Connie Ann Kirk

The unprecedented popularity of the Harry Potter books took the publishing world by storm and captured the imaginations of readers around the world. This unofficial biographical study of J. K. Rowling invites fans and critics alike to take a close look at the person behind the phenomenon, the facts of her life as a writer, and the extraordinary success of an ordinary woman.

Samuel Clemens lived 75 years, 50 under the pseudonym Mark Twain. His youth could be characterized as sometimes mischievous, his older years as generally eccentric and his writing as always provocative. Twain left a literary canon of nearly 50 books, hundreds of short stories and essays, and a veritable treasury of quotable epigrams. While his words and his works have stood up to the test of time, knowing the man behind the persona, and understanding what inspired and influenced the writer, is crucial to fully appreciating the contributions Twain made to American literature. By skillfully weaving together strands of history with his personal story, this authoritative biography helps readers come to more fully understand the man and his enduring legacy. Starting with a chapter on Clemens' boyhood, readers are treated to a very personal view of Twain's early life. Twain's adult life is chronicled with five expertly developed chapters that explore his early professional years from printer to pilot, his travels westward and abroad, his gilded years with his beloved wife Livy, and his final years of widowhood and decline. This engaging biography also delves into the enduring impact of Twain's creative voice and his unique blend of humor with social commentary that not only entertained but also challenged thinking and changed the literary landscape forever. This biography draws from the best of established Twain resources and scholarship, and adds fresh new perspectives from personal letters, original manuscripts, and extended study visits to important places including Twain's study and Quarry Farm. This work is written in a lively style that Twain himself would appreciate and students will enjoy. Researchers hoping to dig deeper into the Twain legacy will benefit from the expertly compiled information and documentation of resources offered here. A chronology, a bibliography and five additional fact-filled appendices, including quotes from Twain, books by Twain, and a rendering of his family tree will help readers get a solid handle on the details as well as the big picture of Mark Twain's life and legacy.

The number of athletes who have died competing in the sport of motor racing, including amateurs and professionals around the world, stretches into the thousands. Despite the danger, drivers continue to compete day in and day out for the thrill and joy of the race. In Taken by Speed: Fallen Heroes of Motor Sport and Their Legacies, Connie Ann Kirk pays tribute to professional racing drivers who died while competing in the sport they loved. Covering tragedies from 1955 to the present, Kirk carefully reflects on the legacies of the racers and the impact of the tragic events, including on safety regulations, innovations, and on society as a whole. Drivers and incidents covered in this book include the 24 Heures du Mans race of 1955 where over 80 people died; the 1964 crash at the Indianapolis 500 that stopped the race for the first time in history; and the tragic losses of racers Ayrton Senna, Dale Earnhardt, Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark, Bruce McLaren, Gilles Villeneuve, Francois Cevert, Dan Wheldon, Justin Wilson, and Jules Bianchi. Taken by Speed features exclusive interviews with legends of motor sport—Mario Andretti, Derek Bell, Sir Stirling Moss, Bobby Rahal, Brian Redman, and Sir Jackie Stewart—who raced in the sport’s most dangerous era. It also includes timelines of safety improvements in the sport and key moments in motor sport history. Using motor sports as its lens, this book explores moving stories of what it means to pursue a life’s passion with unwavering drive, commitment, and courage.

Over four hundred alphabetically arranged entries provide plot summaries and bibliographical information, and appendices provide lists of Caldecott medalists and honor books.

The poet Sylvia Plath has been a cultural icon since 1963 when she took her own life on a cold winter morning at the age of 30. This up-to-date biography explores the nature and sources of the mythology that has surrounded the poet's life by presenting a balanced account of her own life and the many significant people and events that influenced her. This outstanding biography presents the facts of Plath's life as they are known in the 21st century. The research for this biography uitilizes the latest updated scholarship including new information released in the unabridged journals published in 2000 and the newly accessible Ted Hughes archives. In addition to this primary research, conducted in part at Smith College, Kirk also provides new insights and perspectives from original interview material with a Plath contemporary who personally knew her. Whether read for a school assignment or for personal interest, this highly readable biography offers an accessible alternative to the density of Plath scholarship. Readers who wish to pursue the topic further will find an extensive bibliography of biographical and critical sources, a full list of Plath's writings, an appendix of her own literary holdings, and another appendix of her family tree.

Using updated scholarship and never before published primary research, this new biography peels away the myths surrounding Emily Dickinson and takes a fresh look at the complex and busy life of this genius of American letters. As a research tool, the volume is also useful for its explanation of current nomenclature for the poems, mysteries and controversies, and the poet's influence on American poetry and culture. Emily Dickinson saw fewer than a dozen of her poems published in her lifetime, but she has since become one of the most revered and beloved of all American poets. As a shy woman living in 19th century New England, Dickinson wrote about large subjects through close observation of small, everyday details. After her death, her sister found more than 1,775 poems and solicited help in seeing them into print. Dickinson preferred to live most of her life at home among those she loved, but over time, some of the more unusual facts of her life became mythologized and distorted. Using updated scholarship and never before published primary research, this new biography peels away the myths surrounding Emily Dickinson and takes a fresh look at the complex and busy life of this genius of American letters. As a research tool, the volume is also useful for its explanation of current nomenclature for the poems, mysteries and controversies, and the poet's influence on American poetry and culture. A chronology is set alongside significant historical and cultural events of the period. Also included are locations of major holdings for Dickinson study, a listing of poems published in her lifetime, and a full bibliography of primary and secondary sources.