Famous For 15 Minutes

"Historian Charney tracks the eventful life of the Mona Lisa in this rollicking account.... The result is both a thrilling tale of true crime and a rigorous work of art history." —...

Crowther offers a fascinating look at the role of sport as practiced in several important civilizations in the ancient world. He not only probes the games themselves, but explores ...

English critics were brilliant initiators and exploiters of biblical criticism. This momentous exercise, whereby the 'Holy Scriptures' became the object of human critique independe...

A unique exploration of opening lines from classic literature to modern music. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. In that spirit, Famous First Impr...

In a nineteenth century Chinese lacquer box, this book’s author Joris Escher found two drawings of his great-uncle, the world-famous graphic artist M.C. Escher. The sheets had not ...

Taking seriously the commonplace that a man is known by the company he keeps—and particularly by the company he keeps over his lifetime—one can learn more about just about anyone b...

Edward Said, the famous Palestinian American scholar and activist, was one of the twentieth century’s most iconic public intellectuals, whose pioneering and – to some – controversi...

Chapter four discusses the impact of colonial rule on traditional cultural and sporting pastimes and the new activities that emerged, most notably cricket. There are three case stu...