Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  Still No Word from You - Notes...

  Peter Orner

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  A new collection of pieces on literature and life by the author of Am I Alone Here?, a finalist for the NBCC Award for Criticism 
   
   
    
  From the acclaimed fiction writer about whom Dwight Garner of the New York Times wrote, "You know from the second you pick him up that he's the real deal," comes Still No Word from You, a unique chain of essays and intimate stories that meld the lived life and the reading life. For Orner, there is no separation. Covering such well-known writers as Lorraine Hansberry, Primo Levi, and Marilynne Robinson, as well as other greats like Maeve Brennan and James Alan McPherson, Orner's highly personal take on literature alternates with his own true stories of loss and love, hope and despair. In his mother's copy of A Coney Island of the Mind, he's stopped short by a single word in the margin, "YES!"—which leads him to conjure his mother at twenty-three. He stops reading Penelope Fitzgerald's The Beginning of Spring three quarters of the way through because he knows that finishing the novel will leave him bereft. Orner's solution is to start again from the beginning to slow the inevitable heartache. 
   
   
    
  Still No Word from You is a book for anyone for whom reading is as essential as breathing.

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  Crassus - The First Tycoon

  Peter Stothard

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  The story of Rome's richest man, who died a humiliating desert death in search of military glory 
   
   
   
  Marcus Licinius Crassus (115–53 BCE) was a modern man in an ancient world, a pioneer disrupter of finance and politics, and the richest man of the last years of the Roman republic. Without his catastrophic ambition, this trailblazing tycoon might have quietly entered history as Rome's first modern political financier. Instead, Crassus and his son led an army on an unprovoked campaign against Parthia into what are now the borderlands of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, losing a battle at Carrhae which scarred Roman minds for generations. 
   
   
   
  After Crassus was killed, historians told many stories of his demise. Some said that his open mouth, shriveled by desert air, had been filled with molten gold as testament to his lifetime of greed. His story poses both immediate and lasting questions about the intertwining of money, ambition, and power.

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  The Autobiography of George Dewey

  George Dewey

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  "George Dewey, a name etched in the annals of naval history, stands as a testament to courage, strategy, and unwavering resolve. Let us embark on a voyage through the life of this remarkable admiral.    Early Life and Naval Career:  Born on December 26, 1837, in Montpelier, Vermont, George Dewey's destiny was intertwined with the sea.  At age 15, he enrolled at Norwich University in Vermont, but his spirited antics led to expulsion for drunkenness and herding sheep into barracks.  Undeterred, Dewey entered the United States Naval Academy in 1854. His graduation in 1858 marked the beginning of a storied naval career.  Civil War and Rising Through the Ranks:  As the Civil War erupted, Dewey served as the executive lieutenant aboard the USS Mississippi.  He played pivotal roles in the capture of New Orleans and the Siege of Port Hudson, aiding the Union's control of the mighty Mississippi River.  By war's end, Dewey had risen to the rank of lieutenant commander.  The Battle of Manila Bay:  In 1897, Dewey requested assignment to the Asiatic Squadron, anticipating conflict with Spain.  When war erupted in April 1898, he led his squadron to Manila Bay in the Philippines.  On that fateful morning, Dewey's cruisers and gunboats faced the Spanish fleet. His immortal command echoed: "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley."  The result: a resounding victory. The Spanish fleet lay defeated, and Dewey suffered no significant casualties.  His triumph at Manila Bay secured the acquisition of the Philippines by the United States, expanding its power into the western Pacific.  Admiral of the Navy:  Dewey returned home to a hero's welcome in New York City.  In March 1899, the U.S. Congress bestowed upon him the unprecedented rank of Admiral of the Navy.  For the next 17 years, he served on the General Board of the United States Navy, shaping crucial policies.  Legacy:  George Dewey's legacy transcends battles and ranks. His victory at Manila Bay remains a beacon of American naval prowess.  His life straddled two centuries, witnessing naval evolution and global shifts.  Dewey's name graces the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., a testament to his indelible mark on history.  Admiral Dewey's story, like the sea itself, ripples through time—a saga of valor, leadership, and the enduring spirit of exploration."

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  The Master of Mystery

  Jack London

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  Jack London's "The Master of Mystery" is set in a Native American fishing village in Alaska. A woman has lost her most valuable possession: the blankets of a deceased Englishman. The culprit must be found, but what makes matters more complicated is that the local shaman has fallen out of favor, forcing a feared shaman from outside the village to come to their aid. Can he help them, and will the culprit be found? The short story is one of London's stories inspired by the period the writer spent at the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 19th century and was published in the early 20th century.

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  Double-Booked - The Cases of Dan...

  Kevin J. Anderson

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  Dragons are creatures of legend. Of magic. Of wisdom, nature, and the power of creation. They have been in every culture and mythology since the beginning of time. Writers are creatures of legend. With magic, wisdom, and the power of creation at their fingertips. They, too, are in every culture and have been creating their own mythologies since the beginning of time. Within each writer is the power of a dragon. . . . The power of creation. Gathered together are twenty-six stories from writers who dared to tame this power, including New York Times best-selling authors Brandon Sanderson, Jody Lynn Nye, Todd McCaffrey, and David Farland. Through fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and poetry, this anthology celebrates the magic and majesty of dragons, writers, and creativity. Within these pages, you’ll find dragons who fly through space, who raise hatchlings, who carry the power of life and death. Some dragons are even featured as swords, planes, and origami creatures. Dragon Writers is a special collection where magic and myth combine to create something legendary.

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  Dance or Die - From Stateless...

  Ahmad Joudeh

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  A Syria-born dancer offers his deeply personal story of war, statelessness, and the pursuit of the art of dance in this inspirational memoir. 
   
    
   
  Dance or Die is an autobiographical coming-of-age account of Ahmad Joudeh, a young refugee who grows up in Damascus with dreams of becoming a dancer. When he is recruited by one of Syria's top dance companies, neither bombs nor family opposition can keep him from taking classes, practicing hard, and becoming a Middle Eastern celebrity on a Lebanese reality show. Despite death threats if Ahmad continues to dance, his father kicking him out of the house, and the war around him intensifying, he persists and even gets a tattoo on his neck right where the executioner's blade would fall that says, "Dance or Die." 
   
    
    
  A powerful look at refugee life in Syria, Dance or Die tells of the pursuit of personal expression in the most dangerous of circumstances and of the power of art to transcend war and suffering. It follows Ahmad from Damascus to Beirut to Amsterdam, where he finds a home with one of Europe's top ballet troupes, and from where he continues to fight for the human rights of refugees everywhere through his art, his activism, and his commitment to justice.

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