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The flamingo's smile: reflections in natural history
By Stephen Jay Gould. 1985
The first American: the life and times of Benjamin Franklin
By H. W Brands. 2000
Biography of one of America's founding fathers, incorporating correspondence and anecdotes of his contemporaries. Franklin was heralded as a leading…
inventor and scientist, author, and diplomat as well as a bon vivant. In exploring Franklin's conversion from British loyalist to revolutionary, Brands seeks out the genius behind the man. 2000.The first moderns: profiles in the origins of twentieth-century thought
By William R Everdell. 1997
An overview of the intellectual forces that precipitated modernism, when a new "world view...gave rise to speed, industry, [and] world…
markets." Surveys key thinkers in academia, science, and the arts, describing their role in helping to usher in the modern era between 1870 and 1914. 1997.When the decolonization of European empires in Africa began 50 years ago, the process was greeted with immense hope for…
the future. Blessed with bountiful natural resources and led by Western-educated elites, the continent seemed to have a realistic chance to create stable, prosperous, democratic societies. Why did it all go wrong? The arrogance and ignorance of European masters planted the seeds of many of Africa's current problems, but Meredith refuses to let Africans off the hook for the endemic violence, corruption, and political repression that plagues so many African states. Some descriptions of violence. 2005.The fate of Rome: climate, disease, and the end of an empire (ITK audio)
By Kyle Harper. 2017
The Fate of Rome is the first book to examine the catastrophic role that climate change and infectious diseases played…
in the collapse of Rome's power -- a story of nature's triumph over human ambition. Interweaving a grand historical narrative with cutting-edge climate science and genetic discoveries, Kyle Harper traces how the fate of Rome was decided not just by emperors, soldiers, and barbarians but also by volcanic eruptions, solar cycles, climate instability, and devastating viruses and bacteria. He takes readers from Rome's pinnacle in the second century, when the empire seemed an invincible superpower, to its unraveling by the seventh century, when Rome was politically fragmented and materially depleted. Harper describes how the Romans were resilient in the face of enormous environmental stress, until the besieged empire could no longer withstand the combined challenges of a "little ice age" and recurrent outbreaks of bubonic plague. A poignant reflection on humanity's intimate relationship with the environment, The Fate of Rome provides a sweeping account of how one of history's greatest civilizations encountered, endured, yet ultimately succumbed to the cumulative burden of nature's violence. 2017.The far west and the great plains in transition, 1859-1900
By Rodman W Paul. 1988
The author looks at the development of the mining industry in the West which he believes was the primary factor…
in encouraging settlement. Cities and improvements in transportation and agriculture are viewed as responses to the needs of the miners. 1988.The field: the quest for the secret force of the universe
By Lynne McTaggart. 2002
The author reveals a radical new biological paradigm - that on our most fundamental level, the human mind and body…
are not distinct and separate from their environment, but a pulsating power constantly interacting with this vast energy sea. There may be such a thing as a life force. 2002.The enemy at the gate: Habsburgs, Ottomans and the Battle for Europe
By Alex Wheatle. 2009
In 1683, two empires - the Ottoman, based in Constantinople, and the Habsburg dynasty in Vienna - came face to…
face in the culmination of a 250-year power struggle: the Great Siege of Vienna. Within the city walls the choice of resistance over surrender to the largest army ever assembled by the Turks created an all-or-nothing scenario: every last survivor would be enslaved or ruthlessly slaughtered. Both sides remained resolute, sustained by hatred of their age-old enemy, certain that their victory would be won by the grace of God. 2009.The end of the line: how overfishing is changing the world and what we eat
By Charles Clover. 2006
Clover describes how fishing with modern technology has nearly destroyed entire ocean ecosystems: New England's fisheries have collapsed, the fish…
stocks of West Africa's continental shelf are overexploited, and few cod are left in Newfoundland's Grand Banks. He blames trawlers with huge nets that destroy everything in their wake, celebrity chefs with endangered species on their menus, the European Union, the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization, and countries like Japan and Spain that persist in illegal fishing. 2006.The end of the river: dams, drought and déjà vu on the Rio São Francisco
By Brian J Harvey. 2008
A biologist searches for a solution that will save many fish species from life-threatening dams. His adventures take him from…
a fisheries patrol boat on the Fraser River to the great Tsukiji fish market in Japan, with stops in the Philippines, Thailand, and assorted South American countries. Portrays fishermen, fish farmers, and even fish cops in a new light, as well as scientists, shysters, and some very drunk, hairy Brazilian men in thongs. Some strong language, some descriptions of sex, and some descriptions of violence. c2008.Our world has ended five times: it has been broiled, frozen, poison-gassed, smothered, and pelted by asteroids. In this book,…
Peter Brannen dives into deep time, exploring Earth's past dead ends, and in the process, offers us a glimpse of our possible future. Part road trip, part history, and part cautionary tale, "The Ends of the World" takes us on a tour of the ways that our planet has clawed itself back from the grave and casts our future in a completely new light. 2017.The end of ownership: personal property in the digital economy (The Information Society Series)
By Aaron Perzanowski, Jason Schultz. 2016
Explores how notions of ownership have shifted in the digital marketplace, and makes an argument for the benefits of personal…
property. E-books, cloud storage, streaming, and other digital goods offer users convenience and flexibility. But consumers should be aware of the trade-offs involving user constraints, permanence, and privacy. The rights of private property are clear, but few people manage to read their end user agreements. The authors argue that introducing aspects of private property and ownership into the digital marketplace would offer both legal and economic benefits. But more importantly, it would affirm our sense of self-direction and autonomy. If we own our purchases, we are free to make whatever lawful use of them we please. Technology need not constrain our freedom; it can also empower us. 2016.Ranging from the late-eighteenth century to the present, a narrative history reveals how the boundaries and borders that formed both…
states and the nation as a whole created a sense of identity that is central to defining American character. 2007.The Enlightenment: reason, tolerance, and humanity (The modern scholar)
By James Schmidt. 2005
In this course, Boston University professor James Schmidt offers a balanced assessment of the Enlightenment, considering both its achievements and…
its shortcomings and focusing not only on its most important intellectual achievements but also on the strange and often colourful characters that populated it. 2005.The end of absence: reclaiming what we've lost in a world of constant connection
By Michael Harris. 2014
Only one generation in history (ours) will experience life both with and without the internet. For everyone who follows us,…
online life will simply be the air they breathe. Today, we revel in ubiquitous information and constant connection, rarely stopping to consider the implications for our logged-on lives. The author chronicles this massive shift, exploring what we've gained and lost in the bargain. He argues that our greatest loss has been that of absence itself -- of silence, wonder and solitude. Winner of the 2014 Governor General’s Award for Non-fiction. 2014.The enchanted islands: the Galapagos discovered
By John Hickman. 1991
The author chronicles the fitful history of the Galapagos Islands from Inca times and presents an intriguing cast of conquistadors,…
buccaneers, pirates, as well as eccentric explorers, hopeful colonists and naturalists - including Charles Darwin. 1991.The English and the Norman conquest
By Ann Williams. 1995
This text escapes the traditional view of the Norman Conquest by examining the more truly representative experience of the lesser…
lords and landowners among the English, who survived the Conquest and settlement, adapted to foreign customs and preserved much of the native tradition and culture. 1995.The end of Hong Kong: the secret diplomacy of imperial retreat
By Robert Cottrell. 1993
On June 30, 1997, Britain ended its colonial rule over Hong Kong, the wealthy city state with six million people.…
The terms of the handover to China were to be those set out in a Joint Declaration initialled by Britain and China in 1984. This is an account of the diplomacy behind that settlement, and the prospects that lay ahead for Hong Kong. 1993.The Etruscans
By Michael Grant. 1980
Author reviews the latest scholarly thinking about the Bronze Age origins and subsequent development of civilization in Etruria. A major…
section of the book deals with the geographical and cultural history of the major Etruscan city-states and their territories at the height of their power. 1980.The Faber book of reportage
By John Carey. 1987
John Carey has selected accounts of some of the most extraordinary events in history. Events range from the plague in…
Athens in 430 BC to the fall of Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. Exploration and discovery, historical figures, and great battles are all described by eyewitnesses. 1987.