Charles River

*Includes pictures of Monet and his most famous art *Includes Monet's quotes *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love." - Claude Monet To get a sense of the kind of prestige that Claude Monet's reputation has within the art world, one need only learn that his Le Bassin Aux Nymphe s (1919) - from his series of paintings featuring water lilies - sold for the equivalent of more than $70 million. This is an incredibly staggering price, especially considering that early in his life, Monet had been so poor and debt-ridden that some of his paintings were taken from him by creditors. How, exactly, did Monet progress from being an impoverished young Impressionist artist working at the vanguard of European art to the legendary Master whose works command prices near the very pinnacle of the art world? Naturally, Monet's commercial success soared exponentially in the decades following his death in 1926, at a time in which the prices commanded by the great Masters of Western art began rising in price at exponential rates. Yet even during his own lifetime, Monet enjoyed a sharp rise to fame and was canonized as one of the greatest painters in France. Following sharply in the footsteps of Edouard Manet, Claude Monet was one of the first painters identified within the Impressionist circle (indeed, it was Monet himself who coined the label of Impressionist after using it in the title of one of his paintings). Where some artists reach the peak of their acclaim early in life, Monet's star continued to rise even throughout his old age; although some would argue that the last decade or so of his life were anticlimactic, at least from an artistic standpoint, his landmark water lilies were made during his elderly years. And even though Monet would continue to paint well after the canonical period of Impressionism had ended, his name was and remains synonymous with Impressionism, along with cherished acquaintances of his, including such luminaries as Pierre-August Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and Edouard Manet. Simply put, Monet is a monumental figure when it comes to examining Western art during the second half of the 19th century. Like many other great artists, Monet's artistic style developed in tandem with the unfolding changes in his personal life and the professional relationships he maintained. His upbringing was in certain respects unremarkable (at least before the premature death of his mother), but it was during his childhood that Monet cultivated his passion for painting, and even during that time that he met certain artists who would prove instrumental in the nurturing of his prodigious talents. Whether or not Monet was the most brilliant or gifted of the Impressionists is a matter of opinion, but either way, his abilities were molded by his upbringing, his temperament and personality, his formal style, and his standing within the Parisian art world. History's Greatest Artists: The Life and Legacy of Claude Monet looks at the personal background that led to him becoming an artist and the cultural climate in which he rose to fame. Monet's formal technique and artistic legacy are also analyzed, including his working methods and artistic education. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Monet like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures *Includes accounts of the fighting and evacuations written by soldiers on both sides *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "The Navy, using nearly 1,100 ships of all kinds, carried over 335,000 men, French and British, out of the jaws of death and shame ...] We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations. But there was a victory inside this deliverance ...] we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills ...] until ...] the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old." - Winston Churchill, June 4, 1940 "Blitzkrieg" or "Lightning War" describes the Third Reich's invasion strategy during its 1940 conquest of France not only due to the speed of the Wehrmacht advance but also its devastating effect on its ill-prepared adversaries. Mired in the paralyzing muck of plodding staff college military doctrine and demoralized as a nation by their appalling losses during World War I, the French succumbed in a few weeks to German skill and vigor. Moreover, after being lured into Belgium by a large-scale German feint, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and over a million French soldiers found themselves cut off by the main Wehrmacht thrust. Heinz Guderian and Irwin Rommel, among others, led their panzers on an 11-day dash from the Ardennes Forest to the coast, trapping vast numbers of Allied soldiers in Belgium and northeastern France. The surrender of more than 1,200,000 isolated troops followed, yet in the midst of this disaster, the Allies contrived one coup that took even the victorious Wehrmacht aback: the evacuation of over 300,000 soldiers from the port of Dunkirk. This escape, hailed as "miraculous" at the time, provided England with a solid defensive force, the French with the kernel of a "Free French" army for the future, and the Western Allies with an invaluable boost to their morale during one of the war's darkest moments. Hitler's Order of the Day on June 5th, 1940 placed no special emphasis on the end of the Dunkirk evacuation save as the milestone marking full German triumph in the north. While a leader never celebrates the successes of his enemies, the Fuhrer's terse commentary - and subsequent, very real expectations that the British would sue for peace and possibly even overthrow Churchill - suggest that he attached little significance to the BEF slipping through his fingers: "Soldiers of the West Front Dunkirk has fallen... with it has ended the greatest battle of world history. Soldiers My confidence in you knew no bounds. You have not disappointed me." With the clarity of historical hindsight, events proved Churchill correct. Operation Dynamo, as the British named the Dunkirk evacuation mission, bolstered British morale and defenses sufficiently to keep the "Sceptered Isle" in the war. This, in turn, led to the eventual entry of the United States, whose lethal air force, powerful navy, strategic successes, and massive Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union helped doom Adolf Hitler's "Thousand-Year Reich" to a ruinous end in 1945. The Miracle of Dunkirk: The History of the World War II Battle and Evacuation that Helped Save Britain from Nazi Germany chronicles the operations that saved over 300,000 Allied soldiers from being trapped. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Dunkirk like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures *Includes historic accounts of the Countess' life and crimes *Includes footnotes, online resources, and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "She didn't fear death because inside herself, she didn't conceive it as a common destiny, although she had seen it several times, although it had upset her so many times. Death is what happens to others, to the weak ones, she might have thought in her delirious blindness. As far as the physical pains and punishments were concerned, these had been exciting her ever since she was a child." - Javier Garcia Sanchez, Contesa Dracula Erzs bet B thory The legends of vampires like Dracula have generated massive interest throughout time. Indeed, the story of a man (in some versions a very handsome, dashing man), who feeds on the blood of virgins in order to survive, and who walks the earth only at night, has been revived throughout the centuries in different forms. However, one famous tale that has been lost among the legends is the story of a female Dracula, an educated woman from a well-known family of 16th century Hungary who was so afraid to lose her beauty and young looks that she engaged in dangerous practices, combining witchcraft with exsanguination. Countess Elizabeth B thory is this female Dracula. She is said to have drained the blood of approximately 600 young women, in order to drink it, spread it all over her body as a nurturing blend, or simply to bathe in it. Her preferences for such practices can be explained by several factors, including the practices of the time as far as torture was concerned, her genetic heritage, personal madness, and the fear of fading beauty. Despite the general impression that B thory was exsanguinating these girls and bathing in their blood, it appears that she did much more. Sources indicate that most of the girls had been beaten, tortured, and even forced into particular sexual activities. Regardless, her attempts to do anything to keep her beauty apparently went for naught, because upon her death, B thory was no longer the beautiful and young woman she desired to be. In essence, it seems that all her criminal efforts had been in vain. Based on her behavior and the reactions to it throughout time, it is virtually impossible to set Erzs bet B thory in a character typology. On one hand, she could be considered a bored wife left alone by her husband for long periods of time, time that she used to develop passions for same-sex relations and an acute interest in inflicting pain on her victims. She might be seen as a mentally unstable person who found great joy in torturing others. Perhaps most disturbing of all, there's a possibility that the countess was a common character within the nobility of the 16th century who was acting normally based on the customs and norms of her era. Adding to the mystery of the story is that historical records are still mostly inaccessible because of the language barriers (most historical sources are in Hungarian). As a result, researchers interested in her life story and history usually rely on a limited number of available sources, such as biographies, articles, published letters said to have belonged to her, and scholarly articles on the topic. Countess Elizabeth Bathory: The Life and Legacy of History's Most Prolific Female Serial Killer details the mysterious and sordid history of one of the world's first and worst serial killers. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Countess Bathory like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures *Includes Josephine Baker's quotes about her life and career *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents. And much more. But I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad." - Josephine Baker "Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one's soul, when birth places have the weight of a throw of the dice and all men are born free, when understanding breeds love and brotherhood." - Josephine Baker A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. From a young girl growing up in the slums of Missouri who hired herself out as a maid at 12 to provide for her younger siblings to the lead dancer in the Folies Bergere idolized by Parisians, Josephine Baker danced to the beat of her own drum. Undeniably she possessed an innate charisma, but she also went out of her way to make an audience notice her. As a chorus girl in Harlem, she might have remained a bit player, but Josephine would break out of the line, crossing her eyes and mugging funny faces, all the while ignoring the other girls' synced steps, to dance in her own wild and unique style. She faced injustice and discrimination at many junctures of her life, but Josephine Baker, rather than succumbing to these setbacks, determinedly fought against them. During World War II, she enlisted as a member of the Resistance, mysteriously turning up in Morocco when many thought she had died. She also joined the fight for Civil Rights in the U. S., becoming such an instrumental figure that soon after Martin Luther King's assassination, his widow asked her to return to the U. S. and serve as the new leader of the movement. Josephine fought oppression, but she never lost her gaiety or joie de vivre. She was devoted to her career, but she was equally devoted to the 12 children of various ethnicities she adopted, dubbed the "Rainbow Tribe". In the 1960s, Josephine suffered illnesses and setbacks that left in dire financial straits, and in 1968, the woman who had once been at the top of Parisian society was evicted from her home by the Parisian government. For a moment, she thought her career was washed up, but in 1974, she played Carnegie Hall to a standing ovation, as well as the London Palladium and the Monaco Red Cross Gala that celebrated her 50 years in French show business. When Josephine died in 1975, over 20,000 people attended her funeral in Paris, which was viewed by countless others as it was broadcast on French television. Josephine Baker was ahead of her time in many ways, which is probably why she still resonates so strongly with many people today. As a multi-dimensional woman who lived a life with hardly a dull moment, Josephine Baker steps out of the pages of history, much as she did as a chorus girl, and continues to capture people's interest. American Legends: The Life of Josephine Baker examines the life and career of one of the 20th century's most famous performers. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Josephine Baker like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures *Includes accounts of the fighting *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "My Luftwaffe is invincible... And so now we turn to England. How long will this one last - two, three weeks?" - Hermann Goering, June 1940 One of the most famous people in the world came to tour the city of Paris for the first time on June 28, 1940. Over the next three hours, he rode through the city's streets, stopping to tour L'Op ra Paris. He rode down the Champs- lys es toward the Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower, where he had his picture taken. After passing through the Arc de Triomphe, he toured the Pantheon and old medieval churches, though he did not manage to see the Louvre or the Palace of Justice. Heading back to the airport, he told his staff, "It was the dream of my life to be permitted to see Paris. I cannot say how happy I am to have that dream fulfilled today." Four years after his tour, Adolf Hitler would order the city's garrison commander, General Dietrich von Choltitz, to destroy Paris, warning his subordinate that the city "must not fall into the enemy's hand except lying in complete debris." Of course, Paris was not destroyed before the Allies liberated it, but it would take more than 4 years for them to wrest control of France from Nazi Germany after they took the country by storm in about a month in 1940. That said, it's widely overlooked today given how history played out that as the power of Nazi Germany grew alarmingly during the 1930s, the French sought means to defend their territory against the rising menace of the Thousand-Year Reich. As architects of the most punitive measures in the Treaty of Versailles following World War I, France was a natural target for Teutonic retribution, so the Maginot Line, a series of interconnected strongpoints and fortifications running along much of France's eastern border, helped allay French fears of invasion. The true flaw in French military strategy during the opening days of World War II lay not in reliance on the Maginot fortifications but in the army's neglect to exploit the military opportunities the Line created. In other words, the border defense performed as envisioned, but the other military arms supported it insufficiently to halt the Germans. The French Army squandered the opportunity not because the Maginot Line existed but because they failed to utilize their own defensive plan properly; the biggest problem was that the Germans simply skirted past the intricate defensive fortifications by invading neutral Belgium and swinging south, thereby avoiding the Maginot Line for the most part. The French had not expected the Germans would be able to move armored units through the Ardennes Forests, a heavily wooded region spanning parts of Belgium, France and the Netherlands. To the Allies' great surprise, the Germans had no trouble rolling across these lands in the span of weeks. And by invading France from the north, the Germans simply avoided the Maginot Line. The French surrendered in June 1940, and the British narrowly escaped disaster by transporting thousands of soldiers and equipment across the English Channel at Dunkirk. Thus, by the middle of 1940, the Axis powers and the Soviet Union had overrun nearly all of Western Europe. With France out of the war, and without active participation by the United States, Great Britain virtually stood alone. The Fall of France: The History of Nazi Germany's Invasion and Conquest of France During World War II chronicles the background and construction of the much maligned defensive fortifications. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the fall of France like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures *Includes Polanski's own quotes about his life and career *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "I can only say that whatever my life and work have been, I'm not envious of anyone, and this is my biggest satisfaction." - Roman Polanski "Polanski claims in Roman By Polanski, his autobiography, that for him the line between reality and fantasy has always been blurred." - Daniel Bird, Roman Polanski: The Pocket Essential Guide (2009). Few figures in Hollywood's history have been as acclaimed and controversial as director Roman Polanski, whose legendary films would stand out if not for the fact that they're often eclipsed by the turbulent life he's led. The son of Polish parents, Polanski survived World War II despite having both parents transferred to concentration camps during the Holocaust, but his mother was killed at Auschwitz. Despite the terrible ordeal and the loss of his mother, Polanski would grow up to become one of Europe's best directors, and over the course of a career spanning about 50 years, his films have been nominated for too many awards to count. Given that background, Polanski would represent one of Hollywood's greatest success stories, but far from having a fairytale ending, more hardships would endure. During the second half of the 1960s, he was linked to American actress Sharon Tate, but shortly after the couple was married, Polanski's pregnant wife was murdered in gruesome fashion by members of Charlie Manson's Family. Shortly after her death, he was criticized for posing for photographs in the room where she had been murdered, but in his autobiography, Polanski wrote glowingly of his wife, "Sharon was more than just stunning to look at. She wasn't naive or stupid or a clich starlet. What had impressed me most about her, quite apart from her exceptional beauty, was the sort of radiance that springs from a kind and gentle nature; she had obvious hang-ups yet seemed completely liberated. I'd never met anyone like her before." Unfortunately, more controversial things were to come. Polanski was accused of sexually assaulting a teenager in 1977 after a photo shoot in Los Angeles, but he avoided being sentenced by fleeing to France and, despite being controversial and having been subjected to extradition requests by the American government, remains free and occasionally directs films. Legends of Hollywood: The Life and Legacy of Roman Polanski examines the life and career of one of the movie industry's most notorious figures. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Roman Polanski like never before, in no time at all.