Michael Shelden
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Mark Twain: Man in White brings the legendary author's twilight years vividly to life, offering surprising insights, including an intimate, tender look at his family life. Includes rare and never-published Twain photos, delightful anecdotes, and memorable quotes, including numerous recovered Twainisms.
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A new account of Herman Melville and the writing of Moby-Dick, written by a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Biography and based on fresh archival research, which reveals that the anarchic spirit animating Melville's canonical work was inspired by his great love affair with a shockingly unconventional married woman.
Herman Melville's epic novel, Moby-Dick, was a spectacular failure when it was published in 1851, effectively ending its author's rise to...
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The Lost Generation from Professor Michael Shelden evokes one of the most creative periods in American literature. Paris of the 1920s served as a base for such authors as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, and Gertrude Stein. In these lectures, Professor Shelden details and provides fresh insight into the unending allure of the Lost Generation-and of the literary output that exerts a continuing influence nearly a century later.
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Big Brother Is Watching You: The words are inextricably associated with the classic dystopian novel 1984 and with its revered author, George Orwell. The Modern Scholar series continues its exploration of great authors with this course from esteemed professor Michael Shelden. In these lectures Orwell, who also penned the epitome of the political satire, Animal Farm, is discussed in full, from his childhood in Henley-on-Thames to his final days.
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Professor of English at Indiana State University and the author of the literary biography Mark Twain: Man in White, Michael Shelden is the perfect candidate to lead this series of lectures on one of the most important - and most influential - of all American authors. From Twain's early history through his landmark achievements and the defining moments of his extraordinary life, Shelden imparts a learned understanding of both the man and his astounding...
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In modern memory, Winston Churchill remains the man with the cigar and the equanimity among the ruins. Few can remember that at the age of 40, he was considered washed up, his best days behind him. In Young Titan, historian Michael Shelden has produced the first biography focused on Churchill's early career, the years between 1901 and 1915 that both nearly undid him but also forged the character that would later triumph in the Second World War.
Between...
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In his probing and revelatory biography of one of the great prose stylists of the twentieth century, acclaimed biographer Michael Shelden breaks new ground in the evocation of George Orwell's personal life and in our understanding of his art. Based on original interviews, previously undiscovered letters and documents, and astute literary detective work, Orwell is the major biography of one of the great yet elusive literary figures of our time. Shelden...
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Reconsidering JFK volume 9
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The peaceful end to the Cuban Missile Crisis marked a new era for the Cold War, in which all sides understood the threat of nuclear annihilation. Fortunately, President Kennedy was savvy enough to manage the nuclear age-and was able to turn his attention to the civil rights movement. Here, delve into the world of segregation and political activism.
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How Winston Churchill Changed the World volume 24
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Was Winston Churchill really the indispensable man of the 20th century? Can one person even make that much of a difference in the course of history? Professor Shelden concludes this series with a pointed consideration of provocative questions that most academic historians won't even go near.
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Reconsidering JFK volume 11
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Much has been written about JFK's assassination, but Professor Shelden takes a different approach to this tragic story. Why was Kennedy in Dallas in November 1963? As you will discover, the world of Texas politics had split-and threatened his reelection bid. Get a front-row seat in the petty political dramas that preceded the shot from Lee Harvey Oswald.
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How Winston Churchill Changed the World volume 15
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When did the course of war with Germany take the decisive turn for England that Churchill had hoped for? Why did his attention wander to Malaysia and Singapore? Why was the Suez Canal such an important lifeline for Britain? What was Churchill's long-term strategy for facing down the German juggernaut?
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First, establish a strong sense of how Winston Churchill looked at the world, and what he brought to politics that made him stand out from the start of his career. Then, learn how the connecting thread of history helped inspire Churchill to deliver his iconic "Finest Hour" speech.
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How Winston Churchill Changed the World volume 20
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In July 1945, at the height of his triumph over Hitler, Churchill was kicked out of office by the British electorate and replaced with Clement Attlee. Examine how Churchill's struggle to save Europe from despotism left Britain a minor world power instead of the major power it once was.
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Reconsidering JFK volume 12
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Reflect on the legacy of President Kennedy as a flawed King Arthur in a mythical Camelot. After the shooting, the actions of Lyndon Johnson and Jacqueline Kennedy prepared America for the next chapter of history. The series ends by revisiting the beginning and the question that intrigues us still: Who was John F. Kennedy?
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How Winston Churchill Changed the World volume 23
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Churchill devoted as much energy as possible in his second period as prime minister to cementing ties between the United States and Britain in response to the Soviet Union's rise as a superpower. Discover how he became a powerful, persuasive advocate for peaceful coexistence in the face of atomic destruction.
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How Winston Churchill Changed the World volume 21
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In this episode on the dawn of the Cold War era, investigate how Churchill grew increasingly disappointed with Britain's postwar future - including its reduced power, influence, and economic prospects - and his realization that another ominous threat loomed over the world: Stalin and the Soviet dominance of Eastern Europe.
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During the 1930s, Churchill kept his name and fame alive through his books and essays. In this episode, explore some of his greatest works from the period, including "Great Contemporaries" (a dazzling study of major leaders of the day) and "Marlborough: His Life and Times" (a multi-volume biography of a famous ancestor).
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How Winston Churchill Changed the World volume 16
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Learn how another historical giant - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt - became the one vital person Churchill needed at his side to win the war. You'll learn what made these two men such effective partners, including their strong wills, their love of attention, and their hatred of being on the sidelines.
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How Winston Churchill Changed the World volume 18
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Take a look at some of the more controversial decisions of Churchill's war record, including his possible delay of the D-Day invasion and the bombing campaign against Dresden and other German cities. Also, consider Churchill's early public stance against the threat to Jews under the Nazis.
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Reconsidering JFK volume 2
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In the 1950s, Kennedy was a sickly and relatively obscure senator, but his star quickly rose in the 1956 Democratic convention, when he mounted a spirited campaign to win delegates for the vice presidency. Gain an inside look at the backstabbing, backroom deals of a party that expected the young politician to pay his dues.