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Barnaby Conrad follows up his acclaimed 101 Best Scenes Ever Written with 101 Best Beginnings Ever Written. Readers will continue their delightful romp through literature guided and instructed by Conrad’s insights and annotations. For writers and readers, the first part of every story is the most important. Conrad has identified twelve types of beginnings, providing captivating examples such as Ambrose Bierce’s opening sentence to his short story “An Imperfect Conflagration”: Early one June morning in 1872 I murdered my father—an act which made a deep impression on me at the time. Writers will learn how to start their stories with forceful, compelling prose that hooks readers from page one; casual readers will delight in the cleverness of the various authors’ opening lines and in Conrad’s insightful comments.

The most revealing look at breasts

Photographs of breasts are everywhere: in museums, on book covers, in fashion ads, and on posters Alluring symbols of womanhood, breasts have fascinated generations of image makers. Here, for the first time between two covers, is the breast in photography: the titillating breast, the maternal breast, the aging breast, and the symbolic breast.

In Master Breasts, darkly witty political images of the 1970s jostle for space with Edward Weston's classic nudes; Nan Goldin's friends share pages with Robert Mapplethorpe's gorgeously sculptured models. From Alfred Stieglitz's classic studies of Georgia O'Keeffe to Mary Ellen Mark's vivid documentary portraits, they are all here. Other artists include Cindy Sherman, Imogen Cunningham, and Sally Mann.

A witty and reflective Introduction from the acclaimed novelist and essayist Francine Prose further links the images, while a monologue from Karen Finley's recent performance piece American Chestnut, "The Detective," reveals a young girl's anguish about breast-inspired catcalls and jokes and then sardonically calls for similar cultural treatment of the male anatomy. Finally, in Nobel Prize-winner Dario Fo's radically funny play The Story of the Tiger, the benefits of breast-feeding are celebrated as never before.