Books with author H. P. Robinson

Hailed by The New York Times as "America's Aristophanes," Will Rogers was one of this century's most astute and beloved humorists. If as he often remarked, he never met a man he didn't like, it is also true that Rogers never met a man he didn't like to make fun of. Everyone from congressmen and Presidents to Hollywood movie moguls and wealthy industrialists bore the brunt of his gently lacerating wit--and seemed, mostly, to be charmed in the process. So popular did Rogers become--through dozens of films, a daily column that ran for nine years in newspapers across the country, and countless lectures and stage performances--that he was often urged to run for Congress and even the Presidency. Upon receiving a mock appointment as Congressman-at-Large for the whole United States, Rogers protested, "I regret the disgrace that's been thrust upon me here tonight. I've tried to live my whole life so that I would never become a congressman." In American Original, Ray Robinson chronicles the trajectory of Will Rogers' remarkable life. Written with engaging immediacy and filled with a wealth of delightful anecdotes, this lively portrait follows Rogers from his childhood in the Indian Territory of what is now Oklahoma, to his first spellbinding lariat performances in the Wild West shows (where he would often lasso prominent audience members and drag them on stage), to his stardom in vaudeville and the Ziegfeld Follies, to his early silent movies and the later "talkies," and finally to his astonishing influence as a "cowboy philosopher" columnist read by over 40 million Americans. Far more than other biographers, Robinson excels at conveying Rogers' impact as a political commentator ("I belong to no organized political party. I am a Democrat.") and his great success as an actor in Hollywood, where he was the leading star of Fox Films. And along the way, Robinson paints a vibrant portrait of one of America's most colorful eras. We follow the early evolution of modern entertainment, enjoy vivid snapshots of W.C. Fields, Charlie Chaplin, Florenz Ziegfeld, Eddie Cantor, Samuel Goldwyn, Shirley Temple, and John Ford, and, perhaps most important, witness the major political events of the era through Will Rogers' uniquely perceptive eyes. American Original succeeds most appealingly in bringing Will Rogers before us with all the spontaneity, intimacy, and honesty of a live performance. In it we are given front row seats to the life of a character unabashedly American and unforgettably original.

In theater, some shows succeed and some fail. Cats, which opened in London on May 11, 1981, and in New York City on October 7, 1982, was a success that changed history. The Hamilton of its time, and a winner even now, Cats has become one of the great landmark musicals of British and American theater. Treat your readers to the real story of the show. Covering the show's roots in the comic poetry of T. S. Eliot through to the musical's modern revivals, this book traces the history of an iconic Broadway hit.

From rebel uniforms to Yankee jargon, these interactive educational tools cover all the details that kids need to authentically portray a Civil War soldier for either the Confederacy or the Union. The more than 25 activities include a myriad of Civil War topics, including the battle names used by the Southern states, the famous army and government leaders of both the Confederacy and the Union, and the proper dress and symbols associated with both sides. Fun, hands-on activities are also presented for kids' educational entertainment, from baking army victuals and learning how to load a musket to creating their very own Civil War–era currency.

A tale for the child within us all. When we meet Theodore “Teddy” Roberts, he is on the verge of crossing over to the world of grown-ups. His childlike imagination is fading with every passing year, his once grand and wondrous adventures are fewer and further between, and the powers and secrets that once came so easily to him are slowly drifting away. Yet there is a grand world within Teddy that has been waiting patiently—if only he can unlock the door that only the truest believers can open. His curiosity getting the better of him, Teddy enters the land of imagination and his destiny unfurls: to save the magical creatures who call it home. Along the way he discovers the secrets that have entwined his own family to the magic that lies within the golden gates. This will be the journey of a lifetime—to correct the mistakes made so long ago, to understand and hopefully save his own powers of imagination before the door closes forever…Theodore Roberts and the Key to the Imaginary Door is a fantasy/adventure novel that celebrates the glory of imagination as its young hero journeys to a wondrous world—a world where dreams are born, magic is commonplace, and childlike hearts are rediscovered.

By one of the world's top writers of crime fiction, When the Music's Over -- which takes on the sexual abuse of an adolescent girl by a celebrity in the entertainment world -- is one of Robinson's strongest to date.When the body of a young girl is found in a remote countryside lane, evidence suggests she was drugged, abused, and thrown from a moving van -- before being beaten to death. While DI Annie Cabbot investigates the circumstances in which a 14-year-old could possibly fall victim to such a crime, newly promoted DSI Alan Banks must do the same -- but the crime Banks is investigating is the coldest of cases. Fifty years ago Linda Palmer was attacked by celebrity entertainer Danny Caxton, yet no investigation ever took place. Now Caxton stands accused, at the centre of a historical abuse investigation, and it's Banks's first task as superintendent to find the truth. As more women step forward with accounts of Caxton's manipulation, Banks must piece together decades-old evidence. With his investigation uncovering things from the past that would rather stay hidden, he will be led down a path even darker than the one he set out to investigate . . .

[Read by Simon Prebble]Inspector Alan Banks must face the music when he becomes embroiled in one of his most perplexing and distressing cases in this haunting page-turner from New York Times bestselling author Peter Robinson.Two women. Two crimes.The first is a poet claiming she was assaulted decades earlier by a man now regarded as one of the country's national treasures. And the second is a girl found on a remote roadside, her body broken, her life snuffed out.For Alan Banks, newly promoted to detective superintendent, the first case rips a tunnel into long-ago days of innocence and discovery, of music and light. And in the victim, he sees an opportunity for magic recaptured -- if he can bring her assailant to justice.For Detective Inspector Annie Banks, the lifeless young woman poses a baffling mystery -- a mystery that will lead her into the unlikeliest of places, interviewing the unlikeliest of suspects.Emotionally resonant and ingeniously plotted, When the Music's Over begins a new chapter for Banks -- and shows Peter Robinson at his tense, triumphant best.