History

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Mitchell G. Bard, Ph.D

Updated with information on the effects of the U.S. presence in Iraq.There is perhaps no other place in the world fraught with as much turmoil as the Middle East. This updated guide provides readers with an intense look at current events and the ever-changing political and social landscape in this dynamic part of the world, as well as the history—ancient and modern—of the region.-Very strong sales for the first two editions-The go-to book on the subject for readers on all sides of the issue-This book has a nationwide appeal for anyone wishing to bring themselves up-to-date on the conflict and its consequences for the United States and the rest of the world-Covers recent events, including the death of Arafat and the Iraqi elections, with expanded information about terrorism in the region

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Betty Smith [

A collection of True Ghost Stories: hauntings, apparitions and supernatural happenings within the country, by one of Warwickshire's most popular writers.

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David McCullough

History Matters is a celebrated work by David McCullough (Double Pulitzer Winner, Double National Book Award Winner), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Erik Larson

Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson is an acclaimed literary masterpiece celebrating major critical honors and timeless storytelling.

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Yuval Noah Harari

From the author of Sapiens comes the groundbreaking story of how information networks have made, and unmade, our world. For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions, and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI—a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. For all that we have accomplished, why are we so self-destructive? Nexus looks through the long lens of human history to consider how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age, through the canonization of the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism, and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems throughout history have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non-human intelligence threatens our very existence. Information is not the raw material of truth; neither is it a mere weapon. Nexus explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes, and in doing so, rediscovers our shared humanity.

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Yuval Noah Harari

Animal Liberation Now is a celebrated work by Yuval Noah Harari (Global Phenomenon), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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David Grann

On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed ashore on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, survivors of His Majesty's Ship the Wager. But six months later, another vessel landed in Chile with three survivors who claimed the first men were not heroes, but violent mutineers.

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Ralph Klein

Mit dieser Veröffentlichung wird eine Lücke der neueren Wittener Stadtgeschichte geschlossen. Sie dokumentiert umfassend die Ausbeutung Tausender Zwangsarbeiterinnen und Zwangsarbeiter in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus durch Industrie, Bergbau, Transportwirtschaft, Handel, Bauwesen, Handwerk, Landwirtschaft, öffentliche Einrichtungen und Privathaushalte in Witten. Buchstäblich die gesamte Stadtgesellschaft profitierte von ihrer Arbeit. Es wird deutlich, wie tief einige Wittener Industriebetriebe in den nationalsozialistischen Vernichtungskrieg eingebunden waren. Nach dem Krieg wurde dies verschwiegen – wenn überhaupt, erzählte man von „plündernden Ausländerhorden“, die nach ihrer Befreiung die Stadt heimgesucht hätten. Seit 1993 erinnert ein Denkmal auf dem ehemaligen jüdischen Friedhof der Gemeinde Witten-Annen an 395 Zwangsarbeiterinnen und Zwangsarbeiter, die zwischen 1939 und 1945 in Witten starben. Die Gesamtzahl der verstorbenen Zwangsarbeiterinnen und Zwangsarbeiter war jedoch deutlich höher. Nur ein einziger Wittener, der Unternehmer Paul Pleiger aus dem Hammertal, wurde für seine Verbrechen in diesem Zusammenhang zur Rechenschaft gezogen.

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Andrew Roberts

Privacy in the Republic is a celebrated work by Andrew Roberts (Wolfson History Prize), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Jan M. Ziolkoski

"In this two-part anthology, Jan M. Ziolkowski builds on themes uncovered in his earlier The Juggler of Notre Dame and the Medievalizing of Modernity. Here he focuses particularly on the performing arts. Part one contextualises Our Lady's Tumbler, a French poem of the late 1230s, by comparing it with episodes in the Bible and miracles in a wide variety of medieval European sources. It relates this material to analogues and folklore across the ages from, among others, Persian, Jewish and Hungarian cultures. Part two scrutinizes the reception and impact of the poem with reference to modern European and American literature, including works by the Nobel prize-winner Anatole France, professor-poet Katharine Lee Bates, philosopher-historian Henry Adams and poet W.H. Auden. This innovative collection of sources introduces readers to many previously untranslated texts, and invites them to explore the journey of Our Lady's Tumbler across both sides of the Atlantic. Reading the Juggler of Notre Dame: Medieval Miracles and Modern Remakings will benefit scholars and students alike. The short introductions and numerous annotations shed light on unusual beliefs and practices of the past, making the readings accessible to anyone with an interest in the arts and an openness to the Middle Ages."--Publisher's website.

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Antony Beevor

Russia is a celebrated work by Antony Beevor (Wolfson History Prize, Hawthornden Prize), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Yuval Noah Harari

Unstoppable Us, Volume 1 is a celebrated work by Yuval Noah Harari (Global Phenomenon), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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James M. McPherson

A Very Civil War is a celebrated work by James M. McPherson (Pulitzer Prize Winner), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Andrew Roberts

George III is a celebrated work by Andrew Roberts (Wolfson History Prize), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Between Two Millstones, Book 2 is a celebrated work by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Nobel Laureate), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Andrew Roberts

Idols of the Odeons is a celebrated work by Andrew Roberts (Wolfson History Prize), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Edith Futscher

Die Filme Marguerite Duras? sind eigentümlich verstörend ? karg in der Bildsprache, mitunter beharrlich in der Artikulationsweise. Ihre ästhetischen Antworten auf soziale und politische Fragen des 20. Jahrhunderts sind heillos. ?Was restlos übrigbleibt? ist eine umfassende Werkmonografie, die dieser Verzahnung Rechnung trägt. In Kontakt mit Fragmenten von Maurice Blanchot wird in deskriptiven Analysen das dichte Geflecht an Filmen und literarischen Texten vorgestellt. Es wird hinsichtlich der Möglichkeiten diskutiert, mit Stille, Leere, Langsamkeit, mit dem Einsatz von Barrieren, Klüften oder Entfärbung von Dingen zu sprechen, die sich nicht zeigen oder zeigen lassen, die wir dennoch sehen können. Mit weitgehend neutralen Bildern, Bildern, die weder hervorstechen noch zuordenbar sein wollen, gelang es Duras, sowohl Übersehenes in den Blick zu rücken als auch extreme Erfahrung zu thematisieren.

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Douglas E. Streusand

The author explains the origins of the three empires: the Ottomans (centered in what is now Turkey), the Safavids (in modern Iran), and the Mughals (ruling the Indian subcontinent) and compares the ideological, institutional, military, and economic contributors to their success.

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Andrew Roberts

Leadership in War is a celebrated work by Andrew Roberts (Wolfson History Prize), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Adam Higginbotham

The definitive, dramatic untold story of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over more than ten years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs, and newly declassified archives, Adam Higginbotham’s narrative brings to life the catastrophic meltdown and the desperate cover-ups that followed.

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William Dalrymple

William Dalrymple recounts how a single London private corporation, the East India Company, managed to conquer and loot the entire subcontinent of India and replace the mighty Mughal Empire.

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David McCullough

The Pioneers is a celebrated work by David McCullough (Double Pulitzer Winner, Double National Book Award Winner), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Niklas Natt och Dag

The year is 1793, Stockholm. King Gustav of Sweden has been assassinated, years of foreign wars have emptied the treasuries and the realm is governed by a self-interested elite, leaving its citizens to suffer. On the streets, malcontent and paranoia abound. A body is found in the city's swamp by a watchman, Mickel Cardell, and the case is handed over to investigator Cecil Winge, who is dying of consumption. Together, Winge and Cardell become embroiled in a brutal world of guttersnipes and thieves, mercenaries and madams, and one death will expose a city rotten with corruption beneath its powdered and painted veneer. The Wolf and the Watchman depicts the capacity for cruelty in the name of survival or greed - but also the capacity for love, friendship, and the desire for a better world.

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Jared Diamond

Upheaval: How Nations Cope with Crisis and Change is a 2019 nonfiction book by American scientist Jared Diamond. Diamond attempts to analyze devastating crises (political, economic, civil, ecological, etc.) that may destroy whole countries and the multiple reasons causing them. To support his analysis with real-world examples, Diamond investigates past crises that have hit such countries as Finland, Japan, Chile, Indonesia, Germany, Australia, and the United States. Diamond also tries to understand the ways in which individuals learn to cope with personal traumas and how these approaches can be applied to nations. His unexpected conclusion is that individuals do learn from crisis but countries seldom do. He also concludes that the United States is a country in which crises are getting worse.

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Yuval Noah Harari

In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power. Censorship works not by blocking the flow of information, but rather by flooding people with disinformation and distractions. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century cuts through these muddy waters and confronts some of the most urgent questions on today’s global agenda. Why is liberal democracy in crisis? Is God back? Is a new world war coming? What does the rise of Donald Trump signify? What can we do about the epidemic of fake news? Which civilisation dominates the world – the West, China, Islam? Should Europe keep its doors open to immigrants? Can nationalism solve the problems of inequality and climate change? What should we do about terrorism? What should we teach our kids? Billions of us can hardly afford the luxury of investigating these questions, because we have more pressing things to do: we have to go to work, take care of the kids, or look after elderly parents. Unfortunately, history makes no concessions. If the future of humanity is decided in your absence, because you are too busy feeding and clothing your kids – you and they will not be exempt from the consequences. This is very unfair; but who said history was fair? A book doesn’t give people food or clothes – but it can offer some clarity, thereby helping to level the global playing field. If this book empowers even a handful of people to join the debate about the future of our species, it has done its job. ---------- After Sapiens looked deep into humankind’s past and Homo Deus considered our existence in a future powered by intelligent design, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century stops to focus on the biggest questions of the present moment. What is really happening right now? What are today’s greatest challenges and choices? What should we pay attention to? 21 Lessons builds on the ideas explored in the previous two books to take the pulse of our current global climate. It untangles political, technological, social, and existential questions, and highlights how they impact the everyday lives of humans worldwide. By presenting complex contemporary challenges clearly and accessibly, the book invites the reader to consider values, meaning and personal engagement in a world full of noise and uncertainty.

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Rob Ray

Freedom Press is the oldest anarchist publishing house in the English-speaking world. Founded in 1886, the press has weathered wars, police raids, fascist attacks and innumerable internal crises while publishing some of the world’s most important libertarian thinkers, from Peter Kropotkin and Emma Goldman to Colin Ward and Murray Bookchin. 2018 marks 50 years since the Press bought its current home in Angel Alley, and to celebrate the occasion is publishing A Beautiful Idea, attempting to draw out a narrative from its densely-packed history.

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Steve Sheinkin

Abby and her stepbrother, Doc, must persuade Abraham Lincoln to play his part in history after one too many comments about history being boring cause him to go on strike.

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John Carreyrou

The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of Theranos, the multibillion-dollar biotech startup founded by Elizabeth Holmes, written by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end, despite pressure from its charismatic CEO and threats from her lawyers.

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Eric Jay Dolin

"Set against the backdrop of the Age of Exploration, Black Flags, Blue Waters reveals the dramatic and surprising history of American piracy's 'Golden Age'--spanning the late 1600s through the early 1700s--when lawless pirates plied the coastal waters of North America and beyond"--

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Yuval Noah Harari

Clean Meat is a celebrated work by Yuval Noah Harari (Global Phenomenon), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Ethan J. Kytle and Blain Roberts

A book that strikes at the heart of the recent flare-ups over Confederate symbols in Charlottesville, New Orleans, and elsewhere, Denmark Vesey's Garden reveals the deep roots of these controversies and traces them to the heart of slavery in the United States: Charleston, South Carolina, where almost half of the U.S. slave population stepped onto our shores, where the first shot at Fort Sumter began the Civil War, and where Dylann Roof shot nine people at Emanuel A.M.E. Church, the congregation of Denmark Vesey, a black revolutionary who plotted a massive slave insurrection in 1822. As early as 1865, former slaveholders and their descendants began working to preserve a romanticized memory of the antebellum South. In contrast, former slaves, their descendants, and some white allies have worked to preserve an honest, unvarnished account of slavery as the cruel system it was. Examining public rituals, controversial monuments, and whitewashed historical tourism, Denmark Vesey's Garden tracks these two rival memories from the Civil War all the way to contemporary times, where two segregated tourism industries still reflect these opposing impressions of the past, exposing a hidden dimension of America's deep racial divide. Denmark Vesey's Garden joins the small bookshelf of major, paradigm-shifting new interpretations of slavery's enduring legacy in the United States. --inside jacket.

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Jeremy Bailenson

Virtual reality is able to effectively blur the line between reality and illusion, pushing the limits of our imagination and granting us access to any experience imaginable. With well-crafted simulations, these experiences, which are so immersive that the brain believes they're real, are already widely available with a VR headset and will only become more accessible and commonplace. But how does this new medium affect its users, and does it have a future beyond fantasy and escapism? In Experience on Demand, Jeremy Bailenson draws on two decades spent researching the psychological effects of VR and other mass media to help readers understand this powerful new tool. He offers expert guidelines for interacting with VR and describes the profound ways this technology can be put to use--not to distance ourselves from reality, but to enrich our lives and influence us to treat others, the environment, and even ourselves better. In the world of VR, a football quarterback plays a game against a competing team hundreds of times before even stepping onto the field; members of the United Nations embody a young girl in a refugee camp going through her day-to-day life; and veterans once again walk through the streets where they had experienced trauma. There are dangers and many unknowns in using VR, but it also can help us hone our performance, recover from trauma, improve our learning and communication abilities, and enhance our empathic and imaginative capacities. Like any new technology, its most incredible uses might be waiting just around the corner. Experience on Demand is the definitive look at the risks and potential of VR--a must-read for navigating both the virtual and the physical worlds ahead. Virtual reality blurs the line between reality and illusion, pushes the limits of our imagination, and grants us access to any experience imaginable. With the right equipment, the brain believes they're real. But how does this new medium affect its users, and does it have a future beyond fantasy and escapism? Bailenson offers guidelines for interacting with VR and describes the profound ways this technology can be put to use to enrich our lives and influence us to treat others, the environment, and even ourselves better. -- adapted from jacket.

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Hans Rosling

When asked simple questions about global trends—what percentage of the world's population live in poverty; why the world's population is growing—we systematically get the answers wrong. Hans Rosling reveals the ten instincts that distort our perspective, offering a radically hopeful, data-grounded worldview.

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Elizabeth Dennis

Do you know about the adventures of Eugene Bullard, the first African-American fighter pilot, who fought in World War I? Did you know that, in the same war, America used a kind of camouflage called Dazzle Painting that made ships look like Easter eggs? Or that Americans Indians sent secret messages as code talkers in the Choctaw Telephone Squad? Find out in this book of amazing true stories!

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Peter Hart

By August 1918, the outcome of the Great War was not in doubt: the Allies would win. But what was unclear was how this defeat would play out - would the Germans hold on, prolonging the fighting deep into 1919, with the loss of hundreds of thousands more young lives, or could the war be won in 1918? In 'The last battle', Peter Hart brings to life the dramatic final weeks of the war, as men fought to secure victory, with survival seemingly only days, or hours away. Drawing on the experience of both generals and ordinary soldiers, and dwelling with equal weight on strategy, tactics and individual experience, this is a powerful and detailed account of history's greatest endgame.

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Philip Ardagh

Thomas Snoop is a Tudor boy spy. Ordered by England's spymaster, Lord Severn, to travel to the beautiful Goldenhilt Hall, home of the Earl of Drayshire, Thomas has been given a most important mission, to help the fight against fellow Englishmen who are plotting with a foreign power the Spanish! It will take all Thomas's wits and cunning to uncover the traitors lurking at Goldenhilt Hall and he must do so without being discovered himself.

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David McCullough

American Spirit is a celebrated work by David McCullough (Double Pulitzer Winner, Double National Book Award Winner), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Lawrence Millman

"At the End of the World is the remarkable story of a series of murders that occurred in an extremely remote corner of the Arctic in 1941. Those murders show that senseless violence in the name of religion is not only a contemporary phenomenon, and that a people as seemingly peaceful as the Inuit can become unpeaceful at the drop of a hat or, in this instance, a meteor shower. At the same time, the book is a warning cry against the destruction of what's left of our culture's humanity, along the destruction of the natural world. Has technology deprived us of our eyes? the author asks. Has it deprived the world of birds, beasts, and flowers? Lawrence Millman's At the End of the World is a brilliant and original book by one of the boldest writers of our era"--

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Iris Volant

Since horses were first domesticated thousands of years ago, these iconic animals have been a part of human history - they've plowed our fields, pulled our carts, fought in our wars and been our beloved companions.Journey through the history of human and horse interaction in this beautifully illustrated history from the steady hand of American illustrator Jarom Vogel!

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Khalid Bashir Ahmad

"The advent of Islam in medieval Kashmir gave birth to a narrative that describes forcible mass conversion of Hindus, eviction of aborigines and wanton demolition of religious symbols. A minority of Kashmiri Brahmans and their progeny who did not convert to Islam built and successfully perpetuated this narrative over the centuries. In the course of time, new elements were added to it. Following the eruption of armed insurgency in Kashmir and mass migration of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, this community narrative has turned into the Indian mainstream view on Kashmiri Pandits. Kashmir : Exposing the Myth behind the Narrative challenges the existing narrative through historical facts and cross-referencing. It exposes many fallacies used to uphold this narrative and dissects the work of historians that has sustained ahistorical perceptions over a long period of time. The book links history to the present and facilitates an understanding of the situation today"--Provided by publisher.

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David Grann

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured cars and built mansions. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. As the death toll climbed, the newly created FBI took up the case.

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Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

March 1917 is a celebrated work by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Nobel Laureate), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

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Clive Gifford, Susan Kennedy, and Philip Parker

Packed with fascinating discoveries and facts, Science Year by Year takes kids on a fantastic visual journey through time, from stone tools and simple machines to rockets and robots.

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Emma Kennedy

"This 1944 World War Two drama tells the story of Anthony, a boy living in a deprived Welsh village, anticipating the arrival of American troops. Suddenly, a German plane crashes into the village mountain. A Polish prisoner-of-war survives and is brought into the community where he builds a close relationship with Anthony. Later, the villagers discover one of the Germans on the plane has survived and is still on the mountain. Joyous, thrilling, and nostalgic, Emma Kennedy's Shoes For Anthony will have you wiping your eyes one moment and beaming from ear-to-ear the next. This is a small gem of a novel that reviewers (and readers) will cherish"--

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John Broich

Presents a true account of the British Royal Navy's efforts to end the illegal slave trade along Africas coast during the mid-1800s, conveying the story of four naval officers who were commited to ending the practice amid political corruption.

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Sophie Walker

An in-depth exploration spanning 800 years of the art, essence, and enduring impact of the Japanese garden. The most comprehensive exploration of the art of the Japanese garden published to date, this book covers more than eight centuries of the history of this important genre. Author and garden designer Sophie Walker brings fresh insight to this subject, exploring the Japanese garden in detail through a series of essays and with 100 featured gardens, ranging from ancient Shinto shrines to imperial gardens and contemporary Zen designs. Leading artists, architects, and other cultural practitioners offer personal perspectives in newly commissioned essays.

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Robert M. Citino

"By 1943, the war was lost, and most German officers knew it. Three quarters of a century later, the question persists: what kept the German army going in an increasingly hopeless situation? Where some historians have found explanations in the power of Hitler or the role of ideology, Robert M. Citino, the world's leading scholar on the subject, posits a more straightforward solution: Bewegungskrieg, the way of war cultivated by the Germans over the course of history. In this gripping account of German military campaigns during the final phase of World War II, Citino charts the inevitable path by which Bewegungskrieg, or a 'war of movement,' inexorably led to Nazi Germany's defeat. The Wehrmacht's Last Stand analyzes the German Totenritt, or 'death ride,' from January 1944--with simultaneous Allied offensives at Anzio and Ukraine--until May 1945, the collapse of the Wehrmacht in the field, and the Soviet storming of Berlin. In clear and compelling prose, and bringing extensive reading of the German-language literature to bear, Citino focuses on the German view of these campaigns. Often very different from the Allied perspective, this approach allows for a more nuanced and far-reaching understanding of the last battles of the Wehrmacht than any now available. With Citino's previous volumes, Death of the Wehrmacht and The Wehrmacht Retreats, The Wehrmacht's Last Stand completes a uniquely comprehensive picture of the German army's strategy, operations, and performance against the Allies in World War II"--Dust jacket flap.

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Ed Darack

"Ed Darack investigates the downing of Extortion 17, the deadliest helicopter crash in the history of U.S. special operations"--Provided by publisher.

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Paco Roca

"Francisco, a wounded, despairing sixteen-year-old Republican guard in the Spanish Civil War, is trying to flee to freedom by crossing the French border. In his escape, he encounters an old remote lighthouse, far from the warring factions. He is granted shelter by Telmo, the aging operator of the lighthouse. As Francisco recuperates, Telmo's tales of epic adventurers who sailed the lost seas and discovered worlds unknown reignite the spark of life in the young soldier. By one of the most brilliant new talents in comic art in Spain, author of the world-wide bestseller Wrinkles."

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Steven Weitzman

"The Jews have one of the longest continuously recorded histories of any people in the world, but what do we actually know about their origins? While many think the answer to this question can be found in the Bible, others look to archaeology or genetics. Some skeptics have even sought to debunk the very idea that the Jews have a common origin. In this book, Steven Weitzman takes a learned and lively look at what we know - or think we know - about where the Jews came from, when they arose, and how they came to be. Scholars have written hundreds of books on the topic and come up with scores of explanations, theories, and historical reconstructions, but this is the first book to trace the history of the different approaches that have been applied to the question, including genealogy, linguistics, archaeology, psychology, sociology, and genetics. Weitzman shows how this quest has been fraught since its inception with religious and political agendas, how anti-Semitism cast its long shadow over generations of learning, and how recent claims about Jewish origins have been difficult to disentangle from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He does not offer neatly packaged conclusions but invites readers on an intellectual adventure, shedding new light on the assumptions and biases of those seeking answers - and the challenges that have made finding answers so elusive."--Dust jacket.