Death, divorce, and scandal send an American socialite to Kenya for a journey of discovery in this historical novel by a New York Times–bestselling author. Paris, 1923 The daughter of a scandalous mother, Delilah Drummond is already notorious, even among Paris society. But her latest scandal is big enough to make even her oft-married mother blanch. Delilah is exiled to Kenya and her favorite stepfather's savanna manor house until gossip subsides. Fairlight is the crumbling, sun-bleached skeleton of a faded African dream, a world where dissolute expats are bolstered by gin and jazz records, cigarettes and safaris. As mistress of this wasted estate, Delilah falls into the decadent pleasures of society. Against the frivolity of her peers, Ryder White stands in sharp contrast. As foreign to Delilah as Africa, Ryder becomes her guide to the complex beauty of this unknown world. Giraffes, buffalo, lions and elephants roam the shores of Lake Wanyama amid swirls of red dust. Here, life is lush and teeming—yet fleeting and often cheap. Amidst the wonders—and dangers—of Africa, Delilah awakes to a land out of all proportion: extremes of heat, darkness, beauty and joy that cut to her very heart. Only when this sacred place is profaned by bloodshed does Delilah discover what is truly worth fighting for—and what she can no longer live without. Praise for A Spear of Summer Grass “An exotic journey of redemption.” —Kirkus Reviews “Rayburn’s breezy, straightforward style is a nice counterpoint to the complexity of her heroine.” —Publishers Weekly

Walt Whitman's visionary manifesto, visually reimagined Carefully culled to about one third of its original length, this version provides the perfect introduction to Whitman's most expansive and audacious poem. Combined with 27 illustrations, the book explores Whitman's own exuberant, witty, playful, transcendent theory of everything, beginning with "a spear of summer grass." Only moderately well-recognized in his time, Whitman is now regarded as the first and possibly greatest of American poets. As Harold Bloom said, "Walt Whitman is your imaginative father and mother, even if, like myself, you have never composed a line of verse." Printed on beautiful matte paper, this petite gift book is perfect for poetry and art lovers alike.The Obvious State Classics Collection is an evolving series of visually reimagined beloved works that speaks to contemporary readers. The pocket-sized, collectable editions feature the selected works of celebrated authors such as T. S. Eliot, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Sara Teasdale, and Henry David Thoreau.

So begins Leaves of Grass, the first great American poem and indeed, to this day, the greatest and most essentially American poem in all our national literature.

Since 1855, Walt Whitman's Song of Myself has been enjoyed, debated, parodied and imitated by readers, critics and artists crossing national and linguistic boundaries. Many argue that it is the most influential poem ever written by an American. This sourcebook and critical edition provides easy access to: * information on the contexts of Whitman's work, including biographical details and a chronology * an overview of the critical reception of the poem and extracts from important criticism, reprinted with clear introductory headnotes * key passages from the original 1855 edition, with commentary and annotation * the full 'final' 1881 edition of the poem. Cross-references link the critical, contextual and textual sections of the volume, encouraging an integrated understanding of this creative and controversial text. Complementing a wealth of material with suggestions for further reading, this volume is ideal for readers with no knowledge of the poem, or for those returning anew to a favourite text.