Books in Close-ups series

John Steinbeck consistently appears on class reading lists across the U.S., and his work has influenced generations. Steinbeck lived and wrote during some of the most eventful and controversial eras of twentieth-century America, including the struggles of California?s migrant workers during the 1930s, which led to his masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath. A complicated man whose personal life often took a backseat to his writing?he fought his way through three marriages, was a distant father, and battled with alcoholism?Steinbeck wrote because he was compelled to. Yet he always doubted his abilities, and lived in fear of never writing a decent book. Milton Meltzer?s biography includes numerous excerpts of this iconic author?s writing, and is the latest addition to the Up Close series.

Frank Lloyd Wright was the most influential architect of the twentieth century?and a rogue genius whose life was a wild ride. Wright routinely ignored unpaid bills, clients? wishes, budget constraints. Only his creative vision mattered to him. That vision transformed the way we live, sweeping aside the Victorian home and creating a uniquely American architecture exemplified by his Prairie Style houses. Wright built hotels, churches, and offices, too, incorporating endless innovations in techniques and materials. Ideas poured out of him throughout his long career; he called it ?shaking the design out of my sleeve.? Jan Adkins?s fascinating biography of this compelling, infuriating, largerthan- life figure will change the way every reader looks at architecture.

Sea Life showcases our beautiful and curious oceans, exploring up-close photography of fish, coral, and other sea creatures. Take a deep breath and take a look! Transform the ordinary into something extraordinary with exciting micro and macro photography! Sea Life explores our beautiful and curious oceans, pairing extreme, hyper-detailed images of fish, coral, and other magnificent sea creatures with fun facts, activities, and brainteasers. So let’s turn up the ZOOM and discover a whole new way of seeing the world.

Frank Lloyd Wright was the most influential architect of the twentieth century?and a rogue genius whose life was a wild ride. Wright routinely ignored unpaid bills, clients? wishes, budget constraints. Only his creative vision mattered to him. That vision transformed the way we live, sweeping aside the Victorian home and creating a uniquely American architecture exemplified by his Prairie Style houses. Wright built hotels, churches, and offices, too, incorporating endless innovations in techniques and materials. Ideas poured out of him throughout his long career; he called it ?shaking the design out of my sleeve.? Jan Adkins?s fascinating biography of this compelling, infuriating, largerthan- life figure will change the way every reader looks at architecture.

Before his short life was ended by assassination, Robert Kennedy was Attorney General of the United States, Senator from New York, and a charismatic Presidential candidate. But even more astonishing was Kennedy’s personal odyssey. Born into immense wealth and privilege, Kennedy came to embrace the cause of the poor and the disenfranchised, and to be seen by them as their champion.

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, perhaps best known for his seminal work The Souls of Black Folk and as the founding editor of the NAACP?s groundbreaking magazine The Crisis, was ever a soul in motion for justice. Whether he was protesting Jim Crow laws and lynch mobs in the Deep South, advocating for the end of European Colonialism, or campaigning for world peace, Du Bois was always speaking out for others. This fascinating Up Close biography by award-winning author Tonya Bolden tells the story of how one man?tirelessly and never quietly? fought for equality until his death at age ninety-five.