Why, if Alger Hiss was guilty of espionage, did he invite close scrutiny of his life and career by devoting so much of his time to proving his innocence? And how, without producing any new evidence, was he able to convince many he was not a spy? This book examines his life in the light of the evidence of his complicity.

Describes the physical characteristics, habitat, and behavior of a snake.

"Hiss" is a story that will take you on a roller coaster ride of imagination and emotion. You and your child will experience excitement, comfort, uneasiness, and back to comfort again, in a few short pages. The use of imagination is stressed in this book since the only pictures that you ever see are of the environment that surrounds Hiss' home. You never see Hiss or his mommy. You only have to read about them to experience their emotions as they live their daily lives. Although Hiss and his mommy are described in loose detail in book, there is much left to the imagination of the child. Discussion of some elements of the book may be initiated by the child and the reader will find that he or she will become part of this book. Describing an Emu or how fangs (teeth) grow in, can forge a bond between child and reader, and may be cause for discussion in the future. Enjoy this book to the fullest that your imagination can take you and your child.

The controversial New York Times–bestselling biography of America’s most infamous president written by a master of investigative political reporting. Anthony Summers’s towering biography of Richard Nixon reveals a tormented figure whose criminal behavior did not begin with Watergate. Drawing on more than a thousand interviews and five years of research, Summers traces Nixon’s entire career, revealing a man driven by addiction to power and intrigue. His subversion of democracy during Watergate was the culmination of years of cynical political manipulation. Evidence suggests the former president had problems with alcohol and prescription drugs, was mentally unstable, and was abusive to his wife, Pat. Summers discloses previously unrevealed facts about Nixon’s role in the plots against Fidel Castro and Salvador Allende, his sabotage of the Vietnam peace talks in 1968, and his acceptance of funds from dubious sources. The Arrogance of Power shows how the actions of one tormented man influenced 50 years of American history, in ways still reverberating today. “Summers has done an enormous service. . . . The inescapable conclusion, well body-guarded by meticulous research and footnotes, is that in the Nixon era the United States was in essence a ‘rogue state.’ It had a ruthless, paranoid and unstable leader who did not hesitate to break the laws of his own country.”—Christopher Hitchens, The New York Times Book Review “A superbly researched and documented account—the last word on this dark and devious man.”—Paul Theroux

"Had I known what lay ahead of me in the jungles of Africa," he wrote," I would never have contemplated coming in the first place." Dr. Cromwell was part of a notorious West African slave raid that took place in June 1806. He was the ship's head physician with two surgeons and three loblolly boys for assistance. Hence, the voyage to the Dark Continent was routine and uneventful for the most part. However, as soon as his team set foot on the shores of Yorubaland in search of able-bodied slaves, bizarre things began to happen, people disappeared mysteriously, strange tootles were heard in the middle of night. The team's belated knowledge of 'Olori Ejo', a local superstition involving snakes, spirits and sinister deaths, only made matters worse. So when his good friend and budding explorer, Lord Powell, vanished mysteriously one fateful night while the others slept, Cromwell knew he had made a wrong decision.

Professor Madeline McPhee has perfected the art of pursuing pollution, not criminals. But terrified residents of Dunnett Village don’t appreciate that distinction when a murder turns the tranquil village upside down. An adorable Maine Coon kitten is found early one morning snuggled next to a body in the middle of the village bookstore. Despite Madeline’s reluctance to get involved, the villagers prefer her sleuthing skills to those of the taciturn detective assigned to the case. Madeline and her eighty-something Aunt Fiona foster the kitten and search for his owner, hoping to reunite him with his human and discover clues about the identity of the killer. But Madeline’s curiosity draws the killer’s attention and a couple of close calls with death before she helps police end his reign of terror. Wreck of the Hiss Purr Hiss is the first installment in the Madeline McPhee mystery series, stories that embrace the quirky characters of a small village in the Pacific Northwest, the antics of a kitten, and an amateur sleuth with the calm demeanor of Jessica Fletcher and the deductive skills of Sherlock Holmes.

Take your readers beyond the world of dogs and cats with Unique Pets! In this title, they will discover the Madagascar hissing cockroach's impressive climbing skills, nocturnal habits, and fascinating variety of hissing sounds. Easy-to-read text introduces the behaviors, size, appearance, natural habitat, diet, reproduction, development, and care and keeping of this prized insect. Large, full-color photos show off the Madagascar hissing cockroach's special features. Your readers are unique individuals. Shouldn't their pets be, too? Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.