Traces the career of abstract expressionist Willem De Kooning, discussing his personal life with wife Elaine Fried, and his battle with alcoholism and Alzheimer's disease. The first major biography of de Kooning captures both the life and work of this complex, romantic figure in American culture. Ten years in the making, and based on previously unseen letters and documents as well as on hundreds of interviews, this is a fresh, richly detailed, and...

Despite--or rather because of--all the veneration that has surrounded the figure of Jesus for centuries, historian Baigent asserts that Jesus and his death have been heavily mythologized. Using his access to hidden archives, secret societies, Masonic records, and the private collections of antiquities traders and their moneyed clients, he explores the religious and political climate in which Jesus was born and raised, examining not only the conflicts...

When Charles Dickens died in 1870, The Times of London successfully campaigned for his burial in Westminster Abbey, the final resting place of England's kings and heroes. Thousands flocked to mourn the best recognized and loved man of nineteenth-century England. His books had made them laugh, shown them the squalor and greed of English life, and also the power of personal virtue and the strength of ordinary people. In his last years Dickens drew adoring...

"An accessible and fresh biography boldly arguing that Muhammad's entrepreneurial mindset helped unleash the modern world. 'A beautifully written, immaculately researched meditation on the impact of the Prophet Muhammad on the modern world. I loved this book!' -Reza Aslan, author of No God but God and Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. A six-year-old cries in his mother's arms as she draws her last breaths to urge him: 'Muhammad, be...

Chronicles the life and career of Mary Wallstonecraft who is considered to be the founder of modern feminism, and describes her life and work in eighteenth-century Europe.

Chronicles the life of mid-eighteenth century evangelical Jonathan Edwards, placing his work in context to the upheaval of his times.

"Groundbreaking artist Justin BUA profiles and paints fifty key figures, including everyone from Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash to President Obama and Jay-Z, providing a portrait of each legend in a style reminiscent of the great masters. The artwork is accompanied by an engaging autobiographical narrative that contextualizes the impact each icon has had on BUA's personal life and on the hip-hop culture at large."--Jacket.

Carly Patterson, winner of a gold medal in the all-around gymnastics competition at the 2004 Olympics, describes the sacrifices she made and the strength it took to realize her goal.

The first full-scale biography of the "father of the atomic bomb," the brilliant, charismatic physicist who led the effort to capture the fire of the sun for his country in time of war. After Hiroshima, he became the most famous scientist of his generation--an icon of modern man confronting the consequences of scientific progress. He created a radical proposal to place international controls over atomic materials, opposed the development of the hydrogen...