NEW BOOK LIST
FEBRUARY 2006
MEDIA
Time Life's Lost Civilizations - 4 disc DVD set
Four discs, 500 minutes, 10 programs.
Combines cutting-edge digital effects technology with powerful dramatization. Dazzling spectacles re-create rituals and events - from the bloodletting of Maya kings and a pharaoh's last Journey to the secret pleasures of a Roman empress. Original location cinematography in 25 countries takes you from Cuzco in Peru to Petra in Jordan . Computer graphics restore Egypt's pyramids and the Great Wall of China with breathtaking accuracy.
MESOPOTAMIA-Return to Eden
Explore the land of the Bible and see evidence of the world's oldest civilizations. Go back to the dawn of civilization, following clues that lead to the Garden of Eden .
CHINA- Dynasties of Power
Witness the glory of ancient China's greatest rulers and the secrets of their giant tombs. Learn the ruthless military tactics and weapons technology of these all-powerful rulers and discover how the building of the Great Wall would unify that nation.
THE INCA- Secrets of the Ancestors
Witness the conquest of an Inca ruler at the pinnacle of his power. Follow Inca roads into the past and explore the secrets of their ancestors-the Moche , the Nazca , and the Paracas -whose legacies inspired the greatest South American empire ever.
ANCIENT EGYPT-Quest for Immortality
Discover the enduring legacy of the pharaohs in the magnificent riches of their tombs and among the fragile relics of their mummies. Explore the ancient Egyptians fascination with death and their quest for immortality.
ROME-The Ultimate Empire
Enter the Colosseum alongside the gladiators and their foes as they prepare for battle. This episode re-creates the glory of Rome at the zenith of its power and explains how the Romans conquered the western world. Learn the mistakes that led to the Empire's chaotic collapse.
AFRICA- A History Denied
Uncover the hidden history of Africa's great coastal kingdoms and its mysterious counterparts in the heartland of Zimbabwe and southern Africa . For years, this legacy has been denied-only now can the true story be revealed.
AEGEAN - Legacy of Atlantis
Follow the trail of clues that lead from the ancient myths of the Aegean world to their real-life counterparts. Experience the lives of the legendary heroes as they are rediscovered in the ruins of this ancient Mediterranean world.
GREECE - A Moment of Excellence
Enter the extraordinary lives of the classical Greeks at the height of their civilization. Examine the conflicting forces of passion and reason that shaped the art and ideas of the western world.
THE MAYA - The Blood of Kings
Witness the dark rituals of human mutilation as the Maya rulers draw their own blood to offer to the gods. This episode reveals Maya culture at its peak-while its cities matched the sophistication and power of those in Europe in AD 800, this civilization declined suddenly a century later-leaving behind questions and enigmas.
TIBET- The End of Time
Follow the tale of glory and tragedy as a young boy-the reincarnation of the Tibetan God-King -witnesses the collapse of a timeless culture. This episode explores a genuine Shangri-la and its struggle to survive in a hostile contemporary world.
Trials of Life - DVD
Originally broadcast in 1990, Trials of Life is still one of the most comprehensive wildlife documentaries ever made. It examines animal behavior in all its infinite variety and in doing so we are allowed to witness some of the most enchanting animal personalities, as well as some of the most fearsome. Leaving parents, searching for food, building a home, finding a mate; each day brings a new test, a challenge for even the fittest and best adapted animal. Taking some three and a half years to make, David Attenborough traveled almost a quarter of a million miles to complete this fascinating and insightful documentary.
Episode titles: Arriving, Growing Up, Finding Food, Hunting and Escaping, Finding the Way, Homemaking, Living Together, Fighting, Friends and Rivals, Talking to Strangers, Courting, Continuing the Line.
Harvest of Fear (Frontline/NOVA special) - VHS
Frontline and Nova explore the intensifying debate over genetically-modified (gm) food crops. Interviewing scientists, farmers, biotech and food industry representatives, government regulators, and critics of biotechnology, this two-hour report presents both sides of the debate, exploring the risks and benefits, the hopes and fears, of this new technology. 120 minutes. Originally broadcast 2001.
Immunology: Battling the Bugs - DVD
This program follows winners of the Nobel Prize in medicine as they unravel the mysteries of the immune system. See how scientific detective Alexander Fleming first discovered penicillin and how this powerful antibiotic was isolated by researchers Walter Florey and Ernst Chain. Viewers will watch other laureates as they uncover the mechanism through which viruses attack cells, discover mysterious disease-inducing proteins called prions and study the behavior of our white blood cells as they multiply and destroy invading bacteria. Teacher guide included. 10 minutes.
The Magic of Cells - DVD
Using live-action video and sensational computer animation, this DVD introduces the viewer to the amazing world of the cell. Lesson One defines a cell as the smallest living unit. The general characteristics of cells are illustrated. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells are discussed briefly. Lesson Two guides the viewer on an amazing voyage through the membrane, cytoplasm, and many organelles. Lesson Three examines the extraordinary diversity of cells. A variety of cell shapes, structures, and adaptations are presented. 20 minutes.
Galapagos - DVD
A marine biologist from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History leads this astonishing expedition to the Galapagos islands, a world that is still relatively new and evolving. Descend 3,000 feet to an area of the ocean floor never before seen by humankind. The mission: collect rare and unusual species for study at the Smithsonian and elsewhere--all part of a real-life exploration that will discover what is believed to be more than a dozen new species of marine life. Shot on the famed archipelago and in its surrounding waters, Galapagos follows marine biologist Dr. Carole Baldwin as she makes her initial venture into that world first chronicled for science 160 years earlier by Charles Darwin. The tools for Baldwin's team are far different from anything Darwin used, yet one thing is unchanged. The Galapagos Islands remain a stunningly abundant laboratory for exploration. Originally released as an IMAX film in association with the Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation in 1999. 39 minutes.
Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West - VHS
Relive one of the greatest tales of adventure and exploration in history, as National Geographic brings to life the epic journey of Lewis, Clark, their guide Sacagawea and the brave Corps of Discovery across the land that would become the United States. With careful research and meticulous re-creations, this scientific expedition lives again. Experience the danger and breathtaking beauty of the unknown West as it unfolded before the eyes of Lewis & Clark. 45 minutes.- from the producer
The Creation of the Universe - VHS
PBS video. Timothy Ferris hosts this PBS documentary that explores various scientific theories about the origins of the universe through stunning photography, animation, special effects, and discussions with leading physicists Carlo Rubbia, Murray Gell-Man, and Stephen Hawking.
F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great American Dreamer - VHS
F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. In novels such as Tender is the Night, This Side of Paradise , and The Great Gatsby , he captured the mood and manners of his time. He and his wife, Zelda, enjoyed a hedonistic expatriate life as they split their time between New York, Paris and the Riviera. The characters and plots he created with ethereal lyricism and social accuracy mirrored the glamorous lifestyle he led in the madcap excess of the Roaring Twenties. Through interviews with family members and confidantes, this program presents an intimate portrait of a literary giant whose life was touched by tragedy. Authors such as Tobias Wolff and Joseph Heller reflect on Fitzgerald's legacy and lasting influence. Join BIOGRAPHY for an insightful look at F. Scott Fitzgerald—the man who gave the Jazz Age its name. 50 minutes. - from the producer
I have also downloaded and included a short teacher's guide from A&E with vocabulary, discussion questions, and extended activities.
Biography of the Millennium : 100 People, 1000 Years - Four tapes, VHS
Four-volume set containing short biographies of the most important people of the last 1,000 years, according to a survey of notables conducted by the Arts & Entertainment Network.
Contents : v. 1 . 100 Suleyman I; 99 Vasco da Gama; 98 Louis Armstrong; 97 Jonas Salk; 96 Enrico Caruso; 95 Charlie Chaplin; 94 Patient Zero; 93 Eleanor Roosevelt; 92 Florence Nightingale; 91 Steven Spielberg; 90 Louis Daguerre; 89 Susan B. Anthony; 88 J. Robert Oppenheimer; 87 Rachel Carson; 86 James Joyce; 85 Ronald Reagan; 84 Guglieimo Marconi; 83 Peter the Great; 82 Niels Bohr; 81 Nelson Mandela; 80 Elizabeth I; 79 Joseph Stalin; 78 Isabella I; 77 Thomas Hobbes; 76 The Beatles; 75 Gregory Pincus; 74 Enrico Fermi; 73 Princess Diana; 72 Simon Bolivar; 71 Harriet Tubman; 70 Pope Gregory VII; 69 William Harvey; 68 Benjamin Franklin; 67 Vladimir Zworkin; 66 D.W. Griffith; 65 Werner Heisenberg; 64 Pablo Picasso; 63 Jane Austin.
v. 2 . 62 Walt Disney; 61 Michael Faraday; 60 Franklin D. Roosevelt; 59 Immanuel Kant; 58 Joan of Arc; 57 Elvis Presley; 56 Elizabeth Cady Stanton; 55 Ferdinand Magellan; 54 Marco Polo; 53 Marie Curie; 52 Winston Churchill; 51 Edward Jenner; 50 Margaret Sanger; 49 Mikhail Gorbachev; 48 Mary Wollstonecraft; 47 Charles Babbage; 46 Niccolo Machiavelli; 45 William the Conqueror; 44 Alexander Graham Bell; 43 Mao Zedong; 42 Gregor Mendel; 41 Bill Gates; 40 Wright Brothers; 39 Dante Alighieri; 38 Francis Bacon; 37 Voltaire; 36 Alexander Fleming; 35 Vladimir Lenin; 34 Jean-Jacques Rousseau; 33 Martin Luther King Jr.; 32 Rene Descartes; 31 Watson & Crick; 30 Ludwig Van Beethoven; 29 Henry Ford; 28 Johann Sebastian Bach; 27 Napolean Bonaparte; 26 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
v. 3 . 25 James Watt; 24 Saint Thomas Aquinas; 23 Abraham Lincoln; 22 Genghis Khan; 21 George Washington; 20 Adam Smith; 19 Michelangelo; 18 John Locke; 17 Mahatma Gandhi; 16 Adolf Hitler; 15 Thomas Jefferson; 14 Thomas Edison; 13 Louis Pasteur; 12 Sigmund Freud; 11 Leonardo Da Vinci.
v. 4 . 10 Galileo Galilei; 9 Nicolaus Copernicus; 8 Albert Einstein; 7 Karl Marx; 6 Christopher Columbus; 5 William Shakespeare; 4 Charles Darwin; 3 Martin Luther; 2 Isaac Newton; 1 Johann Gutenberg.
Napoleon Bonaparte: The Glory of France - VHS
The most fabled military leader of all time is chronicled in this episode of the A&E Biography series. Born to a Corsican family of shaky financial means, young Napoleon decided upon a military career as a child, winning a scholarship to a French military academy. His meteoric rise shocked not only France but all of Europe, and his military conquests threatened the stability of the world. Making copious use of contemporary drawings, paintings, and maps, and featuring interviews with military historians who specialize in studying Napoleon, the great commander is thoughtfully rendered as an enigmatic figure whose great military triumphs masked a deeply troubled personal life. His marriage to Josephine was tumultuous (and was at times the cause of his being the subject of ridicule), and his fanatical work habits, not to mention a legendary temper, made him a notoriously difficult personality. His insatiable appetite for glory and conquest led him to overcome most obstacles in his path, yet his supreme confidence in himself eventually led him to his defeat at Waterloo and his exile on a desolate island. This is a lively, informative, and entertaining look at one of the most influential figures in all of history. - Amazon.com
Pearl Harbor: Legacy of Attack - VHS
A look at the surprise raid that propelled America's entry into WWII by National Geographic . Includes never-before-seen images from inside the sunken USS Arizona and an undersea expedition by famed Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard. Pearl Harbor survivors share their painful and poignant stories and renowned historian Stephen Ambrose adds powerful historical perspective. Narrated by Tom Brokaw. 90 minutes. - from the producer
The Great Escapes of World War II - 2 volumes, VHS
Vol. 1: The Great Escape: The program tells the complete account of the legendary escape from Germany's Stalag Luft III. Vol. 2: Escape from Arizona: The program tells the story of the largest and most spectacular escape of surviving German POW officers from a U.S.A camp.
Gandhi: Pilgrim of Peace
In this episode of Biography, viewers investigate the life and times of one of this century's most important figures, Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent protest brought an empire to its knees and a people into the light of freedom. This video examines the man that led that journey and examines the far-reaching consequences of what he did. Gandhi was a complicated man. This video offers interviews with such figures as the Dalai Lama to give insight into his nature and philosophy. The careful nature of this video and its serious tone make it appropriate for use in the college classroom. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
Gods and Generals - DVD
Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain left behind a quiet life and a career as a college professor to fight for the Union. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was a man of great religious faith who served in the defense of the Confederacy. And Gen. Robert E. Lee, who led the Confederate army, was a man who was forced to choose between his loyalty to the United States and his love of the Southern states where he was born and raised. Chamberlain, Jackson, and Lee are followed through the declaration of war and the battles at Manassas, Antietam, Frederickburg, and Chancellorsville.
DVD extras: introduction by Ted Turner; commentary by director Ron Maxwell, Colonel Keith E. Gibson, executive director of the Virginia Military Institute Museum and James I. Robertson Jr.; "Journey to the past" BET special; life of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson; Bob Dylan's "Cross the Green Mountain" music video; Mary Fahl's "Going home" music video; theatrical trailer.
Dear America: Letter Home from Vietnam - VHS
A history of American involvement in the Vietnamese conflict told through letters of American service personnel and illustrated with contemporary news footage, home movies, and still photos. Rated PG. 84 minutes.
FICTION
Gilead - Robinson, Marilynne
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Fiction awards. Robinson's first book, Housekeeping (1981), remains an astonishment, leading to high expectations for her longed-for second novel, which is, joyfully, a work of profound beauty and wonder. Reverend John Ames of Gilead, Iowa, a grandson and son of preachers, now in his seventies, is afraid he hasn't much time left to tell his young son about his heritage. And so he takes up his pen, as he has for decades--he estimates that he's written more than 2,000 sermons--and vividly describes his prophetlike grandfather, who had a vision that inspired him to go to Kansas and "make himself useful to the cause of abolition," and the epic conflict between his fiery grandfather and his pacifist father. He recounts the death of his first wife and child, marvels over the variegated splendors of earth and sky, and offers moving interpretations of the Gospel. And then, as he struggles with his disapproval and fear of his namesake and shadow son, Jack, the reprobate offspring of his closest friend, his letter evolves into a full-blown apologia punctuated by the disturbing revelation of Jack's wrenching predicament, one inexorably tied to the toxic legacy of slavery. "For me writing has always felt like praying," discloses Robinson's contemplative hero, and, indeed, John has nearly as much reverence for language and thought as he does for life itself. Millennia of philosophical musings and a century of American history are refracted through the prism of Robinson's exquisite and uplifting novel as she illuminates the heart of a mystic, poet, and humanist. - Booklist
Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt - Rice, Anne
Rice departs from her usual subject matter to pen this curious portrait of a seven-year-old Jesus, who departs Egypt with his family to return home to Nazareth. Rice's painstaking historical research is obvious throughout, whether she's showing the differences among first-century Jewish groups (Pharisees, Essenes and Sadducees all play a part), imagining a Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem or depicting the regular but violent rebellions by Jews chafing under Roman rule. The book succeeds in capturing Jesus' profound Jewishness, with some of the best scenes reflecting his Torah education and immersion in the oral traditions of the Hebrew Bible. Since it is told from Jesus' perspective, the childlike language can be simplistic, though as readers persevere they will discover the riches of the sparse prose Rice adopts. The emotional heart of the story—Jesus' gradual discovery of the miraculous birth his parents have never discussed with him—picks up steam as well, as he begins to understand why he can heal the sick and raise the dead. - Publisher's Weekly
Masters of Fantasy - Fawcett, Bill
This volume presents new stories set in several series of proven and lasting popularity, by some of the best writers in the genre. They include Mercedes Lackey ("Valdemar"), Andre Norton ("Witchworld"), Robert Asprin and Jody Lynn Nye ("Myth Adventures"), Alan Dean Foster ("Spellsinger"), Christopher Stasheff ("Warlock"), and David Drake ("Isles"). Other selections by Mickey Zucker Reichert, Margaret Weis and Don Perrin, Janny Wurts, Elizabeth Moon, Mike Resnick, and David Weber round out this impressive collection. Most of the stories manage the tricky task of introducing a whole new universe with economy while telling a story that is amusing, compelling, interesting, spellbinding, or all of the above. Novice fantasy readers who liked J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series or Marion Zimmer Bradley's TheMists of Avalon (Ballantine, 1984) often find the search for "more like this" both frustrating and disappointing; though there are many other series, packaged similarly, they vary widely in style and quality. In this collection, readers who are not familiar with particular series are given an excellent sample of each, to see whether it suits their interests and tastes, and of course experienced fans of the genre will welcome these new outings in familiar universes. - School Library Journal
The Tarnished Eye - Guest, Judith
Booklist starred review: Guest made a considerable splash with her first novel, Ordinary People (1976); the successful film version earned an Oscar. She hasn't been prolific, a fact to be applauded if conserving her energy explains the intense energy in her latest novel, a thriller based on an actual murder case that occurred more than three decades ago. Just as Guest's apparent instinct for the conventions of the domestic-fiction genre stood behind her stunning exploration of family dysfunction in Ordinary People , she now demonstrates as strong a grasp of the defining traits of the suspense novel. An entire family has been murdered in their summer cabin in northern Michigan, and the local sheriff faces a staggering uphill struggle in attempting to find an explanation. Guest carefully insinuates the reader into the lives of all the people involved in the case--not only the victims and the sheriff but also relevant townspeople and obvious and not-so-apparent suspects. At a fast but methodical pace, she follows the story of the crime's ramifications and draws a connection to a simultaneous series of coed murders in Ann Arbor. The gathering momentum is irresistible. By maintaining the plot's welcome and even necessary swiftness while at the same time tending to character development, depth, and differentiation, Guest produces a novel shivering with artistry and darkness. - Booklist
The Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster - Gibbons, Kaye
Booklist starred review: It's been four years since orphaned Ellen Foster, whom we first met in Gibbons' 1987 novel Ellen Foster , presented herself at the house of her chosen foster mother on Christmas day. For Ellen, now 15, this is a lucky time, centered around the home that Laura provides, school (where Ellen earns money by writing poetry for other students' class assignment), and old and new friends. An unwelcome encounter with her aunt Nadine reveals the hollowness of Nadine's pretensions, especially compared to the refinements Laura offers. But despite the stability Ellen has found, everyone recognizes that a small North Carolina town isn't the place for a girl of her fierce intelligence. Ever determined to be the mistress of her own fate, she herself sets the stage for the next phase in her life by writing a letter to Harvard president Derek Bok proposing herself as a student. This book lacks the strong story arc of its predecessor, which may make some readers impatient. But Ellen is still a remarkable creation, and her narrative voice, while it has matured and grown more sophisticated, remains compelling and unique. - Booklist
Three Plays - Wilson, August
Scripts included: Ma Rainey's black bottom -- Fences -- Joe Turner's come and gone.
NONFICTION
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
- Mann, Charles C.
A groundbreaking study that radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans in 1492. Traditionally, Americans learned in school that the ancestors of the people who inhabited the Western Hemisphere at the time of Columbus's landing had crossed the Bering Strait twelve thousand years ago; existed mainly in small, nomadic bands; and lived so lightly on the land that the Americas was, for all practical purposes, still a vast wilderness. But Mann shows how a new generation of researchers equipped with novel scientific techniques have come to previously unheard-of conclusions about the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans: In 1491 there were probably more people living in the Americas than in Europe. Certain cities--such as Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital--were greater in population than any European city. Tenochtitlán , unlike any capital in Europe at that time, had running water, beautiful botanical gardens, and immaculately clean streets. The earliest cities in the Western Hemisphere were thriving before the Egyptians built the great pyramids. Native Americans transformed their land so completely that Europeans arrived in a hemisphere already massively "landscaped" by human beings. Pre-Columbian Indians in Mexico developed corn by a breeding process that the journal Science recently described as "man's first, and perhaps the greatest, feat of genetic engineering."--From the publisher
Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy - Moran, Lindsay
Fresh out of Harvard with a head full of memories of the Harriet the Spy series, Moran approached the CIA about becoming a spy. But after five years of isolation from regular life and mounting disappointment in the agency's effectiveness--especially after 9/11--Moran left. In this alternately amusing and disturbing memoir, she recalls the recruitment process, including lie-detector tests and psychological screening; the grueling training at the Farm; and the sexist attitudes of male instructors and fellow recruits. Among her classmates were a former Green Beret and a fellow Harvard grad. Finally posted to Macedonia, Moran is charged with recruiting spies, and she has to use all her training and smarts to keep from being killed. Tired of the lying and the subterfuge and the failure of the CIA to predict or prevent the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Moran--on leave for her brother's wedding--meets a man who pulls her back into the mainstream. Fans of the spy show Alias will enjoy this insider look at a spy agency that has lost its luster. Booklist
The Death Penalty on Trial: Crisis in American Justice - Kurtis, Bill
Media celebrity and attorney Kurtis presents a carefully crafted perspective on the current state of the death penalty in America. Starting with Illinois governor George Ryan's sudden mass emptying of that state's death row, Kurtis goes on to present two case studies that illustrate the legal problems with capital punishment as currently executed in America. By choosing two specific cases, both fraught with errors in evidence, prosecutorial zeal, defense incompetence, and a host of other substantive and procedural problems, Kurtis shapes a solid, thoughtful case for his opposition to the death penalty. But by presenting as normative only these two cases, Kurtis leaves himself open to counterarguments based on other equally limited cases, such as those of John Wayne Gacy and Timothy McVeigh. Nevertheless, Kurtis' book is an important contribution to the debate on crime and punishment, and it is a strong and useful resource for students examining legal and social issues of the day. - Booklist
Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions - Prejean, Helen
Sister Helen Prejean, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Dead Man Walking (1993), has penned another wrenching firsthand account of the grim consequences of capital punishment. In her previous book, Prejean recounted the Death Row experiences and execution of an obviously guilty man. This time, she reexamines the cases of two men she fervently believes were executed for crimes they did not commit. Revisiting the trials of Joseph Robert O'Dell, an indigent Virginia man convicted of rape, and Dobie Gillis Williams, a mentally retarded man with an IQ of 65, convicted of raping and stabbing a woman to death in Louisiana, she argues convincingly that pertinent facts, forensic evidence, and eyewitness accounts that might have cleared both men were withheld from the juries by savvy prosecutors at both their trials. In addition to providing a searing indictment of capital punishment, Prejean also exposes the fundamental inadequacies of the American court system. - Booklist
Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya - Elkins, Caroline
Forty years after Kenyan independence from Britain, the words "Mau Mau" still conjure images of crazed savages hacking up hapless white settlers with machetes. The British Colonial Office, struggling to preserve its far-flung empire of dependencies after World War II, spread hysteria about Kenya's Mau Mau independence movement by depicting its supporters among the Kikuyu people as irrational terrorists and monsters. Caroline Elkins, a historian at Harvard University, has done a masterful job setting the record straight in her epic investigation, Imperial Reckoning . After years of research in London and Kenya, including interviews with hundreds of Kenyans, settlers, and former British officials, Elkins has written the first book about the eight-year British war against the Mau Mau. She concludes that the war, one of the bloodiest and most protracted decolonization struggles of the past century, was anything but the "civilizing mission" portrayed by British propagandists and settlers. Instead, Britain engaged in an amazingly brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing that seemed to border on outright genocide. While only 32 white settlers were killed by Mau Mau insurgents, Elkins reports that tens of thousands of Kenyans were slaughtered, perhaps up to 300,000. This is a stunning narrative that finally sheds light on a misunderstood war for which no one has yet been held officially accountable. - Amazon.com
Washington's Crossing - Fischer, David Hackett
At the core of an impeccably researched, brilliantly executed military history is an analysis of George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River in December 1776 and the resulting destruction of the Hessian garrison of Trenton and defeat of a British brigade at Princeton. Fischer's perceptive discussion of the strategic, operational and tactical factors involved is by itself worth the book's purchase. He demonstrates Washington's insight into the revolution's desperate political circumstances, shows how that influenced the idea of a riposte against an enemy grown overconfident with success and presents Washington's skillful use of what his army could do well. Even more useful is Fischer's analysis of the internal dynamics of the combatants. He demonstrates mastery of the character of the American, British and Hessian armies, highlighting that British troops, too, fought for ideals, sacred to them, of loyalty and service. Above all, Brandeis historian Fischer (Albion's Seed) uses the Trenton campaign to reveal the existence, even in the revolution's early stage, of a distinctively American way of war, much of it based on a single fact: civil and military leaders were accountable to a citizenry through their representatives. From Washington down, Fischer shows, military leaders acknowledged civil supremacy and worked with civil officials. Washington used firepower and intelligence as force multipliers to speed the war for a practical people who wanted to win quickly in order to return to their ordinary lives. Tempo, initiative and speed marked the Trenton campaign from first to last. And Washington fought humanely, extending quarter in battle and insisting on decent treatment of prisoners. The crossing of the Delaware, Fischer teaches, should be seen as emblematic of more than a turning of the war's tide. - Publisher's Weekly
The World of Christopher Marlowe - Riggs, David
Booklist starred review: A biography of Shakespeare's greatest forebear in the Elizabethan theater must be the product of considerable grubbing and decoding. No portrait of Marlowe (1564-93) exists; he is referred to by several names (e.g., Morley, Merlin) that are spelled and, one would think, pronounced differently; and he had reasons to be untraceable, including the disesteem in which playwrights were held and his work-for-hire as a secret agent, maybe even a double agent, of the factions contending for power in England. Those contestants were the queen and high-church Protestants; the disestablished English Catholic Church and Catholic aristocrats at home and expatriate; and the rising Puritans, who could practically ally with the Catholics. Intelligent young lower-class men like Marlowe, the Cambridge scholarship-student son of an originally itinerant worker, functioned with enormous fluidity among those factions. Basically, Marlowe was a queen's man, but he was often arrested and ultimately murdered, Riggs claims, because he was suspected of being, or about to become, an atheist collaborator with the Catholics. His plays, as Riggs very persuasively parses them, argue that he was indeed atheist; with his reported behavior--rambunctious and blasphemous--they argue that he was antinomian and antiauthoritarian, too. Outstanding social history, detective work, literary analysis, and portrayal of a truly dangerous time and place--Elizabethan London. Booklist
Cathedrals of Europe - Anne Prache
The length and breadth of cathedral culture -- buildings, decorations, windows, furnishings, art, illuminated liturgical manuscripts, relics, and treasures -- are covered in this English translation of a historical survey first published in 1999. Prolific medievalist Prache shares her profound knowledge in lengthy, well-disposed essays on major periods from the fourth century to the late Middle Ages. The explanatory sections on stained glass, mosaics, manuscripts, cloisters, and sculptured doorways are outstanding, as are the detailed photographs -- many of which were commissioned for the book. The scope is pan-European, with smaller, less-visited cathedrals also receiving attention. The bibliography is divided into periods and individual sites. - Library Journal
The Age of Great Dreams : America in the 1960s - David Farber
Farber's impressive overview of the U.S. in the 1960s represents a significant contribution to the scholarly analysis of an ever-intriguing decade. The author places the 1960s in proper historical context, defining that turbulent era as the logical extension and culmination of an earlier epoch that encompassed the Great Depression, World War II, and the postwar prosperity boom. As the U.S. attempted to adjust to an increasingly international role as a global superpower, the evolution of an extremely complex, consumer-oriented economy, and the emergence of a much stronger, more centralized federal government, an explosive political and cultural reaction proved to be all but inevitable. The domestic tensions and contradictions that were the natural by-product of that struggle generated a wave of social unrest that produced both the triumph and the tragedy of this paradoxical juncture in history. An insightful social chronicle. - Booklist
Contents: Preface -- Good Times -- The World as Seen from the White House -- The Meaning of National Culture -- Freedom -- The Liberal Dream and Its Nightmare -- Vietnam -- A Nation at War -- The War Within -- Stormy Weather -- RN and the Politics of Deception -- A New World -- Conclusions -- Bibliographic Essay -- Acknowledgments -- Index.
Miranda: The Story Of America's Right To Remain Silent - Gary L. Stuart
It seems odd to think of it, but a suspect's right to remain silent is only four decades old. Well, that's not precisely true: U.S. citizens have had the right not to incriminate themselves for some time, but it was not until the 1963 case of Miranda v. Arizona that advising a suspect of the right to remain silent became encoded in law. When told he had been identified by a witness, Ernesto Miranda, an accused serial rapist, figured he might as well fess up. He didn't know he had the right to keep his mouth shut because the police officers hadn't told him. That simple, seemingly insignificant incident changed the American legal system in a massive way. The author, an attorney and law professor who knew many of the people involved in the Miranda case and its aftermath, tells the story simply, making even the most complicated and subtle legal points entirely clear. He also explores how the Miranda decision affects law enforcement in the post-9/11 world. Interesting, timely, and important. - Booklist
The Bible and Its Influence - Cullen Schippe
Academic study of the Bible and its influence on culture, art, literature, music, and history. " It succeeds in explaining the Bible's themes and impact on art, literature and music without promoting religion or endorsing any particular faith." Washington Post
Guide to Studying Abroad
Plan ahead! Each year more than 140,000 students in the United States take advantage of study abroad programs. Guide to Studying Abroad shows you how to find the best opportunities that will help you to accomplish your academic goals, with profiles of more than 875 programs. - from the publisher
REFERENCE
The Early National Period - Purcell, Sarah J.
Early National refers to the years 1783-1828, the era after the Revolutionary War when our nation experienced great political and social change, rapid expansion, and a war. Chronological chapters focus on periods within those years characterized by specific events, conflicts, or crises such as "Federalist Disorder 1797-1800" or "The War of 1812: 1812-1815." The introduction to each section summarizes major events and provides excerpts from primary resources including speeches, letters, newspaper accounts, diary entries, and advertisements. George Washington's 1783 resignation speech to Congress is included alongside a 1784 travel narrative describing American "backwoodsmen." A free black celebrates "the anniversary of the ending of the external slave trade" in 1813, and in an 1814 letter, Thomas Jefferson offers to sell his personal library to Congress after hearing of the destruction of the public library. The short excerpts present a variety of voices but lack introductions so their contexts may be confusing to some students. However, entries do conclude with a line of commentary, a source, and a date. A chronology ends each chapter. Average-quality photos and reproductions are found throughout. Appendixes add depth by offering major documents in their entirety as well as biographical sketches. - School Library Journal