Few Americans have had as many creative lives as Claude Bragdon who designed theatrical sets and churches, who dabbled in theosophy and the occult, who wrote about it all with spirit, passion, and penetrating insight. Here, in delightfully effervescent prose, Bragdon tells the story of his life-or lives. From his Personal Life ("Born under the constellation Leo, the heart sign, I was never long out of love") to his Occult Life ("I frightened [my mother] by declaring that I was the chosen vessel for the pouring out of a new revelation upon mankind"), Bragdon is surprisingly frank, frequently hilarious, and always wonderfully self-deprecating. First published in 1917, this is an intimate dispatch from a true American character. Other works by Bragdon available from Cosimo Classics: The Beautiful Necessity, Architecture and Democracy, Episodes from An Unwritten History, and A Primer of Higher Space (The Fourth Dimension). American architect, stage designer, and writer CLAUDE FAYETTE BRAGDON (1866-1946) helped found the Rochester Architectural Club, in the city where he made his greatest mark as a building designer with structures including Rochester Central Station, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the First Universalist Church; he also designed Peterborough Bridge in Ontario. In later life, Bragdon worked on Broadway as scenic designer for 1930s productions of Cyrano de Bergerac and Hamlet, among others.

Canny, infuriating, cynical and generous by turns, Felix Dennis was a true one-off. When he died in 2014 he was a multi-millionaire. Yet he spent his last months writing poetry and planting the millionth tree in his own forest in Warwickshire. Journalist Fergus Byrne got to know him well in this time and was granted exclusive access to Dennis's archives and papers. He found everything had been kept and, along with hours of interviews with girlfriends, family, staff and friends the world over, he has now written the only authorised biography of a man who described himself as lucky to have led several lives. His early rebellious days started with dropping out of grammar school, playing in a rock 'n' roll band, and being imprisoned (with Richard Neville and Jim Anderson) for charges of obscenity relating to a priapic Rupert Bear in the 'schoolkids' issue of the magazine Oz. The launch of Kung-Fu magazine, created when Dennis spotted a queue at a Leicester Square cinema for a Bruce Lee film, changed his fortunes. An industrious and self-destructive era then followed. He moved to America, added the magazines MacUser and Maxim to his portfolio, but also discovered crack, hookers and S & M. When his lifestyle led him to hospital, he gave up the drugs overnight and took to writing poetry. He acquired a mansion in Warwickshire, bought a much loved home in Mustique from rock star David Bowie, gave generously to charities, planted the largest broadleaf forest in Britain, and published several volumes of verse promoted by very well received readings nationwide. This is a hugely readable account of one of the most extraordinary characters of our time.

The story of Oscar Wilde and his extraordinary family is a remarkable one. His parents, the brilliant Sir William and flamboyant Lady Jane, also led amazing lives and experienced triumph and tragedy. His wife Constance Wilde had to change her name and live in exile until her death. An epic family saga against a background of rebellion and famine, this has new revelations on Oscar's time in prison, his father's cover up of his illegitimate daughters' deaths and Oscar's mother's dire poverty before her death. By linking the generations a more complete picture emerges of a brilliant Irishman whose tragic fall still breaks the reader's heart.

'But no, she's abstract, is a bird Of sound in the air of air soaring, And her soul sings unencumbered Because the song's what makes her sing.' Dramatic, lyrical and ranging over four distinct personae, these poems by one of Portugal's greatest poets trace a mind shaken by intense suffering and a tireless search for meaning. Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York's underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.

Everyone knows that one is one. But can ONE be more than one? Absolutely! ONE PAIR is always two; ONE WEEK is seven days; and ONE DOZEN is always twelve. And that's just the beginning of this brilliant and original counting book.

There are times we all feel we need more than one heart to get through. When Briana’s father dies, she imagines she has a new heart growing inside her. It speaks to her in her Dad’s voice. Some of its commands are mysterious. Find Her! it says. Be Your Own! How can Briana “be her own” when her grieving mother needs her to take care of her demanding little brother all the time? When all her grandpa can do is tell stories instead of being the “rock" she needs? When her not-so-normal home life leaves no time to pursue her dream of writing for the school literary magazine? When the first blush of a new romance threatens to be nipped in the bud? Forced by the loss of her favorite parent to see all that was once familiar with new eyes, Briana draws on her own imagination, originality, and tender loving heart to discover a surprising path through the storm.

More Wives Than One offers an in-depth look at the long-term interaction between belief and the practice of polygamy, or plural marriage, among the Latter-day Saints. Focusing on the small community of Manti, Utah, Kathryn M. Daynes provides an intimate view of how Mormon doctrine and Utah laws on marriage and divorce were applied in people's lives.

'One day there is life . . . and then, suddenly, it happens there is death.' So begins Paul Auster's moving and personal meditation on fatherhood. The first section, 'Portrait of an Invisible Man', reveals Auster's memories and feelings after the death of his father. In 'The Book of Memory' the perspective shifts to Auster's role as a father. The narrator, 'A', contemplates his separation from his son, his dying grandfather and the solitary nature of writing and story-telling.

"I've lived this way and managed for all of my life. And I don't view it as dysfunctional, actually. I like the way that I am, and it works." --Lucy, 44, a social worker You can lead a fulfilled and productive life, even with the challenges of dissociative identity disorder. The women in "I Am More than One" are living proof that you can find new sources of strength through family and friends, build a rewarding, successful career, and still hold on to your own unique identity. Their stories are messages of hope and encouragement drawn from their real-life experiences as working women who have struggled, endured, and, ultimately, prevailed. You'll meet Samantha, a lawyer who learned that one part of her mind helped her earn her degree and launch her own business while other parts had no idea what was happening . . . Reba, a registered nurse with multiple personalities who negotiates with all of them to perform different everyday tasks more smoothly . . . Caroline, a busy grandmother and accountant who enjoys having part of her mind exclusively for work . . . and seven other strong, unforgettable women who are trying to live their lives to the fullest.