1918-

Features analysis of the plays most frequently studied in literature classes. Entries include: introduction providing overview of play; brief biography of playwright; plot summary; discussion of play's principal themes; essays on play's construction; and excerpted critical commentary.

Each volume provides discussions of the literary and historical background of novels from various cultures and time periods. Includes concise synopses of plot, characters and themes, a brief author biography, discussion of the story's cultural and historical significance, and excerpted criticism.

Meet Katherine Johnson, a brilliant mathematician who worked at NASA in the early 1950s until retiring in 1986. Katherine's unparalleled calculations (done by hand) helped plan the trajectories for NASA's Mercury and Apollo missions (including the Apollo 11 moon landing). She is said to be one of the greatest American minds of all time.--.

Provides insights into the personal lives of Boston Red Sox players Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky, all of whom played for the baseball team in the 1940s, and discusses the friendship that continued to thrive among the four men for over sixty years.

Offers a brief introduction to the life of political activist and Nobel Prize-winning statesman Nelson Mandela.

Discusses the trials of Nelson Mandela and the politics of South Africa.

An anthology of critical essays that provide a wide range of information and opinion about the twentieth-century play and film "West Side Story, " and its creators composer Leonard Bernstein and playwright Arthur Laurents.

A biography of the famous conductor and composer of Broadway musicals, including West Side Story and On the Town.

Born into African royalty, he became an international hero for his sacrifices in the fight against apartheid. After decades in jail, he emerged as the leader of his reborn nation. Journey to freedom alongside one of the most compelling figures of the 20th century. Learn the remarkable story of his life, from his idyllic childhood through his years of imprisonment to his triumphant election as president of South Africa.