Since her first appearance on screen in Mary Poppins, Julie Andrews has played a series of memorable roles that have endeared her to generations. But she has never told the story of her life before fame. Until now. In Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, Julie takes her readers on a warm, moving, and often humorous journey from a difficult upbringing in war-torn Britain to the brink of international stardom in America. Her memoir begins in 1935, when Julie was born to an aspiring vaudevillian mother and a teacher father, and takes readers to 1962, when Walt Disney himself saw her on Broadway and cast her as the world's most famous nanny. Along the way, she weathered the London Blitz of World War II; her parents' painful divorce; her mother's turbulent second marriage to Canadian tenor Ted Andrews, and a childhood spent on radio, in music halls, and giving concert performances all over England. Julie's professional career began at the age of twelve, and in 1948 she became the youngest solo performer ever to participate in a Royal Command Performance before the Queen. When only eighteen, she left home for the United States to make her Broadway debut in The Boy Friend, and thus began her meteoric rise to stardom.Home is filled with numerous anecdotes, including stories of performing in My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison on Broadway and in the West End, and in Camelot with Richard Burton on Broadway; her first marriage to famed set and costume designer Tony Walton, culminating with the birth of their daughter, Emma; and the call from Hollywood and what lay beyond. Julie Andrews' career has flourished over seven decades. From her legendary Broadway performances, to her roles in such iconic films as The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hawaii, 10, and The Princess Diaries, to her award-winning television appearances, multiple album releases, concert tours, international humanitarian work, best-selling children's books, and championship of literacy, Julie's influence spans generations. Today, she lives with her husband of thirty-eight years, the acclaimed writer/director Blake Edwards; they have five children and seven grandchildren. Featuring over fifty personal photos, many never before seen, this is the personal memoir Julie Andrews' audiences have been waiting for.

Cursum Perficio is the name of Marilyn Monroe's last home. "Cursum Perficio," the book, is author Gary Vitacco-Robles' exploration of Marilyn's last home as a touchstone to her brief and extraordinary life.

A definitive testament of Marilyn Monroe's modest nature, simple tastes and spirituality was her selection of a house in which to settle at age 35. The Spanish Colonial hacienda symbolizes Marilyn's unfulfilled dreams and unfinished life. The Latin inscription on the tiles adorning the front doorstep, Cursum Perficio (translating to "My journey ends"), prophesied the screen goddess' death in the home in 1962.

"Cursum Perficio" invites us inside Marilyn's private life through 120 illustrations and previously unpublished photos of her hacienda and its contents. See the interior, Marilyn's art and decorations purchased on a shopping spree in Mexico, and the furniture delivered days before her death. Vitacco-Robles reveals the events during Marilyn's last months, her daily routine, and her random acts of kindness.

"Cursum Perficio" is not a sensational exploitation of Marilyn Monroe but a celebration of the human being behind the legend. It is a rare and refreshing exploration for the most devout fan and an insightful introduction for those just discovering this enduring icon of the Twentieth Century. This expanded second edition contains added chapters and new images by Brandon Heidrick.

In his memoir, Dr. George E. Allen looks back at a career spanning more than five decades of teaching music to Philadelphia students. Early on in life, he learned about many styles of music, and he took his love of the art to college, where he earned multiple degrees before joining the Philadelphia School District. There, he earned the respect of students, fellow music teachers, and music administrators. It wasn't easy, but he did it his way and enjoyed positive results. He inspired the same type of dogged effort in his students, relying on a phrase that he placed at the beginning of all his syllabi: "It is better to know than to think you know." He first heard that on the phone from Ellis Marsalis, the father of jazz musician Wynton and a well-known musician in his own right. Allen adopted the phrase as one of his own mantras, never allowing his students to say "I think" or "I can't." Whether you are someone who loves music, an education professional, or someone thinking about becoming a teacher, you can find inspiration in Allen's love for music, education, and his students. It was time for me to begin serious work on writing about my experience as a music educator in Philadelphia because I did it differently with satisfying results.

THE DIVA AND I combines old world charm with glamour, travel and humor. Essentially, a love story, it depicts the author's life with beautiful Metropolitan Opera star, Patrice Munsel. Two extraordinary people, the story has all the elements of a Hollywood plot. Mr. Schuler's memories and descriptions of his childhood and his eccentric extended family is a charming portrait of a long forgotten era reminiscent of a Mark Twain novel. His chapters on California and New York leave the reader wanting for more and when he meets and marries the already famous Patrice Munsel, the book becomes extremely interesting. Their marriage, and her fabulous career, plus their adventures all over the world with their children is really the core of the book. The story has everything ...humor, adventure, suspense (they were in danger many times) but it also has an element of sadness. When he tells the story of the heartbreak they experienced struggling to keep their son and daughter alive after both were born prematurely, plus the deaths of each one's parents, one can only admire the courage and deep love that helped them through these ordeals. Filled with celebrity anecdotes the book would make a great gift for anyone.

This first critical appreciation of T Bone Burnett reveals how the proponent of Americana music and producer of artists ranging from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss to B. B. King and Elvis Costello has profoundly influenced American music and culture. T Bone Burnett is a unique, astonishingly prolific music producer, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and soundtrack visionary. Renowned as a studio maven with a Midas touch, Burnett is known for lifting artists to their greatest heights, as he did with Raising Sand, the multiple Grammy Award-winning album by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, as well as acclaimed albums by Los Lobos, the Wallflowers, B. B. King, and Elvis Costello. Burnett virtually invented "Americana" with his hugely successful roots-based soundtrack for the Coen Brothers film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Outspoken in his contempt for the entertainment industry, Burnett has nevertheless received many of its highest honors, including Grammy Awards and an Academy Award. T Bone Burnett offers the first critical appreciation of Burnett's wide-ranging contributions to American music, his passionate advocacy for analog sound, and the striking contradictions that define his maverick artistry. Lloyd Sachs highlights all the important aspects of Burnett's musical pursuits, from his early days as a member of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue and his collaboration with the playwright Sam Shepard to the music he recently composed for the TV shows Nashville and True Detective and his production of the all-star album Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes. Sachs also underscores Burnett's brilliance as a singer-songwriter in his own right. Going well beyond the labels "legendary" or "visionary" that usually accompany his name, T Bone Burnett reveals how this consummate music maker has exerted a powerful influence on American music and culture across four decades.

This, the second edition, was significantly revised and expanded. It incorporates a substantial amount of new material - notably three sections on the operas Hugh the Drover, Sir John in Love and The Poisoned Kiss. Also Wilfrid inserted into the final chapter A Double Man's Last Harvest, an account of the late A minor sonata for violin and piano.

Written with humour and honesty with interesting content on every page. It is a "must" for all ages especially those interested in Show business. The foreword written by Phil Collins, former pupil is of especial interest

During the past year Paul McCartney has been in the public's eye more than at any time since the peak of Beatlemania over thirty years ago. His fans have been treated to the best-selling Flaming Pie and Standing Stone albums, a full hour of Paul on "Oprah," and this thoughtful and comprehensive biography that brings us closer to the man than ever before. Based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews over a period of five years, and with complete access to Paul's own archives, Barry Miles has succeeded in letting Paul tell the story of his life as a Beatle in his own words. It includes Paul's recollection of the genesis of every song that he wrote with John Lennon and the fascinating details about their remarkable collaboration.

A stunning social history of British rap and grime - from the artists and communities who created and were shaped by the music, to the listeners who found a sense of identity and home within it - by one of the nation's foremost cultural chroniclers. 'A landmark work that will undoubtedly shape conversations about not just UK rap and grime, but British music for years to come.' YOMI ADEGOKE, author of The List 'The book I've been waiting to read . . . illuminating and intimate. Ekpoudom's prose is rhythmic and deft but also crackles with joy. I know I'll be reading it for years to come.' CALEB AZUMAH NELSON, author of Small Worlds *** I met people who never quite fit in where they were supposed to, who found solace, salvation and meaning in these sounds, these words. Something is happening in Britain, trembling the tracks as it unfolds. Recent years have borne witness to underground genres leaking out from the inner cities, going on to become some of the most popular music in the nation. In this groundbreaking social history, journalist Aniefiok Ekpoudom travels the country to paint a compelling portrait of the dawn, boom and subsequent blossoming of UK rap and grime. Taking us from the heart of south London to the West Midlands and South Wales, he explores how a history of migration and an enduring spirit of resistance have shaped the current realities of these linked communities and the music they produce. These sounds have become vessels for the marginalised, carrying Black and working-class stories into the light. Vividly depicted and compassionately told, Where We Come From weaves together intimate stories of resilience, courage and loss, as well as a shared music culture that gave refuge and purpose to those in search of belonging. Ekpoudom offers a rich chronicle of rap, identity, place and, above all, the social and human condition in modern Britain. *** 'A rousing, inspiring, often breathtaking history that reads with the flow of a magnificent novel. Ekpoudom is one of the very finest chroniclers of black British culture.' MUSA OKWONGA 'Essential . . . a book from the nation's frontline, where poverty and hardship and exclusion meet poetry and beauty and a higher voice. The writing achieves a lyrical, hypnotic power all of its own.' SAM KNIGHT, author of The Premonitions Bureau

No Better Boy tells the story of a master of traditional Irish music: the legendary East Clare fiddler Paddy Canny, whose haunting music was remarkable for its virtuosity and sophistication. In the 1950's, when he was in his thirties, and at the pinnacle of his career, Paddy Canny became an international radio star, played solo in Carneige Hall, toured England with the renowned Tulla Ceili Band, and made a much-loved recording. All were extraordinary achievements for a man raised on a marginal farm, where the gramophone records that inspired him were accessible only through the good grace of neighbours. In richly evocative prose, Helen O'Shea distils stories of success and adversity that Paddy Canny told to family and friends, to radio interviews and historians. These stories illuminate the rural life in mid-twentieth-century Ireland, major social and economic changes, and the decline and revival of traditional music and dancing. A compelling story told with passion and insight, this is a book for readers with an interest in Ireland's social history and for music lovers everywhere. No Better Boy includes annotated transcriptions of music played by Paddy Canny and his contemporaries, sourced from archives and personal collections as well as commercial recordings.

Drawing on primary documents as well as interviews and letters, the authors have created a fascinating portrait of one of America's most distinguished and prolific composers whose creative output spans more than half a century. With its well organized, carefully annotated and indexed bibliography, the book is not only a pleasure to read, but a valuable research tool. Read's notable accomplishments include an extensive catalog of 150 opus numbers that run the gamut of instrumental combinations and musical genres, plus nine scholarly books dealing with various aspects of notation, orchestral devices, and instrumental techniques.

The biography describes Read's family background, his early years growing up in Evanston, Illinois, his high school education, his years at the Eastman School of Music, his Cromwell fellowship to Europe, and his marriage to accomplished teacher/pianist, Margaret Vail Payne. Major events are highlighted during his years at St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland, and, finally, Boston. Interlochen, Tanglewood, the MacDowell Colony, the Huntington Hartford Foundation, as well as official visits to Mexico, are explored in terms of the role they played in the creative life of the composer. A major portion of the biography is devoted to Read's opera, DEGREESIVillon DEGREESR. Readers will be interested in the completely annotated bibliography, which includes a complete listing of works, performances, reviews, discography, and literary writings. Appendixes include classified lists of instrumentation, commissions, awards, honors, positions, text sources, dedications, and manuscript locations.

This is a story covering 37 years in television broadcasting including 29 years at the ABC Television Network. It's a story about the broadcast of major events ranging from The Super Bowl and The Olympics to the accident at Three Mile Island. It's about the efforts to get the broadcast back on the air at The 1989 World Series after The San Francisco Earthquake hit disrupting the coverage. It tells what was involved in getting those unforgettable images of Captain John Testrake being interviewed on the tarmac of Beirut Airport while a terrorist waved his pistol behind the Captain's head during the hijacking of TWA Flight 847. Learn what went on behind the scenes to bring those events to your home. Learn about the obstacles that had to be overcome; the hard work, the zany antics and the triumphs of the people who worked behind the cameras and microphones to get those broadcasts on the air and bring those images to America and the world.