The Lion in Autumn


Book Description

"Fascinating. . . . One of the best books ever written on the rise and fall of a great college football coach." —Allen Barra, San Francisco Chronicle The Lion in Autumn takes readers inside Penn State’s storied football program as legendary coach Joe Paterno fights to turn his struggling team into a winner once again. In more than a half century at Penn State, Paterno has won more bowl games (21) than any other coach and more games (354) than all but one, en route to two national championships and five perfect seasons. But in the new millennium hard times arrived in Happy Valley. His Nittany Lions had losing seasons in four of five years, dropping sixteen of twenty-three games in 2003 and 2004. There were boos at Beaver Stadium and increasing calls for the aging Paterno to step down. Award-winning sportswriter Frank Fitzpatrick followed JoePa through the 2004 season as the beloved coach struggled to save himself and his storied program. Fitzpatrick trailed Paterno from fund-raisers to the spring practices to the sidelines, detailing how the coach endured another losing season while building a team that would win the Orange Bowl and compete for the national championship in 2005. Interweaving stories from past seasons into the narrative, Fitzpatrick fleshes out the legend of Paterno.




The Lion in Winter


Book Description

Insecure siblings fighting for their parents’ attention; bickering spouses who can’t stand to be together or apart; adultery and sexual experimentation; even the struggle to balance work and family: These are themes as much at home in our time as they were in the twelfth century. In James Goldman’s classic play The Lion in Winter, domestic turmoil rises to an art form. Keenly self-aware and motivated as much by spite as by any sense of duty, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine maneuver against each other to position their favorite son in line for succession. By imagining the inner lives of Henry, Eleanor, and their sons, John, Geoffrey, and Richard, Goldman created the quintessential drama of family strife and competing ambitions, a work that gives visceral, modern-day relevance to the intrigues of Angevin England. Combining keen historical and psychological insight with delicious, mordant wit, the stage play has become a touchstone of today’s theater scene, and Goldman’s screenplay for the 1968 film adaptation won him an Academy Award. Told in “marvelously articulate language, with humor that bristles and burns” (Los Angeles Times), The Lion in Winter is the rare play that bursts into life on the printed page.




The Last Coach: A Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant


Book Description

The explosive biography of the greatest college football coach in history. When Paul William "Bear" Bryant died on January 26, 1983, it was the lead story on the all three networks' evening news. New York City newspapers reported his death on their front pages. Three days later, America watched in awe as an estimated quarter of a million mourners lined the fifty-five mile stretch from Tuscaloosa to a Birmingham cemetery to pay their respects as his three-mile long funeral cortege drove by. Bryant's passing was noted with the kind of reverence our country reserved for statesmen or military leaders, though Paul "Bear" Bryant had insisted for much of his life that he was "just a football coach." For millions he was much more, he was the greatest coach the game ever saw, the heir to the tradition established by Knute Rockne. He took his Alabama Crimson Tide teams to an unmatched six national championships. But to the players, journalists and fans whose lives he touched in his more than half a century as a player and coach, he was the last symbol of values that transcended football—courage, discipline, loyalty, and hard work. To his critics, Bryant represented the dark side of big-time college football—brutality, fanaticism and blind adherence to authority. The real Bear Bryant was far more complex than either his admirers or detractors knew. While maintaining a public friendship with Alabama governor George Wallace, he continually sought ways to undermine the governor's segregationist policies, finally forcing a legendary football game in Birmingham with the University of Southern California that opened the floodgates to the integration of football at the University of Alabama, including its coaching staff. Old fashioned in his politics, he was nonetheless an admirer of Robert Kennedy, whom he planning to vote for in 1968. Allen Barra's The Last Coach traces Paul Bryant's rise from a family of truck farmers to recognition as the most successful and influential coach in the game's history. Through it all, Bryant's influence has not only endured but prevailed as his former players and assistants continue to define the best in not only college but professional football. A USA Today and Washington Post Best Sports Book.




The Lion and the Bird


Book Description

One autumn day, a lion finds a wounded bird in his garden. With the departure of the bird's flock, the lion decides that it's up to him to care for the bird. He does and the two become fast friends. Nevertheless, the bird departs with his flock the following autumn. What will become of Lion and what will become of their friendship? Note: some pages in this book are intentionally blank to represent snow. Marianne Dubuc received her degree in graphic design from the University of Quebec, Montreal. She has created many different kinds of books for readers of all ages. She is an internationally acclaimed illustrator whose work has been published by major publishers in fifteen countries.




Autumn Walk


Book Description

A puppy goes on a walk outside in the fall and sees leaves, birds, and squirrels.




In Like a Lion Out Like a Lamb


Book Description

A fresh take on a familiar saying, perfect for the first rainy days of spring. Rattling windows with the roar of a late-winter storm, March shows up like a lion-- wild and messy, muddy and wet. In rhythmic, exuberant text, Newbery Honor-author Marion Dane Bauer conveys the changeable nature of spring weather, as the lion makes way for the lamb—with a huge sneeze!—as the trees and flowers spring into bloom. Full of humor and motion, Caldecott-winning illustrator Emily Arnold McCully's soft watercolors bring the blustering lion and gentle lamb to life. From hail and wet snow to vibrant green fields full of blossoms, the illustrations grow brighter, springing into new life—and hinting and the summer to come. The lively text and paintings illustrate the ways in which we personify spring weather, making this book a perfect introduction to figurative language—and lots of fun to read as well.




The Autumn of the Ace


Book Description

'De Bernieres is a singular, cherishable voice' Mail on Sunday From the master of historical fiction, this book follows an unforgettable family after the Second World War. Some bonds are hard to break... Daniel Pitt was an RAF fighter in the First World War and an espionage agent for the SOE in the Second. Now the conflicts he faces are closer to home. Daniel's marriage has fractured beyond repair and Daniel's relationship with his son, Bertie, has been a failure since Bertie was a small boy. But after his brother Archie's death, Daniel is keen for new perspectives. He first travels to Peshawar to bury Archie in the place he loved best, and then finds himself in Canada, avoiding his family and friends back in England. Daniel and Bertie's different experiences of war, although devastating, also bring with them the opportunity for the two to reconnect. If only they can find a way to move on from the past...




Narnia Beckons


Book Description

A collection of essays that explore the lasting legacy of author C.S. Lewis and his "Chronicles of Narnia" series.




Shakespeare in Autumn (Seasons Edition -- Fall)


Book Description

Shakespeare in Autumn: Select Plays and the Complete Sonnets, by William Shakespeare, the greatest writer in the English language, is available in a fine exclusive collector’s edition featuring a laser-cut jacket on a textured book with foil stamping, making it ideal for fiction lovers and book collectors alike. Each collectible volume will be the perfect addition to any well-appointed library. The Shakespeare in Autumn Seasons Edition--Fall: Features selected works from William Shakespeare, history’s greatest and most influential writer of the English language. His poetry and plays have been recited and studied for generation upon generation and remain iconic works of literature Presents a small yet wide-reaching collection of the Bard’s finest works, including The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, and the complete sonnets Is distinctively and seasonally nuanced for autumnal reading Explores such important themes as love and romance, the economic ramifications of marriage, the immutable irreversibility of fate, the destructive nature of jealousy, the power dynamics of relationships, and the absurdity of ambition Is ideal for special-edition book collectors, fans of literary fiction and classic literature, Anglophiles, and people who love all things Shakespearean and the many cinematic adaptations of the Bard’s work Whether you’re buying this as a gift or as a self-purchase, this remarkable limited edition features: Beautiful hardcover with a distinctive one-of-a-kind, high-end/high-treatment laser-cut jacket, perfect for standing out on any discerning fiction-lover’s bookshelf Trim Size: 6 x 9 Beautiful decorative interior pages featuring pull quotes distributed throughout An exquisite matching laser-cut bookmark Part of a 4-volume Fall Seasons series including Anne of Green Gables, Dracula, and Sense and Sensibility William Shakespeare has been lauded as one of history’s greatest and most influential writers of the English language. His poems and plays have been recited and studied for generations, and remain iconic works of literature. Shakespeare in Autumn includes a nuanced selection of Shakespeare’s finest works, including: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Twelfth Night As You Like It The Taming of the Shrew Romeo and Juliet The Sonnets Shakespeare in Autumn: Select Plays and the Complete Sonnets by William Shakespeare (Seasons Edition--Fall) is one of four titles available in the Fall Seasons series. The Fall collection also includes Anne of Green Gables, Dracula, and Sense and Sensibility.