Paul Hecht

Von Igelfeld is the world's leading scholar on Portuguese irregular verbs, having written a majestic, nearly 1,200-page book on the subject. As one review says, "There is nothing more to be said on this subject. Nothing." But in other matters, von Igelfeld is not nearly so skilled. Whether haplessly playing tennis against an equally dreadful opponent, or committing his friends to swordfighting duels without their knowledge, von Igelfeld is somewhat...

The unexpected delivery of a large crate containing an Antarctic penguin changes the life and fortunes of Mr. Popper, a house painter obsessed by dreams of the Polar regions.

Smith delivers a rich account of Eisenhower's life using previously untapped primary sources. From the military service in WWII that launched his career to the shrewd political decisions that kept America out of wars with the Soviet Union and China, Smith reveals a man who never faltered in his dedication to serving America, whether in times of war or peace.

In Demolition Angel he delves into the life-on-the-edge world of the Los Angeles bomb squad. Three years ago Carol Starkey was one of L.A.'s best bomb squad technicians. Then a freak accident while disarming a bomb left her scarred inside and out. Now a Detective-2 with the LAPD's Criminal Conspiracy Section, she is struggling to rebuild her shattered world. When an explosion claims the life of a technician who was a colleague and friend, Carol is...

Alistair Horne is a leading scholar of French history. Here he trains his sights on one of the most compelling figures of the 19th century, Napoleon Bonaparte. Far from a mere dictator, Napoleon was a military, political and social visionary whose legacy can still be felt in France and all over the world. Horne examines the one-time emperor at his most human, from his greatest triumphs to his disastrous failures.

A legend in American science fiction, Ray Bradbury has penned such landmark works as Fahrenheit 451 and The Illustrated Man. In 2007 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation. The evocative collection Now and Forever features two previously unreleased novellas, "Somewhere a Band Is Playing" and "Leviathan '99."

Passionate, eventful, and beautifully written, this insightful fictional biography is as compelling as a psychological thriller. Hitler's Niece gives striking testimony to the broad range of this award-winning author's multifaceted talent. Readers are as much haunted by its spartan style as they are by the graceful prose of Mariette in Ecstasy and Atticus. As Adolph Hitler stood poised to unleash his reign of horror, his 23-year-old niece, Geli Raubal,...

With millions of copies of his New York Times best-selling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries in print across the globe, Alexander McCall Smith is one of the most popular novelists and humorists in the world. Starring the brilliant but bumbling Professor Doctor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs is a wonderfully entertaining showcase for Smith's award-winning wit. Invited to lecture in America, von Igelfeld envisions...

Professor Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld and his colleagues at the University of Regensburg's Institute of Romance Philology pride themselves on their unwavering commitment to intellectual excellence. They know it is their job to protect a certain civilized approach to the scholarly arts. So when a new deputy librarian, Dr. Hilda Schreiber-Ziegler, threatens to drag them all down a path of progressive inclusivity, they are determined to stop her in...