![]() But his aim is not to paint a picture of SPQR. “In this short volume of 158 pages, Stothard gives just about enough background for those unversed in Roman history to follow the tale. “It is a remarkable and fascinating story and Stothard has done his subject proud.”-Roger Alton, Daily Mail His story, skillfully told by Peter Stothard, poses both immediate and lasting questions about the intertwining of money, ambition, and power.Ĭrassus: The First Tycoon (Ancient Lives) Some said that his open mouth, shriveled by desert air, had been filled with molten gold as testament to his lifetime of greed. Instead, Crassus and his son led an army on an unprovoked campaign against Parthia into what are now the borderlands of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, losing a battle at Carrhae which scarred Roman minds for generations.Īfter Crassus was killed, historians told many stories of his demise. Without his catastrophic ambition, this trailblazing tycoon might have quietly entered history as Rome’s first modern political financier. ![]() ![]() Marcus Licinius Crassus (115–53 BCE) was a modern man in an ancient world, a pioneer disrupter of finance and politics, and the richest man of the last years of the Roman republic. ![]() “A perfectly paced biography.”-Tom Holland, Times Literary Supplement ![]() The story of Rome’s richest man, who died a humiliating desert death in search of military glory ![]()
0 Comments
![]() ![]() I am dreadfully busy this year - it makes my hand more shaky than ever when I think of it - and not very rich. The many letters were eventually collected in a beautiful volume called Letters From Father Christmas. Thanks to the good work of Letters of Note, we bring to you a sample letter from 1925: An adept illustrator whose original drawings accompanied many of his writings (see his book cover designs for Lord of the Rings), Tolkien included with many of his Christmas letters a set of charming pictures. These North Poles tales chiefly concern Father Christmas’ struggles against the north’s bat-riding goblins, as well as the mischievous hijinks of his helper, North Polar Bear. After the birth of his firstborn son, John, Tolkien began to write his four children letters from Father Christmas. ![]() ![]() In 1920, a few short years after Tolkien returned from World War I, he began an endearing family Christmas tradition that would continue for the next 23 years. Apart from being a celebrated author, the Oxford University professor of Anglo-Saxon was also a devoted father who doted on his children. Tolkien is best known for the sweeping fantasy landscapes of Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit. ![]() ![]() ![]() The sense of isolation that developed during her time on the west coast became the catalyst for writing the book.Īlthough Nevada has been out of print for a number of years, it has accrued an impassioned fanbase and is considered to be part of the queer literary canon. She had just left New York City, and lacking any fellow trans women to confide in, she describes herself as “feeling out of place” back then. While writing Nevada, Binnie was living in a queer communal house in Oakland, California. ![]() Upon arriving in the outskirts of Reno, Maria meets James, a Walmart worker whom she is convinced is actually transgender and in need of saving. Originally printed in 2013 with Topside Press, a now-defunct publisher of trans and feminist literature, Nevada tells the story of a punk transgender woman verging on 30 named Maria Griffiths, who embarks on a journey to the western United States after losing her bookstore job and breaking up with her girlfriend in Brooklyn. “I hope that more people read it and go, Holy shit, this has made my life feel possible.” “A lot of people have read Nevada and said, ‘That book made me figure out I was trans,’ ‘That book saved my life,’ or ‘That book made me realize that I don't have to be as alone as I have made myself be,’” Imogen Binnie tells me just a few weeks before her cult classic novel, Nevada, would be re-released. ![]() ![]() The photo of when they're playing dress-up and the adult bear is in the background standing in the doorway with that expression on his face - that is straight up, 100% legit, horror. ![]() They fail and wind up trying to have as much fun as they can before the crazy adult bear returns. Later when the adult bear leaves, the doll and the little bear attempt to escape the house which they've now become prisoners in. It's at this point that I began formulating my own plot about this book: the doll wants company and out of desperation (and probably a potent combo of liquor and prescription drugs) makes a bad decision and takes in a couple of transients who proceed to take over her house and hold her hostage. ![]() But then why is she allowed to live alone?), they are beaten by the adult bear. When the doll and the little bear behave like all kids (I assume the doll herself is supposed to be a kid - the alternative is that she's mentally handicapped. The phrase "Just wait and see what fun we'll have!" uttered by the bears is one of the most haunting lines I've ever read. It's a 1950s book made up of black and white photos - that's right, no colour for you damn kids! - starring a disturbed, sad doll as two terrifying teddy bears, the youngest of whom is blank faced making him even more scary, and an adult bear, who has what can only be described as a crazy expression, move into the doll's house so she's no longer alone. ![]() That it's supposed to be a kid's book only makes it creepier. The Lonely Doll is one of the creepiest books I've ever read. ![]() ![]() ![]() "Weeks manages to ring new tunes on.old bells, letting a deep background slowly reveal its secrets and presenting his characters in a realistically flawed and human way. ![]() It is a truly visionary and original work, and has set the bar high for others in its subgenre.". "Weeks has written an epic fantasy unlike any of its contemporaries. ".A solid, entertaining yarn."- The Onion A.V. The mass market paperback of The Black Prism released this week, and in addition to having a nicely reworked map, the paperback also has a sneak peek into the forthcoming second book of The Lightbringer Trilogy, The Blinding Knife. "One of the best Fantasy books of 2012."- A Dribble of Ink on The Blinding Knife Weeks holds fast to the traditions of his genre while adding a compelling new flavor."- The Ranting Dragon ![]() " The Blinding Knife is a wonderful work of high fantasy with engaging characters facing the perfect antagonists, set in a creatively-wrought and increasingly chaotic world brimful of imaginative magic and interesting politics. "One of the best epic fantasies I've ever read."- Staffer's Book Review on The Blinding Knife " The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks was even better than The Black Prism (and that's saying something!)"- B&N.com ![]() Brett, New York Times bestselling author of The Desert Spear ' The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks was even better than The Black Prism (and thats saying something)' B&N.com 'One of the best epic fantasies Ive ever read. Brett, New York Times bestselling author of The Desert Spear 'Brent Weeks is so good its starting to tick me off.' Peter V. "Brent Weeks is so good it's starting to tick me off."- Peter V. ![]() |