Beatrice's Ledger


Book Description

A vivid and moving story about family, courage, and the power of education Ruth remembers the day the sheriff pulled up in front of her family's home with a white neighbor who claimed Ruth's father owed her recently deceased husband money. It was the early 1940s in Jim Crow South Carolina, and even at the age of eleven, Ruth knew a Black person's word wasn't trusted. But her father remained calm as he waited on her mother's return from the house. Ruth's mother had retrieved a gray book, which she opened and handed to the sheriff. Satisfied by what he saw, the sheriff and the woman left. Ruth didn't know what was in that book, but she knew it was important. In Beatrice's Ledger, Ruth R. Martin brings to life the stories behind her mother's entries in that well-worn ledger, from financial transactions to important details about her family's daily struggle to survive in Smoaks, South Carolina, a small town sixty miles outside of Charleston. Once the land of plantations, slavery, and cotton, by the time Ruth was born in 1930 many of the plantations were gone but the cotton remained. Ruth's family made a living working the land, and her father owned a local grist and sawmill used by Black and white residents in the area. The family worked hard, but life was often difficult, and Ruth offers rich descriptions of the sometimes-perilous existence of a Black family living in rural South Carolina at mid-century. But there was joy as well as hardship, and readers will be drawn into the story of life in Smoaks. Enriched with public records research and interviews with friends and family still living in Smoaks, Martin weaves history, humor, and family lore into a compelling narrative about coming of age as a Black woman in the Jim Crow South. Martin recounts her journey from Smoaks to Tuskegee Institute and beyond. It is a story about the power of family; about the importance of the people we meet along the way; and about the place we call home.




This Side of Paradise


Book Description

This Side of Paradise is a novel about post-World War I youth and their morality. Amory Blaine is a young Princeton University student with an attractive face and an interest in literature. His greed and desire for social status warp the theme of love weaving through the story.




A Congregation of Jackals


Book Description

In 1888 Oswell Danford is living a hard but satisfying life as a rancher in Virginia when he receives an unexpected telegram. A wedding invitation should be cause to celebrate but not when it means he'll have to face past deeds that he's deeply ashamed of. Now he and his brother, along with their ex-compatriot, an inveterate gambler from New York, will have to travel to Montana Territory to settle an old score they'd nearly forgotten. They will join the expectant congregation at the church for the marriage of their former brother-in-arms. But while everyone else will be wishing a blissful future for the happy couple they will be praying the darkness from their past doesn't devour the entire town. A Congregation of Jackals is an unrelenting tale of betrayal and revenge told with a precision and brutality that will leave you breathless and haunted. Fans of Zahler's breakout hits Bone Tomahawk and Wraiths of the Broken Land will be floored by this, originally the first installment of his western horror trilogy.




The Late John Marquand


Book Description




The New Science of Color


Book Description







The Complete Novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald: This Side of Paradise + The Beautiful and Damned + The Great Gatsby + Tender Is the Night + The Love of the Last Tycoon


Book Description

The Complete Novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald is a comprehensive collection of the renowned author's major works, including This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, The Great Gatsby, Tender Is the Night, and The Love of the Last Tycoon. Fitzgerald's works are characterized by their exploration of the American Dream, the decadence of the Jazz Age, and the complexities of human relationships. His writing style is known for its elegant prose, vivid imagery, and poignant social commentary, making him a cornerstone of American literature. Through his novels, Fitzgerald delves into themes of wealth, class, and the repercussions of ambition, painting a vivid portrait of American society during the early 20th century. His works continue to resonate with readers today, capturing the essence of a bygone era. Fans of classic literature and those interested in the history of American culture will find this collection a captivating and enlightening read.




The Complete Books of F. Scott Fitzgerald (all his 5 novels + all 4 short story collections published during his lifetime)


Book Description

F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Complete Books of F. Scott Fitzgerald' is a comprehensive collection of all his 5 novels and the 4 short story collections published during his lifetime. Fitzgerald's works are known for their exploration of the excesses and struggles of the Jazz Age, encapsulating the essence of American society during the early 20th century. His writing style is marked by lyrical prose, vivid characterization, and keen observations of human nature. The collection allows readers to immerse themselves in Fitzgerald's iconic tales of love, ambition, and societal change. The novels, including 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Tender is the Night', showcase Fitzgerald's unmatched ability to capture the complexities of the American Dream. The short stories, such as 'The Diamond as Big as the Ritz' and 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair', provide insight into the themes that permeate his longer works. F. Scott Fitzgerald's life experiences, including his tumultuous relationship with his wife Zelda, heavily influenced his writing. His personal struggles with fame and fortune are reflected in the characters and themes of his works. This comprehensive collection is a must-read for anyone interested in American literature, the Jazz Age, or the complexities of the human experience.




Tender is the Night


Book Description

Tender Is the Night is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In 1932, Fitzgerald's wife Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald was hospitalized for schizophrenia in Baltimore, Maryland. The author rented the "la Paix" estate in the suburb of Towson to work on this book, the story of the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young psychoanalyst and his wife, Nicole, who is also one of his patients. While working on the book he several times ran out of cash and had to borrow from his editor and agent, and write short stories for commercial magazines. The early 1930s, when Fitzgerald was conceiving and working on the book, were certainly the darkest years of his life, and accordingly, the novel has its bleak elements. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (1896–1940) was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigmatic writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.




Butcher and Beast


Book Description

“A fashionably photographed book that’s as high-rolling and unapologetically carnivorous as [the Beatrice Inn].”—The New York Times Book Review IACP AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW The Beatrice Inn’s presence in New York City spans close to a century, and its history is ever changing, from one of New York’s first speakeasies, frequented by Fitzgerald and Hemingway, to a beloved neighborhood Italian restaurant to one of the city’s most notorious night clubs. Angie Mar purchased the Beatrice Inn in 2016 and led the storied landmark into its next chapter. Mar transformed the space and the menu into a stunning subterranean den where guests are meant to throw caution to the wind and engage in their most primal of senses. Pete Wells, in his rave two-star New York Times review, summed it up best: “It is a place to go when you want to celebrate your life as an animal.” Now, in Mar’s debut cookbook, the Beatrice Inn experience will resonate with readers no matter where they live. Butcher and Beast invites readers into this glamorous, gutsy, and forever-nocturnal world. Mar’s unconventional approach to flavor profiles are captured in over 80 recipes, including Milk-Braised Pork Shoulder, Duck and Foie Gras Pie, Venison Cassoulet, and Bone Marrow–Bourbon Crème Brûlée. Throughout are also essays on Mar’s controversial and cutting-edge dry-aging techniques, her adoration of Champagne, the reality of what it takes to lead in the New York City restaurant scene, and the love and loyalty of her tight-knit family. Visually arresting photography shot entirely on Polaroid film captures the elegant and ever-opulent world of the Beatrice Inn.