Using updated scholarship and never before published primary research, this new biography peels away the myths surrounding Emily Dickinson and takes a fresh look at the complex and busy life of this genius of American letters. As a research tool, the volume is also useful for its explanation of current nomenclature for the poems, mysteries and controversies, and the poet's influence on American poetry and culture.

Emily Dickinson saw fewer than a dozen of her poems published in her lifetime, but she has since become one of the most revered and beloved of all American poets. As a shy...

The Dalai Lama is both the living conscience of the Tibetan people and an internationally respected human rights symbol. His high-profile appearances and books have fueled the surging popularity of Buddhism in the United States and throughout the West. This new, up-to-date biography provides insight into the curious and winning personality of the Dalai Lama as a boy and his wisdom as a man. The Buddhist spiritual worlds and the Dalai Lama's rarified role are engagingly and evenly presented.

The Dalai Lama's story is revealed from his early family life to his experiences in the...

Colin Powell epitomizes the American success story, yet his heroism is uncommon and unique. Born in New York City to Jamaican-immigrant parents, Powell entered a recently desegregated army, rising to become its highest-ranking member. He is a Republican at a time when a vast majority of African Americans consider themselves Democrats. He is one of the most famous Americans alive, yet has spent much of his professional life in behind-the-scenes positions.

Beginning with his humble origins, this biography traces Powell's experiences from childhood, moving from his early days in...

The anthropologist Margaret Mead garnered fame and generated controversy in a full life that spanned most of the 20th century. She was a maverick with a strong and sometimes difficult personality, and this biography follows her from childhood years in Pennsylvania, to college days with her pals nicknamed the Ash Can Cats, to tutelage under the preeminent anthropologist, Franz Boas, at Columbia, and her fieldwork in the South Pacific, starting in Samoa when she was 22 years of age. Private and public are interwoven, with coverage of her marriages, close friendships, writings, and career...

The life of Karol Wojtyla would be remarkable even if he never became the Millennium Pope, revered by millions worldwide. From a Polish schoolboy who loved outdoor pursuits and quietly coped with family tragedy, he matured into a talented linguist, actor, and author, and experienced Nazi occupation, the Iron Curtain, and Solidarity's overthrow of Communism. His rise through the ranks of the Catholic Church was accelerated upon recognition of his gifted mind, combined with his behind-the-scenes activism and rapport with parishioners, especially youths.

The reign of John Paul II has...

Fidel Castro has ruled Cuba for over 40 years, yet he remains one of the world's most complex leaders. Rebellious at an early age, he attemped to organize a strike of sugar workers against his father as a teenager. By his early twenties, he made it clear that he was an opponent of the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and wanted a social change for Cuba. His leadership of the successful revolution in 1959 led him to political power behind the support of the Cuban people. For decades critics have predicted his fall from power, but he remains the uncontested leader.

Castro's life and...

For more than 70 years, Al Capone has been equated with wealth, violence, and corruption. As America's most infamous criminal, he has intrigued, attracted, and repulsed the general public with his legendary criminal deeds. This concise biography separates the myth from the man. Beginning with a historical look at corruption in American society--along with a clarification of the terms Black Hand, Mafia, and Organized Crime--Capone is presented in his own time and place. A timeline summarizes the events of his life and career. A thorough bibliography of print and electronic sources will...

A brief, thorough introduction to the life and times of the most influential and effective president in modern America, this volume is ideal for students researching the Great Depression or World War II.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of the best and most influential presidents in U.S. history. Successfully guiding the stricken nation through the Great Depression and World War II, FDR also forever changed the office of the President of the United States and the future course of American politics. The scion of a wealthy upstate New York family, and cousin to President...

This meticulous biography traces Tolkien's life from his boyhood in South Africa to his formative school years in England, his college years at Oxford, and his career as an influential scholar and revolutionary writer. His immensely popular books are discussed in great detail, from their inception as ideas through their publication and remarkable legacy. This biography will appeal to students who are fans of Tolkien's books, as well as those who are new to the world of Middle Earth. Included are an extensive bibliography of poems, fiction, and scholarly work written by Tolkien, and a...

When many Americans think of George S. Patton, they conjure the image of George C. Scott. Yet the movie could only tell a compressed version of Patton's remarkable life. This book presents the full complexity of one of America's most famous generals. Patton began as a young man from a privileged background and loving family. He struggled to overcome what was probably a learning disability to gain entrance into West Point, and began a storied career as a soldier, one that would lead him into confrontations in Mexico, the Argonne Forest in World War I, and virtually everywhere in the...