The story of the makeup artist who changed the film industry—and the world of modern cosmetics. Includes photos.When Polish wigmaker and cosmetician Max Factor arrived in Los Angeles at the dawn of the motion picture industry, "make-up" had been associated only with stage performers and ladies of the oldest profession. Appalled by the garish paints worn by actors, Factor introduced the first "flexible" greasepaint for film in 1914. With a few careful brush strokes,...

An expansive biography of David Bowie, one of the twentieth century’s greatest music and cultural icons.From noted author and rock ’n’ roll journalist Marc Spitz comes a major David Bowie biography to rival any other. Following Bowie’s life from his start as David Jones, an R & B—loving kid from Bromley, England, to his rise to rock ’n’ roll aristocracy as David Bowie, Bowie recounts his career but also reveals how much his music has influenced other musicians and forever changed t...

Biographical profile of EstéeLauder who combined charm, gall and a ferocious ambition to create one of the great empires in cosmetics and perfumes. Estéee was never able to shed her roots in Queens, NY, and perhaps this is what made her such a successful entrepreneur, one who mingled and rubbed elbows with heads of state, celebrities and royalty while making her way to star status and becoming a billionaire.She was as outrageous as she was brilliant, a marketing and sales genius who understoo...

Rock Diary: Lady Gaga is a uniquely chronological, day-by-day, month-by-month and year-by-year history documenting the complete life and career of one of the most popular performers in the world today. This definitive factual story provides the ultimate biographical timeline of the immensely pop/fashion diva phenomenon - from her early teenage days as struggling singer-songwriter/pianist, Stefani Germanotta in New York, to her explosive rise to become the globe's biggest female star. Backs...

This is the powerful, detailed and enlightening biography of the iconic composer, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist - the inimitable Prince.Prince was an icon. A man who defined an era of music and changed the shape of popular culture forever. There is no doubt that he was one of the most talented and influential artists of all time, and also one of the most mysterious. On 21st April 2016 the world lost its Prince; it was the day the mus...

Alan Cross is the preeminent chronicler of popular music.Here he provides a history of The Smiths, the definitive British indie band of the 1980s.This look at the band -- "Those Charming Men" -- is adapted from the audiobook of the same name.

Alan Cross is the preeminent chronicler of popular music.Here he provides a history of nu metal band Linkin Park.This look at "the best-selling American rock band of the 20th century" is adapted from the audiobook.

Nice women never wore makeup. Even the word was taboo in polite society—until Max Factor entered the scene. Born in Poland in 1877, Factor worked as a beautician for the Russian royal family, the Romanovs. In 1904, he fled to America, where he opened a cosmetics store in Los Angeles. Creating makeup originally for silent films, then the talkies, and, ultimately, color motion pictures, Factor designed looks for Katharine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, and countless other beauties of t...

New York Times, Spin, and Vanity Fair contributor Marc Spitz explores the first great cultural movement since Hip Hop: an old-fashioned and yet highly modern aesthetic that's embraced internationally by teens, twenty and thirty-somethings and even some Baby Boomers; creating hybrid generation known as Twee. Via exclusive interviews and years of research, Spitz traces Generation Twee's roots from the Post War 50s to its dominance in popular culture today.Vampire We...

Alan Cross is the preeminent chronicler of popular music.Here he provides a history of Jack White and The White Stripes.This look at the band "with just two people, and not a bass player in sight" is adapted from the audiobook.

A delightfully illustrated history of makeup and the beauty business.Cosmetics go all the way back to ancient times. In this book, an expert in vintage accessories tells the story of beauty products from the nineteenth century to the present, revealing how both makeup and the women who wear it have changed.Madeleine Marsh also delves into the subject of compacts, which have been a symbol of love for generations and are often beautiful works of art in themse...

REMARKABLE BIOGRAPHY OF AN ICONThere's little debate that Robert De Niro is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, screen actors of his generation, perhaps of all time. His work, particularly in the first 20 years of his career, is unparalleled. Mean Streets, the Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, the Deer Hunter, and Raging Bull all dazzled moviegoers and critics alike, displaying a talent the likes of which had rarely--if ever--been seen. De Nir...