Books by Charles Osborne

"Sam Morse could out-imagine anyone," said Herb Cerwin, Del Monte PR man, drinking buddy and friend. Cerwin was right and he could have added that Morse turned these thoughts into reality.Morse imagined a place with a pristine coastline, green-belted and free of buildings. He imagined creating a playground for his wealthy sporting pals and gals. He also imagined he could go the distance with Kid McCoy, a professional boxer who took on all comers.His imagination never stopped sparking and he made things happen through force, charm, determination, teamwork and grit. It wasn't always smooth sailing, but it usually turned out to his liking, and he did go the distance (three rounds) in the ring with McCoy.This is the story of my grandfather, S.F.B. Morse, founder of Pebble Beach, California, my personal hero and an icon of the good life in his time. He was a classic big fish in a small pond, but a beautiful pond and he made that pond even more desirable. He dominated the Monterey Peninsula for fifty years and surprisingly, he was extremely well thought of by most everyone. His vision of land conservation was the basis for the creation of one of the most attractive pieces of real estate in the world.

Serving as a guide to the 175 most popular operas, this book consists of entries that set each opera within the context of its composer's career, outline the plot, discuss the music, and give relevant background information on the libretto, the staging, and the most famous and influential interpreters of the principal roles.

While Puccini wrote only twelve operas during a long life--three of them one-acters designed to be performed together--he has to be ranked today as the world's most popular composer of opera. His La Boh

In The Complete Operas of Richard Wagner, as in the first four volumes of his famous series on the great opera composers, Charles Osborne first describes the composer's life at the time he wrote each opera, thus providing a biographical thread which runs through the book; follows it with a thorough examination of the libretto and its sources; and lastly tells the story of the opera, which he links to the major musical features.

A biographical companion to the works of Agatha Christie - revised and updated editionAgatha Christie was the author of over 100 plays, short story collections and novels which have been translated into 103 languages; she is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Many have tried to copy her but none has succeeded. Attempts to capture her personality on paper, to discover her motivations or the reasons for her popularity, have usually failed. Charles Osborne, a lifelong student of Agatha Christie, has approached this most private of persons above all through her books, and the result is a fascinating companion to her life and work.This 'professional life' of Agatha Christie provides authoritative information on each book's provenance, on the work itself and on its contemporary critical reception set against the background of the major events in the author's life. Illustrated with many rare photographs, this comprehensive guide to the world of Agatha Christie has been fully updated to include details of all the publications, films and TV adaptations in the 25 years since her death.Note that it has not been possible to include the same picture content that appeared in the original print version.

"The major operas of Mozart-- Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, Cosifan Tutte --are well known to music listeners everywhere, having secured a permanent place in the repertoire of co"