Jack Adler is a Los Angeles-based writer who has had numerous nonfiction and fiction books published. He has been a columnist for major newspapers, magazines and newsletters nationwide, and has taught writing at the college level. He has received a grant from the Yaddo Foundation in support of his work as a playwright.

Presenting sketches of individuals like Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, Adam Smith and David Hume, Charles Baudelaire and Edouard Manet, David Henry Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, Susan Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton, Sergei Rachmaninoff and...

Presenting sketches of individuals like Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, Adam Smith and David Hume, Charles Baudelaire and Edouard Manet, David Henry Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, Susan Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Vladimir Horowitz ' even Al Capone and Johnny Torrio ' the author shows how contrasting as well as comparable personalities, characters and temperaments can support and strengthen each other, and he explores the range of ties that may influence a person during one phase of life or may become the center of one's life altogether. The book examines the peculiar power of the bonds of friendship and provides illuminating details on how major friendships throughout history emerged and developed ' or fell apart. Each friendship, and the respective personalities of the pairings or groups, is carefully placed in the context of its historical period. The material is accurate and written in an easy-to-read style. Illustrations of the personalities, and many of their quotes, embellish the text.