Laurence Bergreen

xii, 211 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm1190L Lexile

A life of the Genoese weaver's son who sought to prove the world is round, telling how he studied map-making in Portugal, waited long years for financial and material support from Isabella of Spain, and finally made four voyages to the New World.

The author presents a new portrait of Capone, from the brutal wars in which Capone climbed to the top of gangsterdom, to his long incarceration as one of the first prisoners at Alcatraz, to a detailed account of his long slide into illness and death.

Chronicles the life and achievements of the American songwriter and contains a chronology of 1,500 songs.

Describes Marco Polo's travels through Asia, and discusses the people and cultures he encountered.

Louis Armstrong. "Satchmo." To millions of fans, he was just a great entertainer. But to jazz aficionados, he was one of the most important musicians of our times--not only a key figure in the history of jazz but a formative influence on all of 20th-century popular music. Set against thebackdrop of New Orleans, Chicago, and New York during the "jazz age", Collier re-creates the saga of an old-fashioned black man making it in a white world. He chronicles Armstrong's rise as a musician, his scrapes with the law, his relationships with four wives, and his frequent feuds with fellowmusicians Earl Hines and Zutty Singleton. He also sheds new light on Armstrong's endless need for approval, his streak of jealousy, and perhaps most important, what some consider his betrayal of his gift as he opted for commercial success and stardom...