This unorthodox biography of "the greatest comic writer ever" collects Wodehouse's witty and revealing commentary on his own life story (Douglas Adams)As creator of memorable comic characters, including the immortal Jeeves and Wooster, P.G. Wodehouse was one of the most beloved and influential authors of the 20th century. This sparkling volume draws on Wodehouse's autobiographical writings, as well as personal letters and interview transcripts to present the author'...

Witty and "enchanting" reflections on the experience of travel, with a focus on art, music, and literature, by the author of Brave New World ( The Spectator).One of the most renowned and prolific writers of the twentieth century, Aldous Huxley produced not only dystopian fiction like Brave New World and philosophical memoirs like The Doors of Perception, but also insightful travel writing. Here, he discusses his visits to Italy, ...

Author Christopher Hollis knew George Orwell personally during his schooldays at Eton, afterwards in Burma, and at the end of his life. His study of Orwell’s books is therefore illuminated by some anecdotes of reminiscence. However, it is important to note that this book is primarily a study rather than a biography. Hollis examines Orwell’s books in order and traces through them the development of this unmatched literary giant’s thought process.From the experiences described in

"Well-made arguments backed by archaeology, etymology, and geography " about the origins of the legend "will have readers rooting for a Scottish Arthur." ( Kirkus Reviews)As writer and activist Adam Ardrey discovered, the reason historians have had little success identifying the historical Arthur may be incredibly simple: He wasn't an Englishman at all. He was from Scotland . Finding Arthur chro...

" By capitalizing on these real-world applications, Tymony helps conquer much of the fear and dread associated with traditional math lessons." (Booklist)Cy Tymony, author of the best-selling Sneaky Uses series, brings his unique, fun hands-on learning approach to all things math.Many people fear math and numbers, even Barbie, who famously said "Math class is tough" in her controversial 1992 talking doll version. But in Sneaky Math, Cy Tymony takes ...

"Written by the greatest living Egyptologist, this wonderful, fun, and short book will take you inside the heads of the ancient Egyptians."—Sarah Parcak, National GeographicEgyptian culture is divided from us by several millennia, a lost people and a dead language. We can discover much about this fascinating civilization from its physical remains, but perhaps the greatest insights into the Egyptian mind come from Egyptian hieroglyphs. They reveal the prior...

The most comprehensive reference for understanding and using the contemporary idioms of American English—with more than 1,000 entries.Mastering the use of idiomatic language is an essential step toward achieving fluency in any language. Webster's New World: American Idioms Handbook is the ideal guide to the slang, sayings, expressions, jargon, and colloquialisms of American English—covering more than 1,000 entries. Emphasizing acquisition and application, ...

Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci, or more familiarly known as Baroness Emmuska Orczy, was born on September 23rd, 1865, in Tarnaörs, Heves County, Hungary.The family lived in their ancestral home; a great, rambling farmhouse on the river Tarna. Emmuska’s memories of the time were of sophisticated parties, sparkling conversation, joyful dancing and gypsy music. But soon fear of a peasant uprising meant their moving to Budapest and then 12 years of semi-nomadi...

Noam Chomsky and linguist Andrea Moro explore language, the history of science, Big Data and AI, and the mysteries of the human brain.Influential linguist Noam Chomsky and his longtime colleague Andrea Moro have a wide-ranging conversation, touching on such topics as language and linguistics, the history of science, and the relation between language and the brain. Chomsky discusses today’s misplaced euphoria about artificial intelligence (Chomsky sees “lots of hype...

"A culinary mystery story leavened with Pallant's passion, charm, and devotion to the ageless allure of the risen loaf." —Aaron Bobrow-Strain, author of White BreadSourdough Culture presents the history and rudimentary science of sourdough bread baking from its discovery more than six thousand years ago to its still-recent displacement by the innovation of dough-mixing machines and fast-acting yeast. Environmental science professor Eric Pallant tra...

A fascinating account of a scientific project that tracked 5 generations of children—the longest-ever-running study of human development.The lives of 70,000 people reveal the importance of our beginnings on the greater trajectory of our lives.In March 1946, scientists began to track thousands of children born in one cold week as part of a birth cohort study. No one imagined that this would become the longest-running study of human developme...

The acclaimed food critic's two-thousand-year history of going out to eat, from the ancient Romans in Pompeii to the luxurious Michelin-starred restaurants of today.Starting with the surprisingly sophisticated dining scene in the city of Pompeii, William Sitwell embarks on a romp through culinary history, meeting the characters and discovering the events that shape the way we eat today. The Daily Telegraph restaurant critic and famously acerbic MasterC...