Hailed as "the best-read person in America" (The Paris Review) and "the best book critic in America" (The New York Observer), Michael Dirda's latest volume collects fifty of his witty and wide-ranging reflections on literary journalism, book collecting, and the writers he loves. As fans of his earlier books will expect, there are annotated lists galore -- and a revealing peek at the titles on Michael's nightstand. Funny and erudite, occasionally poignant...

"No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith, one of Britain's best-loved actors. This new biography shines the stage lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, one whose career spans six decades. From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie would cross paths with those of the greatest actors, playwrights, and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes...

Growing up in a working class Maine family that made education a priority, George Mitchell embraced every opportunity. In a classic story of the American Dream, he went on to become the ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate and the architect of peace in Northern Ireland. With frankness and wit, Senator Mitchell looks back on law and politics, in the last half century, and what he's learned about the art of negotiation during every stage of his life....

Following in the grand tradition of writers such as Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, and Nick Hornby, Miller gives us both a new introduction to the human side of a boxing legend and a loving and beautifully written reclamation of Muhammad Ali's life after the ring.

Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most written-about presidents in American history, yet one poignant tale about this larger-than-life man hasn't been told. One of the causes he championed the hardest -- America's entry in to WWI -- took his youngest and favorite son in an air fight.

Jahren has built three laboratories in which she's studied trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. She tells about her childhood in rural Minnesota with an uncompromising mother and a father who encouraged hours of play in his classrooms' labs; about how she found a sanctuary in science, and the disappointments, triumphs and exhilarating discoveries of scientific work. Yet at the core of this book is the story of a relationship Jahren forged with Bill, who...

After crossing paths on the set of The Man from U.N.C.L.E, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy saw each other through personal and professional highs and lows over the course of half a century. Leonard is a uniquely heartfelt book written by one legendary actor in celebration of another.-- (Source of description not identified)

This fall, the movie The Founder will focus the spotlight on Ray Kroc, who amassed a fortune as the chairman of McDonalds. But what about his wife, Joan, who became famous for giving that fortune away? In Ray & Joan, Lisa Napoli tells the fascinating story behind the historic couple -- a quintessentially American tale of corporate intrigue and private passion.

A family history of surpassing beauty and power: Ian Buruma's account of his grandparents' enduring love through the terror and separation of two world wars. Woven from their correspondence, this labor of love brings to life not just a remarkable marriage, but a class, and an age.

"A lightbeat, epic account of how the 20-something author brought her giant English Mastiff to her first tiny New York apartment after college, while navigating boyfriends, first jobs, her mother's illness and a bucket list that involves her dog's participation,"--NoveList.