London's remarkable life makes for good reading: He was a fearless explorer whose struggles to become a successful writer filled his short life. Dyer makes it easy to marvel at the breadth and depth of London's early failures, which he overcame by self-discipline, including a regular routine of reading and writing, even when he was at sea--he didn't wait for inspiration. Through this well-written biography, readers gain a sense of London's spirit; he relished personal achievement ``for my own delight.'' (index, not seen, b&w photos, bibliography) (Biography. 11-13) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. • Jack London Books

And, by interviewing people close to Marilyn such as Milton H. Greene and Inez Nelson (?), by reading papers from Marilyn to Lee/Paula Strasberg, Pat Newcomb, and others influential in her life, DS gives us further insight into the life of this beautiful but misunderstood immortal screen goddess.

 We also learn the truth about her death. No, Marilyn was not killed by the Kennedys. (Both Bobby and John had alibis, and the information DS presents show no reason why they would want to assassinate her anyway.) And from what DS says, Marilyn was planning to remarry Joe DiMaggio and to her friends it didn't seem that she was planning to kill herself. His hypothesis is that her suicide may have been accidental, after being fed all those barbituates by different people through all the years, and Dr. Ralph Greenson and her housekeeper, Eunice Murray, may have had a hand in it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned so much from it! • Marilyn Monroe Books • Marilyn Monroe Movies

For his career, McGwire averaged a home run once every 10.61 at bats, the lowest at bats per home run ratio in baseball history (Ryan Howard is second at 11.32 and Babe Ruth is third at 11.80). In 1987, he broke the single-season home run record for rookies, with 49. In 1998, McGwire and Sammy Sosa achieved national fame for their home run-hitting prowess in pursuit of Roger Maris' single season home run record; McGwire would break the record and hit 70 home runs that year. Barry Bonds now holds the record.

McGwire was drafted in the 8th round (199th overall) by the Montreal Expos in 1981. McGwire opted for college instead, reasoning that the scholarship offered by USC was worth more than the $8,500 ($19,914 in current dollar terms) the Expos were willing to pay.[citation needed] After three years at Southern California and a stint on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, McGwire was drafted 10th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft. • Mark McGwire Books

She was born Aimee Elizabeth Kennedy on a farm near Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada. Her father James Kennedy was a farmer. Young Aimee got her early exposure to religion through her mother Mildred (known as Minnie), whose work with the Salvation Army feeding people through soup kitchens was echoed in her daughter's later work spreading the Gospel.

As a child she played "Salvation Army" with her classmates and at home would gather a congregation with her dolls and give them a sermon. As a teenager she strayed from her mother's teachings by reading novels and going to movies and dances, all of which were strongly disapproved by the Salvation Army. In high school she was taught about Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution and began to quiz local pastors about faith and science, but was unhappy with the lack of answers she got from them. She sent a letter to the Family Herald and Weekly Star (a national Canadian newspaper) asking why taxpayers supported public schools teaching evolution. • Aimee Semple McPherson Books

Among his furniture work was his collaboration with the Herman Miller company in 1948 when he joined with George Nelson, Paul Lαszlσ and Charles Eames to produce a catalog containing what is often considered to be the most influential body of modern furniture. His work lives on around the world and at the The Noguchi Museum in New York City.

Isamu Noguchi was born in Los Angeles, the illegitimate son of Yone Noguchi, a Japanese poet who had gained great acclaim in the United States, and Leonie Gilmour, an American writer who edited much of his work. Yone had ended his relationship with Gilmour earlier that year, instead planning to marry his true romance, Washington Post reporter Ethel Armes. After proposing to her, Yone left for Japan in late August, settling in Tokyo and awaiting Armes' arrival; their engagement fell through months later when she learned of Leonie and her newborn son. • Isamu Noguchi Books

Patton was commissioned in the army in 1909, and participated in the unsuccessful attempt to capture Pancho Villa in 1916-17. In World War I, he was the first officer assigned to the new United States Tank Corps and saw action in France. After the war, he was a strong advocate of armored warfare.

In World War II, he commanded corps and armies in North Africa, Sicily, and the European Theater of Operations. Near the end of the Sicilian campaign, Patton jeopardized his career by slapping a soldier recuperating from battle fatigue at a hospital; Patton considered him a coward. The well-publicized incident caused General Dwight D. Eisenhower to relieve him of command. Thus, instead of playing a major part in the Normandy Landings and Operation Overlord, he was relegated to acting as a decoy in Operation Quicksilver. However, he was later given command of the U.S. Third Army and ably led it in breaking out of the hedgerows of Normandy and across France. • George S. Patton, Jr Books • Patton, The Movie

Redford was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Martha W. (nιe Hart) and Charles Robert Redford Sr. (November 19, 1914 – April 2, 1991), a milkman-turned-accountant from Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He has a half-brother, William, from his father's re-marriage. Redford is of English and Scots-Irish ancestry.

He attended Van Nuys High School in Los Angeles, California where he was classmates with Natalie Wood and Don Drysdale, and was a teammate on the Van Nuys High School baseball team with Don Drysdale. He graduated in 1954, and received a baseball scholarship to the University of Colorado, where he was a pitcher. He lost the scholarship due to excessive fratting, possibly fueled by the death of his mother, which occurred when Redford was 18. He later studied painting at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and took classes in theatrical set design at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. • Robert Redford Books • Robert Redford Movies

About the Author Linda Wade is a retired school librarian. She served 23 years in the same school she attended as a child. She has taught writing, both locally and nationally at writing conferences. She received her education from Olivet Nazarene University and Indiana University. She has published 30 books since 1989. She and her husband, Edward, like to travel across the United States visiting their children, historic places, and national parks. • Sally K. Ride Books

Saroyan was born in Fresno, California to Armenian immigrants from Bitlis in the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey). At the age of three, after his father's death, Saroyan was placed in the orphanage in Oakland, California, together with his brother and sister, an experience he later described in his writing. Five years later, the family reunited in Fresno, where his mother, Takoohi, secured work at a cannery. He continued his education on his own, supporting himself by taking odd jobs, such as working as an office manager for the San Francisco Telegraph Company. • William Saroyan Books

Steffens was born April 6, 1866, in San Francisco and grew up in Sacramento, California. He studied in France and Germany after graduating from the University of California, where he was first exposed to what were known then as "radical" political views.

Steffens began his journalistic career at the New York Evening Post. He later on became an editor of McClure's magazine, where he became part of a celebrated muckraking trio, along with Ida Tarbell and Ray Stannard Baker. He specialized in investigating government and political corruption, and two collections of his articles were published as The Shame of the Cities (1904) and The Struggle for Self-Government (1906). He also wrote The Traitor State, which criticized New Jersey for patronizing incorporation. In 1906, he left McClure's, along with Tarbell and Baker, to form The American Magazine. • Lincoln Steffens Books

Although Stevenson was born in Los Angeles, he was a member of a famous Illinois political family. His grandfather Adlai E. Stevenson I had been Vice President of the United States under President Grover Cleveland from 1893-1897. His father, Lewis Green Stevenson, never held an elected office, but was appointed Secretary of State of Illinois and was considered a strong contender for the Democratic vice-presidential nomination in 1928. A maternal great-grandfather, Jesse W. Fell, had been a close friend and campaign manager for Abraham Lincoln; Stevenson often referred to Fell as his "favorite" ancestor. His mother was Helen Davis Stevenson. • Adlai Stevenson Books

Tilson Thomas was born in Los Angeles, California to Ted and Roberta Thomas, Broadway stage manager, and a middle school history teacher. He is the grandson of noted Yiddish theater stars Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky. Tilson Thomas studied at the University of Southern California under Ingolf Dahl, among others. As a student of Friedelind Wagner, Tilson Thomas was a Musical Assistant and Assistant Conductor at the Bayreuth Festival. • Michael Tilson Thomas Books • Michael Tilson Thomas Discography

His tenure as California governor and Chief Justice was marked by extreme contrast. As governor of California, Warren was very popular across party lines, so much so that in the 1946 gubernatorial election he won the nominations of the Democratic, Progressive, and Republican parties. His tenure as Chief Justice was as divisive as his governorship was unifying. Liberals generally hailed the landmark rulings issued by the Warren Court which affected, among other things, the legal status of racial segregation, civil rights, separation of church and state, and police arrest procedure in the United States. But conservatives decried the Court's rulings, particularly in areas affecting criminal proceedings. In the years that followed, the Warren Court became recognized as a high point in the use of judicial power in the effort to effect social progress in the United States. Warren himself became widely regarded as one of the most influential Supreme Court justices in the history of the United States and perhaps the single most important jurist of the 20th century. • Earl Warren Books

Both sisters had the honor of being ranking by the Women's Tennis Association at the World No. 1 position. There is no other sport, where two siblings were both ranked at the number 1 position. In 2001, Serena Williams and Venus Williams were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively.

Other siblings in professional tennis have included include Maleevas(3), Everts, McEnroes, Jensens, Safins, Mal and Mashona Washington and Bryans unadjusted career earnings • Serena & Venus Williams Books

More than just a listing of wins and descriptions of golf swings, this biography of Tiger Woods lives up to its promise of an interesting read and certainly contains enough facts for a high school project.”–VOYA “

Tiger Woods: A Biography brings the world of golf in general and the achievements of Tiger Woods in particular to life, providing a biographical which examines his participation in the sport, its particular demands, and how he lived up to his potential.”–The Midwest Book Review

On December 11, 2009, in a statement released on his website, Woods said he is taking an indefinite leave from professional golf to concentrate on his family after reports surfaced of infidelity • Eldrick "Tiger" Woods Books