D'autres livres qui pourraient vous intéresser

• 

  Charles Ponzi and the Ponzi...

  Charles River Editors

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Though few people are familiar with the story of his life, Charles Ponzi’s name is almost instantly recognizable thanks to the famous financial scandal named after him. This is somewhat ironic because, while his last name has become synonymous with financial scandal and many recognize how a Ponzi scheme works, some have argued that Ponzi really did not know what he was doing while it was taking place. When reading many of the books and articles written about him, it does seem as though Ponzi believed he would be able to pay back his investors at one point or another.  
  	In fact, the scheme that Ponzi created was not a new one – it was historically known as “robbing Peter to pay Paul” - but Ponzi became famous for it because he was able to create a scam in this way on a massive scale. When he was finally caught, it led to the investigation and collapse of several estates and banks, and Massachusetts subsequently found itself in a banking crisis. Moreover, one of the most interesting aspects of the affair is that people from many different social backgrounds and classes were affected by Ponzi’s scandal. He took money from teenagers who had savings as low as $20, and he also took millions from New York City’s elite.  
  	Ponzi’s scheme involved scamming investors by promising them a bigger return on their investments than was actually possible. Every investor’s money would just be put into a large pool to pay back past investors, and while Ponzi was hardly the first person to engage in such a scheme, the 1920s were ripe for this kind of financial conning. The Roaring Twenties became famous for frivolity, flappers, and Prohibition. Famously depicted in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, life after World War I in America was a time of great spending, and people believed that it as possible for them to make great fortunes, no matter what their social background was.

  Voir livre

• 

  Why the Ramones Matter

  Donna Gaines

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The central experience of the Ramones and their music is of being an outsider, an outcast, a person who’s somehow defective, and the revolt against shame and self-loathing. The fans, argues Donna Gaines, got it right away, from their own experience of alienation at home, at school, on the streets, and from themselves. This sense of estrangement and marginality permeates everything the Ramones still offer us as artists, and as people. Why the Ramones Matter compellingly makes the case that the Ramones gave us everything; they saved rock and roll, modeled DIY ethics, and addressed our deepest collective traumas, from the personal to the historical.

  Voir livre

• 

  The Queen - A Life in Brief

  Robert Lacey

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  With “a level of intimacy and more than a few emotional peaks,” a biography of Queen Elizabeth, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Kingdom (Publishers Weekly). 
   
  Elizabeth of York was not born to be Queen. She came into the world on April 21st, 1926, the equivalent of the modern Princess Beatrice, first-born daughter of the Duke of York, destined to flutter on the royal fringe. So while Lilibet was brought up with almost religious respect for the crown, there seemed no chance of her inheriting it. Her head was never turned by the personal prospect of grandeur—which is why she would prove so very good at her job. Elizabeth II’s lack of ego was the paradoxical secret of her greatness. 
   
  For more than thirty years acclaimed author and royal biographer Robert Lacey has been gathering material from members of the Queen’s inner circle—her friends, relatives, private secretaries, and prime ministers. Now, in The Queen, Lacey offers a life of the celebrated monarch, told in four parts that capture the distinctive flavor of passing eras, and reveal how Elizabeth II adapted—or, on occasions, regally declined to adapt—to changing times.

  Voir livre

• 

  Do the Birds Still Sing in Hell?

  Horace Greasley

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Even in the most horrifying places on earth, hope still lingers in the darkness, waiting for the opportunity to take flight.When war was declared Horace Greasley was just twenty-years old. After seven weeks' training with the 2/5th Battalion, the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, Horace found himself facing the might of the German Army in a muddy field south of Cherbourg, in northern France, with just thirty rounds in his ammunition pouch.Horace's war didn't last long . . . On May 25, 1940 he was taken prisoner and so began the harrowing journey to a prisoner-of-war camp in Poland. Those who survived the grueling ten-week march to the camp were left broken and exhausted, all chance of escape seemingly extinguished.But when Horace met Rosa, the daughter of one of his captors, his story changed; fate, it seemed, had thrown him a lifeline. Horace risked everything in order to steal out of the camp to see his love, bringing back supplies for his fellow prisoners. In doing so he offered hope to his comrades, and defiance to one of the most brutal regimes in history.

  Voir livre

• 

  Living in a Foreign Language - A...

  Michael Tucker

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  “Not at all the usual actor’s memoir, but a simple toast to eating, drinking and innocent merriment in old Umbria.” —Kirkus Reviews   Having sent their last child off to college, Michael Tucker and his wife, the actress Jill Eikenberry, were vacationing in Italy when they happened upon a small cottage nestled in the Umbrian countryside. The three-hundred-and-fifty-year-old rustico sat perched on a hill in the verdant Spoleto Valley amid an olive grove and fruit trees of every kind. For the Tuckers, it was literally love at first sight, and the couple purchased the house—without testing the water pressure or checking for signs of termites.   Shedding the vestiges of their American life, Michael and Jill endeavored to learn the language, understand the nuances of Italian culture, and build a home in this new chapter of their lives. Both a celebration of a good marriage and a careful study of the nature of home, Living in a Foreign Language is a gorgeous, organic travelogue written with an epicurean’s delight in detail and a gourmand’s appreciation for all things fine.   “The ex-L.A. Law star details his and wife Jill Eikenberry’s move to Italy. Viva la dolce vita!” —People   “If you’ve ever dreamed of living in an ancient stone villa set high above the Italian countryside—and who hasn’t?—Living in a Foreign Language is a seduction, a warning, an encouragement, and a guide to making a dream come true.” —Mary Doria Russell, author of The Sparrow

  Voir livre

• 

  Boozing Betting & Brawling: The...

  Mel Sterland

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Boozing, Betting & Brawling is the autobiography of former footballer, Mel Sterland, who played for Sheffield Wednesday, Glasgow Rangers and Leeds United. He was also capped once by England. The book which is co-authored by Sheffield-based journalist, Nick Johnson, opens with Sterland recounting plans to commit suicide after being forced into premature retirement from playing. Following an indifferent start to his career at Sheffield Wednesday, Sterland made his name as a marauding full-back, playing under high-profile managerial trio Jack Charlton, Howard Wilkinson and Ron Atkinson. He made a big-money move to Glasgow Rangers, where he played under another well-known football personality, Graeme Souness. Despite being at Ibrox for only a brief spell, Sterland is fondly remembered by Rangers fans for scoring the goals which helped the Glasgow giants win the first of a record-equalling nine league titles. Following his transfer to Leeds, where he played alongside the likes of Eric Cantona and Gordon Strachan, Sterland won a First Division championship-winner's medal, making him one of only a handful of players to win the league title in both England and Scotland. Sterland's story features a heady mix of humour, gambling and punch-ups, and will have widespread appeal to football supporters. In the interests of authenticity, no attempt has been made to smooth off the rough edges, creating an honest, raw account.

  Voir livre