In celebration of five eventful centuries of the printed word, Basbanes considers of writings that have "made things happen" in the world, works that have both nudged the course of history and fired the imagination of influential people. Basbanes asks what we can know about such figures as Milton, Gibbon, Locke, Newton, Coleridge, John Adams, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Henry James, Thomas Edison, Helen Keller--even the Marquis de Sade and...

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Chinaberry children's book catalog, which has become a gold standard for its industry, the women behind America's beloved catalog share their wisdom about the joys of children's literature and parenting.

"Explore the finest novels from around the world, from medieval adventures to modern classics. Find out what inspired writers, what their aims were, and how they set about writing their masterpieces. Great novels provides a fascinating overview of how the novel has developed through the ages and celebrates the eternal pleasures of reading"--