The enthralling story of the Great Chicago Fire and the power struggle over the city's reconstruction in the wake of the tragedyIn October of 1871, Chicagoans knew they were due for the "big one" - a massive, uncontrollable fire that would decimate the city. There hadn't been a meaningful rain since July, and several big blazes had nearly outstripped the fire department's scant resources. On October 8, when Kate Leary's barn caught fire, so began a catastrophe that would forever change the soul of the city.Leary was a diligent, hardworking Irish woman, no more responsible for the fire than anyone else in the city at that time. But the conflagration that spread from her property quickly overtook the neighborhood, and before too long the floating embers had spread to the far reaches of the city.
Random House Audio
|
9780804197847
|
Hardcover
The Longest Minute
By Davenport, Matthew J.
Matthew J. Davenport's The Longest Minute is the spellbinding true story of the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, and how a great earthquake sparked a devastating and preventable firestorm.At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck San Francisco, catching most of the city asleep. For approximately one minute, shockwaves buckled streets, shattered water mains, collapsed buildings, crushed hundreds of residents to death and trapped many alive. Fires ignited and blazed through dry wooden ruins and grew into a firestorm. For the next three days, flames devoured collapsed ruins, killed trapped survivors, and nearly destroyed what was then the largest city in the American West.. Meticulously researched and gracefully written, The Longest Minute is both a harrowing chronicle of devastation and the portrait of a city's resilience in the burning aftermath of greed and folly.
St. Martin's Press
|
9781250279279
|
Hardcover
Romulus
By Hyden, Marc
A riveting biography of the legendary founder and first king of Rome.. According to legend, Romulus was born to a Vestal Virgin and left for dead as an infant near the Tiber River. His life nearly ended as quickly as it began, but fate had other plans. A humble shepherd rescued the child and helped raise him into manhood. As Romulus grew older, he fearlessly engaged in a series of perilous adventures that ultimately culminated in Romes founding, and he became its fabled first king.. Establishing a new city had its price, and Romulus was forced to defend the nascent community. As he tirelessly safeguarded Rome, Romulus proved that he was a competent leader and talented general. Yet, he also harbored a dark side, which reared its head in many ways and tainted his legacy, but despite all of his misdeeds, redemption and subsequent triumphs were usually within his grasp. Indeed, he is an example of how greatness is sometimes born of disgrace.. Regardless of his foreboding flaws, Rome allegedly existed because of him and became massively successful. As the centuries passed, the Romans never forgot their celebrated founder.. This is the story that many ancient Romans believed.. Praise for Romulus. "Hyden leans into a tone reminiscent of a bard regaling those around a campfire with stories of a heros great exploits . . . [He tells] a fascinating origin story." - BOOKLIST . "As inherently fascinating a read as it is an impressive work of meticulous scholarship . . . a truly extraordinary, expressly informative, and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Roman History & Culture collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists." - Midwest Book Review
Pen and Sword Military
|
9781399002042
|
Paperback
Mental Maps of the Founders
By Barone, Michael
Publisher: n/a
|
9781641773515
|
The Princes in the Tower
By Langley, Philippa
In 1483, Edward V (age twelve) and his brother Richard, Duke of York (age nine) , disappeared from the Tower of London. History has judged they were murdered on the orders of Richard III. This new book reveals the truth behind the greatest unsolved mystery in English history.. Philippa Langley took the world by storm when, against all the odds and after a seven-year investigation, she discovered the grave of King Richard III (1452-1485) in a Leicester car park. A king finally laid to rest, the rediscovery and reburial of Richard III was watched by a global audience of over 366 million. Now, in The Princes in the Tower, Langley reveals the findings of a remarkable new research initiative: "The Missing Princes Project." In the summer of 1483, Edward V (age 12) and his brother Richard Duke of York (age 9) , disappeared from the Tower of London.
Pegasus Books
|
9781639366279
|
Hardcover
Putin's Wars and NATO's Flaws
By Moorcraft, Paul
Examines the complex military and political issues in an accessible manner while telling a compelling historical narrative.. This book explores why there is a major war again in Europe. Putin's actions need to be understood if not forgiven. With the Ukraine conflict increasingly seen as a proxy war of NATO versus Russia, how likely is the fighting to spread?. The author, a highly respected journalist and political commentator, explains why Russia invaded a sovereign neighbor. To what extent did NATO's expansion to Russia's borders in the aftermath of the Cold War provoke Putin? Did the West's recent humiliating defeats in the Middle East and South Asia encourage Putin to exploit what he saw as its decadent strategic weakness and lack of resolve? What were the reasons for Russia's savage behavior in Ukraine? How might the Ukraine war end and what will the post-bellum world look like?.
Pen and Sword Military
|
9781399031424
|
Hardcover
Silent Cavalry
By Raines, Howell
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist reveals the little-known story of the Union soldiers from Alabama who played a decisive role in the Civil War, and how they were scrubbed from the history books.. We all know how the Civil War was won: Courageous Yankees triumphed over the South. But is there more to the story?. As Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Howell Raines shows, it was not only soldiers from northern states who helped General William Tecumseh Sherman burn Atlanta to the ground but also an unsung regiment of 2,066 Alabamian yeoman farmers - including at least one member of Raines's own family.. Called the First Alabama Cavalry, U.S.A., this regiment of mountain Unionists, which included sixteen formerly enslaved Black men, was the point of the spear that Sherman drove through the heart of the Confederacy.
Crown
|
9780593137758
|
Hardcover
Without Concealment, Without Compromise
By Newmark, Jill L.
Advancing the cause of racial equality while saving lives. Of some twelve thousand Union Civil War surgeons, only fourteen were Black men. This book is the first-ever comprehensive exploration of their lives and service. Jill L. Newmark's outstanding research uncovers stories hidden for more than 150 years, illuminating the unique experiences of proud, patriotic men who fought racism and discrimination to attend medical school and serve with the U.S. military. Their efforts and actions influenced societal change and forged new pathways for African Americans. Individual biographies bring to light Alexander T. Augusta, who challenged discriminatory laws; William P. Powell Jr., who pursued a military pension for twenty-five years; Anderson R. Abbott, a friend of Elizabeth Keckley's; John van Surly DeGrasse, the only Black surgeon to serve on the battlefield; John H.
Southern Illinois University Press
|
9780809339044
|
Paperback
American Woman
By Rogers, Katie
The first definitive exploration of the changing role of the twenty-first-century First Lady, painting a comprehensive portrait of Jill Biden - from a White House correspondent for The New York Times. "A fascinating and deeply researched exploration into the most public facing and least understood role in Washington." - Kate Andersen Brower, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Residence and First Women. Since the Clinton era, shifts in media, politics, and pop culture have all redefined expectations of First Ladies, even as the boundaries set upon them have often remained anachronistic. With sharp insights and dozens of firsthand interviews with major players in the Biden, Obama, Trump, Bush, and Clinton orbits, including Jill Biden and Hillary Clinton, New York Times White House correspondent Katie Rogers traces the evolution of the role of the twenty-first-century First Lady from a ceremonial figurehead to a powerful political operator, which culminates in the tenure of First Lady Jill Biden.
Crown
|
9780593240564
|
Hardcover
Sea of Troubles
By Rutledge, Ian
In the second half of the eighteenth century, approximately three quarters of the Mediterranean coastline and its hinterlands were controlled by a vast Islamic power, the centuries-old Ottoman Empire. However, by the end of the First World War in November 1918, this great civilization-once regarded by Christian Europe with awe and fear-had been completely subjugated, its territories occupied by European powers.. The history of imperialism in the Mediterranean involves not one but six European powers-Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Austria-Hungary, and Russia- jostling for control of the trade, lands, and wealth of those they saw as the existential "other." The competition between these states made their conquest of the Islamic Mediterranean a far more difficult and extended task than they encountered elsewhere in the world.
Saqi Books
|
9780863569500
|
Hardcover
Life After Power
By Cohen, Jared
New York Times bestselling author of Accidental Presidents explores what happens after the most powerful job in the world: President of the United States. Former presidents have an unusual place in American life. King George III believed that George Washington's departure after two terms made him "the greatest character of the age." But Alexander Hamilton worried former presidents might "[wander] among the people like ghosts." They were both right. Life After Power tells the stories of seven former presidents, from the Founding to today. Each changed history. Each offered lessons about how to decide what to do in the next chapter of life. Thomas Jefferson was the first former president to accomplish great things after the White House, shaping public debates and founding the University of Virginia, an accomplishment he included on his tombstone, unlike his presidency.
Simon & Schuster
|
9781982154547
|
Hardcover
HBCU Made
By Rascoe, Ayesha
In this joyous collection of essays about historically Black colleges and universities, alumni both famous and up-and-coming write testimonials about the schools and experiences that shaped their lives and made them who they are today.. Edited by the host of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, Ayesha Rascoe - with a distinguished and diverse set of contributors including Oprah Winfrey, Stacey Abrams, and Branford Marsalis, HBCU Made illuminates and celebrates the experience of going to a historically Black college or university. This book is for proud alumni, their loved ones, current students, and anyone considering an HBCU.. The first book featuring famous alumni sharing personal accounts of the Black college experience, HBCU Made offers a series of warm, moving, and candid personal essays about the schools that nurtured and educated them.
Algonquin Books
|
9781643753867
|
Hardcover
How to Be a Renaissance Woman
By Burke, Jill
An alternative history of the Renaissance - as seen through the emerging literature of beauty tips - focusing on the actresses, authors, and courtesans who rebelled against the misogyny of their era.. Beauty, make-up, art, power: How to Be a Renaissance Woman presents an alternative history of this fascinating period as told by the women behind the paintings, providing a window into their often overlooked or silenced lives. Can the pressures women feel to look good be traced back to the sixteenth century? As the Renaissance visual world became populated by female nudes from the likes of Michelangelo and Titian, a vibrant literary scene of beauty tips emerged, fueling debates about cosmetics and adornment. Telling the stories of courtesans, artists, actresses, and writers rebelling against the strictures of their time, when burgeoning colonialism gave rise to increasingly sinister evaluations of bodies and skin color, this book puts beauty culture into the frame.
Pegasus Books
|
9781639365906
|
Hardcover
Borgata
By Ferrante, Louis
A riveting history of the Mafia's first one hundred years, from 1860's Sicily to 1960's America - narrated by a former high-ranking crew leader.. The culmination Louis Ferrante's exhaustive research delving deep into Sicily's socio-economic-political roots, Borgata: Rise of Empire will finally reveal exactly how and why this infamous secret society formed inside Sicilian culture. Ferrante then engages in the art of storytelling by carefully selecting stories about the mafia in Sicily that allow him to follow the main characters to America, where most arrive as fugitives from Italian justice.. Across the Atlantic, the storyline picks up in places like New York and New Orleans, where the clannish Sicilians quickly realize the importance of diversity as they forge new alliances with other recently arrived ethnic groups as the borgata becomes the premier organized criminal network in the country.
Pegasus Books
|
9781639366019
|
Hardcover
Lawrence of Arabia
By Fiennes, Ranulph
A vivid and illuminating biography of the famed T. E. Lawrence, written by "the world's greatest living explorer," Ranulph Fiennes.. As a young British intelligence officer in Cairo, archaeologist and adventurer Thomas Edward Lawrence became involved in the 1916 Arab Revolt, fighting alongside rebel forces against the Ottomans. He made a legendary 300-mile journey through blistering heat; he wore Arab dress; and he strongly identified with the people in his adopted lands. By 1918, he had a £20,000 price on his head. Despite readers' long fascination in his story, Lawrence - one of history's most enigmatic adventurers - has long remained unknowable, But with in-depth knowledge of what it takes to venture into the unknown, this authoritative biography from famed explorer Ranulph Fiennes at last brings enthralling insight and clarity to this remarkable life.
The Burning of the World
By Berg, Scott W.
The enthralling story of the Great Chicago Fire and the power struggle over the city's reconstruction in the wake of the tragedyIn October of 1871, Chicagoans knew they were due for the "big one" - a massive, uncontrollable fire that would decimate the city. There hadn't been a meaningful rain since July, and several big blazes had nearly outstripped the fire department's scant resources. On October 8, when Kate Leary's barn caught fire, so began a catastrophe that would forever change the soul of the city.Leary was a diligent, hardworking Irish woman, no more responsible for the fire than anyone else in the city at that time. But the conflagration that spread from her property quickly overtook the neighborhood, and before too long the floating embers had spread to the far reaches of the city.
The Longest Minute
By Davenport, Matthew J.
Matthew J. Davenport's The Longest Minute is the spellbinding true story of the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, and how a great earthquake sparked a devastating and preventable firestorm.At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck San Francisco, catching most of the city asleep. For approximately one minute, shockwaves buckled streets, shattered water mains, collapsed buildings, crushed hundreds of residents to death and trapped many alive. Fires ignited and blazed through dry wooden ruins and grew into a firestorm. For the next three days, flames devoured collapsed ruins, killed trapped survivors, and nearly destroyed what was then the largest city in the American West.. Meticulously researched and gracefully written, The Longest Minute is both a harrowing chronicle of devastation and the portrait of a city's resilience in the burning aftermath of greed and folly.
Romulus
By Hyden, Marc
A riveting biography of the legendary founder and first king of Rome.. According to legend, Romulus was born to a Vestal Virgin and left for dead as an infant near the Tiber River. His life nearly ended as quickly as it began, but fate had other plans. A humble shepherd rescued the child and helped raise him into manhood. As Romulus grew older, he fearlessly engaged in a series of perilous adventures that ultimately culminated in Romes founding, and he became its fabled first king.. Establishing a new city had its price, and Romulus was forced to defend the nascent community. As he tirelessly safeguarded Rome, Romulus proved that he was a competent leader and talented general. Yet, he also harbored a dark side, which reared its head in many ways and tainted his legacy, but despite all of his misdeeds, redemption and subsequent triumphs were usually within his grasp. Indeed, he is an example of how greatness is sometimes born of disgrace.. Regardless of his foreboding flaws, Rome allegedly existed because of him and became massively successful. As the centuries passed, the Romans never forgot their celebrated founder.. This is the story that many ancient Romans believed.. Praise for Romulus. "Hyden leans into a tone reminiscent of a bard regaling those around a campfire with stories of a heros great exploits . . . [He tells] a fascinating origin story." - BOOKLIST . "As inherently fascinating a read as it is an impressive work of meticulous scholarship . . . a truly extraordinary, expressly informative, and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Roman History & Culture collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists." - Midwest Book Review
Mental Maps of the Founders
By Barone, Michael
The Princes in the Tower
By Langley, Philippa
In 1483, Edward V (age twelve) and his brother Richard, Duke of York (age nine) , disappeared from the Tower of London. History has judged they were murdered on the orders of Richard III. This new book reveals the truth behind the greatest unsolved mystery in English history.. Philippa Langley took the world by storm when, against all the odds and after a seven-year investigation, she discovered the grave of King Richard III (1452-1485) in a Leicester car park. A king finally laid to rest, the rediscovery and reburial of Richard III was watched by a global audience of over 366 million. Now, in The Princes in the Tower, Langley reveals the findings of a remarkable new research initiative: "The Missing Princes Project." In the summer of 1483, Edward V (age 12) and his brother Richard Duke of York (age 9) , disappeared from the Tower of London.
Putin's Wars and NATO's Flaws
By Moorcraft, Paul
Examines the complex military and political issues in an accessible manner while telling a compelling historical narrative.. This book explores why there is a major war again in Europe. Putin's actions need to be understood if not forgiven. With the Ukraine conflict increasingly seen as a proxy war of NATO versus Russia, how likely is the fighting to spread?. The author, a highly respected journalist and political commentator, explains why Russia invaded a sovereign neighbor. To what extent did NATO's expansion to Russia's borders in the aftermath of the Cold War provoke Putin? Did the West's recent humiliating defeats in the Middle East and South Asia encourage Putin to exploit what he saw as its decadent strategic weakness and lack of resolve? What were the reasons for Russia's savage behavior in Ukraine? How might the Ukraine war end and what will the post-bellum world look like?.
Silent Cavalry
By Raines, Howell
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist reveals the little-known story of the Union soldiers from Alabama who played a decisive role in the Civil War, and how they were scrubbed from the history books.. We all know how the Civil War was won: Courageous Yankees triumphed over the South. But is there more to the story?. As Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Howell Raines shows, it was not only soldiers from northern states who helped General William Tecumseh Sherman burn Atlanta to the ground but also an unsung regiment of 2,066 Alabamian yeoman farmers - including at least one member of Raines's own family.. Called the First Alabama Cavalry, U.S.A., this regiment of mountain Unionists, which included sixteen formerly enslaved Black men, was the point of the spear that Sherman drove through the heart of the Confederacy.
Without Concealment, Without Compromise
By Newmark, Jill L.
Advancing the cause of racial equality while saving lives. Of some twelve thousand Union Civil War surgeons, only fourteen were Black men. This book is the first-ever comprehensive exploration of their lives and service. Jill L. Newmark's outstanding research uncovers stories hidden for more than 150 years, illuminating the unique experiences of proud, patriotic men who fought racism and discrimination to attend medical school and serve with the U.S. military. Their efforts and actions influenced societal change and forged new pathways for African Americans. Individual biographies bring to light Alexander T. Augusta, who challenged discriminatory laws; William P. Powell Jr., who pursued a military pension for twenty-five years; Anderson R. Abbott, a friend of Elizabeth Keckley's; John van Surly DeGrasse, the only Black surgeon to serve on the battlefield; John H.
American Woman
By Rogers, Katie
The first definitive exploration of the changing role of the twenty-first-century First Lady, painting a comprehensive portrait of Jill Biden - from a White House correspondent for The New York Times. "A fascinating and deeply researched exploration into the most public facing and least understood role in Washington." - Kate Andersen Brower, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Residence and First Women. Since the Clinton era, shifts in media, politics, and pop culture have all redefined expectations of First Ladies, even as the boundaries set upon them have often remained anachronistic. With sharp insights and dozens of firsthand interviews with major players in the Biden, Obama, Trump, Bush, and Clinton orbits, including Jill Biden and Hillary Clinton, New York Times White House correspondent Katie Rogers traces the evolution of the role of the twenty-first-century First Lady from a ceremonial figurehead to a powerful political operator, which culminates in the tenure of First Lady Jill Biden.
Sea of Troubles
By Rutledge, Ian
In the second half of the eighteenth century, approximately three quarters of the Mediterranean coastline and its hinterlands were controlled by a vast Islamic power, the centuries-old Ottoman Empire. However, by the end of the First World War in November 1918, this great civilization-once regarded by Christian Europe with awe and fear-had been completely subjugated, its territories occupied by European powers.. The history of imperialism in the Mediterranean involves not one but six European powers-Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Austria-Hungary, and Russia- jostling for control of the trade, lands, and wealth of those they saw as the existential "other." The competition between these states made their conquest of the Islamic Mediterranean a far more difficult and extended task than they encountered elsewhere in the world.
Life After Power
By Cohen, Jared
New York Times bestselling author of Accidental Presidents explores what happens after the most powerful job in the world: President of the United States. Former presidents have an unusual place in American life. King George III believed that George Washington's departure after two terms made him "the greatest character of the age." But Alexander Hamilton worried former presidents might "[wander] among the people like ghosts." They were both right. Life After Power tells the stories of seven former presidents, from the Founding to today. Each changed history. Each offered lessons about how to decide what to do in the next chapter of life. Thomas Jefferson was the first former president to accomplish great things after the White House, shaping public debates and founding the University of Virginia, an accomplishment he included on his tombstone, unlike his presidency.
HBCU Made
By Rascoe, Ayesha
In this joyous collection of essays about historically Black colleges and universities, alumni both famous and up-and-coming write testimonials about the schools and experiences that shaped their lives and made them who they are today.. Edited by the host of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, Ayesha Rascoe - with a distinguished and diverse set of contributors including Oprah Winfrey, Stacey Abrams, and Branford Marsalis, HBCU Made illuminates and celebrates the experience of going to a historically Black college or university. This book is for proud alumni, their loved ones, current students, and anyone considering an HBCU.. The first book featuring famous alumni sharing personal accounts of the Black college experience, HBCU Made offers a series of warm, moving, and candid personal essays about the schools that nurtured and educated them.
How to Be a Renaissance Woman
By Burke, Jill
An alternative history of the Renaissance - as seen through the emerging literature of beauty tips - focusing on the actresses, authors, and courtesans who rebelled against the misogyny of their era.. Beauty, make-up, art, power: How to Be a Renaissance Woman presents an alternative history of this fascinating period as told by the women behind the paintings, providing a window into their often overlooked or silenced lives. Can the pressures women feel to look good be traced back to the sixteenth century? As the Renaissance visual world became populated by female nudes from the likes of Michelangelo and Titian, a vibrant literary scene of beauty tips emerged, fueling debates about cosmetics and adornment. Telling the stories of courtesans, artists, actresses, and writers rebelling against the strictures of their time, when burgeoning colonialism gave rise to increasingly sinister evaluations of bodies and skin color, this book puts beauty culture into the frame.
Borgata
By Ferrante, Louis
A riveting history of the Mafia's first one hundred years, from 1860's Sicily to 1960's America - narrated by a former high-ranking crew leader.. The culmination Louis Ferrante's exhaustive research delving deep into Sicily's socio-economic-political roots, Borgata: Rise of Empire will finally reveal exactly how and why this infamous secret society formed inside Sicilian culture. Ferrante then engages in the art of storytelling by carefully selecting stories about the mafia in Sicily that allow him to follow the main characters to America, where most arrive as fugitives from Italian justice.. Across the Atlantic, the storyline picks up in places like New York and New Orleans, where the clannish Sicilians quickly realize the importance of diversity as they forge new alliances with other recently arrived ethnic groups as the borgata becomes the premier organized criminal network in the country.
Lawrence of Arabia
By Fiennes, Ranulph
A vivid and illuminating biography of the famed T. E. Lawrence, written by "the world's greatest living explorer," Ranulph Fiennes.. As a young British intelligence officer in Cairo, archaeologist and adventurer Thomas Edward Lawrence became involved in the 1916 Arab Revolt, fighting alongside rebel forces against the Ottomans. He made a legendary 300-mile journey through blistering heat; he wore Arab dress; and he strongly identified with the people in his adopted lands. By 1918, he had a £20,000 price on his head. Despite readers' long fascination in his story, Lawrence - one of history's most enigmatic adventurers - has long remained unknowable, But with in-depth knowledge of what it takes to venture into the unknown, this authoritative biography from famed explorer Ranulph Fiennes at last brings enthralling insight and clarity to this remarkable life.