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The Big, Bold, Adventurous Life of Lavinia Warren
By Elizabeth Raum. 2018
Lavinia Warren never let her height—or the lack of it—prevent her from leading a full and adventurous life. Although she…
never grew more than three feet tall, she became a beloved teacher, a world traveler, an entertainer and the friend of many powerful figures. Lavinia was teaching at a local school when she heard about an opportunity to travel doing shows as a "human curiosity" on a Mississippi River boat. Eventually she met P. T. Barnum and worked at his American Museum. It was there that she met Charles Stratton, known to the world as "Tom Thumb." Their wedding, which took place on February 10, 1863, brought joy to a nation at war. President and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln held a reception for the couple at the White House. During her long life, Lavinia faced several tragedies but always found the strength to go on. Her extraordinary story also provides a unique perspective on one of the most devastating periods in American history: the Civil War and its aftermath. This valuable middle-grade biography includes material on Tom Thumb Weddings, readers' questions, a time line, and other resources.Benjamin Franklin, American Genius: His Life and Ideas with 21 Activities (For Kids series)
By Brandon Marie Miller. 2010
Capturing the essence of this exceptional individual through his original writings and hands-on activities from his era, this resource tells…
the rich story of one of America's most celebrated Founding Fathers. Beginning with his time as a young printer, this engaging narrative details how Benjamin Franklin became a celebrity with the publication of Poor Richard: An Almanack and how he founded the colonies' first lending library, volunteer fire company, and postal service. Additionally, his life in science is also highlighted, from his 1751 book Experiments and Observations on Electricity to his proof a year later that lightning was an electrical discharge. Activities range from designing and printing an almanac cover and playing a simple glass armonica (a Franklin invention) to experimenting with static electricity and building a barometer. The text also features a time line, glossary, Web and travel resources, and reading list for further study.Bradley Manning perpetrated the biggest breach of military security in American history. This intelligence analyst leaked an astounding amount of…
classified information to WikiLeaks: classified combat videos and hundreds of thousands of documents from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and from embassies around the globe. Almost all of WikiLeaks's headline-making releases of information have come from one source only: Bradley Manning. The leaks affected governments the world over--the Arab uprisings were spurred, in part, by Manning's revelations. They propelled WikiLeaks to a level of international prominence it never had before. The world would never be the same. Bradley Manning's story is one of global significance, and yet he remains an enigma. Now, for the first time, the full truth will be told about a man who, at the age of only twenty-two, changed the world. Nicks's book paints a nuanced portrait of a man haunted by demons and driven by hope, impulsive and cocky yet idealistic enough to follow his conscience. Relying on numerous conversations with those who know Manning best, Nicks gives the full story of a bright, gay kid from middle America who signs on to serve his country and finds himself serving a cause he finds far more sinister, and why he betrayed his oath and fellow troops--and his own future--in order to fulfill what he saw as a higher purpose. Denver Nicks has written for The Daily Beast, The Nation, AlterNet, and other publications. He lives in New York City.The War Story Of Dillwyn Parrish Starr
By Louis Starr, Dillwyn Parrish Starr. 2013
Dillwyn Parrish Starr led a short life but he lived it at a tremendous speed when the First World…
War broke out he was a star American Football Player and scholar at Harvard However spurred on by his convictions he sailed to the U K in a rush and signed up for service as soon as possible thereafter he saw a great deal of fighting with the Royal Navy Armored car detachment However as the war stagnated to the static bloody fighting in the trenches he felt compelled to transfer to the prestigious Grenadier Guards in the British Army Always heavily engaged Dillwyn fought with great courage in both Flanders and on the Gallipoli campaign before falling to the overwhelming fire of the Germans at Ginchy during the infernal Somme battle in 1916 His letters are a vivid memento to a man who was universally respected even in a regiment with such high standards as the Grenadiers Guards cheerful and upbeat snuffed out too soon in the hell of World War OneMahatma Gandhi
By Anne Schraff. 2008
Biography of the famous Indian leader who preached non-violence. Guided by Time Magazine's list of 100 most influential people, this…
biography series focuses on the leaders, scientists, and icons who shaped our world. Each biography includes a glossary, timeline, and illustrations.Michelangelo for Kids: His Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities
By Simonetta Carr. 2016
Art historian Simonetta Carr draws on recent scholarship that challenges the traditional view of Michelangelo as a recluse. Readers will…
also learn about the complex and fluid era of the Italian Renaissance and how the times affected his life and work. Lavish photos, informative sidebars, a time line, glossary, and suggestions for further readings add value, while 21 hands-on activities help young readers identify with the artist and his work.Gandhi for Kids: His Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities
By Ellen Mahoney. 2016
Connecting Gandhi's ideas and his life's work to contemporary issues this useful resource for parents and teachers makes Gandhi relevant…
for kids today. Packed with historic images, the book includes informative sidebars; a time line, glossary, and resource section, along with 21 activities that illuminate Gandhi's life, environment, and ideas.Elizabeth I, the People's Queen: Her Life and Times, 21 Activities
By Kerrie Hollihan. 2011
One of England's most fascinating monarchs is brought to life in this hands-on study for young minds. Combining projects, pictures,…
and sidebars with an authoritative biography, children will develop an understanding of the Reformation, Shakespearean England, and how Elizabeth's 45-year reign set the stage for the English Renaissance and marshaled her country into a chief military power. Providing 21 activities, from singing a madrigal and growing a knot garden to creating a period costume--complete with a neck ruff and a cloak for the queen's court--readers will experience a sliver of life in the Elizabethan age. For those who wish to delve deeper, a time line, online resources, and a reading list are included to aid in further study.Middling Folk: Three Seas, Three Centuries, One Scots-Irish Family
By Linda Matthews. 2010
Telling the stories of those who quietly conducted the business and built the livelihoods that made their societies prosper or…
fail, this account shows how one Scots-Irish American family, the Hammills--millers, wagon makers, and blacksmiths--lived out their lives against the backdrop of the American Revolution, the Civil War, and westward expansion. Spanning three centuries from the shores of Ireland to the Chesapeake Bay Area to the Pacific Northwest, this saga brings to life the early days of the founding of this country through the lens of the middle class. From revolutions, uprisings, and economic booms and busts to owning slaves in the colonial South, these personal encounters through dramatic historical events depict the private dramas--tragic deaths, business successes and failures, love and loss--of the ordinary families who helped shape this country and managed to hold their own through turbulent times.Kentucky Clay: Eleven Generations of a Southern Dynasty
By Katherine Bateman. 2009
Eleven generations of a founding American family are examined in this sweeping history that traces the Clays of Kentucky, a…
true Southern dynasty. The Clays of Virginia and the Cecils of Maryland were second sons of the English aristocracy who gambled on the New World. Some of the most well-known members of this clan include Henry Clay, who ran for president against James K. Polk; his cousin, Cassius Marcellus Clay, prominent abolitionist and Lincoln's advisor against slavery; and the matriarch Kizzie Clay, who buried the family silver and escaped by flatboat to avoid marauding Union soldiers. The history of the early colonial period in America--from the time of their arrival in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1613 and St. Mary's, Maryland, in 1634 through the trek across Virginia to the Appalachian Mountains, their eventual intermarriage in 1800, and their move across the mountains to Kentucky--comes to life through this well-researched family saga that heralds the adventures and accomplishments of the men in the family, as well as reveals the stories and nontraditional roles of the strong, selfish, and headstrong women.Robert E. Lee: Icon For A Nation
By Brian Holden Reid. 2005
An authoritative and balanced assessment of a great American commander.General Robert E Lee, handsome, immaculately attired and dignified, quickly emerged…
as one of the great heroes of the American Civil War. This is rather surprising for, as Brian Holden Reid points out in his lucid new study, Lee was the most successful general to command troops against the armies of the United States before General Vo Nguyen Giap in Vietnam.Lee's reputation as a peerless commander was greatly embroidered by writers after 1865 who were dedicated to the Lost Cause and presented a sentimental picture of the Old South with Lee as its finest product. His character and achievements in the Civil War were presented as a validation of the Confederate cause. It is important for historians to come to terms with this legacy. Professor Holden Reid briskly surveys the forms that the Lee legend took after his death in 1870 and discusses the reasons behind the way it crystallised as it did. As a non-American he brings a fresh, detached eye to this process.Holden Reid argues that Lee's qualities as a general do not require any exaggeration or embellishment. Lee's short period of field command, just under three years, was marked by imagination, decisiveness, stamina, and a determination to win the Civil War rather than just avoid losing it. Holden Reid defends Lee stoutly against later critics who have argued that his offensive strategy was self-defeating. He believes that it was the only realistic course offered to the Confederacy to win its independence. He acknowledges though that all great commanders have their faults. Lee exhibited occasional over-confidence, under-estimated his enemy, and failed to develop his staff in any modern sense. The result is an authoritative and balanced assessment of a great American commander.Mad, Bad and Dangerous: The Eccentricity of Tyrants
By Tom Ambrose. 2015
A penetrating and incisive study of the fanaticism and foibles of some of history's most illustrious namesFrom Assad to Nero,…
Gaddafi to Ivan The Terrible, this work attempts a thorough illumination of the minds of some of the most powerful people in history. While leaving some room to describe the amusing incidents and eccentricities associated with a host of men and women of power, it also reaches into the terrifying depths and depravities of minds that shaped the destinies of peoples and nations. Using a unique combination of history, politics, and psychology, this book fully describes how power not only corrupts but deranges.Inheritance: A Psychological History of the Royal Family
By Dennis Friedman. 2014
In exploring Royal dynamics, Inheritance sheds light on problems found in any familyOn its first publication in the 1990s, Dennis…
Friedman's Inheritance caused a furor in England as he traced the many problems of the Royal family as it was then back to Queen Victoria's nursery, unveiling a host of psychodramas played out against a privileged background of English palaces and Scottish castles. In a post-Diana age, the arrival of a new Prince George to the seemingly stable and blissfully happy William and Kate seems to refute Fiedman's thesis--but what of the notoriously wayward Prince Harry? Many questions are raised in this book addressing the complex and turbulent royal relationships, perhaps the most fundamental being the rigid and traditional royal upbringing which still awaits the baby prince. As the royal line is followed down the generations no direct descendent is overlooked and no issue is sidestepped.Robin Hood: The Unknown Templar
By John Paul Davis. 2009
The legendary hero of Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood, is a figure who has in equal measure attracted and baffled historians…
for decades. With the first mention of him coming in Old English ballads, it was long assumed that it was almost impossible that he ever existed at all, and that he firmly belonged in the realm of Errol Flynn, Kevin Costner, and even Mel Brooks movies. Only a few historians have dared to venture that Robin of Sherwood was, in fact, a living and breathing human being. Historian John Paul Davis, while undertaking research on the Knights Templar, has uncovered new evidence on the folk hero that suggests that his ties to that order were much closer than previously supposed. Sticking closely to historical sources as well as the ballads, Davis has produced a new portrait of this intriguing figure with colorful and unique insights into the era that he lived in, reckoned by Davis to be at least 100 years closer to our own than previously supposed. Lavishly illustrated throughout, Robin Hood: The Unknown Templar will be of keen interest to anyone who has been even merely charmed by his legend; potentially explosive reading for those with their own theories of who Robin Hood really was.Marlborough: The Hero of Blenheim (Great Commanders Ser.)
By John Hussey. 2004
John Churchill was born in 1650, the son of a defeated Cavalier captain, in a household which had been ravaged…
and rendered almost destitute by the English Civil War. Yet by the time of his death in 1722 he was among the richest men in the country, with a dukedom, a palace and a principality to call his own. His rise to power came through a combination of good luck, astute political manoeuvring, and a brilliance on the battlefield that made him easily the most successful general of his time. In this concise biography of the man and his military genius, John Hussey describes in detail the campaigns that made Marlborough famous: the 1704 campaign to save the Austrian empire, which culminated in the great victory of Blenheim, and the audacious invasion across Louis XIV's Ne Plus Ultra lines in 1711. These campaigns are put in the context of the times, to create a portrait of a man who is still celebrated as one of the world's greatest ever military commanders.The Age of Caesar: Five Roman Lives
By Pamela Mensch, James Romm, Mary Beard, Plutarch. 2017
A brilliant new translation of five of history’s greatest lives from Plutarch, the inventor of biography. Pompey, Caesar, Cicero, Brutus,…
Antony: the names resonate across thousands of years. Major figures in the civil wars that brutally ended the Roman republic, their lives still haunt us as examples of how the hunger for personal power can overwhelm collective politics, how the exaltation of the military can corrode civilian authority, and how the best intentions can lead to disastrous consequences. Plutarch renders these history-making lives as flesh-and-blood characters, often by deftly marshalling small details such as the care Brutus exercised in his use of money or the disdain Caesar felt for the lofty eloquence of Cicero. Plutarch was a Greek intellectual who lived roughly one hundred years after the age of Caesar. At home in the world of Roman power, he preferred to live in the past, among the great figures of Greek and Roman history. He intended his biographical profiles to be mirrors of character that readers could use to inspire their own values and behavior—emulating virtues and rejecting flaws. For Plutarch, character was destiny for both the individual and the republic. He was our first master of the biographical form, a major source for Shakespeare and Gibbon. This edition features a new translation by Pamela Mensch that lends a brilliant clarity to Plutarch’s prose. James Romm’s notes guide readers gracefully through the people, places, and events named in the profiles. And Romm’s preface, along with Mary Beard’s introduction, provide the perfect frame for understanding Plutarch and the momentous history he narrates.Ana Frank era una niña judeo-alemana. El 12 de junio de 1942 cumplió 13 años y le regalaron un diario,…
en él escribió sus experiencias en un escondite, construido en un edificio de oficinas, mientras se ocultaba de los nazis en Holanda, junto con sus padres, su hermana y otros cuatro judíos. Miedo, tristeza, desesperación, alegría y esperanza son sentimientos plasmados por esta pequeña escritora, quien soñaba con el fin de la guerra y vivir libremente con su familia.The Gothic King: A Biography of Henry III
By John Paul Davis. 2013
The first biography in many years of Henry IIIThe son and successor of Bad King John, Henry III reigned for…
56 years from 1216, the first child king in England for 200 years. England went on to prosper during his reign and his greatest monument is Westminster Abbey, which he made the seat of his government--indeed, Henry III was the first English King to call a parliament. Though often overlooked by historians, Henry III was a unique figure coming out of a chivalric yet Gothic era: a compulsive builder of daunting castles and epic sepulchres; a powerful, unyielding monarch who faced down the De Montfort rebellion and waged war with Wales and France; and, much more than his father, Henry was the king who really hammered out the terms of the Magna Carta with the barons. John Paul Davis brings all his forensic skills and insights to the grand story of the Gothic King in this, the only biography in print of a most remarkable monarch.Sophia of Hanover: From Winter Princess to Heiress of Great Britain, 1630–1714
By J N Duggan. 2010
The detailed memoirs and letters of a gifted and prolific chronicler provide an insider's view of life for the top…
echelons of society in the 16th century Sophia, Electress of Hanover (1630-1714), granddaughter of James I, and mother of George I, is best remembered as the link between the Houses of Stuart and Hanover. A true European, Sophia spoke English, French, German, Dutch, and Italian fluently, and was open-minded and intellectually curious. Her writings cover an astonishing variety of subjects: religion, philosophy, international gossip, household hints, politics, and the details of her family life.Empire of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
By Patwant Singh, Jyoti M. Rai. 1925
Ranjit Singh has been largely written out of accounts of India's past by British historians, yet he was one of…
the most powerful and charismatic figures in Indian history. He unified the warring chiefdoms of the Punjab into an extraordinary northern empire, built up a formidable army, kept the British in check to the south of his realm, and closed the Khyber Pass through which plunderers had poured into India for centuries. His consummate humanity was unique among empire-builders. He gave employment to defeated foes, honored faiths other than his own, and included Hindus and Muslims among his ministers. A colorful character, he was inspired by the principles of peaceful coexistence uniquely articulated by the Sikh Gurus, firm in upholding the rights of others, and unabashed in exercising his own. The authors of this first full-length biography in English make use of a variety of eyewitness accounts, from reports by Maratha spies at the Lahore Durbar to British parliamentary papers and travel accounts. The story ends with the controversial Anglo-Sikh Wars following Ranjit's death, which saw the fall of his empire in the hands of his successors whose internecine conflict was exploited by the British. Coinciding with the 300th anniversary of the consecration of the Sikh holy scriptures, this book honors a vital figure in Sikh history.