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Nathan's Famous: An Unauthorized View of America's Favorite Frankfurter Company
by Jayne A. Pearl William Handwerker&“A heartwarming, poignant and even-handed account of the quintessential American immigrant/family business struggle to succeed against all odds&” (Larry King). Nathan&’s Famous chronicles the history and business strategies of company founder Nathan Handwerker that led to the success of an iconic international brand and two of America&’s most loved foods: the Nathan&’s Famous Frankfurter and Crinkle-cut French Fries. Brimming with photos of historic Coney Island, New York, Nathan&’s Famous restaurants, and intimate family memories of author, former company Senior Vice president and grandson William Handwerker, Nathan&’s Famous details entrepreneurial spirit, business lessons, dramatic corporate missteps and growth. William includes insights into three generations of the Handwerker family, beginning with the founder&’s early life, growing up in extreme poverty in Galicia, Poland, as well as his own sons and grandson who contributed to expanding geographic locations, menu and the overall brand. Nathan&’s may have started as a small hot dog stand in 1916, but by sticking to his philosophy to &“give &’em and let &’em eat,&” he was able to beat his competition by providing top quality food at low prices. Nathan&’s Famous reveals the successes, trials and tribulations of growing Nathan&’s original vision into the international frankfurter corporation it is today.
Rising Ground: A Search for the Spirit of Place
by Philip MarsdenThe travel writer and Cornwall native explores his home on a journey by foot to Land&’s End in this &“fascinating and hauntingly evocative&” memoir (Literary Review). A Guardian, Financial Times, Observer, and Scotsman Book of the Year In 2010, Philip Marsden moved with his family to a rundown farmhouse in Cornwall, England. From the moment he arrived, Marsden was fascinated by the landscape and the traces of human history all around him. Wanting to experience the place more fully, he set out to walk across Cornwall, to the evocatively named Land&’s End. Rising Ground is a record of that journey, but it is also so much more: a beautifully written meditation on place, nature, and human life that encompasses history, archaeology, geography, and the love of place that suffuses us when we finally find home. Firmly in a storied tradition of English nature writing that stretches from Gilbert White to Helen MacDonald, Rising Ground reveals the ways that places and peoples have interacted over time, from standing stones to footpaths, ancient habitations to modern highways. What does it mean to truly live in a place, and what does it take to understand, and honor, those who lived and died there long before we arrived? "A fascinating study of place and its meaning."—Observer, UK
Cuba's Racial Crucible: The Sexual Economy of Social Identities, 1750–2000 (Blacks in the Diaspora)
by Karen Y. MorrisonThis prize-winning study examines the historical interplay of racial identity, nationality, and family formation in Cuba from the 18th century to today.Since the 19th century, there have been two opposing perspectives on Cuban racial identity: one that frames Cubans as white, and one that sees them as racially mixed based on acceptance of African descent. For the past two centuries, these competing views of have remained in continuous tension, while Cuban women and men make their own racially oriented decisions about choosing partners and family formation.Cuba&’s Racial Crucible explores the historical dynamics of Cuban race relations by highlighting the role race has played in reproductive practices and genealogical memories associated with family formation. Karen Y. Morrison reads archival, oral-history, and literary sources to demonstrate the ideological centrality and inseparability of "race," "nation," and "family," in definitions of Cuban identity. Morrison also analyzes the conditions that supported the social advance and decline of notions of white racial superiority, nationalist projections of racial hybridity, and pride in African descent.Winner, NECLAS Marissa Navarro Best Book Prize
Black Patriots and Loyalists: Fighting for Emancipation in the War for Independence
by Alan GilbertA surprising look at the roles of African Americans in the Revolutionary War: &“An elegant and passionate writer, Alan Gilbert pulls no punches.&”—Historian We think of the American Revolution as the war for independence from British colonial rule. But, of course, that independence actually applied to only a portion of the American population—African Americans would still be bound in slavery for nearly another century. Drawing on first-person accounts and primary sources, Alan Gilbert asks us to rethink what we know about the Revolutionary War, to realize that while white Americans were fighting for their freedom, many black Americans were joining the British imperial forces to gain theirs. Further, a movement led by sailors—both black and white—pushed strongly for emancipation on the American side. There were actually two wars being waged at once: a political revolution for independence from Britain, and a social revolution for emancipation and equality—planting the seeds for future freedom. &“The personal stories of those who fought on the patriots&’ side in an all-black regiment and on the loyalist side in exchange for a promise of freedom are fascinating and informative.&”—Booklist
Beauty and the Beast
by Michael TaussigThe celebrated anthropologist and author of The Corn Wolf examines the Colombian culture of plastic surgery and its surprising relationship to violence. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in Colombia, Michael Taussig scrutinizes the audacious and sometimes destructive attempts people make to transform their bodies through cosmetic surgery and liposuction. He balances an examination of surgeries meant to enhance an individual&’s beauty with their often-overlooked counterparts, surgeries performed—often on high profile criminals—to disguise one&’s identity. Exploring this global phenomenon through Colombia&’s economic, cultural, and political history, Taussig links the country&’s long civil war and history of torture to the beauty industry at large, sketching Colombia as a country whose high aesthetic stakes make it a staging ground for some of the most important and problematic ideas about the body. Central to Taussig&’s examination is George Bataille&’s notion of depense, or &“wasting.&” While depense is often used as a critique, Taussig also looks at its position as a driving economic force. Depense, he argues, is precisely what these procedures are about, and the beast on the other side of beauty should not be dismissed as simple recompense. At once theoretical and colloquial, public and intimate, Beauty and the Beast is a true-to-place ethnography that tells a layered story about the lengths to which people will go to be physically remade.
American Religious Liberalism (Religion in North America)
by Leigh E. Schmidt and Sally M. PromeyAn enlightening look at the surprising connections between spirituality and progressive thought in the United States. Religious liberalism in America is often associated with an ecumenical Protestant establishment. This book, however, draws attention to the broad diversity of liberal cultures that shapes America&’s religious movements. The essays gathered here push beyond familiar tropes and boundaries to interrogate religious liberalism&’s dense cultural leanings by looking at spirituality in the arts, the politics and piety of religious cosmopolitanism, and the interaction between liberal religion and liberal secularism. Readers will find a kaleidoscopic view of many of the progressive strands of America&’s religious past and present in this richly provocative volume.
Rum Maniacs: Alcoholic Insanity in the Early American Republic
by Matthew Warner Osborn"This important study explores the medicalization of alcohol abuse in the 19th century US&” and its influence on American literature and popular culture (Choice). In Rum Maniacs, Matthew Warner Osborn examines the rise of pathological drinking as a subject of medical interest, social controversy, and lurid fascination in 19th century America. At the heart of that story is the disease that afflicted Edgar Allen Poe: delirium tremens. Poe&’s alcohol addiction was so severe that it gave him hallucinations, such as his vivid recollection of standing in a prison cell, fearing for his life, as he watched men mutilate his mother&’s body—an event that never happened. First described in 1813, delirium tremens and its characteristic hallucinations inspired sweeping changes in how the medical profession saw and treated the problems of alcohol abuse. Based on new theories of pathological anatomy, human physiology, and mental illness, the new diagnosis established the popular belief that habitual drinking could become a psychological and physiological disease. By midcentury, delirium tremens had inspired a wide range of popular theater, poetry, fiction, and illustration. This romantic fascination endured into the twentieth century, most notably in the classic Disney cartoon Dumbo, in which a pink pachyderm marching band haunts a drunken young elephant. Rum Maniacs reveals just how delirium tremens shaped the modern experience of alcohol addiction as a psychic struggle with inner demons.
Robert F. Kennedy: And the 1968 Indiana Primary
by Ray E. BoomhowerThis account of a dramatic moment, and a classic speech, is &“a must-read for anyone interested in presidential politics&” (Indiana Magazine of History). On April 4, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arrived in Indiana to campaign for the state&’s Democratic presidential primary. As Kennedy prepared to fly from an appearance in Muncie to Indianapolis, he learned that civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., had been shot outside his hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. Before his plane landed in Indianapolis, Kennedy heard the news that King had died. Despite warnings from Indianapolis police that they could not guarantee his safety, and concerns from his own staff, Kennedy decided to proceed with plans to address an outdoor rally to be held in the heart of the city&’s African American community. On that cold and windy evening, Kennedy broke the news of King&’s death in an impassioned, extemporaneous speech on the need for compassion in the face of violence. It has proven to be one of the great speeches in American political history. This book explains what brought the politician to Indiana that day, and explores the characters and events of the 1968 Indiana Democratic presidential primary—in which Kennedy, who had been an underdog, would go on to a decisive victory.
The House at Ujazdowskie 16: Jewish Families in Warsaw After the Holocaust (The Modern Jewish Experience)
by Karen AuerbachThe compelling history of ten Jewish families rebuilding their lives in Warsaw after the Holocaust—&“amply illustrated . . . the book reverberates with hope&” (Jewish Book Council). Warsaw, Poland, once described as the &“Paris of the East,&” had been transformed into a landscape of ruin by the ravages of World War II. Among the few areas of the city center that escaped Nazi decimation was Ujazdowskie Avenue, where German officials lived during the occupation. In the late 1940s, while most surviving Polish Jews were making their homes in new countries, ten Jewish families reclaimed a once elegant building at 16 Ujazdowskie Avenue and began reconstructing their lives. These families rebuilt on the rubble of the Polish capital and created new communities as they sought to distance themselves from the memory of a painful past. Based on interviews with family members, extensive archival research, and the families&’ personal papers and correspondence, Karen Auerbach presents an engrossing story of loss and rebirth, political faith and disillusionment, and the persistence of Jewishness.
Attorney for the Damned: Clarence Darrow in the Courtroom
by Clarence DarrowCourtroom summations by &“one of America&’s greatest lawyers . . . this book is better than an entire college course in Rhetoric&” (Thomas Geoghegan, author of The Secret Lives of Citizens and Only One Thing Can Save Us). A famous defender of the underdog, the oppressed, and the powerless, Clarence Darrow (1857–1938) is one of the true legends of the American legal system. His cases were many and various, but all were marked by his unequivocal sense of justice, as well as his penchant for representing infamous and unpopular clients, such as the Chicago thrill-killers Leopold and Loeb; Ossian Sweet, the African American doctor charged with murder after fighting off a violent, white mob in Detroit; and John T. Scopes, the teacher on trial in the famous Scopes Monkey Trial. Published for the first time in 1957, Attorney for the Damned collects Darrow&’s most influential summations and supplements them with scene-setting explanations and comprehensive notes by Arthur Weinberg. Darrow confronts issues that remain relevant over half a century after his death: First Amendment rights, capital punishment, and the separation of church and state. With an insightful forward by Justice William O. Douglas, this volume serves as a powerful reminder of Darrow&’s relevance today. &“Clarence Darrow [was] perhaps the most effective courtroom opponent of cant, bigotry, and special privilege that our country has produced . . . The ghastly comedy of his deadpan interrogation of William Jennings Bryan on the origin of man in the Scopes case is particularly recommended.&” —The New Yorker &“More illuminating as well as more dramatic than anything that has yet appeared about [Darrow].&” —Herald Tribune Book Review
The Well-Dressed Hobo: The Many Wondrous Adventures of a Man Who Loves Trains (Railroads Past and Present)
by Rush Loving Jr.A &“sweeping and grand epic on the renaissance of American railroading&” from the Fortune journalist and author of The Men Who Loved Trains (The Baltimore Sun). After decades of covering the railroad industry for Fortune magazine, journalist Rush Loving Jr. offers his unique insider&’s view into the many dramas, triumphs, failures, and adventures of the great American railroads. Loving has shared meals and journeys with everyone from the industry&’s greatest leaders to conductors, brakemen and even a few hobos. Now, in this fascinating combination of history and memoir, he recalls the many colorful people he&’s met on the rails. Loving shares stories he collected in locomotive cabs, business cars, executive suites and even the White House. They paint a compelling, intimate portrait of the railroad industry and its leaders, both inept and visionary. Above all, Loving tells stories of the dedicated men and women who truly love trains and know the industry from the rails up.
The Railroad That Never Was: Vanderbilt, Morgan, and the South Pennsylvania Railroad (Railroads Past and Present)
by Herbert H. Harwood Jr.This account of a doomed enterprise is &“an important contribution to both rail and road history, as well as to business history&”—photos and maps included (The Lexington Quarterly). Stretching over two hundred miles through Pennsylvania&’s most challenging mountain terrain, the South Pennsylvania Railroad would form the heart of a new trunk line, from the East Coast to Pittsburgh and the Midwest. Conceived in 1881 by William H. Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, and a group of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia industrialists, it was intended to break the rival Pennsylvania Railroad&’s near-monopoly in the region. But the line was within a year of opening when J.P. Morgan brokered a peace treaty that aborted the project and helped bolster his position in the world of finance. The railroad right of way and its tunnels would sit idle for sixty years—before coming to life in the late 1930s as the original section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Based on original letters, documents, diaries, and newspaper reports, The Railroad That Never Was uncovers the truth behind this mysterious railway, one of the most infamous construction projects of the late nineteenth century.
Before We Say "Goodnight": How to Tell Bedtime Stories About Your Life and Family
by Hank FrazeeA unique way to turn bedtime stories into an opportunity to strengthen our bond with our children. Before We Say &“Goodnight&” will show you how to captivate your child&’s imagination with a subject they literally can&’t get enough of—you. In this book, you&’ll discover an easy-to-learn three-step method to turn your life experiences, and those of your family, into great bedtime stories, all without notes or memorization. Best of all, you&’ll make bedtime one of the happiest parts of the day. &“Our children and grandchildren want to know who we really are. This book provides a wonderful method to share our life with those we love. It&’s out of this world!&” —Buzz Aldrin, astronaut
The Greatest Entrepreneur in the World: The Tale of 7 Pillars: Surviving Startup to Becoming the Giant
by Sean C. CastrinaA dramatic tale distilling the seven irrefutable truths required for starting, surviving and growing a profitable business or thriving organization. Johnny Dawkins cofounded a small media company that became a Wall Street giant. But now he must make &“the decision&” that will dictate the fate of everything he has worked so hard to achieve. With everything riding on his choice, Johnny draws from a lifetime of experiences with his partner and mentor—The Greatest Entrepreneur in the World—to reach his much-anticipated pronouncement . . . With this inspiring fable, Sean C. Castrina shares and expounds on the Seven Pillars—the foundations required to fortify a successful startup business, division or organization. Wrapped in a gripping tale of high stakes business, the tools revealed within will help the entrepreneurs of today and tomorrow build their empires and disrupt the status quo. You won&’t be able to put down this gripping story that teaches essential lessons for the aspiring entrepreneur and organizational trailblazer.
Politics without Vision: Thinking without a Banister in the Twentieth Century
by Tracy B. Strong&“Magisterial…a frequently surprising treatment of major political thinkers.&”—Perspectives on Politics From Plato through the nineteenth century, the West could draw on comprehensive political visions to guide government and society. Now, for the first time in more than two thousand years, Tracy B. Strong contends, we have lost our foundational supports. In the words of Hannah Arendt, the state of political thought in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries has left us effectively thinking without a banister. Politics without Vision takes up the thought of seven influential thinkers, each of whom attempted to construct a political solution to this problem: Nietzsche, Weber, Freud, Lenin, Schmitt, Heidegger, and Arendt. None of these theorists were liberals; nor, excepting possibly Arendt, were they democrats—and some might even be said to have served as handmaidens to totalitarianism. And all, to a greater or lesser extent, shared the common conviction that the institutions and practices of liberalism are inadequate to the demands and stresses of the present times. In examining their thought, Strong acknowledges the political evil that some of their ideas served to foster but argues that these were not necessarily the only paths their explorations could have taken. By uncovering the turning points in their thought—and the paths not taken—Strong strives to develop a political theory that can avoid, and perhaps help explain, the mistakes of the past while furthering the democratic impulse. Confronting the widespread belief that political thought is on the decline, Strong puts forth a brilliant and provocative counterargument that in fact it has endured—without the benefit of outside support. A compelling rendering of contemporary political theory, Politics without Vision is sure to provoke discussion among scholars in many fields.
Alfred the Great: The King and His England (Phoenix Books)
by Eleanor Shipley DuckettFrom the author of The Gateway to the Middle Ages, &“a fascinating portrait of an enlightened monarch against a background of darkness and ignorance&” (Kirkus Reviews). Filled with drama and action, here is the story of the ninth-century life and times of Alfred—warrior, conqueror, lawmaker, scholar, and the only king whom England has ever called &“The Great.&” Based on up-to-date information on ninth-century history, geography, philosophy, literature, and social life, it vividly presents exciting views of Alfred in every stage of his long career and leaves the reader with a sharply etched picture of the world of the Middle Ages.
Introduction to Criminal Justice: Systems, Diversity, and Change
by Callie Marie Rennison Mary J. DodgeIntroduction to Criminal Justice: Systems, Diversity, and Change, Fifth Edition offers students a brief, yet thorough, introduction to criminal justice with up-to-date coverage of all aspects of the system in succinct and engaging chapters. Authors Callie Marie Rennison and Mary Dodge weave four true criminal case studies throughout the book, capturing students’ attention with memorable stories that illustrate the real-life pathways and outcomes of criminal behavior and victimization. These case studies provide a fresh, exciting, and practical view of the interconnected criminal justice system. The text also explores often-overlooked topics such as victims, terrorism, white-collar crime, diversity, and the role of the media, providing a more complete understanding of the system’s complexities.
Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches
by Robert Burke Johnson Larry B. ChristensenEducational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches by R. Burke Johnson and Larry Christensen offers a comprehensive, accessible introduction to research methods for undergraduate and graduate students. Readers will develop an understanding of the multiple research methods and strategies used in education and related fields, including how to read and critically evaluate published research and how to write a proposal, construct a questionnaire, and conduct an empirical research study on their own. The Eighth Edition maintains the features that made this book a best-seller, including attention-grabbing chapter-opening vignettes, lively examples that engage student interest, a conversational and friendly writing style, and more. Fully updated for the Seventh Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, this new edition includes expanded information on research ethics and IRBs, expanded and more current information on sampling and causation across research designs, and the latest thinking on mixed methods research. Designed to make learning about research methods enjoyable without sacrificing the necessary rigor, this highly readable text transforms readers into critical consumers and users of research.
Introduction to Criminal Justice: Systems, Diversity, and Change
by Callie Marie Rennison Mary J. DodgeIntroduction to Criminal Justice: Systems, Diversity, and Change, Fifth Edition offers students a brief, yet thorough, introduction to criminal justice with up-to-date coverage of all aspects of the system in succinct and engaging chapters. Authors Callie Marie Rennison and Mary Dodge weave four true criminal case studies throughout the book, capturing students’ attention with memorable stories that illustrate the real-life pathways and outcomes of criminal behavior and victimization. These case studies provide a fresh, exciting, and practical view of the interconnected criminal justice system. The text also explores often-overlooked topics such as victims, terrorism, white-collar crime, diversity, and the role of the media, providing a more complete understanding of the system’s complexities.
Where Chiang Kai-shek Lost China: The Liao-Shen Campaign, 1948 (Twentieth-Century Battles)
by Harold M. Tanner&“A masterful contribution not simply to the history of the civil war, but also to the history of 20th century China.&” —Steven I. Levine author, Anvil of Victory: The Communist Revolution in Manchuria, 1945-1948) The civil war in China that ended in the 1949 victory of Mao Zedong&’s Communist forces was a major blow to U.S. interests in the Far East and led to heated recriminations about how China was &“lost.&” Despite their significance, there have been few studies in English of the war&’s major campaigns. The Liao-Shen Campaign was the final act in the struggle for control of China&’s northeast. After the Soviet defeat of Japan in Manchuria, Communist Chinese and then Nationalist troops moved into this strategically important area. China&’s largest industrial base and a major source of coal, Manchuria had extensive railways and key ports (both still under Soviet control). When American mediation over control of Manchuria failed, full-scale civil war broke out. By spring of 1946, Chiang Kai-shek&’s Nationalist armies had occupied most of the southern, economically developed part of Manchuria, pushing Communist forces north of the Songhua (Sungari) River. But over the next two years, the tide would turn. The Communists isolated the Nationalist armies and mounted a major campaign aimed at destroying the Kuomintang forces. This is the story of that campaign and its outcome, which were to have such far-reaching consequences. &“Where Chiang Kai-shek Lost China is more than a fluidly written battle narrative or operational history. By tapping an impressive array of archival materials, published document collections, and memoirs, Harold Tanner has put the Liao-Shen Campaign in the larger context of the Chinese Civil War and significantly advanced our understanding of the military history of modern China.&” —Michigan War Studies Review
Lies, Passions & Illusions: The Democratic Imagination in the Twentieth Century
by François FuretA critical history of 20th century political movement by the Hannah Arendt Prize-winning author of Interpreting the French Revolution. Widely considered one of the leading historians of the French Revolution, François Furet was hailed as &“one of the most influential men in contemporary France&” by the New York Review of Books. In Lies, Passions, and Illusions, Furet&’s presents a cohesive, late-career meditation on the political passions of the twentieth century, drawn from a wide-ranging conversation between Furet and philosopher Paul Ricoeur. Published posthumously, it is Furet&’s final statement on history and politics. With strokes at once broad and incisive, Furet examines the many different trajectories that nations of the West have followed over the past hundred years. It is a dialogue with history as it happened but also as a form of thought. It is a dialogue with his critics, with himself, and with those major thinkers—from Tocqueville to Hannah Arendt—whose ideas have shaped our understanding of the tragic dramas and upheavals of the modern era. It is a testament to the crucial role of the historian, a reflection on how history is made and lived, and how the imagination is a catalyst for political change.
Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog
by John Paul Scott John L. FullerThe classic study of canine behavior: &“A major authoritative work…Immensely rewarding reading for anyone concerned with dog-breeding.&”—Times Literary Supplement Based on twenty years of research at the Jackson Laboratory, this is the single most important and comprehensive reference work on the behavior of dogs ever compiled, written by geneticist and comparative psychologist John Paul Scott, known for his research into social behavior and aggression. &“One of the most important texts on canine behavior published to date. Anyone interested in breeding, training, or canine behavior must own this book.&”—Wayne Hunthausen, D.V.M., Director of Animal Behavior Consultations &“This pioneering research on dog behavioral genetics is a timeless classic for all serious students of ethology and canine behavior.&”—Dr. Michael Fox, Senior Advisor to the President, The Humane Society of the United States &“Comprehensive…[a] seminal work.&”—Mark Derr, The Atlantic Monthly &“Essential reading for anyone involved in the breeding of dogs. No breeder can afford to ignore the principles of proper socialization first discovered and articulated in this landmark study.&”—The Monks of New Skete, authors of How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend and the video series Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete
Touching America's History: From the Pequot War Through WWII (Encounters: Explorations in Folklore and Ethnomusicology)
by Meredith Mason BrownObjects that make the past feel real, from a stone axe head to a piece of John Brown&’s scaffold—includes photos. History isn&’t just about abstract &“isms&”—it&’s the story of real events that happened to real people. In Touching America&’s History, Meredith Mason Brown uses a collection of such objects, drawing from his own family&’s heirlooms, to summon up major developments in America&’s history. The objects range in date from a Pequot stone axe head, probably made before the Pequot War in 1637, to the western novel Dwight Eisenhower was reading while waiting for the weather to clear so the Normandy Invasion could begin, to a piece of a toilet bowl found in the bombed-out wreckage of Hitler&’s home in 1945. Among the other historically evocative items are a Kentucky rifle carried by Col. John Floyd, killed by Indians in 1783; a letter from George Washington explaining why he will not be able to attend the Constitutional Convention; shavings from the scaffold on which John Brown was hanged; a pistol belonging to Gen. William Preston, in whose arms Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston bled to death after being shot at the Battle of Shiloh; and the records of a court-martial for the killing by an American officer of a Filipino captive during the Philippine War. Together, these objects call to mind nothing less than the birth, growth, and shaping of what is now America. &“Clearly written, buttressed by maps and portraits, Brown's book regales while showing the objectivity and nuance of a historian.&”—Library Journal &“A whole new way of doing history…a novel form of story-telling.&”—Joseph J. Ellis, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
A History of Britain: 1945 to Brexit
by Jeremy BlackA journey through the events of the postwar years that &“makes the outcome of Britain&’s Brexit referendum much easier to comprehend&” (Julian Lewis, member of Parliament). In 2016, Britain stunned itself and the world by voting to pull out of the European Union, leaving financial markets reeling and global politicians and citizens in shock. But was Brexit really a surprise, or are there clues in Britain&’s history that pointed to this moment? In A History of Britain: 1945 to Brexit, award-winning historian Jeremy Black reexamines modern British history, considering the social changes, economic strains, and cultural and political upheavals that brought Britain to Brexit. This sweeping and engaging book traces Britain&’s path through the destruction left behind by World War II, Thatcherism, the threats of the IRA, the Scottish referendum, and on to the impact of waves of immigrants from the European Union. Along the way, Black overturns many conventional interpretations of significant historical events, provides context for current developments, and encourages the reader to question why we think the way we do about Britain&’s past.
Off the Main Lines: A Photographic Odyssey (Railroads Past and Present)
by Don L. HofsommerA railway history expert &“vividly portrays a way of life no longer seen. A fascinating insight into historical American railroading&” (Railways Illustrated). In this visually stunning and comprehensive photographic essay, railroad historian and photographer Donovan L. Hofsommer records the end of branchline passenger service, the demise of electric railroads, the transition from steam to diesel power, as well as the end of common carrier freight service on the Colorado narrow gauge. Off the MainLines carries readers along out-of-the-way railways in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, and South Dakota to see the changes that occurred on these lines from the 1940s to the 1990s. &“If you miss the Milwaukee, recall the Rock Island, suffer from the loss of the Soo Line, maintain sadness for the Santa Fe, can&’t forget the Frisco, absent-mindedly buried the Burlington Route in oblivion or still maintain romantic recollections of the Katy, you&’ll find Dr. Hofsommer&’s Off the Main Lines exactly where you need to be!&”—Lexington Quarterly &“A fitting tribute to its subject; railroad enthusiasts across the upper Midwest and beyond will find Hofsommer&’s personalized history to be both edifying and immensely rewarding.&”—The Annals of Iowa &“An interesting blend of historical fact and personal reminiscence, and traces the author&’s own personal 60-year rail odyssey to a variety of &‘off the beaten path&’ locations.&”—Michigan Railfan &“All in all this is a good photographic essay of some lesser known routes and, as usual, I picked up a few more pieces of information to use at a railroad trivia night.&”—The Villager