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A Secret Society History of the Civil War
by Mark A. LauseThis unique history of the Civil War considers the impact of nineteenth-century American secret societies on the path to as well as the course of the war. Beginning with the European secret societies that laid the groundwork for freemasonry in the United States, Mark A. Lause analyzes how the Old World's traditions influenced various underground groups and movements in America, particularly George Lippard's Brotherhood of the Union, an American attempt to replicate the political secret societies that influenced the European Revolutions of 1848. Lause traces the Brotherhood's various manifestations, including the Knights of the Golden Circle (out of which developed the Ku Klux Klan), and the Confederate secret groups through which John Wilkes Booth and others attempted to undermine the Union. This book shows how, in the years leading up to the Civil War, these clandestine organizations exacerbated existing sectional tensions and may have played a part in key events such as John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Lincoln's election, and the Southern secession process of 1860-1861.
A Secret Womn: A Novel
by Rose SolariLouise Terry is the quintessential, modern American woman; a successful and independent artist, sexually liberated and head strong, she's determined to carve out a life for herself where her painting comes first and where she can avoid messy romantic entanglements. But when her estranged mother, Margaret, dies, leaving a box of documents, photos, and journals, Louise discovers in its contents a new and very different woman from the one who raised her. This Margaret was admired by Catholic priests and Wiccan priestesses alike for her spiritual gifts and was working, at the time of her death, on assembling her visions of a 12th-century cross-dressing woman mystic who not only managed to infiltrate the male bastion of Glastonbury Abbey, but who instigated the tragic fire that burned it to the ground in 1184. Determined to pursue the fragments her mother left behind, Louise travels to England where she meets a cast of characters whom she must depend on to find her way. Blurring the boundaries between past and present, between the body and the spirit, between female and male, this page-turning mystery is a sexy romp through time and space, a profound meditation on the mother-daughter connection, and an enlightening exploration of what it means to make love, to make art, and to make a life worth living.
A Secret among the Blacks: Slave Resistance before the Haitian Revolution
by John D. GarrigusA bold rethinking of the Haitian Revolution reveals the roots of the only successful slave uprising in the modern world.Unearthing the progenitors of the Haitian Revolution has been a historical project of two hundred years. In A Secret among the Blacks, John D. Garrigus introduces two dozen Black men and women and their communities whose decades of resistance to deadly environmental and political threats preceded and shaped the 1791 revolt.In the twenty-five miles surrounding the revolt’s first fires, enslaved people of diverse origins lived in a crucible of forces that arose from the French colonial project. When a combination of drought, trade blockade, and deadly anthrax bacteria caused waves of death among the enslaved in the 1750s, poison investigations spiraled across plantations. Planters accused, tortured, and killed enslaved healers, survivors, and community leaders for deaths the French regime had caused. Facing inquisition, exploitation, starvation, and disease, enslaved people devised resistance strategies that they practiced for decades. Enslaved men and women organized labor stoppages and allied with free Blacks to force the French into negotiations. They sought enforcement of freedom promises and legal protection from abuse. Some killed their abusers.Through remarkable archival discoveries and creative interpretations of the worlds endured by the enslaved, A Secret among the Blacks reveals the range of complex, long-term political visions pursued by enslaved people who organized across plantations located in the seedbed of the Haitian Revolution. When the call to rebellion came, these men and women were prepared to answer.
A Secret and Unlawful Killing: A Mystery of Medieval Ireland (Burren Mysteries #2)
by Cora HarrisonIt is 1509 and, for the people of the Burren in western Ireland, the Michaelmas Fair is a joyous time for trade and celebration, signaling the start of autumn. It's a chance to gather, buy and sell their wares, and pay tribute to the lord of their clans. But this year is different. The steward of the MacNamara clan has decided to raise the amount demanded for its tribute, and it's not long before tempers are running high. When the steward's body is found in the local churchyard, it falls upon Mara, the Burren's Brehon Judge, to piece the puzzle together. Was it revenge, greed, or something more sinister that motivated the murder? When another body is discovered, it is up to Mara--despite the distraction of a surprising marriage proposal--to bring the killer to justice before there can be yet another death.
A Secret in Her Kiss
by Anna RandolA rare beauty, raised in the exotic heart of the mysterious East, Mari Sinclair knows it's time to end her career as a British spy when she narrowly avoids a brush with death. Unfortunately, there are those who think otherwise-and they are not above using blackmail to keep Mari in the game. Saddled with a handsome, duty-obsessed "minder" to ensure that she completes-and survives-one last mission, Mari is incensed . . . for her guardian, Major Bennett Prestwood, is simply too dedicated, too unbending, and too disarmingly attractive. But in the face of dark secrets and deadly treacheries, as the true peril to Mari is slowly revealed, loyal soldier Bennett realizes that to save and win this extraordinary woman, he will have to do the unthinkable and break the rules-rules that passion and desire have suddenly, irrevocably changed.
A Secret in the Family: One shocking discovery can change your life forever…
by Lyn AndrewsA secret about one young woman's fiancé will tear a family apart... A Secret in the Family is a compelling and atmospheric saga, written by bestselling author Lyn Andrews, of the devastating consequences of long buried secrets. Perfect for fans of Anne Baker, Dilly Court and Lindsey Hutchinson.When best friends Dee Campbell and Jean Williams leave school in 1959, it feels like every opportunity awaits them. Their families haven't long moved from a rundown part of the city to leafy Kirkby when Jean's father wins the Irish sweepstake and soon Jean's set up her own hairdressing salon, while both girls have fallen for good-looking lads with prospects.But Dee's father is about to discover a disturbing truth about her fiancé which will tear the family apart. As Dee flees to Ireland, Jean marries Tony, blissfully unaware that she's not the only pretty girl to catch his eye...Tumultuous years lie ahead but Dee and Jean will learn that the people who love you will always be there when you need them most... What readers are saying about A Secret in the Family: 'One of the best. Enjoyable in all ways, sadness, laughter and tears. Written with the same dedication as all of her other books''Held my attention right to the end! Excellently written''Very well written and will capture your imagination'
A Secret in the Family: One shocking discovery can change your life forever…
by Lyn AndrewsA captivating new novel from the bestselling author of A DAUGHTER'S JOURNEY and DAYS OF HOPE - 'An outstanding storyteller' Woman's WeeklyWhen best friends Dee Campbell and Jean Williams leave school in 1959, it feels like every opportunity awaits them. Their families haven't long moved from a rundown part of the city to leafy Kirkby when Jean's father wins the Irish sweepstake and soon Jean's set up her own hairdressing salon, while both girls have fallen for good-looking lads with prospects. But Dee's father is about to discover a disturbing truth about her fiancé which will tear the family apart. As Dee flees to Ireland, Jean marries Tony, blissfully unaware that she's not the only pretty girl to catch his eye... Tumultuous years lie ahead but Dee and Jean will learn that the people who love you will always be there when you need them most.(P)2012 Headline Digital
A Secular Absolute: How Modern Philosophy Discovered Authenticity
by Ulrich SteinvorthPremodern societies believed in something sacred that obliged unconditionally. Modern societies rely on fallible science. Do they also need something absolute, a secular sacred? Steinvorth analyzes the writings of modern philosophers who claim that there is an absolute norm: the norm to be rational and authentic. In his view, their claim is true if it is reinterpreted. The norm is not moral, as it was thought to be, but metaphysical, and authenticity is not self-realization, but doing things for their own sake. In discussing the pros and cons of philosophical claims on absolutes, this book spreads out the rich pool of philosophical ideas and clarifies urgent contemporary questions about what can be demanded with universal validity. It argues this is not only the principle of justice, not to harm, but also a metaphysical principle by which to find meaning in life. Moreover, it points to some consequences this principle has in politics.
A Secular Age
by Charles TaylorWhat does it mean to say that we live in a secular age? Almost everyone would agree that we--in the West, at least--largely do. And clearly the place of religion in our societies has changed profoundly in the last few centuries. In what will be a defining book for our time, Charles Taylor takes up the question of what these changes mean--of what, precisely, happens when a society in which it is virtually impossible not to believe in God becomes one in which faith, even for the staunchest believer, is only one human possibility among others. Taylor, long one of our most insightful thinkers on such questions, offers a historical perspective. He examines the development in "Western Christendom" of those aspects of modernity which we call secular. What he describes is in fact not a single, continuous transformation, but a series of new departures, in which earlier forms of religious life have been dissolved or destabilized and new ones have been created. As we see here, today's secular world is characterized not by an absence of religion--although in some societies religious belief and practice have markedly declined--but rather by the continuing multiplication of new options, religious, spiritual, and anti-religious, which individuals and groups seize on in order to make sense of their lives and give shape to their spiritual aspirations. What this means for the world--including the new forms of collective religious life it encourages, with their tendency to a mass mobilization that breeds violence--is what Charles Taylor grapples with, in a book as timely as it is timeless.
A Secular Age: Disjunctions In A Secular Age
by Charles TaylorThe place of religion in society has changed profoundly in the last few centuries, particularly in the West. In what will be a defining book for our time, Taylor takes up the question of what these changes mean, and what, precisely, happens when a society becomes one in which faith is only one human possibility among others.
A Seditious Affair: A Society of Gentlemen Novel (Society of Gentlemen #2)
by K. J. CharlesK. J. Charles turns up the heat in her new Society of Gentlemen novel, as two lovers face off in a sensual duel that challenges their deepest beliefs. Silas Mason has no illusions about himself. He's not lovable, or even likable. He's an overbearing idealist, a Radical bookseller and pamphleteer who lives for revolution . . . and for Wednesday nights. Every week he meets anonymously with the same man, in whom Silas has discovered the ideal meld of intellectual companionship and absolute obedience to his sexual commands. But unbeknownst to Silas, his closest friend is also his greatest enemy, with the power to see him hanged--or spare his life. A loyal, well-born gentleman official, Dominic Frey is torn apart by his affair with Silas. By the light of day, he cannot fathom the intoxicating lust that drives him to meet with the Radical week after week. In the bedroom, everything else falls away. Their needs match, and they are united by sympathy for each other's deepest vulnerabilities. But when Silas's politics earn him a death sentence, desire clashes with duty, and Dominic finds himself doing everything he can to save the man who stole his heart.
A Seduction at Christmas
by Cathy MaxwellShe never expected it would come to this Desperation and an empty stomach forced Fiona Lachlan to agree to a plan that ended up luring the wickedly notorious Duke of Holburn into trouble. Everything went terribly wrong, and now she has found herself posing as his ward! And while she swore nothing could make her desire a scoundrel, even if he was a duke, she is now drawing ever closer to the one man she cannot have . . . "Beware of innocence!" The Duke of Holburn had spent years heeding this warning, and in doing so, managed to avoid the virginal young ladies who had been put in his path. But now his wild ways have gotten him into real danger. There are killers at the door and a temptingly beautiful woman in his arms. He is about to find himself seduced . . . and he isn't quite sure he wants to resist this time.
A Seduction in Scarlet (Aphrodite’s Club #1)
by Sara BennettA prim and proper widow gives in to her impulses at London’s notorious Aphrodite’s Club… and fulfils her wildest dream.As an honored widow and close companion to Queen Victoria, Lady Portia Ellerslie is captive to a life of public perfection. But privately, she still longs for the touch of a man. One lonely night, she gives in to her desires, and enlists Madame Aphrodite, the owner of London’s most exclusive and erotic bordello, to arrange a wild one-night-only affair. Donning an alluringly dangerous scarlet dress and a veil to mask her identity, Portia arrives at the club ready to surrender to the long-suppressed desires raging inside her. Instead, she’s shocked to lock eyes with Marcus Worthorne, the man she dreamed of in her former life as the vicar’s daughter. Marcus remembers the very proper Portia… but how did she become this mysterious, enticing lady in red? Marcus knows he can fulfill her most wanton fantasies; and he also knows that it will take more than one enchanted, evening; because one night of delight will never be enough for either of them!
A Seductive Offer (Friends Trilogy #1)
by Kathryn SmithA proposal of marriage she could not refuse... Lord Braven has saved Rachel Ashton's life twice, it seems-when he snatched her from the icy Yorkshire river...and when he offered to marry her. Now the desperate miss will be rid forever of the repulsive husband-to-be her horrid stepfather has "sold" her to. But though both agree their marriage is in name only, Rachel finds she cannot dismiss her burning need to taste the sweet kiss of her dashing benefactor. A passion they could not resist Having a real wife is unthinkable, since Braven must never love again. And as long as this sham marriage is not consummated, his heart will remain safe -- and his secret can go untold. But the exquisite beauty tempts the haunted lord unmercifully with her deep lavender eyes and sensuous full lips. How can he resist this most perilous desire, when his heart swears it would be more dangerous still to deny himself the ecstasy of true love?
A Sedução de um Conde (As Filhas da Aristocracia #3)
by Linda Rae SandeEles não tinham se casado por amor. Mas será que seus sentimentos se transformarão em algo mais? Henry Forster só amou uma mulher. Mas há um problema: ela é filha de um fazendeiro, e sua família jamais permitiria que ele se casasse com uma moça de status tão baixo quanto o dela. Agora, como um conde que precisa de um herdeiro, Henry é forçado a procurar uma esposa, mas está determinado a manter sua amada ao seu lado. Hannah Slater percebeu há muito tempo que os homens nunca amam suas esposas. Ela aceitou em paz esse conhecimento, e sua necessidade desesperada de ter um filho a levou a aceitar o namoro e a proposta de casamento de Henry. Ela não se importa com a amante dele, desde que ele lhe dê o que ela quer. Mas à medida que eles se estabelecem na vida de casados, uma faísca improvável começa a se acender entre os dois. Henry passa a admirar a atitude ousada e o senso comercial de sua nova esposa, e Hannah é forçada a repensar sua atitude em relação a homens casados. Mas quando ocorre uma tragédia, será que o casal será levado para os braços um do outro? Ou eles acabarão presos para sempre em um casamento sem amor? Se você gosta de romances históricos encantadores e charmosos da época da Regência com amores improváveis, um final “felizes para sempre” e um belo cenário da Inglaterra do Século XIX, então você vai adorar A Sedução de um Conde, da autora best-seller Linda Rae Sande.
A Seed in the Sun
by Aida Salazar**Four starred reviews!**A farm-working girl with big dreams meets activist Dolores Huerta and joins the 1965 protest for workers&’ rights in this tender-hearted novel in verse, perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia and Pam Muñoz Ryan.Lula Viramontes aches to one day become someone whom no one can ignore: a daring ringleader in a Mexican traveling circus. But between working the grape harvest in Delano, California, with her older siblings under dangerous conditions; taking care of her younger siblings and Mamá, who has mysteriously fallen ill; and doing everything she can to avoid Papá&’s volatile temper, it&’s hard to hold on to those dreams.Then she meets Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong, and other labor rights activists and realizes she may need to raise her voice sooner rather than later: Farmworkers are striking for better treatment and wages, and whether Lula&’s family joins them or not will determine their future.
A Self-Made Man: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln Vol. I, 1809–1849 (The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln #1)
by Sidney BlumenthalThe first in a sweeping, multi-volume history of Abraham Lincoln—from his obscure beginnings to his presidency, death, and the overthrow of his post-Civil War plan of reconciliation—&“engaging and informative and…thought-provoking&” (The Christian Science Monitor).From his youth as a voracious newspaper reader, Abraham Lincoln became a free thinker, reading Tom Paine, as well as Shakespeare and the Bible. In the “fascinating” (Booklist, starred review) A Self-Made Man, Sidney Blumenthal reveals how Lincoln’s antislavery thinking began in his childhood in backwoods Kentucky and Indiana. Intensely ambitious, he held political aspirations from his earliest years. Yet he was a socially awkward suitor who had a nervous breakdown over his inability to deal with the opposite sex. His marriage to the upper class Mary Todd was crucial to his social aspirations and his political career. “The Lincoln of Blumenthal’s pen is…a brave progressive facing racist assaults on his religion, ethnicity, and very legitimacy that echo the anti-Obama birther movement….Blumenthal takes the wily pol of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals and goes deeper, finding a Vulcan logic and House of Cards ruthlessness” (The Washingtonian). Based on prodigious research of Lincoln’s record, and of the period and its main players, Blumenthal’s robust biography reflects both Lincoln’s time and the struggle that consumes our own political debate. This first volume traces Lincoln from his birth in 1809 through his education in the political arts, rise to the Congress, and fall into the wilderness from which he emerged as the man we recognize as Abraham Lincoln. “Splendid…no one can come away from reading A Self-Made Man…without eagerly anticipating the ensuing volumes.” (Washington Monthly).
A Semiotics of Multimodality and Signification in the Divine Comedy (Routledge Studies In Medieval Literature And Culture Ser.)
by Raffaele De BenedictisA new critical method for the Divine Comedy which focuses not only on language-as-writing but also and equally on other discursive modes that the Divine Comedy authorizes. Multimodality was already present in Dante’s time, and the reception of the Divine Comedy took place multimodally. Thus, a theoretical study of multimodality carried out under the semiotic lens sheds light on how and why a mode is more effective than another and/or how they may combine in producing signification and new ontologies warranted by Dante’s text. Also, we do not yet have a critical theory that allows us to understand the function of multimodality for the creation of new forms of signification and of clarifying the ontological boundaries set forth by different modalities. It is a new and original study which contributes to the advancement of Dante Studies, Literary Criticism (with a focus on literary semiotics), Multimedia/Multiliteracy, philosophy of language, communication, and education. Chapters 1, 2, and 5 of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. .
A Semite: A Memoir of Algeria
by Denis GuenounIn this vivid memoir, Denis Guénoun excavates his family's past and progressively fills out a portrait of an imposing, enigmatic father. René Guénoun was a teacher and a pioneer, and his secret support for Algerian independence was just one of the many things he did not discuss with his teenaged son. To be Algerian, pro-independence, a French citizen, a Jew, and a Communist were not, to René's mind, dissonant allegiances. He believed Jews and Arabs were bound by an authentic fraternity and could only realize a free future together. René Guénoun called himself a Semite, a word that he felt united Jewish and Arab worlds and best reflected a shared origin. He also believed that Algerians had the same political rights as Frenchmen. Although his Jewish family was rooted in Algeria, he inherited French citizenship and revered the principles of the French Revolution. He taught science in a French lycée in Oran and belonged to the French Communist Party. His steadfast belief in liberty, equality, and fraternity led him into trouble, including prison and exile, yet his failures as an activist never shook his faith in a rational, generous future.René Guénoun was drafted to defend Vichy France's colonies in the Middle East during World War II. At the same time, Vichy barred him and his wife from teaching because they were Jewish. When the British conquered Syria, he was sent home to Oran, and in 1943, after the Allies captured Algeria, he joined the Free French Army and fought in Europe. After the war, both parents did their best to reconcile militant unionism and clandestine party activity with the demands of work and family. The Guénouns had little interest in Israel and considered themselves at home in Algeria; yet because he supported Algerian independence, René Guénoun outraged his French neighbors and was expelled from Algeria by the French paramilitary Organisation Armée Secrète. He spent his final years in Marseille. Gracefully weaving together youthful memories with research into his father's life and times, Denis Guénoun re-creates an Algerian past that proved lovely, intellectually provocative, and dangerous.
A Sensational Encounter with High Socialist China
by Paul G. PickowiczA Sensational Encounter with High Socialist China is a recollection of the historic visit of fourteen American students (and one Canadian) to China in 1971. The visit was one of the first approved for American scholars after the Chinese Communist Party came to power in 1949 and occurred prior to President Nixon's famous trip (as well as that of a second group of scholars) in 1972. One of these students, Paul Pickowicz, kept a journal and photographically documented the trip. This book is a personal account of the events leading up to their visa approvals as well as those that occurred during the journey itself. The five senses are used to connect the reader to his experience and are placed in the context of a theatrical production. The images included have been selected from an archive at the University of California, San Diego, which digitized the author's images as well as those of others in the Committee of Concerned Asian Scholars (CCAS) taken during both the 1971 and 1972 delegations.
A Sense of Duty (The Kilmaster Family Sagas)
by Sheelagh KellyIn the first of an extraordinary trilogy of love, tragedy, and hope, there&’s a high price to pay for happiness, from the author of the Feeney Family Saga. While her brothers and sisters resign themselves to a life of drudgery, Katherine &“Kit&” Kilmaster yearns for better things. When she is tempted into dangerous situations with young men above her station, the family are scandalized. Kit revels in London Society, until an unexpected consequence of her free-and-easy lifestyle stops her in her tracks. Thrust back into village life, Kit falls prey to malicious gossip. Overwhelmed, she finally heeds her family&’s advice and is almost destroyed. But then a chance encounter promises to deliver the husband and children she has always wanted—provided her shameful secret is not revealed . . . Praise for the writing of Sheelagh Kelly &“Sheelagh Kelly surely can write.&” —Sunderland Echo &“Genuinely perceptive portrayals of human relationships.&” —Irish Independent
A Sense of Entitlement (A Hattie Davish Mystery #3)
by Clara McKennaTraveling secretary and dilettante detective Hattie Davish is bringing her talents to a small New England town whose wealthy residents have more secrets than they do money. . . When Hattie Davish's job takes her to Newport, Rhode Island, she welcomes the opportunity for a semi-vacation, and perhaps even a summer romance. But her hopes for relaxation are dashed when she learns that members of the local labor unions are at odds with Newport's gentry. Amidst flaring tensions, an explosion rocks the wharf. In the ensuing turmoil, Mr. Harland Whitwell, one of Newport's most eminent citizens, is found stabbed to death, his hands clutching a strike pamphlet. All signs point to a vengeful union member bent on taking down the aristocracy, but Hattie starts digging and finds a few skeletons in the closets of the impeccable Whitwell mansion. As she strikes down the whispers spilling out of Newport's rumor mill, she'll uncover a truth more scandalous than anyone imagined--and a killer with a rapacious sense of entitlement. . .Praise For A Lack Of Temperance "Delightful. . .cozy fans will eagerly await Hattie's next adventure." --Publishers Weekly "This historical cozy debut showcases the author's superb research. Readers will be fascinated. . .this is a warm beginning." --Library Journal
A Sense of Place (The Alison Plantaine Sagas)
by Maisie MoscoA successful Jewish stage actress in 1930s London finds love and sacrifice when she travels to pre-war Berlin in this heartwarming historical saga. The year is 1930, and Alison Plantaine is a star. She is thirty and in the full bloom of her stage career. But she is lonely, and for years, no man had been able to compete with the pace and intensity of her life. Only when she visits Berlin does she find a passion to rival the theatre. She falls madly in love with Richard Lindemann, who opens her eyes to what is happening around her. He shows her the dangers that may befall a nation under the grip of the Nazi regime. As Alison becomes involved in the concerns of those she cares for, she contemplates a world beyond the stage—a world that was moving faster and faster towards tragedy and war . . . A historical saga about love from a much-loved novelist, perfect for fans of Rita Bradshaw and Margaret Dickinson.Praise for the writing of Maisie Mosco&“Once in every generation or so a book comes along which lifts the curtain.&” —The Guardian&“Full of freshness and fascination.&” —Manchester Evening News &“The undisputed queen of her genre.&” —Jewish Chronicle
A Sense of Place and Belonging: The Chiang Tung Borderland of Northern Southeast Asia (NIU Southeast Asian Series)
by Klemens KarlssonA Sense of Place and Belonging examines a marginalized society, Chiang Tung (Keng Tung) in the Eastern Shan State of Myanmar, between the dominant cultures of the Burmese, Chinese, and Siamese/Thai. Chiang Tung sits at the historic borderland known as the Golden Triangle, an area marked by drug trade, human trafficking, and civil war. Hiding a glorious literary and visual cultural tradition from the fourteenth century, Chiang Tung is remarkable for how well it has maintained its Buddhist culture in the turbulent history of war and forced resettlement that formed northern Southeast Asia. Klemens Karlsson examines the connection between the Buddhist traditions, the ancient cult of territory spirits—a cult of the earth, place, and village that forms a kind of religious map—and the monsoon culture of wet rice irrigation. Tying together myths and memories told by local people and written in local chronicles with the unique performance of the Songkran festival, which dramatizes a symbolic agreement between Tai Khuen people and the indigenous Lua/Lawa people, A Sense of Place and Belonging presents a historical, political, religious, and cultural context connecting the present with the past, the local with the global, and tradition with change and transformation.
A Sense of Place: An Intimate Portrait of the Niebaum-Coppola Winery and the Napa Valley
by Steven KolpanIn A Sense of Place, renowned wine expert and writer Steven Kolpan tells the story of how Francis Ford Coppola brought California's most distinguished and historic vineyard back to life. Gustave Niebaum's Inglenook Estate, started in 1879, was one of the Napa Valley's first established vineyards and the birthplace of its premium wine industry. Generations after Niebaum's death, the vineyard was sold to Heublein, the wine and spirits monolith, who broke up the land and changed the Inglenook brand from a premium, connoisseur wine to a mass-market jug wine. In 1975, Francis Coppola bought the Niebaum residence and the surrounding estate. Along with the original estate's reputation, he also brought back some of its original workers, including Rafael Rodriquez, who, in h is late seventies, now serves as the vineyard manager and historian. Coppola overcame naysayers, red tape, and financial turmoil to reestablish the winery as a defender of quality, producing wine under four different labels, including the revered wine Rubicon. In 1995, Coppola purchased the Inglenook Chateau and its adjacent vineyards, fulfilling his dream of reuniting the original Napa Valley estate. Kolpan's luscious, flavorful narrative is worth enjoying now and keeping for later.