Creative Biography

For many years, Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk kept a record of his daily thoughts and observations, entering them in small notebooks and illustrating them with his own paintings. This book combines those notebooks into one volume. He writes about his travels around the world, his family, his writing process, and his complex relationship with his home country of Turkey. He charts the seeds of his novels and the things that inspired his characters and the plots of his stories. Intertwined in his writings are the vibrant paintings of the landscapes that surround and inspire him.

By Accident is a story about discovering that control is a seductive illusion and how letting go of the need for it can reveal great strength and lead us to even firmer ground.

Margaret Thatcher's political career has been one of the most remarkable of modern times. Revered and reviled in almost equal measure, she bestrode the political scene, both at home and abroad. During her 11 years in office, she sought to change Britain’s way of life and its position on the international stage. But who was Margaret Thatcher, and how did she become one of the most influential prime ministers in the 20th century?

For the first time in history, the human species has the technology to destroy itself. But having developed that power, humans are also able to leave Earth and voyage into the vastness of space. After millions of years of evolution, we’ve arrived at the point where we can settle other worlds and begin the process of becoming multi-planetary. How did we get here? What does the future hold for us?

From GQ's "Nerd of the Year" to one of Time's most influential people in the world, Biz Stone represents different things to different people. But he is known to all as the creative, effervescent, funny, charmingly positive and remarkably savvy co-founder of Twitter - the social media platform that singlehandedly changed the way the world works. Now, Biz tells fascinating, pivotal, and personal stories from his early life and his careers at Google and Twitter, sharing his knowledge about the nature and importance of ingenuity today.

Sir Isaac Newton changed the world with his many discoveries and inventions about mathematics, science, optics, and physics. Although he was brilliant, Newton felt no need to publish his ideas or to inform his fellow scientists of the amazing discoveries he made. Because of this, his discoveries were often disputed. Despite the controversy that often surrounded him, Newton made astounding advances in his efforts to understand how nature worked. His legacy lives on through inventions such as microscopes, eyeglasses, telescopes, and cameras.

Discover Linda Hoopes’ inspiring journey of resilience and triumph over macular degeneration in Co-Creating A Meaningful Life With Macular Degeneration. From fear to determination, her story will captivate your heart and empower you to embrace life’s challenges. Join her on this transformative path and find the strength to overcome obstacles, live fully and cherish every moment. Hoopes honestly shares the physical, emotional and spiritual transitions necessary to not only meet difficult challenges but how to thrive in spite of them.

Undershaw was the Surrey home of Arthur Conan Doyle between 1897-1907. Built lovingly for his wife Touie to help treat her ongoing battle with tuberculosis, Arthur created a haven for his wife and family. It was here he wrote The Hound of The Baskervilles, brought Sherlock Holmes back to life in "The Empty House", and entertained guests such as writer J.M. Barrie, illustrator Sidney Paget, renowned actor William Gillette, and more.

A T-shirt quilt made with love can be a keepsake to reminisce high school or college experiences, to hold on to cherished memories of a loved one, and more. Don’t have the time to figure out the best way to make a T-shirt quilt? This book will tell you how to create your own unique T-shirt quilt using step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions.

A book for young listeners, Mary Lou Retton: America's Sweetheart tells the inspirational life story of the most celebrated gymnast in United States history. Discover how a young girl from West Virginia achieved her dream of winning gymnastics' all-around title at the 1984 Olympics. Includes anecdotes from her personal life and career highlights.

How to Succeed on Wall St. and Why You Should Absolutely Not Do It is a self-help manual written for those who are chasing the American Dream while also running away from the American Nightmare. S.A. Thomas, a life-long New Yorker with the attitude and brogue to match, has given the world his ‘Moron’s Memoir’ in an attempt to both entertain and educate.

Innovator. Genius. Legend. Jim Henson was a talent like no other. The iconic characters he created - Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird - made Jim Henson a household name. But they were just a part of his remarkable story. Now, in this extraordinary biography, written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family, Jim’s life is given full rein: his vibrant imagination, winning sense of humour, and infectious enthusiasm.

How did a barefoot college dropout with a passion for design change the world of technology forever? Before he became the visionary behind Apple, Steve Jobs was a curious and determined young man with a passion for creating things that could change people’s lives. His journey wasn’t always smooth—he faced failures, setbacks, and doubts. Yet, through it all, Jobs held onto his belief that technology could be both powerful and beautiful. His relentless pursuit of excellence led to the creation of products like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac—devices that transformed the way people ...

Toby Lester, author of the award-winning The Fourth Part of the World, masterfully crafts yet another century-spanning saga of people and ideas in this epic story of Vitruvian Man, Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic drawing of a man inscribed in a circle and a square. Over time, the nearly 550-year-old ink-on-paper sketch has transformed into a collective symbol of the nature of genius, the beauty of the human form, and the universality of the human spirit.

Thomas Day, an 18th-century British writer and radical, knew exactly the sort of woman he wanted to marry. Pure and virginal like an English country maid yet tough and hardy like a Spartan heroine, she would live with him in an isolated cottage, completely subservient to his whims. But after being rejected by a number of spirited young women, Day concluded that the perfect partner he envisioned simply did not exist in frivolous, fashion-obsessed Georgian society. Rather than conceding defeat and giving up his search for the woman of his dreams, however, Day set out to create her.

In 1998, the thought of launching a startup in San Antonio was ludicrous. Just over two decades later, the scrappy little underdog that no one believed in is a billion-dollar business with more than 6,000 employees worldwide. The rocket-ship growth was exhilarating, but exposed Rackspace’s early flaws. The Rack We Built is Lorenzo’s recollections from those days, told only as he can tell it. With the principles in the book, you can create the type of culture that makes people want to volunteer their best.

What propels some individuals to reach extraordinary creative heights in the earliest years of life while others discover their passions decades later? Are prodigies imbued with innate talent? Do late bloomers reveal their talents because their skills require life experience and contemplation? Through engaging storytelling and intriguing historical and cutting-edge scientific research, best-selling author and acclaimed journalist Claudia Kalb explores these questions to uncover what makes a prodigy and what drives a late bloomer.

We all have that one older funny family member. You know the one, he tells stories from his experiences and usually has people rolling their eyes. William Stokes is that person! He presents a delightful collection of memories that are truly life lessons even today! Stokes, through his memories and wit, provides opportunities to learn through laughter, sharing of memories and love.

In July 2009 Geraint (Gez) Jones was sitting in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, with the rest of The Firm - Danny, Jay, Toby and Jake, his four closest friends, all junior NCOs and combat-hardened infantrymen. Thanks to the mangled remains of a Jackal vehicle left tactlessly outside their tent, IEDs were never far from their mind. Within days they’d be on the ground in Musa Qala with the rest of 3 Platoon - a mixed bunch of men Gez would die for.

A musical prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began playing the piano and composing when he was just three years old. Able to play multiple instruments, among them the piano and violin, Mozart spent much of his youth touring European courts with his family. From the time he was three until his death just thirty-two years later, he produced a huge volume of musical works. Among them the famed operas The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, and Don Giovanni.