Born into a theatrical family, Chaplin's father died of drink while his mother, unable to bear the poverty, suffered from bouts of insanity, Chaplin embarked on a film-making career which won him immeasurable success, as well as intense controversy. His extraordinary autobiography was first published in 1964 and was written almost entirely without reference to documentation - simply as an astonishing feat of memory by a 75 year old man. It is an incomparably vivid reconstruction of a poor ...

Brought to you by Penguin.A silent comedy star whose legendary slapstick routines are recognisable to this day, Charles 'Charlie' Chaplin's My Autobiography is an incomparably vivid account of the life of one of the greatest filmmakers and comedians, with an introduction by David RobinsonAs a child, Charlie Chaplin was awed and inspired by the sight of glamorous vaudeville stars passing his home, and from then on he never lost his ambition to becom...

The life of the silent film and comedy icon, in his own words—"the best autobiography every ever written by an actor . . . an astonishing work"—Chicago TribuneTake an unforgettable journey with the man George Bernard Shaw called "the only genius to come out of the movie industry" as he moves from his impoverished South London childhood to the heights of Hollywood wealth and fame; from the McCarthy-era investigations to his founding of United Artists to his...

In the thirty-four years since his retirement, Henry Aaron’s reputation has only grown in magnitude: he broke existing records (rbis, total bases, extra-base hits) and set new ones (hitting at least thirty home runs per season fifteen times, becoming the first player in history to hammer five hundred home runs and three thousand hits). But his influence extends beyond statistics, and at long last here is the first definitive biography of one of baseball’s immortal figures.Based on ...

Thomas Berger's debut novel of a young man tumultuously coming of age in postwar GermanyCarlo Reinhart, a young American army medic stationed in Germany, confronts a disturbing new world following the end of World War II. Living in Berlin, a city fractured into barricaded sectors by the occupying powers, Reinhart begins to drive himself mad with memories of the evils he has witnessed and questions about how the atrocities took place. When he meets an idealistic Jew...

When you reach the age where there is more to look back at than forward to, what do you regret, if anything? One woman’s brave memoir about a life well lived.It takes a certain kind of woman to have the courage t

From a skeleton, a skull, a mere fragment of burnt thighbone, prominent forensic anthropologist Dr. William Maples can deduce the age, gender, and ethnicity of a murder victim, the manner in which the person was dispatched, and, ultimately, the identity of the killer.In Dead Men Do Tell Tales, Dr. Maples revisits his strangest, most interesting, and most horrific investigations, from the baffling cases of conquistador Francisco Pizarro and Vietnam MIAs to the mysterious de...

This "extraordinary" account of the superstar's tragic death, and what led up to it, is "a relentless and detailed quest for the truth" ( Lancashire Post).In his illuminating, fascinating book, Keith Badman finally uncovers the truth about the iconic actress's last years. It was a tough time—one in which Marilyn Monroe's increasingly erratic behavior and dependence on alcohol and medication plunged her glittering movie career into drastic decline. Meticulou...

Napoleonic-era accounts of life aboard Royal Navy warships: "Readers of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will enjoy this collection" ( Library Journal ).At the dawn of the nineteenth century, the British Navy was the mightiest instrument of war the world had ever known. The Royal Navy patrolled the seas from India to the Caribbean, connecting an empire with footholds in every corner of the earth. Such a massive Navy requ...

"A brilliant full-length portrait of Franklin Roosevelt the politician"—the first in an award-winning two-volume biography ( The Christian Science Monitor).Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the longest serving president in United States history, reshaping the country during the crises of the Great Depression and World War II. But before his ascension to the presidency, FDR laid the groundwork for his unprecedented run with decades of canny political maneuvering...

An illustrated A-to-Z tribute to old-fashioned items worth rediscovering: "Wistful . . . charming . . . like a stroll down memory lane." — ElleWhatever happened to cuckoo clocks? Or bed curtains? Why do we have so many "friends" while doing away with the much more useful word "acquaintance"? All of these things, plus hot toddies, riddles, proverbs, corsets, calling cards, and many more, are due for a revival.Throughout this whimsical, beautifully ill...

The reissue of this definitive biography heralds the one-hundredth anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight.Brilliant, self-trained engineers, the Wright brothers had a unique blend of native talent, character, and family experience that perfectly suited them to the task of invention but left them ill-prepared to face a world of skeptics, rivals, and officials. Using a treasure trove of Wright family correspondence and diaries, Tom Crouch skillfully weaves ...