Jon Lucke is a thirty-something adman with an unhappy marriage, a failing business and a lifetime of anxiety and disappointments - until he has a chance meeting with the urbane, ultra-rich Marco Brancusi... Jon is lured into Marco's orbit and catapulted with bewildering speed into a world of glittering success, where it seems all he has ever dreamed of is at last within his reach... And that's just the book-within-the-book, created by the reclusive David O'Connor... Gradually, David's alter ego, begins to see what he has lost in gaining a life of power and luxury; and when the true nature of what he's involved in begins to unfold, he has to make some difficult and dangerous choices. And from then on, you're never quite sure what's real and what's not... Part Faust-with-a-twist, part Hollywood-style blockbuster, The Faust Lane roars page-turningly along, mingling psycho-spiritual insight with out-and-out adventure in an entertaining and thought-provoking mix.

The premier guide to 50 of the greatest hikes in Alabama. Inside readers will find detailed maps, accurate route profiles showing the ups and downs of each hike, tips on equipment, trip planning, and hiking with dogs and children, accurate directions, difficulty ratings, trail contacts, and more.

MediaSport is a comprehensive introduction to the ways in which sport and the media interact. It is written by leading experts from around the world in the field of sports studies, sports journalism and leisure studies. Among the subjects covered are: * sports ethics * sport and race * sport and gender * sport and violence on television * the globalization of sports * marketing sports on the Internet.

Sterling Township, located about 18 miles northeast of Detroit, was first settled after the Erie Canal was opened. The rich soil, relatively flat land, and the vital Clinton River attracted pioneer and immigrant families who arrived to establish farmsteads. The first influx of immigrants came mainly from the British Isles, and by the 1870s, German families had flocked to the area, raising dairy cattle and establishing farms. Belgians, arriving in the early 1900s, developed truck farminggrowing fruits and vegetables to sell every week at the farmers market in Detroit. Farm culture prevailed until the 1950s, when large industrial plants began moving in, bringing with them workers and a need for housing and city services. Sterling Township became the city of Sterling Heights in 1968, and this collection of photographs will showcase the families and the way of life in the early days of this community, a historic community that is now the fourth largest city in Michigan.

Philadelphia & Philadelphia County Pennsylvania Fishing & Floating Guide Book Over 600 full 8 ½ x 11 sized pages of information with maps and aerial photographs available. Fishing information is included for ALL of the county’s public ponds and lakes, listing types of fish for each pond or lake, average sizes, and exact locations with GPS coordinates and directions. Also included is fishing information for most of the streams and rivers including access points and public areas with road contact and crossing points and also includes fish types and average sizes. Contains complete information on Cobbs Creek Darby Creeks (F) Delaware River (F) Delaware Bay Frankford / Tacony Creek (F) Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park Lakes Pennypack Creek (F) Poquessing Creek (F) Schuylkill River (F) Wissahickon Creek (*) are floatable or canoeable rivers or streams)

“Delightful and anti-reverential”—Sunday Times (London) With an encyclopedic knowledge of opera and a delightful dash of irreverence, Sir Denis Forman throws open the world of opera—its structure, composers, conductors, and artists—in this hugely informative guide. A Night at the Opera dissects the eighty-three most popular operas recorded on compact disc, from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur to Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. For each opera, Sir Denis details the plot and cast of characters, awarding stars to parts that are “worth looking out for,” “really good,” or, occasionally, “stunning.” He goes on to tell the history of each opera and its early reception. Finally, each work is graded from alpha to gamma (although the Ring cycle gets an “X”), and Sir Denis has no qualms about voicing his opinion: the first act of Fidelio is “a bit of a mess,” while the last scene of Don Giovanni “towers above the comic finales of Figaro and Così and whether or not [it] is Mozart's greatest opera, it is certainly his most powerful finale.” The guide also presents brief biographies of the great composers, conductors, and singers. A glossary of musical terms is included, as well as Operatica, or the essential elements of opera, from the proper place and style of the audience's applause (and boos) to the use of subtitles. A Night at the Opera is for connoisseurs and neophytes alike. It will entertain and inform, delight and (perhaps) infuriate, providing a subject for lively debate and ready reference for years to come.