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South of the Clouds: Travels in Southwest China

by Bill Porter

While flipping through the atlas of Chang Ch'i-yun, one of China's most famous geographers, distinguished translator Bill Porter (Red Pine) developed a curiosity about the southwestern province of China. Dubbed Yun-nan, "South of the Clouds," this was the last area modern China to come under Chinese control. Originally conquered by the Mongols and eventually introduced to foreigners as a vibrant setting for trade, Yun-nan became a critical crossroad connecting East and West. In 1992, Porter left his home in Hong Kong to tour the small towns and major cities of Yun-nan, studying each of their local cultures and larger impacts on the trajectory of Chinese history. Here, he shares his encyclopedic knowledge of the nation's beautiful legacy while introducing new insight about the province's landscapes, people, and recent state of affairs. He visited Bulang Mountain, where the local people had no written language of their own, so they sent their children to live as monks in nearby Tai temples to learn Tai script. He saw women in Lijiang who wore traditional sheepskin jackets that bore seven frogeyes without clear explanation. In Dali, a small town turned urban center, he recalls a massive museum built to show off the city's new wealth, only to have half of its halls left empty and unvisited.The first of a series of three China travel memoirs to be published by Soft Skull, Bill Porter's book tells the incredible story of a spread of land with a thousand years of human history. His remarkable insight and unparalleled understanding of China place this book at the forefront of East Asian travel literature.

South of the Northeast Kingdom

by David Mamet

Compared to some of its New England neighbors, Vermont has seemed to long-time resident David Mamet a place of intrinsic energy and progressiveness, love and commonality. It has lived up to the old story that settlers came up the Connecticut River and turned right to get to New Hampshire and left to get to Vermont. Is Vermont's tradition of live and let live an accident of geography, the happy by-product of 200 years of national neglect, an emanation of its Scots-Irish regional character? Exploring the ways in which his decades in Vermont have shaped his character and his work, Mamet examines each of these strands and how the state's free-thinking tradition can survive in an age of increasing conglomeration. The result is a highly personal and compelling portrait of a truly unique place.

South of the Northeast Kingdom

by David Mamet

Compared to some of its New England neighbors, Vermont has seemed to long-time resident David Mamet a place of intrinsic energy and progressiveness, love and commonality. It has lived up to the old story that settlers came up the Connecticut River and turned right to get to New Hampshire and left to get to Vermont. Is Vermont's tradition of live and let live an accident of geography, the happy by-product of 200 years of national neglect, an emanation of its Scots-Irish regional character? Exploring the ways in which his decades in Vermont have shaped his character and his work, Mamet examines each of these strands and how the state's free-thinking tradition can survive in an age of increasing conglomeration. The result is a highly personal and compelling portrait of a truly unique place.

South of the Yangtze: Travels Through the Heart of China

by Bill Porter

Chinese civilization first developed 5,000 years ago in North China along the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. And the Yellow River remained the center of Chinese civilization for the next 4,000 years. Then a thousand years ago, this changed. A thousand years ago, the center of Chinese civilization moved to the Yangtze. And the Yangtze, not the Yellow River, has remained the center of its civilization. A thousand years ago, the Chinese came up with a name for this new center of its civilization. They called it Chiangnan, meaning "South of the River," the river in question, of course, being the Yangtze. The Chinese still call this region Chiangnan. Nowadays it includes the northern parts of Chekiang and Kiangsi provinces and the southern parts of Anhui and Kiangsu. And some would even add the northern part of Hunan. But it's not just a region on the map. It's a region in the Chinese spirit. It's hard to put it into words. Ask a dozen Chinese what "Chiangnan" means, and they'll give you a dozen different answers. For some the word conjures forests of pine and bamboo. For others, they envision hillsides of tea, or terraces of rice, or lakes of lotuses and fish. Or they might imagine Zen monasteries, or Taoist temples, or artfully-constructed gardens, or mist-shrouded peaks. Oddly enough, no one ever mentions the region's cities, which include some of the largest in the world. Somehow, whatever else it might mean to people, Chiangnan means a landscape, a landscape and a culture defined by mist, a landscape and a culture that lacks the harder edges of the arid North.In the Fall of 1991, Bill Porter decided to travel through this vaporous land, following the old post roads that still connected its administrative centers and scenic wonders, its most famous hometowns and graves, its factories and breweries, its dreamlike memories and its mist, and he was joined on this journey by his poet and photographer friends, Finn Wilcox and Steve Johnson. South of the Yangtze is a record in words and black and white images of their trip.

South Orange

by Naoma Welk

With more than two hundred vintage photographs, South Orange presents a distinctive view of a village that has evolved from a rural to a sophisticated landscape. Situated next to a two-thousand-five-hundred-acre forest preserve filled with wildlife, South Orange is just a half-hour drive from Manhattan. In the early 1800s, South Orange was popular for its reputation as a healthy, relaxing destination-an escape from the increasingly industrial big-city landscapes of the region. Today, this bedroom community presents a unique mix of cosmopolitan and suburban environments.South Orange follows the village through growth and development, illustrating how it has maintained much of its original character. The many extant homes in a wide variety of late-architectural styles hint at the summer afternoon tea parties of the nineteenth century. The gas-service lamps lining the streets of South Orange were once fueled by whale oil. The home of the Orange Lawn Tennis Club and Seton Hall University, South Orange was also the dwelling place of W.F. Havemeyer, real-estate tycoon, and Louis Bamberger, founder of Bamberger's Department Store, now known as Macy's. Another South Orange notable was William Frederick Allen, editor of the Official Railway Guide, who helped to implement the use of standard time in the United States.

South Orange Revisited (Images of America)

by Naoma Welk

From the mid-1800s through the late 1900s, life in South Orange was a mirror of events taking place on a national and global level. Evolutions in population, transportation, education, and culture played an important part in South Orange's growth from a small farming village to the bustling community it is today. For more than 150 years, the village's excellent road and rail infrastructure, salubrious climate, and close proximity to Manhattan has drawn residents from a wide range of backgrounds, interests, and talents. Today many South Orange residents enjoy the convenience of working in a bustling city and at the same time, living in late-19th- and 20th-century homes on streets illuminated by Victorian gaslights. These are just some of the factors that make South Orange a unique community.

South Pacific and Micronesia

by Geert Cole Oliver Berry Becca Blond Celeste Brash Jean-Bernard Carillet Tione Chinula Susannah Farfor Jocelyn Harewood Virginia Jealous Rowan Mckinnon Simon Sellars Paul Smitz Vincent Talbot Justine Vaisutis Leanne Logan Brett Atkinson

Sink your toes into the sand, suck on that coconut and sit back with a sigh -- yep, it's hard to believe anywhere can be this beautiful, but the South Pacific really is. Palm-fringed islands, turquoise lagoons and luscious scenery interplay with underwater worlds, ancient cultures and urban groove. Get over the legendary paralysis that afflicts travelers to this region and you'll find the South Pacific is infinitely more than leisurely dips in aquamarine waters and lengthy spells lying on blonde beaches...though they'll do to start.

South Plainfield in the 20th Century (Images of America)

by Richard Veit Dorothy Miele

Located in northern Middlesex County, South Plainfield has a rich and fascinating history. It was first settled by the Lenape and later by immigrants from Scotland, England, and the Netherlands. Mills were built, and by the 18th century, it was home to numerous farms and two hamlets: Samptown and New Brooklyn. During the American Revolution, skirmishes shook the sleepy community. The 19th century brought the arrival of railroads and industry. The 20th century saw South Plainfield transformed. The Lehigh Valley Railroad built an enormous coal storage yard. Spicer Manufacturing opened a factory manufacturing universal joints for early trucks and cars. Harris Steel, a fabricator of steel for bridges and skyscrapers, constructed a sprawling plant in South Plainfield. After World War II, the borough grew by leaps and bounds as new suburban developments replaced farms and fields. Today, South Plainfield is a strong community with a diverse population located at the crossroads of central New Jersey.

South River

by Brian Armstrong Stephanie Bartz Nan Whitehead

First settled along a tributary of the Raritan River in 1720, South River was known as Willettstown and later as Washington. Part of East Brunswick until 1898, it emerged as an independent borough in Middlesex County with the passage of the state law to incorporate it. Although comprising fewer than three square miles, South River once served as a shipping and transportation link between New York and Philadelphia and has been home to industry since the first brickyard was established in the mid-1800s. Sand and clay mining, brick and tile manufacturing, shipbuilding, and textile and clothing manufacture have played significant roles in the development of the borough, as have the numerous ethnic groups in the community. Spanning the years from 1891 to 1906, the images included in this book document a time when hotels, embroidery factories, brickyards, and small businesses flourished while the population doubled and a trolley line simplified connections with nearby communities.

South Santa Clara County

by Sam Shueh

South Santa Clara County, situated at the south end of San Francisco Bay, was a cattle-ranching area in the 19th century. With 300 days of sun a year, it became a major agricultural and food-production center. Since the 1960s, the electronics and computer industries have transformed the Valley of the Heart's Delight into a world-class technology center. City dwellers are now taking up residence in an area once steeped in agriculture, with more than 240,000 people making their homes here. Featured in this book are south San Jose, Coyote Valley, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, and unincorporated parts of the south county, such as east Santa Cruz Mountains and Pacheco Pass.

South Shore, Rhode Island

by Betty J. Cotter

Since Native Americans camped by its ponds and waterfront, Rhode Island's South Shore has been a magnet for recreational activity, drawing summer visitors whose accommodations ranged from tents to opulent hotels and summer homes. From Narragansett Pier to Watch Hill Point, this book tells the story of our fascination with life by the sea. Drawn by its clean air and pastoral shores, visitors for generations have come back to "South County" year after year to fish, swim, sunbathe, and simply rest. Some craved the social whirl of Narragansett, while others opted for the slower lifestyle in rural villages like Matunuck and Jerusalem. Each village and resort had its own identity, which is explored in this collection of postcards and photographs, most from private collections. These pictures show the dramatic changes wrought by the Hurricane of 1938, urban renewal, and development.

South Side Hitmen: The Story of the 1977 Chicago White Sox (Images of Baseball)

by Dan Helpingstine Leo Bauby

By self-admission, the 1977 Chicago White Sox couldn't catch, run, or throw; and only on occasion could they pitch. Some felt unwanted and unloved by past teams. Two were told by skeptics that they didn't even belong on the field. Yet it was these qualities that made them one of the most entertaining teams in franchise history. They didn't bunt to move runners along, steal bases to distract the opposing defense, or turn the double play. They just hit and hit until demoralized opponents cried uncle. They didn't win the World Series or even a division title. They couldn't be called champions, but they lived up to another title. They were the South Side Hitmen. Team owner Bill Veeck transformed a hapless 1976 ball club into contenders and big-time draws at the ticket box. New acquisitions Oscar Gamble, Richie Zisk, and Eric Soderholm led the team to a franchise record 192 home runs, while legendary broadcaster Harry Caray led Comskey Park fans through the seventh-inning stretch. The White Sox won 90 games that season (including 22 in an amazing month of July) and finished first in the hearts of baseball fans across the city's South Side.

South St. Paul: A Brief History (Brief History)

by Lois A. Glewwe

Incorporated in 1887, South St. Paul grew rapidly as the blue-collar counterpart to the bright lights and sophistication of its cosmopolitan neighbors Minneapolis and St. Paul. Its prosperous stockyards and slaughterhouses ranked the city among America's largest meatpacking centers. The proud city fell on hard economic times in the second half of the twentieth century. Broad swaths of empty buildings were razed as an enticement to promised redevelopment programs that never happened. In 1990, South St. Paul began to chart out its own successful path to renewal with a pristine riverfront park, a trail system and a business park where the stockyards once stood. Author and historian Lois A. Glewwe brings the story of the city's revival to life in this history of a remarkable community.

South Tacoma

by Darlyne Reiter

Nestled snuggly against Lakewood on the southern side of Tacoma, South Tacoma is a vibrant neighborhood comprised of old and new. What was once a prairie where elk and deer roamed was first called Excelsior, later renamed Edison, and finally became known as South Tacoma in 1895. Beginning in the mid-1800s, the area was comprised of cemeteries used to bury Tacoma's deceased, but in 1890, Northern Pacific Railway made the monumental decision to move its railroad shops from downtown Tacoma to this prime prairie land south of the city. The community has evolved since these beginnings into a contemporary, vital addition to the city of Tacoma. Boasting third-, fourth-, and fifth-generation families and many family-owned businesses, South Tacoma is a "small city within a big city," and its citizens are committed to maintaining its unique character for posterity.

South Temple Street Landmarks: Salt Lake City’s First Historic District (Landmarks)

by Bim Oliver

From the earliest days of settlement, South Temple was Salt Lake's most prestigious street. In 1857, William Staines built the Devereaux House, Salt Lake's first of many mansions. The once-bustling Union Pacific Depot eventually found itself increasingly isolated. Downtown's "gleaming copper landmark" overcame numerous hurdles before its construction was finally finished, and the Steiner American Building helped usher in acceptance of Modernist architecture. Evolving to reflect its continued prominence, in 1975, the thoroughfare's core became the city's first local historic district, and in 1982, it made the National Register of Historic Places. Author and historian Bim Oliver celebrates the changing landmarks along these famous eighteen blocks.

South Toward Home: Travels in Southern Literature

by Margaret Eby

A literary travelogue into the heart of classic Southern literature. What is it about the South that has inspired so much of America's greatest literature? And why, when we think of Flannery O'Connor or William Faulkner or Harper Lee, do we think of them not just as writers, but as Southern writers? In South Toward Home, Margaret Eby--herself a Southerner--travels through the South in search of answers to these questions, visiting the hometowns and stomping grounds of some of our most beloved authors. From Mississippi (William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Richard Wright) to Alabama (Harper Lee, Truman Capote) to Georgia (Flannery O'Connor, Harry Crews) and beyond, Eby looks deeply at the places that these authors lived in and wrote about. South Toward Home reveals how these authors took the people and places they knew best and transmuted them into lasting literature. Side by side with Eby, we meet the man who feeds the peacocks at Andalusia, the Georgia farm where Flannery O'Connor wrote her most powerful stories; we peek into William Faulkner's liquor cabinet to better understand the man who claimed civilization began with distillation and the "postage stamp of native soil" that inspired him; and we go in search of one of New Orleans's iconic hot dog vendors, a job held by Ignatius J. Reilly in John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. From the library that showed Richard Wright that there was a way out to the courtroom at the heart of To Kill a Mockingbird, Eby grapples with a land fraught with history and mythology, for, as Eudora Welty wrote, "One place understood helps us understand all places better." Combining biographical detail with expert criticism, Eby delivers a rich and evocative tribute to the literary South.

South Windsor (Images of America)

by Claire Lobdell for Wood Memorial Library & Museum

South Windsor owes its location to the Connecticut River, whose periodic floods created fertile lowlands that nourished livestock and crops. Tobacco became a mainstay of South Windsor’s agricultural life in the early to mid-19th century, as it did throughout the Connecticut River valley. To this day, tobacco sheds dot the town, and farmers still grow broadleaf for use in cigars. Small industry also flourished here during the 18th and 19th centuries, with mills on the Scantic and Podunk Rivers, tributaries of the Connecticut. Well into the 20th century, South Windsor’s children still attended some of the one- and two-room schoolhouses around town until the post–World War II baby boom and influx of new residents necessitated new buildings. South Windsor guides the reader through the history of Wapping, Main Street, and more.

South with the Sun: Roald Amundsen, His Polar Explorations, and the Quest for Discovery

by Lynne Cox

Roald Amundsen, "the last of the Vikings," left his mark on the Heroic Era as one of the most successful polar explorers ever. A powerfully built man more than six feet tall, Amundsen's career of adventure began at the age of fifteen (he was born in Norway in 1872 to a family of merchant sea captains and rich ship owners); twenty-five years later he was the first man to reach both the North and South Poles.Lynne Cox, adventurer and swimmer, author of Swimming to Antarctica ("gripping" --Sports Illustrated) and Grayson ("wondrous, and unforgettable" --Carl Hiaasen), gives us in South with the Sun a full-scale account of the explorer's life and expeditions.We see Amundsen, in 1903-06, the first to travel the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, in his small ship Gjøa, a seventy-foot refitted former herring boat powered by sails and a thirteen-horsepower engine, making his way through the entire length of the treacherous ice bound route, between the northern Canadian mainland and Canada's Arctic islands, from Greenland across Baffin Bay, between the Canadian islands, across the top of Alaska into the Bering Strait. The dangerous journey took three years to complete, as Amundsen, his crew, and six sled dogs waited while the frozen sea around them thawed sufficiently to allow for navigation. We see him journey toward the North Pole in Fridtjof Nansen's famous Fram, until word reached his expedition party of Robert Peary's successful arrival at the North Pole. Amundsen then set out on a secret expedition to the Antarctic, and we follow him through his heroic capture of the South Pole. Cox makes clear why Amundsen succeeded in his quests where other adventurer-explorers failed, and how his methodical preparation and willingness to take calculated risks revealed both the spirit of the man and the way to complete one triumphant journey after another. Crucial to Amundsen's success in reaching the South Pole was his use of carefully selected sled dogs. Amundsen's canine crew members--he called them "our children"--had been superbly equipped by centuries of natural selection for survival in the Arctic. "The dogs," he wrote, "are the most important thing for us. The whole outcome of the expedition depends on them." On December 14, 1911, Roald Amundsen and four others, 102 days and more than 1,880 miles later, stood at the South Pole, a full month before Robert Scott.Lynne Cox describes reading about Amundsen as a young girl and how because of his exploits was inspired to follow her dreams. We see how she unwittingly set out in Amundsen's path, swimming in open waters off Antarctica, then Greenland (always without a wetsuit), first as a challenge to her own abilities and then later as a way to understand Amundsen's life and the lessons learned from his vision, imagination, and daring.South with the Sun--inspiring, wondrous, and true--is a bold adventure story of bold ambitious dreams.From the Hardcover edition.

Southampton (Images of America)

by Mary Cummings

Settled in 1640 by a group of Puritans from Massachusetts, Southampton, NY, changed very little until the railroad line from New York City reached the village in 1870. Then, with daily trains traveling east, wealthy New Yorkers were amazed to discover a bucolic backwater just hours away. By the turn of the century, Southampton was ranked among the most fashionable resorts on the East Coast. Over 200 photographs, many rare and previously unpublished, illustrate the changes that came to agrarian Southampton as successive waves of summer residents arrived, first to stay in farmhouses refurbished as boarding houses, then building their own sprawling summer "cottages." Drawn from local historical archives and private collections, these images will show how small-town life continued over the years in a place now world-renowned for its exclusive clubs, grand mansions, and celebrity residents.

Southampton Cottages of South Main Street, The: The Original Hamptons Summer Colony

by Sally Spanburgh

In 1887, Southampton was proclaimed "the most charming of all small cities by the sea." From 1870 to 1930, the colonial farmsteads that dotted its oldest street made way for the stately second homes of America's most fashionable elite. Hollywood royalty like Ginger Rogers and Jimmy Stewart lived and played in these magnificent second homes. Situated on the east side of Lake Agawam, South Main Street cottagers fished, bicycled, sailed and walked to the beach and into the village throughout the summer season. Today all but five of these grand landmarks survive. Local author Sally Spanburgh uses her historical and architectural expertise to tell the stories behind the construction of these beautiful homes and their remarkable owners.

Southampton County (Images of America)

by Terry Miller

In 1734, land between the Blackwater and Meherrin Rivers was named Nottoway Parish after the small communities of Native Americans found there, and soon thereafter it was settled as Southampton County. Over time, the county had seven disparate townships later linked by a railroad. Like many Southern counties, Southampton's populace was comprised of Native Americans, whites, free blacks, and slaves existing in a predominantly cotton and peanut plantation economy. The devastation of the cotton crop in 1818, the ill fated two-day slave insurrection led by Nat Turner, and its equally bloody aftermath in 1831 were critical shapers of Southampton's social and economic culture. Its insurrectionist past and subsequent affect on U.S. domestic policy are the principal reasons the county has been extensively documented. This book is the first pictorial history that gives equal attention to the county's diversity from the late 19th through the early 20th centuries.

Southbury

by Virginia Palmer-Skok

The Southbury town seal reads, "Unica Unaque," which translates to "the one and only." The daughter of the former Ancient Woodbury was settled only fifty years after the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth and remains the only town in the United States with this name. Since the town's beginnings as a haven for religious dissidents from Stratford, it has drawn many groups and diverse personalities, from Nazis with the German Bund in 1937 to artists and writers, including Ilya Tolstoy, son of Leo Tolstoy. Through vintage images, Southbury describes the history of a town that started as an outpost of religious freedom and continues to inspire both visitors and residents alike.

Southbury Revisited (Images of America)

by Virginia Palmer-Skok

Settlers from Stratford first camped under a white oak tree in Ancient Woodbury in 1673. Over 300 years later, the bustling and near-suburban community of Southbury takes its place. Farming was integral to the economy throughout this time period, and small industries flourished utilizing the numerous waterways. The advent of railroad transportation, followed by the interstate highway system, brought more people to this thriving rural community for commerce. Beautiful rolling hills and several lakes and rivers attracted crowds for recreational purposes. The unique town seal reads, "Unica Unaque," which translates as "the One and Only." Intense interest in the first volume has led to this edition, Southbury Revisited. Donated vintage photographs enrich these pages with highlights of the community's history.

Southeast Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Angelica to Wild Plums (Regional Foraging Series)

by Chris Bennett

“This is the ultimate guide, and Chris is the undisputed heavyweight champion of foraging in the South.” —Sean Brock, author of Heritage and chef of McCradys, Minero, and Husk The Southeast offers a veritable feast for foragers, and with Chris Bennett as your trusted guide you will learn how to safely find and identify an abundance of delicious wild plants. The plant profiles in Southeast Foraging include clear, color photographs, identification tips, guidance on how to ethically harvest, and suggestions for eating and preserving. A handy seasonal planner details which plants are available during every season. Thorough, comprehensive, and safe, this is a must-have for foragers in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

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