Mark Harris Books

'The most revelatory and entertaining Hollywood book since Easy Riders, Raging Bulls.' Daily Telegraph

"A magnificent biography of one of the most protean creative forces in American entertainment history, a life of dazzling highs and vertiginous plunges--some of the worst largely unknown until now--by the acclaimed author of Pictures at a Revolution and Five Came Back. Mike Nichols burst onto the scene as a wunderkind without parallel: while still in his 20's, he was half of a lucrative hit improv duo with Elaine May that was the talk of the country. Next he directed four hit Broadway plays, picking up the Best Director Tony for three of them, and by his mid-30's the first two films he directed, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Graduate, were the highest-grossing movies of 1966 and 1967 respectively, and The Graduate had won him an Oscar for Best Director. Well before his 40th birthday, Nichols lived in a sprawling penthouse on Central Park West, drove a Rolls Royce, collected Arabian horses, and counted the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy, Stephen Sondheim, Richard Avedon and the Aga Khan as good friends. Where he had arrived is even more astonishing given where he began: born Igor Peschkowsky to a Jewish couple in Berlin in 1931, he and his younger brother were sent alone to America on a ship in 1939. Their father, who had gone ahead to find work, was waiting for them; their mother would follow, in the nick of time. His name changed by his father to "Michael Nichols," the young boy caught very few breaks: his parents were now destitute, and his father died when Mike was just 11, leaving his mentally unstable mother alone and overwhelmed. Perhaps most cruelly, Nichols was completely bald: as a small child an allergic reaction to an immunization shot had caused total and permanent hair loss. His parents claimed they could not afford to buy him even a cheap wig until he was almost in high school. Mark Harris gives an intimate and even-handed accounting of success and failure alike; the portrait is not always flattering, but its ultimate impact is to present the full story of one of the most richly interesting, complicated, and consequential figures the worlds of theater and motion pictures have ever seen. It is a triumph of the biographer's art"-- Provided by publisher

This biography chronicles the life of a remarkable figure in American entertainment, revealing both extraordinary successes and lesser-known struggles. The acclaimed author explores Mike Nichols' ascent as a prodigious talent, starting with his groundbreaking improv duo with Elaine May in his 20s. He quickly transitioned to directing, earning multiple Tony Awards for his Broadway productions. By his mid-30s, he directed two of the highest-grossing films of the 1960s, winning an Oscar for Best Director for The Graduate. Nichols enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, residing in a Central Park West penthouse and befriending notable figures like Jacqueline Kennedy and Stephen Sondheim. His journey is particularly striking considering his origins: born Igor Peschkowsky in Berlin in 1931, he and his brother fled to America in 1939, reuniting with their father while their mother arrived later. The family faced significant hardships, including the death of his father when Mike was just 11 and his mother's mental instability. Additionally, Nichols dealt with severe alopecia, which left him completely bald from a young age, and his parents struggled to afford a wig until he was nearly in high school. Mark Harris presents a nuanced portrayal of Nichols, balancing his achievements with the challenges he faced, ultimately crafting a compelling narrative of a complex and influential figure in theater and film.

Focusing on the intersection of biblical creation texts and contemporary scientific theories, this book offers a thorough historical analysis of the narratives surrounding creation. It explores the shared insights and distinct differences between science and religion, advocating for a thoughtful dialogue between the two. By examining these foundational ideas, it seeks to illuminate how both perspectives can coexist and inform our understanding of origins.

Weaving together life today with the wisdom of saints like John Bunyan and Evelyn Underhill, Mark Harris has created a practical guide to spiritual growth that covers issues such as spiritual dryness, temptation, discouragement and more.

Henry Wiggen, hero of The Southpaw, became the best-known fictional baseball player in America. Now he is back again in Bang the Drum Slowly, throwing a baseball "with his arm and his brain and his memory and his bluff for the sake of his pocket and his family."Also available in Bison Book editions are The Southpaw, It Looked Like For Ever, and A Ticket for a Seamstitch, the other three volumes in the Henry Wiggen series.

Union of differences can be the source of beauty;Division of opinions need not be the cause of war.--Mark Harris, March 2022.EAST 100 is a collection of one hundred artworks by artist Mark Harris in Los Angeles at the end of 2021. The project composes harmonious combinations of world-famous western paintings and art from ancient China.With this bold fusion of East and West, Mark Harris presents us with artworks that are fascinating to the eye and enchanting to the heart.

This book is part of a series of flipbooks by Mark Harris.

Readers will enjoy the fantasy journey of the protagonist, Michelangelo DiCaprio, as he ventures forth to find a new life beyond the Great Wall that divides the United States and California. In this unique work of magical realism, MICHELANGELO THE BEST ACTOR, author Mark Harris captivates readers with his use of humor, irony, and play on words to ultimately create a fictitious, yet strangely familiar world in which society’s norms are upended. The novel takes readers on the protagonist’s journey from the United States, a country depicted as underdeveloped and in deep decline and social disrepair, into the mythical world of a burgeoning and culturally lush California, which is no longer a part of the United States but rather a country unto itself. As with any life quest, Michelangelo’s travels are fraught with danger and confusion. He must overcome many obstacles that attempt to overpower him and even threaten to take his life. Ultimately, Michelangelo is forced by a mysterious phantom to become an actor and to fight for the coveted A-Star Award for Best Actor given only to Hollywood’s most accomplished actors. Our protagonist has the opportunity to play the most prized role of all – that of God, himself. Will his quest for greatness succeed through his dogged determination or will he succumb to more powerful forces that seek to destroy him and his surroundings? Author Mark Harris renders a brilliant story of an imagined world in which the protagonist is deeply challenged by his desires and emotions as he negotiates a world of high tech beyond his experience or understanding. The author intrigues readers with his ingenious references to many familiar aspects of traditional culture, such as the graphic design on the US dollar and Michelangelo’s famous painting. Using a unique style of prose that will entertain and delight readers, Harris redefines the familiar and replaces it with an exciting and humorous new paradigm. MICHELANGELO THE BEST ACTOR is an invitation to escape the confines of realism and cross over the Great Wall, along with the protagonist, into the imagined world of the author’s creation. Michelangelo believes a better life awaits him in California, but his journey threatens to end in great destruction. This novel will provide you with an exciting reading experience. Readers’ perceptions of the world as they know it will be delightfully overturned as the author, with bold imagination, presents the United States as a backward country, California as a developing country, and Mexico as a developed country. You will break from reality and travel into a new reality of time and place. When you close this book and return to your everyday life, you will find that the real world is somehow new.

In this flip book, you will see an amazing situation: a hedgehog and a deer combined into an unexpected image.