Autobiography/Bio/Non-Fiction

//Autobiography/Bio/Non-Fiction
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  • The sequel to Cheaper By The Dozen. The true story of life - now very different - in the rambling Gilbreth house. When the youngest was two and the oldest eighteen, Dad died and Mother bravely took over their efficiency advisory business - helping factories fine-tune their assembly lines for maximum output at minimum cost. With Dad gone, everyone has to pitch in and pinch pennies to keep the family together. The resourceful clan rises to every crisis  - whether it's battling chicken pox, giving the boot to an unwelcome boyfriend, or even meeting the President.  And the few distasteful things they can't overcome - like the dreaded castor oil - they swallow with good humor and good grace.
  • A behind the scenes, candid and authoritative account of the life and career of Edna Everage - superstar,  confidante and adviser to royalty, Hollywood (and Bollywood) stars, political leaders, heads of State and various Popes. From the days when  she was a humble Moonee Ponds housewife to the jet-set life she leads, her roller-coaster career is told by the man who has been there from the beginning - Barry Humphries. He knows everything - the who, the why, the where - and he reveals it all. Edna will not like this book; but it is essential readers for scholars, female achievers, fans of Dame Edna and those who feel that behind the fairytale lies a darker, more disturbing story...
  • The oldest Biblical manuscripts in existence, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in caves near Jerusalem in 1947, only to be kept a tightly held secret for nearly fifty more years, until the Huntington Library unleashed a storm of controversy in 1991 by releasing copies of the Scrolls. Baigent and Leigh set out to discover how a small elite of orthodox biblical scholars gained control over the Scrolls, allowing access to no outsiders and issuing a strict "consensus" interpretation. The authors' questions begin in Israel, thence  to the Vatican and into the offices of the Inquisition. With the help of independent scholars, historical research and careful analysis of available texts, the authors reveal what was at stake for these orthodox guardians: The Scrolls present startling insights into early Christianity that challenge the Church's version of the "facts" and present a new, highly significant perspective on Christianity. Illustrated with black and white photographs.
  • Previews of the coming space age...The universe is full of voices, calling from star to star in myriad tongues. One day we shall join that cosmic conversation, though it may be ages before we cross the mega-mega-miles sundering us from our equals, and our masters. This is Clarke's log of a voyage which has only just begun - Man's odyssey from Earth, his first home, among the planets, to the stars, and across the universe. There are also plenty of snippets of his life slipped into the essays.
  • The Sitwell family are inseparable from the social history of the 1930s.  They sponsored all new art and literature movements in order to appear avant garde and members of the literati of the time. Sir Osbert Sitwell's autobiography ran for five volumes and from these emerged not only portraits of Sir Osbert, but of his eccentric and gifted father.  This is the collection of tales and memories that were omitted from the autobiography and first published in 1962.  Illustrated with black and white photographs.
  • Mrs. Gunn's timeless classic was first published in 1908.  Newly married, Jeannie Gunn accompanies her husband to 'The Elsey' the huge cattle station in the Northern Territory, several hundred miles from the nearest town.  She is one of the very few white women n the area and at first her presence is resented by the stockmen until her warmth and spirit win their affection and respect.  A rare chronicle of pioneer life in the outback, written with moving simplicity to convey the beauty and cruelty of the land, the isolation and loneliness, and the comradeship and kindness of the early settlers.

  • The girl with the pigtails, the symbol of innocence in The Wizard Of Oz; the brightest star of the Hollywood musical and an entertainer of almost magical power;  the woman of half a dozen comebacks, a hundred heartbreaks and thousands of headlines. A remarkable list of sources have been drawn on, including the unopened papers discovered in a Tennessee courthouse and the unpublished memoir of Judy's make-up girl and closest confidante as well as Judy's unfinished autobiography. Unforgettable characters are brought to life: Oscar Levant; Orson Welles; Rita Hayworth; Vincente Minelli and the smooth, seductive David Begelmnan, who stole Judy's heart so he could steal her money.  Judy described her unfinished autobiography as, '...one hell of a great, everlastingly great book, with humour, tears, fun, emotion and love.' She might just as well have been describing Get Happy. Illustrated with black and white photographs.
  • Though she owed everything to her supportive mother Ruthie, Bette Davis remained fascinated all her life with her hard-to-please father, who walked out on his family when she was still a little girl. She could never forget the disappointment in his lack of interest and believed that her resentment toward him was a factor in her four failed marriages. Bette's distinctive voice, remarkable eyes and astonishing range of characterisation all combined to make her one of the finest performers in film history. Drawing on extensive conversations with Bette over the last decade of her life, Chandler brings Bette to life as a dynamic forceful presence - whether as Jezebel the Southern beauty or plain Aunt Charlotte of Now, Voyager. There''s a few myths and legends debunked and some fabulous snippets revealed - such as she did her own make up for Whatever Happened To Baby Jane and literally scared herself. Chandler also spoke with directors, actors, and others who knew and worked with Davis, and includes brief synopses of all of her films. Illustrated with photographs.
  • The heroism, triumphs, quarrels and suffering of the explorers who blazed the trail across the great southern land and laid it open for settlement. The author refers back to the original diaries of the explorers for details of the hazards they overcame: river, marsh, mountain and desert; and to contemporary newspapers for evidence of the various committees of inquiry that investigated the tragedies and administered rebukes when explorers exceeded their power in several ways. There's vivid insight into the characters of the explorers as the author describes their difficulties and whether they overcame them or succumbed to them; the final conquering of the Simpson Desert; and the adventures of  settlers, overlanders and gold fossickers who also played an important part in opening up Australia. Illustrated.