In EToo Fast to Live Too Young to DieE readers take an evocative journey with author Keith Elliot Greenberg as he pieces together the puzzle of James Dean's final day and its everlasting impact. Greenberg travels to Dean's hometown to talk with folks who knew the star and all the way to the California roads that underlay the tires of the actor's infamous Porsche Spyder. Taking the story back and forth in time Greenberg gives insight into what drove Dean to live on the edge a the early loss of his mother his relentless drive to explore for the sake of his craft. Dean once said Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today. He lived to experience and the one love that compared to his love of acting was his love of racing cars. Greenberg puts the event in historical context reflecting on the world Dean lived in at the time an era after World War II the end of the Korean War the advent of rock and roll with the sixties coming down the pike. The star's too-soon departure froze him as a symbol of American Cool and as proven by the 20 000 people who return to Dean's grave each year to pay homage a major influence on youth culture for myriad generations. With fresh interviews with insiders riveting storytelling and acute attention to details a from vehicle specs to Dean's stops along the way (including for an ominous speeding ticket) to how the news reached the world a Greenberg delivers a thoughtful look at this historical moment.

ÊDecember 8 1980: The Day John Lennon DiedÊ follows the events leading to the horrible moment when Mark David Chapman ä the paunchy mentally ill Beatles fan ä calmly fired his Charter Arms .38 Special into the rock icon realizing his perverse fantasy of attaining perennial notoriety.ÞÊNew York TimesÊ-best-selling author Keith Elliot Greenberg takes us back to New York City and the world John Lennon woke up to and we follow the other Beatles Lennon's family the shooter fans and New York City officials through the day. Once the fatal shots are fired the pace only becomes more breathless.ÞThe epilogue examines the aftermath of the killing ä the moment when 100 000 New Yorkers stood in silence in Central Park; the posthumous reunion of the Beatles in the studio with George Paul and Ringo accompanying recordings of their old friend ä and the undying legacy that persists to this day.

"Classy" Freddie Blassie was universally acknowledged as one of the most hated heels in wrestling history. Freddie really knew how to antagonize the fans -- how to "get heat." Death threats were frequent, enraged fans stabbed him twenty-one times, and he was even doused with acid. Undeterred, Blassie just took the action up a level. He reveled in being the heel. It was commonplace to see him biting his opponents and then spitting out their blood. Blassie would routinely "file" his teeth during interviews. His matches in Los Angeles' Olympic Stadium brought him to the attention of Hollywood. Freddie's style and unpredictability made him a natural for the medium, and he became one of the biggest draws in the wrestling business. In the early '60s, he was invited to wrestle in Japan. Blassie both horrified and mesmerized sedate Japanese society.

At seventeen, Freddie made his wrestling debut in a carnival. Unhappy with his choice of occupation, his family persuaded him to get a "real" job, and for a while he worked as a meatcutter. But after serving in the Navy in World War II, Freddie returned to wrestling. Here he picked up his catch phrase: "pencil neck geek."

Early in his career, Blassie wrestled for Jess McMahon, and would later work for both his son, Vincent James McMahon, and his grandson, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, the current owner of World Wrestling Entertainment. (TM) When his days in the ring ended, "Classy" Freddie Blassie became the manager of heels, transferring to a whole new generation of wrestlers the style, moves, and ring knowledge that had made him a legend of wrestling.

Released just prior to his death, "Legends of Wrestling: "Classy" Freddie Blassie" containsvibrant tales of his days in wrestling with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Killer Kowalski, and the Iron Sheik. He frankly chronicles his dealings with the wrestling fraternity and the promoters, even recounting the infamous "boxer vs. wrestler" match with Muhammad Ali, who was managed by Blassie.

His out-of-the-ring stories are equally compelling. Freddie details his countless sexual exploits, and his three marriages. He reflects on the cult status that he gained after his song "Pencil Neck Geek" rocketed to the top of the Dr. Demento Show play list. He recounts his touching relationship with comedian Andy Kaufman, who cast him in "Breakfast with Blassie" -- an underground classic in which Blassie uttered: "What the hell ever happened to the human race?"

Added to this edition is an epilogue, recounting Freddie's last days and his unforgettable funeral.