In this classic portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower the soldier, bestselling historian Stephen E. Ambrose examines the Allied commander’s leadership during World War II. Ambrose brings Eisenhower’s experience of the Second World War to life, showing in vivid detail how the general’s skill as a diplomat and a military strategist contributed to Allied successes in North Africa and in Europe, and established him as one of the greatest military leaders in the world. Ambrose, then the Associate Editor of the General’s official papers, analyzes Eisenhower’s difficult military decisions and his often complicated relationships with powerful personalities like Churchill, de Gaulle, Roosevelt, and Patton. This is the definitive account of Eisenhower’s evolution as a military leader—from its dramatic beginnings through his time at the top post of Allied command.

Winner of the National Book Award and in print for more than thirty years, them ranks as one of the most masterly portraits of postwar America ever written by a novelist. Including several new pages and text substantially revised and updated by the author, this Modern Library edition is the most current and accurate version available of Oates' seminal work. A novel about class, race, and the horrific, glassy sparkle of urban life, them chronicles the lives of the Wendalls, a family on the steep edge of poverty in the windy, riotous Detroit slums. Loretta, beautiful and dreamy and full of regret by age sixteen, and her two children, Maureen and Jules, make up Oates' vision of the American fam-ily—broken, marginal, and romantically proud. The novel's title, pointedly uncapitalized, refers to those Americans who inhabit the outskirts of society—men and women, mothers and children—whose lives many authors in the 1960s had left unexamined. Alfred...

The Solitude of Compassion, a collection of short stories never before available in English, won popular acclaim when it was originally published in France in 1932. It tells of small-town life in Provence, drawing on a whole village of fictional characters, often warm and decent, at times immoral and coarse. Giono writes of a friendship forged in a battlefield trench in the midst of World War I; an old man’s discovery of the song of the world; and, in the title story, the not-unrelated feelings of compassion and pity. In these twenty stories, Giono reveals his marvelous storytelling through his vivid images and lyrical prose, whether he is conveying the delicate scents of lavender and pine trees or the smells of damp earth and fresh blood.

Edward Said, the renowned literary and cultural critic and passionately engaged intellectual, is one of our era's most formidable, provocative, and important thinkers.  For more than three decades his books, which include Culture and Imperialism, Peace and Its Discontents, and the seminal study Orientalism, have influenced not only our worldview but the very terms of public discourse. The Edward Said Reader includes key sections from all of Said's books, from the groundbreaking 1966 study of Joseph Conrad to his new memoir, Out of Place. Whether he is writing of Zionism or Palestinian self-determination, Jane Austen or Yeats, music or the media, Said's uncompromising intelligence casts urgent light on every subject he undertakes. The Edward Said Reader will prove a joy to the general reader and an indispensable resource for scholars of politics, history, literature, and cultural studies: in short, of all those fields that his work has influenced and, in some cases, transformed. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Part spy novel, part romance, part Henry James, Your Face Tomorrow is a wholly remarkable display of the immense gifts of Javier Marias. With Fever and Spear, Volume One of his unfolding novel Your Face Tomorrow, he returns us to the rarified world of Oxford (the delightful setting of All Souls and Dark Back of Time), while introducing us to territory entirely new--espionage. Our hero, Jaime Deza, separated from his wife in Madrid, is a bit adrift in London until his old friend Sir Peter Wheeler retired Oxford don and semi-retired master spy recruits him for a new career in British Intelligence. Deza possesses a rare gift for seeing behind the masks people wear. He is soon observing interviews conducted by Her Majesty's secret service: variously shady international businessmen one day, would-be coup leaders the next. Seductively, this metaphysical thriller explores past, present, and future in the ever-more-perilous 21st century. This compelling and enigmatic tour de force from one of Europe's greatest writers continues with Volume Two, Dance and Dream."

In this riveting thriller from Queen of Suspense and #1 New York Times bestselling writer Mary Higgins Clark brilliantly weaves the mystery of twin telepathy into a mother's search for a kidnapped child, presumed dead. When Margaret and Steve Frawley come home to Connecticut from a black-tie dinner in New York, their three-year-old twins, Kathy and Kelly, are gone. The police found the babysitter unconscious, and a ransom note from the Pied Piper demands eight million dollars. Steve's global investment firm puts up the money, but when they go to retrieve the twins, only Kelly is in the car. The dead driver's suicide note says he inadvertently killed Kathy. At the memorial, Kelly tugs Margaret's arm and says: Mommy, Kathy is very scared of that lady. She wants to come home right now. At first, only Margaret believes that the twins are communicating and that Kathy is still alive. But as Kelly's warnings become increasingly specific and alarming, FBI agents set out on a desperate search.

This novella recently came to light as a bequest to her grandchildren by Taylor Caldwell. Set during the impending German invasion of Czechoslovakia, it explores the thoughts of eight men who decide to take a stand against the Germans, knowing that it would be a futile military effort but a self redeeming symbolic one. Caldwell tells the story of each, the twists and turns of their thoughts. It's quite a call to the futility of war, and yet the necessity of not accepting tyranny.

A short story about Jos and his gradual involvement in a traditional Irish music session.Getting accepted into an Irish music session is not simply about turning up and playing the tunes. Jos Cardy learns something about the tradition and what it means for those who play it.

November 6th 2011 marks the 10 year anniversary of when VIA Technologies Inc. unveiled the VT6010 Mini-ITX reference design created by Robert Kuo. To mark the occasion we have put together the free "eBook title" eBook as a celebration of the past 10 years of innovation and creation inspired by the Mini-ITX form factor.Extreme skiing and psychedelic mushrooms don't normally go together, but after Josh agrees to join Sam and Rudy on a backcountry adventure, he quickly realizes the trek is more than he bargained for. When the guys are joined by Tess, a ski instructor and the girl of Josh's dreams, he knows he'll do anything to impress her, even losing his wits on mind-altering drugs as he seeks to ski The Edge, the longest and steepest backcountry slope he'll ever find.Extreme Skiing and Psychedelic Mushrooms: The Art of Chasing Fear is a short story of 8,522 words by Jason Matthews, author of the novels, The Little Universe and Jim's Life.

The fourth short story anthology from the Eclective brings together seven writers from across genres, each contributing a unique take in recognition of LGBT Pride Month. Go Team Everybody.The fourth short story anthology from the Eclective brings together seven writers from across genres, each contributing a unique take in recognition of LGBT Pride Month. Go Team Everybody."Saving Suzanna" by Rex Jameson - As Sara and Morgan struggle to escape the ruins left by the Northern Organizational Militia's campaign of terror, they hear the cries of an infant through the darkness. If they keep running north, they may save themselves… but if they stay and fight, they may just save their future."Shero: Glam, Bam, Thank You, Ma’am!" by Jack Wallen - Don't judge a book by it's cover and don't judge a queen by her smooth moves alone! Shero is honored to serve as judge for a local drag queen pageant. When all hell breaks loose, can Shero save the queens from a disaster worse than a loose gaff or broken heel?"Gay Angels in Heaven" by Alan Nayes - A teenager learns having pride in who she is is far more important than what others think of her."Moon Blossoms" by P.J. Jones - Outcast from their colony, two sprites learn to accept that their love is not a sin against nature but a thing of beauty."Urbs in Horto" by M. Edward McNally - There are many gardens in the city of Chicago, and none are as different as they may seem."Be Careful What You Wish For" by Shéa MacLeod - Cross-dresser Ryan Roberts has always dreamed of being a real woman for just one day. He'll soon discover that when it comes to cupcake-addicted ancient Welsh goddesses, you should be careful what you wish for."Love & Disaster" by Heather Marie Adkins - Becca is finally marrying the woman of her dreams, but she’s frightened of what the future holds in a world that doesn’t accept their love.

A Muslim princess learns to die to self, a Christian translator learns there are other ways to write, and a secular exile from the Bosnian War learns to open to her past in order to embrace the future. Across a shifting landscape spanning Europe and North Africa, and bridging more than six centuries, their pilgrimages to the centre of being tell a single story – of what it means to love.“I never wanted to be a killer—an assassin—a Wraith Dancer. But as a priestess of the High Serpent King, Belial, I had little choice in the matter. Still, despite my inward desire for a life of perfect peace, it must be said that I was one of the best. Blood had splattered across the front of my tunic. At my feet lay the body of an infidel called Peka; his throat sliced open from ear to ear; the bones of his left thigh and right arm shattered. He had come with a group of rebels hoping to desecrate Belial’s temple here in Babale. I could not allow that.”Gwen has only ever known life as a priestess of the High Serpent King, Belial the Glorious. Specially trained as a wraith dancer assassin, Gwen is preparing for a life dispensing justice in the name of her dragon gods when she successfully repels an attack by the Resistance upon Belial’s temple. Suddenly catapulted to a position of status, Gwen is chosen to assassinate Ezekiah, the prophet of the Resistance. But when she’s captured, Gwen is shown the dark side of the dragons and their utopian society and the unsuspected kindness of the man she was meant to kill. She wants to remain faithful to the Serpent Kings, but her doubts are growing, and her time with Ezekiah has awakened feelings within her she never thought to have. Moreover, in Gwen’s absence, something has happened to make this wraith dancer a costly liability to the dragons, and she cannot be allowed to live any longer.

A short fictional story in which the life of Jesus Christ is depicted as a carefully orchestrated political plot.This is the story of John, a young man that works the all night shift at a convenience store, and his good friend Shoes, who is homeless. Against his supervisor's orders John brings Shoes into the store each night to warm up, get something to eat, and rest. One night, Shoes, who is mentally ill, does not come by the store. A night turns into many and John begins to search for his friend.This story is written in a lyrical style inspired by the southern gothic movement, made popular by writers such as Faulkner, McCarthy, and William Gay. This story has simularities to southern gothic in that it uses many metaphores, and it involves characters that struggle to make a living while facing difficult situations that shape them for better or worse. It differs from the classic southern gothic stories in that it is set in contemporary time and in the north.

Summer was still in the air when Murdock walked down the main street of the town. He was no longer Marshal Murdock. Now, he was John Murdock, rancher and private citizen. But trouble was brewing between a cattleman and a farmer that could end in a gun showdown. And the new marshal wasn't dealing with it. What should Murdock do?Summer was still in the air when Murdock walked down the main street of the town and thought about his own problems--a good feeling after years of thinking about the problems of others. He was no longer Marshal Murdock. Now, he was John Murdock, rancher and private citizen. The marshal's job was another man's responsibility now, not Murdock's. But trouble was brewing between a cattleman and a farmer that could end in a gun showdown. And the new marshal wasn't dealing with it. What should Murdock do?

Wildcat is a book that has been banned by the United Auto Workers International Union: General Motors and the United Auto Workers lock horns in this tale of a go-for-broke wildcat strike. Wildcat is set in Vietnam-era, 1970 Ohio at a General Motors stamping plant--lots of laughs and labor history, and a not-nostalgic look at what Vietnam cost us all.Sweet Historical Western Novelette/Short Story/Rachel Hendricks moves to Cactus Gap, Texas, to reclaim her young brothers whom she sent out West on the Orphan Train after their parents died. She plans to reunite her family and make a home for them so they can start a new life together. Reese Cooper takes the Hendricks boys under his temporary guardianship and provides room and board in exchange for good honest work. Even though he still mourns the death of his wife, the two boys inch their way into his battered heart. When their sister comes to claim them, Reese discovers the healing power of love.

Marvin Battles is the corporate big-shot and Scrooge. In a chance encounter with a panhandler, Joe Skives, his former boss fired for bribery and other crimes, Marvin’s bad holiday attitude gets turned on its head.A Christmas story that takes on the Corporate Monster and our ideas of true Christmas Spirit.Marvin Battles has lived a rough life but now finds himself at the top of the corporate ladder. It’s Christmas, and he is not merry with the season, a real Scrooge to say the least.In a chance encounter with a panhandler, Joe Skives, his former boss fired for bribery and other crimes, Marvin’s bad holiday attitude is turned on its head.The story ends in a real David and Goliath story as Marvin takes on the corporate monster in a real Christmas ending.