New York Times Bestseller • Edgar Award winner for Best Fact Crime The Day of the Locust meets The Devil in the White City and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this juicy, untold Hollywood story: an addictive true tale of ambition, scandal, intrigue, murder, and the creation of the modern film industry. By 1920, the movies had suddenly become America’s new favorite pastime, and one of the nation’s largest industries. Never before had a medium possessed such power to influence. Yet Hollywood’s glittering ascendency was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragedies—including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a legendary crime that has remained unsolved until now. In a fiendishly involving narrative, bestselling Hollywood chronicler William J. Mann draws on a rich host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to unpack the story of the enigmatic Taylor and the diverse cast that surrounded him—including three beautiful, ambitious actresses; a grasping stage mother; a devoted valet; and a gang of two-bit thugs, any of whom might have fired the fatal bullet. And overseeing this entire landscape of intrigue was Adolph Zukor, the brilliant and ruthless founder of Paramount, locked in a struggle for control of the industry and desperate to conceal the truth about the crime. Along the way, Mann brings to life Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties: a sparkling yet schizophrenic town filled with party girls, drug dealers, religious zealots, newly-minted legends and starlets already past their prime—a dangerous place where the powerful could still run afoul of the desperate. A true story recreated with the suspense of a novel, Tinseltown is the work of a storyteller at the peak of his powers—and the solution to a crime that has stumped detectives and historians for nearly a century.
The first major Katharine Hepburn biography independent of her control reveals the smart, complicated, and sophisticated woman behind the image Onscreen she played society girls, Spencer Tracy's sidekick, lionesses in winter. But the best character Katharine Hepburn ever created was Katharine Hepburn: a Connecticut Yankee, outspoken and elegant, she wore pants whatever the occasion and bristled at Hollywood glitter. So captivating was her image that she never seemed less than authentic. But how well did we know her, really? Was there a woman behind the image who was more human, more driven, and ultimately more triumphant because of her vulnerability? William J. Mann—a cultural historian and journalist, a sympathetic admirer but no mere fan—has fashioned an intimate, often revisionist, and truly unique close-up that challenges much of what we think we know about the Great Kate. Previous biographies—mostly products of friends and fans—have recycled the stories she hid behind, taking Hollywood myths at face value. Mann goes deeper, delivering new details from friends and family who have not been previously interviewed and drawing on materials only available since Hepburn's death. With affection, intelligence, and a voluminous knowledge of Hollywood history, Mann shows us how a woman originally considered too special and controversial for fame learned the fine arts of movie stardom and transformed herself into an icon as durable and all-American as the Statue of Liberty.
It's always been golden for you, Danny. You've always been the golden boy." Danny Fortunato seemed to have it all. He was cute, funny, sexy, smart--the hottest go-go boy in West Hollywood. When he danced on stage, all eyes were upon him and all men desired him. But something always kept Danny from ever really believing he was the golden boy that others said he was. . . Twenty years later, living in Palm Springs, Danny is celebrating his 41st birthday--although "celebrating" might not be the right word for how he feels about his life today. To the outside world, he's still golden: he still has his looks, and he still loves Frank, his boyfriend of nearly two decades. But something is missing in his life. Passion. Romance. Adventure. The same something that's been missing ever since that day when he turned fourteen, when his sister Becky disappeared and his whole world flipped upside-down. . . Filled with unforgettable warmth, incorrigible humor, and irresistible charm, Object of Desire takes readers through three milestone eras in one man's life--his youth in the 1970s, his days of abandon in the 1980s, and his more sober, reflective existence today--and reaffirms William J. Mann's reputation as one of gay fiction's major narrative powers. "Mann's vivid style is a treat." --Publishers Weekly "Mann's writing is smart, aware and cognizant enough to take a well-practiced theme and give it a shot in the arm." --Instinct
Entertainment Weekly's BIG FALL BOOKS PREVIEW Selection Best Book of 2019 -- Publisher's Weekly Based on new and revelatory material from Brando’s own private archives, an award-winning film biographer presents a deeply-textured, ambitious, and definitive portrait of the greatest movie actor of the twentieth century, the elusive Marlon Brando, bringing his extraordinarily complex life into view as never before. The most influential movie actor of his era, Marlon Brando changed the way other actors perceived their craft. His approach was natural, honest, and deeply personal, resulting in performances—most notably in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront—that are without parallel. Brando was heralded as the American Hamlet—the Yank who surpassed British stage royalty Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, and Ralph Richardson as the standard of greatness in the mid-twentieth century. Brando’s impact on American culture matches his professional significance; he both challenged and codified our ideas of masculinity and sexuality. Brando was also one of the first stars to use his fame as a platform to address social, political, and moral issues, courageously calling out America’s deeply rooted racism. William Mann’s brilliant biography of the Hollywood legend illuminates this culture icon for a new age. Mann astutely argues that Brando was not only a great actor but also a cultural soothsayer, a Cassandra warning us about the challenges to come. Brando’s admonitions against the monetization of nearly every aspect of the culture were prescient. His public protests against racial segregation and discrimination at the height of the Civil Rights movement—getting himself arrested at least once—were criticized as being needlessly provocative. Yet those actions of fifty years ago have become a model many actors follow today. Psychologically astute and masterfully researched, based on new and revelatory material, The Contender explores the star and the man in full, including the childhood traumas that reverberated through his professional and personal life. It is a dazzling biography of our nation’s greatest actor that is sure to become an instant classic. The Contender includes sixteen pages of photographs.
A gay man who fled his hometown in a cloud of scandal and guilt returns home to his estranged family—and the boy he left behind The first call is from Wally Day’s estranged mother, begging him to come home. The second is from Sebastian Garafolo, a Brown’s Mill cop Wally last spoke to when he confessed to having underage sex in the old apple orchard. Today, Garafolo is calling about something else entirely: Wally’s cousin Kyle is missing. Twenty years ago, Wally fled his hometown in shame. He returns to a place that has barely changed, where he knows who walks the streets by day and who comes out at night. Now, as circumstances force him to confront the events that drove him to leave who he was far behind, Wally must also face dark truths about his family . . . about a shattering night and a crime that still haunts him and shaped the man he has become. If he has any hope of embracing the future, he must first make peace with his past. All American Boy is a stunning novel about forbidden love, forgiveness, and hard-won redemption.
A summertime romance with a twenty-two-year-old houseboy leads Jeff O'Brien on an odyssey of self-discovery and reconciliation with his family. Reprint.
From the noted Hollywood biographer and author of The Contender comes this celebration of the great American love story—the romance between Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart—capturing its complexity, contradictions, and challenges as never before. In Bogie & Bacall, William Mann offers a deep and comprehensive look at Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, and the unlikely love they shared. Mann details their early years—Bogart’s effete upbringing in New York City; Bacall’s rise as a model and actress. He paints a vivid portrait of their courtship and twelve-year marriage: the fights, the reconciliations, the children, the affairs, Bogie’s illness and Bacall’s steadfastness until his death. He offers a sympathetic yet clear-eyed portrait of Bacall’s life after Bogie, exploring her relationships with Frank Sinatra and Jason Robards, who would become her second husband, and the identity crisis she faced. Surpassing previous biographies, Mann digs deep into the celebrities’ personal lives and considers their relationship from surprising angles. Bacall was just nineteen when she started dating the thrice-married forty-five-year-old Bogart. How might that age gap have influenced their relationship? In addition to what she gained, what might Bacall have lost by marrying a Hollywood superstar more than twice her age? How did Bogart, a man of average looks, become one of the greatest movie stars of all time? Throughout, Mann explains the unparalleled successes of their individual careers as well as the extraordinary love between them and the legend that has endured. Filled with entertaining details and thoughtful insights based on newly available records and correspondence, and illustrated with 30-40 photographs, Bogie & Bacall offers a fresh look at this famous couple, their remarkable relationship, and their legacy.
Elizabeth Taylor has never been short on star power, but in this unprecedented biography, the spotlight is entirely on her—a spirited beauty full of magic, professional daring, and wit. Acclaimed biographer William Mann follows Elizabeth Taylor publicly as she makes her ascent at MGM, falls into (and out of) marriages, wins Oscars, fights studio feuds, and combats America's conservative values with her decidedly modern love affairs. But he also shines a light on Elizabeth's rich private life, revealing a love for her craft and a loyalty to the underdog that fueled her lifelong battle against the studio system. Swathed in mink, disposing of husbands but keeping the diamonds—this is Elizabeth Taylor as she lived and loved, breaking and making the rules in the game of supreme celebrity.
In a sequel to The Men From the Boys, Jeff continues his trek through the gay singles scene along with sometime lover Lloyd and protege Henry, who jointly grieve for their late mentor Javitz and explore the challenges of finding love in the twenty-first century. Reissue.
In this national bestseller, Mann masterfully blends fact with fiction to re-imagine the world's very first movie star--Florence Lawrence--who by 1910 was known as the legendary and enigmatic Biograph Girl. Despite her rumored suicide, a pair of twins find the sassy actress alive at age 107 and re-launch her stardom.
The award-winning author presents a provocative, thoroughly modern revisionist biographical history of one of America’s greatest and most influential families—the Roosevelts—exposing heretofore unknown family secrets and detailing complex family rivalries with his signature cinematic flair. Drawing on previously hidden historical documents and interviews with the long-silent "illegitimate" branch of the family, William J. Mann paints an elegant, meticulously researched, and groundbreaking group portrait of this legendary family. Mann argues that the Roosevelts’ rise to power and prestige was actually driven by a series of intense personal contest that at times devolved into blood sport. His compelling and eye-opening masterwork is the story of a family at war with itself, of social Darwinism at its most ruthless—in which the strong devoured the weak and repudiated the inconvenient. Mann focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt, who, he argues, experienced this brutality firsthand, witnessing her Uncle Theodore cruelly destroy her father, Elliott—his brother and bitter rival—for political expediency. Mann presents a fascinating alternate picture of Eleanor, contending that this "worshipful niece" in fact bore a grudge against TR for the rest of her life, and dares to tell the truth about her intimate relationships without obfuscations, explanations, or labels. Mann also brings into focus Eleanor’s cousins, TR’s children, whose stories propelled the family rivalry but have never before been fully chronicled, as well as her illegitimate half-brother, Elliott Roosevelt Mann, who inherited his family’s ambition and skill without their name and privilege. Growing up in poverty just miles from his wealthy relatives, Elliott Mann embodied the American Dream, rising to middle-class prosperity and enjoying one of the very few happy, long-term marriages in the Roosevelt saga. For the first time, The Wars of the Roosevelts also includes the stories of Elliott’s daughter and grandchildren, and never-before-seen photographs from their archives. Deeply psychological and finely rendered, illustrated with sixteen pages of black-and-white photographs, The Wars of the Roosevelts illuminates not only the enviable strengths but also the profound shame of this remarkable and influential family.
Precise planning, drafting and vigorous negotiation lie at the heart of every international commercial agreement. But as the international business community moves toward the third decade of the twenty-first century, a large amount of the detail of these agreements has migrated to the Internet and has become part of electronic commerce. This incomparable one-volume work, now in its seventh edition, begins by discussing and analyzing all the basic components of international contracts regardless of whether the contracting parties are interacting face-to-face or dealing electronically at some distance from each other. The work stands alone among contract drafting guides and has proven its enduring worth. Using an established and highly practical format, the book offers precise information and analysis of a wide variety of issues and forms of agreement, as well as the various forms of international commercial dispute resolution. The seventh edition includes new and updated material on a large number of issues and concepts, such as: new developments and technical progress in electronic commerce; the use of concepts of standardization, i.e., the work of the International Organization for Standardization as a contract drafting tool; new developments in artificial intelligence in contract drafting; the use of cryptocurrencies as a payment device; expedited arbitration, early neutral evaluation and digital procedures for dispute resolution; online dispute resolution, including the phenomenon of the “robot arbitrator”; and foreign direct investment, investment law and investor-state dispute resolution. Each chapter provides numerous references to additional sources, including websites, journal articles, and texts. Materials from and citations to appropriate literature and languages other than English are included. Recognizing that business executives entering into an international commercial transaction are mainly interested in drafting and negotiating an agreement that satisfies all of the parties and that will be performed as promised, this superb guide will measurably assist any lawyer or business executive in planning and implementing contracts and resolving disputes even when that person is not interested in a full-blown understanding of the entire landscape of international contracts. Business executives who are not lawyers will find that this book gives them the understanding and perspective necessary to work effectively with legal experts.
Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition-1977 presents papers that tackle the various areas of concerns in raising ruminants. The book contains a total of 11 studies that examine the factors affecting rumen fermentation. The text first covers EEC and feed compounding, and then proceeds to discussing the aspects of the biochemistry of rumen fermentation. Chapter 3 examines the influence of nitrogen and carbohydrate inputs on rumen fermentation. Chapter 4 talks about reducing the rate of ammonia release through alternative non-protein nitrogen sources. The fifth chapter describes the potential of protected proteins in ruminant nutrition. Next, the book discusses the manipulation of rumen fermentation. Chapter 7 covers the application of non-protein nitrogen, protected proteins, and rumen fermentation control. The next two chapters deal with broilers and turkeys. The eleventh chapter talks about predicting growth response in pigs, while the last chapter covers fish nutrition. The book will be most useful to both researchers and practitioners of animal related disciplines, such as agriculture and veterinary medicine.
Offering unparalleled coverage of infectious diseases in children and adolescents, Feigin & Cherry’s Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases 8th Edition, continues to provide the information you need on epidemiology, public health, preventive medicine, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and much more. This extensively revised edition by Drs. James Cherry, Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, Sheldon L. Kaplan, William J. Steinbach, and Peter J. Hotez, offers a brand-new full-color design, new color images, new guidelines, and new content, reflecting today’s more aggressive infectious and resistant strains as well as emerging and re-emerging diseases Discusses infectious diseases according to organ system, as well as individually by microorganisms, placing emphasis on the clinical manifestations that may be related to the organism causing the disease. Provides detailed information regarding the best means to establish a diagnosis, explicit recommendations for therapy, and the most appropriate uses of diagnostic imaging. Features expanded information on infections in the compromised host; immunomodulating agents and their potential use in the treatment of infectious diseases; and Ebola virus. Contains hundreds of new color images throughout, as well as new guidelines, new resistance epidemiology, and new Global Health Milestones. Includes new chapters on Zika virus and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Expert ConsultTM eBook version included with purchase. This enhanced eBook experience allows you to search all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.
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