Books in Legendary African Americans series

*Includes pictures of Ginger and important people, places, and scenes. *Comprehensively analyzes her relationship with Fred Astaire and their films together. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "I adored Fred. We were good friends. Our only problem is that we never aspired to be any kind of a team. We didn't want to be Abbott and Costello. We thought of ourselves as individuals. We didn't intend to be another Frick and Frack. But it happened anyway, didn't it? And I'll be forever grateful it did." – Ginger Rogers A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. There is no denying that the career of Ginger Rogers cannot be entirely divorced from that of Fred Astaire. The unlikely pairing - Rogers was a statuesque blonde while Astaire fell well short of the masculine ideal expected of male movie stars - only made their screen romance more dreamlike, even as the physical contrasts between them melted away during their protracted dance numbers. Not only were Astaire and Rogers the preeminent box office attraction of the time period, but they remain the most recognizable faces of the musical genre as a whole. It is telling that, as Edward Gallafent notes, the duo are identified simply as Fred and Ginger, with no need to even provide their last names. Moreover, not only are films such as Top Hat (1935) and Shall We Dance (1937) cornerstones of the musical, but one of the great achievements of the Fred and Ginger team is that they never fell out of public favor. Indeed, the completeness of the Fred and Ginger pairing was punctuated by the fact that there was no bitter breakup between them, making it so that audiences are left only with the seamless screen romances between them. Considering the immense success of their films together, it is entirely understandable that Astaire and Rogers are joined at the hip in the eyes of the public. However, an appreciation for the Fred and Ginger musicals is only enhanced by knowledge of the personal backgrounds of the two stars. After all, the fact remains that Astaire and Rogers came from vastly different cultural backgrounds, and at the time that they met, their careers had unfolded in dissimilar ways. Astaire was a national celebrity for his skills as a stage performer (mainly with his sister Adele), while Rogers was raised in a more archetypal Midwestern setting and her professional success was reached entirely through cinema. While Astaire made a name for himself through his dancing, Rogers was more recognized for her singing talents. Clearly, it is still possible to discern fundamental differences between their professional talents, contrasts that would become more distinguishable once they ceased making films together. American Legends: The Life of Ginger Rogers profiles the life and career of one of America’s most famous entertainers. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Ginger Rogers like you never have before, in no time at all.

Author, activist, scholaroutspoken W.E.B. Du Bois was the leading voice for justice and civil rights in the United States in his time. Born soon after the Civil War, Du Bois believed that educated African Americans must lead their people. He used his talent as a writer to advocate for change as he helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), an organization dedicated to social activism. Du Bois was a controversial figure in his time, but his far-reaching efforts and his written legacy have inspired and influenced the generations that followed. Today he is regarded as a pioneer for civil rights and one of the greatest civil rights leaders in history.

*Includes pictures. *Includes Mae's most famous, clever and controversial quotes. *Includes quotes from Mae's autobiography about her life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. “Between two evils, I generally like to pick the one I never tried before.“ – Mae West A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Mae West will always be remembered as one of Hollywood’s biggest icons, and the American Film Institute named her the 15th greatest actress of the 20th century in its Top 100 list, but she also transcended the entertainment industry and became a critical part of Americana itself. Over the course of 7 decades, Mae redefined the boundaries of sexuality in ways that made more conservative Americans of the early 20th century uncomfortable, and for good measure she did so boldly and in people’s faces. Full of witty rejoinders and one-liners that both flaunted and celebrated her sexuality, she eventually managed to help usher in a more open era, even as the standards of the time found her so controversial that she was often subjected to censorship (which she once quipped “made a fortune” for her). Mae and some of her movies have been widely credited with spurring the implementation of the notorious Hays Code, which censored lewd and obscene material in Hollywood movies for several years, but she remained defiant. Even near the end of her life and career, when cast in a role where she is romantically pursued by a British man, her elderly character wisecracks that she hopes to be able to say what Paul Revere did: “The British are coming.” Although Mae West is mostly remembered for being one of the 20th century’s first and most important sex symbols, she was a versatile entertainer who made it in different venues across the country and across the years. Like many young actresses at the time, Mae started in vaudeville and stage in New York before heading west to Hollywood. In fact, by the time she starred in movies, she was nearing the age of 40, well after most star actresses had seen their careers peaked. Nonetheless, Mae continued to portray vixens that drove men nuts on screen for decades, all while being a comedienne and even writing her own plays and materials. Even after her film career was over, she returned to the stage and appeared on television shows. By the time Mae West was nearing the end of her life, she was a ubiquitous pop culture presence. American servicemen made bawdy references to her when parachutes split in two, certainly the kind of comparisons she appreciated, and even The Beatles felt compelled to convince Mae West to let them use her likeness on the album cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. True to form, Mae initially objected to being a member of a “Lonely Hearts Club”. But just as importantly, Mae’s self-confidence and sense of independence helped pave new paths for actresses who followed her. American Legends: The Life of Mae West examines the life and career of one of Hollywood’s biggest sex icons. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Mae West like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures. *Includes the brothers' funniest quotes. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "The world would not be in such a snarl, had Marx been Groucho instead of Karl." – Irving Berlin “I sent the club a wire stating, ‘PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT PEOPLE LIKE ME AS A MEMBER.’” – Groucho Marx A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. When the American Film Institute ranked its top 50 screen legends of the 20th century, only one team of performers earned a collective spot: the Marx Brothers. Famous throughout the country for nearly half a century, several of the Marx Brothers performed together for over 40 years, and their nicknames – Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo and Zeppo – are all well known today, especially Groucho. From the vaudeville stage to movie theaters, millions saw their performances, and the brothers became not only one of the most popular acts but the kind that paved the way for subsequent groups like The Three Stooges. As beloved and culturally significant as the Marx Brothers are, it is also important to acknowledge that the character they portrayed in their films were clearly personas, so one of the challenges of any close analysis of their lives involves digging past their performances and attempting to figure out what they were truly like as people. How much did the Groucho Marx audiences saw onscreen correspond with his offscreen personality, and where are the nuances and discrepancies that exist between the brothers’ private and public selves? If anything, it’s important to determine how their personas were actually shaped, a process that did not actually crystallize until Groucho was well into his adulthood. At the same time, the dynamic between the siblings, as well as the impact that their parents had on them, all necessarily influenced their careers. Analyzing these influences on their lives helps explain how the formation of the Marx Brothers was the result of a lengthy process, and just why no one could have justifiably predicted that they would achieve such fame and cultural status. American Legends: The Marx Brothers examines the lives and careers of one of America’s most iconic performance teams. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Marx Brothers like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures. *Includes Warhol's own quotes about his life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. “Don't pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.” – Andy Warhol “In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” – Andy Warhol A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Few artists of the 20th century were as enigmatic as Andy Warhol, who once remarked, “If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, there I am. There’s nothing behind it.” This statement is hardly out of character for the famous artist, who remains famous for his cagey answers to interviews and his refusal to speak from the heart. It is no accident that Warhol wore a wig; paradoxically enough, he required the company of others but refused to allow himself to become emotionally intimate with anyone. If anything, Warhol’s public persona seemed to be structured around an apparent lack of personality, and yet he later noted, “At the times in my life when I was feeling the most gregarious and looking for bosom friendships, I couldn't find any takers so that exactly when I was alone was when I felt the most like not being alone. The moment I decided I'd rather be alone and not have anyone telling me their problems, everybody I'd never even seen before in my life started running after me to tell me things I'd just decided I didn't think it was a good idea to hear about. As soon as I became a loner in my own mind, that's when I got what you might call a ‘following.’ As soon as you stop wanting something you get it. I've found that to be absolutely axiomatic.” Of course, Andy Warhol was more than just an apathetic figure; after all, he is the most famous member of the artistic movement known as Pop, a title that was coined by critics but which Warhol epitomized like no other. The core themes of Pop art are well-known: an ironic appropriation of mass culture; the utilization of found objects (especially those relating to mass culture); and an early postmodern tone of irony and even pastiche. The works of Warhol and his cohorts in the Pop movement not only stand as iconic works of post-war American art but also fundamentally redefined what qualified as art in the first place. Arriving on the heels of the Abstract Expressionist movement, Warhol’s art marked a dramatic turn away from abstraction and toward the banal, but his works continue to enchant the public, exceeding even the grand-scale Abstract Expressionist compositions of Jackson Pollock. Warhol’s virtuosity is bolstered by the fact that he was able to thrive while working in different media; his paintings and silkscreens have received by far the greatest focus from art historians, but Warhol also created famous sculptures, films, and drawings. More than just a great painter, he was a great artist. Just as memorably, Warhol was someone whose art was intertwined with his personal life, so The Factory is nearly as big a pop culture icon as Warhol himself. Warhol’s eclectic group of companions included artists, musicians, vamps, Bohemians, and everyone in between. Like them, Warhol is an almost impossible figure to pin down entirely, but American Legends: The Life of Andy Warhol explores the many dimensions of his life and career. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Andy Warhol like never before, in no time at all.