Showing results by publisher "Phoenix Books" in All Categories

Millions of American baseball fans know, with absolute certainty, that umpires are simply overpaid galoots who are doing an easy job badly. Millions of American baseball fans are wrong. As They See 'Em is an insider's look at the largely unknown world of professional umpires, the small group of men (and the very occasional woman) who make sure America's favorite pastime is conducted in a manner that is clean, crisp, and true.

Millions of otherwise rational and mature men and women are driven to self-defeating, out-of-control behavior by intense, unfulfilled desire. Millions of others—targets of their obsession—find their lives turned upside down by unwanted attention, harassment, and worse. In Obsessive Love, acclaimed therapist Dr. Susan Forward offers crucial help to both obsessors and their targets. Using vivid case histories— drawn largely from her several decades of practice—Dr. Forward outlines the stages of obsessive love—from romance to rejection, from pursuit to revenge.

In this fiendishly original novel, Mark Leyner is a leather-blazer-wearing, Piranha 793-driving, narcotic-guzzling monster who has potential rivals eliminated by his bionically enhanced bodyguards, has his internal organs tattooed, and eavesdrops on the erotic fantasies of Victoria's Secret models–fantasies that naturally revolve around him.

Esteemed mystery writer Anne Perry, author of more than twenty-five novels and two acclaimed detective series, heads up a delectable cast of writers, the very best from both sides of the Atlantic. In the tradition of honored crime writers Agatha Christie, Malice Domestic, Volume 6 jumps the pond between Britain and America to deliver 100 percent pure suspense in all its spine-tingling glory. The ten mysteries included here are read by Stephanie Beacham, Christopher Cazenove, Reed Diamond, Judy Geeson, Patrick Macnee, and Emmy winners Juliet Mills and William Windom.

Melvin Spellbound's humdrum life suddenly becomes extraordinary when 111-year-old Borgel arrives for a visit. In this clever, funny, off-the-wall story, Melvin's sort of Uncle Borgel seems like an Old World refugee when he shows up at the Spellbound home and moves into their back room with 32 small black suitcases. However, his true identity as an experienced time-and-space tourist is soon revealed when he takes young Melvin on a fantastic intergalactic road trip in search of The Great Popsicle.

Abigail (the woodmouse), Russell (the hedgehog), Edgar (the mole), and Michelle (the badger)—known to their teacher as the Furlings—come face-to-face with dangers unintentionally brought to their forest world by the human pursuit of "progress." These woodland friends race against time to and work together as a team to help a friend in need. This exciting audio tale is based on the children's film Once Upon a Forest, produced by Hanna-Barbera studios.

For anyone who's ever nodded off in history class or gotten lost amidst a commotion of confusing names, dates, and other incidentals— it's Captain History to the rescue! Flanked by his two wise-cracking sidekicks, Elmo and Nero, Captain History makes learning United States history fun and entertaining.

Combine a crime, a criminal, a fat man in a fez, and a guy named "Chicken Man," and you get a zany sci-fi adventure that defies gravity. As Wizard of Comedy Daniel M. Pinkwater transports the Snarkout Boys and the Rat through the tunnel under North Aufzoo Street to the warmth of Beanbenders, you'll meet some strange characters and learn much about the versatile avocado.

Oscar Wilde was an Irish writer who made up special stories for children filled with sweetness and tenderness, as well as lessons about life. Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet best remembered for his fairy tales with lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity. In this pairing of classics, Dudley Moore reads "The Happy Prince"— Oscar Wilde's tale of charity and loyalty—and David Dukes reads Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," a fable about a toy soldier's love for a paper ballerina.

When Yellow Dog saved a boy from drowning, he became a canine hero. But now dog and boy are in danger again, alone in the wilderness after a boat trip separates them from the boy's father and leaves them stranded in the Canadian wilderness. This time, it's the boy's turn to become a hero, and with a little help from this former stray dog, he uses his best judgment in a brave attempt to get home. In this compelling story of loyalty and adventure—as read by actress Mimi Rogers, who appears in the film version—the boy and Yellow Dog become partners in survival and friends for life.

After the loss of her parents, Mary Lennox comes to live at her uncle's great mansion on the Yorkshire Moors. Unsure about her surroundings, Mary struggles to find a place in this new existence. Through the gentle guidance of the maid, Mary gradually becomes interested in a garden at the house, the key to which has vanished. In her quest to find and explore the possibilities the garden holds, Mary befriends a host of loveable characters. Is the garden dead, or can Mary bring it back to life?

Miracles can and do happen—when one does the footwork. Dr. Walter Turnbull dreamed of creating opportunities and better lives for the children of Harlem, and Lift Every Voice is the inspirational story of how he realized his dream. Dr. Turnbull shares the hard-bought wisdom he learned throughout his life—from his impoverished childhood in backwoods Mississippi to his experiences as founder and director of the Grammy Award-winning Boys Choir of Harlem. Turnbull shares insights on how to teach children that with hard work, discipline, and self-respect they can attain their highest goals.

It is 1757, the third year of the French and Indian War. Deep in the forests of New York State, the brave woodsman Hawkeye and his loyal Mohican friends become involved in the bloody French and Indian War. Hawkeye, a colonial scout, Chingachgook, the Mohican chief, and Uncas, his son, risk their lives to guide two English sisters through hostile territory and evade the evil Huron chief, Magua, who is determined to destroy them. The thrilling events that lead to the final tragic confrontation between rival war parties create an unforgettable, spine-tingling picture of life on the frontier.

Set in the frozen wasteland of the Yukon, Jack London's most popular and enduring work is a tale about unbreakable spirit and the fight for survival. Buck—a mix of St. Bernard and Scotch Shepherd—is a loyal family pet until cruel men steal him and make him a pawn in their feverish search for gold. Brutally beaten into serving as a sled dog, Buck finds the blood of his wolf ancestors rising within him. Unable to resist the call from the Alaskan wilderness, he breaks free to roam as the leader of a ferocious wolf pack.

Though celebrated playwright Wendy Wasserstein was firmly rooted in New York's cultural life, her appeal is universal. Shiksa Goddess collects her urbane, inspiring, and deeply empathetic essays, all written when she was in her forties, and all infused with her trademark irreverent humor. The full range of Wasserstein's mid-life obsessions are covered in this eclectic collection— everything from Chekhov, politics, and celebrity to family, fashion, and real estate.

Successful TV political commentator Arthur Vandameer—host of WNIN's Speaking Truth to Power—is rich, famous...and miserable. He has risen to the top of the city's glittering media heap only to find nothing. His teenage daughter—privileged, glamorous Allison—is blonde, beautiful, and wants nothing more than to go to film school. Her boyfriend, Joselito Diaz (aka Goonie), is special to her only because she knows her father cannot stand him. When Allison disappears, a madcap cast of characters gets into the act, stirring a citywide web of intrigue, insanity, political values and personal agendas.

Award-winning writer Dan Wakefield reveals how writers, artists, musicians, and creative people of all kinds can unleash the principle of creativity within so that it can infuse every aspect of our lives. Wakefield challenges the belief that to be creative, one must be alienated, neurotic, irresponsible, and a failure at relationships. Drawing on examples from religion, philosophy, and literature Creating from the Spirit teaches us that the key to creation is clarity of body, mind, and spirit.

It is 1792, during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror. An English aristocrat regarded as an ineffectual fop is actually a master of disguises who—with a small band of dedicated friends—undertakes dangerous missions to save members of the French nobility from the guillotine. His friends and foes know him only as the Scarlet Pimpernel. But the ruthless French agent Chauvelin is sworn to hunt him down and uncover his identity.

When Quasimodo appears before the masses as the "Pope of Fools," the crowd beholds an enormous cyclops-like creature—the hunchback's whole body seems a twisted grimace. Yet, with all his deformity, there is a certain grace and agility in him, and he possesses an endearing passion. When Esmerelda, the beautiful Romani woman, stands between his two executioners, Quasimodo makes the ultimate sacrifice.

Softhearted, emotionally fragile Patricia Dennison—orphaned heiress to the Stoneham fortune—divides her life between trips to a Swiss sanatorium, where she is ensconced in the suicide ward, and the farm where she pensions off broken-down horses, cultivates a lush rose garden, and moons after a handsome, seemingly heroic doctor. Enter arrogant Miguel Cardiga, a Portuguese bullfighter whose career is sidelined by a rogue bull's deadly horns. Son of a famed equestrian, Miguel schools Patricia in dressage and love.