Book Description
Max Glickman, a Jewish cartoonist whose seminal work is a comic history titled Five Thousand Years of Bitterness, recalls his childhood in a British suburb in the 1950s. Growing up, Max is surrounded by Jews, each with an entirely different and outspoken view on what it means to be Jewish. His mother, incessantly preoccupied with a card game called Kalooki, only begrudgingly puts the deck away on the High Holy Days. Max's father, a failed boxer prone to spontaneous nosebleeds, is a self-proclaimed atheist and communist, unable to accept the God who has betrayed him so unequivocally in recent years.
But it is through his friend and neighbor Manny Washinsky that Max begins to understand the indelible effects of the Holocaust and to explore the intrinsic and paradoxical questions of a postwar Jewish identity. Manny, obsessed with the Holocaust and haunted by the allure of its legacy, commits a crime of nightmare proportion against his family and his faith. Years later, after his friend's release from prison, Max is inexorably drawn to uncover the motive behind the catastrophic act -- the discovery of which leads to a startling revelation and a profound truth about religion and faith that exists where the sacred meets the profane.
Spanning the decades between World War II and the present day, acclaimed author Howard Jacobson seamlessly weaves together a breath-takingly complex narrative of love, tragedy, redemption, and above all, remarkable humor. Deeply empathetic and audaciously funny, Kalooki Nights is a luminous story torn violently between the hope of restoring and rebuilding Jewish life, and the painful burden of memory and loss.
Customer Reviews:
A wonderful book by a man who loves truth........2007-09-10
Jacobson strides into the hearts of those people we call Jews with his banner of Truth flying high, keeping us laughing and crying all the way as we end up infinitely the wiser. It told me more about Jews than any of the academic stuff I've ever read...
A Literately Hilarious Book.......2007-09-01
You're gonna plotz before you find plots here. And if you lack at least a minimal Jewish background,or don't much care a some modern Jews and their wrestlings with identity, lust, love, religion, and whirlagig confusions, then you probably won't laugh, inwardly and outwardly, at the stylistically marvelous feats of humor that Howard Jacobson pulls off in this uniquely entertaining reading experience. I think that the Washington Post reviewer is really off base when he laments that the book is old hat. I've read umpteen Jewish authors over the years, and Kalooki Nights is entirely new hat to me. But the cartoony title! Yikes! Marginally relevant at best. Finally, the book does ramble. But so does my Uncle Bernie, who, nevertheless, is really enthralling to listen to.
Rambling.......2007-08-03
I could not finish this book. It is well written and in parts laugh-out-loud funny but the plot was too rambling for me. As the previous reviewer said, membership in the tribe may contribute to one's enjoyment - as a non-tribe member, much of the book was lost on me. I debated as to whether or not I should keep reading, but finally decided to give up. I have a feeling that had the subject matter been anything else, I'd have liked this book as I enjoyed his use of words. But that's like saying I'd like chocolate ice cream if it wasn't chocolate.
and you thought you were obsessed about Jews..........2007-06-28
Jonathan Safran Foer noted in the NY Times that Kalooki Nights "is a tragedy, and a work of genius". Indeed, it is a masterpiece. I laughed and cried from start to end.
Membership in the tribe (or honorary membership) may be necessary to absorb its full impact. Indeed, if any recent book emerges as a Jewish classic, this will be the one. Jacobson is now in the Pantheon.
Book Description
A young woman caught in the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half sister, Elizabeth, must find her true destiny amid treason, poisonous rivalries, loss of faith, and unrequited love.
It is winter, 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen-year-old Jewish girl, is forced to flee Spain with her father. But Hannah is no ordinary refugee. Her gift of "Sight," the ability to foresee the future, is priceless in the troubled times
of the Tudor court. Hannah is adopted by the glamorous Robert Dudley, the charismatic son of King Edward's protector, who brings her to court as a "holy fool" for Queen Mary and, ultimately, Queen Elizabeth. Hired as a fool but working as a spy; promised in wedlock but in love with her master; endangered by the laws against heresy, treason, and witchcraft, Hannah must choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up in her own yearnings and desires.
Teeming with vibrant period detail and peopled by characters seamlessly woven into the sweeping tapestry of history, The Queen's Fool is another rich and emotionally resonant gem from this wonderful storyteller.
Customer Reviews:
Recommended.......2007-09-14
This is the first Philippa Gregory novel I've read, and I chose this one because of the slight fantasy of the main character's "sight" that she uses to foretell events. This aspect I would have enjoyed had the author used it more; however, then it would be even more of a fantasy than historical fiction. Regardless, the story held my interest and I liked the characters.
A Fool No More.......2007-08-27
Another drama of the Tudors by Philippa Gregory. I enjoyed this one more than "The Other Boleyn Girl" because the main character had spunk and independence, unusual for a girl in those days. Although a vassal to a Lord with his own agenda, she developed a deep love for Queen Mary and was a loyal friend to her through all her suffering. For the first time, I got a clear picture of the conflict between Mary and Elizabeth before and after the death of their young brother the King. Both made huge mistakes but were strong women to be reckoned with. Hannah serves both but is still her own woman. Very exciting events unfold as the balance of power shifts back and forth between these two woman and their supporters. Adding to the drama is the fact that Hannah and her family are Jews passing as Christians during a time when heretics were burned at the stake.
How can I like this more than Philippa Gregory's Boleyn stories??.......2007-08-07
I don't know how it's possible that I liked "The Queen's Fool" even more than "The Other Boleyn Girl", and "The Boleyn Inheritance" which I loved. I think it's partially the addition of Hannah Green the young jewish girl escaping the Spanish Inquisition and becoming the Queen's Fool, telling the story. Having Hannah tell the story introduces how great an effect all the european countries and their politics have on other European countries.
I am sure it is also the fact that these stories build on each other, with characters whose families and circumstances are already familiar from the book before. I encourage you to read in sequence - and I encourage you to READ these stories and learn some history. Even if it is couched in some fiction, you still learn and this way is so much more fun. My friends are now as hooked as I am -- this many people can't all be wrong.
The Queen's Fool: A novel.......2007-08-02
Intriguing! Great descriptions of the Tudor court in a suspense filled, exciting time in history. Had me hooked.
WONDERFUL.......2007-07-19
Ms. Gregory's The Queen's Fool is as beautifully written as her other historical fiction novels. We continue the story of the Tudor line in England, but instead of being guided through a queen's view or a princess's view, we read through the eyes of Hannah the Fool. Hannah is a wonderful character who grows from an apprentice tomboy to a desirable woman. We pick up the story from Henry VIII's last wife to see his son, Edward IV, on the throne. Edward, ruled through the Duke of Northumberland, dies and the throne is shoved into the hands of Jane Grey (Northumberland's relation). The victory is short-lived, because Mary (Henry VIII's first and only child with Katharine of Aragon) raises an army to fight for her as Queen. Though she wins, it is not long before her sister, Princess Elizabeth (Henry VIII's first and only child with Anne Boleyn), conspires to take the throne. Hannah is thrown in between the half-sisters and must use her Sight as a gift to help both women. The story line is filled with historical fact, tweaked enough to give a well rounded account of The reign of Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I. WONDERFUL!
Average customer rating:
- DNA Evidence, Documents
- Worth every penny
- Don't waste your money
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When Scotland Was Jewish: DNA Evidence, Archeology, Analysis of Migrations, and Public and Family Records Show Twelfth Century Semitic Roots
Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman , and
Donald N. Yates
Manufacturer: McFarland
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Families of Co. Donegal, Ireland
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God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
ASIN: 0786428007 |
Product Description
The popular image of Scotland is dominated by widely recognized elements of Celtic culture. But could it be that a significant non-Celtic influence on Scotland's history has been largely ignored or unknown for centuries? This book argues just such a case, maintaining that much of Scotland's history and culture from 1100 forward is Jewish. The authors provide evidence that much of the population, including several national heroes, villains, rulers, nobles, traders, merchants, bishops, guild members, burgesses, and ministers, was of Jewish descent. They describe how the ancestors of these persons originated in France and Spain and then made their way to Scotland's shores, moors, burgs and castles from the reign of Malcolm Canmore to the aftermath of the Spanish Inquisition.
It is proposed here that much of the traditional historical account of Scotland rests on fundamental interpretive errors, and that these errors have been perpetuated in order to manufacture and maintain an origin for Scotland that affirms its identity as a Celtic, Christian society. This equation of Scotland with Celtic culture in the popular (and academic) imagination has buried a more accurate and profound understanding of its history. The authors' wide-ranging research includes examination of census records, archaeological artifacts, castle carvings, cemetery inscriptions, religious seals, coinage, burgess and guild member rolls, noble genealogies, family crests, portraiture, and geographic place names.
Customer Reviews:
DNA Evidence, Documents.......2007-09-03
This was a very interesting book that stirs one to question the status quo of written history. DNA studies are confirming oral traditions and rewriting history as we know it. The book includes DNA evidence, Documents and records of the surnames in Scotland, that I have not seen elsewhere. Much more than pictures and what of, like, coulds, maybe.
.Many pictures of Churchs, Cemetary stones, Architecture. A valuable resource for you studies of Scotland and Melungeon Heritage
Worth every penny.......2007-08-01
I requested this book for my birthday present. I have been very pleased with the books I have read written by Elizabeth Hirschman. I am not disapointed with this book. It has very detailed information. (I descend from the McArthurs,Campbells,Stuarts,Farquarsons, Mitches,Watsons, and a long line of High Stewards of Scotland. I also have some Jewish family lines (Brocks, Wideman). My Fridman family was always accused of being Jewish, but DNA testing has proven a Viking,Anglo-Saxson line (unless the I1a Haplogroup, some time in the future, is found to be Hebrew). This book is a very good source of information for the home library. Thank you Elizabeth and Donald.
Janine Lockwood
Don't waste your money .......2007-07-27
If you want to read some history of Europe or some history of Jews in Europe, you can find better books at better prices. If you want to read about the history of Jews in Scotland, this is definitely not the right book. It is so full of could be, like, and maybe, but very little facts. I will give just a couple of ridiculous statements. "He had a hat, beard and large nose and therefore he must have been of Jewish decent." How many people, back when these portraits were done, did not have hats and beards? "They had Hebrew names. Like David, Adam, Jacob, etc." Come on. How many millions of Christians give their children biblical names. This book is a waste of money.
Customer Reviews:
Well-written and interesting.......2007-04-05
This was a very interesting account of the German-Jewish experience in the United States from the mid 19th century through the mid 20th century. It looks carefully at how a number of families rose stratospherically into the nation's financial elite within a short period of time. While the families were assimilated on some levels (particularly with respect to economic achievement), they clung to their German roots on other levels (as demonstrated by their American-born children being schooled in the German tradition, and by certain political views). Many members of this group saw themselves as being German before being Jewish, and this set up an intra-religious "pecking order" (a member of this group marrying a non-German Jew was apparently out of the question). I only wish that the book would be updated, as it ends in the late 1950s.
Facinating and wonderfully written.......2007-02-17
I picked this book up on a whim not knowing what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised. Takes you through the history of the German Jewish banking families from the early 1800's when they were in dry goods; ends with the genesis of some of the most influential banking houses in the world. Lehman Brothers started out as cotton brokers in Alabama ... Marcus Goldman used to walk around downtown with commercial paper stuffed in his hat ... August Belmont was a pioneer of being fashionably late ... a number of them used to summer near Long Branch, New Jersey which is now an enclave of Brazilian wood flooring contractors.
There were definitely portions that dragged a bit, but it's made up for by being wonderfully written. A quick read and if you don't like it, doubles nicely as a coaster.
Where are the Glories of Yesteryear?.......2005-06-24
I read this book many years ago and found it yet another fascinating chapter, in that endlessly fascinating story of how Jews have lived through the generations. My guess is that the scions of a good share of the families chronicled here are no longer part of the Jewish world.
Here the question is raised of the mixed feelings created by ' successful Jews who are no longer very Jewish, or in other cases consciously and decidedly not Jewish.
The Schiffs, the Warburgs, the Belmonts, the Ochs- Sulzbergers , the Morgenthaus,et. al. .
Where are the Glories of Yesteryear?
"Our Crowd".......2003-10-03
Nice book but I actually found it a little bit boring at the end. However, you should read it to get the full picture about investment banks that were created by Jews. I reccomend to read "The New Crowd" after you finish reading this book. You can say that "The New Crowd" is part II of "Our Crowd" even though it was written by different writers.
Engaging history.......2001-07-31
A very interesting history of the great Jewish families of New York. Birmingham flings the door open on some of the most reclusive and secretive oligopolies in business history. Not only is it an eye opening history of the German jews in New York but it is engaging and interesting to read. It does not read like a textbook. Birmingham has really done his homework. If you want to learn about some real eccentric/succesful personalities and about the German jewish families ofNew York, this is the best book on the subject.
Average customer rating:
- the world's foremost jewish history does it again
- Great book! For history buffs who like the personal side.
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Merchant Princes: An Intimate History of Jewish Families Who Built Great Department Stores (A Kodansha Globe Book)
Leon A. Harris
Manufacturer: Kodansha Amer Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1568360444 |
Customer Reviews:
the world's foremost jewish history does it again.......2001-09-01
Ken libo has shown an excellent ability to convey jewish history time and time again.. This book is no exception.. It's very readable, and will not let you down. If you want to concieve the struggles and successes of jews and others in the early twentieth century; buy this book.
Great book! For history buffs who like the personal side........1999-06-18
This is a great book. It's chock full of history told in an easy-to-read style. Leon Harris reveals the struggles and successes of 12 of the earliest Jewish retailers of America including Levi Strauss, Sears, Roebuck, Neiman, Marcus etc. It appeals to readers on many levels. First it is an historic account of the people whose names have become so familiar as store-names that we have forgotten there were ever people with those names. "Merchant Princes" includes many personal anecdotes about the founders of the stores and their families, retailing practices of yester-year and what these merchants did with their incredible wealth. Told by a Jew, about Jews, it reveals in surprisingly candid ways the ostracism of Jews in this country addressing how this all began. It's a book you can put down and pick up at any point without losing the flow. Jews will love it. Gentiles will be impressed. I was!
Average customer rating:
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Impossible Love: Ascher Levy's Longing for Germany
Roman Frister
Manufacturer: Orion Publishing
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0297645919 |
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This book is a grand epic in which Roman Frister reconstructs the real-life story of the Levy family to produce a unique portrait of a Jewish family swept along in the rise and fall of German history. We follow them through the hard times and the happier ones, in business and in their personal lives. As history is interwoven with Frister's interpretation of the Levy family's experiences, this intellectually engaging book—in truth a historical document—reads like an epic novel.
Customer Reviews:
BEFORE THE STORM.......2005-03-04
Roman Frister brings the reader into the homes, the hearts and minds of the Levy family, beginning with the devout Ascher Jackel in the 19th century. From virtually nothing, Ascher sets the business standards for the sons and grandsons to follow, while maintaining a strong devotion to both the Jewish faith and the land of his birth. By the time of the rise of Hitler, the now wealthy and still very devout Jewish family, find themselves forever reasoning with what is too enormous to comprehend. Each son, daughter, husband and wife formulate an individual path that will hopefully get them through the chaos of their beloved Germany. The reader becomes the traveling companion. The book is excellent. History and emotion are woven together by a more than skillful author. "Impossible Love" is difficult to put down before its completion.
Average customer rating:
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Charlotte and Lionel: A Rothschild Love Story
Stanley Weintraub
Manufacturer: Free Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0743226860 |
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Charlotte was young and beautiful. Lionel, almost ten years older, was rich and her cousin. Theirs was an arranged betrothal joining two branches of Europe's most powerful banking firm. It seemed an unlikely love match, and even their wedding had to survive catastrophe. Yet their marriage lasted through tragedies and triumphs. Charlotte became one of the grand chatelaines of the Victorian era; Lionel, England's leading financier, persevered through years of bigotry to become the first of his faith to be seated in Parliament. In Charlotte and Lionel, acclaimed biographer Stanley Weintraub, using full access to the Rothschild family archives, tells the story of their stunning and surprising love for each other, opening a fascinating window into a memorable age.
Together, Charlotte and Lionel de Rothschild challenged and redefined their place in Victorian society. At her celebrated salons, England's leading politicians and policy makers met and shared opinions. Disraeli regularly argued politics with adversaries; Gladstone discussed religion with Charlotte; "Tom Thumb" (with P. T. Barnum) entertained; artists and writers and aristocrats mingled. Refusing to swear a Christian oath, Lionel was elected to Parliament half a dozen times before he could take his seat. After a decade-long battle, the House of Commons changed its rules, enabling Lionel and future Jewish or non-Christian members to serve.
Lionel (and, behind the scenes, Charlotte) influenced events worldwide, helping to fund relief to a starving Ireland, aiding persecuted Jews in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, brokering the purchase of the Suez Canal, and arranging for France's postwar reparations to Germany. Yet despite the distractions of their power, glamour, and wealth, and problems of health for which money could buy no solutions, they remained intensely devoted to each other and their family. Although Charlotte lost a daughter, then her beloved husband, and had to come back herself from severe illness, she remained unbroken.
Charlotte and Lionel presents the evocative tale of one of the least known yet most touching love stories from the glamorous decades of Victorian England.
Average customer rating:
- Anglo-Judaic Assimilated Aristocracy
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Sassoon: The Worlds of Philip and Sybil
Peter Stansky
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
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ASIN: 0300095473 |
Customer Reviews:
Anglo-Judaic Assimilated Aristocracy.......2004-01-03
Prof. Stansky writes a very well researched book that most Anglophiles, particularly ones enamored of the aristocracy and politics in the UK circa 1900-1938, will love. One can't blame an author for a not very-likable subject but Sir Philip was clearly a very needy person who compensated for his insecurities by being a brilliant host and spreading around his money lavishly in an effort to be loved. Both he and his sister,
while exceptionally generous and likely kind-hearted, learn at a very early age to try and camoflauge their Judaism. Unlike the Rothschilds, who intermarried as well but were visible leaders of the Jewish community, this Sassoon brother and sister abdicated any kind of role. The book overwhelmingly is focused on Philip, so those wanting more substance about Sybil Sassoon may be disappointed, but the author does ask all the questions a reader my have about what led these two individuals to lead the life they did.
Average customer rating:
- One of the best memoirs ever written
- Why Is This Book Out Of Print?
- Many disturbing questions remain.
- A daring and insightful autobiography
- Beautifully detailed and beautifully-written
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In This Dark House: A Memoir
Louise Kehoe
Manufacturer: Schocken
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The Speckled People: A Memoir of a Half-Irish Childhood
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The Kiss : A Memoir
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Lovesong: Becoming a Jew
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Water for Elephants: A Novel
ASIN: 0805210172
Release Date: 2001-08-07 |
Book Description
In 1939 the influential architect Berthold Lubetkin abruptly left his thriving career in London and dropped out of sight, moving with his wife to a desolate farm in rural Gloucestershire. Life in the house the Lubetkins named “World’s End” was far from idyllic for their three children. Louise Kehoe and her siblings lived in an atmosphere of oppressive isolation, while their tyrannical father—at times charming and witty but usually a terrorist in a
self-styled Stalinist hell—badgered and belittled them during his fits of self-loathing. Even his true identity remained an enigma. That secret was never divulged during her father’s lifetime, but Louise’s quest to unearth its tragic origins—her relentless piecing together of the clues she found after his death—is a remarkable story, written with extraordinary grace, style, and imagination, of an identity and a heritage lost and found.
Customer Reviews:
One of the best memoirs ever written.......2007-03-02
Louise Kehoe is one of the bravest writers I have never met (although we did have plenty of phone conversations back when she was getting this book through production!) On the face of it, it's another coming of age book; but when you consider her history at the hands of her tortured and conscience-stricken father, and how the consequences of his grief cast a long shadow over the lives of his children...Kehoe masterfully organizes events, emotions, and personalities, and the result is an elegant, elegaic jewel of a book.
There is ugliness; abuse at the hands of a German doctor; emotional abuse heaped upon Louise and her siblings, lies cafefully constructed by her father and executed by her otherwise forthright mother, the untimely death of her older brother, and her harrowing experience with anorexia nervosa.
I wish Kehoe had published more; she is a truly astonishing writer.
Why Is This Book Out Of Print?.......2000-09-13
This is a quirky, memorable story - the author is a brilliant writer. Many people have enjoyed this book, so why is it out of print? That really bugs me about the publishing world - how can they allow such great work to fall between the cracks, when real crap - and I mean crap - gets published. This book is a classic. It needs to be available in bookstores everywhere.
Many disturbing questions remain........2000-03-29
Why did no reviewer mention one of the most shocking, pivotal moments in this book? That in 1966, a 17-year-old English girl named Lubetkin, while visiting a friend in Bavaria, was treated by a German doctor for an accident to her hand - and because he suspected that she was a Jew, he chose to inject the tetanus shot into both her nipples (which later abcessed and broke open)! In 1966! Aside from the story of her father's madness (grief-driven insanity is certainly what his behavior seemed to be), looms another question - how could this sort of sadistic torture have been allowed to pass unmentioned by any other observer and to go unpunished in 1966? And in 2000?
The incident with the Nazi doctor and her parents seeming indifference to it finally lead the teenaged Ms. Kehoe to the realization that she had worth as a person and gave her the strength to break away from her father's "dark house". Unearthing the truth of her father's past buried in literally mountains of lies that comprised the deliberate, sly "shell game" Berthold Lubetkin inflicted on his wife and children is a testimony to the driving force of a tortured child's search for understanding to regain sanity from madness.
These afternoon not quite four years after Dad's death, I appeared before a rabbinical court in Boston and, having satisfied the three presiding rabbis that I knew exactly what I was letting myself in for, was formally pronounced a Jew."
A daring and insightful autobiography.......1999-06-02
Louise Kehoe takes the reader through a harrowing and difficult journey with no artifice. She manages to stay honest throughout which is what makes this story so moving. I would highly recommend this book over "After Long Silence" which is in the same genre but lacks the sincerity of this book.
Beautifully detailed and beautifully-written.......1997-05-11
From the opening papragraph of description of the physical geography through the more difficult terrain of the interior geography of family and self, this book is an honest and eloquent account of growing up and going on, of the power of lies and the power of truth, and finally of acceptance and forgiveness. A finely detailed portrait of a damaged and damaging man, and of the author's road of transcendence and re-connection with her true heritage
Books:
- Life in Biblical Israel (Library of Ancient Israel)
- Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You... That You Need to Know (Revised Edition)
- Lover of Unreason: Assia Wevill, Sylvia Plath's Rival and Ted Hughes' Doomed Love
- Marvin Gaye, My Brother
- Mastering Elliot Wave: Presenting the Neely Method: The First Scientific, Objective Approach to Market Forecasting with the Elliott Wave Theory (version 2)
- Mover Of Men & Mountains
- Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa
- MY FATHER'S SECRET WAR: A MEMOIR
- My First Book Of Uppercase Letters (Kumon Workbooks)
- Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay
- Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature
- The Umbrella Country
- William Osler: A Life in Medicine
- Arthritis Relief at Your Fingertips: The Complete Self-Care Guide for Easing Aches and Pains Without
- Finite Mixture Models
- Design for Ecological Democracy
- The Life and Reign of King Edward the Sixth
- United Kingdom Netherlands Double Tax Treaty
- Los Angeles Design Index: Residential and Commercial
The Ministry of Special Cases
The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel
The Last of Her Kind: A Novel
On Chesil Beach: A Novel
Exit Ghost
