William Shakespeare, the most celebrated poet in the English language, left behind nearly a million words of text, but his biography has long been a thicket of supposition arranged around scant facts. With his trademark wit, Bill Bryson sorts through this colorful muddle to reveal the man himself. Bryson documents the efforts of earlier scholars, and, emulating the style of his travelogues, records episodes in his own research. He celebrates Shakespeare...

"The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Staphylococcus aureus to the Taco Bell breakfast menu - on a five-star scale. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this...

"Outlines the origin and evolution of postmodern thought over the last half century and argues that the unchecked spread and application of postmodern ideas -- from academia, to activist circles, to the public at large - presents an authoritarian ideological threat not only to liberal democracy but also to modernity itself"--

Readings of Sonnets 29 and 147, and excepts from Macbeth, Othello, Twelfth night, As you like it, Romeo and Juliet, Much ado about nothing, A midsummer night's dream, Richard III, Henry IV, Cymbeline, and The merry wives of Windsor, each prefaced with an introduction. Includes incidental music.

"There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it's haunting Harry Potter's dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror? It's not just the upcoming O.W.L. exams; a new teacher with a personality like poisoned honey; a venomous, disgruntled house-elf; or even the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Now Harry Potter is faced with the unreliability of the very government of the magical world and...

Focuses on the emergence of the English nation in the 1500's during the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and James I. Describes the spread of its language into the New World and examines the lifestyle of the colonists who came to the United States in the 1600's.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"A must-read for anyone who loves history and art."

—Kristin Hannah

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train, a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth's mysterious and iconic painting Christina's World.

"Later he told me that he'd been afraid

...

Describes Shakespeare's life and work, from his relocation from Stratford to London as a young man to his pursuit of a career in the theater.

Celebrate Shakespeare's 400th anniversary with this hilarious comedy about the playwright's mysterious lost years. Bill Shakespeare is a hapless lute player with a big dream. When his bandmates kick him out of their group, Bill leaves his wife and kids behind to seek fame and fortune in the big city of London. He's written a great work for the stage and he's certain he'll prove all his doubters wrong.