by Matthew J. Bruccoli, with Judith S. Baughman (2004)
"In April 1938 F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote to his editor Maxwell Perkins, "What a time you've had with your sons, Max - Ernest gone to Spain, me gone to Hollywood, Tom Wolfe reverting to an artistic hill-billy." As the sole literary editor with name recognition among students of American literature, Perkins remains permanently linked to Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Wolfe in literary history and literary myth. Their relationships, which were largely epistolary, play out in the 221 letters Matthew J. Bruccoli has assembled in this volume. The collection documents the extent of the fatherly forbearance, attention, and encouragement the legendary Scribners editor gave to his authorial sons. The correspondent portrays his ability to juggle the requirements of his three geniuses." "Perkins wanted his stars to be close friends and wrote to each of them about the others. They responded in kind: Fitzgerald on Hemingway and Wolfe, Wolfe on Fitzgerald, Hemingway on Wolfe and Fitzgerald. The novelists also wrote to each other. But contrary to Perkins's hopes for a brotherhood among them, many of their letters express rivalry and suspicion rather than affinity. Perkins encouraged the writers professionally but never took sides in their sibling rivalries." "Addressing an overlooked aspect of literary study, the letters center on the acts of writing, editing, and publishing, and on the writers' relationships with the house of Scribner and one another. In addition to providing insight into the personalities of these literary heroes, the correspondence reveals how editing and publishing have changed since the Twenties and Thirties - a golden era for Scribners and for American literature. In particular, the letters correct the incomplete, oversimplified image of Perkins and his function as an editor - especially his relationship with Thomas Wolfe."--BOOK JACKET.
Elias Castillo
A Cross of Thorns reexamines a chapter of California history that has been largely forgotten -- the enslavement of California's Indian population by Spanish missionaries from 1769 to 1821. California's Spanish missions are one of the state's major tourist attractions, where visitors are told that peaceful cultural exchange occurred between Franciscan friars and California Indians.
Giannalberto Bendazzi
"... Its encyclopedic style will find it a place in the library of everyone interested in the subject." — Kirkus Reviews. "Enthusiastically recommended as both a fascinating story and an incredible reference resource for both scholars and aficionados of the art of film." —Choice. "Although animation has finally begun to be thought worthy of serious attention, the spate of books on it in recent years has focused primarily on commercial Hollywood animation. Bendazzi ambitiously attempts to fill the gap. He covers more than a century's worth of animation, from the 1888 th{‚}e{ƒ}atre optique (a device for projecting moving painted images that predates motion picture pioneers Edison and Lumi{Š}ere) to today's cutting edge computer-animation technology. He covers American animation, of course, but also describes developments in more than 70 other countries, in many of which animation emerged more as an art form than a box office draw. His work is not without shortcomings: the writing (the translation, anyway) is occasionally awkward, and despite or because of its exhaustive depth and scholarly approach, the text seldom conveys the delightfulness that makes the best cartoons so compelling. Carping aside, this valuable effort, already well received in France and Italy, promises to be the basic reference on its subject for some time to come." -- Gordon Flagg , Booklist review.
Arnold Madison
Describes many drugs, from aspirin to LSD, discusses their use and abuse, their effect on the body, and attempts to control illegal drug traffic.
Erik Bruun
Presents the history, important people, and famous places of the Golden State, as well as miscellaneous facts about California today.