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  Gaslight Days: Book 3 - The...

  Edward Forde Hickey

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  Some children still spent summer hopping in Kent. Our class went camping in Ashdown Forest, a change from the bomb sites. We had the cubs and brownies where we earned proficiency badges in a number of skills. On Sundays, the Lido was a short bus ride away.More of our relations now came from Ireland and our Christmas parties were exciting. Passing the scholarship meant losing friends but gaining new ones. Among my friends in the streets of Paddington, this meant I was an outsider once more - a mixed blessed.

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  Count Magnus - From their pens...

  M R James

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  Montague Rhodes James is cited as perhaps the greatest English writer of ghost stories, an opinion few would disagree with. 
  James was born on 1st August 1862 at Goodnestone Parsonage in Kent, where his father was Curate but at age 3 the family went to live at Livermere, near Bury St Edmunds in East Anglia.  
  From early childhood he had a passion for mediaeval books and antiques. He was educated initially as a boarder at Temple Grove School in East Sheen, west London, before gaining a scholarship to Eton and thence Cambridge where he gained a double first, becoming a distinguished linguist and mediaevalist.  
  Before the Great War vacations were usually spent touring Europe absorbing cultures and references for his later writing. 
  A man of enormous knowledge it was said he timed his breakfast egg whilst he completed the Times crossword.  
  Many of his elegant yet terrifying tales were created by discarding the prevailing gothic cliches and placing his characters and narrative in a realistic setting.  Thereby the stories gained atmosphere and menace on a grand scale and he was famed as the originator of the antiquarian ghost story. 
  Although story-telling and writing these 30 or so tales was a hobby, when published their effect transformed the genre and still chill the bones in our more modern times. 
  James was also a medievalist scholar and translator whose work remains highly respected. He was also Provost of Eton College between 1918 and 1936. 
  M R James died on 12th June 1936 at Eton in Buckinghamshire.  He was 73.

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  Hollywood’s Most Famous Silent...

  Editors Charles River

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  At the end of the 20th century, the American Film Institute compiled a list of the 25 greatest actors and actresses in Hollywood over the past 100 years, but only a select few worked all the way back in the silent era of films, before “talkies” revolutionized the industry at the end of the 1920s. Among them was Mary Pickford, who was ranked 24th but was arguably the most influential actress when it came to creating the career template for all actresses who followed, from name changes to salary. 
  Of all the great movie stars, there may be none more enigmatic than Greta Garbo, who remains internationally famous despite the fact her life and career raise more questions than answers. How did a Swedish actress with very little film acting experience in her native land arrive in the United States and achieve instant stardom? Most actresses had to wait years before they were offered starring roles in major films, yet Garbo was ushered to the front of the line and perched atop the MGM pantheon at a time in which it was the studio par excellence. How was she able to transition from silent films to “talkies” so fluidly, giving many of her most decorated performances during the 1930s? 
  It goes without saying that the most enduring image of Gloria Swanson is the famous shot of her in Sunset Boulevard (1950), head tilted backward, stating, “Alright, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close up.” Indeed, for many, the very mention of “Gloria Swanson” conjures the name of “Norma Desmond,” her character in Sunset Boulevard, directed by Billy Wilder. That the shot of Desmond requesting her close-up remains indelibly imprinted in the minds of so many speaks in large part to the power of Sunset Boulevard, one of the most revered films of its times and the most famous film of Gloria Swanson’s career. By dint of her performance in the film, Swanson has become almost synonymous with Hollywood’s silent era. 

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  Great Opportunities - How a...

  Marty Friedman

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  I was a boy who started with nothing and finished with more than I ever wished for. I want to inspire others to do the same and to learn from my experiences. 
  As a young man, I always questioned if I'd be able to make my mark in the world because I didn't have the smarts or grades that most of my classmates had. I wasn't a good athlete which is what counts in grammar and high school, and my parents didn't have a lot of money. I did understand though that if I didn't do it for myself, there was nobody else to do it for me. 
  Today, I consider myself the luckiest person in the world. I am 96 years old. 
  I have a wonderful, loving family even though 10 years ago I lost my very special and supportive wife. I have two great sons, two wonderful daughters-in-law, and five smart grandchildren. 
  After 70 years in the TV & appliance business, I am still active in our family business and still love it. 
  I believe this statement: "If you do what you do, and love what you do, you shouldn't call it work."

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  These Strange Ashes - A Deeply...

  Elisabeth Elliot

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  In this deeply personal account of her first year as a missionary, Elisabeth Elliot shares what it was like to work in the jungles of Ecuador with a small group of women, bringing the Word of God to the indigenous tribe that martyred her husband. With fascinating detail, she captures the stark realities of life among these complex people and reflects upon the "strange ashes" that can result when an act of obedience is passed through the fires of God's perfect--yet mysterious--will. 
   
  These Strange Ashes is more than a remarkable sharing of a year in the life of a Christian missionary; it is a reflection on the great questions of life and a memorable testimony to the realities of authentic Christian commitment. First published nearly 40 years ago, this classic is sure to inspire a new generation to find and follow God's will--wherever it leads them.

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  Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb: The Lives...

  Charles River Editors

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  As one of America’s oldest and most beloved sports, baseball has long been touted as the national pastime, but of all the millions of people who have played it over the last few centuries, the first name that many associate with Major League Baseball is Babe Ruth, whose career spanned over 20 years on the way to becoming the sport’s biggest legend. The Bambino came onto the scene as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, only to be infamously sold to the rival New York Yankees, where he went on to set records for most home runs (714), runs batted in (2,213), walks (2,062), slugging percentage (.690), and on-base plus slugging (1.164). The Sultan of Swat’s records would take decades to be surpassed, but he also managed to win more than 20 games as a pitcher for Boston, along with three World Series before heading to New York. Boston wouldn’t win another championship for over 80 years after Ruth’s departure, a drought famously referred to as “The Curse of the Bambino.” 
  As if he wasn’t accomplished enough in Boston, Ruth went on to become a pop culture fixture in New York while playing 15 years for the Yankees on some of the sport’s most legendary teams. In addition to leading the Bronx Bombers to four World Series during his time there, Ruth set several single season and career records, elevating the team and MLB itself in ways that athletes could hardly dream of today.  
  	Few have influenced Major League Baseball like Ty Cobb, whose career spanned over 20 seasons. The Georgia Peach overcame early hardships to set nearly 100 MLB records in his time as a player and player-manager for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics. With an MVP and Triple Crown under his belt by the age of 25, Cobb went on to produce statistics that still lead MLB in several categories, including 4,065 combined runs scored and RBIs, a career batting average over .365, and at least 11 batting titles.

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