eager to listen. So I spoke and Misaki San translated, and our hearts prayed most earnestly. `Lord Jesus, help her. O help her to understand and open her heart to Thee now.' She seemed to be just about to turn to Him in faith when she suddenly noticed my hands. It was cold weather and I had on fur gloves. `What are these?' she asked, stretching out her hand and touching mine. She was old and ill and easily distracted. I cannot remember whether or not we were able to recall her to what mattered so much more than gloves. But this I do remember. I went home, took off my English clothes, put on my Japanese kimono, and never again, I trust, risked so very much for the sake of so little."

Vagrant Viking: My Life and Adventures


Peter Freuchen - 1953
    He was the first man to cross the central glacier alone--eskimos didn't feel the need--yet the kindliness of his style makes you feel that you could have attempted the feat yourself. Maybe you could, now, with the help of his insights... and a few years in Thule with an eskimo wife. But his insights would be no less necessary after such experience. Humans learn best from stories told by their loved ones, these stories will be useful to those who brave the arctic and you will love Peter Freuchen like a grandfather after reading this book.

Henry James: The Untried Years: 1843-1870


Leon Edel - 1953
    

Flame of White: The Life of St. Pius X


Wilhelm Hünermann - 1953
    Pius X, has been a work of love and inspiration. The lessons given us by the great Pontiff in his poverty, charity and burning zeal for souls should animate all who strive for personal holiness and the saving of many souls. When Pope St. Pius was a boy, the neighbors called him Beppo Sarto. He was full of fire but he burned with a steady glow. People loved him because he loved people. The purpose of this biography is to widen the circle of boys and girls, men and women, to know him better and to love him the more in gratitude for the unspeakable privilege of daily, Holy Communion.

Queen of the Dark Chamber


Christiana Tsai - 1953
    Christiana Tsai becomes a follower of Christ. An autobiography, "Queen of the Dark Chamber" exposes Christiana's severe suffering because of her conversion. Through her, however, the light and life of the gospel and the glory of Christ is revealed. Step into her life and taste the bitterness of sin around her and the brilliant sweetness of Christ's light in the midst of trial.

Lady Of Arlington: A Novel Based On The Life Of Mrs. Robert E. Lee


Harnett T. Kane - 1953
    

Spiritual Childhood: The Spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux


Vernon Johnson - 1953
    Thérèse of Lisieux, now a Doctor of the Church, summarized her spirituality in these simple but profound words, "My Little Way is all love." Her complete and unshakable trust in the love of God our Father was the foundation of her spiritual life, a childlike relationship with our Creator that raised her to the heights of sanctity in only 24 years of life. Thérèse's spirituality, her Little Way of Spiritual Childhood, is one that can be imitated and practiced by all souls, no matter what their state in life. Her spirituality has been recognized by the Church as a special gift from God for ordinary people everywhere to reach heroic sanctity. Msgr. Vernon Johnson, a famous convert and apostle of St.Thérèse, presents in this book the most clear, practical and yet profound explanation of this "little way", a way to perfection that changed his life and the lives of countless others. Johnson summarizes the spiritual approach of St. Thérèse in these three words: Love, Humility, Confidence.

Prince of Players: Edwin Booth


Eleanor Ruggles - 1953
    

Escape from death: The documented miraculous and instantaneous healing of Roy C. Slaybaugh


Rose Slaybaugh - 1953
    ...a timeless story of God's love for you

The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud, 3 Vols


Ernest Jones - 1953
    Psychoanalysis is best comprehended not as a fully formulated system but rather as a developing idea in the mind of its discoverer. It is hard to imagine a better history of the development of Freud's idea or of the mind that conceived it than that which Dr. Jones has given us."--Lionel Trilling, New York Times Book Review, 10/11/53

Old Men Forget


Duff Cooper - 1953
    Old Men Forget is a 1953 autobiography by Duff Cooper, Viscount Norwich, detailing his Victorian childhood, Edwardian youth, and prominent place in 20th century British literature, politics, diplomacy and the army.The title is taken from a famous speech by the King in William Shakespeare's Henry V.

Pistol Pete: Veteran of the Old West


Frank Eaton - 1953
    The Amazing True Experiences Of A Famous Cowboy And Indian Fighter.

Milton Cross' Encyclopedia of the Great Composers and Their Music, Vol 1


Milton Cross - 1953
    

We Knew Mary Baker Eddy-Third Series


Christian Science Publishing Society - 1953
    This volume contains accounts of Mrs. Eddy's healing work as well as reminiscences of her instruction and demonstrations regarding the establishment of her church.

A Life for Hungary: Memoirs


Miklós Horthy - 1953
    Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary." Horthy is remembered for, among other things, trying to surrender to the Russians when he realized that the war was lost. Hitler found out that Horthy through his son was negotiating a surrender to the Russians and had Horthy and his son arrested. On 15 October 1944, Horthy told his government ministers that Hungary had signed an armistice with the Soviet Union. "It is clear today that Germany has lost the war... Hungary has accordingly concluded a preliminary armistice with Russia, and will cease all hostilities against her." On that same day, 15 October 1944, after Horthy had announced the armistice in a nationwide radio address, but which most of his troops did not hear, Hitler sent commando Otto Skorzeny to Budapest with instructions to remove Horthy from power. Horthy's son was meeting with Soviet representatives to finalize the surrender when Skorzeny and his troops forced their way into the meeting and kidnapped the younger Horthy at gunpoint. However, he did not kill them. Both Horthys got out after the war was over and the father lived long enough to write these memoirs.

Milton Cross' Encyclopedia of the Great Composers and Their Music, Vol 2


Milton Cross - 1953
    

Life and Death of Chopin


Casimir Wierzynski - 1953
    Book by Casimir wierzynski

The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky


Opal Wheeler - 1953
    His father was a mine inspector. Miss Wheeler has shown sympathetically yet quite frankly what a nervous, unpredictable child Peter was and how his love for music, even as a very little boy, was almost greater than he could bear. Any sort of routine or application to work was impossible for him, and as a result, when a young man he could not bring himself to practice law. However, music still beckoned, and under the great Anton Rubinstein, he made certain progress. Here again, though, he broke all the established rules for composing and drove his master to despair. It was early one morning, seated at a table in the deserted dining room of an inn, that he wrote the first draft of his first symphony. Here is a fascinating picture of Tchaikovsky the brilliant composer and delightful companion. It is perfect for young readers.

The Selected Letters of Lord Byron


Lord Byron - 1953
    They are arranged chronologically and divided into major periods of his life. Among these letters are many to his mother and to his half-sister Augusta. This volume also includes an extensive introduction by the Editor, Jacques Barzun. There is also an index, footnotes, and an appendix entitled "Byron's Friends and Connections."Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 53-7803

Apes and Ivory


Joy Packer - 1953
    She went also to Northern Nigeria, "the mysterious ebony world of Black Africa"; Lagos with its juju; the Gold Coast; Sierra Leone, Gambia, French Senegal and the "fantastic and perilous" Ivory Coast."

The Enchanted Pillowcase and Other Stories


Josephine Cunnington Edwards - 1953
    They were fond of boring holed in their lips and putting in wooden discs till the holes in their lip flapped like a curtain when they were champing on mealies. Then they were contented with little cloth flaps hanging down "fore and aft" for dresses, not a quarter of a yard at all. How could he go back to that? The Enchanted Pillowcase is a timeless collection of true-to-life missionary stories for all ages. These exciting adventures are perfect for reading for a rainy day, Sabbath afternoon or as a bedtime story. Both children and parents alike will be taken into the mission field first-hand by the written word to be both entertained and encouraged by stories of character, faith and learning.