Life at the Dakota is a deliciously entertaining social history that describes the lives of the rich and trendy who have lived at the Dakota - a New York apartment house daringly erected in 1884, "too far up" and on the wrong side of town. This story has the fabulous characters, sharp insights, and captivating anecdotes of Stephen Birmingham's earlier works, and the atmosphere of the elegant Dakota is so powerful that the building itself becomes an unforgettable major character. The Gustav Schirmers were among the early tenants. Others such as Boris Karloff, Judy Holliday, Leonard Bernstein, and and Lauren Bacall would follow. In this edition the author has included an afterword on John Lennon's murder at the Dakota.

A history of the Manhattan building and its famous tenants, from Lauren Bacall to John Lennon, by the New York Times–bestselling author of “Our Crowd”. When Singer sewing machine tycoon Edward Clark built a luxury apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in the late 1800s, it was derisively dubbed “the Dakota” for being as far from the center of the downtown action as its namesake territory on the nation’s western frontier. Despite its remote location, the quirky German Renaissance–style castle, with its intricate façade, peculiar interior design, and gargoyle guardians peering down on Central Park, was an immediate hit, particularly among the city’s well-heeled intellectuals and artists. Over the next century it would become home to an eclectic cast of celebrity residents—including Boris Karloff, Lauren Bacall, Leonard Bernstein, singer Roberta Flack (the Dakota’s first African-American resident), and John Lennon and Yoko Ono—who were charmed by its labyrinthine interior and secret passageways, its mysterious past, and its ghosts. Stephen Birmingham, author of the New York society classic “Our Crowd”, has written an engrossing history of the first hundred years of one of the most storied residential addresses in Manhattan and the legendary lives lived within its walls.

“A deeply spiritual, deeply moving book” about life on the Great Plains, by the New York Times–bestselling author of The Cloister Walk (The New York Times Book Review). “With humor and lyrical grace,” Kathleen Norris meditates on a place in the American landscape that is at once desolate and sublime, harsh and forgiving, steeped in history and myth (San Francisco Chronicle). A combination of reporting and reflection, Dakota reminds us that wherever we go, we chart our own spiritual geography.

Those who don't believe in miracles should take a look at what brought Dakota Johnson from obscurity to the pinnacle of stardom as Anastasia Steele in the motion picture Fifty Shades of Grey. But who is Dakota Johnson? A surprisingly accomplished and driven actress. This is not some celebrity kid given a plum role because of her connections to old-world Hollywood. In The Real Steele: The Unauthorized Biography of Dakota Johnson you’ll see how she went from a life of tranquility and, yes, privilege at the feet of superstar parents Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, to a determination to succeed that has led her down many paths. First there was a career as an international model, then to growing recognition in a string of successful studio and independent films and, finally, to her big break in Fifty Shades of Grey, Johnson has proven a literal force of nature, always moving forward and always using a natural sense of positive energy to dissuade the naysayers who would line up to take her down. Through exclusive interviews with childhood friends and acting coaches, Marc Shapiro has put Johnson's life and times, much like the actress herself, in a straightforward and always enticing biography.

Alfred Riggs was a twenty-five year old son of a missionary who found himself helplessly intertwined in the real life actions, events, and people of a harrowing conflict in the history of Minnesota. Alfred grew up among the Dakota Indians of Minnesota and he developed a profound respect for their people and established a near kinship tie to their leader, Little Crow. When war broke out, Alfred was torn between the safety of his family and friends, and his deep understanding and respect for the grievances and traditions of his Indian neighbors. Throughout the story Alfred met and interacted with real life participants and witnesses of the war. But, rather than mitigate death and disaster, Alfred found himself in a number of dire situations from both sides of the war. In the end, Alfred was helpless to quell the senseless feud between the Dakota Indians and the white settlers. Ultimately, Alfred was fortunate to escape with his life and finally reconcile with his father.

Dakota, a rescued Saint Bernard, came to live with us when she was 2 years old. Bred as a show dog, she would never see the show ring due to a bad underbite. Dakota was not our first dog, nor would she be our last, but she was truly a special dog. Her outgoing personality drew people to her. She was curious, funny, afraid, full of mischief, and kind. She taught me many life lessons along the way.

Gold sparked the major migration of white settlers to the Dakota Territory a century ago, but for South Dakota, grass proved to be the real bonanza. Today more and more Americans are coming to understand the almost mystical appeal of the horizon and the primitive pull of the earth that make South Dakota one of the few remaining places where the individual can enjoy real isolation and a sense of standing apart from the crowd.