A collection of short biographical sketches of famous artists emphasizing their unique personalities and the impressions they made on the people who knew them.

Learn about the real lives of the daring and adventurous people who have sailed the seas, explored new worlds, and rocketed into space . . . You might know that Columbus discovered America, Lewis and Clark headed west with Sacajawea, and Sally Ride blasted into outer space. But what do you really know about these bold explorers? What were they like as kids? What pets or bad habits did they have? And what drove their passion to explore unknown parts...

Every kid knows that pirates talk funny, swing a big sword, and seek buried treasure-don't they? What do we really know about Blackbeard, Madame Cheng, Sir Francis Drake, and other men and women of pirate history? What drove them to sail the high seas? What were their bad habits, favorite foods, and silly quirks? And did they actually talk like that? A lively style, lots of surprises, and solid research have made the Lives of... series of collective...