The greatest art historical thriller of World War II.

The Allies had won the war, Hitler was dead, but a fanatic Gauleiter was still set on destroying Europe’s greatest art treasure: an enormous collection of art works confiscated by the Nazis. The Gauleiter gave orders to blow up the tunnels of Altaussee’s salt mine where the stolen art, intended for the ‘Führermuseum’, had been hidden since 1943. Masterpieces by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer and Leonardo da Vinci were almost blown to pieces. But luckily, a handful of local men from Salzkammergut (and a few accomplices) managed to save the priceless treasure from destruction. Mission Michelangelo is the story of a few brave men and one of the most mysterious episodes from the last days of World War II.

Christine Nöstlinger tells her life story.

Christine Nöstlinger tells a story – neither the one about the grumpy Cucumber King, nor the one about Franz who looks like a girl. Here we find out about her own life: surviving the war in bomb shelters as a child; starting her first confession with a lie; learning about human nature on her kick scooter; loosing a borrowed bra during dance classes and holding her ground in a group of men as an art student. The great author of children’s and young adult literature, journalist, poet and writer tells us about marriages, daughters and affairs. We learn about her success, angry attacks by teachers and ludicrous political correctness sheriffs. She also questions the importance of aging gracefully.

“My harmony is just balance.”

His poetry was subversive, his translations are acclaimed to this day, his “Songs from the Gallows” are considered among the most popular German poems. Christian Morgenstern was one of the most interesting authors of his time. Born 1871, he lived in a time marked by radical mental, technological and cultural changes: the beginning of the Modern Era. His generational peers include Rilke, Hofmannsthal and Robert Walser. With its multilayered and fragmented quality, Morgenstern’s oeuvre reacted to a period of continuous and quick changes. Jochen Schimmang sheds new light on the life and work of this exceptional author.

The biography of the infamous outlaw couple.

The USA during the 1930s, the era of the Great Depression. In order to escape poverty and unemployment, Bonnie & Clyde come up with an unusual business plan: They begin robbing banks for a living. Admired by the losers of the American Dream, they keep a nation in suspense for two years. Then FBI-director Hoover declares war on the two outlaws… How could a young couple from Texas responsible for the cold-blooded killing of innocent people become popular heroes? Michaela Karl tells the fascinating story of Bonnie & Clyde in her newest book. It is the story of a relentless struggle against state and law – and the story of a great love.

Ill and evil: how the mentally disturbed can become criminals

Anders Brevik, Josef Fritzl, or the ‘Ice Lady’– are criminals like these pure evil or are they in fact mentally ill? Why is a fanatic legally accountable, while someone delusional is not? Is one innocent and the other guilty? Forensic psychiatrist Thomas Stompe works with ‘mentally disturbed offenders’ who are not held in regular prison, but detained in mental health facilities with special security measures. He recounts fascinating details from cases he has encountered in his work practice as a therapist: the motives that drive the ill offenders; their delusions and crimes; their treatment and their lives ‘after the act’. The stories are disturbing, yet also provoke compassion for the offenders who are humans like you and I.

Bedtime stories about historical figures and well-known personalities, their beds and their secrets.

There’s better things to do in bed than count sheep. In fact, there’s hardly anything that can’t be done in bed! You can become famous, write history, make peace, wage wars and even travel the world – all from the comfort of your bed. For many historical figures and well-known personalities, from Odysseus to Michael Jackson, from Shakespeare to Marilyn Monroe, from Casanova to Madame Pompadour, bed was not only a place to rest, but also a workplace and stage. This book tells fascinating stories about these great people and their beds. Just the book for lazy people, tired people, sick people and anyone who believes that the world wouldn’t need to be bigger than their bed. If nothing else, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a book! You made your bed, now read in it! 3000 years of bedtime in one book: about the beds of Penelope Popeia, Scheherazade, Richard III., Shakespeares Witwe, Ludwig XiV., Mozart, Casanova, Kaiserin Sisi, Colette, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe and what stories they have to tell.

On the occasion of the 200th birthday of the legendary opera composer

Aida, Nabucco, Rigoletto, Don Carlos, La Traviata – Guiseppe Verdi’s great operas are timelessly fascinating. Their heroines and heroes serve as mirrors of reality while also expressing a truth that Verdi sought to create. Like none other he employed passion as the driving force of his plots and created music with such strong emotions that it continues to captivate audiences to this day. Christoph Wagner-Trenkwitz virtuously guides us through Verdi’s creative development as a composer, librettist, stage designer and politician. Verdi not only wrote history as a musical virtuoso, but also charmed his audience as a master of words. As an extra treat, this book includes his most beautiful quotes, commented by the author.

A guide to finding the source of happiness in life.

When we lose balance in our lives, it’s time to asses the positive and negative aspects and to “take stock” of our inner self. Petrus Stockinger offers helpful advice and suggestions for this process. Drawing on the words of Saint Augustine, who wrote more than 1600 years ago that life in a monastery is about living “together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God.” The author knows from his own experience that this is far from an easy task. He explains how to take inventory and revise one’s life in order to live “with a burning heart”. Even if we don’t actually live in a monastery, we all wish to create peace, draw strength and welcome new impulses in our daily lives.

Maximilian Ronge was the last director of the Austrian k.u.k. monarchy’s secret service. His career shows several similarities to the one of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, who headed the German military intelligence service under the Nazi regime. Ronge was an important figure in the time of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and also later, when Austria had become a republic. He used his extended networks of spies against “all kinds of traitors”, secessionists, socialists and Bolsheviks. Before 1938, no spy in Austria could possibly evade him. Even after being released from the Dachau concentration camp, Ronge continued his activities. After the end of WW II, he cooperated with the American occupants to set up a new secret service in Austria. These are only a few milestones in Ronge’s career. In the course of his life, this man has served many masters, but at heart he remained loyal to his emperor. Finding out about Ronge’s behind-the-scenes activities required meticulous research, since he not only was an expert in espionage and intrigue, but also a master in covering his tracks. The two historians Verena Moritz and Hannes Leidinger, however, give full account of this extraordinary life, and Ronge’s grandson Gerhard Jagschitz provides a private insight. A book that will cause a stir!

A portrait of the man behind the myth: complex, genius and modern, yet driven by fear and inner constraint.

Military commander, strategist, philosopher, gardener, architect – the historic image of Prince Eugene of Savoy is larger than life, just like his statue on Vienna’s Heldenplatz. Loyalty and honor determined his actions, yet his personality was marked by deep neurosis rooted in his childhood. His entire life he hid his vulnerability behind a public image that he wore like a mask. From both a historical and today’s perspective, Konrad Kramar and Georg Mayrhofer present the complex portrait of a public person who influenced the course of history and a private person who tried to hide behind his role as a hero.