Most Popular Books by Michael Sheridan

At the beginning of August 1907, an early-morning train from Monte Carlo pulled into the Gare Saint-Charles in Marseilles. A trunk with a forwarding address was taken to the baggage section to await transportation. Some hours later a station employee, Louis Pons, noticed blood dripping from the trunk. The police were called and, on opening it, discovered a naked female corpse. The head and legs were missing. Thus began the investigation into a sensational case which drew the attention of newspapers the world over. An army of reporters congregated in Marseilles and Monte Carlo to chronicle every twist and turn of the murder inquiry and subsequent trial. From the notorious casino, the trail led to Marseilles, London, Liverpool, Canada – and ultimately to County Cork and Waterford. The couple arrested for the crime were Vere St Leger Goold, an Irish aristocrat, and his French wife Marie Giroudin. He was a former Irish Open tennis champion and Wimbledon finalist whose great promise in life had disintegrated into a mire of drink, drugs and gambling. His wife was a con artist, always one step ahead of the financial posse. This fascinating tale involves the components of forensic science, psychological profiling, judicial investigation and global reporting of historical character with a very contemporary echo.

An updated, rewritten and expanded edition of the cult classic exploring Jacobsen''s midcentury design through the microcosm of a single hotel room Room 606 at the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen is a rare and well-preserved example of Arne Jacobsen''s architectural expertise and iconic modernist conception. The hotel room tells the story of Arne Jacobsen''s vision with the SAS Royal in the middle of the Danish capital. Not only did he draw the buildings, he was also highly involved with designing the interior right down to the smallest of details. In Room 606, New York-based architect and scholar Michael Sheridan uses the iconic hotel room as a lens through which he views the entirety of Jacobsen''s masterpiece. The book is a totally revised and extended edition of Sheridan''s long-out-of-print Phaidon publication from 2003 with a completely new layout, newly found illustrations and newly recorded photographs of room 606--the only room left intact from Jacobsen''s glory days. Arne Jacobsen(1902-71) was a Danish architect and furniture designer famed for his simple, elegant chairs, particularly his three-legged stacking chair (1952) and his "egg" chair (1959). His pieces can be found in numerous international collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Design Museum in London and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. New York-based architect Michael Sheridan is an internationally recognized scholar of modern Danish architecture and design. His publications on these subjects include Landmarks(2011) and Louisiana: Architecture and Landscape(2017).

A vivid and readable history of Hong Kong, the rise of China and the birth of globalisation which the general reader will enjoy for its story-telling, characters and drama; a book full of first-time accounts from insiders, original Chinese documents and memoirs; offering insights on how the democracies can deal with China and engage with the world''s second largest economy.

''Michael Sheridan is one of the best informed and wisest writers on China'' - Chris Patten, last governor of Hong Kong The Red Emperor presents an eye-opening portrait of Xi Jinping, the man who presides over 1.4 billion people and the second largest economy on earth. Born a ''princeling'' to one of Communist China''s ruling families, the young Xi was exiled to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. He fought his way back to the top by stealth, privilege and guile. In 2012, following the spectacular fall of his rival Bo Xilai, Xi Jinping became the leader of China. In a compulsively readable narrative, veteran foreign correspondent Michael Sheridan takes the reader from the poor, isolated country of Xi''s youth to the military and economic superpower of today. In Xi''s new China, family mafias struggle for power amid murder, corruption and sex scandals as ministers and generals vanish in purges. No one is safe in his techno-security state. Xi is an absolute ruler whose word is law on everything from war and peace to the ruthless campaign against Covid-19. He aims to dominate world trade, to defeat Western democracy and to make China the supreme power in the East. A loner and a risk-taker, he is the most consequential leader of our time. Drawing on intimate stories from the closed world of China''s leading families and two decades of first-hand reporting, Michael Sheridan sheds new light on the history and politics of China. The book reveals that behind the façade of the Chinese Communist Party there is a modern dynasty and a new emperor.

A New York Times Bestseller Frank Sinatra desperately wanted to be part of John F. Kennedy, Jr.’s gang. He had his own famed “Rat Pack,” made up of hard drinking, womanizing individuals like himself—guys like Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Peter Lawford—but the guy “Ol’ Blue Eyes” really wanted to hang with was Lawford’s brother-in-law, the real chairman of the board, John F. Kennedy. In Sinatra and the Jack Pack, Michael Sheridan delves deep into the acclaimed singer’s relationship with the former president. He shares how Sinatra emerged from a working class Italian family and carved out a unique place for himself in American culture, and how Kennedy, also of immigrant stock, came from a privileged background of which the young Frank could only have dreamed. By the time the men met in the 1950s, both were thriving—and both liked the good life. They bonded over their mutual ability to attract beautiful women, male admirers, and adoring acolytes. They also shared a scandalous secret: each had dubious relationships with the mafia. It had promoted Frank’s career and helped Kennedy buy votes. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had, over two decades, compiled detailed and damning dossiers on their activities. From all accounts the friendship thrived. Then, suddenly, in March 1962, Frank was abruptly ejected from JFK’s gang. This unique volume tells why. It will release shortly after a television documentary inspired by the book airs, is filled with a beloved cast of characters, and is the compelling, untold story of a tumultuous relationship between two American icons. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

An exquisite retrospective monograph on the foundation and legacy of a quietly revered Danish architect and industrial designer The Danish architect and industrial designer Poul Kjærholm has always been quietly revered in modernist design circles, but in recent years his work has attained cult status among a younger generation of designers and connoisseurs. This exquisite monograph presents a comprehensive retrospective view of Kjærholm''s work, and also shows the history out of which his aesthetic grew. It features seven shorter essays by the American architect and Kjærholm expert Michael Sheridan, along with several hundred photographs and descriptive copy. It is the deepest and widest-ranging study of Kjærholm''s work to date. Poul Kjærholm was born in 1929 in Denmark. He became head of Denmark''s prestigious Institute for Design in 1973, and served there until his death in 1980. Over the years he designed dozens of chairs, recliners and tables that became landmarks of Danish furniture design, including the famous PK 24 reclining chair. His works are in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and many other international design museums. Kjærholm was the recipient of many important awards in industrial and graphic design, including two Grand Prix at the Milan Trienale (1957 and 1960), the ID Award and the Lunning Award.

Roots of Power tells five stories of plants, people, property, politics, peace, and protection in tropical societies. In Cameroon, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, St. Vincent, and Tanzania, dracaena and cordyline plants are simultaneously property rights institutions, markers of social organization, and expressions of life-force and vitality. In addition to their localized roles in forming landscapes and societies, these plants mark multiple boundaries and demonstrate deep historical connections across much of the planet’s tropics. These plants’ deep roots in society and culture have made them the routes through which postcolonial agrarian societies have negotiated both social and cultural continuity and change. This book is a multi-sited ethnographic political ecology of ethnobotanical institutions. It uses five parallel case studies to investigate the central phenomenon of "boundary plants" and establish the linkages among the case studies via both ancient and relatively recent demographic transformations such as the Bantu expansion across tropical Africa, the Austronesian expansion into the Pacific, and the colonial system of plantation slavery in the Black Atlantic. Each case study is a social-ecological system with distinctive characteristics stemming from the ways that power is organized by kinship and gender, social ranking, or racialized capitalism. This book contributes to the literature on property rights institutions and land management by arguing that tropical boundary plants’ social entanglements and cultural legitimacy make them effective foundations for development policy. Formal recognition of these institutions could reduce contradiction, conflict, and ambiguity between resource managers and states in postcolonial societies and contribute to sustainable livelihoods and landscapes. This book will appeal to scholars and students of environmental anthropology, political ecology, ethnobotany, landscape studies, colonial history, and development studies, and readers will benefit from its demonstration of the comparative method.

On 23 December 1996, the body of Sophie Toscan du Plantier was discovered outside her remote holiday cottage near Schull in West Cork. The attack had been savage and merciless. The murder caused shock waves in her native France and in the quiet Cork countryside that she had chosen as her retreat from the high-flying lifestyle of the film business in which she and her husband mixed. Six years later, and despite an extensive investigation, the killer of Sophie is still at largeand the file remains open. Death in December is the fascinating and compelling story of how an independent and beautiful woman sought peace and sanctuary and instead found violence and the ultimate terror. It gives a chilling profile of the killer whom pyschologists believe will strike again.

RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, DOMESTIC BUILDINGS. The human being was at the center of Danish modernism. Traditional craftsmanship and a high degree of quality influenced both its design and its architecture. Alongside the construction of numerous groundbreaking public buildings, the 1950s and 60s saw the design of many single-family homes based on an aesthetic that focused on truth to materials, honesty in construction and the reduction of form. Built of wood and brick and with practical, informal floor plans and large glass surfaces that opened up the interior of the house to nature, the best of these homes still fulfill their tasks to this day. The Modern House in Denmark is a compendium of selected buildings examined in detail, including icons such as Utzon House by Jorn Utzon, Arne Jacobsen''s Siesby House and the Bogh Andersen House by Jorgen Bo and Vilhelm Wohlert.

Richard Harris was a giant who oozed charisma on screen. But off screen he was troubled and addicted to every pleasure life could offer. Coming from a repressed Irish Catholic background, he was forced by a teenage illness to abandon his beloved rugby, but not his macho appetites. Discovering theatre saved him. He had found his calling. Despite marrying the daughter of a peer, he never tried to fit in. He was always a hell-raiser to the core, along with legendary buddies Richard Burton and Peter O''Toole. But he was more; he was a gifted poet and singer. He was an intelligent family man who took great interest in his craft, a Renaissance man of the film world. Every time his excesses threatened to kill his career – and himself – he rose magnificently from the ashes, first with an Oscar-winning performance as Bull McCabe in The Field, then in the Harry Potter franchise.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the coach of the 2016 and 2018 NCAA Tournament–winning Villanova University men’s basketball team comes a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a champion, along with lessons from his coaching career and the story of his personal road to success. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BLOOMBERG When Kris Jenkins sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to win the 2016 NCAA Tournament, it was a victory not just for a team and its coach but for an entire program. In his twentieth season with the Villanova program, including a five-year stint as an assistant to Coach Rollie Massimino, Coach Jay Wright had achieved his lifelong dream—and witnessed the culmination of a decades-long effort to build a culture of winning around a set of core values. In Attitude, Coach Wright shares some of the leadership secrets that have enabled Villanova, a private university with an undergraduate enrollment of less than 6,500, to thrive in the hypercompetitive world of college athletics. As he recounts the story of the 2015–16 Wildcats, Coach Wright offers anecdotes from his own journey up the ladder of success, with lessons learned on the Little League playing fields of his youth and wisdom passed down from his coaches and mentors. Each step of Villanova’s journey to a national championship incorporates a signature term torn from Coach Wright’s own motivational playbook. Here are key principles that aspiring leaders can apply, not only on the basketball court but in the boardroom, the classroom, and the living room. From learning to accept your role to remembering to honor those who came before us, Jay Wright’s core values provide a positive blueprint for transformational team building based on the idea that anyone—from the head coach to the last player on the bench—can be a leader when the moment demands it. The product of a lifetime’s worth of championship-level preparation, Attitude is perfect for anyone looking to build a team, achieve a goal, or nurture their own winning culture. Praise for Attitude “Jay Wright’s Attitude is filled with wonderful anecdotes, life lessons, and that which we all seek: wisdom.”—Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman emeritus, Nike “In 2015–16, Villanova displayed the best attributes of a champion by playing hard, smart, and together. Jay Wright instilled those traits in his team, and in Attitude he shares the universal leadership lessons that helped it succeed.”—Mike Krzyzewski, head coach, Duke University basketball

The Violent Child portrays the life of a tenacious woman who struggled to make a home for her son, to nurture the disabled daughter of her lover, and to embrace the gift of an unexpected, unconventional love. It is the story of a son who finds himself, at the end of his mother’s life, with a final opportunity for reconciliation.

Have you wondered how God reveals His presence to you? Have you wondered how He can create and love so many millions of people without losing track of a single one? Have you ever worried that God may never appear to you in your life or that you might not recognize Him if He did? The Many Faces of God explores these questions and gives you hope that God''s presence is there, in each of our lives. Through one man''s difficult journey, you will see how God shaped his life, taught him valuable lessons, and made him feel loved. You will then come to recognize how God has been there for you in your life--shaping, teaching, and loving you. You will look back on the people you have met, even those you encountered for a few brief seconds, and discover that these people were not put into your life accidentally. They are the many faces of God. Each compelling story is an example of how God reveals Himself to us through the people in our lives to be a part of our spiritual journey together. Whether they are close friends or passing acquaintances, brilliant teachers who inspire us, or toxic people who frustrate us, these are the people whom God has used to help us learn and grow in Him. We share the earth with all kinds of people, and some of them leave a more lasting imprint on us than others. But will you know it when one of those people is actually God helping to shape your life?

Twenty-one portraits of objects from Danish Modernism that remain relevant to this day. From 1940-80, a group of Danish architects and designers created a series of mass-produced objects that have the quality of archetypes: basic equipment for daily life reduced to their essential and timeless forms. Created at the intersection of craft tradition and industrial production, these items of furniture, lighting, cookware and tableware remain absolutely relevant and a number of them are still in production. A decade in the making, Archetypes offers the reader illuminating and richly illustrated profiles of twenty-one extraordinary designs that are emblematic of Danish material culture: modest, ethical and sustainable. Chapters on each archetype include biographical information on the designer, their creative processes, and detailed descriptions of the objects.

The infamous Magdalen Laundries operated for over eight decades. Thousands of young Irish girls were incarcerated in homes run by nuns and subjected to punishing work routines. Many were beaten and sexually abused. Kathy O''Bierne survived and has chosen to tell her story in the hope that she can help other victims.

Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery marks its 20th anniversary with the catalogue, The Anniversary Selection, in which we proudly present a selection of our most extraordinary and prized holdings. While our previous catalogues were devoted to specific designers or fields of crafts in the history of Danish Modern, the selection illustrated here is a more eclectic representation of the most exquisite pieces in our present collection. The Anniversary Selection includes both unique objects and rare works, handcrafted artifacts and industrial icons, but all of them possess the special character of material beauty that distinguishes the masterpieces of the Nordic Golden Age. Thus, the most important of the Danish furniture designers are represented in the catalogue, just as we present an insight into our collection of awarded Finnish art glass and the sculptural ceramics of Danish artist Axel Salto.