Books published by publisher Muriwai Books

The “Me” in the title is a comparatively unknown Marx named Julius (1895-1977), who, under the nom de plume of Groucho, enjoyed a sensational career on Broadway and in Hollywood with such comedy classics as Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera, and A Day at the Races. His solo career included work as a film actor, television game show emcee, and author of The Groucho Letters, Memoirs of a Mangy Lover, and his classic autobiography, Groucho and Me.With impeccable timing, outrageous humor, irreverent wit, and a superb sense of the ridiculous, Groucho tells the saga of the Marx Brothers: the poverty of their childhood in New York’s Upper East Side; the crooked world of small-time vaudeville (where they learned to carry blackjacks); how a pretzel magnate and the graceless dancer of his dreams led to the Marx Brothers’ first Broadway hit, I’ll Say She Is!, how the stock market crash in 1929 proved a godsend for Groucho (even though he lost nearly a quarter of a million dollars); the adventures of the Marx Brothers in Hollywood, the making of their hilarious films, and Groucho’s triumphant television series, You Bet Your Life!. Here is the life and lunatic times of the great eccentric genius, Groucho, a.k.a. Julius Henry Marx.“The book is never less than readable and its glimpses of American show business at its least glamorous are simple, true and sometimes rather touching.”—Times Literary Supplement“My advice is to ration yourself to a chapter a night—it’s that delectable.”—Chicago Sunday Tribune

First published in 1963, this book by University of Missouri Microbiology Professor Herbert S. Goldberg provides the reader with a picture of the life and times of Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine.” Hippocrates was born on the island of Cos in 460 B.C., and his works remained for centuries the foundation of medical and biographical knowledge. In addition, it was Hippocrates daring approach to the problems of sickness and disease that drove the opening wedge into the wall of fear that surrounded human ills. Hippocrates scrupulous attention to professional ethics is honored even to this day by the medical oath that bears his name—The Hippocratic Oath.Goldberg accurately describes the professions and trades during Hippocrates time, as well as the early education of youth in ancient Greece. Medicines were not based on science, but on driving evil spirits from the body. Hippocrates scientific approach to the study and treatment of disease has deservedly earned for him the title of “Father of Medicine.”

EVERYONE IN HIGH SCHOOL WONDERED WHO WOULD WIN THE FREE FLYING LESSONS…‘Tomboy’ Loretta Larkin excels in sports, but privately envies her popular blonde high school classmate, Elsie Wynn. When the new local airport announces an essay contest with flying lessons as the tempting prize, Rette decides to enter—and wins! She finds that learning to solo can be a way to not-soloing the prom.Betty Cavanna writes of teenagers with sure understanding of their inner lives and the high school scene. A Girl Can Dream was a Junior Literary Guild Selection. Before writing it Miss Cavanna herself took flying lessons and learned about ‘stalls’ and ‘spins’ from a flying instructor not unlike Pat Creatore.

Blitz was no ordinary horse. He had within him a quality of greatness which gave him the power to give his best—and more—whenever it was needed.Carefully trained and well cared for, he soon became the most talked about fire horse in Drumlin—fast and sure and first at almost every fire.Then a fearful accident injured both Blitz and his driver and the great fire horse days were over. Blitz was sold to a cruel master, and needed all of his courage and strength to live through the next few years.The story of how he is saved by the love and care of a boy, an do how he in turn is able to save a child’s life makes a dramatic and moving book in the old tradition. There are happy times and sad times, and a warmth in the telling that will satisfy anyone who loves a great horse story.

A delightful story of a pony, Sassy, and a dog, Tough Enough, who run away from their veterinarian’s enclosure in an attempt to get back home to their owners, the Tatum family.Set in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, the pair encounter some interesting people along their way—including a couple that brings them to a zoo they own!Wonderfully illustrated by Ruth Carroll.

First published in its original Dutch version in 1953, this is the English translation of Een helicopter daalde, which tells the story of a family in the Netherlands caught up in the middle of the 1953 North Sea flood disaster, brought on by a heavy storm that occurred on the night of Saturday, 31 January 1953 and morning of Sunday, 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm over the North Sea caused a storm tide; the combination of wind, high tide, and low pressure led to a water level of more than 5.6 metres (18.4 ft) above mean sea level in some locations. The flood and waves overwhelmed sea defences and caused extensive flooding. The Netherlands, a country with 20% of its territory below mean sea level and 50% less than 1 metre (3.3 ft) above sea level and which relies heavily on sea defences, was worst affected, recording 1,836 deaths and widespread property damage. Most of the casualties occurred in the southern province of Zeeland.Although this book is classed as a children’s novel, it will appeal to readers from eight to eighty years old.

An orphan boy whose father has been killed by Indians must overcome his fear of the vast forests of the Northwest Territory when he joins a pack-horse brigade…“What’s Up? Indians comin’?” Abel laughed cruelly, and Daniel’s mind was swept by unreasoning terror.Three years along, Indians had come out of the woods, to burn the cabin in the clearing and scalp Daniel’s father. Since then the orphan boy had been an unwelcome member of the Worder household. His only chance to start life on his own was to join one of the pack-horse trains carrying supplies to the strong of forts General Wayne had built right up to the Indian country. The drivers of the trains faced real danger: the trails led through the dense forests of Ohio, and the Indians grew bolder every day….Fear in the Forest is a story of a stirring age, and is true to the period in the reactions and speech of its characters.

This book, which was first published in 1895, is a wonderful collection of some 300 anecdotes and biographical sketches of famous composers and performers since time began.In the author’s own words, “[I]n the search for what this volume comprises, much material has been examined. I have attempted to cull from the mass of material that came to my notice such anecdotes as have two features,—that of being characteristic of the person referred to, and that of possessing sufficient interest; and in this re-narration I have incorporated such bits of musical information, along biographical and historical lines, as came to mind at the time of writing, but letting this feature be secondary to the main idea of the work. Thus it is hoped that while my readers may find interesting anecdote, they may also incidentally find that which is of more permanent value.”Gates’ work may be regarded as a companion volume to his book Musical Mosaics (1889), “supplementing the thoughts of the great musicians there expressed with incidents giving somewhat of a clue to their personality.”

East O’ the Sun and West O’ the Moon is a beautifully illustrated collection of Norwegian fairy stories—including the tale of that name—by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, translated by Sir George Webbe Dasent. It is widely considered to be the best and happiest rendering of the tales that has appeared in the English language and will make a wonderful addition to any book collection.