Eric Michael Summerer

A biography of the German composer who had only one of his compositions published before his death.

Introduces Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the best-known composers of all time, who not only broke the rules about how music is written, but also about how musicians should be treated.

"He's the most notorious cattle rustler in all of Texas. His name--Jebediah Cotton--strikes fear into the hearts of every rancher in the territory. So it's more than a little strange that someone would shoot Cotton's youngest son in the back. Whoever did it is either a coward, a fool, or a crazy man. Whoever did it must die. Even if he's a U.S. deputy marshal named Will Tanner... So begins not one, but two of the deadliest manhunts in frontier history....

Essayist Ryan Britt got a sex education from dirty pictures of dinosaurs, made out with Jar Jar Binks at midnight, and figured out how to kick depression with a Doctor Who Netflix binge. Alternating between personal anecdote, hilarious insight, and smart analysis, Luke Skywalker Can't Read contends that Barbarella is good for you, that monster movies are just romantic comedies with commitment issues, that Dracula and Sherlock Holmes are total hipsters,...

Winner of the National Book Award: Considered by many to be the definitive account of the Army-McCarthy hearings, Victor S. Navasky's Naming Names rivetingly documents one of the most shameful eras in American history Drawing on interviews with over one hundred and fifty people who were called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee-including Elia Kazan, Ring Lardner Jr., and Arthur Miller-award-winning author Victor S. Navasky...

"Signed on September 2, 1945 aboard the American battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay by Japanese and Allied leaders, the instrument of surrender that formally ended the war in the Pacific brought to a close one of the most cataclysmic engagements in history. Behind it lay a debate that had been raging for some weeks prior among American military and political leaders. The surrender fulfilled the commitment that Franklin Roosevelt had made in 1943...

David Giffels grew up fascinated by his father's dusty, tool-strewn workshop and the countless creations--some practical, others fantastical--it inspired. So when he enlisted his eighty-one-year-old dad to help him with the unusual project of building his own casket, he thought of it mostly as an opportunity to sharpen his woodworking skills and to spend time together. But life, as it usually does, had other plans. With wisdom and humor, Giffels grapples...

"There's a storm brewing in Oklahoma Territory, and this time, it's deadly serious. Local cattle ranches are being targeted by Texas rustlers--and the only man who can keep it from turning into a bloodbath is U.S. Deputy Marshal Will Tanner. The newly married lawman hates to leave his beautiful bride Sophie, but duty calls--for better or worse. In Tanner's experience, it's usually worse. An unexpected confrontation with outlaws is just the bloody...

"There's serious trouble brewing in the Choctaw nation, and it goes by the name of Tiny McCoy. This small-time cattle rustler is expanding his brand by brewing batches of whiskey in the Chocktaw territory of Muddy Boggy Creek. Tiny and his partner have also turned the illegal brewery into a robber's roost for outlaws, cutthroats, and killers of every bent. Local lawman Jim Little Eagle is under attack and out-gunned. But when he sends a wire to Fort...