The true story of how Radio City Music Hall, Art Deco masterpiece and one of New York City's iconic tourist attractions and cultural landmarks, was saved from demolition is told at last. Nearly forty years later, Rosemary Novellino-Mearns, Dance Captain of the legendary Radio City Music Hall Ballet Company during the 1970s, tells the amazing story of how she motivated a small group of dedicated colleagues, friends, media and political allies to join forces, challenge the Rockefeller establishment and, against all odds, save "the Showplace of the Nation."
Fifty years after they first came together and changed the sound of rock 'n' roll, the Grateful Dead remain one of rock's most beloved bands -- a musical and cultural phenomenon that spans generations and paved the way for everything from the world of jam bands and the idea of independently released music to social networking. Much has been written about the band, but nothing quite as vibrant and vivid as So Many Roads. Drawing on new interviews with surviving members and people in their inner circle -- along with the group's extensive archives and his own research from years of covering the group -- David Browne, longtime music journalist and contributing editor at Rolling Stone, does more than merely delve into the Dead's saga. By way of an altogether unique structure -- each chapter centered around a significant or pivotal day in their story -- he lends this epic musical and cultural story a you-are-there feel unlike any other book written about the band. So Many Roads takes us deep into the world of the Dead in ways that will be eye-opening even to the most rabid Deadheads. Readers will find themselves inside their communal home in Haight-Ashbury during the band's notorious 1967 bust; behind the scenes in the studio, watching the Dead at work (and play); backstage at the taping of the legendary "Touch of Grey" video and at their final shows; and in the midst of the Dead's legendary band meetings. Along the way, readers will hear not only from the Dead but also from friends, colleagues, lovers, and crew members, including some who've never spoken to the press before. The result is a remarkably detailed and cinematic book that paints a strikingly fresh portrait of one of rock's greatest and most enduring institutions and sheds new light -- for fans and newcomers alike -- on the band's music, dynamics, and internal struggles. "There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert," read the legendary bumper stickers. Similarly, there's nothing like So Many Roads, which explores all-new routes on the band's long, strange trip.
"A heartwarming true-life fable from the Radio City Christmas Spectacular Santa--including his personal journey of discovering the magic of Christmas"--Provided by publisher.
The “endlessly fascinating” true story of a custody battle that threatened to expose the seedy secrets of Hollywood’s Golden Age—illustrated with photos (Entertainment Weekly). Most famous for playing opposite Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon, Mary Astor was one of Hollywood’s most beloved film stars. But her story wasn’t a happy one. Widowed at twenty-four, she quickly entered a rocky marriage with Dr. Franklyn Thorpe in which both were unfaithful. When they finally divorced in 1936, Astor sued for custody of their baby daughter Marylyn, setting off one of Hollywood’s most scandalous court cases. In the ruthless court battle, Thorpe held a trump card: the diaries Astor had been keeping for years. In them, Astor detailed her own affairs—including with playwright George S. Kaufman—as well as the myriad dalliances of some of Hollywood’s biggest names. Studio heads were desperate to keep such damning details from leaking. But speculation of the dairy’s contents became a major news story, stealing the front page from The Spanish Civil War and Hitler’s 1936 Olympic Games in newspapers all over America. With unlimited access to the photographs and memorabilia of Mary Astor’s estate, The Purples Diaries is an in-depth look at Hollywood’s Golden Age as it has never been seen before.
Joan Sheen Cunningham was happily growing up with her family in Illinois when her uncle Bishop Fulton Sheen offered her the opportunity of a lifetime: to attend a private school in New York City. With the blessing of her parents, she eagerly accepted, and Fulton Sheen became a second father, a role model, and a lifelong friend. In this memoir, Joan describes many formative experiences she had with Fulton Sheen—from shopping for a winter coat to meeting Al Smith, the governor of New York. She fondly recollects how her uncle guided her courtship, helped her and her new husband find an apartment, and baptized their children and grandchildren. Sheen is most known for his popular television show, Life Is Worth Living. The Sheen that Joan presents, however, is not only a polished television personality, but a man of prayer, generosity, and missionary zeal who interacted with count- less people from all walks of life. In one story after another, she illustrates that this great man’s chief concern was sharing the mercy of God with everyone.
Deluxe presentation of the murals (in glass and marble mosaic, ceramic tile, terracotta, metal, and oil on canvas) of Art Deco artist, Hildreth Meière (1892-1961).
The award-winning New York Times bestseller about the American women who secretly served as codebreakers during World War II--a "prodigiously researched and engrossing" (New York Times) book that "shines a light on a hidden chapter of American history" (Denver Post). Recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges, more than ten thousand women served as codebreakers during World War II. While their brothers and boyfriends took up arms, these women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of code-breaking. Their efforts shortened the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to careers previously denied to them. A strict vow of secrecy nearly erased their efforts from history; now, through dazzling research and interviews with surviving code girls, bestselling author Liza Mundy brings to life this riveting and vital story of American courage, service, and scientific accomplishment.
Some are widely celebrated—Radio City Music Hall, the Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Grand Central Station—and others virtually unknown, all warrant preservation. This book is the first to present great landmarked interiors of New York in all their intricate detail, in a visual celebration of space that captures the rich heritage of the city. In the fifty years since it was established in 1965, the New York City Landmarks Law has preserved for generations to come a remarkable number of significant buildings that represent New York City’s cultural, social, economic, political, and architectural history. Not only do the exterior facades of these buildings fall within the law’s purview, but, since 1973, many of their stunning interiors as well. This book tells the colorful stories of 47 interior landmarks from the oldest to the youngest—from the grand Italianate and infamous Tweed Courthouse, the centerpiece of the largest corruption case in New York history, and the glamorous Art Deco Rainbow Room, constructed shortly after the repeal of the Prohibition—to the modernist 1967 Ford Foundation Building, whose garden-filled atrium exemplified sustainable design well before the concept became fashionable, and was hailed as “one of the most romantic environments ever devised by corporate man.” Located throughout the five boroughs, the interior landmarks include banks, theaters, office building lobbies, restaurants, libraries, and more—spaces in which New Yorkers have worked, learned, governed, been entertained, and interacted with their communities for decades. Readers will learn about their original construction and style, their exceptional design features, materials, and architectural details—then of the challenges to preserving them—whether they were unanimously accepted or hotly contested in legal battles—the restorations or re-imaginings that took place, and the preservationists, philanthropists, politicians, and designers who made it possible. Combining strong visuals and thorough research, this valuable reference work will fascinate all readers with an interest in the city’s history.
