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The Sword of Heaven
By Mikkel Aaland. 1999
"Any attempt at peace must be attended by a knowledge of self," discovers writer and photographer Mikkel Aaland, who grew…
up with a bomb shelter for a bedroom, in terror of nuclear war. At the height of the Cold War, Aaland finds himself drawn into a mysterious Shinto priest's plan to save the world. Traveling from Norway to the Philippines, Iceland to South Africa, he places pieces of a sacred Shinto sword in key power spots around the world. Along the way, he comes face to face with his deepest childhood fears of war and destruction, encounters the compelling and mysterious Shinto religion, struggles with the uncertainties of love, and learns to face life with an open heart.The Sword of Heaven tells the extraordinary true story of a journey in which all boundaries are pushed-geographical, cultural, and personal-and in which the healing of the world and the healing of one man appear to be inextricably linked.Moon Costa Rica
By Christopher P. Baker. 2013
Award-winning travel writer Christopher P. Baker shows travelers the way to the best of Costa Rica-whether it's surfing the beaches…
of Golfo Dulce, hiking in Corcovado National Park, or dining in the upscale Escazu barrio in San José. Along with his in-depth coverage, Baker includes unique trip ideas for a variety of interests, such as Sweet Retreats, Best Beaches, and Adrenaline Rush. Complete with details that range from where to surf to which spots are the best for seeing wildlife, Moon Costa Rica gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience.Coverage includes:San JoséThe Central HighlandsThe Caribbean CoastThe Northern ZoneGuanacaste and the NorthwestThe Nicoya PeninsulaCentral PacificGolfo Dulce and the Osa PeninsulaSouth-Central Costa RicaIce Wreck
By Lucille Recht Penner. 2001
A hundred years ago, Ernest Shackleton and his crew set out for the South Pole. They never made it. Within…
sight of land, the ship ran into dangerous waters filled with chunks of ice. Then the sea froze around them! There was no hope of rescue. Could Shackleton find a way to save himself and his men? "Well-written and packed with illustrations and photographs, this amazing tale of the will to survive under unthinkable circumstances will amaze kids and keep them glued to every page."--Dallas Morning News"Shackleton's heart-pounding expedition and rescue comes vividly to life in this beginning chapter book."--BooklistLucille Recht Penner is the author of many nonfiction books for kids, including Dinosaur Babies, and Monster Bugs, in Random House's Step into Reading program. Two of her titles were named Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Books. The author lives in Tucson, AZ.Fido's Florida: A Dog-Friendly Guide to the Sunshine State
By Ginger Warder. 2011
Enjoy everything Florida has to offer--with dog as your copilot! More than half of all households in the U.S. own…
at least one dog, and more dog owners are traveling with their pets these days, whether out of necessity or desire. Fortunately, more hotels, motels, and B&Bs are accommodating canine guests than ever before. When you decide that your best friend deserves a Florida vacation as much as you do but you're not sure how to find pet-friendly accommodations, doggie day-care in vacationland, or restaurants where you and your pal will both be welcome, pick up Fido's Florida and you'll find a wealth of valuable information at your fingertips. Whether you need all-important resources like 24-hour emergency vets, pet stores, specialty dog-food suppliers, or resources for dog-friendly fun like sidewalk cafés, shops, and beaches where your dog can accompany you, it's all here in one terrific new guidebook. It's time to pack the squeaky toys and the sunblock, the biscuits and the beachball, and head to sunny Florida with your best buddy for a vacation you'll both love!DON'T PRESS THAT BUTTON!: An Essay on James Bond
By J. A. Konrath. 2006
A Slayer Comes to Town: An Essay on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
By Scott Westerfeld. 2003
In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation of an American Hero
By Lawrence Block, Max Allan Collins, Ed Gorman, Jeremiah Healy, S. J. Rozan, Otto Penzler, Dennis Lehane, Brendan Dubois, Ace Atkins, Parnell Hall, Lyndsay Faye, Reed Farrel Coleman, Gary Phillips, Matthew Clemens, Loren D Estleman. 2012
When Robert B. Parker passed in early 2010, the world lost two great men: Parker himself, iconic American crime writer…
whose books have sold more than 6 million copies worldwide, and his best-known creation, Spenser. Parker's Spenser series not only influenced the work of countless of today's writers, but is also credited with reviving and forever changing the genre.In Pursuit of Spenser offers a look at Parker and to Spenser through the eyes of the writers he influenced. Editor Otto Penzler-- proprietor of one of the oldest and largest mystery specialist bookstores in the country, New York's The Mysterious Bookshop, and renowned mystery fiction editor whose credits include series editor for the Best American Crime Writing and Best American Mystery Stories, among many others (and about whom Parker himself once wrote, "Otto Penzler knows more about crime fiction than most people know about anything")-- collects some of today's bestselling mystery authors to discuss Parker, his characters, the series, and their impact on the world.From Hawk to Susan Silverman to Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall, from the series' Boston milieu to Parker's own take on his character, In Pursuit of Spenser pays tribute to Spenser, and Parker, with affection, humor, and a deep appreciation for what both have left behind.Amazing North Carolina
By Theresa Jensen Lacey. 2003
Amazing North Carolina offers a rare glimpse into unusual and sometimes bizarre people and events in North Carolina's 200-year history.…
Reading like the Tarheel State's own version of Ripley's Believe It or Not, this book explores hundreds of incredible stories, facts, and tidbits of human interest. It contains pictures, quizzes, trivia, stories, sidebars, lists, and more. Read about . . . How Lizard Lick, Cat's Square, Boogertown, and Rabbit Shuffle got their namesRobert Null, who invented a UFO detectorThe Civil War battle where the Confederates fought without clothes onChang and Eng, the original "Siamese twins" who settled in Wilkesboro and married local sisters Sarah and Adelaide YatesThe strange story of Goat-Gland Binkley, who operated in North Carolina 75 years before ViagraThe annual Bald is Beautiful convention in Morehead CityThe world's largest twins (at 800 pounds each)The road that goes nowhereSenate Bean Soup, the secret of Jesse Helms' longevity (recipe included)Alexander's Path
By Freya Stark. 1988
"Magnificent...a brilliant and inspiring account of her journey along the coastline of Turkey and back into time." (The Observer) This…
is the story of back-country Turkey, an area that even in the 20th century remains stubbornly tied to antiquity. The author traveled through it by truck and horseback, often alone. She reached places little visited and never written about. The country people welcomed her with generosity unrelated to their meager resources. She was traveling in time as well, and found significance in recalling the life of Alexander the Great. Twenty-two centuries ago he was the first to dream of a united world.In the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark
By Wallace G. Lewis. 2010
Although it was 1806 when Lewis and Clark returned to St. Louis after their journey across the country, it was…
not until 1905 that they were celebrated as national heroes. In the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark examines how public attitudes toward their explorations and the means of commemorating them have changed, from the production of the Lewis and Clark Exposition in 1905 to the establishment of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail in 1978 and the celebrations of the expedition's bicentennial from 2003 through 2007. The first significant stirrings of national public interest in Lewis and Clark coincided with the beginning of a nationwide fascination with transcontinental automobile touring. Americans began to reconnect with the past and interact with the history of Western expansion by becoming a new breed of "frontier explorer" via their cars. As a result, early emphasis on local plaques and monuments yielded to pageants, reenactments, and, ultimately, attempts to retrace the route, promoting conservation and recreation along its length. Wallace G. Lewis details the ingenuity that inspired the establishment of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, opening a window to how America reimagines, recreates, and remembers its own past. In the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark will appeal to both scholarly and armchair historians interested in the Western frontier as experienced by both Lewis and Clark and those retracing their steps today.A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life
By Pat Conroy. 2016
Final words and heartfelt remembrances from bestselling author Pat Conroy take center stage in this winning nonfiction collection, supplemented by…
touching pieces from Conroy's many friends. This new volume of Pat Conroy's nonfiction brings together some of the most charming interviews, magazine articles, speeches, and letters from his long literary career, many of them addressed directly to his readers with his habitual greeting, "Hey, out there." Ranging across diverse subjects, such as favorite recent reads, the challenge of staying motivated to exercise, and processing the loss of dear friends, Conroy's eminently memorable pieces offer a unique window into the life of a true titan of Southern writing. With a beautiful introduction from his widow, novelist Cassandra King, A Lowcountry Heart also honors Conroy's legacy and the innumerable lives he touched. Finally, the collection turns to remembrances of "The Great Conroy," as he is lovingly titled by friends, and concludes with a eulogy. The inarguable power of Conroy's work resonates throughout A Lowcountry Heart, and his influence promises to endure. This moving tribute is sure to be a cherished keepsake for any true Conroy fan and remain a lasting monument to one of the best-loved masters of contemporary American letters. A New York Times BestsellerSierra County (Images of America)
By Cindy Carpenter, Sherry Fletcher. 2018
In 1884, Sierra County was formed in the Middle Rio Grande Corridor of the New Mexico Territory out of the…
existing counties of Grant, Doña Ana, and Socorro. Not everyone was pleased with the new county, and the courthouse was said to look like "a dance hall." From the fortunes and misfortunes of the miners in the historical towns of the Black Range to the comings and goings of the railroad towns, Sierra County is rich in history. The town of Hot Springs (later renamed Truth or Consequences) came into existence when entrepreneurs decided that the naturally occurring mineral springs could cure arthritis, neuritis, rheumatism, and alcoholism. The Carrie Tingley Hospital for Crippled Children, built to take advantage of the natural warm springs to help in the treatment of polio, is now the current New Mexico State Veterans' Home. Sierra County is also home to Elephant Butte Dam and Caballo Dam, both of which have history with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps.Fenway Park (Images of Modern America)
By Raymond Sinibaldi. 2012
In June 1967, Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey declared Fenway Park outdated and stated that without help from the city…
for a new ballpark, he would consider moving his team. That same year, an impossible dream came true as the 100-1 underdog Red Sox won the pennant and a record-setting 1.7 million fans visited Fenway. Since then, approximately 110 million fans have watched the Red Sox play at what is now called "America's Most Beloved Ballpark." While Fenway Park was once known for simply resembling a warehouse, its nearby streets now hold a baseball festival every game. Those festivals have grown to include concerts, hockey, soccer, and high school football. The exterior walls of the park extoll the accomplishments of each Red Sox World Championship team and fly the banners of Red Sox Hall of Famers since the team's birth in 1901. Red Sox bronzed immortals stand watch at the entrance to Gate B.The Diary of “Helena Morley”
By Elizabeth Bishop, Helena Morley. 1997
Originally published in 1942 under the title Minha Vida de Menina--Portuguese meaning "My Life as a Little Girl or "Young…
Girl"--this book is a diary that was kept by the author, Helena Morley (pseudonym of Alice Dayrell Caldeira Brant), when she was between the ages of twelve and fifteen (1893-1895), and living in Diamantina, a small diamond mining town in southeastern Brazil.The little girl describes her homework, her love of parades and dresses, her father who could scarcely make a living in the mines, and her most beloved grandmother.The diary was admired by French Novelist Georges Bernanos, and in 1957, award-winning American poet and writer Elizabeth Bishop, then resident in Brazil, translated it into English as The Diary of Helena Morley."The more I read the book [Minha Vida de Menina ]the better I liked it. The scenes and events it described were odd, remote, and long ago, and yet fresh, sad, funny, and eternally true. The longer I stayed on in Brazil the more Brazilian the book seemed, yet much of it could have happened in any small provincial town or village, and at almost any period of history--at least before the arrival of the automobile and the moving-picture theatre."--Elizabeth BishopSt. George Reef Lighthouse
By Guy Towers. 2015
Situated at the end of a reef six miles offshore of Crescent City, California, stands St. George Reef Lighthouse. Constructed…
after the wreck of the coastal steamer Brother Jonathan in 1865, the beacon warned mariners of the dreaded "Dragon Rocks" of St. George Reef for nearly a century. This book chronicles the loss of the Jonathan, decades of efforts to make the light a reality, the 10-year construction period, manning of the station by keepers of the US Lighthouse Service and Coast Guard, and the struggles and accomplishments of dedicated volunteers to restore what many lighthouse historians refer to as "America's greatest lighthouse."Eat Dat New Orleans
By Michael Murphy. 2015
When Mario Batali was asked his favorite food city, he responded, "New Orleans, hands down. " No city has as…
many signature dishes, from gumbo and beignets to pralines and po' boys, from muffuletta and Oysters Rockefeller to king cake and red beans and rice (every Monday night), all of which draw nearly 9 million hungry tourists to the city each year. In this fully revised and updated new edition, Eat Dat New Orleans celebrates both New Orleans's food and its people. It highlights nearly 250 eating spots--sno-cone stands and food carts as well as famous restaurants--and spins tales of the city's food lore, such as the controversial history of gumbo and the Shakespearean drama of restaurateur Owen Brennan and his heirs. Both first-time visitors and seasoned travelers will be helped by a series of appendices that list restaurants by cuisine, culinary classes and tours, food festivals, and indispensable "best of" lists chosen by an A-list of the city's food writers and media personalities, including Poppy Tooker, Lolis Eric Elie, Ian McNulty, Sara Roahen, Marcelle Bienvenu, Amy C. Sins, and Liz Williams.Post-Bellum, Pre-Harlem: African American Literature and Culture, 1877-1919
By Caroline Gebhard, Barbara Mccaskill. 2006
The years between the collapse of Reconstruction and the end of World War I mark a pivotal moment in African…
American cultural production. Christened the "Post-Bellum-Pre-Harlem" era by the novelist Charles Chesnutt, these years look back to the antislavery movement and forward to the artistic flowering and racial self-consciousness of the Harlem Renaissance.Post-Bellum, Pre-Harlem offers fresh perspectives on the literary and cultural achievements of African American men and women during this critically neglected, though vitally important, period of our nation's past. Using a wide range of disciplinary approaches, the sixteen scholars gathered here offer both a reappraisal and celebration of African American cultural production during these influential decades. Alongside discussions of political and artistic icons such as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Henry Ossawa Tanner, and James Weldon Johnson are essays revaluing figures such as the writers Paul and Alice Dunbar-Nelson, the New England painter Edward Mitchell Bannister, and Georgia-based activists Lucy Craft Laney and Emmanuel King Love.Contributors explore an array of forms from fine art to anti-lynching drama, from sermons to ragtime and blues, and from dialect pieces and early black musical theater to serious fiction.Contributors include: Frances Smith Foster, Carla L. Peterson, Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, Audrey Thomas McCluskey, Barbara Ryan, Robert M. Dowling, Barbara A. Baker, Paula Bernat Bennett, Philip J. Kowalski, Nikki L. Brown, Koritha A. Mitchell, Margaret Crumpton Winter, Rhonda Reymond, and Andrew J. Scheiber.Do Museums Still Need Objects?
By Steven Conn. 2010
"We live in a museum age," writes Steven Conn in Do Museums Still Need Objects? And indeed, at the turn…
of the twenty-first century, more people are visiting museums than ever before. There are now over 17,500 accredited museums in the United States, averaging approximately 865 million visits a year, more than two million visits a day. New museums have proliferated across the cultural landscape even as older ones have undergone transformational additions: from the Museum of Modern Art and the Morgan in New York to the High in Atlanta and the Getty in Los Angeles. If the golden age of museum-building came a century ago, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Field Museum of Natural History, and others were created, then it is fair to say that in the last generation we have witnessed a second golden age.By closely observing the cultural, intellectual, and political roles that museums play in contemporary society, while also delving deeply into their institutional histories, historian Steven Conn demonstrates that museums are no longer seen simply as houses for collections of objects. Conn ranges across a wide variety of museum types--from art and anthropology to science and commercial museums--asking questions about the relationship between museums and knowledge, about the connection between culture and politics, about the role of museums in representing non-Western societies, and about public institutions and the changing nature of their constituencies. Elegantly written and deeply researched, Do Museums Still Need Objects? is essential reading for historians, museum professionals, and those who love to visit museums.George Steiner at The New Yorker
By George Steiner. 2009
An education in a portmanteau: George Steiner at The New Yorker collects his best work from his more than 150…
pieces for the magazine. Between 1967 and 1997, George Steiner wrote more than 130 pieces on a great range of topics for The New Yorker, making new books, difficult ideas, and unfamiliar subjects seem compelling not only to intellectuals but to "the common reader." He possesses a famously dazzling mind: paganism, the Dutch Renaissance, children's games, war-time Britain, Hitler's bunker, and chivalry attract his interest as much as Levi-Strauss, Cellini, Bernhard, Chardin, Mandelstam, Kafka, Cardinal Newman, Verdi, Gogol, Borges, Brecht, Wittgenstein, Chomsky, and art historian/spy Anthony Blunt. Steiner makes an ideal guide from the Risorgimento in Italy to the literature of the Gulag, from the history of chess to the enduring importance of George Orwell. Again and again everything Steiner looks at in his New Yorker essays is made to bristle with some genuine prospect of turning out to be freshly thrilling or surprising.South Toward Home: Travels in Southern Literature
By Margaret Eby. 2015
A literary travelogue into the heart of classic Southern literature. What is it about the South that has inspired so…
much of America's greatest literature? And why, when we think of Flannery O'Connor or William Faulkner or Harper Lee, do we think of them not just as writers, but as Southern writers? In South Toward Home, Margaret Eby--herself a Southerner--travels through the South in search of answers to these questions, visiting the hometowns and stomping grounds of some of our most beloved authors. From Mississippi (William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Richard Wright) to Alabama (Harper Lee, Truman Capote) to Georgia (Flannery O'Connor, Harry Crews) and beyond, Eby looks deeply at the places that these authors lived in and wrote about. South Toward Home reveals how these authors took the people and places they knew best and transmuted them into lasting literature. Side by side with Eby, we meet the man who feeds the peacocks at Andalusia, the Georgia farm where Flannery O'Connor wrote her most powerful stories; we peek into William Faulkner's liquor cabinet to better understand the man who claimed civilization began with distillation and the "postage stamp of native soil" that inspired him; and we go in search of one of New Orleans's iconic hot dog vendors, a job held by Ignatius J. Reilly in John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. From the library that showed Richard Wright that there was a way out to the courtroom at the heart of To Kill a Mockingbird, Eby grapples with a land fraught with history and mythology, for, as Eudora Welty wrote, "One place understood helps us understand all places better." Combining biographical detail with expert criticism, Eby delivers a rich and evocative tribute to the literary South.