High Art

Throughout the 1990s, Prince feuded with his record label, Warner Bros., over his rights as an independent recording artist - and made some of the most brilliant music of his career. During that time, Jim Walsh covered Prince for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and wrote about him passionately, thoughtfully, exhaustively. Here, in real-time, is that coverage: a look back at Prince in the '90s. Walsh's newly unearthed interviews, essays, columns, and reviews make Gold Experience an essential slice of history.

All They Will Call You is the harrowing account of "the worst airplane disaster in California's history", which claimed the lives of 32 passengers, including 28 Mexican citizens - farmworkers who were being deported by the US government. Outraged that media reports omitted only the names of the Mexican passengers, American folk icon Woody Guthrie penned a poem that went on to become one of the most important protest songs of the 20th century.

Born in Czechoslovakia, Mark Slouka's parents survived the Nazis only to be forced to then escape the Communist purges after the war. Smuggled out of their own country, the newlyweds joined a tide of refugees moving from Innsbruck to Sydney to New York, dragging with them a history of blood and betrayal that their son would be born into.

In this landmark collection, William T. Vollmann offers a kaleidoscopic retrospective of the visual artwork he has produced over four decades, with new commentary from Vollmann on his process, inspiration, and the many intersections with his writing.

Beau and Edgar have been best friends from birth, but couldn't have had a more different start in life. Having finished school for good they make plans for the summer of a lifetime but a tragic accident cuts their dreams short and lands them in Heaven facing a stark choice. Do they want to stay in Heaven and train as spirit guides or reincarnate into a new life? For Edgar the choice is clear: having had a miserable existence once before he is in no hurry to try again, for Beau the magic of Heaven is no match for real life.

Something is wrong in Ridgemont. Evelyn MacIntire senses it. June 2017 will bring an end to more than the school year. Parents and teachers have told her and her friends they have their whole lives ahead of them. After high school they can be anything they want to be. They've been told that they are special and unique. Turns out their "whole lives" might not last past the end of the school year. Reality is shifting.

We are naturally drawn to smooth, harmonious movement. Both social and physical graces have been taught since the dawn of civilization. Yet grace seems forgotten in our pushy, hectic modern world. Sarah L. Kaufman argues that we bring it back. She celebrates grace in the way bodies move, exploring how to stand, walk, and dress well. She deplores the rarity of grace among public figures and glories in it where found (Beyoncé at a fashion show).

Kling's autobiographical tales are as enchanting as they are true to life: hopping freight trains, getting hit by lightning, performing his banned play in Czechoslovakia, growing up in Minnesota, and eating things before knowing what they are. In the comical yet poignant title story, Kling straddles the world of the ordinary and one rivaling Dante's inferno as he learns how to use voice-recognition software after a life-threatening motorcycle accident.

Jesse Ball has produced fourteen acclaimed works of deeply empathetic absurdism in poetry and fiction. Now, he offers listeners his first memoir, one that invites the listener into a raw and personal account of love, grief, and memory. Inspired by the memoir Édouard Leve put to paper shortly before his death, Autoportrait is an extraordinarily frank and intimate work from one of America's most brilliant young authors. Half-remembered moments are woven together with the joys and triumphs—and the mistakes and humiliations, too—that somehow tell us who we are, why we are here.

Analysis of High Dam cinema during the July period through cinematic production and direction after the July Revolution. Analysis of the scenario, dialogue, and messages contained in the artworks, analysis of the artistic production process, and how High Dam cinema was presented through cinema at that time, and why.

This new release completes Brenner's recording of I Think There's a Terrorist in My Soup, his brilliant, healing post-9/11 comedy collection. Featuring audience-tested highlights from his stand-up shows, Another Terrorist confirms Brenner's conviction that "laughter is the best medicine, and if one can laugh, one can live."

Just as William Goldman, the ultimate screenwriter, took us inside Hollywood, Simon de Pury, the ultimate art player, will take us inside an even more secretive business, whose staggering prices, famous collectors, and high crimes are front-page news almost every day. The former chairman of Sotheby's Europe, the former owner of Sotheby's rival Phillips de Pury, and currently a London-based dealer and advisor to great collectors around the world, Simon has one of the highest profiles of any nonartist in the art world.

Lacing his vivid narration with poetic interludes, Doig masterfully crafts a remarkable memoir. This House of Sky speaks many truths about family, love, loss, and the landscapes that mold us all.

Discover how the angels proclaimed Jesus’ birth to the frightened shepherds who were watching their sheep. “Angels we have heard on high sweetly singing o’er the plains, and the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains. Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo!” The scripture verse from Luke 2:13-15 is presented in the book as well.

For Chicago's Oak Park and River Forest High School's Spoken Word Club, there is one phrase that reigns supreme: Respect the Mic. It's been the club's call to arms since its inception in 1999. As its founder Peter Kahn says, "It's a call of pride and history and tradition and hope." This vivid new collection of poetry and prose - curated by award-winning and bestselling poets Hanif Abdurraqib, Franny Choi, Peter Kahn, and Dan "Sully" Sullivan - illuminates just that, uplifting the incredible legacy this community has cultivated.

A comprehensive look at the making of the wildly successful Disney Channel film High School Musical, this unofficial guidebook explores the cultural phenomenon and loyal fan base the movie spawned. Providing detailed profiles on the film's cast members - including Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, and Corbin Bleu - this companion follows the cast around the world as they promote the film.

Learn how the caffeine in coffee can affect your heart health in this comprehensive book.

The arduous, often unpredictable journey to the US presidency has attracted some of the most unique characters in history. With "unusual" presidential candidates grabbing headlines for the foreseeable future, Contenders shines a welcome spotlight on individuals who felt inspired to offer their uncommon perspectives and special talents to lead the nation.

In this excerpt from So Many Roads, Rolling Stone contributing editor David Browne chronicles one of the most conflicted years in the Dead's history—1977, when the band’s popularity soars thanks to a massive free concert, but Jerry Garcia begins to dabble in the hard drugs that would ultimately kill him.

Everyday you probably wonder what you should wear, whether it's for a date, job interview, or just relaxation. This has been true throughout history, from ancient Egypt to medieval Japan to the roaring 20s and beyond. This book describes the sometimes shocking, sometimes funny, and occasionally unbelievable fashions that were popular in other times and places.