"It’s part natural history, part true crime, and buckets of slippery, slimy fun. You won’t be able to put it down."—The Nature Conservancy"Revelatory—and sometimes shocking... Slippery Beast brings exhaustive research and interviews to bear on a subject of surprising richness."—Wall Street JournalEllen Ruppel Shell’s Slippery Beast is a fascinating account of a deeply mysterious creature—the eel—a thrillin...

A myth-shattering investigation of the true cost of America's passion for finding a better bargainFrom the shuttered factories of the Rust Belt to the strip malls of the Sun Belt-and almost everywhere in between-America has been transformed by its relentless fixation on low price. This pervasive yet little- examined obsession with bargains is arguably the most powerful and devastating market force of our time, having fueled an excess of consumerism that blights our...

Critically acclaimed journalist Ellen Ruppel Shell uncovers the true cost--political, economic, social, and personal--of America's mounting anxiety over jobs, and what we can do to regain control over our working lives.Since 1973, our productivity has grown almost six times faster than our wages. Most of us rank so far below the top earners in the country that the "winners" might as well inhabit another planet. But work is about much more than earning a living. Wor...

What is it about eels? Depending on who you ask, they are a pest, a fascination, a threat, a pot of gold. Eels emerged some 200 million years ago, weathered mass extinctions and continental shifts, and were once among the world's most abundant freshwater fish. But since the 1970s, their numbers have plummeted. Because eels—as unagi—are another thing: delicious.In Slippery Beast, journalist Ellen Ruppel Shell travels in the world of "eel people," pursuing a fascination with...

A brilliant, invigorating account of the great writers on both sides of the Iron Curtain who played the dangerous games of espionage, dissidence and subversion that changed the course of the Cold War.During the Cold War, literature was both sword and noose. Novels, essays and poems could win the hearts and minds of those caught between the competing creeds of capitalism and communism. They could also lead to exile, imprisonment or execution if they offended those i...

A Wall Street Journal reporter's account of the radical transformation of the fashion industry, "filled with insider details" ( Library Journal).The time when fashion was defined by French designers whose clothes could be afforded only by the elite has ended. Now designers take their cues from mainstream consumers and creativity is channeled more into mass-marketing clothes than into designing them. In The End of Fashion, Wall Street ...

“Overdressed does for T-shirts and leggings what Fast Food Nation did for burgers and fries.”—Katha PollittCheap fashion has fundamentally changed the way most Americans dress. Stores ranging from discounters like Target to traditional chains like JCPenney now offer the newest trends at unprecedentedly low prices. And we have little reason to keep wearing and repairing the clothes we already own when styles change so fast and it’s c...

An insider's hilarious, whirlwind account of his years spent globe-trotting in search of the holy grail of handbags: the BirkinFor more than twenty years, the Hermès Birkin bag has been the iconic symbol of fashion, luxury, and wealth. Though the bag is often seen dangling from the arms of celebrities, there is a fabled waiting list of more than two years to buy one from Hermès, and the average fashionista has a better chance of climbing Mount Everest in Prada pumps than of possess...

Most women feel like they can barely find their shoes in the morning-let alone pull together a stylish, snappy ensemble for the day. Mary Lou Andre is here to help. An expert in wardrobe management and fashion consulting, she shows her clients how to find their own style-and make the most of what's already in their closets. And in this illustrated guide, she explains her effective wardrobe organization system and simple style strategies to help every woman get out the door faster-looking b...

From Nina Garcia—fashion judge on Bravo's hit Project Runway and the New York Times bestselling author of The One Hundred and The Little Black Book of Style—comes Style Strategy: a perfect primer on achieving the best fashion look possible, with a strong emphasis on saving money in the process.

The Project Runway judge and New York Times–bestselling author of Style Strategy shows the essential items every woman needs in her fashion arsenal.In the wildly popular The Little Black Book of Style, fashion authority Nina Garcia showed women how to think about personal style in an entirely new way. Encouraging readers to creatively assert their style identities, Nina showed women of all ages how to hone and self-edit a distinct...

From Anna Johnson, the author of Three Black Skirts and Handbags comes an invaluable manual for how to live well and elegantly on a budget. The perfect book for our more frugal times, Savvy Chic celebrates “the Art of More for Less,” illuminating the path to smarter, more creative spending for every woman trying to cut corners and save money, but who still wants to live and look fabulous. Savvy Chic belongs on every woman’s bookshelf, right next to The Modern Girls Guide to Life.In...