Search results for ""Smithsonian""

Speechifying collects the most important speeches of Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole—noted Black feminist anthropologist, the first Black female president of Spelman College, former director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art, and former chair and president of the National Council of Negro Women. A powerful and eloquent orator, Dr. Cole demonstrates her commitment to the success of historically Black colleges and universities, her ideas about the central importance of diversity and inclusion in higher education, the impact of growing up in the segregated South on her life and activism, and her belief in public service. Drawing on a range of Black thinkers, writers, and artists as well as biblical scripture and spirituals, her speeches give voice to the most urgent and polarizing issues of our time while inspiring transformational leadership and change. Speechifying also includes interviews with Dr. Cole that highlight her perspective as a Black feminist, her dedication to public speaking and “speechifying” in the tradition of the Black church, and the impact that her leadership and mentorship have had on generations of Black feminist scholars.

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In Illinois, the one-hundred-foot Cahokia Mound spreads impressively across sixteen acres, and as many as ten thousand more mounds dot the Ohio River Valley alone. The Mound Builders traces the speculation surrounding these monuments and the scientific excavations which uncovered the history and culture of the ancient Americans who built them. The mounds were constructed for religious and secular purposes some time between 1000 B.C. and 1000 A.D., and they have prompted curiosity and speculation from very early times. European settlers found them evidence of some ancient and glorious people. Even as eminent an American as Thomas Jefferson joined the controversy, though his conclusions—that the mounds were actually cemeteries of ancient Indians—remained unpopular for nearly a century. Only in the late 19th century, as Smithsonian Institution investigators developed careful methodologies and reliable records, did the period of scientific investigation of the mounds and their builders begin. Silverberg follows these excavations and then recounts the story they revealed of the origins, development, and demise of the mound builder culture.

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En el año 1895, con ocasión de la boda de su hermano Paul con una Loeb en Nueva York, Aby Warburg realizará lo que él mismo habrá de llamar el viaje de su vida. Aburrido del ambiente neoyorquino y tras pasar por el Smithsonian Institute de Washington, centro de la etnología y la antropología de la época, Warburg se lanza hacia el oeste del continente norteamericano, a Nuevo México, con la intención de visitar a los indios hopi y asistir a sus rituales y ceremoniales. Más de veinte años después, en 1923, el material recogido entonces le servirá para pronunciar la conferencia en la clínica de Kreuzlingen dirigida por Ludwig Binswanger, El ritual de la serpiente, que le habría de hacer célebre a pesar suyo, pues dio instrucciones precisas a su colaborador Fritz Saxl para que no se publicara nunca. A diferencia de El ritual de la serpiente, un ensayo con un principio y un final, coherentemente construido, este libro publica las impresiones fragmentarias del historiador del arte de Hamburgo

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This year's selection includes William Langewiesche's probing investigation in Vanity Fair of the slaughter of twenty-four Iraqis in Haditha; C. J. Chivers's chilling account in Esquire of the 2004 hostage crisis in Beslan, which killed 331 people, 186 of them children; Susan Casey's revelation in Best Life of a virtually unknown, Texas-sized garbage dump resting at the bottom of the Pacific ocean; and Andrew Corsello's harrowing portrait in GQ of Robert Mugabe's mad rule and two men-a white farmer and a fiery black priest-who strive for forgiveness instead of hate. The collection also includes Vanessa Grigoriadis's hilarious portrait of fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld in New York Magazine; Christopher Hitchens's profile of survivors of Agent Orange in Vanity Fair; Sandra Tsing Loh's coverage of the stay-at-home-mommy debate in the Atlantic Monthly; Paul Theroux's thoughts on the dangers of anthropomorphism and our misconceptions about birds in the Smithsonian; Janet Reitman's unraveling of the mysteries of Scientology in Rolling Stone; and the work of nine other exceptional writers.

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As a function of its corporate duties, the Consolidation Coal Company, one of the largest coal-mining operations in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century, had photographers take hundreds of pictures of nearly every facet of its operations. Whether for publicity images, safety procedures, or archival information, these photographs create a record that goes far beyond the purpose the company intended. In Extracting Appalachia, geographer Geoffrey L. Buckley examines the company’s photograph collection housed at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. Included in the collection are images of mine openings, mining equipment, and mine accidents, as well as scenes of the company towns, including schools, churches, recreational facilities, holiday celebrations, and company stores. Although the photographs in the collection provide us with valuable insights, they tell only part of the story. Using company records, state and federal government documents, contemporary newspaper accounts, and other archival materials, Professor Buckley shows that these photographs reveal much more than meets the eye. Extracting Appalachia places these historic mining images in their social, cultural, and historical context, uncovering the true value and meaning of this rare documentary record.

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One of Smithsonian Magazine's Favorite Books of 2022 This history reveals how radical threats to the United States empire became seditious threats to national security and exposes the antiradical and colonial origins of anti-Asian racism.Menace to Empire transforms familiar themes in American history. This profoundly ambitious history of race and empire traces both the colonial violence and the anticolonial rage that the United States spread across the Pacific between the Philippine-American War and World War II. Moon-Ho Jung argues that the US national security state as we know it was born out of attempts to repress and silence anticolonial subjects, from the Philippines and Hawaiʻi to California and beyond. Jung examines how various revolutionary movements spanning the Pacific confronted the US empire. In response, the US state closely monitored and brutally suppressed those movements, exaggerating fears of pan-Asian solidarities and sowing anti-Asian racism. Radicalized by their opposition to the US empire and racialized as threats to US security, peoples in and from Asia pursued a revolutionary politics that engendered and haunted the national security state—the heart and soul of the US empire ever since.

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Whether you want to explore the Smithsonian Museums, stroll along the Wharf, or dine in the city's increasingly sophisticated restaurant scene, the local Fodor's travel experts in Washington D.C. are here to help! Fodor's Washington D.C. guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos.Fodor's Washington D.C. travel guide includes: AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time MORE THAN 20 DETAILED MAPS to help you navigate confidently COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust! HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCALS on the best sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, performing arts, activities, side-trips, and more PHOTO-FILLED “BEST OF” FEATURES on “What to Buy,” “Under the Radar,” “D.C. with kids,” and more TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS including when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, politics, art, architecture, cuisine, music, and more SPECIAL FEATURES on “What to Watch and Read Before You Visit,” and “What to Eat and Drink” LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE ON: The Washington Monument, the White House, the Capitol Building, the National Mall, the Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonian museums, Arlington National Cemetery, Georgetown's boutiques, U Street's restaurants, Alexandria, Mount Vernon, Annapolis, Baltimore, and more. Planning on visiting other parts of the east coast? Check out Fodor's New York City, Fodor's Boston, and Fodor's Maine Coast.*Important note for digital editions: The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition.ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor's has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us!

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One of The Smithsonian Magazine's Best Science Books of the YearThe future is here and, frankly, it sucks. Without doubt, our culture is at a crossroads. Political strife and economic crises are byproducts of a larger looming challenge, one in which we will have to ask ourselves what constitutes a meaningful life. We must do the hard work of imagining a different kind of reality for ourselves. It's work that anticipates the worst but sees hope on the other side of catastrophe, or at least possibility; that presumes disaster and says, now what? A best-of-the-year anthology, What Future is a collection of long-form journalism and essays published in 2016 that address a wide range of topics crucial to our future, from the environmental and political, to human health and animal rights, to technology and the economy. What Future includes writing from authors Elizabeth Kolbert, Jeff Vandermeer, Bill McKibben, Kim Stanley Robinson, as well as the scientists, journalists, and philosophers who are proposing the options that lay not just ahead, but beyond, in prestigious magazines and journals such as The Atlantic and The New Yorker.

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Fun facts on fossils, amphibians, sea creatures, woolly mammoths, Neanderthals, insects, and more that will intrigue young readers and provide an experience that will redefine natural history for kids.The lost world of velociraptor, stegosaurus, allosaurus, and other prehistoric monsters come to life as never before in Dinosaur! Packed with photorealistic computer-generated images, detailed cross-sections and cutaways revealing the inner workings of dinosaurs, simple annotations, and clear, concise definitions explaining each dinosaur and prehistoric beast at a glance, Dinosaur! revives the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous eras and brings young readers into the action.Created in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution.Más de 60 criaturas prehistóricas como nunca antes las habías visto. Increíbles modelos en 3D traen a la vida el mundo prehistórico. Este libro es un viaje en el tiempo a la era mesozoica, cuando feroces dinosaurios vagaban por la tierra, amenazantes pterosaurios cruzaban los cielos y el mar estaba lleno de reptiles impresionantes. Observa las recreaciones de cada animal prehistórico con un asombroso realismo y un detalle sin precedentes. Descubre cómo vivieron tan fascinantes criaturas, por qué se extinguieron, y qué podemos aprender de sus restos fósiles.

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THE INVISIBLES: Slavery Inside The White House and How It Helped Shape America is the first book to tell the story of the executive mansion’s most unexpected residents, the African American slaves who lived with the U.S. presidents who owned them. Interest in African Americans and the White House are at an all-time high due to the historic presidency of Barack Obama, and the soon-to-be-opened Smithsonian National Museum of African American Culture and History. The Invisibles chronicles the African American presence inside the White House from its beginnings in 1782 until 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that granted slaves their freedom. During these years, slaves were the only African Americans to whom the most powerful men in the United States were exposed on a daily, and familiar, basis. By reading about these often-intimate relationships, readers will better understand some of the views that various presidents held about class and race in American society, and how these slaves contributed not only to the life and comforts of the presidents they served, but to America as a whole.

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Cincinnati was a major printing and publishing center from the earliest days of the Old Northwest Territory. The spectacular technological and artistic developments in the 19th-century printing trade nationally were reflected in the Cincinnati printmakers’ achievements, many of which were promotional in nature. Highlights of Cincinnati prints, printing, and graphic design are the focus of this book, which includes examinations of the work of The Strobridge Lithographing Company and its circus posters, the participation of the Smithsonian Institution in the Cincinnati Centennial Exhibition, a survey of Cincinnati printing and graphic design, an examination of early engraved Cincinnati views, Emil Klauprecht and the German-American influence in Cincinnati printing, lithographic portraits by Ehrgott & Forbriger, and the unique contributions of The United States Playing Card Company of Cincinnati. This book is a unique collaboration between two of Ohio’s university presses in providing a hardcover version of this important study along with access to the accompanying website devoted to faithful reproduction of the color images discussed within the book. The total package is an illuminating and eclectic introduction to the varied and colorful history of Cincinnati printing.

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Discover a world of fascinating facts and stats about the beautiful game. Dive in and deepen your knowledge while following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar! From record-breaking goals to famous football mascots – learn about the funny and extraordinary moments that make football fantastic. This fully illustrated book of trivia takes footie fans on a breathtaking round-the-world tour, visiting every continent to discover incredible football stories, from record-breaking goals, amazing players, and stunning stadiums to weird and wonderful football mascots. The perfect gift for any young fans aged 7+ inspired by the 2022 World Cup. Kick off your footballing journey and see the world in a whole new light! WITH FABULOUSLY SHINY FOILED COVER Clive Gifford started writing books at the age of 16 and hasn’t stopped since! He has had over 150 books published, most of which are for children. His books have been nominated for, or won, Royal Society, School Library Association, Blue Peter, Smithsonian and TES awards. Clive lives in Manchester. Tracy Worrall creates her artwork using both digital and traditional media. She produced animations for an award-winning educational television series for the Discovery Channel. Tracy lives in Liverpool.

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Age range 7+Explore the joys of cooking with children while enjoying some delicious seasonal soups! Soup is delicious in every season, and this delightful cookbook includes more than thirty recipes for fall, winter, spring, and summer soups, as well as related recipes for bread, salads, and snacks. Using tasty ingredients and winning combinations, Chef Gary Goss proves that even beginning chefs can create scrumptious soups, such as the charmingly named Ch-Ch-Chili, Polka Dot Soup, Abracadabra Soup, Full Moon Soup, and Best Buddy Soup. Most notably, however, are Jane Dyer's ethereal illustrations that gracefully accompany the recipes, offering images of dancing celery and sunbathing tomatoes that are sure to keep kids engaged while in the kitchen. This is a wonderfully whimsical cookbook for the whole family.Blue Moon Soup, originally published more than twenty years ago, is a quintessential cookbook—and a beautiful gift book for holidays and birthdays alike! Blue Moon Soup is the winner of such awards as the Smithsonian Notable Books for Children, Nappa Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, Real Life Award, and Bookbuilders of Boston, as well as the Parents' Choice Award.

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A portrait of an eminent jewellery artist and her unique creations! Inspired by the Arte Povera movement, the Italian jewellery artist Annamaria Zanella (b. 1966) uses base materials, which only gain meaning through their context. Corroded metal or found objects convey statements that can be both political and personal in nature. Zanella wants to bring the soul of the material to light through the work of her own hands. The colour used is intended to evoke feelings and reactions. To this end Zanella studied the history of colours and their production, especially that of her unmistakable blue. She produced a blue pigment according to a recipe from the fourteenth century, invoking in its modern use pioneering artists such as Giotto, Wassily Kandinsky and Yves Klein. Annamaria Zanella is represented in numerous museums, including Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris (FR); Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin (DE); Die Neue Sammlung The Design Museum, Munich (DE); Museum of Arts and Design, New York (US); Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim (DE); Museo degli Argenti, Florence (IT); Victoria and Albert Museum, London (GB); Palazzo Fortuny, Venice (IT); Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York (US); Swiss National Museum, Zurich (CH). Text in English and Italian.

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A detailed study of the Great Mongol Shahnama, considered to be the greatest of all Persian illustrated manuscripts​The Great Mongol Shahnama is widely considered to be the definitive version of Firdausi’s epic poem, and the greatest of all Persian illustrated manuscripts. The paintings from this manuscript are held in private collections and institutions around the world, and have only been seen together in a single volume once since they were originally dispersed. This monograph reunites the paintings and reproduces them as 67 full-page, high quality color plates, alongside an analysis by leading scholar of Islamic art, Robert Hillenbrand. With newly commissioned photographs and insights into technical aspects of the paintings, The Great Mongol Shahnama is a comprehensive resource for those interested in Persian art and manuscripts. Distributed for Hali Publications Ltd. and the Freer|Sackler, Smithsonian. Co-published by Hali Publications Ltd. and the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, and supported by Qatar Museums. Exhibition Schedule:Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, DC (December 2020–June 2021)

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Dive into this uniquely elegant visual exploration of the sea An informative and utterly beautiful introduction to marine life and the ocean environment, Oceanology brings the riches of the underwater world onto the printed page.Astounding photography reveals an abundance of life, from microscopic plankton to great whales, seaweed to starfish. Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution, the book explores every corner of the oceans, from coral reefs and mangrove swamps to deep ocean trenches. Along the way, and with the help of clear, simple illustrations, it explains how life has adapted to the marine environment, revealing for example how a stonefish delivers its lethal venom and how a sponge sustains itself by sifting food from passing currents. It also examines the physical forces and processes that shape the oceans, from global circulation systems and tides to undersea volcanoes and tsunamis.To most of us, the marine world is out of reach. But with the help of photography and the latest technology, Oceanology brings us up close to animals, plants, and other living things that inhabit a fantastic and almost incomprehensibly beautiful other dimension.

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A world-renowned Pomo basket weaver and medicine woman, Mabel McKay expressed her genius through her celebrated baskets, her Dreams, her cures, and the stories with which she kept her culture alive. She spent her life teaching others how the spirit speaks through the Dream, how the spirit heals, and how the spirit demands to be heard. Greg Sarris weaves together stories from Mabel McKay's life with an account of how he tried, and she resisted, telling her story straight - the white people's way. Sarris, an Indian of mixed-blood heritage, finds his own story in his search for Mabel McKay's. Beautifully narrated, "Weaving the Dream" initiates the reader into Pomo culture and demonstrates how a woman who worked most of her life in a cannery could become a great healer and an artist whose baskets were collected by the Smithsonian. Hearing Mabel McKay's life story, we see that distinctions between material and spiritual and between mundane and magical disappear. What remains is a timeless way of healing, of making art, and of being in the world. Sarris' new preface, written expressly for this edition, meditates on Mabel McKay's enduring legacy and the continued importance of her teachings.

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One of Smithsonian Magazine's Favorite Books of 2022 This history reveals how radical threats to the United States empire became seditious threats to national security and exposes the antiradical and colonial origins of anti-Asian racism.Menace to Empire transforms familiar themes in American history. This profoundly ambitious history of race and empire traces both the colonial violence and the anticolonial rage that the United States spread across the Pacific between the Philippine-American War and World War II. Moon-Ho Jung argues that the US national security state as we know it was born out of attempts to repress and silence anticolonial subjects, from the Philippines and Hawaiʻi to California and beyond. Jung examines how various revolutionary movements spanning the Pacific confronted the US empire. In response, the US state closely monitored and brutally suppressed those movements, exaggerating fears of pan-Asian solidarities and sowing anti-Asian racism. Radicalized by their opposition to the US empire and racialized as threats to US security, peoples in and from Asia pursued a revolutionary politics that engendered and haunted the national security state—the heart and soul of the US empire ever since.

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Featuring over 380 color photographs, this illustrated guidebook presents a visual history of the United States’ space adventures, from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs to the current International Space Station and Space X commercial ventures. A wide-ranging variety of equipment is featured, from rockets and spacecraft to clothing and handheld items. Detailed captions explain the construction and use of these custom-made, exotic items, many actually used on specific short- and long-duration space voyages. Featured museums include the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio; Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama; Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington; Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, Washington, DC, and the nearby Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport; and, in Florida, Cape Canaveral and the adjacent Kennedy Space Center, the Air Force Space Museum, Space History Center and the Astronaut Hall of Fame, the American Space Museum & Walk of Fame in Titusville, and the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola. This work is intended to enlighten readers as to what kind of space artifacts are on display to the public, and to inform as to where they can be seen in person.

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'Beautiful . . . Justifies its place alongside nature writing classics such as H is for Hawk' NEW STATESMAN'Wonderful ... both frank and fearless' TELEGRAPH BEST TRAVEL BOOKS OF THE YEAR'Fascinating' GUARDIAN TOP TEN NATURE MEMOIRSFrom Mexico to the Arctic ice, grey whale mothers swim with their calves. Following them, by bus, train and ferry, are Doreen and her toddler Max, in pursuit of a wild hope. Doreen first visited Alaska as a young journalist reporting on climate change among indigenous whaling communities. There, drawn deeply into an Iñupiaq family, she joined the bowhead whale hunt, watching for polar bears under the never-ending light. Years later, now a single mother living in a hostel, Doreen embarks on this extraordinary journey: following the grey whale migration back to the Arctic, where greys and bowheads meet at the melting apex of our planet. 'Soundings got under my skin. I finished it in tears' AMY LIPTROT'What a voice! What a book!' CHARLES FOSTER'Soulful, honest, insightful, humane and propulsive' JINI REDDY 'Thrilling, passionate and tender-hearted' HELEN JUKES WINNER OF THE RSL GILES ST AUBYN AWARDONE OF SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE'S TEN BEST BOOKS ABOUT TRAVEL OF 2022

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This work is intended for ages 10+. Cristina Ortega is the granddaughter of Juan Melquiades Ortega, a master weaver of northern New Mexico's Chimayo Valley. Chimayo's roots are in early Spanish Colonial times and has long been famous for its unique weavings. Juan M Ortega was taught to weave by his father in the early days when weavers sheared their own sheep and spun and dyed the wool for their blankets. El Tejedor (The Weaver) continued weaving until he was one hundred years old, when his eyesight failed him. In ""The Eyes of the Weaver"", Cristina shares her memories of visits when she was ten years old with Grandpa in the village of Chimayo, where he taught her how to weave. She also recalls how Grandma helped her husband choose colour combinations for his Chimayo blankets. It was during these visits that Cristina learned how important it is for a child to listen to and learn from his or her relatives. Some of Juan M Ortega's weavings and tools of the trade have been included in the exhibit, ""American Encounters"", at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, DC.

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An enchanting biography of J. M. Barrie, the man who created Peter Pan and his Lost Boys “For an insightful exploration of Barrie and the boys who inspired him, nothing rivals [this book].”—Norman Allen, Smithsonian Magazine J. M. Barrie, Victorian novelist, playwright, and author of Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, led a life almost as magical and interesting as as his famous creation. Childless in his marriage, Barrie grew close to the five young boys of the Llewelyn Davies family, ultimately becoming their guardian and devoted surrogate father when they were orphaned. Andrew Birkin draws extensively on a vast range of material by and about Barrie, including notebooks, memoirs, and hours of recorded interviews with the family and their circle, to describe Barrie’s life and the wonderful world he created for the boys. Originally published in 1979, this enchanting and richly illustrated account is reissued with a new preface to mark the release of Neverland, the film of Barrie’s life, and the upcoming centenary of Peter Pan. “A psychological thriller . . . one of the year’s most complex and absorbing biographies.”—Gerald Clarke, Time “A terrible and fascinating story.”—Eve Auchincloss, Washington Post

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A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history'I loved this book so much' ANN PATCHETT'Brilliantly varied and with a galloping pace' MAIL ON SUNDAY'A masterpiece' JANE SMILEY'Thrilling' NEW YORK TIMESKentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamour of any racetrack. Washington, DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse - one studying the stallion's bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success. Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred, Lexington, who became America's greatest stud sire, Horse is an original, gripping, multi-layered reckoning with the legacy of enslavement and racism in America.

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Birds & Words is a vintage collection of 60 illustrations of birds and 60 humorous stories about each one. This book is a lovely reissue of the charming and highly collectible 1972 classic by Charley Harper. Written and illustrated by the renowned illustrator. Harper's style has been referred to as "minimal realism." • Charley Harper was a prolific mid-century modern artist based in Cincinnati, Ohio. • Each bird was hand-painted in Harper's signature style. • Birds & Words brings together the beloved illustrator's gifts as both an artist and a writer. Charley Harper has illustrated numerous books, including the notable The Golden Book of Biology. This new version of this vintage gem features a cloth-bound cover with a tipped in image alongside the original vintage typography. • A great book for fans of mid-century modern aesthetics, and for designers, bird lovers, minimal art, and those who adore all things Charley Harper • Giftable to a wide age range—from children to retirees, Charley Harper's charming illustrations and sweet stories appeal to all. • Add it to the collection of books like Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life by Todd Oldham and Charley Harper and Smithsonian Handbooks: Birds of North America by Fred J. Alsop III.

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Smithsonian American Art Museum's 2021 Charles C. Eldredge Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in American ArtMichael Ray Charles is the most comprehensive presentation yet of the work of an artist who rose to prominence in the 1990s for works that engaged American stereotypes of African Americans. With a background in advertising and an archivist’s inquisitiveness, Charles developed an artistic practice that made startling use of found images and offered critiques of the narratives they fostered. Immersing readers in the imagination of this daring painter, Michael Ray Charles celebrates and contextualizes a singular, major figure in the art world.Art historian Cherise Smith collaborated with the artist to curate nearly one hundred color plates documenting nearly thirty years of visual art. These plates are framed by an interview with the artist and by Smith’s own deep interpretive essay on Charles’s work. Smith explores topics ranging from the controversy resulting from Charles’s provocative appropriations of stereotypical racial material to his techniques of sampling from popular culture, and from his commentaries on African American men and sports to his work with director Spike Lee on Bamboozled. Both clear-eyed and complex, this retrospective demonstrates the significant role that Michael Ray Charles’s work has played in defining what art is today.

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Abraham Lincoln had a lifelong fascination with science and technology, a fascination that would help institutionalize science, win the Civil War, and propel the nation into the modern age. Readers will learn through Lincoln: The Fire of Genius how science and technology gradually infiltrated Lincoln’s remarkable life and influenced his growing desire to improve the condition of all men. The book traces this progression from a simple farm boy to a president who changed the world. Counter to conventional wisdom, subsistence farming provides a considerable education in agronomic science, forest ecology, hydrology, and even a little civil engineering. Continuing through a lifetime of self-study, curiosity, and hard work, Lincoln became the only President with a patent, advocated for technological advancement as a legislator in Illinois and in Washington, and became the “go-to” western lawyer on technology, and patent cases during his legal career. During the Civil War, Lincoln drew upon his commitment to science and personally encouraged inventors while taking dramatic steps to institutionalize science via the Smithsonian Institution, create the National Academy of Sciences, and initiate the Department of Agriculture. Lincoln’s insistence on high-tech weaponry, balloon surveillance, strategic use of telegraphy, and railroad deployment positioned the North to achieve Union victory.

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This work is a large, powerfully illustrated interdisciplinary natural sciences volume, the first of its kind to examine the critically important nature of ecological paradox, through an abundance of lenses: the biological sciences, taxonomy, archaeology, geopolitical history, comparative ethics, literature, philosophy, the history of science, human geography, population ecology, epistemology, anthropology, demographics, and futurism. The ecological paradox suggests that the human biological–and from an insular perspective, successful–struggle to exist has come at the price of isolating H. sapiens from life-sustaining ecosystem services, and far too much of the biodiversity with which we find ourselves at crisis-level odds. It is a paradox dating back thousands of years, implicating millennia of human machinations that have been utterly ruinous to biological baselines. Those metrics are examined from numerous multidisciplinary approaches in this thoroughly original work, which aids readers, particularly natural history students, who aspire to grasp the far-reaching dimensions of the Anthropocene, as it affects every facet of human experience, past, present and future, and the rest of planetary sentience.With a Preface by Dr. Gerald Wayne Clough, former Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and President Emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Foreword by Robert Gillespie, President of the non-profit, Population Communication.

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This is a truly exceptional collection of drawings from one of our most revered cultural commentators. Gerald Scarfe began his career in the 60s working for PUNCH and PRIVATE EYE before taking a job as a political cartoonist for the DAILY MAIL. He then worked for TIME Magazine in New York before starting his long association with the SUNDAY TIMES that still exists today in the form of his weekly drawings. His varied career has seen him work with Pink Floyd (The Wall, Wish You Were Here), Roger Waters and Eric Clapton (The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking), Disney (Hercules), English National Ballet (The Nutcracker), Los Angeles Opera (Fantastic Mr Fox) as well as produce such iconic images as those for the titles of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister. His work has featured in the New Yorker and various BBC TV films such as Scarfe on Sex and Scarfe on Class. Exhibitions of his paintings and drawings have appeared in the Tate Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. He is viewed by many as both a national treasure and a genius and this is the first collection of his work to appear for 20 years.

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For two centuries the barometer has been an indispensable laboratory instrument. Yet, despite its revolutionary influence on science, W. E. Knowles Middleton here offers the first complete history of the barometer as a scientific tool. Middleton relies on research from Western European documents and manuscripts of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He begins his story with a pre-history of the barometer, the Torricellian experiment, the subsequent experiments and controversies in the 1640s, and the barometric experiments during the remainder of the century. Later chapters are concerned with the mercury barometer as a scientific instrument, discussing the efforts to expand the scale to render the instrument portable, and to attain greater accuracy. These chapters follow accounts of mercury barographs, the history of the corrections to the barometer, the history of the mercury barometer in North America, and the luminescence that appears when a barometer is moved in the dark. The final chapters discuss barometers other than those using the weight of a column of mercury. A large number of the more interesting barometers seen by the author in his extensive travels appears in the appendix. Nearly 200 figures and diagrams depict the wide variety of barometers studied by the author over his long career at the Smithsonian Institution.

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This volume tells the singular story of an uncanny object at the cusp of art and science: a 450-year-old automaton known as “the monk.” The walking, gesticulating figure of a friar, in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, is among the earliest extant ancestors of the self-propelled robot. According to lore from the court of Philip II of Spain, the monk represents a portrait of Diego de Alcalá, a humble Franciscan lay brother whose holy corpse was said to be agent to the miraculous cure of Spain’s crown prince as he lay dying in 1562. In tracking the origins of the monk and its legend, the authors visited archives, libraries, and museums across the United States and Europe, probing the paradox of a mechanical object performing an apparently spiritual act. They identified seven kindred automata from the same period, which, they argue, form a paradigmatic class of walking “prime movers,” unprecedented in their combination of visual and functional realism. While most of the literature on automata focuses on the Enlightenment, this enthralling narrative journeys back to the late Renaissance, when clockwork machinery was entirely new, foretelling the evolution of artificial life to come.

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Included in Smithsonian Magazine's Ten Best Children’s Books of 2022In this real-life adventure, daredevil and groundbreaking journalists Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland race against each other–and the clock–as they circle the globe by ship, train, and foot. Join these two stereotype-shattering reporters as they prove that not only is traveling around the world possible, but that women are just as curious, capable, and courageous as any man.Nellie Bly was an energetic and eager reporter, but she wasn't able to think of a good story for her editors. Wishing she was on the other end of the earth, Nellie had an inspiration–she would travel around the world, just like in the fictional adventure book Around the World in Eighty Days. When a fellow journalist, Elizabeth Bisland, heard about Nellie's plans, she decided to up the stakes–by beating Nellie in her own race! This exciting American history story about two pioneering women who paved the way for equality will inspire young readers. The perfect choice for parents and teachers looking for:Books for kids ages 7 - 10 about women's historyFeminist picture books about historical women, and daring books for girlsAmerican history books for kids

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The volume presents a collection of texts describing contemporary research findings into the documentation of the Sektion Rassen und-Volsktumsforschung of the Institut für Deutsche Ostarbeit (IDO)—a Nazi-led institution that was established in occupied Poland during World War II.The research project was carried out by anthropologists from the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology together with representatives of other disciplines: historians, sociologists, and physical anthropologists from Jagiellonian University. The studies and papers are based on an analysis of a vast body of documents and photographs. It is first of all a vast collection of sources connected with research carried out by Sektion Rassen-und Volkstumsforschung IDO, kept at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. The authors refer as well to previously unknown documents discovered during queries conducted over the last few years. The available sources provide greater insight into the activities of the Institut für Deutsche Ostarbeit as well as make it possible to verify the existing information concerning the character of research carried out by Sektion Rassen-und Volkstumsforschung.The book contains a rich number of illustrations: Photographs, medical and anthropological questionnaires, psychological tests, and questionnaires containing sociological and ethnographic information not only help visualize, but in a significant way complement the text of the publication.

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The first history of tacos developed in the United States, now revised and expanded, this book is the definitive survey that American taco lovers must have for their own taco explorations. “Everything a food history book should be: illuminating, well-written, crusading, and inspiring a taco run afterwards. You’ll gain five pounds reading it, but don’t worry—most of that will go to your brain.”—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times “[Ralat] gives an in-depth look at each taco’s history and showcases other aspects of taco culture that has solidified it as a go-to dish on dinner tables throughout the nation.”—Smithsonian Magazine “A fascinating look at America’s many regional tacos. . . . From California’s locavore tacos to Korean ‘K-Mex’ tacos to Jewish ‘deli-Mex’ to Southern-drawl ‘Sur-Mex’ tacos to American-Indian-inspired fry bread tacos to chef-driven ‘moderno’ tacos, Ralat lays out a captivating landscape.”—Houston Chronicle “You’ll learn an enormous and entertaining amount about [tacos] in . . . American Tacos. . . . The book literally covers the map of American tacos, from Texas and the South to New York, Chicago, Kansas City and California.”—Forbes “An impressively reported new book . . . a fast-paced cultural survey and travel guide . . . American Tacos is an exceptional book.”—Taste

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The heyday of anthropological collecting on the Northwest Coast took place between 1875 and the Great Depression. The scramble for skulls and skeletons, poles, canoes, baskets, feast bowls, and masks went on until it seemed that almost everything not nailed down or hidden was gone. The period of most intense collecting on the coast coincided with the growth of anthropological museums, which reflected the realization that time was running out and that civilization was pushing the indigenous people to the wall, destroying their material culture and even extinguishing the native stock itself.Douglas Cole examines the process of collecting in the context of the development of museums and anthropology. The main North American museums with Northwest Coast collections – the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, the Royal British Columbia Museum, and the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa – were intense rivals in the race against time.For the new edition of Captured Heritage, Douglas Cole has written a preface in which he outlines developments since the book’s first publication in 1985. Since that time, for example, the Kwagiulth Museum and Cultural Center on Quadra Island and the U'Mista Museum and Cultural Center at Alert Bay have been successful in having some of their artifacts repatriated.

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The Byzantine Shops at Sardis form a complex of commercial establishments lining the south wall of Sardis's renowned synagogue and bath complex. They offer scholars a unique opportunity to study urban life and commercial architecture in the Late Antique period. Remarkably well preserved, these shops provide economic data vital to an understanding of the trade and commerce of their time.J. Stephens Crawford was a primary excavator of the shops and has worked at contemporary sites in Asia Minor. His first-hand insights elucidate his publication of the functions of the shops, which include dye shops, glass shops, a “hardware store,” and a restaurant. Crawford explores the evidence of religious diversity in the shops, where Jews and Christians lived and worked side by side. The contributors to this volume include Martha Goodway, George M. A. Hanfmann, Jane Ayer Scott, Pamela Vandiver, and Michael Weishan. Descriptions of the finds, which are extensively illustrated, are contributed by J. A. Scott. A comprehensive chapter of architectural comparanda from Asia Minor, Greece, Egypt, and the Near East presents some interesting parallels. Pamela Vandiver and Martha Goodway of the Smithsonian Conservation Laboratory provide an appendix of analyses of metal and fruit residues from the crucibles found in the shops, and a numismatic appendix summarizes the currency by mint.

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The second set of The Encyclopedia of Cosmology, in three volumes, continues this major, long-lasting, seminal reference at the graduate student level laid out by the most prominent researchers in the general field of cosmology. Together, these volumes will be a comprehensive review of the most important current topics in cosmology, discussing the important concepts and current status in each field, covering both theory and observation.These three volumes are edited by Dr Giovanni Fazio from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, with each volume authored or edited by specialists in the area: Modified Gravity by Claudia de Rham and Andrew Tolley (Imperial College), Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics edited by Floyd Stecker (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center), Black Holes edited by Zoltan Haiman (Columbia University). These volumes follow the earlier publication in 2020 of The Encyclopedia of Cosmology, which comprises the following four volumes: Galaxy Formation and Evolution by Rennan Barkana (Tel Aviv University), Numerical Simulations in Cosmology edited by Kentaro Nagamine (Osaka University / University of Nevada), Dark Energy by Shinji Tsujikawa (Tokyo University of Science), and Dark Matter by Jihn E Kim (Seoul National University). The Encyclopedia aims to provide an overview of the most important topics in cosmology and serve as an up-to-date reference in astrophysics.

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Now in its fourteenth year of publication, Ceramics in America is considered the journal of record for historical ceramics scholarship in the American context and is intended for collectors, historical archaeologists, curators, decorative arts students, social historians, and contemporary potters. The 2014 volume of Ceramics in America will feature a series of 10 essays by ceramic specialists who are widely recognized in their respective fields of expertise. Each essay will examine 10 objects that are of particular significance to the author. In addition, other experts have been asked to contribute annotated bibliographies of their most significant reference works. A partial list of essays The "X" Project: Ceramics in America 2014 I-Porcelain by John Austin • The Ceramic Vessel in 20th-Century Art by Garth Clark • Hot Bodies, Cool Glazes: American China Painting In Two Centuries by Ellen Paul Denker • A Curator's 10 - Ceramics from the Newark Museum by Ulysses Dietz • "A History of Chinese Export Porcelain in Ten Objects" by Ron Fuchs • An English Pottery Dealer's Triumphs and Tribulations by Jonathan Horne • Specializing in the Diverse: A Ceramic Journey in 10 Objects by Robert Hunter • 10 Ceramics Objects from the Nation's Attic/Smithsonian by Bonnie Lilienfeld • The Ten Commandments by Ivor Noël Hume • London's ceramic history in ten pots by Jacqui Pearce

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An in-depth analysis of Frans Wildenhain and his role in mid-century studio ceramics. Steeped in modernist ceramic aesthetics, Frans Wildenhain studied under Gerhard Marcks and Max Krehan at the Bauhaus pottery workshop in Dornburg, Germany. There, Wildenhain met another potter, Marguerite Friedlaender, his futurewife. Following World War II, Wildenhain emigrated to the U.S. Earning prizes for his art at the 1939 International Exposition in Paris and the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, Wildenhain also received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1958,became a Fellow of the American Crafts Council and his work is in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, Everson Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. This book features archival images as well as more than 150rich, color photographs of the ceramics exhibited in 2012 at the Rochester Institute of Technology, NY. Six chapters offer contributions to scholarship on the artist, mid-century studio pottery and modern design, monetizing and commercial acceptance of mid-century handcrafted art at an innovative artists' cooperative, university education at the School for American Craftsmen, and an interview with collector Robert Johnson who donated his Wildenhain collection to RIT. The book is an essential document of the exhibition and an excellent reference for those interested in ceramics, crafts, mid-century design and art entrepreneurship.

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Pepón Osorio is an internationally recognized artist whose richly detailed installations challenge the stereotypes and misconceptions that shape our view of social institutions and human relationships. Osorio’s colorful, often riotous installations are constructed from found objects and things that he customizes or creates. With a wry sense of humor, he probes sober topics, including prison life, domestic violence, AIDS, and poverty.Osorio’s collaborative site-based works develop from his immersion into a community—residents of urban ethnic neighborhoods, employees who provide social services, children in foster care—and the discussions that result. As he addresses difficult themes such as race and gender, death and survival, and alienation and belonging, Osorio asks his audience to reconsider their assumptions and biases. In this book, Jennifer A. González shows that although Osorio draws on his Puerto Rican background and the immigrant experience for inspiration, his artistic statements bridge geographical barriers and class divides. Osorio’s installations have been exhibited internationally, and his work is represented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and other major museums. He has received numerous awards, including a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 1999.

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Over 500 glorious black-and-white photographs celebrating black culture throughout American history, from Jesse Owens to Barry Bonds, Ella Fitzgerald to Halle Berry. Tucked away in the dusty halls of the Smithsonian archives and nearly forgotten by most historians, black culture is a vast, complex, interconnected web of different people, trends, and lifestyles. Deborah Willis has dug through the archives and hunted down the remnants that tell the wonderful and tragic history of a people. Tackling all subjects with bravery and frankness, Deborah Willis’s work is a true treasure to behold.Black: A Celebration of a Culture, which would be a perfect complement to any Juneteenth celebration, presents a vibrant panorama of twentieth-century black culture in America and around the world. Broken up into segments that examine in detail such subjects as children, work, art, beauty, Saturday night, and Sunday morning, the photos detail the history and the evolution of a culture. Each photograph, handpicked by Deborah Willis, America’s leading historian of African American photography, celebrates the world of music, art, fashion, sports, family, worship, or play. With five hundred photographs from every time period from the birth of photography to the birth of hip-hop, this book is a truly joyous exhibition of black culture. From Jessie Owens to Barry Bonds, Ella Fitzgerald to Halle Berry, Black: A Celebration of a Culture is joyous and inspiring.

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Arte Popular features 100 pieces from Rex May's extensive collection of exquisite hand-crafted objects from all over Mexico. Coming from the reputable Mexican Museum, this volume demonstrates the dramatic power of folk art. This bilingual volume provides a veritable treasure trove of discoveries for the curious reader. • Features bold and atmospheric photographs • Includes scholarly essays that delve into the collection's origins and significance • A visual treat for lovers of Mexican art, craft, and visual culture The Rex May Collection–bequeathed to the Mexican Museum by the legendary 39-Mile-Drive sign designer–demonstrates the dramatic power of folk art. This book is a companion to the opening of the Mexican Museum building in downtown San Francisco's Yerba Buena museum neighborhood. • Wrapped in a striking, gold-foil-bedecked hardcover, this makes a wonderful gift for artists and art fans everywhere. • Perfect for museum goers and fans of Mexican arts and crafts • The Mexican Museum has been a San Francisco cultural destination and educational resource for 37 years, and became the only San Francisco affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in 2012. • Add it to the shelf with books like Mexican Details by Joe P. Carr and Karen Witynski, Crafts of Mexico by Margarita de Orellana and Alberto Ruy Sanchez, and Masks of Mexico: Tigers, Devils, and the Dance of Life by Barbara Mauldin.

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An engagingly written volume which tells the colourful story of the Renwick Gallery's initial glory, decline, and rebirth over a period of 160 years Fully illustrated with maps, original architectural designs, historical and contemporary photographs, and comparative and contextual images The Renwick Gallery is the oldest extant building in the United States constructed exclusively as a public art museum. Charles J. Robertson reveals how a new pavilion of the Louvre inspired William Wilson Corcoran and James Renwick to create a highly ornamented building in the centre of federal Washington that would encourage "American genius" and demonstrate that American art could rival that of Europe. The Renwick Gallery building has survived wartime expropriation, abuse and neglect, and threatened demolition over its 160-year history. It has been subject to many changes and challenges but has come full circle to serve its original purpose, "Dedicated to Art". Contents: Foreword; Mr. Corcoran; Renwick and Corcoran Design of the New Gallery; The War Begins; General Meigs; Reclaiming the Gallery; Opening the Gallery; The Later Years The Court of Claims; Saving the Building; Restoring the Building; The Current Era; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Illustration Sources and Credits; Index AUTHOR: Charles Robertson is the deputy director emeritus of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and a specialist in American decorative arts. 45 colour, 45 b&w illustrations

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Charles C. Eldredge Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in American Art from the Smithsonian American Art Museum In Race ExpertsLinda Kim examines the complicated and ambivalent role played by sculptor Malvina Hoffman in the Races of Mankind series created for the Chicago Field Museum in 1930. Although Hoffman had training in fine arts and was a protégé of Auguste Rodin and Ivan Meštrović, she had no background in anthropology or museum exhibits. Nonetheless, the Field Museum commissioned her to make a series of life-size sculptures for the museum’s new racial exhibition, which became the largest exhibit on race ever installed in a museum and one of the largest sculptural commissions ever undertaken by a single artist. Hoffman’s Races of Mankind exhibit was realized as a series of 104 bronzes of racial types from around the world, a unique visual mediation between anthropological expertise and lay ideas about race in interwar America. Kim explores how the exhibition compelled the artist to incorporate into her artistic model of race not only racial science but also popular ideas that ordinary Americans brought to the museum. Kim situates the Races of Mankind exhibit at the juncture of these different forms of expertise and examines how the sculptures represented the messy resolutions between them.Race Experts is a compelling story of ideological contradiction and accommodation within the racial practices of American museums, artists, and audiences.

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Continuously in demand since its first, prize-winning edition was published in 1975, this is the classic history of the development of the American atomic bomb, the decision to use it against Japan, and the origins of U.S. atomic diplomacy toward the Soviet Union. In his Preface to this new edition, the author describes and evaluates the lengthening trail of new evidence that has come to light concerning these often emotionally debated subjects. The author also invokes his experience as a historical advisor to the controversial, aborted 1995 Enola Gay exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. This leads him to analyze the impact on American democracy of one of the most insidious of the legacies of Hiroshima: the political control of historical interpretation. Reviews of Previous Editions "The quality of Sherwin's research and the strength of his argument are far superior to previous accounts." —New York Times Book Review "Probably the definitive account for a long time to come. . . . Sherwin has tackled some of the critical questions of the Cold War's origins—and has settled them, in my opinion." —Walter LaFeber, Cornell University "One of those rare achievements of conscientious scholarship, a book at once graceful and luminous, yet loyal to its documentation and restrained in its speculations." —Boston Globe

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It is clear that artifacts have the power to provoke thought, inspire action and arouse passions. There is evidence of this in the ever-increasing number of museums as well as in the ability of those museums to stimulate controversy through exhibits. As a consequence, much has been written analyzing the interaction between objects and museum visitors. Less well recognized, or understood, is the value of objects for historical research. In this series of books we propose to show by example how artifacts can be employed in the study of the history of science and technology in ways ranging from motivating a line of research to providing hard evidence in the solution of an otherwise insoluble problem. The first volume focused on medicine; in this, the second volume, the topic our authors address is electronics. As readers will discover, there is considerable scope in the range of topics and in the range of uses of artifacts. There is also a section that suggests to readers what kind of questions they might consider when they visit electrical exhibits, and where those exhibits are to be found. This series is sponsored by the Deutsches Museum in Munich, the Science Museum in London, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, with help from professional historians in other museums and elsewhere.

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How an artist draws on fossil discoveries and forensic techniques to create transfixing reconstructions of long-lost human ancestors What did earlier humans really look like? What was life like for them, millions of years ago? How do we know? In this book, internationally renowned paleoartist John Gurche describes the extraordinary process by which he creates forensically accurate and hauntingly realistic representations of our ancient human ancestors. Inspired by a lifelong fascination with all things prehistoric, and gifted with a unique artistic vision, Gurche has studied fossil remains, comparative ape and human anatomy, and forensic reconstruction for over three decades. His artworks appear in world-class museums and publications ranging from National Geographic to the journal Science, and he is widely known for his contributions to Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and a number of acclaimed television specials. For the Smithsonian Institution’s groundbreaking David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins, opened in 2010, Gurche created fifteen sculptures representing six million years of human history. In Shaping Humanity he relates how he worked with a team of scientists to depict human evolution in sculpture for the new hall. He reveals the debates and brainstorming that surround these often controversial depictions, and along the way he enriches our awareness of the various paths of human evolution and humanity’s stunning uniqueness in the history of life on Earth.

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A fascinating glimpse into the creative process of a major contemporary sculptor, featuring many previously unseen works on paper American sculptor Martin Puryear (b. 1941) creates work that combines the clean elegance of minimalism and the simplicity of traditional materials. His stunning sculptures explore themes of identity, ethnicity, and history, and are rich with social and cultural commentary. Puryear, who is known for abstract, large-scale pieces in wood, stone, and bronze, has captured the attention of the art world for the past 30 years. Despite the apparent simplicity of his works, however, he engages in an extensive iterative process that has, until now, been unknown. Martin Puryear: Multiple Dimensions explores that process, featuring numerous drawings, prints, and small-scale sculptures that have never before been published. This catalogue is the first to examine Puryear’s work across media, providing invaluable insight into his visual thinking, from sketches to working drawings and constructions for sculpture. Handsomely illustrated with nearly 120 color plates that demonstrate the evolution of Puryear’s ideas between drawings, prints, and sculptures, this beautiful volume draws back the curtain on the methodology of this important and enigmatic artist. Distributed for the Art Institute of ChicagoExhibition Schedule:Morgan Library and Museum (10/09/15–01/10/16)The Art Institute of Chicago (02/07/16–05/01/16)Smithsonian American Art Museum (05/27/16–09/06/16)

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The rapid expansion of the field of public history since the 1970s has led many to believe that it is a relatively new profession. In this book, Denise D. Meringolo shows that the roots of public history actually reach back to the nineteenth century, when the federal government entered into the work of collecting and preserving the nation’s natural and cultural resources. Scientists conducting research and gathering specimens became key figures in a broader effort to protect and interpret the nation’s landscape. Their collaboration with entrepreneurs, academics, curators, and bureaucrats alike helped pave the way for other governmental initiatives, from the Smithsonian Institution to the parks and monuments today managed by the National Park Service. All of these developments included interpretative activities that shaped public understanding of the past. Yet it was not until the emergence of the education-oriented National Park Service history program in the 1920s and 1930s that public history found an institutional home that grounded professional practice simultaneously in the values of the emerging discipline and in government service. Even thereafter, tensions between administrators in Washington and practitioners on the ground at National Parks, monuments, and museums continued to define and redefine the scope and substance of the field. The process of definition persists to this day, according to Meringolo, as public historians establish a growing presence in major universities throughout the United States and abroad.

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