Tragic Biographies

Empress Alexandra Romanov – the last empress of Russia, wife of Tsar Nicholas II, and now a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church – chose Countess Sophie Buxhoeveden, one of her ladies-in-waiting, to be her authorized biographer, opening up to her about her closest relationships and giving her access to copies of her private correspondence. Additionally, as a lady-in-waiting, Countess Buxhoeveden attended on the Empress for much of the reign of Tsar Nicholas II, only leaving her side when the Imperial Family was removed to Tobolsk after the Tsar’s abdication in 1917. Thereafter, she ...

Zelda Fitzgerald was the mythical American Dream Girl of the Roaring Twenties who became, in the words of her husband, F. Scott Fitzgerald, "the first American flapper." Their romance transformed a symbol of glamour and spectacle of the Jazz Age. When Zelda cracked up, not long after the stock market crash of 1929, Scott remained loyal to her through a nightmare of later breakdowns and final madness.

Think No Evil is the first insider account of the tragic events, the personal victories and the daily Amish life in Nickel Mines, written by a native of the Amish community who still lives and works where most of his relatives are Old Order Amish. Against the rich and fascinating backdrop of Amish culture, Beiler reveals the best of the human spirit in the midst of the worst, and leaves us all drawn heavenward, the richer for it.

The Life of Mary Lincoln — A Novel Step inside the world of one of America’s most misunderstood women and experience her life as she lived it—vivid, emotional, intimate, and profoundly human. The Life of Mary Lincoln is a deeply moving third-person historical novel that reimagines the triumphs and tragedies of Mary Todd Lincoln with cinematic realism and emotional depth. Drawing from biography, letters, and historical accounts—then blending them with richly imagined dialogue and character-driven scenes—this novel pulls readers into the private world behind the public legend. Born ...

Valarie Clark Miller seemed to have it all. Smart and beautiful with a wealthy, successful husband and growing family, Valarie appeared to be the picture-perfect Mormon wife. But it was all a façade. Inside, she was crumbling from the pressures of long-repressed memories of a childhood filled with sexual and physical abuse.

The true story behind the events that inspired the major motion picture Only the Brave. A "unique and bracing" (Booklist) first-person account by the sole survivor of Arizona's disastrous 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire, which took the lives of 19 "hotshots" -- firefighters trained specifically to battle...

A poignant, evocative, and wonderfully gossipy account of the two sisters who represented style and class above all else—Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill—from the authors of Furious Love. When sixty-four-year-old Jackie Kennedy Onassis died in her Fifth Avenue apartment, her younger...

There is no doubt that Yolanda Saldívar pulled the trigger and killed Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla Pérez on March 31, 1995. But does anyone know what really happened in room 158 of the Days Inn moments before the crime took place? María Celeste Arrarás has many answers, and her unrivaled coverage of the murder, trial, and aftermath made her the undisputed expert on the Selena case.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Stevie Cameron’s investigative tour de force about one of North America's most prolific serial killers—now widely regarded as a true crime classic. Verteran investigative journalist Stevie Cameron first began following the story of missing women in 1998, when the odd...

"Listen to this if you want to hear a narrator at the top of his game recount a fascinating--and at times disturbing--true story of adventure, disaster, discovery, cannibalism, and more. Will Damron makes Levy's fascinating account of the Greely (Polar) Expedition come to life...This is a...

The nation wept when news broke of nearly three-year-old Caylee Anthony's disappearance from her home in Florida in July 2007. The search for Caylee made front-page headlines. But Casey Anthony continued to lie to law enforcement about her daughter's whereabouts, complicating their search for the truth.

Who was Hercules according to the ancient traditions? This book presents the complete life of Hercules, from his extraordinary birth to his immortality, as it was understood in the myths of antiquity. Free from modern simplifications, cinematic distortions, or empty spectacle, it offers a faithful reconstruction of the hero’s path in all its human, tragic, and sacred dimensions. Beyond the famous Twelve Labours, the reader will discover: the hero’s genealogy and his place between gods and mortals the trials imposed by fate and divine will madness, guilt, and atonement the great ...

The definitive biography of enigmatic golfer, commentator, and performer David Feherty—one of the most universally beloved figures in the game. John Feinstein, who has spent four decades finding intriguing sports characters and narratives and turning them into classic books, chronicles the...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The history books have cast Katherine of Aragon, the first queen of King Henry VIII of England, as the ultimate symbol of the Betrayed Woman, cruelly tossed aside in favor of her husband’s seductive mistress, Anne Boleyn. Katherine’s sister, Juana of Castile, wife...

Whitney Houston (1963-2012) was a superstar. Few in the world of show business reach the career heights that she attained with what seemed such ease. Her megastardom peaked in 1992 with the release of the hit movie The Bodyguard and the international number-one hit "I Will Always Love You". The movie soundtrack still stands as one of the best-selling albums of all time. She won six Grammy Awards, two Emmy Awards, thirty Billboard Music Awards, and twenty-two American Music Awards, and amassed a vast fortune. Her death has shocked the entertainment world and her fans.

This annotated edition of Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles includes: • An original critical afterword, "A Pure Woman" • On the seduction-or-rape question the novel never resolves • Hardy's pessimism: Schopenhauer and an indifferent universe • A biographical essay on Thomas Hardy and a note on the text A volume in CLASSICS OF WORLD LITERATURE from Erato Press. A poor country girl is sent to claim kinship with a rich family, and comes home carrying a child. From that ruin, Thomas Hardy built the most controversial novel of the Victorian age — and gave it a subtitle that scandalized...

Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy was the incandescent life-force of the fabled Kennedy family, her father’s acknowledged “favorite of all the children” and her brother Jack’s “psychological twin.” She was the Kennedy of Kennedys, sure of her privilege, magnetically charming and somehow...

On December 8, 2004, the heavy metal world was shattered when legendary guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott was murdered onstage during a Damageplan performance in Columbus, Ohio. What should have been another night of music became one of the darkest moments in rock history. Dime: Loud As Hell is a definitive biography and true crime account of one of the most influential guitarists heavy metal has ever produced — a musician whose sound, style, and spirit helped define an era. From the rise of Pantera and the creation of their signature groove metal sound, to the formation of Damageplan and ...

Having spent 10 years as Jayne Mansfield's press secretary, Raymond Strait knows intimately both the public image and the private person that was Jayne Mansfield. Sitting through hundreds of hours of interviews and private conversations - not only with Jayne but also with her husbands, her lovers, and her children - gave Ray the opportunity to present a revealing portrait of the woman. He records her drive for fame and success and her overpowering need to be loved and to love.

Read by the author, Katie Prescott. A maverick outsider. An improbable life. An even more improbable death. Discover the real story of Mike Lynch, Britain’s enigmatic billionaire. From humble beginnings, Lynch rose to become one of the UK’s richest men, driving the development of his...