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Mercator: The Man Who Mapped the Planet
by Nicholas CraneAn enthralling biography of the man who created the first real map of the world and changed civilizationBorn at the dawn of the age of discovery, Gerhard Mercator lived in an era of formidable intellectual and scientific advances. At the center of these developments were the cartographers who painstakingly pieced together the evidence to create ever more accurate pictures of the planet. Mercator was the greatest of all of them-a poor farm boy who attended one of Europe's top universities, was persecuted and imprisoned by the Inquisition, but survived to coin the term "atlas" and to produce the so-called projection for which he is known. Devoutly religious, yet gripped by Aristotelian science, Mercator struggled to reconcile the two, a conflict mirrored by the growing clash in Europe between humanism and the Church.Mercator solved the dimensional riddle that had vexed cosmographers for so long: How could the three-dimensional globe be converted into a two-dimensional map while retaining true compass bearings? The projection revolutionized navigation and has become the most common worldview.Nicholas Crane-a fellow geographer-has combined a keen eye for historical detail with a gift for vivid storytelling to produce a masterful biography of the man who mapped the planet.
A Life Wild and Perilous: Mountain Men and the Paths to the Pacific
by Robert M. UtleyEarly in the nineteenth century, the mountain men emerged as a small but distinctive group whose knowledge and experience of the trans-Mississippi West extended the national consciousness to continental dimensions. Though Lewis and Clark blazed a narrow corridor of geographical reality, the West remained largely terra incognita until trappers and traders--Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, Tom Fitzpatrick, Jedediah Smith--opened paths through the snow-choked mountain wilderness. They opened the way west to Fremont and played a major role in the pivotal years of 1845-1848 when Texas was annexed, the Oregon question was decided, and the Mexican War ended with the Southwest and California in American hands, the Pacific Ocean becoming our western boundary.
The Count of Monte Cristo: The Count Of Monte Cristo; Volume 3
by Alexandre DumasAn epic adventure and one of the most enduring fables in Western literatureEdmond Dantés has a life that any man would envy. A promising young sailor about to be made a captain, he has come home to Marseille to marry his beautiful fiancée, Mercédès. But on the eve of his wedding, Dantés is betrayed, accused of treason, and sentenced without trial to life in prison. For the first six years, Dantés can only mourn his stolen future and dwell on the treachery that landed him behind bars. On the verge of suicide, he meets a fellow prisoner who gives him not just an education in revenge, but the means to accomplish it, as well. After an ingenious escape, Dantés recovers a hidden treasure and returns to Marseille as the Count of Monte Cristo, a man whose unlimited resources are matched only by his boundless thirst for vengeance.An illuminating portrait of early nineteenth-century France and a timeless tale of justice achieved, The Count of Monte Cristo has inspired numerous adaptations, from comic books and Broadway plays to the hit TV series Revenge.
Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land
by Walter R. BornemanThe history of Alaska is filled with stories of new land and new riches -- and ever present are new people with competing views over how the valuable resources should be used: Russians exploiting a fur empire; explorers checking rival advances; prospectors stampeding to the clarion call of "Gold!"; soldiers battling out a decisive chapter in world war; oil wildcatters looking for a different kind of mineral wealth; and always at the core of these disputes is the question of how the land is to be used and by whom.While some want Alaska to remain static, others are in the vanguard of change. Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land shows that there are no easy answers on either side and that Alaska will always be crossing the next frontier.
Climate of Hope: How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet
by Michael Bloomberg Carl PopeNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former head of the Sierra Club Carl Pope comes a manifesto on how the benefits of taking action on climate change are concrete, immediate, and immense. They explore climate change solutions that will make the world healthier and more prosperous, aiming to begin a new type of conversation on the issue that will spur bolder action by cities, businesses, and citizens—and even, someday, by Washington."Climate of Hope is an inspiring must read." —Former Vice President Al Gore, Chairman of The Climate Reality Project“Climate change threatens to reshape the future of our world's population centers. Bloomberg and Pope have been leaders on fortifying our cities against this threat, and their book proves that victory is possible—and imperative.” —Leonardo DiCaprio"If Trump is looking for a blueprint, he could not do better than to read a smart new book, Climate of Hope." —Thomas Friedman in The New York Times~The 2016 election left many people who are concerned about the environment fearful that progress on climate change would come screeching to a halt. But not Michael Bloomberg and Carl Pope. Bloomberg, an entrepreneur and former mayor of New York City, and Pope, a lifelong environmental leader, approach climate change from different perspectives, yet they arrive at similar conclusions. Without agreeing on every point, they share a belief that cities, businesses, and citizens can lead—and win—the battle against climate change, no matter which way the political winds in Washington may shift. In Climate of Hope, Bloomberg and Pope offer an optimistic look at the challenge of climate change, the solutions they believe hold the greatest promise, and the practical steps that are necessary to achieve them. Writing from their own experiences, and sharing their own stories from government, business, and advocacy, Bloomberg and Pope provide a road map for tackling the most complicated challenge the world has ever faced. Along the way, they turn the usual way of thinking about climate change on its head: from top down to bottom up, from partisan to pragmatic, from costs to benefits, from tomorrow to today, and from fear to hope.
Sacred Causes: The Clash of Religion and Politics, from the Great War to the War on Terror
by Michael BurleighBeginning with the chaotic post-World War I landscape, in which religious belief was one way of reordering a world knocked off its axis, Sacred Causes is a penetrating critique of how religion has often been camouflaged by politics. All the bloody regimes and movements of the twentieth century are masterfully captured here, from Stalin's Soviet Union, Hitler's Germany, Mussolini's Italy, and Franco's Spain through to the modern scourge of terrorism. Eloquently and persuasively combining an authoritative survey of history with a timely reminder of the dangers of radical secularism, Burleigh asks why no one foresaw the religious implications of massive Third World immigration, and he deftly investigates what are now driving calls for a civic religion to counter the terrorist threats that have so shocked the West.
The Somme 1916: Touring the French Sector (Battleground Somme)
by David O'MaraWith a few notable exceptions, the French efforts on the Somme have been largely missing or minimized in British accounts of the Battle of the Somme. And yet they held this sector of the Front from the outbreak of the war until well into 1915 and, indeed, in parts into 1916. It does not hurt to be reminded that the French army suffered some 200,000 casualties in the 1916 offensive.David OMaras book provides an outline narrative describing the arrival of the war on the Somme and some of the notable and quite fierce actions that took place that autumn and, indeed, into December of 1914. Extensive mine warfare was a feature of 1915 and beyond on the Somme; for example under Redan Ridge and before Dompierre and Fay. The French limited offensive at Serre in June 1915 is reasonably well known, but there was fighting elsewhere for example the Germans launched a short, sharp, limited attack at Frise in January 1916, part of the diversionary action before the Germans launched their ill-fated offensive at Verdun.The book covers the Somme front from Gommecourt, north of the Somme, to Chaulnes, at the southern end of the battle zone of 1916. The reader is taken around key points in various tours. For many British visitors the battlefields south of the Somme will be a revelation; there is much to see, both of cemeteries and memorials, but also substantial traces of the fighting remain on the ground, some of which is accessible to the public.It has always been something of a disgrace that there is so little available, even in French, to educate the public in an accessible written form about the substantial effort made by Frances army on the Somme; this book and subsequent, more detailed volumes to be published in the coming years will go some way to rectify this. British visitors should be fascinated by the story of these forgotten men of France and the largely unknown part of the Somme battlefield.
The Theory of Social and Economic Organization
by Max WeberThis bookis an introduction to Max Weber&’s ambitious comparative study of the sociological and institutional foundations of the modern economic and social order.In this work originally published in German in 1920, Weber discusses the analytical methods of sociology and, at the same time, presents a devastating critique of prevailing sociological theory and of its universalist, determinist underpinnings. None of Weber&’s other writings offers the reader such a grasp of his theories; none displays so clearly his erudition, the scope of his interests, and his analytical powers.
Don of the Dead: A Pepper Martin Mystery (Pepper Martin Mysteries)
by Casey DanielsShe sees dead peopleBeautiful, smart, and chic, Pepper Martin never had to work a day in her life -- until her surgeon daddy was convicted of fraud, her wealthy fiancé took a powder, and the family fortune ran bone dry.Suddenly desperate, the inexperienced ex-rich girl was forced to take the only job she could get: as a tour guide in a cemetery. But a grave situation took a turn for the worse when a head-on collision with a headstone left her with an unwanted ability to communicate with the disgruntled deceased . . . and now Pepper has a whacked Mafia don demanding that she hunt down his killers -- and threatening to haunt her until she does.
The Black Cabinet: A Golden Age Mystery
by Patricia WentworthChloe Dane inherits a fabled ancestral estate—and plunges into deadly danger—in this novel of romance and suspense from the author of the acclaimed Miss Silver Mysteries The lowly assistant to a London dressmaker, Chloe Dane yearns for a new life. She has bittersweet memories of being a carefree child playing hide-and-seek at Danesborough, her family&’s magnificent country estate. Decades later, the ancestral mansion has been restored to its former glory—and Chloe is shocked to discover that she is the sole heir. Danesborough is not the sun-filled, evergreen place she remembers. The trees are bare and the house is shrouded in mist. But the enormous gold-and-black lacquered Chinese cabinet in the drawing room is exactly the same. Chloe&’s childhood imagination created an entire story out of the intricate carvings on the cabinet: a flowing river filled with boats and fishermen and one frightening man she called Mr. Dark. But now, as Chloe begins to uncover Mitchell Dane&’s true motives for bequeathing her the centuries-old manse, she has a very real reason to be afraid: The truth about what&’s hidden in the black cabinet will soon threaten her life.
Bird Girl: Gene Stratton-Porter Shares Her Love of Nature with the World
by Jill EsbaumThis lively STEAM picture book is about the life of Gene Stratton-Porter, a pioneering wildlife photographer and popular author from the late 19th and early 20th century, who showed the world the beauty of nature, especially birds, and why it was worth preserving.Gene Stratton-Porter was a farm girl who fell in love with birds, from the chickens whose eggs she collected to the hawks that preyed on them. When she grew up, Gene wanted nothing more than to share her love of birds with the world. She wrote stories about birds, but when a magazine wanted to publish them next to awkward photos of stuffed birds, she knew she had to take matters into her own hands. Teaching herself photography, Gene began to take photos of birds in the wild. Her knowledge of birds and how to approach them allowed her to get so close you could count the feathers of the birds in her photos. Her work was unlike anything Americans had ever seen before—she captured the true lives of animals in their natural habitat. A pioneering wildlife photographer and one of the most popular authors of the early 20th century, this bird girl showed the world the beauty of nature and why it was worth preserving.
The Development of Sacramentalism (Routledge Revivals)
by J. W. WandFirst published in 1928, The Development of Sacramentalism traces the history of the fundamental presuppositions upon which the doctrine of sacraments is built from primitive religions, through the Old Testament and the Mystery Cults. This book will be of interest to students of history and religion.
Land and Labour in China (Routledge Revivals)
by R H Tawney dec'dFirst published in 1932 Land and Labour in China is an introductory volume dealing with certain aspects of economic life in China. R. H. Tawney discusses important themes ranging from rural framework, problems of the peasant to the growth of capitalist industry in China
Pagan Tribes of the Nilotic Sudan (Routledge Revivals)
by C. G. Seligman Brenda Z. SeligmanFirst published in 1932, Pagan Tribes of the Nilotic Sudan is a general conspectus of the people, traditions, culture, and ways of thought in southern Sudan. The authors give their view of the remote racial origins of the people with whom their studies are concerned and then of the great sub-racial units whom they class as ‘dolichocephals’ and ‘mesaticephals’ respectively. The former comprise, first, the Nilotes – Shilluk, Nuer and Dinka, who live and move and have their being in an atmosphere of cattle, and who, it is thought, had their cradleland somewhere east of the Great Lakes – and, second, the Nilo-Hamites, such as the true Bari, various Lotuko-speaking tribes, etc. The mesaticephals consist of the Fung-Nuba peoples on the one hand and, on the other, the South-Western group of whom Azande are the best known. Exceptional interest is attached to the research conducted among the Bari. The social organization of this tribe is complex and curious, particularly their beliefs regarding rain-stones, rainmakers and clouds. The language used is a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this republication. This book will be of interest to students of history, anthropology, ethnography, and ethnic studies.
Systematic Theology
by Louis BerkhofAn enduring theological classic now available in paperbackThis complete edition of Louis Berkhof&’s magnum opus includes both his Introductory Volume to Systematic Theology and his classic Systematic Theology. In his monumental treatment of the doctrines of the Reformed faith, Berkhof covers the full range of theology in traditional systematic fashion, examining the doctrines of God, anthropology, Christology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology. The result is a comprehensive work written in a scholarly yet simple style.The foreword by Richard A. Muller explains the relation and importance of Berkhof&’s prolegomena to the rest of his systematic theology, while complete indexes, thorough bibliographies, and questions for further study make this edition ideal for students. Since its original publication in 1939, Berkhof&’s Systematic Theology has remained the most influential twentieth-century compendium of Reformed theology.
Burma Sahib: A Novel
by Paul Theroux“Paul Theroux has exploited this biographical lacuna with great shrewdness and gusto… his fictional account of Blair’s life there [Burma] is a valid and entirely credible attempt to add flesh to the skeletal facts we have of this time. […]this novel is one of his finest, in a long and redoubtable oeuvre.” —New York Times Book ReviewFrom the acclaimed author of The Mosquito Coast and The Bad Angel Brothers comes a riveting new novel exploring one of English literature’s most beloved and controversial figures—George Orwell—and the early years as an officer in colonial Burma that transformed him from Eric Blair, the British Raj policeman, into Orwell the anticolonial writer.At age nineteen, young Eton graduate Eric Blair set sail for India, dreading the assignment ahead. Along with several other young conscripts, he would be trained for three years as a servant of the British Empire, overseeing the local policemen in Burma. Navigating the social, racial, and class politics of his fellow British at the same time as he learned the local languages and struggled to control his men would prove difficult enough. But doing all of this while grappling with his own self-worth, his sense that he was not cut out for this, is soon overwhelming for the young Blair. Eventually, his clashes with his superiors, and the drama that unfolds in this hot, beautiful land, will change him forever.
Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine (American Made Music Series)
by Drew BeisswengerFrom a small mountain town in West Virginia, elder fiddler Melvin Wine has inspired musicians and music enthusiasts far beyond his homeplace. Music, community, and tradition influence all aspects of life in this rural region. Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine shows how in Wine's playing and teaching all three have created a vital and enduring legacy. Wine has been honored nationally for his musical skills and his leadership role in an American musical tradition. A farmer, a coal miner, a father of ten children, and a deeply religious man, he has played music from the hard lessons of his own experience and shaped a musical tradition even while passing it to others. Fiddling Way Out Yonder examines the fiddler, his music, and its context from a variety of perspectives. Many rousing fiddlers came from isolated mountain regions like Melvin's home stomp. The book makes a point to address the broad historical issues related both to North American fiddling and to Wine's personal history. Wine has spent almost all of his ninety-two years in rural Braxton County, an area where the fiddle and dance traditions that were strong during his childhood and early adult life continue to be active today. Utilizing models from folklore studies and ethnomusicology, Fiddling Way Out Yonder discusses how community life and educational environment have affected Melvin's music and his approaches to performance. Such a unique fiddler deserves close stylistic scrutiny. The book reveals Wine's particular tunings, his ways of holding the instrument, his licks, his bowing techniques and patterns, his tune categories, and his favorite keys. The book includes transcriptions and analyses of ten of Melvin's tunes, some of which are linked to minstrelsy, ballad singing traditions, and gospel music. Narratives discuss the background of each tune and how it has fit into Melvin's life. While his music is tied to community and family traditions, Melvin is a unique and complex person. This biography heralds a musician who wants both to communicate the spirit of his mountains and to sway an audience into having an old-fashioned good time.
The Growth of Fascism in Great Britain (Routledge Revivals)
by W. A. RudlinFirst published in 1935, The Growth of Fascism in Great Britain discusses how the tendencies which have produced fascism on the European continent are by no means absent in England. The growth of fascism in England’s ‘green and pleasant land’ is not only to be gauged by the size of the British Union of Fascists. Sir Oswald Mosley’s movement follows the German and Italian models, but the economic, political, and psychological conditions of Great Britain show that the holders of power here have no immediate need of the continental method. Our conditions have dictated different tactics: it is in such measures as the Trades Disputes Act, the Means Test, the Sedition Bill, that we find the evidence of the growing attempt to achieve the substance if not the uniform of Fascism. Until it is marshalled as ably as it is here, even the serious citizen will find it difficult to form a true picture of the accumulation of this evidence. This book will cause to think all those, of whatever political creed, who love liberty.Mr. Rudlin then proceeds to discuss the essential questions of the future: will British conditions in the end demand open Fascism? In what circumstances are we to expect the dropping of Mr. Baldwin and the taking aboard of more glamorous pilots? With an introduction by Harold J. Laski, this is an important historical document for the students of British history.
Surinamese Music in the Netherlands and Suriname (Caribbean Studies Series)
by Marcel WeltakContributions by Herman Dijo, J. Ketwaru, Guilly Koster, Lou Lichtveld, Pondo O’Bryan, and Marcel Weltak When Marcel Weltak’s Surinamese Music in the Netherlands and Suriname was published in Dutch in 1990, it was the first book to provide an overview of the music styles originating from the land that had recently gained its independence from the Netherlands. Up until the 1990s, little had been published that observed the music of the country. Weltak’s book was the first to examine both the instruments and the way in which they are played as well as the melodic and rhythmic components of music produced by the country’s ethnically diverse populations, including people of Amerindian, African, Indian, Indonesian/Javanese, and Chinese descent. Since the book’s first appearance, a new generation of musicians of Surinamese descent has carried on making music, and some of their elders referred to in the original edition have passed away. The catalog of recordings that have become available has also expanded, particularly in the areas of hip-hop, rap, jazz, R&B, and new fusions such as kaskawi. This edition, in English for the first time, includes a new opening chapter by Marcel Weltak giving a historical sketch of Suriname’s relationship to the Netherlands. It includes updates on the popular music of second- and third-generation musicians of Surinamese descent in the Netherlands, and Weltak's own subsequent and vital research into the Amerindian and maroon music of the interior. The new introduction is followed by the integral text of the original edition. New appendices have been added to this edition that include a bibliography and updated discography; a listing of films, videos, and DVDs on or about Surinamese music or musicians; and concise, alphabetically arranged notes on musical instruments and styles as well as brief biographies of those authors who contributed texts.
The Cowboy Way: An Exploration of History and Culture
by Paul H CarlsonThe lives of American cowboys have been both real and mythic. This work explores cowboy music dress, humour, films and literature in sixteen essays and a bibliography. These essays demonstrate that the American cowboy is a knight of the road who, with a large hat, tall boots and a big gun, rode into legend and into the history books.
Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather: Stories
by Gao Xingjian“Precisely detailed and delicately suggestive: the best work of Gao’s yet to appear in English translation.”—Kirkus ReviewsA collection of six exquisite short stories from Gao Xingjian, the first Chinese writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. These beautifully translated stories take as their themes the fragility of love and life, and the haunting power of memory.In “The Temple,” the narrator’s acute and mysterious anxiety overshadows the delirious happiness of an outing with his new wife on their honeymoon. In “The Cramp” a man narrowly escapes drowning in the sea, only to find that no one even noticed his absence. In the title story the narrator attempts to relieve his homesickness only to find that he is lost in a labyrinth of childhood memories.Everywhere in this collection are powerful psychological portraits of characters whose unarticulated hopes and fears betray the never-ending presence of the past in their present lives.
The Hive: The Story of the Honeybee and Us
by Bee WilsonEver since men first hunted for honeycomb in rocks and daubed pictures of it on cave walls, the honeybee has been seen as one of the wonders of nature: social, industrious, beautiful, terrifying. No other creature has inspired in humans an identification so passionate, persistent, or fantastical.The Hive recounts the astonishing tale of all the weird and wonderful things that humans believed about bees and their "society" over the ages. It ranges from the honey delta of ancient Egypt to the Tupelo forests of modern Florida, taking in a cast of characters including Alexander the Great and Napoleon, Sherlock Holmes and Muhammed Ali.The history of humans and honeybees is also a history of ideas, taking us through the evolution of science, religion, and politics, and a social history that explores the bee's impact on food and human ritual. In this beautifully illustrated book, Bee Wilson shows how humans will always view the hive as a miniature universe with order and purpose, and look to it to make sense of their own.
Indian Politics since the Mutiny (Routledge Revivals)
by C. Y. ChintamaniFirst Published in 1940 Indian Politics since the Mutiny presents a comprehensive account of the development of public life and political institutions and of prominent political personalities in colonial India. Delivered as lectures at the Andhra University in 1935, the essays discuss themes like Indian politics before the Congress party, the first twenty years of the Congress party, Partition of Bengal, and the Non-cooperation movement. This book is an important historical document from the colonial period in India and will be of interest to scholars and researchers of Indian history, colonial history, and history in general.
Dragon Seed: A Novel of China at War (Colophon)
by Pearl S. BuckA New York Times–bestselling historical novel about the Japanese invasion of Nanking from the author of The Good Earth. Farmer Liang Tan knows only a quiet, traditional life in his remote Chinese farming community. When news filters in that Japanese forces are invading the country, he and his fellow villagers believe that if they behave decently to the Japanese soldiers, the civilians might remain undisturbed. They&’re in for a shock, as the attackers lay waste to the country and install a puppet government designed to systematically carry out Japanese interests. In response, the Chinese farmers and their families form a resistance—which not only carries grave risk, but also breaks their vow of nonviolence, leading them to wonder if they&’re any different than their enemy. Later adapted into a film featuring Katharine Hepburn, Dragon Seed is a brilliant and unflinching look at the horrors of war. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Pearl S. Buck including rare images from the author&’s estate.
Vagina: Revised And Updated
by Naomi WolfAn astonishing work of cutting–edge science and cultural history from one of our most respected cultural critics and thinkers, Naomi Wolf, author of the modern classic The Beauty MythWhen an unexpected medical crisis sends Naomi Wolf on a journey to tease out the intersections between sexuality and creativity, she discovers—much to her own astonishment—an increasing body of scientific evidence that documents new insights about female sexual response. These breakthrough discoveries show that the vagina, clitoris, and labia—the female sexual centers—are not "merely flesh," but directly affect the female brain, and that the female brain directly affects, in newly documented ways, the vagina and female sexual centers. The vagina thus has a fundamental relationship to female consciousness itself. Utterly enthralling and totally fascinating, Vagina draws on this set of insights about "the mind-vagina connection" to reveal new information about what women really need, on many different levels, and considers what sexual relationships—and a woman's relationship to her self, as well as to her own desire and pleasure—transformed by these insights, may look like.A brilliant and nuanced synthesis of physiology, history, and cultural criticism, Vagina explores the physical, political, and spiritual implications for women—and for society as a whole—in this startling series of new scientific breakthroughs from a writer whose conviction and keen intelligence have propelled her works to the tops of bestseller lists, and firmly into the realm of modern classics.