Stephen Colbert is far more than a comedian and improv genius. As head of his fanciful Colbert Nation, the quick-witted host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report has delighted fans with his wit, audacity, and innovative uses of language and the media. In this biography, award-winning journalist Bruce Watson, author of Jon Stewart: Beyond the Moments of Zen, charts Colbert's rise from boyhood tragedy to "greatest living cultural/media critic."

At the turn of the twentieth century, Jack London was the most celebrated author in the United States. As rugged as the wilderness he detailed in his adventure stories, he scratched his way up from a hardscrabble beginning to the pinnacle of publishing. But London heard his own call of the wild. From the details surrounding his conception and birth to the dissolution of his marriage, London's life was fraught with scandal. Despite it all, says award-winning journalist Bruce Watson in this ...

What caused the worst witch-hunt in U.S. history? What demons sent twenty innocent people to their deaths? Was it panic? Payback? Puritanism run amok? In this probing short-form book, award-winning journalist Bruce Watson captures all the fear and fear-mongering while exploring the latest historical research into this unforgettable American tragedy.

A top-secret military code helped the Allies win World War II in the Pacific. The unbroken code was not based on numbers or symbols but on birds and whales and fish. This is the story of the Navajo Code Talkers, who left high desert country to storm tropical jungles, armed only with their language and a rare courage in the face of fire. Author Bruce Watson tells the story in this short-form book, which is based on interviews and oral histories by the last living Code Talkers.

Once derided as a hopeless cynic, American author Ambrose Bierce now enjoys a solid literary reputation. Witty and sardonic, Bierce speaks to our own scandal-ridden times. His savage Civil War stories have become classics and his Devil's Dictionary is often quoted. In this brief biography, Bruce Watson explores the sorrow behind the wit, and probes Bierce's mysterious disappearance a century ago.

In 1912, a frustrated writer sat at his typewriter seeking armchair adventure. Edgar Rice Burroughs had failed at nearly everything he had tried, yet he knew a good story when he read one. The tale of an ape-man torn between primal desires and civilization’s demands seemed like it might sell. A century later, in movies, on television, and in 74 novels, Tarzan still swings. In this digital short, award-winning author Bruce Watson explores the fantastically fertile mind of Edgar Rice Burroug...

Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, has been called a "cultural force," a "fourth branch of government," and "the most influential man in America." In this pioneering biography, award-winning journalist Bruce Watson charts Stewart's remarkable rise from a wise-cracking New Jersey comic to a powerful pundit hosting presidents and prime ministers, all with a smirk.

Modern Americans are accustomed to the insanity defense, but what if a madman shot the president? During the Victorian Era? In this brief gripping account, award-winning author Bruce Watson recounts how the lunatic Charles Guiteau stalked and killed President James Garfield, then stalked the courtroom while an indignant America watched. Guilty or innocent? That depends on your definition of insanity.

Edward Stratemeyer was the biggest selling writer you never heard of. In an age when top authors sold tens of thousands of books, Stratemeyer sold tens of millions. His name is unknown but his creations are the classics of kidlit: Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, the Bobbsey Twins. These and dozens more were all created by Stratemeyer and a literary syndicate that churned out novels like Henry Ford made cars. In this amusing digital short, award-winning journalist Bruce Watson captur...

Salem 1692 the name and date are synonymous with sorcery. But what caused the worst witch-hunt in U.S. history? What demons sent 20 innocent people to their deaths? Was it panic? Payback? Puritanism run amok? In this probing look, Bruce Watson captures all the fear and fear-mongering while exploring the latest historical research into this unforgettable American tragedy.

Light begins at Stonehenge, where crowds cheer a solstice sunrise. After sampling myths explaining First Light, the story moves on to early philosophers' queries, then through the centuries, from Buddhist temples to Biblical scripture, when light was the soul of the divine.Battling darkness and despair, Gothic architects crafted radiant cathedrals while Dante dreamed a "heaven of pure light." Later, following Leonardo's advice, Renaissance artists learned to capture light o...

This latest edition in Triangle Square's For Young People series is a gripping account of the summer that changed America.In the summer of 1964, as the Civil Rights movement boiled over, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) sent more than seven hundred college students to Mississippi to help black Americans already battling for democracy, their dignity and the right to vote. The campaign was called “Freedom Summer.” But on the evening after voluntee...