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Great Catherine
by Carolly EricksonFrom the moment the fourteen-year-old Princess Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbst agreed to marry the heir to the Russian throne, she was mired in a quicksand of intrigue. Precociously intelligent, self-confident, and attractive but with a stubborn, wayward streak, Sophia withstood a degree of emotional battering that would have broken a weaker spirit until at last she emerged, triumphant over her many enemies, as Empress Catherine II of Russia. Her achievements as empress were prodigious. She brought vast new lands under Russian rule. She raised the prestige of Russia in Europe. She began the process of imposing legal and political order on the chaos she inherited from her predecessors. Yet few historical figures have been so enthusiastically vilified as Catherine the Great. Whispers that she had ordered her husband's murder grew to murmurs that she was an immoral woman and finally to shouts that she was a depraved, lust-crazed nymphomaniac. With deft mastery of historical narrative and an unsurpassed ability to make the past live again, Carolly Erickson uncovers the real woman behind the tarnished image--an indomitable, feisty, often visionary ruler who, in an age of caveats and constraints, blithely went her own way. Great Catherine reveals the complexities of this great ruler's nature, her craving for love, her insecurities, the inevitable sorrows and disappointments of a strong empress who dared not share her power with any man yet longed to be led and guided by a loving consort. Great Catherine is a fresh portrait of an infamous historical figure, one that reveals how Catherine's flawed triumph guaranteed her posthumous fame and enhanced the might and renown of Russia for generations to come.
Great Captain
by Honoré MorrowThe Lincoln trilogy of: Forever Free, With Malice Toward None, and The Last Full Measure.
Great Canadian Lives: A Cultural History of Modern Canada Through the Art of the Obit
by Sandra MartinAward-winning Globe and Mail journalist Sandra Martin captures the life and times of 50 extraordinary Canadians, whose achievements, follies, and dreams have shaped the country we call home.Martin’s witty essays on the cult and craft of obituary writing, from the ancient Greeks to a wired up 24/7 world, explode the myths and celebrate the art of our oldest biographical form.Great Canadian Lives tells the political, social, and cultural history of modern Canada from WW1 to the Charter, from Pierre Trudeau to Jack Layton — one fascinating life at a time.
The Great British Royal Family Quiz Book: One's Toughest Questions and Their Answers
by Daniel SmithCalling all royalists, put your regal knowledge to the test with this fun and fascinating collection of quizzes.Do you know the full names of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's three children? Or Queen Elizabeth's rumoured favourite tipple? Which royal has his toothpaste squeezed for him every morning, and whose recent decision to take 'a leap of faith' has caused ripples around the world? Put your loyalty and knowledge to the test with this charming miscellany that celebrates kings and queens from 1066 to the present day. A delightful tour of the British monarchy, from joyful royal weddings to tabloid-grabbing scandals, the boozy diet of James I's elephant to Queen Elizabeth II's favourite nail polish colour. A treasure trove of quirky facts and fascinating trivia, readers will discover hours of fun with this selection of achievable quizzes. Answers are included at the back of the book.
The Great Blue Hills of God: A Story of Facing Loss, Finding Peace, and Learning the True Meaning of Home
by Kreis BeallThe creative force behind Blackberry Farm, Tennessee&’s award-winning farm-to-table resort, reveals how she found herself only after losing everything in this powerful memoir of resilience. &“I couldn&’t put down this wise, honest, beautifully written story.&”—Shauna Niequist, New York Times bestselling author of Present Over Perfect and Bread & WineBorn with the gift of hospitality, Kreis Beall helped create one of the nation&’s most renowned resort destinations, Blackberry Farm, in Tennessee&’s Smoky Mountain foothills. For decades, she was a fixture in the travel and entertaining world and frequently appeared in the pages of popular home and design magazines. But at the pinnacle of her success, Kreis faced a series of challenges that reframed her life, including a brain injury that permanently impaired her hearing and the conclusion of her thirty-six-year marriage to her best friend and business partner, Sandy Beall. Alone and uncertain as her world shifts and marriage ends, Kreis begins a new journey to find her faith and find God. After spending years on her beautiful exterior life and work, she begins the hardest undertaking of all: reclaiming and redesigning her interior life and soul. Kreis retreats to Blackberry Farm, moving into an unassuming, 300-square-foot shed with peeling paint on the exterior walls, &“where I met myself for the first time.&” She examines what it takes to redefine life after deep loss and acknowledges, for the first time, often unbearable truths that existed beneath the beauty she had created. By turns fiercely honest, heartbreaking, and warm, Kreis Beall&’s story will resonate with anyone who can benefit from her discovery that &“All it takes is all you&’ve got. And it is worth it.&”
Great Black Heroes: Five Bold Freedom Fighters
by Wade HudsonThis book describes the early lives of Richard, one of the founders of the Free African Society; Harriet, a major conductor of the Underground Railroad; Mary, a founding member of the NAACP; Medgar, the first field secretary for the NAACP; and Fannie, a leading civil rights activist who gained national attention.
A Great Big Girl Like Me: The Films of Marie Dressler
by Victoria SturtevantIn the first book-length study of Marie Dressler, MGM's most profitable movie star in the early 1930s, Victoria Sturtevant analyzes Dressler's use of her body to challenge Hollywood's standards for leading ladies. At five feet seven inches tall and two hundred pounds, Dressler often played ugly ducklings, old maids, doting mothers, and imperious dowagers. However, her body, her fearless physicality, and her athletic slapstick routines commanded the screen. Sturtevant interprets the meanings of Dressler's body by looking at her vaudeville career, her transgressive representation of an "unruly" yet sexual body in Emma and Christopher Bean, ideas of the body politic in the films Politics and Prosperity, and Dressler as a mythic body in Min and Bill and Tugboat Annie.
Great Bales of Fire: More Tales of a Country Fireman
by Malcolm CastleMore tales of a country fireman, from the author of ALL FIRED UP. Perfect for fans of Heartbeat or Last of the Summer Wine.It's the early 1980s and rookie fireman Malcolm Castle is set to take on the biggest challenge of his life. After three years bouncing around in the back of the country fire-engine, he's about to start driving it! At just 22-years-old - less than half the age of many of his colleagues - he's set to thunder through the narrow streets of one of England's most beautiful medieval towns and speed out across the glorious Shropshire countryside. But while his responsibilities are changing fast, almost everything else in Malcolm's life stays the same. Despite facing his fair share of car accidents, house and farm fires, he still seems to spend an awful lot of time answering a string of unlikely and unexpected emergency calls. He rescues shortsighted dogs from frozen lakes, newborn lambs from flooded golf-courses, a pair of angry cows from a busy dual carriageway - and even a hot-footed hamster from a burning cage. Backed up by a heartwarming cast of fellow firemen, Malcolm's enthusiasm for his job and his life are as infectious as ever. So whether it is cats up trees or trees on cars, follow Malcolm as he takes to the wheel for another crazy year in the country fire brigade.Told with the same gentle humour as his first book, ALL FIRED UP, and full of even more extraordinary real-life anecdotes, Shropshire's longest-serving fireman is back - a little older, a little wiser, and even more convinced he has the best job in the world.
Great Bales of Fire: More Tales of a Country Fireman
by Malcolm CastleMore tales of a country fireman, from the author of ALL FIRED UP. Perfect for fans of Heartbeat or Last of the Summer Wine.It's the early 1980s and rookie fireman Malcolm Castle is set to take on the biggest challenge of his life. After three years bouncing around in the back of the country fire-engine, he's about to start driving it! At just 22-years-old - less than half the age of many of his colleagues - he's set to thunder through the narrow streets of one of England's most beautiful medieval towns and speed out across the glorious Shropshire countryside. But while his responsibilities are changing fast, almost everything else in Malcolm's life stays the same. Despite facing his fair share of car accidents, house and farm fires, he still seems to spend an awful lot of time answering a string of unlikely and unexpected emergency calls. He rescues shortsighted dogs from frozen lakes, newborn lambs from flooded golf-courses, a pair of angry cows from a busy dual carriageway - and even a hot-footed hamster from a burning cage. Backed up by a heartwarming cast of fellow firemen, Malcolm's enthusiasm for his job and his life are as infectious as ever. So whether it is cats up trees or trees on cars, follow Malcolm as he takes to the wheel for another crazy year in the country fire brigade.Told with the same gentle humour as his first book, ALL FIRED UP, and full of even more extraordinary real-life anecdotes, Shropshire's longest-serving fireman is back - a little older, a little wiser, and even more convinced he has the best job in the world.
The Great and the Terrible: The World's Most Glorious and Notorious Rulers and How They Got Their Names
by Joanne O'SullivanThis fun, quirky, and engaging fully illustrated history anthology features twenty-five amazing and terrifying rulers for middle grade readers to discover.We've heard of Alexander the Great. We've heard of Ivan the Terrible. But what was so Great about Alexander? What was so Terrible about Ivan? Spanning centuries of history in a culturally diverse framework-from ancient India to nineteenth-century Hawaii, and with a balanced focus on notorious women rulers as well as male, The Great and the Terrible takes a humorous look at some of the most glorious and notorious figures in history through the lens of the nicknames they're remembered by. While some of the characters mentioned here are more prominent in world history (Cyrus the Great introduced the world's first human rights charter), others are well known only within their own cultures. The Great and the Terrible gives middle-grade readers an opportunity to dip into the breadth of world history, sampling its cultural diversity and its stranger-than-fiction historical exploits, with a mix of the sensational and the serious. It helps to correct the imbalance in many history books that currently only focus on Western Civilization, shining the spotlight on achievements (and foibles) in many different cultures.
A Great and Terrible King: Edward I And The Forging Of Britain
by Marc MorrisThe first major biography of a truly formidable king, whose reign was one of the most dramatic and important of the entire Middle Ages, leading to war and conquest on an unprecedented scale. Edward I is familiar to millions as "Longshanks," conqueror of Scotland and nemesis of Sir William Wallace (in "Braveheart"). Yet this story forms only the final chapter of the king's action-packed life. Earlier, Edward had defeated and killed the famous Simon de Montfort in battle; travelled to the Holy Land; conquered Wales, extinguishing forever its native rulers and constructing a magnificent chain of castles. He raised the greatest armies of the Middle Ages and summoned the largest parliaments; notoriously, he expelled all the Jews from his kingdom.The longest-lived of England's medieval kings, he fathered fifteen children with his first wife, Eleanor of Castile, and, after her death, he erected the Eleanor Crosses--the grandest funeral monuments ever fashioned for an English monarch. In this book, Marc Morris examines afresh the forces that drove Edward throughout his relentless career: his character, his Christian faith, and his sense of England's destiny--a sense shaped in particular by the tales of the legendary King Arthur. He also explores the competing reasons that led Edward's opponents (including Robert Bruce) to resist him. The result is a sweeping story, immaculately researched yet compellingly told, and a vivid picture of medieval Britain at the moment when its future was decided.
The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum
by Candace FlemingThe life of showman Phineas Taylor Barnum gets show-stopping treatment in Fleming's latest biographical work. Presented as clever, resilient and ever-consumed with making a buck, the Barnum of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is brought to life in anecdotes over 11 chapters. Nicknamed Tale as a boy, he hated farmwork (I was always ready to concoct fun, or lay plans for money-making, but hand-work was decidedly not in my line). His personal struggles with alcohol and a less-than-happy marriage are detailed alongside his many public successes (and hoaxes). A tour of his famed American Museum and an account of a day at the circus (complete with descriptions of the human curiosities Barnum employed) set readers in the middle of the singular late 19th-century entertainment scene. As in a real circus, the large-format pages include plenty to grab readers' attention: white-on-black sidebars that put the entrepreneur's feats in context (African Americans were barred from entering Barnum's American Museum except on certain days), bw photos and advertising posters. Audiences will step right up to this illuminating and thorough portrait of an entertainment legend. Ages 8-12. Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Great Americans in Sports: Blake Griffin
by Matt ChristopherThis entry in a brand new line of sports biographies from Matt Christopher takes readers onto the court with an all-star who reaches for new heights Blake Griffin is known for being a #1 draft pick, Rookie of the Year, Slam Dunk Contest winner, and one of the best power forwards playing today. But he had to fight to make it onto the NBA court at all after sitting out his first pro season with a devastating knee injury. Learn more about the perennial All-Star in this comprehensive biography, complete with photos and fun infographics.
Great Americans in Sports: Mia Hamm
by Matt ChristopherThis entry in a brand new line of sports biographies from Matt Christopher takes readers onto the field with a soccer legend Mia Hamm's speed, aggressive play, and ability to "read the field" helped her become the best women's soccer player in the world. Her stellar performance as a college, World Cup, and Olympic champion made her a sports hero, and her story will inspire a new generation of young athletes. This comprehensive biography - with bonus photos and infographics - gives readers an up-close look at one of America's greatest soccer stars.
Great Americans in Sports: Babe Ruth (Matt Christopher)
by Matt ChristopherThis entry in a brand new line of sports biographies from Matt Christopher takes readers onto the plate with a baseball legendBabe Ruth was baseball's first true power hitter, a strong pitcher, and smart outfielder who made some amazing game-saving catches. His love of the sport came through in his playfulness on the field and drive to win, but Babe had to overcome a lot of obstacles in order to become the greatest. This comprehensive biography - with bonus photos and infographics - tells the story behind the legend.
Great Americans in Sports: Drew Brees (Great Americans In Sports Ser.)
by Matt ChristopherThis entry in a brand new line of sports biographies from Matt Christopher takes readers onto the field with a beloved quarterbackDrew Brees grew up in a family of athletes, and overcame injuries and setbacks to become one of today's best quarterbacks. This comprehensive biography - complete with photos and fun infographics - shows how Drew Brees went from being a flag football player to Super Bowl MVP and modern legend, and is sure to appeal to legions of football fans.
The Great American Read: Explore America's 100 Best-Loved Novels
by PbsA blockbuster illustrated book that captures what Americans love to read, The Great American Read: The Book of Books is the gorgeously-produced companion book to PBS's ambitious summer 2018 series. What are America's best-loved novels? PBS will launch The Great American Read series with a 2-hour special in May 2018 revealing America's 100 best-loved novels, determined by a rigorous national survey. Subsequent episodes will air in September and October. Celebrities and everyday Americans will champion their favorite novel and in the finale in late October, America's #1 best-loved novel will be revealed. The Great American Read: The Book of Books will present all 100 novels with fascinating information about each book, author profiles, a snapshot of the novel's social relevance, film or television adaptations, other books and writings by the author, and little-known facts. Also included are themed articles about banned books, the most influential book illustrators, reading recommendations, the best first-lines in literature, and more. Beautifully designed with rare images of the original manuscripts, first-edition covers, rejection letters, and other ephemera, The Great American Read: The Book of Books is a must-have book for all booklovers.
Great American Lives: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie, and The Education of Henry Adams
by Benjamin Franklin Henry Adams Andrew Carnegie Ulysses S GrantBrilliant, captivating, and unforgettable memoirs from four of the greatest minds in American history. Penned between 1771 and 1790 and published after his death, TheAutobiography of Benjamin Franklin is one of the most acclaimed and widely read personal histories ever written. From his youth as a printer's assistant working for his brother's Boston newspaper through his own publishing, writing, and military careers, his scientific experiments and worldwide travels, his grand triumphs and heartbreaking tragedies, Franklin tells his story with aplomb, bringing to life the flesh-and-blood man behind the American icon. Completed just days before his death, Ulysses S. Grant's Personal Memoirs is a clear and compelling account of his military career, focusing on two great conflicts: the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. Lauded for its crisp and direct prose, Grant's autobiography offers frank insight into everything from the merits of the war with Mexico to the strategies and tactics employed by Union forces against the Confederacy to the poignancy of Grant's meeting with General Lee at Appomattox Court House. Documenting a world of tariffs, insider deals, and Wall Street sharks as well as his stunning rise from bobbin boy to steel baron, The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie opens a window into the great industrialist's decision-making process. His insights on education, business, and the necessity of giving back for the common good set an inspirational example for aspiring executives and provide a fitting testament to the power of the American dream. The Education of Henry Adams is the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir of a brilliant man reckoning with an era of profound change. The great-grandson of President John Adams and the grandson of President John Quincy Adams, Henry Adams possessed one of the most remarkable minds of his generation. Yet he believed himself fundamentally unsuited to the era in which he lived--the tumultuous period between the Civil War and World War I. Written in third person, this uniquely unclassifiable autobiography is the Modern Library's number-one nonfiction book of the twentieth century. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Great American Jet Pack: The Quest for the Ultimate Individual Lift Device
by Steve LehtoTracing the remarkable history of a certain kind of flying machine--from the rocket belt to the jet belt to the flying platform and all the way to Yves Rossy's 21st-century free flights using a jet-powered wing--this historical account delves into the technology that made these devices possible and the reasons why they never became commercial successes on a mass scale. These individual lift devices, as they were blandly labeled by the government men who financed much of their development, answered man's desire to simply step outside and take flight. No runways, no wings, no pilot's license were required. But the history of the jet pack did not follow its expected trajectory and the devices that were thought to become as commonplace as cars have instead become one of the most overpromised technologies of all time. This fascinating account profiles the inventors and pilots, the hucksters and cheats, and the businessmen and soldiers who were involved with the machines, and it tells a great American story of a technology whose promise may yet, one day, come to fruition.
The Great American Dust Bowl
by Don BrownA speck of dust is a tiny thing. In fact, five of them could fit into the period at the end of this sentence.On a clear, warm Sunday, April 14, 1935, a wild wind whipped up millions upon millions of these specks of dust to form a duster—a savage storm—on America's high southern plains. The sky turned black, sand-filled winds scoured the paint off houses and cars, trains derailed, and electricity coursed through the air. Sand and dirt fell like snow—people got lost in the gloom and suffocated . . . and that was just the beginning.Don Brown brings the Dirty Thirties to life with kinetic, highly saturated, and lively artwork in this graphic novel of one of America's most catastrophic natural events: the Dust Bowl.
Great American Catholic Eulogies
by Carol DechantEulogies have a long and important history in remembering and commemorating the dead. As Thomas Lynch notes in his Foreword, eulogies are meant "to speak for the ages, to bring homage and appreciation, the final appraisal, the last world and first draft of all future biography." In Great American Catholic Eulogies, Carol DeChant has compiled fifty of the most memorable and instructive eulogies of and by Catholics in America. The eulogies span the American experience, from those who were born before the Declaration of Independence was written to a modern sports legend, from pioneers in social justice, healthcare, and the arts to founders of distinctly American religious order, and from all the varied ethnic cultures who contribute to the great cultural milieu that is the United States.
The Great Air Race: Glory, Tragedy, And The Dawn Of American Aviation
by John LancasterThe incredible, untold story of the men who risked their lives in the first transcontinental air contest—and put American aviation on the map. The Great Air Race reclaims one of the most important moments in the history of American aviation: the transcontinental air race of October 1919 that saw scores of pilots compete for the fastest roundtrip time between New York and San Francisco in frail, open-cockpit biplanes. Riveting the nation, the aviators—most of them veterans of the Great War—pioneered the first coast-to-coast air route, braving blizzards and driving rain as they landed in fields or at the edges of cliffs. Bringing the pilots and the race’s impresario, Billy Mitchell, to vivid life, journalist and amateur pilot John Lancaster captures the challenges of flying in that almost prehistoric age—the deafening roar of the engine, the constant fear of mechanical failure, the threat posed by mere rain. As he demonstrates, the race, despite much drama and tragedy, was a milestone in the development of commercial aviation. The Great Air Race is a captivating story of man and machine, and the debut of a major new popular historian.
The Great Agnostic: Robert Ingersoll and American Freethought
by Susan Jacoby&“Jacoby writes with wit and vigor, affectionately resurrecting a man whose life and work are due for reconsideration&” (The Boston Globe). During the Gilded Age, which saw the dawn of America&’s enduring culture wars, Robert Green Ingersoll was known as &“the Great Agnostic.&” The nation&’s most famous orator, he raised his voice on behalf of Enlightenment reason, secularism, and the separation of church and state with a power unmatched since America&’s revolutionary generation. When he died in 1899, even his religious enemies acknowledged that he might have aspired to the US presidency had he been willing to mask his opposition to religion. To the question that retains its controversial power today—was the United States founded as a Christian nation?—Ingersoll answered an emphatic no. In this provocative biography, Susan Jacoby, author of Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism, restores Ingersoll to his rightful place in an American intellectual tradition extending from Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine to the current generation of &“new atheists.&” Jacoby illuminates the ways in which America&’s often-denigrated and forgotten secular history encompasses issues, ranging from women&’s rights to evolution, as potent and divisive today as they were in Ingersoll&’s time. Ingersoll emerges in this portrait as an indispensable public figure who devoted his life to that greatest secular idea of all—liberty of conscience belonging to the religious and nonreligious alike. &“Jacoby&’s goal of elucidating the life and work of Robert Ingersoll is admirably accomplished. She offers a host of well-chosen quotations from his work, and she deftly displays the effect he had on others. For instance: after a young Eugene V. Debs heard Ingersoll talk, Debs accompanied him to the train station and then—just so he could continue the conversation—bought himself a ticket and rode all the way from Terre Haute to Cincinnati. Readers today may well find Ingersoll&’s company equally entrancing.&” —Jennifer Michael Hecht, The New York Times Book Review
The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America
by Albert MarrinWe knew toil and hardship and hunger and thirst ... but we felt the hardy life in our veins, and ours was the glory of work and the joy of living. -Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt is one of America's liveliest and most influential figures. He was a scholar, cowboy, war hero, explorer, and a brilliant politician. As president, Roosevelt's far-reaching policies abroad and at home forever changed both our nation's place in the world and the life of every modern American. Fascinating details and an intimate, fast-paced narrative explore the heroic life and complex world of an American icon.