The world according to David Ives is a very add place, and his plays constitute a virtual stress test of the English language -- and of the audience's capacity for disorientation and delight. Ives's characters plunge into black holes called "Philadelphias," where the simplest desires are hilariously thwarted. Chimps named Milton, Swift, and Kafka are locked in a room and made to re-create Hamlet. And a con man peddles courses in a dubious language in which "hello" translates as "velcro" and "fraud" comes out as "freud." At once enchanting and perplexing, incisively intelligent and side-splittingly funny, this original paperback edition of Ives's plays includes "Sure Thing," "Words, Words, Words," "The Universal Language," "Variations on the Death of Trotsky," "The Philadelphia," "Long Ago and Far Away," "Foreplay, or The Art of the Fugue," "Seven Menus," "Mere Mortals," "English Made Simple," "A Singular Kinda Guy," "Speed-the-Play," "Ancient History," and "Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread."

At the outset of her career, acclaimed food writer and cooking instructor Gail Monaghan graduated from culinary school knowing a multitude of professional techniques and boasting a vast repertoire of delicious recipes. But alone in her own kitchen, she quickly realized that orchestrating "dinner for company" wasn't as simple as it seemed. The rib roast overcooked while the garlic custard refused to set. A first-course soufflé was on the table—and falling—while guests were stuck in traffic. Friends had finished off the hors d’oeuvres while the turkey remained raw in the oven. Even for the most experienced home cooks, seamless meal preparation can be a chronological puzzle. The more elaborate the meal, the more difficult it is to serve each dish on time—and at the right temperature. Monaghan has spent years mastering the fine art of culinary timing, which she now shares with her cooking students. It's All in the Timing, Monaghan's ultimate guide to smooth, stress-free home entertaining, enables readers to learn her secrets of prep and process and use them in their own kitchens. Like all classic cookbooks, It's All in the Timing teaches readers the how-tos of its recipes. Uniquely, it also shares the when-tos by organizing the recipes into more than 20 well-crafted menus. Culled from Monaghan's more than 30 years of home entertaining and culinary instruction, this book demystifies the preparation of each menu, treating the entire meal as an extended recipe. The book offers tips for meals that range from the modest and basic to the elaborate. From the simple luncheon to the grand holiday dinner, each menu begins with an Order of Preparations list—a snapshot of what to make, when to make it, and how to avoid common problems, ensuring your meal unfolds like clockwork. Each menu includes not only detailed recipes for each component but also Monaghan's thoughtful commentary and variation suggestions. The book also includes an additional section of bonus recipes, pantry essentials, and other secrets to culinary success. This step-by-step guide to serving flawless, flavorful meals at home provides readers with the invaluable insights and hard-earned wisdom Monaghan has offered her culinary students for more than 15 years. With more than 130 recipes, 21 well-crafted menus, and countless tips from Monaghan's deep knowledge bank, It's All in the Timing is required reading for ambitious home cooks everywhere.

Philip Glass... is a parodic musical vignette in trademark Glassian style, with the celebrated composer having a moment of existential crisis in a bakery.

THE STORIES: Act One: In FOREPLAY OR: THE ART OF THE FUGUE, we find Chuck, a self-styled Don Juan, and his girlfriend on a date at the miniature golf course. When they move to the second hole, a slightly older Chuck II appears with another date. Finally

A gripping and fascinating tale about a boy who grows up in the rural south and ends up as a heart surgeon and then leader of a major medical center in a big city. Its Doc Hollywood in reverse, and 100% real. An adventure through time and cultures. -Neil Shulman, M.D. Author, Doc Hollywood Associate Professor, Emory University School of Medicine Dr. Charles Hatcher, Jr.s evolution from a rural community in southwest Georgia to the top ranks of the medical fi eld is an encouragement for all physicians. Since 1982, Mercers School of Medicine has been educating physicians and health professionals from similar backgrounds, preparing them for successful careers in Georgia and the Southeast. Dr. Hatchers autobiography is an inspiration to Mercers eager medical students entering the profession that this now-retired physician so profoundly impacted. -William F. Bina III, M.D., MPH Dean, Mercer University School of Medicine Dr. Hatchers esteemed career at Emory has ranged from life-saving surgeon to inspirational leader. A gifted cardiac surgeon, he used his innate talents and passion for saving lives to build an acclaimed heart program at our institution as well as attract the best and brightest in the fi eld to Emory. Under his guidance, Woodruff Health Sciences Center transformed into a major research institution that continues, to this day, to define the future of medicine. His expertise and leadership have left an indelible mark on this organization and helped pave the way for the health care providers of tomorrow. -John T. Fox President & CEO, Emory Healthcare, Inc

THE STORY: Paris, 1643. Dorante is a charming young man newly arrived in the capital, and he has but a single flaw: He cannot tell the truth. In quick succession he meets Cliton, a manservant who cannot tell a lie, and falls in love with Clarice, a

THE STORY: Thomas, a beleaguered playwright/director, is desperate to find an actress to play Vanda, the female lead in his adaptation of the classic sadomasochistic tale Venus in Fur . Into his empty audition room walks a vulgar and equally

An elegant and counterintuitive guide to achieving perfect timing Timing is everything. Whether we are making strategic business decisions or the smallest personal choice, we must decide not only what to do, but when to do it. Act too early—or too late—and the results can be disastrous. Based on a 20-year investigation into more than 2,000 timing issues and errors, When presents a single and practical approach for dealing with timing in life and business. Good timing, Albert argues, is not just a matter of luck, intuition, or past experience—all of which may be unreliable—but a skill. He describes that skill and details the tools and methods needed to conduct a successful timing analysis. The book is the first to offer an efficient and comprehensive way to think through any timing issue Filled with dozens of lively stories illustrating good and bad timing in all walks of life—business, warfare, medicine, sports, entertainment and the arts Written by Stuart Albert, one of the foremost timing experts in the world and developer of the first practical, research-based method for turning the skill of timing into a competitive advantage Engaging and counterintuitive, When will show everyone, regardless of the work they do, or the life they live, that "it's all in the timing."

THE STORIES: ENIGMA VARIATIONS. Zany hijinks as a pair of lookalikes named Bebe W.W. Doppel-gängler solve an identity crisis with the help of Dr. William W. Williams and his nurse Fifi, who may or may not be Aphrodite the Goddess of Love. Or is she

THE STORY: It's 1666 and the brightest, wittiest salon in Paris is that of Celimene, a beautiful young widow so known for her satiric tongue she's being sued for it. Surrounded by shallow suitors, whom she lives off of without surrendering to, Celi