A great biography with text and photos
357558
Unlike the large and lengthy biographies of Leonard Bernstein, this offers a fresh new approach, with several different authors giving their impressions of "Lenny" at various times of his career. The photographs are many and wonderful, adding little known snippits of Bernstein's life and career.
3300071
I also read the Furbank biography and it too is very good.  This biography however gives a more complete picture of E.M. Forster.  It includes a lot more detail about his gay life.  This is more possible today and there have been additional papers and diaries come available between the two biographies.  Without this aspect of Forster the picture is not at all complete.  I felt when reading the first biography a number of years ago that Forster came across as a sort of weak mama's boy.  With the more complete picture presented in the new biography he does not come across that way to me at all.  Both biographies are  good but this second one is the better one in my opinion.
 E.M. Forster had a very interesting life.  I very much enjoyed reading about it.  I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in E.M. Forster, for anyone who enjoys biographies in general and for anyone interested in gay history.
2948152
This is such an insightful biography of Sir Walter Ralegh's life which consisted of pleasing Queen Elizabeth I, trying to gain power and money, and then ending his life trying to find the mythological golden city, El Dorado. The author used the preface to introduce and inform the reader what El Dorado meant to the early modern Europeans. He also included maps, prints, and timelines, which gives the reader a more broad and easy to read interpretation of his life. The author also includes Ralegh own writing from poetry to even a suicide note. There is a lot of research in this well put together biography. Along with all of this great information, the author includes a picture of six foot tall Sir Walter. This biography is obviously written to inform the reader of the history of Sir Walter Ralegh, and give a little inside of how the world worked back in the day. This book is recommended to ages 11 and up.
1778713
Charles F. Kettering was a distant relative of mine and my granddaughter chose him as her last assignment for 7th grade science.  She and I  were very excited to find this biography that covered Mr. Kettering's life and accomplishments.  It is always a pleasure to introduced an ancestor to my family and who had given so many great inventions to our nation.  This book also included many pictures that I had not seen before.  I enjoyed sharing this experience with her and for her to share this information with her classmates.
4761972
On page 558 of this stunning photo book there is a studio shot taken in 1960 by Bill Sumits of thirty-eight Life photographers, surely the only time in history that so many great photographers have been together in one place and it is amazing to think that the ninety-nine featured in the book were all on the staff of this one publication.

The book is arranged alphabetically and each photographer gets between five and eight images plus their photo and short hundred or so word biography.  Now it's possible to see who took so many images that defined a moment and became classic examples of photojournalism and also to see other examples of their great work. John Loengard's introduction does not say so but I assume all the photos did appear in Life and they cover the years from 1936 (when the title started) to 1997.  The book is well designed with mostly one photo per page (well printed in 175 dpi) and a caption and nicely some photos get longer captions where a photographer reveals some background detail about their images.

There are a lot of news type photos here, especially from the Second World War years but equally as many taken from the photo-essay style work that Life became famous for.  Others show celebrities and ordinary folk going about their lives.  These photos are so good that you have to stop and really take notice of what they are telling you.  I think this wonderful book is a strong visual reminder of how great Life was.

A fascinating book that came out some years ago:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Great-Photographic-Essays-from-Life/dp/0821207423/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Great Photographic Essays from Life</a>&nbsp;and still available (quite cheaply, too) has twenty-two photo essays reproduced slightly smaller than they originally appeared in the weekly.  I found it fascinating to see how great photos, which I've seen many times in other books over the years, were presented on the page.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
3946317
Many of us probably recognize Ogden Nash as the creator of humorous poetry, but he was a man of far greater accomplishments than might be generally known. In this biography, Doug Parker gives a very complete and fascinating overview of Nash and the diversity of his works, which included movie scripts and--much to my surprise--song lyrics. Parker relates his story in manageable sequences, interspersing just enough famous lines from Nash to lure the reader into wanting to read more of the man's work.  One would think that Parker knew Nash personally because of the skillful manner in which he discreetly discusses the poet's health problems, his devotion to his family, his dislike of confrontation, and the entire span of his creative life.

It took an impressive amount of research to create this interesting account of Nash's life, and Parker made much use of Nash's personal letters.  He does not overwhelm the reader with excessive detail, rather, he leaves the reader feeling like one who has enjoyed a great meal but has not overeaten, and who knows he can come back for seconds by reading more of Nash's work.  This is an enjoyable and informative book that gives the reader a real appreciation for the talents of Ogden Nash.
1293058
His story has been told by others, but what sets this biography apart is the detailed research by the author. Also, the publisher has put the research together in a well-composed book. A visual artist such as Paul Lynde needs a lot of illustrations to fully detail his ultimate portrait, and the author delivers nicely on this requirement. For enjoyment and a well-rounded profile of the comedian, here's a biography worth chosing.
397096
This is an excellent biography of Mary Shelley. It's not a scholarly book, but it includes sufficient text from Mary Shelly's journals, her poet husband's work, correspondence with noted folks of her era, philosophical works by her father, etc. to satisfy the curiosity of Mary Shelley fans. I wasn't particularly surprised by the story of Mary's life, so much as surprised by the depth & breadth of information available about her personal responses to her wild ride from a teenager eloping with a married poet to her status as an established author and intellectual of her time.
4196847
Good book packed with interesting photos and written well.
1026697
While not as in-depth as most serious biographies, this book combines a solid overview of Haydn's life with a wonderful selection of photos, paintings, and illustrations of the people and places he knew.  In addition, the text features plenty of excerpts from letters and articles written by, to, and about Haydn that really bring his story alive.

There is no musical detail about his works (in other words, don't expect any discussions of theory or examples in notation); it's purely the story of the man.  Look elsewhere if your goal is to study the music itself.  However, Haydn led a long and interesting enough life to make for good reading on its own.

Note that I cannot comment on this book's scholarship -- it was written around 1980 and may have been superceded by more recent work.  It's aimed more at casual readers than at those doing serious research, though, so any minor inaccuracies shouldn't be a problem for the target audience.
833915
A beautifully done book. Gorgeous photos of an icon.
416076
Contains vital biographical information with a chronology, glossary, bibliography, indes, and web sites for additional information.  Interesting text with illustrations.  Photographs, drawings, and other illustrations are well documented with short narrative explantions.  Great for middle school programs.
3854601
The biography is exhaustive, covering every bit of Chagall;s life.  There were a lot of pictures of his paintings.  I wish there had been more.  Some of the picture descriptions in the text did not show the actual painting.
4488929
Very nicely done overview of Sinatra's life and career with quotes from various people involved in Frank's life. Basically a primer on Frank's life at 190 pages.

Nice collection of both black and white and color photographs that are worth the book alone. A good read for the long time fan as well as one being introduced to the career of Sinatra.
1170740
I thought I knew a bit about Bettie Page, but I learned a lot about both her modeling career and Bunny Yeager's photography methods from this beautiful, informative book, especially about the art of taking nude photos. The backstory of their short-lived working history is fascinating, as is Yeager's approach to business and art. This is a wonderful coffee table book that helps show why these photos have remained timeless.
1995109
Great book for anyone interested in the life and rise to power of one of the greatest Presidents this country has ever known. Well written and the photos were a real treat.
3909235
This clear and concise biography of Edith Wharton was an engrossing and enjoyable read.  I am familiar with some of Wharton's books, but was not aware of details of her moneyed background, her extensive travel and life abroad, and her sometimes unhappy personal life.  For a teen interested in a strong woman's life, this is a great choice.  The book itself is beautifully put together, with slick pages, lots of photographs and readable type.  The source notes, picture credits, bibliography and index make this a useful example of good research, and point readers to further sources, if they want to read more about Wharton.

The book has the "look" of a picture book biography for middle schoolers, but the writing style and coverage of Wharton's personal life indicate an 8th grade or high school reader.  Suggest (or buy for) thoughtful mid-teens, maybe those with a literary bent, or an eye on becoming a writer.

About me: I'm a middle school/high school librarian
How I got this book: purchased for the library