The Dawn Watch: Joseph Conrad in a Global World


Maya Jasanoff - 2017
    In this brilliant new interpretation of one of the great voices in modern literature, Maya Jasanoff reveals Conrad as a prophet of globalization. As an immigrant from Poland to England, and in travels from Malaya to Congo to the Caribbean, Conrad navigated an interconnected world, and captured it in a literary oeuvre of extraordinary depth. His life story delivers a history of globalization from the inside out, and reflects powerfully on the aspirations and challenges of the modern world. Joseph Conrad was born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in 1857, to Polish parents in the Russian Empire. At sixteen he left the landlocked heart of Europe to become a sailor, and for the next twenty years travelled the world’s oceans before settling permanently in England as an author. He saw the surging, competitive "new imperialism" that planted a flag in almost every populated part of the globe. He got a close look, too, at the places “beyond the end of telegraph cables and mail-boat lines,” and the hypocrisy of the west’s most cherished ideals. In a compelling blend of history, biography, and travelogue, Maya Jasanoff follows Conrad’s routes and the stories of his four greatest works—The Secret Agent, Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness, and Nostromo. Genre-bending, intellectually thrilling, and deeply humane, The Dawn Watch embarks on a spell-binding expedition into the dark heart of Conrad’s world—and through it to our own.

The Civility Solution: What to Do When People Are Rude


P.M. Forni - 2008
    From the intrusive cell-phone user who holds loud conversations in public to the hostile highway driver who cuts one off with a quick swerve of his car, politeness seems to be on a downward spiral, surprising us at every turn. P.M. Forni, the author of Choosing Civility, has the answer. knows that rudeness begets rudeness and, in The Civility Solution, he shows us what to do when confronted with bad behavior by being assertive as well as civil. In more than one hundred different situations, he shows us how to break the rudeness cycle by responding to a variety of confrontations from bullying to rude internet behavior or the hurtful words of an insensitive family member. How would you respond to the following?…A salesperson ignores your requests…A fellow driver gives you the infamous "finger"…Your child's playmate misbehaves…Your boss publicly reprimands youP. M. Forni has solutions for all of these and many more. In yet another simple and practical handbook, P. M. Forni presents logical solutions that reinforce good behavior and make our world a more civil place.

Chuck Berry: The Autobiography


Chuck Berry - 1988
    It includes a discography and filmography, and details of all of his recording sessions.

Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age


Jimmy Carter - 1992
    Iluminates the origins of his commitment to human rights and bears further witness to the accomplishments of an extraordinary man.

About Writing: Seven Essays, Four Letters, & Five Interviews


Samuel R. Delany - 2006
    Delany has written a book for creative writers to place alongside E. M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel and Lajos Egri's Art of Dramatic Writing. Taking up specifics (When do flashbacks work, and when should you avoid them? How do you make characters both vivid and sympathetic?) and generalities (How are novels structured? How do writers establish serious literary reputations today?), Delany also examines the condition of the contemporary creative writer and how it differs from that of the writer in the years of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and the high Modernists. Like a private writing tutorial, About Writing treats each topic with clarity and insight. Here is an indispensable companion for serious writers everywhere.

Dead Certainties: Unwarranted Speculations


Simon Schama - 1991
    But Dead Certainties goes beyond these more conventional histories to address the deeper enigmas that confront a student of the past. In order to do so, Schama reconstructs -- and at times reinvents -- two ambiguous deaths: the first, that of General James Wolfe at the battle of Quebec in 1759; the second, in 1849, that of George Parkman, an eccentric Boston brahmin whose murder by an impecunious Harvard professor in 1849 was a grisly reproach to the moral sanctity of his society. Out of these stories -- with all of their bizarre coincidences and contradictions -- Schama creates a dazzling and supremely vital work of historical imagination.

The Faber Book of Utopias


John Carey - 1999
    In this spellbinding anthology John Carey charts the course of every conceivable dream world - whether communist, fascist, anarchist, green, golden age, techno-fantastic or hermaphroditic - combining a broad historical sweep with lively variety. An experienced and imaginative anthologist, editor of The Faber Book of Reportage and The Faber Book of Science, Carey has gathered together a vast range of texts from Ancient Egypt to modern California, the authors of which, in different ways, attempt to describe a better world than our own.

Off the Road: My Years with Cassady, Kerouac, and Ginsberg


Carolyn Cassady - 1990
    In 1948, at the age of 25, she married Neal Cassady. Less than ten years after their marriage, he had become a living legend, his wild spirit immortalized in the character of Dean Moriarty, the heroic traveller in Jack Kerouac's On The Road. Carolyn Cassady reveals how she had to compete for Neal's attention with his friends and lovers. Their marriage at first alienated poet Allen Ginsberg, who wanted Neal to himself. Even after the civil ceremony, Neal continued to see and test other women.

Searching for Robert Johnson


Peter Guralnick - 1989
    Recognized as an influence on musicians like Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones, Johnson was poisoned by a jealous husband in 1938--at the age of twenty-seven. This untimely death, his supposed bargain with the devil that enabled him to play guitar, and the ferocity and tormented originality of his work have given rise to a legend that has inspired a Hollywood movie and numerous stories. Peter Guralnick?s extended essay about the life of the man and the myth, and of the place and time that produced both, illuminates much of the obscurity around Johnson without forfeiting any of the mystery.

Privilege and Scandal: The Remarkable Life of Harriet Spencer, Sister of Georgiana


Janet Gleeson - 2006
    Harriet Spencer was without a doubt one of the most glamorous, influential, and notorious aristocrats of the Regency period.The second daughter of the prestigious Spencer family, Harriet was born into wealth and privilege. Intelligent, attractive, and exceedingly eager to please, at nineteen years of age she married Frederick, Viscount Duncannon, an aloof, distant relative. Unfortunately, it was not a happy union; the only trait they shared was an unhealthy love of gambling. The marriage produced four children, yet Harriet followed in the footsteps of her older sister and began a series of illicit dalliances, including one with the prominent and charismatic playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Then she met Lord Granville Leveson Gower, handsome and twelve years her junior. Their years-long affair resulted in the birth of two children, and all but consumed Harriet: concealing both pregnancies from her husband required great skill. Had the children been discovered, it surely would have resulted in divorce—which would have been disastrous.Harriet’s life was dramatic, and the history-making events she observed were equally fascinating. She was an eyewitness to the French Revolution; she participated in both the euphoria following Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar and the outpouring of grief at his spectacular funeral; she was privy to the debauchery of the Prince Regent’s wife, Princess Caroline. She quarreled bitterly with Lord Byron when he pursued her young daughter (rumor had it that he was truly interested in Harriet herself). She traveled through war-torn Europe during both the rise and the fall of Napoleon and saw the devastating aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo, where her son was gravely injured. Harriet, along with her sister, was one of the leading female political activists of her day; her charm allowed her to campaign noisily for Charles James Fox—while still retaining influence over supporters of his rival, William Pitt the Younger. Harriet survived Georgiana by fifteen years, living to see the coronation of George IV.Janet Gleeson’s elegant, page-turning style brings Harriet’s story vividly to life. Based on painstaking archival research, Privilege and Scandal gives readers an inside look at the lives of the British aristocracy during the decadent eighteenth century—while at the same time shining the spotlight on one of the era’s most fascinating women.From the Hardcover edition.

Unbought And Unbossed


Shirley Chisholm - 1970
    She shares how she took on an entrenched system, gave a public voice to millions, and sets the stage for her trailblazing bid to be the first woman and first African-American President of the United States. By daring to be herself, Shirley Chisholm shows us how she forever changed the status quo. This expanded edition, edited by Scott Simpson, digs deeper with analysis by experts like Donna Brazile and Shola Lynch exploring Shirley Chisholm's impact on today and tomorrows world.

The Thomas Ligotti Reader


Darrell Schweitzer - 2003
    In following years there has been a great deal of interest in the author and his works, although, until now, articles about him have mostly been scattered in obscure journals. Now, at last, here is a book about him, a symposium of explorations and examinations of the Ligottian universe by such leading critics as S.T. Joshi, Stefan Dzimianowicz, Robert M. Price. With a complete, up-to-date bibliography of Ligotti's work, two interviews with him, and even a fascinating essay by Ligotti himself.

Proofs & Theories: Essays on Poetry


Louise Glück - 1994
    The force of her thought is evident everywhere in these essays, from her explorations of other poets' work to her skeptical contemplation of current literary critical notions such as "sincerity" and "courage." Here also are Glück's revealing reflections on her own education and life as a poet, and a tribute to her teacher and mentor, Stanley Kunitz. Proofs and Theories is not a casual collection. It is the testament of a major poet.

Shades of Surrender: Fifty by Fifty #4: A Billionaire Romance Boxed Set


Danielle DuncanMarian Tee - 2015
    Will they get the surrender they're looking for?Join us for thirteen smoldering tales of alpha billionaires and the curvaceous, delicious women they love. The Billionaire’s Student by Savannah ReardonKatie’s parents die unexpectedly, making her desperate for a way to pay for college. Billionaire Jace Weatherton is the answer, but in return, takes Katie on a wild ride of lust, submission, and love.The Interview by Abby WeeksA young secretary at a large financial institutions receives instructions to meet the enigmatic, billionaire CEO in his private office.She has no idea what to expect.Playing Games by Liliana RhodesCurvy Cassie Monroe moves to Canyon Cove with only one thing in mind--finding a job. But after a close encounter with her sexy billionaire boss, she’s finds more than she bargained for. Hunting for Curves by Julianne ReyerA shy curvy girl. A billionaire CEO, plus his longtime male lover. A smoking hot proposition. Will a steamy threesome end in disaster, or can she prove to the two men that one night is never enough?Safeword: Matte by Candace BelvinsMatte, pronounced mah-tay, is Japanese for stop, and is used in some martial arts to end a fight. Sam enjoys various fighting disciplines and is a sexual submissive. What better safeword than matte?The Greek Billionaire and I by Marian TeeToo proud to let Greek billionaire Mykolas know she's in love with him, schoolteacher Velvet ends up accepting his offer for a marriage of convenience. At least this way, he’d still be hers.Corrupt Practices by Penelope L’AmoreauxMariel's new political internship is off to a rough start. In over her head and caught in political intrigue, she looks to her boss's hard discipline for guidance.The Billionaire’s Runaway Curves by Danielle DuncanEllie ran from Theo when she found out she was pregnant with their child. Now he's found her and that old spark's stronger than ever. But what will Theo do when he finds out Ellie hid his daughter?His Weakness by E.K. SabinsAfter the death of her parents, Ellie is in need of a husband and thrust into the opulent world of Boston's elite. Will she find love with a handsome scion, or will she be his weakness?Don’t Fall by Candy QuinnThe internship of her dreams leaves Amy's head spinning, but when her boss takes her out to dinner, and she learns more about his hidden life, she's drawn into a world she never knew existed.The Politician and the Girl from the Coffee Shop by Terry TowersJessie knows better than to date her customers, but for the charismatic Senator Morrow she's tempted. Could Washington's most eligible bachelor be interested in the shy girl from the coffee shop? Billionaires in Disguise: Rae by Blair BabylonRae has three weeks of college freedom before she goes home to her fundamentalist family, so she shoves The Blond Hottie up against a wall in dark bedroom, and all Hell breaks loose. Anything He Requires by Michelle FoxAnimal trainer Jessica Kingston thinks it’s just another job when wealthy Jacob Daniels hires her to train his willful puppy, but the way he crushes her lips when they kiss says otherwise.

The Trouble with Demons


Julie Kenner - 2014
    I mean, like who hasn’t had to battle demons between car pools and play dates?” Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author “[S]hows you what would happen if Buffy got married and kept her past a secret. It’s a hoot.”—Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author The Trouble With Demons contains the first five books in Julie Kenner's Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom Series: Carpe Demon California Demon Demons Are Forever Deja Demon Demon Ex Machina Kate Connor is your average, everyday mom with two kids, a husband, and one very big secret … she used to be a Demon Hunter. Now retired, she’s more interested in the domestic than the demonic. So when she catches sight of a demon in Wal-Mart, she tells herself it’s some other Hunter’s problem. But when that demon attacks her in her kitchen, retirement is no longer an option…