Book

In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom

2011-11-30T22:38:00.000-08:00

"In this stunningly written book, a Western trained Muslim doctor brings alive what it means for a woman to live in the Saudi Kingdom. I've rarely experienced so vividly the shunning and shaming, racism and anti-Semitism, but the surprise is how Dr. Ahmed also finds tenderness at the tattered edges of extremism, and a life-changing pilgrimage back to her Muslim faith." - Gail Sheehy

The decisions that change your life are often the most impulsive ones.

Unexpectedly denied a visa to remain in the United States, Qanta Ahmed, a young British Muslim doctor, becomes an outcast in motion. On a whim, she accepts an exciting position in Saudi Arabia. This is not just a new job; this is a chance at adventure in an exotic land she thinks she understands, a place she hopes she will belong.

What she discovers is vastly different. The Kingdom is a world apart, a land of unparralled contrast. She finds rejection and scorn in the places she believed would most embrace her, but also humor, honesty, loyalty and love.

And for Qanta, more than anything, it is a land of opportunity. A place where she discovers what it takes for one woman to recreate herself in the land of invisible women.

http://astore.amazon.com/hetbook-20/detail/B003BLY772

The Guardiola Name in History

2011-10-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

This book is part of the Our Name in History series, a collection of fascinating facts and statistics, alongside short historical commentary, created to tell the story of previous generations who have shared this name. The information in this book is a compendium of research and data pulled from census records, military records, ships' logs, immigrant and port records, as well as other reputable sources. Topics include:

Name Meaning and Origin
Immigration Patterns and Census Detail
Family Lifestyles
Military Service History
Comprehensive Source Guide, for future research

Plus, the "Discover Your Family" section provides tools and guidance on how you can get started learning more about your own family history.

About the Series
Nearly 300,000 titles are currently available in the Our Name in History series, compiled from Billions of records by the world's largest online resource of family history, Ancestry.com.

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Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

2011-10-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
By Laura Hillenbrand

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

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Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

2011-10-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

By Martin Dugard, Bill O'Reilly

A riveting historical narrative of the heart-stopping events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the first work of history from mega-bestselling author Bill O'Reilly

The anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history—how one gunshot changed the country forever. In the spring of 1865, the bloody saga of America's Civil War finally comes to an end after a series of increasingly harrowing battles. President Abraham Lincoln's generous terms for Robert E. Lee's surrender are devised to fulfill Lincoln's dream of healing a divided nation, with the former Confederates allowed to reintegrate into American society. But one man and his band of murderous accomplices, perhaps reaching into the highest ranks of the U.S. government, are not appeased.

In the midst of the patriotic celebrations in Washington D.C., John Wilkes Booth—charismatic ladies' man and impenitent racist—murders Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. A furious manhunt ensues and Booth immediately becomes the country's most wanted fugitive. Lafayette C. Baker, a smart but shifty New York detective and former Union spy, unravels the string of clues leading to Booth, while federal forces track his accomplices. The thrilling chase ends in a fiery shootout and a series of court-ordered executions—including that of the first woman ever executed by the U.S. government, Mary Surratt. Featuring some of history's most remarkable figures, vivid detail, and page-turning action, Killing Lincoln is history that reads like a thriller.

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Steve Jobs By Walter Isaacson

2011-10-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

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Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

2011-10-03T03:20:00.000-07:00

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

By Martin Dugard, Bill O'Reilly

Product Description

The Art of War

2011-09-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com Review
The Art of War is the Swiss army knife of military theory--pop out a different tool for any situation. Folded into this small package are compact views on resourcefulness, momentum, cunning, the profit motive, flexibility, integrity, secrecy, speed, positioning, surprise, deception, manipulation, responsibility, and practicality. Thomas Cleary's translation keeps the package tight, with crisp language and short sections. Commentaries from the Chinese tradition trail Sun-tzu's words, elaborating and picking up on puzzling lines. Take the solitary passage: "Do not eat food for their soldiers." Elsewhere, Sun-tzu has told us to plunder the enemy's stores, but now we're not supposed to eat the food? The Tang dynasty commentator Du Mu solves the puzzle nicely, "If the enemy suddenly abandons their food supplies, they should be tested first before eating, lest they be poisoned." Most passages, however, are the pinnacle of succinct clarity: "Lure them in with the prospect of gain, take them by confusion" or "Invincibility is in oneself, vulnerability is in the opponent." Sun-tzu's maxims are widely applicable beyond the military because they speak directly to the exigencies of survival. Your new tools will serve you well, but don't flaunt them. Remember Sun-tzu's advice: "Though effective, appear to be ineffective." --Brian Bruya

Review
"Thomas Cleary's translation of Sun Tzu's 2,000-year-old The Art of War makes immediately relevant one of the greatest Chinese classical texts. There's not a dated maxim or vague prescription in it. 'To win without fighting is best,' Sun Tzu said. For him, war was coeval with life. Absorb this book, and you can throw out all those contemporary books about management leadership."— Newsweek

Language Notes
Text: English, Chinese (translation)

source

Three Kingdoms

2011-06-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

Three Kingdoms (Library of Chinese Classics: Chinese-English, 5 Volume Set) (Chinese and English Edition) By Luo Guanzhong

This 14th-century novel portrays a fateful moment at the end of the Han dynasty (206 BC - AD 220) when the future of the Chinese empire lay in the balance. Fearing attacks by three rebellious states, the emperor sent out an urgent appeal for support.

Review
"A martial epic with an astonishing fidelity to history, which has been translated now into lively English by Moss Roberts. . . . The subject matter of Three Kingdoms has long held an extraordinary grip on the Chinese imagination. . . . The great achievement of the author . . . was to match historiography with fiction and gain a synergistic effect from the combination of elite and popular tradition." -- Patrick Hanan, New York Times Book Review

Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention

2011-04-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention By Manning Marable

Of the great figure in twentieth-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story, he became a criminal, a minister, a leader, and an icon, all before being felled by assassins' bullets at age thirty-nine. Through his tireless work and countless speeches he empowered hundreds of thousands of black Americans to create better lives and stronger communities while establishing the template for the self-actualized, independent African American man. In death he became a broad symbol of both resistance and reconciliation for millions around the world.

Manning Marable's new biography of Malcolm is a stunning achievement. Filled with new information and shocking revelations that go beyond the Autobiography, Malcolm X unfolds a sweeping story of race and class in America, from the rise of Marcus Garvey and the Ku Klux Klan to the struggles of the civil rights movement in the fifties and sixties. Reaching into Malcolm's troubled youth, it traces a path from his parents' activism through his own engagement with the Nation of Islam, charting his astronomical rise in the world of Black Nationalism and culminating in the never-before-told true story of his assassination. Malcolm X will stand as the definitive work on one of the most singular forces for social change, capturing with revelatory clarity a man who constantly strove, in the great American tradition, to remake himself anew.

Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention

The Secret Holocaust Diaries

2011-04-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

The Secret Holocaust Diaries By Nonna Bannister

Nonna Bannister carried a secret almost to her Tennessee grave: the diaries she kept as a young girl experiencing the horrors of the Holocaust while learning compassion and love for her fellow human beings. Nonna's writings tell the remarkable tale of how a Russian girl, born into a family that had known wealth and privileges, was exposed to the concentration camps and learned the value of human life and the importance of forgiveness.

The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister

The Essential Jackie Chan Source Book

2011-03-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

The Essential Jackie Chan Source Book By Jeff Rovin

Jackie Chan-mania swept America when Rumble in the Bronx gave movie audiences a thrilling look at the athletic actor known for performing his own jaw-dropping stunts. The Essential Jackie Chan Sourcebook reveals everything you want to know about the dare-devil dynamo who is part Buster Keaton, part Bruce Lee, and a truly unique performer in his own right -- and whose devoted cult following is exploding into international stardom.

With straight talk about his rise from Hong Kong's hometown hero to Hollywood megastar, get to know the professional and persoanl Jackie Chan through

• His revealing biography
• A complete filmography -- from his early roles to the recent star vehicles Operation Condor and Thunderbolt
• His peak performance workout
• His "Catalogue of Pain" -- from concussions to broken bones -- and his many stunt work near misses
• His awards and accolades
• Up-to-the-minute internet news and fan club information
• And much more!

Forget Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Van Damme. There's only one Jackie Chan -- and only one complete guide to the ultimate action film phenomenon!

Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist

2011-03-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist By Walter A. Kaufmann

This classic is the benchmark against which all modern books about Nietzsche are measured. When Walter Kaufmann wrote it in the immediate aftermath of World War II, most scholars outside Germany viewed Nietzsche as part madman, part proto-Nazi, and almost wholly unphilosophical. Kaufmann rehabilitated Nietzsche nearly single-handedly, presenting his works as one of the great achievements of Western philosophy.

Responding to the powerful myths and countermyths that had sprung up around Nietzsche, Kaufmann offered a patient, evenhanded account of his life and works, and of the uses and abuses to which subsequent generations had put his ideas. Without ignoring or downplaying the ugliness of many of Nietzsche's proclamations, he set them in the context of his work as a whole and of the counterexamples yielded by a responsible reading of his books. More positively, he presented Nietzsche's ideas about power as one of the great accomplishments of modern philosophy, arguing that his conception of the "will to power" was not a crude apology for ruthless self-assertion but must be linked to Nietzsche's equally profound ideas about sublimation. He also presented Nietzsche as a pioneer of modern psychology and argued that a key to understanding his overall philosophy is to see it as a reaction against Christianity.

Many scholars in the past half century have taken issue with some of Kaufmann's interpretations, but the book ranks as one of the most influential accounts ever written of any major Western thinker.

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The Lessons of History

2011-03-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

The Lessons of History By Will Durant, Ariel Durant

A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant. With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress, the Durants take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the towering themes of history and give meaning to our own.

Review
"The Durants' masterpiece belongs in any home library and occupies a shelf in many."
--Dana D. Kelley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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The Lincoln Lawyer: A Novel

2011-03-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

The Lincoln Lawyer: A Novel By Michael Connelly

Mickey Haller is a Lincoln Lawyer, a criminal defense attorney who operates out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car, traveling between the far-flung courthouses of Los Angeles to defend clients of every kind. Bikers, con artists, drunk drivers, drug dealers - they're all on Mickey Haller's client list. For him, the law is rarely about guilt or innocence, it's about negotiation and manipulation. Sometimes it's even about justice.

A Beverly Hills playboy arrested for attacking a woman he picked up in a bar chooses Haller to defend him, and Mickey has his first high-paying client in years. It is a defense attorney's dream, what they call a franchise case. And as the evidence stacks up, Haller comes to believe this may be the easiest case of his career. Then someone close to him is murdered and Haller discovers that his search for innocence has brought him face-to-face with evil as pure as a flame. To escape without being burned, he must deploy every tactic, feint, and instinct in his arsenal - this time to save his own life.

The Lincoln Lawyer: A Novel

An American Life: The Autobiography

2011-03-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

An American Life: The Autobiography By Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan’s autobiography is a work of major historical importance. Here, in his own words, is the story of his life—public and private—told in a book both frank and compellingly readable.

Few presidents have accomplished more, or been so effective in changing the direction of government in ways that are both fundamental and lasting, than Ronald Reagan. Certainly no president has more dramatically raised the American spirit, or done so much to restore national strength and self-confidence.

Here, then, is a truly American success story—a great and inspiring one. From modest beginnings as the son of a shoe salesman in Tampico, Illinois, Ronald Reagan achieved first a distinguished career in Hollywood and then, as governor of California and as president of the most powerful nation in the world, a career of public service unique in our history.

Ronald Reagan’s account of that rise is told here with all the uncompromising candor, modesty, and wit that made him perhaps the most able communicator ever to occupy the White House, and also with the sense of drama of a gifted natural storyteller.

He tells us, with warmth and pride, of his early years and of the elements that made him, in later life, a leader of such stubborn integrity, courage, and clear-minded optimism. Reading the account of this childhood, we understand how his parents, struggling to make ends meet despite family problems and the rigors of the Depression, shaped his belief in the virtues of American life—the need to help others, the desire to get ahead and to get things done, the deep trust in the basic goodness, values, and sense of justice of the American people—virtues that few presidents have expressed more eloquently than Ronald Reagan.

With absolute authority and a keen eye for the details and the anecdotes that humanize history, Ronald Reagan takes the reader behind the scenes of his extraordinary career, from his first political experiences as president of the Screen Actors Guild (including his first meeting with a beautiful young actress who was later to become Nancy Reagan) to such high points of his presidency as the November 1985 Geneva meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, during which Reagan invited the Soviet leader outside for a breath of fresh air and then took him off for a walk and a man-to-man chat, without aides, that set the course for arms reduction and charted the end of the Cold War.

Here he reveals what went on behind his decision to enter politics and run for the governorship of California, the speech nominating Barry Goldwater that first made Reagan a national political figure, his race for the presidency, his relations with the members of his own cabinet, and his frustrations with Congress.

He gives us the details of the great themes and dramatic crises of his eight years in office, from Lebanon to Grenada, from the struggle to achieve arms control to tax reform, from Iran-Contra to the visits abroad that did so much to reestablish the United States in the eyes of the world as a friendly and peaceful power. His narrative is full of insights, from the unseen dangers of Gorbachev’s first visit to the United States to Reagan’s own personal correspondence with major foreign leaders, as well as his innermost feelings about life in the White House, the assassination attempt, his family—and the enduring love between himself and Mrs. Reagan.

An American Life is a warm, richly detailed, and deeply human book, a brilliant self-portrait, a significant work of history.

An American Life: The Autobiography

Love Me If You Must (Patricia Amble Mystery Series #1)

2011-03-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Love Me If You Must (Patricia Amble Mystery Series #1) By Nicole Young

From the Back Cover
A run-down Victorian to renovate, a past to leave behind--who has time for romance...or murder? Patricia Amble, Tish to her friends, has gotten her life together. She's renovating an old, rambling Victorian house in a small town outside of Detroit, and the fixer-upper should net her a big profit when she resells. Romance is right next door, with two attractive neighbors vying for her affection. But even their persistent attentions can't dispel the sense of unease Tish feels. Voices whisper out of nowhere . . . and something odd is going on in the basement. Soon, Tish begins to question her decision to buy the old house. When a dead body turns up her own dark secrets make her a prime suspect in the current chaos. And is either of her attractive neighbors really who he says he is? What is going on just under the surface of this sleepy small town? Find out in this engaging debut of the Patricia Amble Mystery series. Nicole Young has a degree in communications and has earned several awards for speechwriting and presentation. In 2004 she won the Noble Award for the Best First Chapter from the American Christian Romance Writers. Nicole lives with her family in Michigan. This is her first novel.

About the Author
Nicole Young has a degree in communications and has earned several awards for speechwriting and presentation. In 2004 she won the Noble Award for the Best First Chapter from the American Christian Romance Writers. Nicole lives with her family in Garden, Michigan. This is her first novel.

Digital media products such as Amazon MP3s, Amazon Video On Demand video downloads, Kindle content and Amazon Shorts cannot be purchased on aStore. If you would like to buy this item, click here to go to Amazon.

The Lost World By Arthur Conan-Doyle

2011-02-27T02:35:00.000-08:00

The Lost World By Arthur Conan-Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Lost World' is the source and origin of all modern dinosaur books and films - an adventure story with everything. Dangerous crises abound, in several exotic locations, with a host of strange and terrifying beasts and the occasional damsel in distress thrown in for good measure. But behind all the derring-do, Conan Doyle is gently satirising the idea of Science as a pure discipline, unsullied by thoughts of personal gain; and ridiculing the close-minded, hide-bound intellectuals who possess the qualifications, but not the courage, to search diligently for the truth.

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99 Ways To Make Money Using Twitter

2011-02-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

99 Ways To Make Money Using Twitter

"99 Ways to Make Money Using Twitter is a must-have guide for entrepreneurs who want to capitalize on the Twitter phenomenon. I've shared a number of its suggestions with the startups I counsel. In fact, I intend to apply some of its advice in my own businesses."

- Alexander Muse , Co-Founder, SpringStage.com Startup Network

"Monetizing efforts on the social web can be an extremely daunting task, and in many cases Twitter is one of the hardest places to convert conversation into dollars. Whether you want to integrate Twitter into your company's marketing plan or simply earn extra income, 99 Ways to Make Money Using Twitter is for you. A hat tip to the editors of Geekpreneur for providing real-world examples and ideas on how to accomplish return on investment with Twitter."

- Geoff Livingston, Senior Vice President / Social Media, CRT/tanaka and Author, Now Is Gone

"For those who aren't careful, Twitter can be ridden with empty promises and misinformation as everyone tries to take advantage of its opportunities. With 99 Ways to Make Money Using Twitter, Geekpreneur breaks out a comprehensive approach and detailed instructions on how to tap into this powerful utility."
- Kevin Dugan, award-winning marketing executive and creator of the blogs Strategic Public Relations and The Bad Pitch Blog

Produced by entrepreneurial blog Geekpreneur, creators of the popular Geek's Guide to Twitter, the book covers methods as varied as TwitPitching, app-building, trend-spotting and affiliate selling, and is filled with practical ideas for everyone.

Illustrated with case-studies and proven examples, 99 Ways to Make Money with Twitter reveals how individuals and businesses are using microblogging to build brands, land sales and win new customers. Each chapter explains where to start and how to do it, and even provides a real-life commercial model to copy.

Since winning the SXSW blog award in 2007, Twitter's growth has been phenomenal. From 500,000 users in early 2008, the site now hosts around 10 million microbloggers, and is used by enthusiasts, professionals and businesses alike.

Life on the Mississippi Mark Twain

2011-02-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain

Review

Memoir of the steamboat era on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War by Mark Twain, published in 1883.

The book begins with a brief history of the river from its discovery by Hernando de Soto in 1541. Chapters 4-22 describe Twain's career as a Mississippi steamboat pilot, the fulfillment of a childhood dream. The second half of Life on the Mississippi tells of Twain's return, many years after, to travel the river from St. Louis to New Orleans. By then the competition from railroads had made steamboats passe, in spite of improvements in navigation and boat construction. Twain sees new, large cities on the river, and records his observations on greed, gullibility, tragedy, and bad architecture. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature.

About the Author

Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Often called America's greatest satirist, he is best known for his novels The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Born in 1835, Twain died in 1910.

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American Military History: A Survey From Colonial Times to the Present

2011-02-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

American Military History: A Survey From Colonial Times to the Present By William T Allison, Jeffrey Grey, Janet G. Valentine

This book is for undergraduate courses in American Military History. It covers from the colonial period through the War on Terror, using a narrative and thematic approach. Includes the development of civilian control of the military; the American military at war; the professionalization of the American military; the use of American military power to achieve national strategic objectives; and the non-military uses of the American military throughout American history.

One Hundred Years of Valentines

2011-02-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

One Hundred Years of Valentines (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) By Katherine Kreider

One Hundred Years of Valentines is a photographic essay. This book, a must for the collector or dealer, showcases over 450 valentine's cards from the late 1800s up until 1998. This comprehensive book includes: the Depression, dimensional, Art Deco, transportation, artist signed, honey comb paper puff, novelty, etc., along with an extensive glossary of valentine terms, the "Second Top 10 Most Asked Questions," and a Usage Guide. Valuable information helps collectors/dealers identify and evalute their cards.

The Solitaire Mystery: a novel about family and destiny

2011-02-03T15:38:00.001-08:00

The Solitaire Mystery was published in 1990 and written by Jostein Gaarder, Norwegian author of the best-selling Sophie's World. Its main target audience is young adults, but the themes of the book transcend any age group.

The Solitaire Mystery has a philosophical content, but it does not explicitly mention philosophers and theories, thus, the reader of the book may be unaware that he or she is actually engaging in philosophy.

The story tells of a secret that generations of bakers have passed down to one another in the small Alpine village of Dorf ever since the old sailor ended up there many years ago. The secret that they have passed on has now been revealed to Hans Thomas and he must decide who to tell.

Hans Thomas, a twelve year old boy, goes on a journey with his father from his home town of Oslo to Greece. They are searching for the boy’s lost mother and in the process Hans uncovers a whole new world of mysteries.

A string of unusual events occurs on the journey: a dwarf gives Hans a magnifying glass; a baker gives him a stick-bun containing a miniature book telling the story of a shipwrecked sailor who discovers an expanding desert island with a pack of cards that have come to life. The story is no ordinary fairytale though. It is a story within a story within a story. All of the playing cards accept their existence, except the Joker who thinks too deeply and asks too many questions. Where have we come from? Where are we going? What is the difference between reality and fiction?

The book encompasses several philosophical themes; the obvious ones which are covered in the overall plot, but also little snippets here and there. Hans Thomas's father is a smoker but doesn't like to smoke inside his car, and so on their long journey across Europe, they are forever stopping for cigarette breaks, and the father is talking philosophically with his son. These bite-size chunks of philosophy are far easier to swallow than the weighty lectures in Sophie's World, but are nonetheless potent.

Research Methods In Psychology

2011-01-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

Research Methods in Psychology provides a comprehensive and readable introduction to methods for undergraduates. Employing a multi-method approach and exposing students to real examples of published research throughout the text, the authors provide students with the tools necessary to do good and ethical research in psychology and to understand the research they learn about in psychology courses and in the media. A wealth of pedagogical aids serve to break down the aversion and phobia that many students bring to a methods course. The 8th edition boasts a wealth of new examples with nearly 50 of the research examples from 2004-2007 and more than half of those from 2006 and 2007. So, as students read this methods text, they will also be learning about “cutting-edge” research in psychology.

About the Author
Eugene B. Zechmeister is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Loyola University of Chicago, a large metropolitan university where he taught both undergraduate and graduate courses. For many years at Loyola he was the Undergraduate Program Director in Psychology. Professor Zechmeister completed his B.A. in 1966 at the University of New Mexico. He later received both his M.S. (1968) and Ph.D. (1970) from Northwestern University. Professor Zechmeister has authored books on human memory, critical thinking, and statistics, as well as research methods in psychology. He has been a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association (Divisions 1,2, and 3) and the Association for Psychological Science. In 1994, he was awarded the Loyola University Sujack Award for Teaching Excellence in the College of Arts and Sciences. He currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Jeanne S. Zechmeister was an Associate Professor of Psychology at Loyola University of Chicago, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in research methodology since 1990. Professor Zechmeister completed her B.A. at University of Wisconsin-Madison (1983) and her M.S. (1988) and Ph.D. (1990) in Clinical Psychology at Northwestern University. Her research focused on psychological processes associated with forgiveness. Her effectiveness as a teacher is evidenced by her many years of high teacher ratings and by her being identified consistently each year by graduating seniors as one of their best teachers at Loyola. She has co-authored, with J.J. Shaughnessy and E.B. Zechmeister, the Research Methods in Psychology text since its 5th edition (McGraw-Hill, 2000, 2003, 2006) and Essentials of Research Methods in Psychology (McGraw-Hill, 2001). Dr. Zechmeister now writes professionally in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Commanders

2010-12-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

Commanders, History's Greatest Military Leaders By R.G. Grant. R.G. Grant is a history writer who has published more than 20 books, including titles on the Revolutionary War, World War I and II, and the Vietnam War. He's also the author of DK s Battle, Flight: 100 Years of Aviation, Warrior, and Battle at Sea.

Alexander the Great's conquest of the known world to the generals leading today s campaigns in Afghanistan, Commanders casts new light on the leaders who have forged history on the battlefield. Focusing on the greatest leaders in naval, field, and aerial warfare, such as Julius Caesar, Napoleon, and Horatio Nelson, the book gives an at-a-glance overview of each commander s life, provides a timeline, key data, and a psychological profile outlining the commander s strengths and weaknesses. Commanders also follows great leaders from outside the Western tradition, including the great Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Native American, and African leaders, explaining who fought whom and why.

History: The Definitive Visual Guide (From The Dawn of Civilization To The Present Day) By Adam Hart-Davis

2010-12-16T19:19:00.000-08:00

History: The Definitive Visual Guide (From The Dawn of Civilization To The Present Day) By Adam Hart-Davis. Adam Hart Davis has worked and presented on major TV series including Local Heroes, Top Ten Treasures, Tomorrow's World, What The Stuarts Did For Us, What The Victorians Did For Us, What The Romans Did For Us, and recently What The Ancients Did For Us. He lives in the West of England.

This is the definitive, 4.4 million year-old story of human history - from the origins of mankind to the 21st century, spanning the globe and based on the latest research, the complete story of the people, events, themes, ideas and forces that have shaped human existence. Find out about our history's turning points: eye witness accounts and biographies give a personal angle to major events. Explore humankind's legacy from architecture and artefacts to the big ideas that have changed our world. Examine the effect we've had on nature and vice versa. And discover how the past has been unlocked: from interpreting ancient documents to analysing ice cores. This book is a compelling look at human existence: perfect for the family bookshelf.

Colonel Roosevelt By Edmund Morris

2010-12-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

This biography by Edmund Morris, the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award–winning author of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex, is itself the completion of a trilogy sure to stand as definitive. Packed with more adventure, variety, drama, humor, and tragedy than a big novel, yet documented down to the smallest fact, it recounts the last decade of perhaps the most amazing life in American history. What other president has written forty books, hunted lions, founded a third political party, survived an assassin’s bullet, and explored an unknown river longer than the Rhine?

Colonel Roosevelt begins with a prologue recounting what TR called his “journey into the Pleistocene”—a yearlong safari through East Africa, collecting specimens for the Smithsonian. Some readers will be repulsed by TR’s bloodlust, which this book does not prettify, yet there can be no denying that the Colonel passionately loved and understood every living thing that came his way: The text is rich in quotations from his marvelous nature writing.

Although TR intended to remain out of politics when he returned home in 1910, a fateful decision that spring drew him back into public life. By the end of the summer, in his famous “New Nationalism” speech, he was the guiding spirit of the Progressive movement, which inspired much of the social agenda of the future New Deal. (TR’s fifth cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt acknowledged that debt, adding that the Colonel “was the greatest man I ever knew.”)

Then follows a detailed account of TR’s reluctant yet almost successful campaign for the White House in 1912. But unlike other biographers, Edmund Morris does not treat TR mainly as a politician. This volume gives as much consideration to TR’s literary achievements and epic expedition to Brazil in 1913–1914 as to his fatherhood of six astonishingly different children, his spiritual and aesthetic beliefs, and his eager embrace of other cultures—from Arab and Magyar to German and American Indian. It is impossible to read Colonel Roosevelt and not be awed by the man’s universality. The Colonel himself remarked, “I have enjoyed life as much as any nine men I know.”

Morris does not hesitate, however, to show how pathologically TR turned upon those who inherited the power he craved—the hapless Taft, the adroit Woodrow Wilson. When Wilson declined to bring the United States into World War I in 1915 and 1916, the Colonel blasted him with some of the worst abuse ever uttered by a former chief executive. Yet even Wilson had to admit that behind the Rooseveltian will to rule lay a winning idealism and decency. “He is just like a big boy—there is a sweetness about him that you can’t resist.” That makes the story of TR’s last year, when the “boy” in him died, all the sadder in the telling: the conclusion of a life of Aristotelian grandeur.

Choose Life: A Dialogue (Echoes and Reflections: The Selected Works of Daisaku Ikeda)

2010-11-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

Choose Life: A Dialogue (Echoes and Reflections: The Selected Works of Daisaku Ikeda) By Arnold Toynbee, Daisaku Ikeda

Arnold J Toynbee was a historian whose 12-volume A Study of History had a huge impact on the thinking of his day. This epic, multi-volume work offered a grand synthesis of world history from the global perspective of the rise and fall of civilizations, rather than concentrating on the history of nation-states or of ethnic groups. For Time magazine Toynbee was 'an international sage' and certainly in the same bracket as 'Einstein, Schweitzer or Bertrand Russell'.

Daisaku Ikeda is a figure of global stature, the spiritual leader of a worldwide lay Buddhist organisation devoted to the promotion of education, culture and peace.

Between 1971 and 1974 Toynbee and Ikeda discussed many of the vital issues which confronted their societies in the early 1970s, all of which remain current and significant. Indeed, topics such as the problems of pollution, dwindling natural resources, conflict and war, the role of religion, and population growth, are even more pressing than they were thirty years ago.

In this volume - which still reads as freshly as it did when it was first published, and which is now reissued for a new generation of readers - the inspiring challenge issued by both men is framed as follows: will humankind choose to salvage its destiny by a revolution in thinking and morals? Or will disaster ensue if it pursues its present course towards self-destruction and the despoliation of the environment? While recognising that our survival is threatened by the imbalance between human immaturity and technological achievement, the optimistic message of this classic Dialogue is that man-made evils have a man-made cure.

Cleopatra: A Life

2010-11-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

Cleopatra: A Life By Stacy Schiff

The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt.

Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator.

Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; incest and assassination were family specialties. Cleopatra appears to have had sex with only two men. They happen, however, to have been Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, among the most prominent Romans of the day. Both were married to other women. Cleopatra had a child with Caesar and--after his murder--three more with his protégé. Already she was the wealthiest ruler in the Mediterranean; the relationship with Antony confirmed her status as the most influential woman of the age. The two would together attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled their ends. Cleopatra has lodged herself in our imaginations ever since.

Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Shakespeare and Shaw put words in her mouth. Michelangelo, Tiepolo, and Elizabeth Taylor put a face to her name. Along the way, Cleopatra's supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order. Rich in detail, epic in scope, Schiff 's is a luminous, deeply original reconstruction of a dazzling life.

The Confession: A Novel

2010-11-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

The Confession: A Novel By John Grisham

For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.

Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row.

Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what’s right and confess.

But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they’re about to execute an innocent man?

From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author
JOHN GRISHAM is the author of twenty-two novels, one work of nonfiction, a collection of stories, and a novel for young readers. He is on the Board of Directors of the Innocence Project in New York and is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Innocence Project at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He lives in Virginia and Mississippi.

Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary

2010-09-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary By Voltaire

This book does not demand continuous reading; but at whatever place one opens it, one will find matter for reflection. The most useful books are those of which readers themselves compose half; they extend the thoughts of which the germ is presented to them; they correct what seems defective to them, and they fortify by their reflections what seems to them weak. It is only really by enlightened people that this book can be read; the ordinary man is not made for such knowledge; philosophy will never be his lot. Those who say that there are truths which must be hidden from the people, need not be alarmed; the people do not read; they work six days of the week, and on the seventh go to the inn. In a word, philosophical works are made only for philosophers, and every honest man must try to be a philosopher, without pluming himself on being one.

National Geographic Concise History of the World: An Illustrated Time Line (Timeline)

2010-09-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

National Geographic Concise History of the World: An Illustrated Time Line (Timeline) By Neil Kagan

From the dawn of humankind to today's global complexities, this monumental volume presents world history from an original perspective that provides fresh insights with every colorful spread. Few references are as invaluable, all-inclusive, and satisfying to browse. For readers of all ages, world history is easily accessible, depicted as never before—so that events occurring simultaneously around the world can be viewed at-a-glance together. For example, Texas Instruments launched the pocket calculator the same year the Soviet Union launched the first manned space station, in 1971. Columbus sailed from Spain the year Martin Behaim constructed a terrestrial globe in Nuremberg. The California Gold Rush followed the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s, and the Greek dictatorship of Papadopoulos is overthrown the same year Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is deposed and U.S. president Nixon resigns, in 1974. The book's innovative time line truly sets it apart, allowing readers to scan across a spread and explore a single area or compare contemporary societies across the globe.

This remarkable resource also contains dozens of maps; scores of sidebars; hundreds of illustrations; and thousands of events, milestones, personalities, ideas, and inventions. Throughout, vivid illustrations depict artworks, artifacts, portraits and dramatic scenes, while sidebar topics range from local customs and lifestyles to the effect of climate change on human migration. Drawing on National Geographic's vast resources, this concise yet comprehensive, one-of-a-kind work is as rewarding as it is compulsively readable.

How to Scout Football By George Allen

2010-08-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

How to Scout Football By George Allen

This book was written by George Allen back when he was Head Football Coach and Professor of PE at Whittier College in Whittier California. This book along with Football Scouting Methods by Steve Belichick are the two oldest books on scouting football that I know of. Today teams exchange film and do not exchange visits the way they did in the past. So this book is of course out of date when it comes to the specifics. However it provides an interesting look at football scouting methods and techniques back in the 1950's and 1960's.

The book covers the following main sections

1. Why a textbook on scouting
2. History and development of scouting
3. Definition of scouting
4. Qualifications of a scout
5. Reasons for scouting
6. Theories on scouting
7. Techniques of scouting
8. Self Scouting
9. Scouting reports
10. Summary, etc.

The book is probably only of interest if this niche of football history is of interest to you. You might find a copy in a local library or an old used book store.

Introducing Plato: A Graphic Guide

2010-08-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Introducing Plato provides a clear account of Plato's theory of knowledge and explains how this directed his provocative views on politics, ethics, and individual liberty. Offering detailed critical commentaries on all of the key doctrines of Platonism, it also charts Plato's influence on modern thinkers such as Jacques Derrida.

About the Author

Dave Robinson: Dave Robinson has taught philosophy for many years and is the author of numerous Introducing series titles. He is now a part-time lecturer in Critical Studies and lives in Devon.

Judy Groves: Judy Groves is a painter, graphic designer and illustrator. She has illustrated numerous titles.

The Obama Diaries By Laura Ingraham

2010-08-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) On May 20, 2010, Laura Ingraham received a package from an anonymous source that will change the history of the United States and the legacy of President Barack Obama. While retrieving her automobile from the underground garage at the Watergate complex (where she had just enjoyed her weekly pedicure), Ingraham discovered a manila envelope on the hood of her car. When she picked it up, a deep baritone voice called out from a nearby stairwell: "Just read it. You’ll know what to do." The shadowy figure then disappeared into the darkness without another word.

The envelope contained copies of what appeared to be diary entries written by President Barack Obama, his family, and high-ranking administration officials. Because the "diaries" are so revealing, Ingraham felt compelled to release them to the American public and the citizens of the world.

Major media outlets love to describe the president as "no drama Obama," but The Obama Diaries tells a different tale. Through these "diary entries," readers will see past the carefully constructed Obama faÇade to the administration’s true plans to "remake America."

In The Obama Diaries, Ingraham hilariously skewers the president and his minions. She takes aim at:

•the cynical "razzle-dazzle" marketing of Obama’s radical agenda

•the use of the Obama "brand" and family to obscure Obama’s true aims

•Michelle Obama’s gardening and anti-obesity initiative; and much more.

Informative and hugely entertaining, The Obama Diaries will inspire both laughter and critical thinking about the future of the nation and the man currently at the helm.

Excerpts from Laura Ingraham’s The Obama Diaries

Obama on Sarah Palin:

"Hell, doesn’t Palin have anything better to do than criticize me? Shouldn’t she be back home shooting some endangered wolf species from a helicopter?" (April 9, 2010)

Michelle on being First Lady:

"I’ll be damned if all this fabulosity is going to go to waste reading Dr. Seuss to snot-nosed kids all day." (January 23, 2009)

Vice President Joe Biden on Michelle Obama:

"She’s kind of like a black Hillary Clinton. I mean that in a good way." (May 5, 2009)

Obama on his visit to the Vatican:

"If I can ingratiate myself with a few more of these red-hats, the pope thing might not be a bad follow-up to the presidency." (July 10, 2009)

The Malacca Conspiracy

2010-07-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

The Malacca Conspiracy By Don Brown

Set in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United States, The Malacca Conspiracy is a bone-chilling tale of terrorism on the high seas, of political assassination and nuclear brinkmanship. And for Zack and Diane---your favorite JAG characters from Don Brown's popular Navy Justice Series---a story of hope for a longstanding romance that is now or never.When a dastardly plot is hatched in the Malaysian seaport of Malacca to attack civilian oil tankers at sea, to drive up the price of crude oil futures, and to assassinate the Indonesian president and use fat windfall profits to finance a nuclear attack against American cities, Navy JAG officers Zack Brewer and Diane Cocernian reunite in a sizzling race against the clock to foil the conspiracy before disaster strikes. But as President Mack Williams sends ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet towards the Malacca Straights to reassert control over the sea lanes, will Navy JAG officers Zack Brewer and Diane Colcernian survive this dangerous and final high-stakes drama of life and death?You won't be able to put this thriller down until you find out.

The Obama Timeline: From his Birth in 1961 Through his First 100 Days in Office

2010-07-15T17:22:00.000-07:00

The Obama Timeline: From his Birth in 1961 Through his First 100 Days in Office By Don Fredrick

The Obama Timeline The complete timeline of the life of Barack Hussein Obama Soetoro Obama, from his birth in 1961 through his first 100 days in the Oval Office.Here are the people and the events that shaped the life of Barack Obama . . . from his birth, through childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, high school, college in California and New York, Harvard Law School, his community activism, his entry into Chicago politics, the U.S. Senate . . . and the election that may enable him to transform the United States of America into something unrecognizable. Intertwined with Obama's life is a cast of recurring characters-many of them unsavory-that the media chose to ignore but whose connections to him are described here in all their incriminating detail. No facts are left out and no rumors are left unexamined in this hard-hitting book. Here is the evidence that was kept from the voters when they were starving for information during one of the most important election campaigns in American history. This is a no holds barred timeline that will either confirm you were correct not to vote for the current temporary resident of the White House . . . or leave you wondering why you did.

About the Author
A lifelong advocate of freedom and free markets, Don Fredrick has consistently promoted the reduction of government interference in both the personal and economic lives of Americans. He is the author of What You Don't Know About Economics Can Hurt You and Colony 14, a novel about America's future if it continues on its collectivist path, and the tale of freedom fighters whose principles lead them to take on the world. The author was born in Chicago and lived in the area until late 2007. He has two adult children and now lives with his second wife in a quiet beach town where he paints, reads, and writes articles for his Web site, www.colony14.net.

Mein Kampf

2010-07-11T06:22:00.000-07:00

Mein Kampf By Adolf Hitler

After 1944, Hitler's notorious book was not widely available until the hardback edition of this version appeared in 1969. This paperback edition is intended primarily for students of 20th century German history seeking to gain insight into its dominant figure from reading his own words. Ostensibly an autobiography, the work comprises a melange of Hitler's political and racial ideas over two volumes, "A Reckoning" and "The Nazi Movement". Described by D.C.Watt in his introduction as "lengthy, dull, bombastic, repetitious and extremely badly written", it is nonetheless Hitler's only major work - and its study is important to an understanding of how his ideas came to hold such sway over the German people.

Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America's Enemies

2010-07-05T00:40:00.000-07:00

Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America's Enemies

By M. Stanton Evans.

Accused of creating a bogus Red Scare and smearing countless innocent victims in a five-year reign of terror, Senator Joseph McCarthy is universally remembered as a demagogue, a bully, and a liar. History has judged him such a loathsome figure that even today, a half century after his death, his name remains synonymous with witch hunts.

But that conventional image is all wrong, as veteran journalist and author M. Stanton Evans reveals in this groundbreaking book. The long-awaited Blacklisted by History, based on six years of intensive research, dismantles the myths surrounding Joe McCarthy and his campaign to unmask Communists, Soviet agents, and flagrant loyalty risks working within the U.S. government. Evans’s revelations completely overturn our understanding of McCarthy, McCarthyism, and the Cold War.

Drawing on primary sources—including never-before-published government records and FBI files, as well as recent research gleaned from Soviet archives and intercepted transmissions between Moscow spymasters and their agents in the United States—Evans presents irrefutable evidence of a relentless Communist drive to penetrate our government, influence its policies, and steal its secrets. Most shocking of all, he shows that U.S. officials supposedly guarding against this danger not only let it happen but actively covered up the penetration. All of this was precisely as Joe McCarthy contended.

Blacklisted by History shows, for instance, that the FBI knew as early as 1942 that J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the atomic bomb project, had been identified by Communist leaders as a party member; that high-level U.S. officials were warned that Alger Hiss was a Soviet spy almost a decade before the Hiss case became a public scandal; that a cabal of White House, Justice Department, and State Department officials lied about and covered up the Amerasia spy case; and that the State Department had been heavily penetrated by Communists and Soviet agents before McCarthy came on the scene.

Evans also shows that practically everything we’ve been told about McCarthy is false, including conventional treatment of the famous 1950 speech at Wheeling, West Virginia, that launched the McCarthy era (“I have here in my hand . . .”), the Senate hearings that casually dismissed his charges, the matter of leading McCarthy suspect Owen Lattimore, the Annie Lee Moss case, the Army-McCarthy hearings, and much more.

In the end, Senator McCarthy was censured by his colleagues and condemned by the press and historians. But as Evans writes, “The real Joe McCarthy has vanished into the mists of fable and recycled error, so that it takes the equivalent of a dragnet search to find him.” Blacklisted by History provides the first accurate account of what McCarthy did and, more broadly, what happened to America during the Cold War. It is a revealing exposé of the forces that distorted our national policy in that conflict and our understanding of its history since.

The Glorious World Cup: A Fanatic's Guide

2010-06-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

The Glorious World Cup: A Fanatic's Guide By Alan Black, David Henry Sterry

If a guide book was a riot, then this is it. The Glorious World Cup is a smash and grab read with propellant laughs, and wicked satire. Expect some crunching tackles on the establishment with profiles on hooligans, World Cup villains and serious national grudges. Stuffed with country and player profiles, bags of footie history, and all you need to know about South Africa. Shooting on target are contributors Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting, best-selling author Po Bronson, and the world's best soccer writer, Simon Kuper. This is the rebel guide for the soccer masses and the fanatic.

The Glorious World Cup: A Fanatic's Guide

Highbury: The Story Of Arsenal In N5

2010-06-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

Highbury: The Story Of Arsenal In N5 By Jon Spurling. John Spurling is a regular contributor to Four Four Two and When Saturday Comes magazines. He is the author of three previous books on Arsenal.

Kicking off with the story of the original “soccer czar,” Sir Henry Norris, who bulldozed through opposition to move Woolwich Arsenal to north London, Jon Spurling's all-encompassing history of Arsenal's time at Highbury features testimony from a myriad of sources—from the peanut sellers, turnstile operators, local publicans and fans, through the likes of Bob Wilson, Liam Brady, George Graham, and Lee Dixon. An unflinching look at the last century in the club's history, this compendium tells the story of local opposition to the club's move, the construction of the impressive art deco East and West stands in the thirties, the assembling of the various title-winning sides, and culminates in the story of local opposition to the club's more recent move in 2004. Having written three previous titles on Arsenal's history, Jon Spurling is well placed to produce this definitive volume.

The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability

2010-06-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

Part memoir, nutritional primer, and political manifesto, this controversial examination exposes the destructive history of agriculture—causing the devastation of prairies and forests, driving countless species extinct, altering the climate, and destroying the topsoil—and asserts that, in order to save the planet, food must come from within living communities. In order for this to happen, the argument champions eating locally and sustainably and encourages those with the resources to grow their own food. Further examining the question of what to eat from the perspective of both human and environmental health, the account goes beyond health choices and discusses potential moral issues from eating—or not eating—animals. Through the deeply personal narrative of someone who practiced veganism for 20 years, this unique exploration also discusses alternatives to industrial farming, reveals the risks of a vegan diet, and explains why animals belong on ecologically sound farms.

George Washington's Sacred Fire

2010-06-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

George Washington's Sacred Fire By Peter A. Lillback

What sets "George Washington's Sacred Fire" apart from all previous works on this man for the ages, is the exhaustive fifteen years of Dr. Peter Lillback's research, revealing a unique icon driven by the highest of ideals. Only do George Washington's own writings, journals, letters, manuscripts, and those of his closest family and confidants reveal the truth of this awe-inspiring role model for all generations. Dr. Lillback paints a picture of a man, who, faced with unprecedented challenges and circumstances, ultimately drew upon his persistent qualities of character - honesty, justice, equity, perseverence, piety, forgiveness, humility, and servant leadership, to become one of the most revered figures in world history. George Washington set the cornerstone for what would become one of the most prosperous, free nations in the history of civilization. Through this book, Dr. Lillback, assisted by Jerry Newcombe, will reveal to the reader a newly inspirational image of General and President George Washington.

About the Author
Peter A. Lillback, Ph.D., is the President of Westminster Theological Seminary, where he is also Professor of Historical Theology. He is also President of The Providence Forum and Senior Pastor at Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He is the voice of "Proclaiming the Word," a daily syndicated radio program, as well as the "Proclamation Worship Hour." Dr. Lillback received a Ph.D. from Westminster Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a B.A. from Cedarville University in Ohio. He is the author of "The Binding of God: Calvin's Role in the Development of Covenant Theology" (Baker), "Freedom's Holy Light - With a Firm Reliance on Divine Providence" (Providence Forum Press) and "Proclaim Liberty: A Broken Bell Rings Freedom to the World" (Providence Forum Press).

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

2010-05-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter By Seth Grahame-Smith

Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness."

"My baby boy..." she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

Amazon.com

The Manchurian President: Barack Obama's Ties to Communists, Socialists and Other Anti-American Extremists

2010-05-15T00:19:00.000-07:00

The Manchurian President: Barack Obama's Ties to Communists, Socialists and Other Anti-American Extremists By Aaron Klein and Brenda J. Elliott

The book uncovers a far-leftist, anti-American nexus that has been instrumental in not only helping build Obama's political career but in securing his presidency. Klein, with Brenda J. Elliott details with shocking precision how this nexus continues to influence Obama and the White House and is involved in drafting policy aimed at reshaping our country.

Highlights of The Manchurian President:

*Obama's mysterious college years unearthed

*Shocking new details of Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers and other Weathermen terrorists

*Obama's ties to Islam and black liberation theology

*Startling facts about Obama's eligibility to serve as president

*Obama's membership in a socialist party probed

*How Obama's "hope," "change" slogans stem from communist activism

*Radical socalists involved in drafting stimulus bill, ObamaCare

*Communists, socialists and other radicals on team Obama, including an expose on Obama's top guns in the White House

*Never-before-revealed depth of Obama's relationship with ACORN

About the Author
Aaron Klein is an investigative journalist and Jerusalem bureau chief for WorldNetDaily.com. He is a regular on top American radio shows and appears frequently on Fox News Channel and Al Jazeera. Klein is the author of two previous books, Schmoozing with Terrorists and The Late Great State of Israel.
He is also the host of "Aaron Klein Investigative Radio" for New York's WABC, the largest radio talk station in the United States. His show airs from 2 – 4 p.m. on Sundays after The Bob Grant Show.

Brenda J. Elliott is an historian, author and investigative researcher who has earned the admiration and endured the scorn of media colleagues for dogged blogging during the 2008 presidential election about Tony Rezko, William Ayers and other criminals in Obama’s clique of cronies.

Buy this book from amazon.com

A History of Modern Indonesia

2010-05-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

A History of Modern Indonesia By Adrian Vickers

Although Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world, its history is still relatively unknown. Adrian Vickers takes the reader on a journey across the social and political landscape of modern Indonesia, starting with the country's origins under the Dutch in the early twentieth-century, and the subsequent anti-colonial revolution which led to independence in 1949. Thereafter the spotlight is on the 1950s, a crucial period in the formation of Indonesia as a new nation, followed by the Sukarno years, and the anti-Communist massacres of the 1960s when General Suharto took over as president. The concluding chapters chart the fall of Suharto's New Order after thirty two years in power, and the subsequent political and religious turmoil which culminated in the Bali bombings in 2002.

Adrian Vickers is Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Wollongong. He has previously worked at the Universities of New South Wales and Sydney, and has been a visiting fellow at the University of Indonesia and Udayana University (Bali). Vickers has more than twenty-five years research experience in Indonesia and the Netherlands, and has travelled in Southeast Asia, the U.S. and Europe in the course of his research. He is author of the acclaimed Bali: a Paradise Created (Penguin, 1989) as well as many other scholarly and popular works on Indonesia. In 2003 Adrian Vickers curated the exhibition Crossing Boundaries, a major survey of modern Indonesian art, and has also been involved in documentary films, including Done Bali (Negara Film and Television Productions, 1993).

Spoken from the Heart By Laura Bush

2010-05-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

In this brave, beautiful, and deeply personal memoir, Laura Bush, one of our most beloved and private first ladies, tells her own extraordinary story.

Born in the boom-and-bust oil town of Midland, Texas, Laura Welch grew up as an only child in a family that lost three babies to miscarriage or infant death. She vividly evokes Midland's brash, rugged culture, her close relationship with her father, and the bonds of early friendships that sustain her to this day. For the first time, in heart-wrenching detail, she writes about the devastating high school car accident that left her friend Mike Douglas dead and about her decades of unspoken grief.

When Laura Welch first left West Texas in 1964, she never imagined that her journey would lead her to the world stage and the White House. After graduating from Southern Methodist University in 1968, in the thick of student rebellions across the country and at the dawn of the women's movement, she became an elementary school teacher, working in inner-city schools, then trained to be a librarian. At age thirty, she met George W. Bush, whom she had last passed in the hallway in seventh grade. Three months later, "the old maid of Midland married Midland's most eligible bachelor." With rare intimacy and candor, Laura Bush writes about her early married life as she was thrust into one of America's most prominent political families, as well as her deep longing for children and her husband's decision to give up drinking. By 1993, she found herself in the full glare of the political spotlight. But just as her husband won the Texas governorship in a stunning upset victory, her father, Harold Welch, was dying in Midland.

In 2001, after one of the closest elections in American history, Laura Bush moved into the White House. Here she captures presidential life in the harrowing days and weeks after 9/11, when fighter-jet cover echoed through the walls and security scares sent the family to an underground shelter. She writes openly about the White House during wartime, the withering and relentless media spotlight, and the transformation of her role as she began to understand the power of the first lady. One of the first U.S. officials to visit war-torn Afghanistan, she also reached out to disease-stricken African nations and tirelessly advocated for women in the Middle East and dissidents in Burma. She championed programs to get kids out of gangs and to stop urban violence. And she was a major force in rebuilding Gulf Coast schools and libraries post-Katrina. Movingly, she writes of her visits with U.S. troops and their loved ones, and of her empathy for and immense gratitude to military families.

With deft humor and a sharp eye, Laura Bush lifts the curtain on what really happens inside the White House, from presidential finances to the 175-year-old tradition of separate bedrooms for presidents and their wives to the antics of some White House guests and even a few members of Congress. She writes with honesty and eloquence about her family, her public triumphs, and her personal tribulations. Laura Bush's compassion, her sense of humor, her grace, and her uncommon willingness to bare her heart make this story revelatory, beautifully rendered, and unlike any other first lady's memoir ever written.

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War

2010-05-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War By Karl Marlantes

Intense, powerful, and compelling, Matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead and James Jones’s The Thin Red Line. It is the timeless story of a young Marine lieutenant, Waino Mellas, and his comrades in Bravo Company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of Vietnam as boys and forced to fight their way into manhood. Standing in their way are not merely the North Vietnamese but also monsoon rain and mud, leeches and tigers, disease and malnutrition. Almost as daunting, it turns out, are the obstacles they discover between each other: racial tension, competing ambitions, and duplicitous superior officers. But when the company finds itself surrounded and outnumbered by a massive enemy regiment, the Marines are thrust into the raw and all-consuming terror of combat. The experience will change them forever.

Written by a highly decorated Marine veteran over the course of thirty years, Matterhorn is a spellbinding and unforgettable novel that brings to life an entire world both its horrors and its thrills and seems destined to become a classic of combat literature.

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How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization

2010-04-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization By Franklin Foer

Soccer is much more than a game, or even a way of life. It is a perfect window into the cross–currents of today's world, with all its joys and its sorrows. In this remarkably insightful, wide–ranging work of reportage, Franklin Foer takes us on a surprising tour through the world of soccer, shining a spotlight on the clash of civilizations, the international economy, and just about everything in between. How Soccer Explains the World is an utterly original book that makes sense of our troubled times.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

2010-04-18T23:26:00.000-07:00

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism By Max Weber. This brilliant study opposes the Marxist concept of dialectical materialism and its view that change takes place through the conflict of opposites. Instead, Weber relates the rise of a capitalist economy to the Puritan determination to work out anxiety over salvation or damnation by performing good deeds — an effort that ultimately encouraged capitalism.

The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (Oxford World's Classics) By Émile Durkheim

2010-04-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

In The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912), Emile Durkheim sets himself the task of discovering the enduring source of human social identity. He investigates what he considered to be the simplest form of documented religion - totemism among the Aborigines of Australia. For Durkheim, studying Aboriginal religion was a way 'to yield an understanding of the religious nature of man, by showing us an essential and permanent aspect of humanity'. The need and capacity of men and women to relate to one another socially lies at the heart of Durkheim's exploration, in which religion embodies the beliefs that shape our moral universe. The Elementary Forms has been applauded and debated by sociologists, anthropologists, ethnographers, philosophers, and theologians, and continues to speak to new generations about the intriguing origin and nature of religion and society. This new, lightly abridged edition provides an excellent introduction to Durkheim's ideas.

The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama By David Remnick

2010-04-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama By David Remnick

No story has been more central to America’s history this century than the rise of Barack Obama, and until now, no journalist or historian has written a book that fully investigates the circumstances and experiences of Obama’s life or explores the ambition behind his rise. Those familiar with Obama’s own best-selling memoir or his campaign speeches know the touchstones and details that he chooses to emphasize, but now—from a writer whose gift for illuminating the historical significance of unfolding events is without peer—we have a portrait, at once masterly and fresh, nuanced and unexpected, of a young man in search of himself, and of a rising politician determined to become the first African-American president.

The Bridge offers the most complete account yet of Obama’s tragic father, a brilliant economist who abandoned his family and ended his life as a beaten man; of his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, who had a child as a teenager and then built her career as an anthropologist living and studying in Indonesia; and of the succession of elite institutions that first exposed Obama to the social tensions and intellectual currents that would force him to imagine and fashion an identity for himself. Through extensive on-the-record interviews with friends and teachers, mentors and disparagers, family members and Obama himself, David Remnick allows us to see how a rootless, unaccomplished, and confused young man created himself first as a community organizer in Chicago, an experience that would not only shape his urge to work in politics but give him a home and a community, and that would propel him to Harvard Law School, where his sense of a greater mission emerged.

Deftly setting Obama’s political career against the galvanizing intersection of race and politics in Chicago’s history, Remnick shows us how that city’s complex racial legacy would make Obama’s forays into politics a source of controversy and bare-knuckle tactics: his clashes with older black politicians in the Illinois State Senate, his disastrous decision to challenge the former Black Panther Bobby Rush for Congress in 2000, the sex scandals that would decimate his more experienced opponents in the 2004 Senate race, and the story—from both sides—of his confrontation with his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. By looking at Obama’s political rise through the prism of our racial history, Remnick gives us the conflicting agendas of black politicians: the dilemmas of men like Jesse Jackson, John Lewis, and Joseph Lowery, heroes of the civil rights movement, who are forced to reassess old loyalties and understand the priorities of a new generation of African-American leaders.

The Bridge revisits the American drama of race, from slavery to civil rights, and makes clear how Obama’s quest is not just his own but is emblematic of a nation where destiny is defined by individuals keen to imagine a future that is different from the reality of their current lives.

The Chess Team (A Novel)

2010-04-10T00:33:00.000-07:00

The Chess Team (A Novel) By James H. Sawaski. James H. Sawaski is an accomplished chess player and coach and has played the ‘Royal Game’ since he was seven years old.

Jim Berzchak has a gift. His capabilities in the game of chess are remarkable and his brain works at levels most people only dream about. However, a horrific blunder while playing at the high school state tournament costs his Escanaba Eskimos the team championship. Depressed, he slips into a world of solitude. His life stalls and although he studies chess aggressively and enhances his skills, other aspects to his well being become reclusive.

15 years later a group of high school students coax Jim into reopening the defunct chess program. Through the kids, he finds he has an even better gift, the ability to teach the game and make it exciting. "The Eskychess Express is back on track!" or so it seems.

Issues abound with their newfound success. Personal problems infect the team. Opponents take notice and hone their skills to incomprehensible levels. The pressure of competition makes Jim feel like collapsing. Can he get his life in order and lead his Eskimos over the second place hump? Or will they end up like him, devastated in life because they pinned too many hopes on winning a state championship title?

How to Lie with Statistics

2010-04-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

Darrell Huff runs the gamut of every popularly used type of statistic, probes such things as the sample study, the tabulation method, the interview technique, or the way the results are derived from the figures, and points up the countless number of dodges which are used to fool rather than inform.

"There is terror in numbers," writes Darrell Huff in How to Lie with Statistics. And nowhere does this terror translate to blind acceptance of authority more than in the slippery world of averages, correlations, graphs, and trends. Huff sought to break through "the daze that follows the collision of statistics with the human mind" with this slim volume, first published in 1954. The book remains relevant as a wake-up call for people unaccustomed to examining the endless flow of numbers pouring from Wall Street, Madison Avenue, and everywhere else someone has an axe to grind, a point to prove, or a product to sell. "The secret language of statistics, so appealing in a fact-minded culture, is employed to sensationalize, inflate, confuse, and oversimplify," warns Huff.

Although many of the examples used in the book are charmingly dated, the cautions are timeless. Statistics are rife with opportunities for misuse, from "gee-whiz graphs" that add nonexistent drama to trends, to "results" detached from their method and meaning, to statistics' ultimate bugaboo--faulty cause-and-effect reasoning. Huff's tone is tolerant and amused, but no-nonsense. Like a lecturing father, he expects you to learn something useful from the book, and start applying it every day. Never be a sucker again, he cries!

Even if you can't find a source of demonstrable bias, allow yourself some degree of skepticism about the results as long as there is a possibility of bias somewhere. There always is.

Read How to Lie with Statistics. Whether you encounter statistics at work, at school, or in advertising, you'll remember its simple lessons. Don't be terrorized by numbers, Huff implores. "The fact is that, despite its mathematical base, statistics is as much an art as it is a science." --Therese Littleton

The History of White People

2010-04-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

The History of White People By Nell Irvin Painter

A mind-expanding and myth-destroying exploration of “whiteness”—an illuminating work on the history of race and power. Eminent historian Nell Irvin Painter tells perhaps the most important forgotten story in American history. Beginning at the roots of Western civilization, she traces the invention of the idea of a white race—often for economic, scientific, and political ends. She shows how the origins of American identity in the eighteenth century were intrinsically tied to the elevation of white skin into the embodiment of beauty, power, and intelligence; how the great American intellectuals— including Ralph Waldo Emerson—insisted that only Anglo Saxons were truly American; and how the definitions of who is “white” and who is “American” have evolved over time.

A story filled with towering historical figures, The History of White People closes an enormous gap in a literature that has long focused on the nonwhite, and it forcefully reminds us that the concept of “race” is an all-too-human invention whose meaning, importance, and reality have changed according to a long and rich history. 70 illustrations.

The Man from Beijing By Henning Mankell

2010-04-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

The acclaimed author of the Kurt Wallander mysteries, writing at the height of his powers, now gives us an electrifying stand-alone global thriller.

January 2006. In the Swedish hamlet of Hesjövallen, nineteen people have been massacred. The only clue is a red ribbon found at the scene.

Judge Birgitta Roslin has particular reason to be shocked: Her grandparents, the Andréns, are among the victims, and Birgitta soon learns that an Andrén family in Nevada has also been murdered. She then discovers the nineteenth-century diary of an Andrén ancestor—a gang master on the American transcontinental railway—that describes brutal treatment of Chinese slave workers. The police insist that only a lunatic could have committed the Hesjövallen murders, but Birgitta is determined to uncover what she now suspects is a more complicated truth.

The investigation leads to the highest echelons of power in present-day Beijing, and to Zimbabwe and Mozambique. But the narrative also takes us back 150 years into the depths of the slave trade between China and the United States—a history that will ensnare Birgitta as she draws ever closer to solving the Hesjövallen murders.

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

2010-03-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine By Michael Lewis

A brilliant account—character-rich and darkly humorous—of how the U.S. economy was driven over the cliff. Truth really is stranger than fiction. Who better than the author of the signature bestseller Liar’s Poker to explain how the event we were told was impossible—the free fall of the American economy—finally occurred; how the things that we wanted, like ridiculously easy money and greatly expanded home ownership, were vehicles for that crash; and how shareholder demand for profit forced investment executives to eat the forbidden fruit of toxic derivatives.

Michael Lewis’s splendid cast of characters includes villains, a few heroes, and a lot of people who look very, very foolish: high government officials, including the watchdogs; heads of major investment banks (some overlap here with previous category); perhaps even the face in your mirror. In this trenchant, raucous, irresistible narrative, Lewis writes of the goats and of the few who saw what the emperor was wearing, and gives them, most memorably, what they deserve. He proves yet again that he is the finest and funniest chronicler of our times.

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House Rules: A Novel

2010-03-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

House Rules: A Novel By Jodi Picoult. JODI PICOULT is the author of seventeen novels, including Handle With Care, Change of Heart, Nineteen Minutes, and My Sister's Keeper, now a major motion picture. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children. Visit her website at www.jodipicoult.com.

They tell me I'm lucky to have a son who's so verbal, who is blisteringly intelligent, who can take apart the broken microwave and have it working again an hour later. They think there is no greater hell than having a son who is locked in his own world, unaware that there's a wider one to explore. But try having a son who is locked in his own world, and still wants to make a connection. A son who tries to be like everyone else, but truly doesn't know how.

Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject -- in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's -- not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect -- can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight shining directly on them. For his mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication of why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And over this small family the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

Emotionally powerful from beginning to end, House Rules looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way -- and fails those who don't.

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Son of Hamas

2010-03-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices By Mosab Hassan Yousef. Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status . . . and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. In Son of Hamas, Mosab Yousef--now called "Joseph"--reveals new information about the world's most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to "love your enemies" is the only way to peace in the Middle East.

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Wench: A Novel By Dolen Perkins-Valdez

2010-03-05T00:04:00.000-08:00

Tawawa House in many respects is like any other American resort before the Civil War. Situated in Ohio, this idyllic retreat is particularly nice in the summer when the Southern humidity is too much to bear. The main building, with its luxurious finishes, is loftier than the white cottages that flank it, but then again, the smaller structures are better positioned to catch any breeze that may come off the pond. And they provide more privacy, which best suits the needs of the Southern white men who vacation there every summer with their black, enslaved mistresses. It's their open secret.

Lizzie, Reenie, and Sweet are regulars at Tawawa House. They have become friends over the years as they reunite and share developments in their own lives and on their respective plantations. They don't bother too much with questions of freedom, though the resort is situated in free territory–but when truth-telling Mawu comes to the resort and starts talking of running away, things change.

To run is to leave behind everything these women value most–friends and families still down South–and for some it also means escaping from the emotional and psychological bonds that bind them to their masters. When a fire on the resort sets off a string of tragedies, the women of Tawawa House soon learn that triumph and dehumanization are inseparable and that love exists even in the most inhuman, brutal of circumstances–all while they are bearing witness to the end of an era.

An engaging, page-turning, and wholly original novel, Wench explores, with an unflinching eye, the moral complexities of slavery.

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Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage By Elizabeth Gilbert

2010-03-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

At the end of her bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who’d been living in Indonesia when they met. Resettling in America, the couple swore eternal fidelity to each other, but also swore to never, ever, under any circumstances get legally married. (Both were survivors of previous bad divorces. Enough said.) But providence intervened one day in the form of the United States government, which—after unexpectedly detaining Felipe at an American border crossing—gave the couple a choice: they could either get married, or Felipe would never be allowed to enter the country again. Having been effectively sentenced to wed, Gilbert tackled her fears of marriage by delving into this topic completely, trying with all her might to discover through historical research, interviews, and much personal reflection what this stubbornly enduring old institution actually is. Told with Gilbert’s trademark wit, intelligence and compassion, Committed attempts to “turn on all the lights” when it comes to matrimony, frankly examining questions of compatibility, infatuation, fidelity, family tradition, social expectations, divorce risks and humbling responsibilities. Gilbert’s memoir is ultimately a clear-eyed celebration of love with all the complexity and consequence that real love, in the real world, actually entails.

Elizabeth Gilbert is an award-winning writer of both fiction and non-fiction. Her short story collection Pilgrims was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award, and her novel Stern Men was a New York Times notable book. In 2002, she published The Last American Man, which was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critic’s Circle Award. She is best known for her 2006 memoir Eat, Pray, Love, which was published in more than thirty languages.

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I Am Ozzy

2010-03-01T15:58:00.000-08:00

I Am Ozzy By Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy Osbourne was born in Aston, Birmingham, in 1948. He has sold over a hundred million records both with Black Sabbath and as an award-winning solo artist. He has five children and lives with his wife, Sharon, in California and Buckinghamshire.

"They've said some crazy things about me over the years. I mean, okay: 'He bit the head off a bat.' Yes. 'He bit the head off a dove.' Yes. But then you hear things like, 'Ozzy went to the show last night, but he wouldn't perform until he'd killed fifteen puppies . . .' Now me, kill fifteen puppies? I love puppies. I've got eighteen of the f**king things at home. I've killed a few cows in my time, mind you. And the chickens. I shot the chickens in my house that night.

It haunts me, all this crazy stuff. Every day of my life has been an event. I took lethal combinations of booze and drugs for thirty f**king years. I survived a direct hit by a plane, suicidal overdoses, STDs. I've been accused of attempted murder. Then I almost died while riding over a bump on a quad bike at f**king two miles per hour.

People ask me how come I'm still alive, and I don't know what to say. When I was growing up, if you'd have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us was gonna make it to the age of sixty, which one of us would end up with five kids and four grandkids and houses in Buckinghamshire and Beverly Hills, I wouldn't have put money on me, no f**king way. But here I am: ready to tell my story, in my own words, for the first time.

A lot of it ain't gonna be pretty. I've done some bad things in my time. I've always been drawn to the dark side, me. But I ain't the devil. I'm just John Osbourne: a working-class kid from Aston, who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time."

Young Gun: The Biography of Cesc Fabregas

2010-02-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

Young Gun: The Biography of Cesc Fabregas By Tom Oldfield. Francesc Fàbregas Soler—know to soccer fans worldwide as Cesc Fàbregas—is one of the most exciting young talents in the sport today. A gifted playmaker with a maturity beyond his years, he has already established himself as a vital part of the Arsenal first team, bringing skill, vision, and incredible creativity to Arsène Wenger’s young side.

Born in Catalonia, Spain, in 1987, Fàbregas began his career as a trainee at DC Barcelona, where he was a prolific goalscorer for the youth team. Signed by Arsenal at the age of just 16, Fàbregas became the youngest player to turn out for the Gunners, at 16 years and 177 days. He went on to break more records, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the history of the club when he found the net in Arsenal’s 5–1 League Cup victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Arsène Wenger had intended Fàbregas to hone his skills in League Cup games but injuries to Patrick Vieira, Edu, and Gilberto Silva in 2004 gave him the chance to break into the first team and prove himself at the highest level. After becoming the second youngest player ever to score a Champions League goal, he rounded off the 2004/5 season by winning his first honours with Arsenal, starting for the club in the FA Cup final where they beat Manchester Unites on penalties.

When Patrick Vieira signed for Juventus in 2005, Fàbregas began to feature more regularly in the Arsenal midfield. Although there were concerns that he lacked the power and aggression to replace the fiery Frenchman, he soon developed his own playing style and proved to fans, pundits, and opposition players that he was a force to be reckoned with. His obvious flair for the game earned him a place in the Spanish national team, and he became the youngest Spanish player to take part in the World Cup during the 2006 finals.

Despite interest from several top clubs, including Real Madrid, Fàbregas was determined to stay with Arsenal, and his loyalty was rewarded with an eight-year extension to his contract. Fàbregas is now seen as a talisman, revered by fans and lauded by commentators, His amazing story shows how he had matured into a strong, charismatic soccer player who many believe can inspire Arsène Wenger’s rejuvenated Arsenal team to take their place at the very top of the English game.

About the Author

Tom Oldfield is the author of Arsene Wenger, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gary Neville, and Rafael Nadal.

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The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

2010-02-24T05:43:00.000-08:00

Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over a million and a half copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has already established itself as a modern classic, universally admired. Paulo Coelho's charming fable, now available in English for the first time, will enchant and inspire an even wider audience of readers for generations to come.

The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist.

The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams.

The Alchemist

Imperfect Birds: A Novel

2010-02-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

Imperfect Birds: A Novel By Anne Lamott. A powerful and redemptive novel of love and family, from the author of the bestselling Blue Shoe, Grace (Eventually), and Operating Instructions.

Rosie Ferguson is seventeen and ready to enjoy the summer before her senior year of high school. She's intelligent-she aced AP physics; athletic-a former state-ranked tennis doubles champion; and beautiful. She is, in short, everything her mother, Elizabeth, hoped she could be. The family's move to Landsdale, with stepfather James in tow, hadn't been as bumpy as Elizabeth feared.

But as the school year draws to a close, there are disturbing signs that the life Rosie claims to be leading is a sham, and that Elizabeth's hopes for her daughter to remain immune from the pull of the darker impulses of drugs and alcohol are dashed. Slowly and against their will, Elizabeth and James are forced to confront the fact that Rosie has been lying to them-and that her deceptions will have profound consequences.

This is Anne Lamott's most honest and heartrending novel yet, exploring our human quest for connection and salvation as it reveals the traps that can befall all of us.

About the Author
Anne Lamott is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Grace (Eventually), Plan B, Traveling Mercies, and Operating Instructions, as well as seven novels, including Rosie and Crooked Little Heart. She is a past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.

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The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

2010-02-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals By Michael Pollan. A national bestseller that has changed the way readers view the ecology of eating, this revolutionary book by award winner Michael Pollan asks the seemingly simple question: What should we have for dinner? Tracing from source to table each of the food chains that sustain us— whether industrial or organic, alternative or processed—he develops a portrait of the American way of eating. The result is a sweeping, surprising exploration of the hungers that have shaped our evolution, and of the profound implications our food choices have for the health of our species and the future of our planet.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Oprah: A Biography

2010-02-16T17:12:00.000-08:00

Oprah: A Biography By Kitty Kelley. Based on three years of research and reporting as well as 850 interviews with sources, many of whom have never before spoken for publication, Oprah is the first comprehensive biography of one of the most influential, powerful, and admired public figures of our time, by the most widely read biographer of our era. Anyone who is a fan of Oprah Winfrey or who has followed her extraordinary life and career will be fascinated and newly informed by the closely observed, detailed, and well-rounded portrait of her provided by Kitty Kelley’s exhaustively researched book. Readers will come away with a greater appreciation of who Oprah really is beyond her public persona and a fuller understanding of her important place in American cultural history.

About the Author
Among the awards that Kitty Kelley has been honored with by her professional peers are the Outstanding Author Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors for her "courageous writing on popular culture," the Philip M. Stern Award for her "outstanding service to writers and the writing profession," the Medal of Merit from the Lotos Club in New York City, and the 2005 PEN Oakland Literary Censorship Award. She has also been selected as a member of Vanity Fair magazine’s Hall of Fame. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, People, Ladies’ Home Journal, McCall’s, the Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Tribune.

Oprah: A Biography
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Very Valentine: A Novel

2010-02-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

Very Valentine: A Novel By Adriana Trigiani.

The Angelini Shoe Company, one of the last family-owned businesses in Greenwich Village, has been making exquisite wedding shoes since 1903 but now teeters on the brink of financial collapse. To save their business from ruin, thirty-three-year-old Valentine Roncalli—apprentice to and granddaughter of master artisan Teodora Angelini—must bring the family's old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century. Juggling her budding romance with dashing chef Roman Falconi, her duty to her family, and a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store, Valentine returns to Italy with her grandmother in a quest to build a pair of glorious shoes to beat their rivals. And in the course of discovering her true artistic voice and so much more in la bella Italia, Valentine will be turning her life and the business upside down in ways she never expected.

A Note from Adriana Trigiani:
The story of this novel began with a lady on a roof. Every morning, I head over to the Hudson River Park for fresh air and a run (just found out the exhaust fumes of the West Side Highway could kill me more quickly than lack of exercise, go figure), and I became obsessed with a woman living on one of the last small buildings facing the river amidst the “progress” of glamorous high-rises and hotels. I’d wonder, “Why does she stay?” Most summer mornings she was in her housecoat tending to tomato plants that line the fence of her rooftop. I never waved or rang her bell, but I connected to her. She reminded me of my grandmothers, who had their own gardens, and for most of their widowed lives, lived alone. I began to look for the woman, and when I saw her, I felt relieved, as though life wasn’t really racing by, and that the past was somehow, in the form of this lady, still alive.

This lady, whose name I do not know and whom I have never met, brought me to the story of Carlo Bonicelli, my grandfather, a shoemaker. I keep a photograph of him on my desk to remind me of the artisans that came before me. (It’s a crowded desktop; those of you who read Lucia, Lucia know about the seamstresses in my family!)

My grandfather Carlo died when he was thirty-nine years old. My grandmother told me that while he repaired shoes and built them, his dream was to design them. He did not live long enough to see his dream materialize. With my grandmother gone, I asked my mother about him, about his work. This wasn’t easy, as my mom cries whenever she talks about her father. As those of you dutiful children out there know, when our mothers cry, it’s like somebody’s plunging a knife into our chests. But this time, I asked her not to cry, and she told me the story of the Bonicelli shoes. Then I went to Italy with my dear pal Gina Casella, (with our five-year-old daughters in tow) to learn how to make shoes. I met a few of the great artisans, who became the inspiration for the shoemakers in this novel.

The trip changed my creative life, but it also changed the substance and course of this story. I come from people who survived by the labor of their own hands in a glorious country of their choice (our United States). I always knew this, but now I understand it. I only live as an artist because they gave me their stories, and because you read them. So, Dear Reader (love it--so Jane Austen!), Very Valentine is for you. It’s about all of us: our family dynamics, our dreams, our luck or lack of it in matters of the heart, and how we negotiate going forward, in a world that’s moving so fast, even a stroll is now a blur. This is the first of three books about Valentine Roncalli and her family of shoemakers. When I wrote it, I wanted to bring you old world craftsmanship, the magical setting of Greenwich Village, in a contemporary family saga told in vivid detail. I hope you enjoy it.

source

The Archaeology of Knowledge & The Discourse on Language

2010-02-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

Published in 1969, this volume was Foucault's main excursion into methodology, written as an appendix of sorts to Les Mots et les choses. It makes references to Anglo-American analytical philosophy, particularly speech act theory.

Foucault directs his analysis toward the "statement" (énoncé), the basic unit of discourse. "Statement" has a very special meaning in the Archaeology: it denotes that which makes propositions, utterances, or speech acts meaningful. In contrast to classic structuralists, Foucault does not believe that the meaning of semantic elements is determined prior to their articulation. In this understanding, statements themselves are not propositions, utterances, or speech acts. Rather, statements constitute a network of rules establishing what is meaningful, and these rules are the preconditions for propositions, utterances, or speech acts to have meaning. However, statements are also 'events', because, like other rules, they appear at some time. Depending on whether or not it complies with these rules of meaning, a grammatically correct sentence may still lack meaning and, inversely, a grammatically incorrect sentence may still be meaningful. Statements depend on the conditions in which they emerge and exist within a field of discourse; the meaning of a statement is reliant on the succession of statements that precede and follow it. Foucault aims his analysis towards a huge organised dispersion of statements, called discursive formations. Foucault reiterates that the analysis he is outlining is only one possible procedure, and that he is not seeking to displace other ways of analysing discourse or render them as invalid.

According to Dreyfus and Rabinow, Foucault not only brackets out issues of truth (cf. Husserl), he also brackets out issues of meaning. Rather than looking for a deeper meaning underneath discourse or looking for the source of meaning in some transcendental subject, Foucault analyzes the discursive and practical conditions for the existence of truth and meaning. In order to show the principles of meaning and truth production in various discursive formations he details how truth claims emerge during various epochs on the basis of what was actually said and written during these periods of time. He particularly describes the Renaissance, the Age of Enlightenment, and the 20th century. He strives to avoid all interpretation and to depart from the goals of hermeneutics. This does not mean that Foucault denounces truth and meaning, but just that truth and meaning depend on the historical discursive and practical means of truth and meaning production. For instance, although they were radically different during Enlightenment as opposed to Modernity, there were indeed meaning, truth and correct treatment of madness during both epochs (Madness and Civilization). This posture allows Foucault to denounce a priori concepts of the nature of the human subject and focus on the role of discursive practices in constituting subjectivity.

Dispensing with finding a deeper meaning behind discourse appears to lead Foucault toward structuralism. However, whereas structuralists search for homogeneity in a discursive entity, Foucault focuses on differences. Instead of asking what constitutes the specificity of European thought he asks what constitutes the differences developed within it and over time. Therefore, as a historical method, he refuses to examine statements outside of their historical context: the discursive formation. The meaning of a statement depends on the general rules that characterise the discursive formation to which it belongs. A discursive formation continually generates new statements, and some of these usher in changes in the discursive formation that may or may not be adopted. Therefore, to describe a discursive formation, Foucault also focuses on expelled and forgotten discourses that never happen to change the discursive formation. Their difference to the dominant discourse also describe it. In this way one can describe specific systems that determine which types of statements emerge. In his Foucault (1986), Deleuze describes The Archaeology of Knowledge as "the most decisive step yet taken in the theory-practice of multiplicities."

from wikipedia

The Archaeology of Knowledge & The Discourse on Language

A Patriot's History of the United States

2010-02-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

A Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror By Larry Schweikart, Michael Allen.

For the past three decades, many history professors have allowed their biases to distort the way America’s past is taught. These intellectuals have searched for instances of racism, sexism, and bigotry in our history while downplaying the greatness of America’s patriots and the achievements of "dead white men."

As a result, more emphasis is placed on Harriet Tubman than on George Washington; more about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II than about D-Day or Iwo Jima; more on the dangers we faced from Joseph McCarthy than those we faced from Josef Stalin.

A Patriot’s History of the United States corrects those doctrinaire biases. In this groundbreaking book, America’s discovery, founding, and development are reexamined with an appreciation for the elements of public virtue, personal liberty, and private property that make this nation uniquely successful. This book offers a long-overdue acknowledgment of America’s true and proud history.

source

The Historian

2010-02-10T17:22:00.000-08:00

The Historian By Elizabeth Kostova.

DESCRIPTION: In this riveting debut of breathtaking scope, a young girl discovers her father's darkest secret and embarks on a harrowing journey across Europe to complete the quest he never could -- to find history's most legendary fiend: Dracula. When a motherless American girl living in Europe finds a medieval book and a package of letters, all addressed ominously to "My dear and unfortunate successor..." she begins to unravel a thread that leads back to her father's past, his mentor's career, and an evil hidden in the depths of historyN. In those few quiet moments, she unwittingly assumes a quest she will discover is her birthright: a hunt that nearly brought her father to ruin and may have claimed the life of his adviser and dear friend, history professor Bartholomew Rossi. What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler, the historical Dracula, have to do with the 20th century? Is it possible that Dracula has lived on in the modern world? And why have a select few historians risked reputation, sanity, and even their lives to learn the answer? So begins an epic journey to unlock the secrets of the strange medieval book, an adventure that will carry our heroine across Europe and into the past -- not only to the times of Vlad's heinous reign, but to the days when her mother was alive and her father was still a vibrant young scholar. In the end, she uncovers the startling fate of Rossi, and comes face to face with the definition of evil-- to find, ultimately, that good may not always triumph.

source

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera

2010-02-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera is the first book to explore the meticulously composed and richly detailed photographs that Norman Rockwell used to create his famous artworks. Working alongside skilled photographers, Rockwell acted as director, carefully orchestrating models, selecting props, and choosing locations for the photographs--works of art in their own right--that served as the basis of his iconic images. Readers will be surprised to find that many of his most memorable characters-the girl at the mirror, the young couple on prom night, the family on vacation-were friends and neighbors who served as his amateur models. In this groundbreaking book, author and historian Ron Schick delves into the archive of nearly 20,000 photographs housed at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Featuring reproductions of Rockwell's black-and-white photographs and related full-color artworks, along with an incisive narrative and quotes from Rockwell models and family members, this book will intrigue anyone interested in photography, art, and Americana.

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera

Introduction to Philosophical Hermeneutics

2010-02-08T16:13:00.000-08:00

Introduction to Philosophical Hermeneutics (Yale Studies in Hermeneutics) By Jean Grondin. In this historical introduction to philosophical hermeneutics, Jean Grondin discusses the major figures from Philo to Habermas, analyzes conflicts among various interpretive schools, and provides a persuasive critique of Gadamer's view of hermeneutic history, though in other ways Gadamer's "Truth and Method" serves as a model for Grondin's approach. Grondin begins with brief overviews of the pre-19th-century thinkers Philo, Origen, Augustine, Luther, Flacius, Dannhauer, Chladenius, Meier, Rambach, Ast, and Schlegel. Next he provides more extensive treatments of such major 19th-century figures as Schleiermacher, Bockh, Droysen, and Dilthey. There are full chapters devoted to Heidegger and Gadamer as well as shorter discussions of Betti, Habermas, and Derrida. Because he is the first to pay close attention to pre-Romantic figures, Grondin is able to show that the history of hermeneutics cannot be viewed as a gradual, steady progression in the direction of complete universalization. His book makes it clear that even in the early period, hermeneutic thinkers acknowledged a universal aspect in interpretation that long before Schleiermacher, hermeneutics was philosophical and not merely practical. In revising and correcting the standard account, Grondin's book is not merely introductory but revisionary, suitable for beginners as well as advanced students in the field.

Introduction to Philosophical Hermeneutics (Yale Studies in Hermeneutics)

Hermeneutics: An Introduction By Anthony C. Thiselton

2010-02-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

Hermeneutics: An Introduction By Anthony C. Thiselton. Anthony Thiselton here brings together his encyclopedic knowledge of hermeneutics and his nearly four decades of teaching on the subject to provide a splendid interdisciplinary textbook. After a thorough historical overview of hermeneutics, Thiselton moves into modern times with extensive analysis of scholarship from the mid-twentieth century, including liberation and feminist theologies, reader-response and reception theory, and postmodernism. No other text on hermeneutics covers the range of writers and subjects discussed in Thiselton’s Hermeneutics.

Anthony Thiselton is professor of Christian theology at the University of Nottingham. His other books include The Promise of Hermeneutics and The Hermeneutics of Doctrine (both Eerdmans).

Foucault's Pendulum

2010-02-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

Foucault's Pendulum is a novel by Italian novelist and philosopher Umberto Eco. It was first published in 1988. Foucault's Pendulum is divided into ten segments represented by the ten Sefiroth. The novel is full of esoteric references to the Kabbalah, alchemy and conspiracy theory, so many that critic and novelist Anthony Burgess suggested that it needed an index. The title of the book refers to an actual pendulum designed by the French physicist Léon Foucault to demonstrate the rotation of the earth, which has symbolic significance within the novel. Although some believe it refers to the philosopher Michel Foucault, Eco "specifically rejects any intentional reference to Michel Foucault". (wikipedia)

Bored with their work, three Milanese editors cook up "the Plan," a hoax that connects the medieval Knights Templar with other occult groups from ancient to modern times. This produces a map indicating the geographical point from which all the powers of the earth can be controlled—a point located in Paris, France, at Foucault’s Pendulum. But in a fateful turn the joke becomes all too real, and when occult groups, including Satanists, get wind of the Plan, they go so far as to kill one of the editors in their quest to gain control of the earth.

Orchestrating these and other diverse characters into his multilayered semiotic adventure, Eco has created a superb cerebral entertainment.

Foucault's Pendulum

The Name of the Rose

Lolita By Vladimir Nabokov

2010-02-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

When it was published in 1955, Lolita immediately became a cause célèbre because of the freedom and sophistication with which it handled the unusual erotic predilections of its protagonist. But Vladimir Nabokov's wise, ironic, elegant masterpiece owes its stature as one of the twentieth century's novels of record not to the controversy its material aroused but to its author's use of that material to tell a love story almost shocking in its beauty and tenderness.

Awe and exhilaration–along with heartbreak and mordant wit–abound in this account of the aging Humbert Humbert's obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze. Lolita is also the story of a hypercivilized European colliding with the cheerful barbarism of postwar America, but most of all, it is a meditation on love–love as outrage and hallucination, madness and transformation.

Lolita

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

2010-02-02T22:45:00.000-08:00

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food By Mark Bittman.

The ultimate one-stop vegetarian cookbook-from the author of the classic How to Cook Everything

Hailed as "a more hip Joy of Cooking" by the Washington Post, Mark Bittman's award-winning book How to Cook Everything has become the bible for a new generation of home cooks, and the series has more than 1 million copies in print. Now, with How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian, Bittman has written the definitive guide to meatless meals-a book that will appeal to everyone who wants to cook simple but delicious meatless dishes, from health-conscious omnivores to passionate vegetarians.

How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian includes more than 2,000 recipes and variations-far more than any other vegetarian cookbook. As always, Bittman's recipes are refreshingly straightforward, resolutely unfussy, and unfailingly delicious-producing dishes that home cooks can prepare with ease and serve with confidence. The book covers the whole spectrum of meatless cooking-including salads, soups, eggs and dairy, vegetables and fruit, pasta, grains, legumes, tofu and other meat substitutes, breads, condiments, desserts, and beverages. Special icons identify recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less and in advance, as well as those that are vegan. Illustrated throughout with handsome line illustrations and brimming with Bittman's lucid, opinionated advice on everything from selecting vegetables to preparing pad Thai, How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian truly makes meatless cooking more accessible than ever.

Praise for How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

"Mark Bittman's category lock on definitive, massive food tomes continues with this well-thought-out ode to the garden and beyond. Combining deep research, tasty information, and delicious easy-to-cook recipes is Mark's forte and everything I want to cook is in here, from chickpea fries to cheese soufflés."
—Mario Batali, chef, author, and entrepreneur

"How do you make an avid meat eater (like me) fall in love with vegetarian cooking? Make Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian part of your culinary library."
—Bobby Flay, chef/owner of Mesa Grill and Bar Americain and author of the Mesa Grill Cookbook

"Recipes that taste this good aren't supposed to be so healthy. Mark Bittman makes being a vegetarian fun."
—Dr. Mehmet Oz, Professor of Surgery, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia Medical Center and coauthor of You: The Owner's Manual

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food

On the Brink

2010-02-02T16:19:00.000-08:00

On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System By Henry M. Paulson.

Fast-paced and dramatic re-telling of the financial crisis that nearly bought the developed world to its knees. Hank Paulson was without doubt at the absolute epicentre of the recent economic storm, and his account of how he dealt with the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression will make for absolutely fascinating reading. The book contains all the decisive moments in the economic crisis, including the pivotal meetings with mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as Paulson's personal recollections of and conversations with President Bush, President Obama, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and current Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. As well as detailing the major decisions taken during the height of the crisis, Paulson will also put forth the policies he believes need to be implemented to take us securely into the future.

On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System

Madame Bovary

2010-02-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

Madame Bovary By Gustave Flaubert.

Sensuous, romantic young Emma Bovary is dissatisfied with her humdrum married life. Seeking passion, she drifts into a series of sordid affairs. Her inevitable disillusionment leads ultimately to her doom. A brilliant psychological portrait, Madame Bovary searingly depicts the human mind in search of transcendence. Acclaimed as a masterpiece upon its publication in 1857, it catapulted Flaubert to the ranks of the world's greatest novelists and ushered in a new age of realism in literature. .

Eminent French writer Flaubert is regarded as one of the masters of the realistic novel. Craftsman extraordinaire, Flaubert is known for the flawless perfection of his style. His novels are considered the most well-crafted of any of the French realists.

The Guide to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol

2010-01-25T23:09:00.000-08:00

The Guide to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol: Freemasonry, Noetic Science, and the Hidden History of America By Greg Taylor.

Did you know that many of America's Founding Fathers were not Christians, but were members of a well-known secret society? Or that the two mainstream Presidential candidates in the 2004 election were both initiated into the same exclusive secret organization, which goes under the name of 'Skull and Bones'? And how exactly did the esoteric symbolism on the dollar bill come to be put there? 'The Guide to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol' is the ultimate source for further information on the intriguing topics discussed in the long-awaited sequel to 'The Da Vinci Code'. The Guide will reveal to readers the fascinating truth about the hidden history of America and influence of Freemasonry upon the founding of the nation, the bizarre modern research unveiling the mysteries of the human mind, and the esoteric traditions from the ancient world which continue to influence some of the world's most powerful individuals.

The Guide to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol: Freemasonry, Noetic Science, and the Hidden History of America

Beyond Good and Evil

2010-01-24T16:57:00.000-08:00

Beyond Good and Evil By Friedrich Nietzsche. In the book the philosopher attempts to systematically sum up his philosophy through a collection of 296 aphorisms grouped into nine different chapters based on their common theme. For the reader who has yet to discover Nietzsche in this translation by Helen Zimmern will be found a fabulous introduction. For those who have already discovered Nietzsche here you will find the opportunity to understand the whole of Nietzsche's philosophy.

Beyond Good and Evil

The 2012 Story: The Myths, Fallacies, and Truth Behind the Most Intriguing Date in History

2010-01-19T15:32:00.000-08:00

The 2012 Story: The Myths, Fallacies, and Truth Behind the Most Intriguing Date in History By John Major Jenkins. On December 21, 2012, the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, a 5,125- year cycle calendar system pioneered by the Maya, will come to an end. At the same time, the earth, the sun, and the center of the galaxy will come together in an extremely rare cosmic alignment. More and more people believe that the world as we know it will experience a transformation in 2012, but few are aware of the complete history or significance of the date. John Major Jenkins, among the most authoritative voices of the 2012 movement, has written a definitive explanation of one of the most thought-provoking phenomena of our time. Drawing from his own groundbreaking research (including his involvement in the modern reconstruction of Mayan 2012 cosmology) and more than two decades of extensive study of Mayan culture, Jenkins has created the crucial guide to understanding the story of 2012-an essential overview of the history, theory, cultures, and personalities that have brought this extraordinary idea into modern awareness. Jenkins provides illuminating answers to some of the most-asked questions about 2012, including:
- How did the early Maya devise the calendar that gives us the cycle ending in 2012, and how does it work?
- How did the calendar come to be rediscovered and reconstructed in our era?
- What controversies and intrigues surround the topic, and what do scholars and researchers have to say about them?
- How can we cut through all the noise about 2012 and gain true wisdom from the Mayan teachings about this moment?

The 2012 Story: The Myths, Fallacies, and Truth Behind the Most Intriguing Date in History

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime

2010-01-15T16:18:00.000-08:00

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime By John Heilemann, Mark Halperin

"This shit would be really interesting if we weren't in the middle of it."
—Barack Obama, September 2008

In 2008, the presidential election became blockbuster entertainment. Everyone was watching as the race for the White House unfolded like something from the realm of fiction. The meteoric rise and historic triumph of Barack Obama. The shocking fall of the House of Clinton—and the improbable resurrection of Hillary as Obama's partner and America's face to the world. The mercurial performance of John McCain and the mesmerizing emergence of Sarah Palin. But despite the wall-to-wall media coverage of this spellbinding drama, remarkably little of the real story behind the headlines has yet been told.

In Game Change, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, two of the country's leading political reporters, use their unrivaled access to pull back the curtain on the Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Palin campaigns. How did Obama convince himself that, despite the thinness of his résumé, he could somehow beat the odds to become the nation's first African American president? How did the tumultuous relationship between the Clintons shape—and warp—Hillary's supposedly unstoppable bid? What was behind her husband's furious outbursts and devastating political miscalculations? Why did McCain make the novice governor of Alaska his running mate? And was Palin merely painfully out of her depth—or troubled in more serious ways?

Game Change answers those questions and more, laying bare the secret history of the 2008 campaign. Heilemann and Halperin take us inside the Obama machine, where staffers referred to the candidate as "Black Jesus." They unearth the quiet conspiracy in the U.S. Senate to prod Obama into the race, driven in part by the fears of senior Democrats that Bill Clinton's personal life might cripple Hillary's presidential prospects. They expose the twisted tale of John Edwards's affair with Rielle Hunter, the truth behind the downfall of Rudy Giuliani, and the doubts of those responsible for vetting Palin about her readiness for the Republican ticket—along with the McCain campaign staff's worries about her fitness for office. And they reveal how, in an emotional late-night phone call, Obama succeeded in wooing Clinton, despite her staunch resistance, to become his secretary of state.

Based on hundreds of interviews with the people who lived the story, Game Change is a reportorial tour de force that reads like a fast-paced novel. Character driven and dialogue rich, replete with extravagantly detailed scenes, this is the occasionally shocking, often hilarious, ultimately definitive account of the campaign of a lifetime.

John Heilemann is the national political correspondent and columnist for New York magazine. An award-winning journalist and the author of Pride Before the Fall: The Trials of Bill Gates and the End of the Microsoft Era, he is a former staff writer for The New Yorker, Wired, and The Economist. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Mark Halperin is editor-at-large and senior political analyst for Time magazine. He is the author of The Undecided Voter’s Guide to the Next President and the coauthor of The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008. He has covered six presidential elections, including during his decade as the political director for ABC News. He lives in Manhattan.

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime

Arsene Wenger: Pure Genius

2010-01-13T23:19:00.000-08:00

Few can match the tremendous impact that Arsene Wenger has had since his arrival at Arsenal. In his 12 seasons at the club, the world-class Frenchman has developed the Gunners into a team capable of challenging for top domestic and European honors every year. His three Premiership titles—two of which came in Double winning campaigns—are evidence of Wenger's unique tactical skill and his famous ability to spot talented young spccer players. After a modest playing career in France, Wenger gained managerial experience in his homeland with Nancy and Monaco before taking on a stint at Japanese side Grampus Eight. The lure of the English league, though, was too strong in 1996 and Arsene agreed to fill the vacant post at Highbury. Arriving almost unknown to English football, his incredible achievements since then have shown that Arsene at Arsenal was indeed destined to be a successful fit. Inspiring the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, and Thierry Henry to produce the best form of their careers, Wenger has led the club to Premiership triumphs in 1997/98, 2001/02 and 2003/04 as well as the 2006 Champions League final. He is the only foreign manager ever to have won the English Double, and in 2004 guided his cosmopolitan team through a whole season without a single league loss. The current crop of players are performing so well under his expert tutelage that 2007/08 could be another momentous campaign for the Gallic genius. The phenomenal Gunners boss, nicknamed The Professor, has signed a new contract which commits him to the club until 2011 and Arsenal fans can look forward to a bright red future. This fully up-to-date biography tells the full story of one of world soccer's leading masterminds.

Arsene Wenger: Pure Genius By Tom Oldfield. Tom Oldfield is a freelance sports writer specialising in football. He has written for several national newspapers and magazines. A graduate of the University of Nottingham, he is a lifelong football fan and played many years of youth football. This is his third book. He is also the author of Gary Neville: The Story of a Legend and Cristiano Ronaldo: The True Story of the Greatest Footballer on Earth, published by John Blake Publishing.

Arsene Wenger: Pure Genius

History as the Story of Liberty

2010-01-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

History as the Story of Liberty by Benedetto Croce. Written in 1938 when the Western world had succumbed to the notion that history is a creature of blind force. A reviewer at the time noted the importance of Croce's belief that "the central trend in the evolution of man is the unfolding of new potentialities, and that the task of the historian is to discover and emphasise this trend: the story of liberty". As Croce himself writes, "Even in the darkest and crassest times liberty trembles in the lines of poets and affirms itself in the pages of thinkers and burns, solitary and magnificent, in some men who cannot be assimilated by the world around them." The first edition in English of "History as the Story of Liberty" appeared in London in 1941. The new Liberty Fund edition includes modest improvements to the translation by Folke Leander and arranged by Claes Ryn.

Benedetto Croce (1866-1952), an Italian critic, philosopher, politician, historian. Croce deeply influenced aesthetic thought in the first half of the 20th century. Benedetto Croce is one of the few living philosophers who have won recognition beyond the borders of their own country. He was born in Pescasseroli, Abruzzi, into a moderately wealthy land-owning family.

History as the Story of Liberty

My Philosophy

Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife

2010-01-12T05:33:00.000-08:00

Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife By Francine Prose. In June 1942, Anne Frank received a red-and-white- checked diary for her thirteenth birthday, just weeks before she and her family went into hiding in an Amsterdam attic to escape the Nazis. For two years, with ever-increasing maturity, Anne crafted a memoir that has become one of the most compelling documents of modern history. She described life in vivid, unforgettable detail, explored apparently irreconcilable views of human nature—people are good at heart but capable of unimaginable evil—and grappled with the unfolding events of World War II, until the hidden attic was raided in August 1944.

But Anne Frank's diary, argues Francine Prose, is as much a work of art as a historical record. Through close reading, she marvels at the teenage Frank's skillfully natural narrative voice, at her finely tuned dialogue and ability to turn living people into characters. And Prose addresses what few of the diary's millions of readers may know: this book is a deliberate work of art. During her last months in hiding, Anne Frank furiously revised and edited her work, crafting a piece of literature that she had hoped would be read by the public after the war.

Read it has been. Few books have been as influential for as long, and Prose thoroughly investigates the diary's unique afterlife: the obstacles and criticism Otto Frank faced in publishing his daughter's words; the controversy surrounding the diary's Broadway and film adaptations; and the claims of conspiracy theorists who have cried fraud, along with the scientific analysis that proved them wrong. Finally, Prose, a teacher herself, considers the rewards and challenges of sharing one of the world's most read, and most banned, books with students.

How has the life and death of one girl become emblematic of the lives and deaths of so many, and why do her words continue to inspire? Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife tells the extraordinary story of the book that became a force in the world. Along the way, Francine Prose definitively establishes that Anne Frank was not an accidental author or a casual teenaged chronicler, but a writer of prodigious talent and ambition.

Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife
Diary of Anne Frank (Imprint Books)
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised Critical Edition

How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times and Bad

2010-01-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times and Bad By William O'Neil.

Anyone can learn to invest wisely with this bestselling investment system!

Through every type of market, William J. O’Neil’s national bestseller, How to Make Money in Stocks, has shown over 2 million investors the secrets to building wealth. O’Neil’s powerful CAN SLIM® Investing System—a proven 7-step process for minimizing risk and maximizing gains—has influenced generations of investors.

Based on a major study of market winners from 1880 to 2009, this expanded edition gives you:

Proven techniques for finding winning stocks before they make big price gains
Tips on picking the best stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs to maximize your gains
100 new charts to help you spot today’s most profitable trends

PLUS strategies to help you avoid the 21 most common investor mistakes!

How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times and Bad, Fourth Edition

How To Win Friends and Influence People

2010-01-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

How to Win Friends and Influence People By Dale Carnegie is the first, and still the finest, book of its kind. One of the best-known motivational books in history, Dale Carnegie's groundbreaking work has sold millions of copies, has been translated into almost every known written language, and has helped countless people succeed in both their business and personal lives.

First published in 1937, Carnegie's advice has remained relevant for generations because he addresses timeless questions about the fine art of getting along with people: How can you make people like you instantly? How can you persuade people to agree with you? How can you speak frankly to people without giving offense? The ability to read others and successfully navigate any social situation is critically important to those who want to get a job, keep a job, or simply expand their social network.

The core principles of this book, originally written as a practical, working handbook on human relations, are proven effective. Carnegie explains the fundamentals of handling people with a positive approach; how to make people like you and want to help you; how to win people to your way of thinking without conflict; and how to be the kind of leader who inspires quality work, increased productivity, and high morale.

As Carnegie explains, the majority of our success in life depends on our ability to communicate and manage personal relationships effectively, whether at home or at work. How to Win Friends and Influence People will help you discover and develop the people skills you need to live well and prosper.

A Study of History by Arnold J. Toynbee

2010-01-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

Arnold Toynbee's A Study of History has been acknowledged as one of the greatest achievements of modern scholarship. A ten-volume analysis of the rise and fall of human civilizations, it is a work of breath-taking breadth and vision. D.C. Somervell's abridgement, in two volumes, of this magnificent enterprise, preserves the method, atmosphere, texture, and, in many instances, the very words of the original. Originally published in 1947 and 1957, these two volumes are themselves a great historical achievement.

Volume 1, which abridges the first six volumes of Toynbee's study, includes the Introduction, The Geneses of Civilizations, and The Disintegrations of Civilizations. Volume 2, an abridgement of Volumes VII-X, includes sections on Universal States, Universal churches, Heroic Ages, Ccontacts Between Civilizations in Space, Contacts Between Civilizations in Time, Law and Freedom in History, The Prospects of the Western Civilization, and the Conclusion.

Of Somervell's work, Toynbee wrote, "The reader now has at his command a uniform abridgement of the whole book, made by a clear mind that has not only mastered the contents but has entered into the writer's outlook and purpose."

The late Arnold Toynbee was Director of Studies at the Royal Institute of International Affairs and Research Professor of International History at the University of London and author of numerous other books, including Mankind and Mother Earth: A Narrative History of the World.

Islam at the Crossroads

2010-01-01T15:51:00.000-08:00

Islam at the Crossroads by Muhammad Asad has been published in 1934. This book was written as a plea to the Muslims to avoid a blind imitation of Western social forms and values, and to try to preserve instead their Islamic heritage which once upon a time had been responsible for the many-sided historical phenomenon comprised in the term Muslim civilisation'. It clarifies something of the tragic confusion nowadays prevailing in the Muslim world.

Muhammad Asad, born Leopold Weiss in the Polish city of Lvov in 1900, was a Jew who converted to Islam and later served as one of the first Pakistani ambassadors to the United Nations.

His travels and sojourns through Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran (he wrote many insightful articles on Shiism), and also Afghanistan and the southern Soviet Republics, were viewed with great suspicion by the Colonial Powers. One English diplomat in Saudi Arabia described him in a report as a "Bolshevik", and it is true that he took a close interest in the many liberation movements that were active at this time with the aim of freeing Muslim lands from colonial rule. He ended up in India where he met and worked alongside Muhammad Iqbal, the poet-philosopher, who had proposed the idea of an independent Muslim state in India, which later became Pakistan.

The Christmas Sweater

2009-12-22T16:49:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck, Kevin Balfe, Jason F. Wright. Based on a deeply personal true story, The Christmas Sweater is a warm and poignant tale of family, faith and forgiveness that offers us a glimpse of our own lives -- while also making us question if we really know what's most important in them.

When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Although his life had gotten harder -- and money tighter -- since his father died and the family bakery closed...Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning.

What he got from her instead was a sweater. "A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater" that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball in the corner of his room.

Scarred deeply by the realization that kids don't always get what they want, and too young to understand that he already owned life's most valuable treasures, that Christmas morning was the beginning of Eddie's dark and painful journey on the road to manhood. It will take wrestling with himself, his faith, and his family -- and the guidance of a mysterious neighbor named Russell -- to help Eddie find his path through the storm clouds of life and finally see the real significance of that simple gift his mother had crafted by hand with love in her heart.

A Global History of Modern Historiography

2009-12-20T22:25:00.000-08:00

A Global History of Modern Historiography By Georg G Iggers, Q. Edward Wang, and Supriya Mukherjee. So far histories of historiography have concentrated almost exclusively on the West. This is the first book to offer a history of modern historiography from a global perspective. Tracing the transformation of historical writings over the past two and half centuries, the book portrays the transformation of historical writings under the effect of professionalization, which served as a model not only for Western but also for much of non-Western historical studies. At the same time it critically examines the reactions in post-modern and post-colonial thought to established conceptions of scientific historiography. A main theme of the book is how historians in the non-Western world not only adopted or adapted Western ideas, but also explored different approaches rooted in their own cultures.

About the Author

Georg Iggers is a distinguished professor emeritus from the State University of New York. He is a respected academic who has taught in the US, Asia and Europe. From 1995 - 2000 he was president of the International Commission for the History and Theory of Historiography. Having fled the Nazi’s as a child, he has been active in the Civil Rights movement in the US

Q. Edward Wang is professor and chairperson of the History Department at Rown University in Glassboro New Jersey. His main field is Asian history, but he has also taught courses on Western Civilization and Historiography and Historical Methods.

Supriya Mukherjee teaches at the University of Memphis with a focus on the history of the German Kaiserreich and Weimar periods, Contemporary History, and modern Indian issues.

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The Real Arsenal: From Chapman to Wenger - The Unofficial Story

2009-12-19T12:15:00.000-08:00

In this fascinating account that could be seen as a corrective but a companion to the author's official, widely praised, The Arsenal Stadium History, Brian Glanville takes us on a spellbinding tour through the history of the Gunners' triumphs, disappointments, the highs and the lows. New light is thrown on the complex character of Tom Whittaker, the man who revolutionised physiotherapy and training at Arsenal in the 20s and 30s. And, the complex and domineering chairman, Sir Henry Morris, seen as the true architect of Arsenal's fortunes and who took the Gunners across the Thames, brought Herbert Chapman to manage at Highbury and was ultimately disgraced by a scam involving the team's bus. The incomparable manager Chapman is re-assessed in terms of his achievements as well as his deficiencies - not least over the highly contentious 1937 record GBP14000 transfer of Bryn Jones. And so it continues, from the real story behind Alec Stock, ultra-pragmatic but ultimately greedy George Graham, right up to Arsene Wenger and all his intriguing ambiguity and bold transformations. And in between a panoply of heroes, from Charlie Buchan to the dazzling foreign talent of contemporary Arsenal, such as Vieira, Henry and Fabregas. A must for all football fans and Arsenal fans alike. Arsenal fan, Brian Glanville, has been The Sunday Times's ace football writer for over 30 years, has won many awards and has written for many newspapers and magazines including the Guardian, the People and World Soccer. He's published over 40 books, many on football, including the definitive The Story of the World Cup.

From Socrates to Sartre: The Philosophic Quest

2009-12-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

From Socrates To Sartre presents a rousing and readable introduction to the lives, and times of the great philosophers. This thought-provoking book takes us from the inception of Western society Plato's Athens to today when the commanding power of Marxism has captured one third of the world. T.Z. Lavine, Elton Professor of Philosophy at George Washington University, makes philosophy come alive with astonishing clarity to give us a deeper, more meaningful understanding of ourselves and our times. From Socrates To Sartre discusses Western philosophers in terms of the historical and intellectual environment which influenced them, and it connects their lasting ideas to the public and private choices we face in America today From Socrates To Sartre formed the basis for the PBS television series of the same name.

About the Author
T.Z. Lavine is currently Elton Professor of Philosophy at George Washington University. Professor Lavine received a Ph.D. from Harvard University and has received, among other awards, the Josiah Royce Fellow in Philosophy and a research fellowship in philosophy (Harvard). The author of numerous articles and books, Professor Lavine wrote and presented From Socrates to Sartre as a television series for the Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting, a series which is now included in the curriculum of the National University Consortium.

Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf

2009-12-16T14:36:00.000-08:00

Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf by Ben Hogan. Ben Hogan has long believed that any golfer with average coordination can learn to break 80 if he applies himself intelligently -- and here, with Herbert Warren Wind, and artist Anthony Ravielli, he tells you, step by step, just how to go about it.

The greatest golfer of our generation like Tiger Woods has distilled his experience as teacher, player, and observer of golf into a series of richly illustrated "visual instructions" that not only can improve your game and lower your score, but also can help you get even more fun out of what many people already think is the most enjoyable game in the world.

Each chapter, each tested "fundamental" is explained and demonstrated with amazing detail and clarity. It's as though the master himself were right there at your elbow, giving you a personal lesson with the same thought and care that has gone into his lifetime of golf.

The Modern Fundamentals of Golf is no instant and easy shortcut. There is none. But with Ben Hogan as your pro, you can master these basic movements very quickly. And then you can go on to develop a correct, powerful swing that will repeat. As Ben Hogan says, it's only then that you'll "discover golf for the first time."

The Key to The Name of the Rose

2009-12-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

The Key to The Name of the Rose by Adele J. Haft, Jane G. White, and Robert J. White is to guide the novel The Name of the Rose. I've written about The Name Of The Rose by Umberto Eco. It is an intellectual novel combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory. And it is a brilliant mystery set in a fictitious medieval monastery. The text is rich with literary, historical, and theoretical references that make it eminently re-readable.

The Key makes each reading fuller and more meaningful by helping the interested reader not merely to read but also to understand Eco's masterful work. Inspired by pleas from friends and strangers, the authors, each trained in Classics, undertook to translate and explain the Latin phrases that pepper the story. They have produced an approachable, informative guide to the book and its setting--the middle ages. The Key includes an introduction to the book, the middle ages, Umberto Eco, and philosophical and literary theories; a useful chronology; and reference notes to historical people and events.

The clear explanations of the historical setting and players will be useful to anyone interested in a general introduction to medieval history.

The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate

2009-12-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate By Gary Chapman. Are you and your spouse speaking the same language? While love is a many splendored thing, it is sometimes a very confusing thing, too. And as people come in all varieties, shapes, and sizes, so do their choices of personal expressions of love. But more often than not, the giver and the receiver express love in two different ways. This can lead to misunderstanding, quarrels, and even divorce. Quality Time Words of Affirmation Gifts Acts of Service Physical Touch Dr. Gary Chapman identifies five basic languages of love and then guides couples towards a better understanding of their unique languages of love. Learn to speak and understand your mate's love language, and in no time you will be able to effectively love and truly feel loved in return.Skillful communication is within your grasp!

Gary Chapman is the author of the New York Times bestselling The Five Love Languages book series. He is the director of Marriage and Family Life Consultants, Inc., and travels around the world presenting seminars. Gary's radio program airs on more than 100 stations. For more information, visit (www.garychapman.org.)

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How Tiger Woods Does It

2009-12-07T01:47:00.000-08:00

Few athletes in any sport have captured our imagination like Tiger Woods. His endless supply of highlight-reel shots and consistent domination of professional golf leave many of us wondering how he does it. Natural talent and a healthy killer instinct are merely the tip of the iceberg for what makes the world's greatest athlete tick. Tiger's unique personality attributes and competitive disposition set him apart from the pack. He is committed to something beyond merely winning; he's committed to the pursuit of personal excellence, and he loves all aspects of it. To truly appreciate and benefit from Tiger's example, look beyond the towering drives and fist-pumping clutch putts: How Tiger Does It goes deeper than any other volume on Tiger to unearth his personality and behavior attributes, showing you how to apply them to your own life. After reading this book, you will be able to

* Adopt a relaxed, fearless approach to competition so you can enter the zone at will
* Achieve peak performance and avoid choking in pressure-filled competitive situations
* Create life circumstances that promote complete focus, efficient time management, and optimum stress/rest balance
* Make work feel like play to realize the highest expression of your talents
* Achieve physical, mental, and emotional balance, maintaining a healthy perspective and positive attitude--win or lose

You'll learn to model Tiger through three success factors--focus, a work-play ethic, and a balanced approach--in the process banishing self-limiting beliefs, balancing killer instinct with a fearless competitive disposition, and objectively evaluating your own performance, regardless of your chosen endeavor. Golfers and nongolfers alike will enjoy an entertaining blend of Tiger anecdotes from his peers on the PGA Tour and respected observers in the media, pointed insights from a rare author who brings a world-class athletic background to his prose, and instructions on putting everything together to create your own success plan.

About the Author

Brad Kearns is a former national champion triathlete who was ranked number three in the world. A longtime writer, peak performance coach, and motivational speaker, he is the author of How Lance Does It and Breakthrough Triathlon Training. A lifelong golfer with a 3.8 handicap, Kearns was a competitor in the Southern California Junior Golf circuit when Tiger Woods first came to prominence as a young golfer. Luckily, Kearns never had to play against him.

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Shanghai Girls: A Novel

2009-12-06T02:03:00.000-08:00

A novel about two sisters, two cultures, and the struggle to find a new life in America while bound to the old, Shanghai Girls is a fresh, fascinating adventure from beloved and bestselling author Lisa See.

In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warlords. Thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Though both sisters wave off authority and tradition, they couldn’t be more different: Pearl is a Dragon sign, strong and stubborn, while May is a true Sheep, adorable and placid. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree . . . until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides.

As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life even as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in by Chinatown’s old ways and rules.

Guinness World Records 2010

2009-12-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

Guinness World Records 2010 continues to build on the intriguing, informative, inspiring and instructional records and superlatives that have made Guinness World Records one of the most famous brands and an annual best-seller around the world. Over 100 million copies have sold since the first edition was published in 1955. Nearly 4 million copies are sold every year in more than 100 countries and in 25 languages.

What's new in GWR10?...

- Free downloadable content, including videos, photographs, screensavers and interviews - 100% new photographs and fully updated records - Brilliant new "steampunk" graphic novel design - New sections and record threads celebrating the first decade of the 21st century - Top 50 Records of the Decade - Record of the Day - one for every day of the year - Unbreakable Records (those that will seemingly never be broken) - Lasts (records such as the last living survivor of the Titanic disaster, or the last known dodo) - The Name's Bond (celebrating the James Bond phenomenon) - Culture Shock (unusual rituals and festivals around the globe) - Gold (the commodity that never loses its luster) - Updated gazetteer sections covering records in all major regions of the world - Fully updated regular sections, including Space, Planet Earth, The Animal Planet, The Body, Human Achievements, Engineering and Technology, The Modern World, Arts and the Media and, of course, Sports.

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The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy

2009-12-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy By Bill Simmons. He is the author of Now I Can Die In Peace, founded the award-winning bostonsportsguy.com website, and was a writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live. He commutes between his home in Los Angeles and Fenway Park.

There is only one writer on the planet who possesses enough basketball knowledge and passion to write the definitive book on the NBA. Bill Simmons, the from-the-womb hoops addict known to millions as ESPN.com’s Sports Guy, is that writer. And The Book of Basketball is that book.

Nowhere in the roundball universe will you find another single volume that covers as much in such depth as this wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining look at the past, present, and future of pro basketball.

From the age-old question of who actually won the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the one about which team was truly the best of all time, Simmons opens–and then closes, once and for all–every major pro basketball debate. Then he takes it further by completely reevaluating not only how NBA Hall of Fame inductees should be chosen but how the institution must be reshaped from the ground up, the result being the Pyramid: Simmons’s one-of-a-kind, five-level shrine to the ninety-six greatest players in the history of pro basketball. And ultimately he takes fans to the heart of it all, as he uses a conversation with one NBA great to uncover that coveted thing: The Secret of Basketball.

Comprehensive, authoritative, controversial, hilarious, and impossible to put down (even for Celtic-haters), The Book of Basketball offers every hardwood fan a courtside seat beside the game’s finest, funniest, and fiercest chronicler, unlike tennis book.

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