FINALIST FOR THE PEN JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY “Feminism, history, literature, politics—this tale has all of that, and a heroine worthy of her own turn in the spotlight.” —Therese Anne Fowler, bestselling author of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald A revelatory new portrait of the courageous woman who saved Dostoyevsky’s life—and became a pioneer in Russian literary history In the fall of 1866, a twenty-year-old stenographer named Anna Snitkina applied for a position with a writer she idolized: Fyodor Dostoyevsky. A self-described “girl of the sixties,” Snitkina had come of age during Russia’s first feminist movement, and Dostoyevsky—a notorious radical turned acclaimed novelist—had impressed the young woman with his enlightened and visionary fiction. Yet in person she found the writer “terribly unhappy, broken, tormented,” weakened by epilepsy, and yoked to a ruinous gambling addiction. Alarmed by his condition, Anna became his trusted first reader and confidante, then his wife, and finally his business manager—launching one of literature’s most turbulent and fascinating marriages. The Gambler Wife offers a fresh and captivating portrait of Anna Dostoyevskaya, who reversed the novelist’s freefall and cleared the way for two of the most notable careers in Russian letters—her husband’s and her own. Drawing on diaries, letters, and other little-known archival sources, Andrew Kaufman reveals how Anna protected her family from creditors, demanding in-laws, and her greatest romantic rival, through years of penury and exile. We watch as she navigates the writer’s self-destructive binges in the casinos of Europe—even hazarding an audacious turn at roulette herself—until his addiction is conquered. And, finally, we watch as Anna frees her husband from predatory contracts by founding her own publishing house, making Anna the first solo female publisher in Russian history. The result is a story that challenges ideas of empowerment, sacrifice, and female agency in nineteenth-century Russia—and a welcome new appraisal of an indomitable woman whose legacy has been nearly lost to literary history.

Featuring a brand new introduction from Alexandra Heminsley, talking about what Jackie and her books mean to her! ‘What radiates from all of her novels is a sense that women are just as capable of great things as men’ ALEXANDRA HEMINSLEY 'Jackie Collins’s daring, unapologetic stroke of the pen, combined with her glorious wit, has single-handedly given creative license to new generations of authors and storytellers.' COLLEEN HOOVER Al King, the rock-and-roll super stud who is everything any sex-crazed groupie ever imagined her hero to be; and Dallas, the beauty queen whose sky-high ambitions stem from a sordid secret-the type that tabloids tingle to tell. Together, they're on a wild ride from London to New York, from Hollywood to Rio and the steaming jungles of the Amazon-where all their dreams and nightmares are about to come true…LOVERS & GAMBLERS There have been many imitators, but only ever one Jackie Collins. With millions of her books sold around the world, and thirty-one New York Times bestsellers, she is one of the world’s top-selling novelists. From glamorous Beverly Hills bedrooms to Hollywood movie studios; from glittering rock concerts to the yachts of billionaires, Jackie chronicled the scandalous lives of the rich, famous, and infamous from the inside looking out. 'A true inspiration, a trail blazer for women's fiction' JILLY COOPER ‘Jackie shows us all what being a strong, successful woman means at any age’ MILLY JOHNSON ‘Jackie will never be forgotten, she’ll always inspire me to #BeMoreJackie’ JILL MANSELL ‘Jackie’s heroines don’t take off their clothes to please a man, but to please themselves’ CLARE MACKINTOSH ‘Legend is a word used too lightly for so many undeserving people, but Jackie is the very definition of the word’ ALEX KHAN ‘What Jackie knew how to do so well, is to tell a thumping good story’ ROWAN COLEMAN ‘Here is a woman who not only wanted to entertain her readers, but also to teach them something; about the world and about themselves’ ISABELLE BROOM ‘Jackie is the queen of cliff-hangers’ SAMANTHA TONGE ‘For all her trademark sass, there is a moralist at work here’ LOUISE CANDLISH ‘Nobody does it quite like Jackie and nobody ever will’ SARRA MANNING ‘Collins was saying that women didn’t have to centre round men, either in books or in life’ JESSIE BURTON ‘Jackie lived the Hollywood dream, but, she looked sideways at it, and then shared the dirt with her readers’ JULIET ASHTON

This book provides an overview of the state of the art in research on and treatment of gambling disorder. As a behavioral addiction, gambling disorder is of increasing relevance to the field of mental health. Research conducted in the last decade has yielded valuable new insights into the characteristics and etiology of gambling disorder, as well as effective treatment strategies. The different chapters of this book present detailed information on the general concept of addiction as applied to gambling, the clinical characteristics, epidemiology and comorbidities of gambling disorder, as well as typical cognitive distortions found in patients with gambling disorder. In addition, the book includes chapters discussing animal models and the genetic and neurobiological underpinnings of the disorder. Further, it is examining treatment options including pharmacological and psychological intervention methods, as well as innovative new treatment approaches. The book also discusses relevant similarities to and differences with substance-related disorders and other behavioral addictions. Lastly, it examines gambling behavior from a cultural perspective, considers possible prevention strategies and outlines future perspectives in the field.

Celebrated mathematician Amir D Aczel sets his sights on the probability theory - the branch of mathematics that measures the likelihood of a random event. What is commonly called 'luck' has mathematical roots - and in Aczel's capable hands readers learn to increase their odds of success in everything from true love to the stock market.

"Beeda is leading a double life. A single mother in Cape Town, she is a pious Muslim and a respected member of society. But she is also an independent-minded woman with a sizzling sensuality and a love for risk. When her friend introduces her to the local casino, Beeda tries out the slot machines and gets hooked. At first, the gambling is innocent enough, but soon life gets more and more complicated - her youngest son is dying from AIDS, her sister is diagnosed with cancer, and Beeda is consumed with an untenable love for someone she cannot have - and gambling starts to overtake her life." "Her neighbors disapprove of her habit and her son's illness; the entire Muslim culture frowns on her. But Beeda challenges the prejudices of her culture, and with self-assurance and humor she maps out a new path of redemption." "From the very picture of Muslim womanhood to a portrait of a woman troubled by the confines of unforgiving reality, Beeda's internal conflict parallels her society's conflict between modernity and tradition. A portrait of contemporary Muslim life in one of the world's most dynamic and dangerous cities, Confessions of a Gambler is a story both timely and universal - a story that shows that when a woman strays from the narrow path laid out for her by society, all bets are off."--BOOK JACKET.