From classic poetry to pop lyrics, from Charles Dickens to Dolly Parton, even from Jesus to James Bond, Mark Forsyth explains the secrets that make a phrase--such as "O Captain! My Captain!" or "To be or not to be"--memorable. In his inimitably entertaining and wonderfully witty style, he takes apart famous phrases and shows how you too can write like Shakespeare or quip like Oscar Wilde. Whether you're aiming to achieve literary immortality or just...

For this rousing, revisionist history, the former head of exhibitions at England's National Maritime Museum has combed original documents and records to produce a most authoritative and definitive account of piracy's "Golden Age." As he explodes many accepted myths (i.e. "walking the plank" is pure fiction), Cordingly replaces them with a truth that is more complex and often bloodier.

Thomas Buergenthal, now a Judge in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, tells his astonishing experiences as a young boy in his memoir. Arriving at Auschwitz at age 10 after surviving two ghettos and a labor camp, he became separated first from his mother and then his father but managed by his wits and some remarkable strokes of luck to survive on his own. Almost two years after his liberation, Buergenthal was miraculously reunited with...

In New Atlantis, Francis Bacon portrayed a vision of the future of human discovery and knowledge, expressing his aspirations and ideals for humankind. The novel depicts the creation of a utopian land where "generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendour, piety and public spirit" are the commonly held qualities of the inhabitants of the mythical Bensalem. The plan and organisation of his ideal college, Salomon's House (or Solomon's House), envisioned...

"A comprehensive new biography of Hitler focusing on the dictator's personality"--Provided by publisher.

"The internet today connects roughly 2.7 billion people around the world, and booming interest in the "internet of things" could result in 75 billion devices connected to the web by 2020. The myth of cyberspace as a digital utopia has long been put to rest. Governments are increasingly developing smarter ways of asserting their national authority in cyberspace in an effort to control the flow, organization and ownership of information. In A Hacked...

Companies live or die based on their ability to communicate and deliver on the promise their brand makes to its customers. But if that message is varied, or added to, or even unknown by a single member of the team, the resulting inefficiency, conflict, and disengagement will cripple a company's ability to provide value to its customers. Thus, it cannot be overemphasized how important it is for leaders to ensure the company's mission is manifested...

The delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention blocked the establishment of Christianity as a national religion. But they could not keep religion out of American politics. From the election of 1800, when Federalist clergymen charged that deist Thomas Jefferson was unfit to lead a "Christian nation," to today, when some Democrats want to embrace the so-called Religious Left in order to compete with the Republicans and the Religious Right, religion...

The Whiting Award-winning author of the story collection Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing delivers her enchanting debut novel, set in 1916 Tennessee: a rich and rewarding tale of two flawed yet endearing grifters who pursue women, wealth, and a surprisingly valuable commodity for the troops in Europe-mules. A middle-aged Irish immigrant, Billy has a gift for illusion-making damaged objects look new. His companion, Charles, the smooth-tongued...

One Size Does Not Fit All! Professional success, more often than not, means becoming a manager. Yet nobody prepared those managers for having to deal with messy tidbits like emotions, conflicts, and personalities, all while achieving ever-greater goals and meeting ever-looming deadlines. Not exactly what they had in mind, is it? Don't panic. Devora Zack has the tools to help readers succeed and even thrive as a manager. Drawing on the Myers-Briggs...