"Have Roquefort cheese with a fine wine and you'll be ready for love," said Casanova. Both the cheese and the wine are made with fungi, as are whiskey,beer and bread.Everyone of us is affected by fungi.Without the process of decay, caused by fungi,life on earth would have died out almost as soon as it began.In this book, the little-known kingdom of fungi is revealed as never before.The devastating potato blight that brought the Irish to the U.S. and the Penicillium mold that changed medical history are both fungi. Mushrooms can be the "food of the gods," as the ancient Romans declared, poisonous or hallucinogenic.
"This superb book does for fungi what Audubon did for birds, Rachel Carson for the sea, Gibbon for the Roman Empire ... and Freud for the psyche." New Haven Register.
"A fascinating, ambitious book." Time magazine(lead review).
"A masterly feat." Washington Post Book World.
"Read Lucy's book.It's absolutely fascinating." Midwest Book Review.com
Selected as an Editor's Choice at iUniverse
"A suspenseful tale of love,valor, adventure." Publishers Weekly.
"Gripping climax and strong characters." Tulsa World
Beatrix Tremaine is the keeper of the flame for her great-grandfather,Byron Tremaine, the greatest polar explorer of the early 20th century. When a ruthless talk-show host accuses him of fraud,she sets out to uncover the mystery of what really happened on the Antarctic icecap all those years ago. She discovers a long-hidden, death-defying race to the South Pole by Tremaine and an all-women's expedition,incredible for its time,led by Viola Lambert. Who was she and why is nothing known about her? Were Viola and Byron lovers? Who reached the Pole first? A tale of love,betrayal,passion and duplicity. Was the talk-show host's expose true?
Rated 5-stars at Barnes & Noble
“Kavaler fishes in glittering pools of Astors,” The New York Times
“Forget Donald Trump. Read ‘The Astors.’” BookViews.com
A feud between socialite Brooke Astor's son and grandson culminated, after her death, in criminal charges of fraud and larceny.Feuds and scandals have long plagued the Astors. Read about these historic scandals and find out how the family got that way.This definitive biography begins with John Jacob Astor,the fur trapper who became the first millionnaire. In the 200 years that followed,his descendants owned most of New York’s real estate, and became symbols of wealth and high society.One of the Astors went down on the Titanic,leaving a son who feuded with his half-brother and established the philanthropy run by Brooke Astor.
A Readers’ Choice book, the highest ranking on iuniverse.com
" A lushly savage scrutiny." Kirkus Reports
"An unforgettable and provocative novel.” Greenwich Times
The lifestyles of the fabulously rich and famous in 1895 New York and Newport. Melanie Edmont, the beauty of the age, scandalizes society with her excesses and lovers. A vicious item in a tabloid sets off a crisis, forcing her to choose between her real estate tycoon husband, the British aristocrat who seduced her at 15 and her young and charming“summer toy.” In the novel's surprising ending, Melanie rides a camel into the great ballroom of her mansion.
Rated 5-stars at Amazon
