Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio lived the darkest and most dangerous life of any of the great painters. The worlds of Milan, Rome and Naples through which Caravaggio moved and which Andrew Graham-Dixon describes brilliantly in this book, are those of cardinals and whores, prayer and violence. On the streets surrounding the churches and palaces, brawls and swordfights were regular occurrences. In the course of this desperate life Caravaggio created the most dramatic paintings of his age, using ordinary men and women - often prostitutes and the very poor - to model for his depictions of classic religious scenes. Andrew Graham-Dixon's exceptionally illuminating readings of Caravaggio'spictures, which are the heart of the book, show very clearly how he created their drama, immediacy and humanity, and how completely he departed from the conventions of his time. Views: 58
Bill Gates has been instrumental in creating and developing the home computing era that has thoroughly transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, from work to commerce to communication. Stepping down as CEO of Microsoft in 2000 after 25 years at the helm, he remained as chairman, a position he still holds.This book paints a vivid picture of Bill Gates that covers his early life and his years as an inquisitive and adventurous student to his experiences as a budding entrepreneur and billionaire philanthropist who has often been listed among the richest individuals in the world. Author Michael Becraft presents complete information on how Microsoft evolved, from the company's inception until Gates's departure from active leadership; documents the economic, ethical, financial, legal, management, and leadership applications inherent in Gates's work; and examines the criticism that Gates's actions and decisions have drawn throughout his career. Views: 58
Janet Morgan's definitive and authorised biography of Agatha Christie, with a new retrospective foreword by the author. Agatha Christie (1890–1976), the world's bestselling author, is a public institution. Her creations, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, have become fiction's most legendary sleuths and her ingenuity has captured the imagination of generations of readers. But although she lived to a great age and was prolific, she remained elusively shy and determinedly private. Given sole access to family papers and other protected material, Janet Morgan's definitive biography unravels Agatha Christie's life, work and relationships, creating a revealing and faithfully honest portrait. The book has delighted readers of Christie's detective stories for more than 30 years with its clear view of her career and personality, and this edition includes a new foreword by the author reflecting on the longevity of Agatha Christie's extraordinary success and popularity. Views: 57
Nick Carter watched the ship — a U.S. Navy cruiser. It was aflame; over a thousand men were dying on it.
One of America's most trusted allies had caused the carnage. A terrible accident, the U.S. said and everyone forgot about it. But then came the next «accident» and the next, and the pile of corpses grew higher.
It was Nick Carter's job to find out why. But between Nick and the answer lay a scientifically perfect espionage plot, fueled by crazy revenge, clouded by friend killing friend.
There was only one way to get at the truth. Nick had to set himself up for another "accident," a purely personal one… Views: 57
Fifty years after his death, C. S. Lewis continues to inspire and fascinate millions. His legacy remains varied and vast. He was a towering intellectual figure, a popular fiction author who inspired a global movie franchise around the world of Narnia, and an atheist-turned-Christian thinker.In C.S. Lewis—A Life, Alister McGrath, prolific author and respected professor at King's College of London, paints a definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis. After thoroughly examining recently published Lewis correspondence, Alister challenges some of the previously held beliefs about the exact timing of Lewis's shift from atheism to theism and then to Christianity. He paints a portrait of an eccentric thinker who became an inspiring, though reluctant, prophet for our times.You won't want to miss this fascinating portrait of a creative genius who inspired generations. Views: 57
Does Callie have a second chance at love?Callie Dawson has spent the past five years caring for her terminally ill parents and working as a hospice nurse, and now her small-town roots have called her home to Tennessee. Used to healing others, she needs to make peace with God...and start over. But first she has to face the past. A terrible misunderstanding separated her from Kirk Jacobs, the rancher she once loved with all her heart. Is this her chance to make things right?Kirk can't believe Callie's back--working at his family's B and B and rekindling powerful feelings. The rancher knows he should take things slowly, but his heart tells him something else.... And when a devastating diagnosis threatens their newfound bond, Kirk has to show Callie that he'll always be there for her. Because he can't lose her a second time. Views: 57
An enthralling tale, divided between China and America, of two friends inspired by radically opposed idealsThis deeply felt novel tells the story of William Lane and Clem Miller, Americans who meet in China as youths at the end of the nineteenth century. Separated by the Boxer Rebellion, they're destined to travel wildly different courses in life. From a background of wealth and privilege, William becomes a power-hungry and controlling media magnate. By contrast, Clem, whose family survived on charity growing up, is engrossed by a project—which he works on ceaselessly, perhaps naively, together with his chemist wife—to eliminate world poverty. The two wind up in America and meet again, each successful in his own area, and as similar in their intensity as they are different in their values. God's Men is a rich and layered portrayal of lives set alight by ambition. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Pearl S. Buck including rare images from the author's estate. Views: 57
The case for paring diplomacy back to its essential elements. Stripped of the paraphernalia, what is it really about, and why does it still matter? The essential attributes are now thick skin, an open mind and a smart phone.In next century we will need to deal with equivalent in social development of last 43 centuries: like the change from cave paintings to the atom bomb. We will see the arrival of the digital native; the rebirth of the city state; the battle for new energy; disappearing borders; disruption and diplomacy. So who will really be in charge of the 21st century? Will Google be the new emperors? How do you influence the future?In 'The Naked Diplomat', Tom Fletcher – an experienced foreign representative – explores the core principles of a progressive 21st century foreign policy: how to balance interventionism and national interest, use global governance structures to achieve national objectives and explore representative international systems. Re-evaluating the core... Views: 57
Who was the real Atticus Finch?The publication of Go Set a Watchman in 2015 forever changed how we think about Atticus Finch. Once seen as a paragon of decency, he was reduced to a small-town racist. How are we to understand this transformation?In Atticus Finch, the historian Joseph Crespino draws on exclusive sources to reveal how Harper Lee's father provided the central inspiration for each book. A lawyer and newspaperman, A. C. Lee was a principled opponent of mob rule, yet he was also a racial paternalist. Harper Lee created the Atticus of Watchman out of the ambivalence she felt toward white southerners like him. But when a militant segregationist movement arose that mocked his values, she revised the character in To Kill a Mockingbird to defend her father and to remind the South of its best traditions. A story of family and literature amid the upheavals of the twentieth century, Atticus Finch is essential to... Views: 57
Under any other circumstances it would have been cause for celebration when Nick Carter’s three friends showed up in the States—• the cross-eyed Egyptian criminologist Hakim Sadek, who had so often used his devious talents and hideous appearance to such devastating effect.• the jolly peasant woman Valentina Sichikova, the Russian agent who was built like a tank but had a heart as big and warm as the sun• and the beautiful Julia Baron with whom Nick Carter is as much in love as his dangerous profession permits . . .—but their reunion is not to celebrate mutual admiration, friendship or love—it is a “nightmare party’, an assignment so perilous that the foundations of the free world will crumble into radioactive dust if they do not succeed. Already the whole of the United States has been gripped with panic under the terrifying rumours of drugs added to drinking water, poisons in the air—an invasion from outer space! Views: 56
When an unrelenting terrorist campaign pushes Moscow into chaos, Russia exacts revenge on those supporting the terrorists, conflict with NATO almost inevitable. In England, Michael Anderson investigates two deaths, both supposed accidents, and with hardliners and dissidents vying to turn Moscow's crisis to their advantage, Anderson's quest becomes a crucial element in deciding Russia's fate. Views: 56
