In 1963, Jimmy Wynn was the second most famous man in America. The comedian's uncanny impression of the President made him a star. But when the genuine article died in a hail of bullets on a sunny afternoon in New Orleans, Jimmy's career met a fate almost as grisly. What happened to the funny man afterward was a mystery no one cared to solve. Nearly 25 years later, Nathan Grant, an ambitious young journalist, discovers the trail Jimmy cut through the entertainment netherworld. He soon realizes this forgotten court jester may have played a very serious part in the country's favorite conspiracy theory. Grant's strange and increasingly dangerous odyssey takes him from a dingy New York record store to the showrooms of Las Vegas, a ghost town in the Mojave Desert, and even a dinner theatre in Niagara Falls. A dark comedy about the cost of fame, Jason Anderson's "Showbiz" is the story of a man who became a punchline and a writer who is desperate to find out how the rest of the joke goes.
The go-to book on Canada’s west coast gem—from affordable activities to crime and punishment, slang to weather, people to politics, and much more. From “Gassy” Jack Deighton and the Klondike Gold Rush to the Chinese Head Tax to Japanese Internment, the Strathcona Protest, Vancouver Canucks and the 2010 Olympic Winter Games to profiles of the original “Dominic Da Vinci,” Larry Campbell, famed author Douglas Coupland, and environmentalist David Suzuki, no book is more comprehensive than the Vancouver Book of Everything. No book is more fun. Well-known Vancouverites weigh in on every aspect of their beloved city. Historian Chuck Davis gives us his top five events that shaped its history; author Jen Sookfong Lee gives us her top five best things about living in Vancouver; Vancouver Sun restaurant critic Mia Stainsby gives us the city’s top five cheap eats and Global TV’s meteorologist, Mark Madryga, offers up his top five Vancouver weather events. From the city’s First People and infamous weather to its slang, heinous crimes, and the ubiquitous Japa dog, it’s all here. Whether you are a lifelong resident or visiting for the first time, there is no better resource about the city of Vancouver, you’ll love the Vancouver Book of Everything. “Even born-and-bred Vancouverites will doubtless find something of interest in the Vancouver Book of Everything.” —The Westender “The book combines tourist elements . . . with facts that even seasoned Vancouverites may not know.” —Miss604 “When your friends start asking questions about the city, hand them the Vancouver Book of Everything.” —Vancouver Sun
Age-old scholarly dogma holds that the death of serious theatre went hand-in-hand with the 'death' of the city-state and that the fourth century BC ushered in an era of theatrical mediocrity offering shallow entertainment to a depoliticised citizenry. The traditional view of fourth-century culture is encouraged and sustained by the absence of dramatic texts in anything more than fragments. Until recently, little attention was paid to an enormous array of non-literary evidence attesting, not only the sustained vibrancy of theatrical culture, but a huge expansion of theatre throughout (and even beyond) the Greek world. Epigraphic, historiographic, iconographic and archaeological evidence indicates that the fourth century BC was an age of exponential growth in theatre. It saw: the construction of permanent stone theatres across and beyond the Mediterranean world; the addition of theatrical events to existing festivals; the creation of entirely new contexts for drama; and vast investment, both public and private, in all areas of what was rapidly becoming a major 'industry'. This is the first book to explore all the evidence for fourth century ancient theatre: its architecture, drama, dissemination, staging, reception, politics, social impact, finance and memorialisation.
A fascinating and detailed guide to ancient Greece. Michael Grant looks at the policies and government of the hundreds of independent city-states and at the everyday life of the citizens. With fluency and scholarships he shows how the brilliance of the Ancient Greeks' civilization was by no means limited to the Golden Age of its classical fifth century, but its early period was remarkable too. For 500 years the Greek city-states achieved a civilisation which has been an inspiration and an ideal ever since.
One of the few studies covering the historical flow of mime from its beginnings to postmodern movement theatre, this book explores the evolution of mime and pantomime from the Greeks to the 20th Century, depicting the role of mime in dance, clowning, the cinema, and verbal theatre throughout the centuries. With over sixty illustrations, this worldwide study is indispensable for the student, teacher, or fan of mime.
This resource strategically traces Greek warfare from 720 to 30 BC and its specific and extensive details-the wars, the troops, the armor, the military tactics, and other factors either affecting or affected by the wars. Read how warfare evolved during the centuries in ancient Greece from rudimentary, non-sophisticated strategies and weaponry to more complex arsenals and tactics. Includes entries on many aspects of war for which ancient Greece is historically recognized, as well as profiles of famous military and civilian leaders, including Alcibiades and Alexander the Great, who were involved in the battles on both land and sea. An extensive bibliography suggests further reading of interest. No other general work on ancient Greek warfare covers the entire period included in this volume.
Aspects of Greek History, 750 - 323 BCis an up-to-date textbook on ancient Greek history that, topic- by-topic, uses a wealth of original sources to interpret this history for those with little prior knowledge of the subject. Chapter by chapter, the relevant historical periods from the age of colonisation to Alexander the Great are reconstructed. The book covers the main literary sources: Aristotle, Diodorus, Herodotus, Plutarch, Thucydides, and Xenophon; Greek political and military history from the beginnings to Alexander's Battle of Gaugamela. It includes maps, a glosary of Greek terms, and a full bibliography. Overall, this is an indispensable collection of material for the student of classics as well as the general reader, who requires a grounding in Greek history.
With its mixture of famous battles and storied commanders, warfare in 4th century B.C. Greece has long held a fascination for military enthusiasts and the general public alike. Histories, biographies, and popular culture have turned the exploits of noted generals like Xenophon and Iphicrates of Athens, Epaminondas of Thebes, and the father-son team of Philip II and Alexander the Great of Macedonia into the stuff of legend. Drawing from ancient accounts along with suitable analogs, this detailed work offers meticulous reconstructions of 187 of the 4th century's most significant land engagements, considering tactical patterns, evolving trends, and the lasting impact of the era's most influential military minds. By separating myth from reality, these recreations provide incredible insight into past ways of war that continue to influence the course of combat today.