From the author of the world-famous Travis McGee thrillers, thirteen of John D. MacDonald's earliest and best crime and mystery stories brought together in one volume. Written at the beginning of his career and originally published in American magazines only, these stories give us a taste of MacDonald's early achievements and show the range of his skill in the realm of mystery and thriller writing. 'Sharp, taut, realistic ... an impressive selection' Times
Nineteen-ninety-nine looms near and yet the stars are still far away . . . but this anthology brings them closer with more than a dozen of the best SF adventure stories ever written. Among the gems collected here are "The New Prime," by Jack Vance, " Fritz Leiber's "Moon Duel," and "The Sky People," by Poul Anderson, along with masterpieces by less-familiar names such as Murray Leinster and James H. Schmitz. With more than a dozen stories (written between 1940 and 1970) from greats such as Brian W. Aldiss, Leigh Brackett, L. Sprague de Camp, and A. E. van Vogt, this anthology ranges throughout our galaxy and into the stars. Whether you're revisiting past adventures or discovering these stories for the first time, you're sure to thrill to these wonderful adventures across the vast expanse of space.
Offering indisputable evidence of the early talent that was to lead him to the top of the bestseller lists everywhere, these fourteen tales of crime and corruption, of sleuthing and suspense, of treachery, intrigue, and revenge, by the incomparable John D. MacDonald, were selected from the hundreds that originally appeared in the immensely popular pulp magazines of the late 1940s. Superb entertainment from one of crime's most famous and accomplished writers. 'The stories share MacDonald's love of a buzz ending and the biting setup' Chicago Sun-Times
Seventeen page-turning science fiction adventure stories by such luminaries as John Varley, Bruce Sterling, Vernor Vinge, George R.R. Martin, and Paul J. McAuley.
Jennifer Grant is the only child of Cary Grant, who was, and continues to be, the epitome of all that is elegant, sophisticated, and deft. Almost half a century after Cary Grant’s retirement from the screen, he remains the quintessential romantic comic movie star. He stopped making movies when his daughter was born so that he could be with her and raise her, which is just what he did. Good Stuff is an enchanting portrait of the profound and loving relationship between a daughter and her father, who just happens to be one of America’s most iconic male movie stars. Cary Grant’s own personal childhood archives were burned in World War I, and he took painstaking care to ensure that his daughter would have an accurate record of her early life. In Good Stuff, Jennifer Grant writes of their life together through her high school and college years until Grant’s death at the age of eighty-two. Cary Grant had a happy way of living, and he gave that to his daughter. He invented the phrase “good stuff” to mean happiness. For the last twenty years of his life, his daughter experienced the full vital passion of her father’s heart, and she now—delightfully—gives us a taste of it. She writes of the lessons he taught her; of the love he showed her; of his childhood as well as her own . . . Here are letters, notes, and funny cards written from father to daughter and those written from her to him . . . as well as bits of conversation between them (Cary Grant kept a tape recorder going for most of their time together). She writes of their life at 9966 Beverly Grove Drive, living in a farmhouse in the midst of Beverly Hills, playing, laughing, dining, and dancing through the thick and thin of Jennifer's growing up; the years of his work, his travels, his friendships with “old Hollywood royalty” (the Sinatras, the Pecks, the Poitiers, et al.) and with just plain-old royalty (the Rainiers) . . . We see Grant the playful dad; Grant the clown, sharing his gifts of laughter through his warm spirit; Grant teaching his daughter about life, about love, about boys, about manners and money, about acting and living. Cary Grant was given the indefinable incandescence of charm. He was a pip . . . Good Stuff captures his special quality. It gives us the magic of a father’s devotion (and goofball-ness) as it reveals a daughter’s special odyssey and education of loving, and being loved, by a dad who was Cary Grant.
More Good Old Stuff, a classic collection of short fiction from crime writer John D. MacDonald, the beloved author of Cape Fear and the Travis McGee series, is now available as an eBook. The companion to The Good Old Stuff, this anthology features fourteen more early stories by one of America’s premier authors of hard-boiled noir. Culled from the hundreds that John D. MacDonald published in the wildly popular pulp magazines of the 1940s and ’50s, these are electrifying tales of murder, corruption, intrigue, and revenge: a serial widow making a fortune by murdering her husbands . . . an amnesiac being watched by the mob . . . an ex-cop trying to crack the case that nearly wrecked his life. All are told through MacDonald’s vivid language and taut storytelling—the hallmarks of a writer who holds a distinguished place in the popular canon. This collection includes “Deadly Damsel,” “State Police Report That . . . ,” “Death for Sale,” “A Corpse in His Dreams,” “I Accuse Myself,” “A Place to Live,” “Neighborly Interest,” “The Night Is Over,” “Secret Stain,” “Even Up the Odds,” “Verdict,” “The High Gray Walls of Hate,” “Unmarried Widow,” and “You Remember Jeannie.” Features a new Introduction by Dean Koontz Praise for John D. MacDonald “The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller.”—Stephen King “My favorite novelist of all time.”—Dean Koontz “To diggers a thousand years from now, the works of John D. MacDonald would be a treasure on the order of the tomb of Tutankhamen.”—Kurt Vonnegut “A master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer . . . John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field. Talk about the best.”—Mary Higgins Clark
Recounted through a well-selected collection of photographs, this discussion relates a succession of advancements and risk taking, chronicling the evolution of space tourism. Traveling back to the almost simultaneous beginnings of aviation and rocketry, this analysis highlights the crucial names in the industry, honoring them with "The Wright Stuff" awards for their contributions. Illustrating how today's tickets to space have been made possible not just by entrepreneurs and engineers but also by the efforts of artists, regulators, politicians, and some of the earliest aviators, this exploration also touches on today's rapid expansion phase of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space flights. Clearly depicting how a commercial business can emerge in this swiftly growing field, this unique investigation also provides examples of how space tourists are helping to create reusable technologies of benefit to all.
The author of The Big Book of Superheroes presents a hilarious look at science, nature, and the human body in a book full of good laughs and bad smells. From boogers, B.O., and belches to sneezes, diseases, and demon cheeses, The Big Book of Gross Stuff is chock-full of practical knowledge about things you shouldn’t discuss at the dinner table. Kids can take a Gross Quiz to find out how their sensibilities stack up against the rest of society, and learn about the World's Most Disgusting Jobs (whale-feces research, anyone?). With the turn of every page, The Big Book of Gross Stuff will challenge your gag reflexes as it introduces topics, terminology and trivia about toilets, scabies, decaying bodies, and much more. For instance, did you know: · In 1971, a band named Hot Poop released a record titled Does Their Own Stuff! They were never heard from again. · When using fake vomit, the key to faking people out is to sprinkle water on the stuff to make it look more realistic. · Belly button lint is composed of dust, dried sweat, fat, dead skin, and bits of cotton.
