Biography & Autobiography : Entertainment & Performing Arts

The story of Mary Poppins, the quintessentially English and utterly magical children's nanny, is remarkable enough. She flew into the lives of the unsuspecting Banks family in a children's book that was instantly hailed as a classic, then became a household name when Julie Andrews stepped into the starring role in Walt Disney's hugely successful and equally classic film. Now she is a Broadway sensation all over again. But the story of Mary Poppins's creator, as this first biography reveals, is just as unexpected and remarkable. The fabulous English nanny was conceived by an Australian, Pamela Lyndon Travers, who in 1924 came to London from Sydney as a journalist. She became involved with theosophy and traveled in the literary circles of W. B. Yeats and T. S. Eliot. Most famously, she clashed with ''the great convincer'' Walt Disney over the adaptation of the Mary Poppins books into film. more...

Price: $17.99

Legendary actor Sidney Poitier returns to reflect on his life--this time to dig deeper into the moral and spiritual dimensions that have given it meaning. He writes about values and ideals, love, education, family and work.  Rich in stories and in hard-earned wisdom, the book draws on the two halves of Mr. Poitier's unique perspective: his impoverished but, in many ways blissful, upbringing on an island in the Bahamas, and his long career making some of the most morally significant films of the late 20th Century. more...

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A tribute to the influential artist commemorates the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death, offering an intimate glimpse of the cultural legend who helped change a generation. more...

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Through sleepless ramblings and observations from Newfoundland singer / songwriter Damhnait Doyle, these journals cover her travels from Afghanistan to Japan and all over Canada on tour both solo and with her Shaye bandmates, Kim Stockwood and Tara MacLean. Sharing insights into the highs and lows of juggling a band and a solo career, and whether she's talking about Advil or karma, bikes or Canadian troops in Kabul, Damhnait Doyle's style is engaging and uniquely personal. The title of this book was found on the door of a dressing room at the 2005 Canadian Songwriter's Hall of Fame event. The room housed Buffy Sainte-Marie, Loreena McKennitt, and many other notable female musicians, and Damhnait Doyle's initial reaction was '''Miscellaneous females' they are not.'' But upon reflection, she realized that, as writers, she and these other women were speaking for all women who do not have a public voice. more...

Price: $16.95

On the occasion of Mozart's two hundred and fiftieth birthday, read Maynard Solomon's Mozart: A Life , universally hailed as the Mozart biography of our time. more...

Price: $17.95