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A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age
by Steven NadlerThe story of one of the most important—and incendiary—books in Western historyWhen it appeared in 1670, Baruch Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise was denounced as the most dangerous book ever published—"godless," "full of abominations," "a book forged in hell . . . by the devil himself." Religious and secular authorities saw it as a threat to faith, social and political harmony, and everyday morality, and its author was almost universally regarded as a religious subversive and political radical who sought to spread atheism throughout Europe. Yet Spinoza's book has contributed as much as the Declaration of Independence or Thomas Paine's Common Sense to modern liberal, secular, and democratic thinking. In A Book Forged in Hell, Steven Nadler tells the fascinating story of this extraordinary book: its radical claims and their background in the philosophical, religious, and political tensions of the Dutch Golden Age, as well as the vitriolic reaction these ideas inspired.It is not hard to see why Spinoza's Treatise was so important or so controversial, or why the uproar it caused is one of the most significant events in European intellectual history. In the book, Spinoza became the first to argue that the Bible is not literally the word of God but rather a work of human literature; that true religion has nothing to do with theology, liturgical ceremonies, or sectarian dogma; and that religious authorities should have no role in governing a modern state. He also denied the reality of miracles and divine providence, reinterpreted the nature of prophecy, and made an eloquent plea for toleration and democracy.A vivid story of incendiary ideas and vicious backlash, A Book Forged in Hell will interest anyone who is curious about the origin of some of our most cherished modern beliefs.
A Book That Was Lost
by S. Y. AgnonThis broad selection of the short stories of S. Y. Agnon, winner of the 1966 Nobel prize for literature, presents a panoramic and probing vision of the writer as chronicler of the lost world of Eastern European Jewry and the emergent society of modern Israel.
A Book in Every Home Containing Three Subjects: Ed’s Sweet Sixteen, Domestic and Political Views
by Edward LeedskalninAfter arriving in the United States, Leedskalnin moved to Florida around 1919, where he purchased a small piece of land in Florida City. Over the next 20 years, Leedskalnin putatively constructed and lived within a massive coral monument he called "Rock Gate Park", dedicated to the girl who had left him years before. Working alone at night, Leedskalnin eventually quarried and sculpted over 1,100 short tons of coral into a monument that would later be known as the Coral Castle. Leedskalnin is also well known for his theories on magnetism, detailing his theories on the interaction of electricity, magnetism and the body; Leedskalnin also included a number of simple experiments to validate his theories. Most importantly, Edward Leedskalnin claimed that all matter was being acted upon by what he called "individual magnets" -- simply a positive and a negative, as a battery. It is obvious from the pamphlets that he produced that this theory became the base of all of his work, and most likely thoughts as well. He also attempted to claim that scientists of his time were looking in the wrong place for their understanding of electricity, and that they were only observing "one half of the whole concept" with "one sided tools of measurement". In addition to all these studies, he found the time to write this little booklet called "A Book in Every Home". Many believe the answers to the questions surrounding Coral Castle lie within. Indeed, every other page is BLANK; did he purposefully leave room to interpret a code? Could all the answers to how this amazing feat was accomplished lie buried in this "social commentary"-Print ed.
A Book of Conquest
by Manan Ahmed AsifManan Ahmed Asif shows that the Chachnama is a sophisticated work of political theory, embedded in both the Indic and Islamic ethos. His social and intellectual history of this text offers an important corrective to the divisions between Muslim and Hindu that so often define Pakistani and Indian politics today.
A Book of Falsehoods: Between Three Plagues Volume 3
by Jaan KrossThe third part in an epic historical trilogy - The Estonian answer to Wolf Hall - by the nation's greatest modern writer 1578. A ship from Rostock arrives in Tallinn loaded with printed copies of Balthasar Russow's Chronicle - the culmination of our hero's life's work. But though it is an instant success, as it was in Rostock and numerous German cities, not everyone is happy to see it published. A group of local gentry denounce it to the town council as "a book of heinous falsehoods", and lobby for Balthasar to relieved as pastor of Holy Ghost Church.But all is not lost. Balthasar may call on a powerful ally - if he is willing to pay the price. In this final volume, fierce storms, along with famine, war and plague, continue to be loosed upon Livonia. Balthasar's personal life, too, is fraught with turbulence and loss, much of it stemming from his own jealousy and suspicion.
A Book of Falsehoods: Between Three Plagues Volume 3
by Jaan KrossThe third part in an epic historical trilogy - The Estonian answer to Wolf Hall - by the nation's greatest modern writer 1578. A ship from Rostock arrives in Tallinn loaded with printed copies of Balthasar Russow's Chronicle - the culmination of our hero's life's work. But though it is an instant success, as it was in Rostock and numerous German cities, not everyone is happy to see it published. A group of local gentry denounce it to the town council as "a book of heinous falsehoods", and lobby for Balthasar to relieved as pastor of Holy Ghost Church.But all is not lost. Balthasar may call on a powerful ally - if he is willing to pay the price. In this final volume, fierce storms, along with famine, war and plague, continue to be loosed upon Livonia. Balthasar's personal life, too, is fraught with turbulence and loss, much of it stemming from his own jealousy and suspicion.
A Book of Heroes: Or a Sporting Half-Century
by Simon BarnesSimon Barnes brings together his 50 sporting heroes of the last 50 years and looks at what it is that elevates them to a state of grace and greatness.
A Book of Jesus
by William GoyenA non-fiction work by Goyen--his attempt to explain who Jesus Christ was utilizing Christ's own words.
A Book of Migrations: Some Passages in Ireland
by Rebecca SolnitTravel and history intermingle in this elegant reflection on identity and memory. In her journey through Ireland, author Rebecca Solnit portrays in microcosm a history made up of great tides of invasion, colonization, emigration, nomadism, and tourism. Her observations carve a new route through Ireland's history, literature, and landscape.
A Book of Scars: Breen & Tozer 3 (Breen and Tozer #3)
by William ShawPEACE IS OUT. REVENGE IS ON.'Big treat in store for fans. And if you're not a fan yet, why not?' Val McDermid'An emotional intensity found only in the very best crime fiction' Sunday Times Crime Book of the YearNever forgotten Teenager Alexandra Tozer was murdered on her family's farm. Five years later, her sister Helen will return. Never suspected As soon as DS Breen tracks down the original investigating sergeant, the man goes missing. And so does Helen. Never revealed The only connection between the suspects is the Kenya Emergency - a nightmare that Englishmen prefer to forget. But others remember. Every bloody detail. And when another woman is taken, Breen fears that history - in all its shame and horror - is coming back to haunt them.
A Book of Secrets: Illegitimate Daughters, Absent Fathers
by Michael HolroydA Time Magazine Top 10 Nonfiction book of 2011A Publishers Weekly Best Nonfiction title for 2011On a hill above the Italian village of Ravello sits the Villa Cimbrone, a place of fantasy and make-believe. The characters that move through Michael Holroyd's new book are destined never to meet, yet the Villa Cimbrone unites them all.A Book of Secrets is a treasure trove of hidden lives, uncelebrated achievements, and family mysteries. With grace and tender imagination, Holroyd brings a company of unknown women into the light. From Alice Keppel, the mistress of both the second Lord Grimthorpe and the Prince of Wales; to Eve Fairfax, a muse of Auguste Rodin; to the novelist Violet Trefusis, the lover of Vita Sackville-West—these women are always on the periphery of the respectable world.Also on the margins is the elusive biographer, who on occasion turns an appraising eye upon himself as part of his investigations in the maze of biography. In A Book of Secrets, Holroyd gives voice to fragile human connections and the mystery of place.
A Book to Burn and a Book to Keep: Selected Writings (Translations from the Asian Classics)
by Zhi LiLi Zhi's iconoclastic interpretations of history, religion, literature, and social relations have fascinated Chinese intellectuals for centuries. His approach synthesized Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist ethics and incorporated the Neo-Confucian idealism of such thinkers as Wang Yangming (1472–1529). The result was a series of heretical writings that caught fire among Li Zhi's contemporaries, despite an imperial ban on their publication, and intrigued Chinese audiences long after his death. Translated for the first time into English, Li Zhi's bold challenge to established doctrines will captivate anyone curious about the origins of such subtly transgressive works as the sixteenth-century play The Peony Pavilion or the eighteenth-century novel Dream of the Red Chamber. In A Book to Burn and a Book to Keep (Hidden), Li Zhi confronts accepted ideas about gender, questions the true identity of history's heroes and villains, and offers his own readings of Confucius, Laozi, and the Buddha. Fond of vivid sentiment and sharp expression, Li Zhi made no distinction between high and low literary genres in his literary analysis. He refused to support sanctioned ideas about morality and wrote stinging social critiques. Li Zhi praised scholars who risked everything to expose extortion and misrule. In this sophisticated translation, English-speaking readers encounter the best of this heterodox intellectual's vital contribution to Chinese thought and culture.
A Bookseller in Madrid: A Novel
by Mario EscobarHow can the words of the past help heal the horror of the present?For as long as she can remember, Barbara Spiel has always found solace in books. Born in Germany and having come of age in a tumultuous era, she flees her home country as the Nazis rise to power in the early 1930s. Her destination? Madrid. There she's determined to realize her long-held dream of opening a bookshop and creating a safe haven for young idealists and independent thinkers to come together to transform the world.Yet Spain isn't immune from its own troubles. The winds of change are blowing through both city and countryside, and it's impossible to predict what will happen. When the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War puts Barbara and everyone around her in peril--including the Spanish Socialist parliamentarian she's fallen deeply in love with--the terror and hatred seem all too familiar. It's like Germany all over again, only with its own cast of extremist characters.Hounded simultaneously by Stalinist checas, Francoist Facists, and the German Gestapo, Barbara fights to keep her bookstore the safe haven that she's always imagined it would be. But with war brewing both inside Spain and outside its borders throughout the entirety of Europe--and beyond--Barbara isn't sure who exactly she can trust, or if people really are who they claim to be.A story told with tremendous heart and astonishing historical accuracy, A Bookseller in Madrid is ultimately a story about dreams--dreaming with courage when nothing seems to make sense, and dreaming with hope when words printed on a page are all you can hold on to.
A Bookshop in Berlin: The Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman's Harrowing Escape from the Nazis
by Françoise FrenkelA PEOPLE BOOK OF THE WEEK WINNER OF THE JQ–WINGATE LITERARY PRIZE &“A haunting tribute to survivors and those lost forever—and a reminder, in our own troubled era, never to forget.&” —People An &“exceptional&” (The Wall Street Journal) and &“poignant&” (The New York Times) book in the tradition of rediscovered works like Suite Française and The Nazi Officer&’s Wife, the powerful memoir of a fearless Jewish bookseller on a harrowing fight for survival across Nazi-occupied Europe.In 1921, Françoise Frenkel—a Jewish woman from Poland—fulfills a dream. She opens La Maison du Livre, Berlin&’s first French bookshop, attracting artists and diplomats, celebrities and poets. The shop becomes a haven for intellectual exchange as Nazi ideology begins to poison the culturally rich city. In 1935, the scene continues to darken. First come the new bureaucratic hurdles, followed by frequent police visits and book confiscations. Françoise&’s dream finally shatters on Kristallnacht in November 1938, as hundreds of Jewish shops and businesses are destroyed. La Maison du Livre is miraculously spared, but fear of persecution eventually forces Françoise on a desperate, lonely flight to Paris. When the city is bombed, she seeks refuge across southern France, witnessing countless horrors: children torn from their parents, mothers throwing themselves under buses. Secreted away from one safe house to the next, Françoise survives at the heroic hands of strangers risking their lives to protect her. Published quietly in 1945, then rediscovered nearly sixty years later in an attic, A Bookshop in Berlin is a remarkable story of survival and resilience, of human cruelty and human spirit. In the tradition of Suite Française and The Nazi Officer&’s Wife, this book is the tale of a fearless woman whose lust for life and literature refuses to leave her, even in her darkest hours.
A Bookshop in Paris
by Ellen FeldmanThe war is over, but the past is never past … Paris, 1944. Charlotte Foret is working in a tiny bookstore in Nazi-occupied Paris struggling to stay alive and keep her baby Vivi safe as the world around them is being torn apart. Every day they live through is a miracle until Vivi becomes gravely ill. In desperation, Charlotte accepts help from an unlikely saviour – and her life is changed forever. Charlotte is no victim – she is a survivor. But the truth of what happened in Paris is something she can never share with anyone, including her daughter. But can she ever really leave Paris behind – and survive the next chapter of her life? Seamlessly interweaving Charlotte&’s past in wartime Paris and her present in the 1950s world of New York publishing, A Bookshop in Paris is a heartbreakingly moving and unforgettable story of resilience, love – and impossible choices. 'Completely compelling. I tore through it. This novel pivots on how we manage to survive surviving ... Charlotte's visceral story will stay with me.&’ Naomi Wood, author of Mrs Hemingway &‘Masterful, magnificent. A passionate story of survival. This story will stay with me for a long time&’Heather Morris, bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz Published in the US and Australia as Paris Never Leaves You
A Booze & Vinyl Christmas: Merry Music-and-Drink Pairings to Celebrate the Season
by André DarlingtonCelebrate the holidays with this merry collection of beloved Christmas albums paired with mood-setting cocktails—a companion to the bestselling listening party guide, Booze & Vinyl. Whether you're planning your finest Ugly Christmas Sweater Party or spending a quiet evening by the stocking-lined fireside at home, make the season bright with this guide to 40 favorite holiday albums from the 1940s to the present. Each entry features liner notes on the album and accompanying boozy beverage recipes that complement the music or connect the drink to the artist. Select holiday food recipes throughout complete the experience. Among the artist albums featured are: Johnny Mathis, the Beach Boys, Elvis, the Jackson 5, Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, Justin Bieber, Gwen Stefani, Sia, Dolly Parton, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Vince Guaraldi, Barbara Streisand, Willie Nelson, Boyz II Men, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Michael Bublé, and John Legend.
A Border Passage: From Cairo to America--A Woman's Journey
by Leila AhmedA memoir of the author's life and understanding of her identity
A Borderland Confederate
by Festus P. Summers William Lyne WilsonWilliam Lyne Wilson was only seventeen and a half years old when South Carolina, voted for succession from the United States of America and sparked the Civil War into life. A native Virginian, Wilson, without hesitation, but with some foreboding, volunteered to join his southern brothers in arms in the Confederate Army. He was drafted into the 12th Virginia Cavalry, the Army of North Virginia, and would fight with courage and gallantry in the Shenandoah Valley, Maryland and all the way to Appomattox.
A Borrowed Land
by Peter R. OnederaA Borrowed Land tells the untold stories of Guam’s Nikkei—people of Japanese descent—before, during, and after World War II. As the descendant of an issei, or firstgeneration immigrant, Peter R. Onedera chronicles the Nikkei’s experiences in Guam from their arrival to their assimilation into the island’s life and culture, their hardship and resilience during the war, and the struggles they endured after. Onedera interweaves both historical and personal accounts to document how heritage and history shape personal and collective identity. The story also unveils the complexities of Onedera’s own healing, as he explores his CHamoruJapanese heritage and reveals the discrimination he and other Nikkei experienced in postwar Guam.
A Borrowed Scot (Tulloch Sgathan #3)
by Karen RanneyA mysterious Highlander comes to the rescue of a desperate woman with psychic gifts in the New York Times–bestselling author’s historical Scottish romance.Though she possesses remarkable talents and astonishing insight, Veronica MacLeod knows nothing about the man who appears from nowhere to prevent her from committing the most foolish act of her life. Recently named Lord Fairfax of Doncaster Hall, the breathtaking, secretive stranger agrees to perform the one act of kindness that can rescue the Scottish beauty from scandal and disgrace—by taking Veronica as his bride.Journeying with Montgomery Fairfax to his magnificent estate in the Highlands, Veronica knows deep in her heart that this is a man she can truly love—a noble soul, a caring and passionate lover whose touch awakens feelings she’s never before known. Yet there are ghosts in Montgomery’s shuttered past that haunt him still. Unless Veronica can somehow unlock the enigma that is her new husband, their powerful passion could be undone by the sins and sorrows of yesterday.
A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality (A Saffron Everleigh Mystery #2)
by Kate KhavariBrilliant botanist Saffron Everleigh is back and ready for adventure in Kate Khavari&’s next mesmerizing historical mystery. &“A cleverly plotted puzzle&” (Ashley Weaver) in the vein of Opium and Absinthe, this second installment is perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Sujata Massey.1920s London isn&’t the ideal place for a brilliant woman with lofty ambitions. But research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to beat the odds in a male-dominated field at the University College of London. Saffron embarks on her first research study alongside the insufferably charming Dr. Michael Lee, traveling the countryside with him in response to reports of poisonings. But when Detective Inspector Green is given a case with a set of unusual clues, he asks for Saffron&’s assistance.The victims, all women, received bouquets filled with poisonous flowers. Digging deeper, Saffron discovers that the bouquets may be more than just unpleasant flowers— there may be a hidden message within them, revealed through the use of the old Victorian practice of floriography. A dire message, indeed, as each woman who received the flowers has turned up dead.Alongside Dr. Lee and her best friend, Elizabeth, Saffron trails a group of suspects through a dark jazz club, a lavish country estate, and a glittering theatre, delving deeper into a part of society she thought she&’d left behind forever.Will Saffron be able to catch the killer before they send their next bouquet, or will she find herself with fatal flowers of her own in Kate Khavari&’s second intoxicating installment.
A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons (A Saffron Everleigh Mystery)
by Kate KhavariThe Lost Apothecary meets Dead Dead Girls in this fast-paced, STEMinist adventure.Debut author Kate Khavari deftly entwines a pulse-pounding mystery with the struggles of a woman in a male-dominated field in 1923 London.Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to blaze a new trail at the University College London, but with her colleagues&’ beliefs about women&’s academic inabilities and not so subtle hints that her deceased father&’s reputation paved her way into the botany department, she feels stymied at every turn. When she attends a dinner party for the school, she expects to engage in conversations about the university's large expedition to the Amazon. What she doesn&’t expect is for Mrs. Henry, one of the professors&’ wives, to drop to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin. Dr. Maxwell, Saffron&’s mentor, is the main suspect and evidence quickly mounts. Joined by fellow researcher--and potential romantic interest--Alexander Ashton, Saffron uses her knowledge of botany as she explores steamy greenhouses, dark gardens, and deadly poisons to clear Maxwell's name. Will she be able to uncover the truth or will her investigation land her on the murderer&’s list, in this entertaining examination of society&’s expectations.
A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge: A Saffron Everleigh Mystery (A Saffron Everleigh Mystery)
by Kate KhavariBrilliant botanist Saffron Everleigh faces her hardest challenge yet when she returns to her childhood home in the fourth book in the charming Saffron Everleigh mystery series. &“A cleverly plotted puzzle&” (Ashley Weaver) in the vein of Opium and Absinthe, this is perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Sujata Massey.Saffron Everleigh returns to Ellington Manor after her grandfather suffers a heart attack. Back in her childhood home for the first time in years, Saffron faces tense family relationships made worse by the presence of the enigmatic Bill Wyatt, hired on as a doctor to the ailing Lord Easting. But the man is no doctor—in reality, he is a mysterious figure involved in the trafficking of dangerous government secrets, and his presence at Ellington can only mean trouble.When their neighbors, the Hales, invite a spiritual medium into the village who starts angling for Saffron&’s mother&’s attention, Saffron realizes that there is more afoot in her hometown than she originally thought. Not to mention inviting Alexander to Ellington has put their budding relationship under her family&’s microscope.As tensions rise at Ellington, Bill demands that Saffron hand over old research documents belonging to her late father. With her relatives under his power as their &‘doctor,&’ Saffron fears she may be forced to surrender the files along with her hopes of ever understanding her father&’s obscure legacy. Nothing and no one is as they seem at Ellington. It&’s through the perfumed haze of the séance&’s smoke that Saffron must search for the truth before it&’s too late.
A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets (A Saffron Everleigh Mystery #3)
by Kate KhavariBrilliant botanist Saffron Everleigh is ready for her next thrilling adventure in the newest installment of Kate Khavari&’s mesmerizing historical mystery series. &“A cleverly plotted puzzle&” (Ashley Weaver) in the vein of Opium and Absinthe, this is perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Sujata Massey.London, 1923. Returning from Paris, botanical researcher Saffron Everleigh finds that her former love interest Alexander Ashton&’s brother, Adrian, is being investigated for murder. A Russian scientist working for the English government has been poisoned, and expired in Adrian&’s train compartment. Alexander asks Saffron to put in a good word for Adrian with Inspector Green. Despite her unresolved feelings for Alexander, Saffron begins to unravel mysteries surrounding the dead scientist.As if a murder case weren&’t enough, her best friend Elizabeth&’s war-hero brother, Nick, arrives in town and takes an immediate interest in Saffron. Saffron learns Alexander has been keeping secrets from her, including a connection to Nick, who Saffron and Elizabeth begin to suspect is more than he seems.When another scientist is found dead, Saffron agrees to go undercover at the government laboratory. Risking her career and her safety, she learns there are many more interested parties and dangerous secrets to uncover than she&’d realized. But some secrets, Saffron will find, are better left undiscovered.
A Bottle of Rum (A Spider John Mystery #3)
by Steve GobleAugust, 1723 -- Spider John Rush believes he has escaped piracy forever. Enjoying rum and chess in a dark Lymington tavern, he dreams of finding passage to Nantucket to reunite with his beloved Em and to finally get to know the son he remembers only as a babe in arms, though the lad must be dreaming of going to sea himself by now. But when a lazy taverner is stabbed to death, one glance at the victim tells Spider the pirate life has followed him ashore and he cannot possibly ignore this bloody crime. The wise maneuver would be to run before authorities arrive, but Spider is denied that choice because he&’s already deeply, connected to the crime—he fashioned the murder weapon with his own hands. The knife was a gift to a young man, one who ran off with the notorious Anne Bonny before Spider could drag him into a respectable life. Soon, Spider John and his ancient shipmate Odin are dodging accusations and battling smugglers on a trail that leads to a madhouse where patients are dying one by one. Spider finds himself tangling with a horribly maimed former shipmate, vengeful pirates, a gun-wielding brunette, a death-obsessed young woman, a sneaky farmhand and a philosopher engaged in frightening experiments. But death seems to be winning at Pryor Pond, and the next life lost may be the one Spider desperately wants to save. Spider must brave sharp steel, musket balls, gunpowder bombs, dangerous women and gruesome surgery if he is to find his foolish young friend alive and try once again to put piracy in their past.