Search results for ""author wort"

Be refreshed by the power and beauty of faithful Christ-centered teaching. Engage the issues of today. Build a firm foundation for this generation—and the next.To be an evangelical is to believe in life-changing truth; it is to believe that the Bible not only gives us the key to eternal life in Jesus but also the way to live today. This is news worth sharing. But how do we do this in a rapidly changing culture that appears to be shifting from a general disinterest in the gospel to a more active opposition to it? When it feels like our faith is being challenged in every area, how should we respond?The Evangelical Study Bible will rejuvenate your faith through the unchanging truth of the gospel. With verse-by-verse commentary and interesting sidebars that dig deeper into the historical and contextual background of Scripture, it will help you grow in your understanding and appreciation of the life-changing truths of the Christian faith.Also included are more than fifty articles designed to help you better understand your faith and effectively share it with others. Many of these articles address the most pressing issues of our day, equipping you to engage others with confidence, and laying a foundation of truth for the next generation.Features include: Commentary, articles, notes, and word studies developed in partnership with scholars from Liberty University's School of Divinity: Verse-by-verse commentary on the entire Bible for a better understanding of the passage being read Over 200 short articles on Christian teachings and doctrine for a systematic study of themes in God’s Word 100 articles to equip readers to navigate the cultural engagement issues of today 100 cultural background notes help you relate to how people lived in Bible times 100 archeological notes draw attention to biblical places and related archeological discoveries 550 Word Studies to explore key terms of the Bible Biographies of 150 biblical figures give overviews of key men and women in the Bible Full-color maps, charts, and family trees for a visual representation of concepts and where key events in the Bible took place Book introductions, with outlines and reading plans provide a concise overview of the background and historical context of the book about to be read Topical indexes make it easy to find important topics in Scripture Extensive cross-references drawing connections between texts Concordance provides an alphabetical listing of important passages by key words Large Print 10.5-point NKJV Comfort Print®

Read more less

Be refreshed by the power and beauty of faithful Christ-centered teaching. Engage the issues of today. Build a firm foundation for this generation—and the next.To be an evangelical is to believe in life-changing truth; it is to believe that the Bible not only gives us the key to eternal life in Jesus but also the way to live today. This is news worth sharing. But how do we do this in a rapidly changing culture that appears to be shifting from a general disinterest in the gospel to a more active opposition to it? When it feels like our faith is being challenged in every area, how should we respond?The Evangelical Study Bible will rejuvenate your faith through the unchanging truth of the gospel. With verse-by-verse commentary and interesting sidebars that dig deeper into the historical and contextual background of Scripture, it will help you grow in your understanding and appreciation of the life-changing truths of the Christian faith.Also included are more than fifty articles designed to help you better understand your faith and effectively share it with others. Many of these articles address the most pressing issues of our day, equipping you to engage others with confidence, and laying a foundation of truth for the next generation.Features include: Commentary, articles, notes, and word studies developed in partnership with scholars from Liberty University's School of Divinity: Verse-by-verse commentary on the entire Bible for a better understanding of the passage being read Over 200 short articles on Christian teachings and doctrine for a systematic study of themes in God’s Word 100 articles to equip readers to navigate the cultural engagement issues of today 100 cultural background notes help you relate to how people lived in Bible times 100 archeological notes draw attention to biblical places and related archeological discoveries 550 Word Studies to explore key terms of the Bible Biographies of 150 biblical figures give overviews of key men and women in the Bible Full-color maps, charts, and family trees for a visual representation of concepts and where key events in the Bible took place Book introductions, with outlines and reading plans provide a concise overview of the background and historical context of the book about to be read Topical indexes make it easy to find important topics in Scripture Extensive cross-references drawing connections between texts Concordance provides an alphabetical listing of important passages by key words Large Print 10.5-point NKJV Comfort Print®

Read more less

‘Those last few words don't just help the dying; they can help save the lives of those left behind’Following a tragedy, Zoe flees Australia and makes a life for herself in the UK. Now working as a care nurse in The Oaks hospice, and knowing just how much comfort last words can bring, Zoe has taken it upon herself to become a notekeeper – writing down the final thoughts of her patients and delivering them to their loved ones.Zoe’s new boss, Ben, isn't happy about her getting so involved in the residents’ lives. But even as the two clash, they discover they have more in common than either could have ever imagined.As Zoe learns to confront her past and her own grief, her heart can finally begin to mend. With the broken pieces slowly becoming whole, will she cope when her world is shattered once more?A captivating, moving story that will make you laugh and cry, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Dani Atkins and Libby Page.Praise for The Notekeeper ‘One of the most uplifting and life-affirming books I have ever read. I laughed, I cried and I still find myself thinking about it now, days after finishing. Poignant and memorable, this is one not to be missed.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘The Notekeeper is a perfect book club read! Both heart-breaking and heart-warming, this ultimately uplifting novel is certain to touch many readers.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘This is an emotional read and quite honestly it made me weep more than a few times. The writing is superb and I loved just how much I felt drawn in by the story. I just could not put this book down.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘Poignant, heartfelt, and heart-wrenching at times.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘I knew, KNEW, that this book was going to bring the tears, but it was worth it! What a heartbreakingly beautiful read about love, loss, and hope… well written, emotional, and so incredibly heart-warming.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘This book is a wonderful, uplifting yet sad, gentle story of a young hospice nurse. We should all wish for a Zoe in our lives to help us on our journey! Excellent!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘A brilliant idea for a book , a heart-warming read. Great characters… A book that will stay with me for a long while.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘This was warm and uplifting. That said there are some sad storylines… but overall it’s a lovely heart-warming read.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

Read more less

The Anatomist's Library is a fascinating chronological collection of the best anatomical books from six centuries, charting the evolution of both medical knowledge and illustrated publishing.There is a rich history of medical publishing across Europe with outstanding publications from Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, UK, and also many from Persia and Japan. Because of the high value of accurate medical textbooks, it was these works that pushed the boundaries of illustrated publishing. They commanded the expert illustrators and skilled engravers and hence didn’t come cheaply. They were treasured by libraries and their intrinsic worth has meant that there is an incredible wealth of beautifully preserved historic examples from the 15th century onwards The enduring popularity of Gray’s Anatomyhas shown that there is a long-term interest in the subject beyond the necessity of medical students to learn the modern equivalent – the 42nd edition (2020) – from cover to cover. But Englishman Henry Gray was late in the field and never saw the enduring success of his famous work. Having first published the surgeon’s reference book in 1858, he died in 1861 after contracting smallpox from his nephew (who survived). He was just 34. Gray was following on from a long tradition of anatomists starting with Aristotle and Galen whose competing theories about the human body dominated early medicine. However they did not have the illustrative skills of Leonardo da Vinci who was trained in anatomy by Andrea del Verrocchio. In 1489 Leonardo began a series of anatomical drawings depicting the human form. His surviving 750 drawings (from two decades) represent groundbreaking studies in anatomy. However none of Leonardo's Notebooks were published during his lifetime, they only appeared in print centuries after his death. Brussels-born Andries van Wesel (Andreas Vesalius) professor at the University of Padua is deemed to be the founder of modern anatomical reference with his 1543 work De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem ("On the fabric of the human body in seven books"). An Italian contemporary was Bartolomeo Eustachi who supported Galen’s medical theories. Among other discoveries he correctly identified the Eustachian tube and the arrangement of bones in the inner ear. His Anatomical Engravings were completed in 1552, nine years after Vesalius’s great work, but remained unpublished until 1714. These are just two entries in a book brimming with an abundance of important illustrated works – with some more primitive examples from the 15th century, up to the 42nd edition of Gray’s in the 21st.

Read more less

Your dream holiday is just a page away… You are invited to a summer of sparkling champagne, warm buttery croissants and a little bit of je ne sais quoi With a broken heart and a broken spirit, Hattie is in need of a summer escape. So when an opportunity comes up to work at a beautiful, stately chateau in the Champagne region of France she books her flights quicker than the pop of a cork. Romance is the last thing Hattie is looking for but then she wasn’t expecting gorgeous Luc to stroll into her life. With picnics in the warm French sun and delicious foodie trips to the local market, Hattie starts to wonder if a holiday fling – or maybe even something more – might be just what she needs. Praise for Julie Caplin: ‘One unputdownable story’ Sunday Times Bestseller Katie Fforde ‘An irresistible slice of escapism’ Sunday Times Bestseller Phillipa Ashley ‘The descriptions of food and drink made me want to visit France immediately, if not sooner. A wonderful, summery treat for every reader’ Sue Moorcroft ‘A gorgeous book, in which each little detail and plot point adds sparkle to the story – much like the tantalising fizz in a glass of chilled champagne!’ Erin Green ‘The perfect summer escape’ Alex Brown ‘A delicious read! I could almost taste the Champagne’ Teresa F. Morgan ‘Oh la la, joy of a book! A stunning summer escape in the French countryside’ Caroline Roberts ‘Julie Caplin always sweeps me away to whatever location her stories are set in…a feast for all the senses with a romance that sparkles like the finest champagne!’ Sarah Bennett 'Absolutely perfect! Everything you could possibly want from a summer romance’ Annabel French ‘Made me want to pack my entire life into a suitcase and start all over again in a gorgeous setting, with delicious dining, charismatic characters and fabulous friendships and a swoon-worthy french man to die for’ Kim Nash ‘With an abundance of chemistry between Hattie and Luc, plus a delicious vineyard setting, The French Chateau Dream is a gloriously satisfying escapist read!’ Kate Frost ‘A gorgeous slice of escapism to a beautiful chateau. I loved joining Hattie on her summer escape to a dreamy French chateau with an equally dreamy owner. A beautiful setting, wonderful characters, and gorgeous writing’ Jessica Redland ‘A beautifully romantic read with a fabulous cast of characters, I was totally transported to the delights of a French vineyard in summer alongside Hattie and Luc’ Suzanne Snow

Read more less

'Tom Holt's Doughnut presents a roller-coaster ride through the world of physics and the origins of the universe.' - Library Journal'One for physicists as well as Krispy Kreme-loving policemen.' - T3The doughnut is a thing of beauty. A circle of fried doughy perfection. A source of comfort in trying times, perhaps. For Theo Bernstein, however, it is far, far more. Things have been going pretty badly for Theo Bernstein. An unfortunate accident at work lost him his job (and his work involved a Very Very Large Hadron Collider, so he's unlikely to get it back). His wife has left him. And he doesn't have any money. Before Theo has time to fully appreciate the pointlessness of his own existence, news arrives that his good friend Professor Pieter van Goyen, renowned physicist and Nobel laureate, has died. By leaving the apparently worthless contents of his safety deposit to Theo, however, the professor has set him on a quest of epic proportions. A journey that will rewrite the laws of physics. A battle to save humanity itself. This is the tale of a man who had nothing and gave it all up to find his destiny - and a doughnut.From one of the best-loved comic writers in fantasy fiction comes another absurdly witty science fiction title - perfect for fans of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett.Books by Tom Holt: Walled Orchard Series Goatsong The Walled Orchard J.W. Wells & Co. Series The Portable Door In Your Dreams Earth, Air, Fire and Custard You Don't Have to Be Evil to Work Here, But It Helps The Better Mousetrap May Contain Traces of Magic Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages YouSpace Series Doughnut When It's A Jar The Outsorcerer's Apprentice The Good, the Bad and the Smug Novels Expecting Someone Taller Who's Afraid of Beowulf Flying Dutch Ye Gods! Overtime Here Comes the Sun Grailblazers Faust Among Equals Odds and Gods Djinn Rummy My Hero Paint your Dragon Open Sesame Wish you Were Here Alexander at World's End Only Human Snow White and the Seven Samurai Olympiad Valhalla Nothing But Blue Skies Falling SidewaysLittle PeopleSong for NeroMeadowlandBarkingBlonde BombshellThe Management Style of the Supreme BeingsAn Orc on the Wild Side

Read more less

Does your group need help making good decisions? Whether your organization is large or small, public or private, simple or complex, all groups of people must make decisions to move their agendas forward. And to ensure the ongoing health of your group, those decisions need to be optimal. With tips, underlying principles, and case studies in his definitive book, Craig Freshley shares the essentials that groups of all sizes need to make sure their decisions will last and provide benefits for all members. This friendly, practical, and authoritative guide from an experienced and successful facilitator/trainer is a must-have for groups or individuals who want to work on consensus and their collaborative decision-making skills. Leaders, board members, and senior staff in the nonprofit sector-where there's often a higher expectation of collaboration-and corporate leaders who have a collaborative, inclusive mindset or culture will find this hook especially valuable. Topics include: * Collaboration is underrated and competition is overrated. * Making collaborative decisions (good group decisions) is as much or more about attitude as it is mechanics. * When you separate process from substance (putting process in the hands of a facilitator and substance in the hands of everyone else), the process is better, and the end decision (the substance) will be better. * There are proven techniques and best practices that improve meetings and the decision-making processes. Anyone can learn how to turn processes and meetings from bad to good. * Humility is important. Every one of us is part of a group, and not one of us knows what's best for all of us. * Making peace is harder than making war. It's easier to be mad at your neighbor than to talk to your neighbor. We shouldn't expect peacemaking (or productive meetings) to be easy. These things are not easy. And yet they are totally worth it when done right. * Collaboration isn't just the right thing to do in a moral sort of way; it's intensely practical for achieving true innovation, creativity, and breakthrough results. * Critical for group decision-making efficiency is how to apply the right method at the right scale to fit the magnitude of the decision at hand. Freshley's message is especially pertinent to today's world: When good decisions are implemented properly, their effects will be long lasting-for people, for groups, and for the world.

Read more less

'With smoking hot chemistry, next to no angst, and a friend group that is literally squad goals, Rochon has written another winner' - The Dating Playbook is one of Vulture's Best Romances of 2021! If you love Helen Hoang, Abby Jimenez and Talia Hibbert, you'll LOVE Farrah Rochon, whose books are always witty, hot, and engaging (BuzzFeed)!'A total knockout: funny, sexy, and full of heart' KirkusWhat happens when three women discover, thanks to the live tweeting of a disastrous date, that they've all been duped by the same man? They become friends of course!The dating game is on. And the rules just went out the window. When it comes to personal training, Taylor Powell kicks serious butt. Unfortunately, her bills are piling up, rent is due, and the money situation is dire. Taylor needs more than the support of her new best friends, Samiah and London. She needs a miracle. And Jamar Dixon might just be it. The oh-so-fine former footballer wants to get back into the NFL, and he wants Taylor to train him. There's just one catch - no one can know what they're doing. But when they're accidentally outed as a couple, Taylor's game plan is turned completely upside down. Is Jamar just playing to win...or is he playing for keeps?Raves for Farrah Rochon:'Relatable and real... I smiled the whole time I was reading' Andie J. Christopher'The free-spirited, tell-it-like-it-is page-turner you've been looking for!' Kwana Jackson'A multilayered story about friendship, love, and following your dreams - all of it told with heart and emotion' Nalini Singh'Funny, fresh, sexy, and heartfelt. This is my new favorite romance series' Suzanne Brockmann'A smart, funny digital-age romance about real women living in the real world. Couldn't put it down!' Abby Jimenez'A masterpiece of modern-day Jane Austen with effortless, razor-sharp social commentary, romance, and humor. Farrah Rochon is one of the absolute best romance writers today. Period' Kristan Higgins'Swoon-worthy romance, the power of true friendship, and a grand gesture that makes your heart sigh with pure satisfaction. Absolutely a must-read summer romance!' Priscilla Oliveras'Rochon is a romance master who adeptly writes interesting and dynamic characters... A richly layered conflict adds depth and complexity to this charming workplace romance' Kirkus

Read more less

The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror. The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. 'I wonder which one of us will be next?'When a woman's body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It's clear the pair are connected, but how? The trail leads Lottie to St Angela's, a former children's home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal. As Lottie begins to link the current victims to unsolved murders decades old, two teenage boys go missing. She must close in on the killer before they strike again, but in doing so is she putting her own children in terrifying danger? Lottie is about to come face to face with a twisted soul who has a very warped idea of justice. Fans of Tess Gerritsen, Karin Slaughter and Helen Fields will be gripped by this page-turning serial killer thriller, guaranteed to keep you reading late into the night.What everyone is saying about The Missing Ones:'Gripping . . . palpable tension from the very start to its electrifying twist' Irish Independent'This debut novel from Gibney is just EVERYTHING!!! This was THE BEST book I have read in quite some time. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would!' Butterfly's Booknerdia Blog'Totally riveting and 100% engrossing.' Books From Dusk Till Dawn'A gripping read from beginning to finish.' Deja Read'AMAZING! Really well written and kept me itching to read the next page. It was unputdownable! Cannot wait to read book two when released.' Goodreads Reviewer'I was immediately grabbed by the opening paragraph and was so enthralled that I read it in two sittings. I only put it down when my eyes refused to stay open!' Goodreads Reviewer'It's one of those stories where you look at the clock and you think just a couple more chapters, and then you look again and hours have gone by. It was well worth the lack of sleep.' Goodreads Reviewer'A phenomenal read for a debut novel - when I say good, I mean gooooooooood.' Page Turners Nook'Gibney definitely is a writer to watch and an exciting new voice in crime fiction.'But Books are Better

Read more less

Enter the world of The Forest of Hands and Teeth, where you can trust no one and never be sure what's lurking in the trees. A masterpiece of suspense fiction that will have you reading through your fingersIn Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future - between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?Readers love The Forest of Hands and Teeth:'I can't give it less than five stars because I spent most of this book gripping the bed covers in suspense. The characters were all great, realistic and interesting' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I found Ryan's writing beautifully and painfully evocative . . . I like a book that makes you wonder and makes you think, and even that makes you uncomfortable' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'This is a zombie novel, yes, but it's an oddly haunting and lyrical one . . . It's an excellent story overall and well worth checking out for YA and adult readers alike. Five stars' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'The characters in The Forest Of Hands and Teeth were extremely three dimensional to the point were you felt that they jumped off the page . . . will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games or to people looking for a great book that contains romance, fantasy, and horror' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'An enthralling post-apocalyptic masterpiece . . . At times, the suspense will cause you to put the book down for fear of what you might read next only to pick it up again because you can't wait to find out' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Read more less

Eternal Life and Human Happiness in Heaven treats four apparent problems concerning eternal life in order to clarify our thinking about perfect human happiness in heaven. The teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas provide the basis for solutions to these four problems about eternal life insofar as his teachings call into question common contemporary theological or philosophical presuppositions about God, human persons, and the nature of heaven itself. Indeed, these Thomistic solutions often require us to think very differently from our contemporaries. But thinking differently with St. Thomas is worth it: for the Thomistic solutions to these apparent problems are more satisfying, on both theological and philosophical grounds, than a number of contemporary theological and philosophical approaches.Christopher Brown deploys his argument in four sections. The first section lays out, in three chapters, four apparent problems concerning eternal life—Is heaven a mystical or social reality? Is heaven other-worldly or this-worldly? Is heaven static or dynamic? Won’t human persons eventually get bored in heaven? Brown then explains how and why some important contemporary Christian theologians and philosophers resolve these problems, and notes serious problems with each of these contemporary solutions. The second section explains, in five chapters, St. Thomas’ significant distinction between the essential reward of the saints in heaven and the accidental reward, and treats in detail his account of that in which the essential reward consists, namely, the beatific vision and the proper accidents of the vision (delight, joy, and charity). The third section treats, in five chapters, St. Thomas’ views on the multifaceted accidental reward in heaven, where the accidental reward includes, among other things, glorified human embodiment, participation in the communion of the saints, and the joy experienced by the saints in sensing God’s “new heavens and new earth.” Finally, section four argues, in four chapters, that St. Thomas’ views allow for powerful solutions to the four apparent problems about eternal life examined in the first section. These solutions are powerful because, not only are they consistent with authoritative, Catholic Christian Tradition, but they do not raise any of the significant theological or philosophical problems that attend the contemporary theological and philosophical solutions examined in the first section.

Read more less

The Wayfarer’s End follows the human person’s journey to union with God in the theologies of Saint Bonaventure and Saint Thomas Aquinas. It argues that these seminal thinkers of the 13th Century emphasize scriptural notions of divine rewards as ordering principles for the graced movement of human viators to eternal life. Divine rewards emerge as a fundamental category through the study’s emphasis on Thomas and Bonaventure as scriptural commentators and preachers whose work in sacra pagina structures the content of their sacra doctrina. Shawn Colberg places Bonaventure’s and Aquinas’s scriptural, dogmatic, and polemical works into conversation and illumines their mutually edifying depictions of the way to eternal life.Looking to the journey itself, The Wayfarer’s End demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the roles played by God and human beings in the movement to full beatitude. To that end, it explores the relationships between grace and human nature, the effects of sin on the human person, the vital themes of predestination, conversion, perseverance, and the place of “reward-worthy” human action within the overall movement toward union with God. While St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas both stress the priority of grace and divine action for the journey, the study also illustrates their distinct frameworks for human action, unpacking Bonaventure’s preference for the language of acceptatio versus Thomas’s emphasis on ordinatio. This difference inflects their language of rewards, their exposition of scripture, and the scope of free human action in the movement to union with God. This study places the two most seminal theologians of the 13th Century into conversation on central and enduring topics of Christian life. Such a comparative study has been sorely lacking in the field of studies on Aquinas and Bonaventure. It offers insight to those interested in high scholastic thought, Franciscan and Dominican understandings of human salvation, and Thomist and Franciscan theology as it pertains to questions of the Reformation, including biblical exegesis on justification and sanctification. Above all, the study appreciates and foregrounds the richness of Bonaventure’s and Aquinas’s vocations: mendicant theologians concerned to share the fruits of contemplation with fellow friars and others seeking the goal of the wayfarer’s end.

Read more less

"Exceptional military history worthy of its heroic subject." —Matthew J. DavenportIn the vein of Band of Brothers and American Sniper, a riveting history of Alvin York, the World War I legend who killed two dozen Germans and captured more than 100, detailing York's heroics yet also restoring the unsung heroes of his patrol to their rightful place in history—from renowned World War I historian James Carl Nelson.October 8, 1918 was a banner day for heroes of the American Expeditionary Force. Thirteen men performed heroic deeds that would earn them Medals of Honor. Of this group, one man emerged as the single greatest American hero of the Great War: Alvin Cullum York. A poor young farmer from Tennessee, Sergeant York was said to have single-handedly killed two dozen Germans and captured another 132 of the enemy plus thirty-five machine guns before noon on that fateful Day of Valor. York would become an American legend, celebrated in magazines, books, and a blockbuster biopic starring Gary Cooper. The film, Sergeant York, told of a hell-raiser from backwoods Tennessee who had a come-to-Jesus moment, then wrestled with his newfound Christian convictions to become one of the greatest heroes the U.S. Army had ever known. It was a great story—but not the whole story.In this absorbing history, James Carl Nelson unspools, for the first time, the complete story of Alvin York and the events that occurred in the Argonne Forest on that day. Nelson gives voice, in particular, to the sixteen “others” who fought beside York. Hailing from big cities and small towns across the U.S. as well as several foreign countries, these soldiers included a patrician Connecticut farmer whose lineage could be traced back to the American Revolution, a poor runaway from Massachusetts who joined the Army under a false name, and a Polish immigrant who enlisted in hopes of expediting his citizenship. The York Patrol shines a long overdue spotlight on these men and York, and pays homage to their bravery and sacrifice. Illustrated with 25 black-and-white images, The York Patrol is a rousing tale of courage, tragedy, and heroism.

Read more less

What is real and what is noble, as well as what is deranged and wrong, can often be stated briefly. Nietzsche was famous for his succinct aphorisms and epigrams. Aquinas in one of his responses could manage to state clearly what he held to be true. Ultimately, all of our thought needs to be so refined and concentrated that we can see the point. So these are “brief” essays and they are largely of a philosophical “hue.” They touch on things worth thinking about. Indeed, often they consider things we really need to think about if our lives are to make sense. The advantage of a collection of essays is that it is free to talk about many things. It can speak of them in a learned way or in an amused and humorous way. As Chesterton said, there is no necessary conflict between what is true and what is funny. Oftentimes, the greatest things we learn are through laughter, even laughter at ourselves and our own foibles and faults. So these essays are “brief.” And they are largely of philosophical import. At first sight, taxing beer may seem to have no serious principle, except perhaps for the brewer and the consumer. But wherever there is reality, we can find something to learn. Each of these essays begins with the proposition “on”—this is a classical form of essay in the English language. Belloc, one the essay’s greatest masters, wrote a book simply entitled “ON”—and several other books with that introductory “ON” to begin it. The word has the advantage of focusing our attention on some idea, place, book, person, or reality that we happen to come across and notice, then notice again, then wonder about. These essays are relatively short, often lightsome, hopefully always with a consideration that illumines the world through the mind of the reader. These essays are written in the spirit that the things we encounter provoke us, our minds. We need to come to terms, to understand what we come across in our pathways through this world. Often the best way to know what we observe or confront is to write about it, preferably briefly and with some philosophical insight. This is what we do here.

Read more less

The shopping mall is both the most visible and the most contentious symbol of American prosperity. Despite their convenience, malls are routinely criticized for representing much that is wrong in America—sprawl, conspicuous consumption, the loss of regional character, and the decline of Mom and Pop stores. So ubiquitous are malls that most people would be suprised to learn that they are the brainchild of a single person, architect Victor Gruen. An immigrant from Austria who fled the Nazis in 1938, Gruen based his idea for the mall on an idealized America: the dream of concentrated shops that would benefit the businessperson as well as the consumer and that would foster a sense of shared community. Modernist Philip Johnson applauded Gruen for creating a true civic art and architecture that enriched Americans' daily lives, and for decades he received praise from luminaries such as Lewis Mumford, Winthrop Rockefeller, and Lady Bird Johnson. Yet, in the end, Gruen returned to Europe, thoroughly disillusioned with his American dream. In Mall Maker, the first biography of this visionary spirit, M. Jeffrey Hardwick relates Gruen's successes and failures—his work at the 1939 World's Fair, his makeover of New York's Fifth Avenue boutiques, his rejected plans for reworking entire communities, such as Fort Worth, Texas, and his crowning achievement, the enclosed shopping mall. Throughout Hardwick illuminates the dramatic shifts in American culture during the mid-twentieth century, notably the rise of suburbia and automobiles, the death of downtown, and the effect these changes had on American life. Gruen championed the redesign of suburbs and cities through giant shopping malls, earnestly believing that he was promoting an American ideal, the ability to build a community. Yet, as malls began covering the landscape and downtowns became more depressed, Gruen became painfully aware that his dream of overcoming social problems through architecture and commerce was slipping away. By the tumultuous year of 1968, it had disappeared. Victor Gruen made America depend upon its shopping malls. While they did not provide an invigorated sense of community as he had hoped, they are enduring monuments to the lure of consumer culture.

Read more less

Rural fires were an even more persistent scourge than famine in late imperial Russia, as Cathy Frierson shows in this first comprehensive study. Destroying almost three billion rubles’ worth of property in European Russia between 1860 and 1904, accidental and arson fires acted as a brake on Russia’s economic development while subjecting peasants to perennial shocks to their physical and emotional condition. The fire question captured the attention of educated, progressive Russians, who came to perceived it as a key obstacle to Russia’s becoming a modern society in the European model. Using sources ranging from literary representations and newspaper articles to statistical tables and court records, Frierson demonstrates the many meanings fire held for both peasants and the educated elite. To peasants, it was an essential source of light and warmth as well as a destructive force that regularly ignited their cramped villages of wooden, thatch-roofed huts. Absent the rule of law, they often used arson to gain justice or revenge, or to exert social control over those who would violate village norms. Frierson shows that the vast majority of arson cases in European Russia were not peasant-against-gentry acts of protest but peasant-against-peasant acts of "self-help" law or plain spite. Both the state and individual progressives set out to resolve the fire question and to educate, cajole, or coerce the peasantry into the modern world. Fire insurance, building codes, "scientific" village layouts, and volunteer firefighting brigades reduced the average number of buildings consumed in each blaze, but none of these measures succeeded in curbing the number of fires each year. More than anything else, this history of fire and arson in rural European Russia is a history of their cultural meanings in the late imperial campaign for modernity. Frierson shows the special associations of women with fire in rural life and in elite understanding of fire in the Russian countryside. Her study of the fire question demonstrates both peasant agency in fighting fire and educated Russians' hardening conviction that peasants stood in the way of Russia's advent into the company of prosperous, rational, civilized nations.

Read more less

As this book cogently states this is an eclectic examination of current social problems using the lenses of literature, whether fiction or non-fiction, to open doors to understanding the potential for new and creative interventions that have the potential for transformative change. The beginning quote from Toni Morrison bringing light to those who don't always find themselves true ownership to the land to which they are rooted in is a climate system for readers of this book. James Agee and Walker Evans provide a clear and yet complex vision of how they came to study three families in Hale County, Alabama. Their work gives excellent details on how to enter cultures different from their own. Hillbilly Elegy, Appalachian Reckoning and Nickel Boys all written in the past three years yield description and rhetoric that inform social scientists of the human condition. Appalachian Reckoning disputes much of what J.D. Vance wrote. Furious Hours is an excellent source for data collection and analysis. Literature is not new to social commentary but these are contemporary works that can help scholar activists and public researchers who are doing research and publishing for the public. This is a major goal of this book. Educational issues and their intersection with crime and mental issues are key topics of this cogent book. Opportunity gaps, school to prison pipeline, anxiety and many more issues are fodder for scholar activists that are adumbrated in this forceful book. The community school is proffered as a hub of services for those thorny issues. The school is the place to offer services because so many are fractured in this country today and very likely to become more so. Systemic thinking is a key part of the interventions applied currently. A plus on this topic is that systems thinking is presented in a demystifying way. Vignettes are a strength of this book in that they are what happened and they give readers insight into what worked and what didn't. If you are a bridge player, one peak is worth two finesses. The people in these vignettes are as alive today as they were when these events took place.

Read more less

This is a fascinating look at the Stones in the late 70s - inspired by a year just spent in the disco/punk cauldron of New York City. It's October 1977, and the Rolling Stones are in a Paris recording studio. They're under siege. Keith Richards' legal troubles after his arrest for heroin possession in Canada threaten the band's future, and the broad consensus among is that the band will never again reach the heights of Exile on Main Street. But Mick Jagger is writing lyrics inspired by the year he has just spent in New York City, where he was hanging out with the punks at CBGB and with the glitterati at Studio 54. And new bandmember Ron Wood is helping Richards recapture the two-guitar groove that the band had been missing since the Brian Jones era. The result? Some Girls, the band's response both to punk rock and to disco, an album that crackles with all the energy, decadence, and violence of New York in the 1970s. Weaving together the history of the band and the city, Cyrus Patell traces the genesis and legacy of the album that Jagger would later call the band's best since "Let It Bleed". "33 1/3" is a series of short books about a wide variety of albums, by artists ranging from James Brown to the Beastie Boys. Launched in September 2003, the series now contains over 60 titles and is acclaimed and loved by fans, musicians and scholars alike. It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom "Exile on Main Street" or "Electric Ladyland" are as significant and worthy of study as "The Catcher in the Rye" or "Middlemarch...The" series, which now comprises 29 titles with more in the works, is freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebration - "The New York Times Book Review", 2006. This is a brilliant series...each one a word of real love - NME (UK). For more information on the series and on individual titles in the series, check out our blog.

Read more less

“Few, if any, public servants can match Sir Rodney Brooke’s 60-year record ... six decades of unbroken service across local government, the NHS, education, utilities and beyond surely give him a unique perspective...” – The Guardian Sir Rodney Brooke has had an eventful life at the sharp end – thanks to a career that led him from 15-year-old school-leaver in Yorkshire to the corridors of power at Westminster... and all points in between. In The Winding Stair, his sparkling collection of memoirs, he takes readers through its highs and lows – beginning as a reporter on his hometown Morley Observer newspaper and ending with a CBE, knighthood and honours from five more countries. In so doing, he reveals hitherto unknown details behind six decades’ worth of controversial headline moments and colourful personalities. As a former chief executive of West Yorkshire County Council, he shares fascinating background into the mysterious death of Helen Smith in Jeddah; the Bradford City fire, in which 56 people were killed; and the handling of the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. As Emergency Controller in the event of nuclear war, he was told to shelter in a Pennine underground lair – and restore order as Geiger counters said to emerge. Read how Halifax invented the guillotine; why dogs could bark at night in Otley but not Ossett; how the law told householders in Huddersfield to whiten their doorsteps before 8.00am or be fined five shillings; and why the press camped on his Ilkley lawn after he resigned over the notorious ‘Homes for Votes’ episode – when Dame Shirley Porter was surcharged £42.5m.Accounts of how he organised the final reading of the Riot Act and interviewed a talking dog with Mrs Thatcher’s press spokesman, Sir Bernard Ingham, are found among tales of Princess Diana’s underwear in Roundhay Park, Princess Margaret and the cakes at Leeds/Bradford airport, sex and the Poll Tax, the murky Dolphin Square scandals and how Trafalgar Square very nearly became Nelson Mandela Square. For anyone interested in current affairs and the reality behind politics, The Winding Stair – From Morley Boy to Westminster Knight is not to be missed.

Read more less

This is the first biography of an intrepid young French woman, Lily Sergueiew, who led an adventurous life and became famous as one of the five D-Day spies. In 1939, her bicycle ride from Paris to Saigon was interrupted by the outbreak of war. Disgusted by the Fall of France in 1940, she took the courageous decision to personally help the Allies drive the Nazis out of France: she would get the Abwehr to train her as a spy and have herself sent to England. Once there, she would betray the Nazis and place herself at the disposal of the Allies. It took three emotionally exhausting years to achieve this. She arrived in England just in time to become TREASURE, one of the five spies who misled the Nazis into believing that the Allies would land in the Pas de Calais. This disinformation operation saved countless lives. But Lily found the English cold and ungenerous towards her. They knew that she had a fatal medical condition. She had also risked her life - and her parents' lives - every day she worked for the Nazis, yet the English would not let her bring the dog who was such a comfort to her. They told her that her work was vital to their cause, but for Lily their behaviour meant that it was not worth a dog. So she hid from them that the Nazis had given her a control code to prove that her radio messages were genuine: it gave her a sense of power to know that she could destroy her work - and the whole D-Day deception - with a single keystroke. She did not intend to use it, but once she had revealed it, she was dismissed straight after D-Day. This meant that she could join the Free French Forces and be sent to France to care for Displaced Persons left in the wake of the retreating Nazis. Working with liberated prisoners from Buchenwald, she married the American Major in charge of the region who had fallen in love with her. He took her to America where he hoped that her condition could be cured. It could not, and she died (largely forgotten) with her husband at her side in 1950.

Read more less

How to save hundreds--even thousands--of dollars a year in property taxes You can't escape paying property taxes, but you can avoid paying more than you have to. This authoritative new guide explains how. Written by an experienced real estate counselor, Challenge Your Taxes helps you evaluate your property assessment and pinpoint any inaccuracies that, once amended, could dramatically reduce your tax bill. With proven guidelines and practical tips, you'll learn how to determine what your property is really worth, qualify your property for a deduction, and--in the case of an unfair assessment--prepare and present a successful appeal. Here's where you'll find complete details on: * Property valuation--fair market value, comparable sales and cost approach, amenity considerations * Assessors--who they are, what they do, and what they look for * Checking your property information--study your property record file, confirm property category, use sales/assessment ratio to establish fair value * Common assessment errors--miscalculated land area, incorrect judgment of condition, comparable sales ignored, wrong zoning classification * Assessment appeals--summary of procedure, presentation checklist, the appeal board, abatements Packed with helpful worksheets and numerous examples, as well as sample forms and addresses of state appeals agencies, this indispensable resource has everything you need to Challenge Your Taxes successfully.

Read more less

To country music icon Martina McBride, cooking and singing aren't all that different. When she makes something delicious, she wants to share it, which is a lot like sharing her music with an audience. When she’s not on stage or in the studio, Martina is most likely experimenting in the kitchen and cooking with family and friends. Growing up on a farm in Kansas, Martina began helping her mother in the kitchen at an early age, preparing fresh-from-the-field ingredients. Meals and stories were shared daily around the table. It’s a tradition she continues with her own family as often as she can because real life is what’s worth celebrating. In this gorgeously photographed cookbook, readers will find more than 100 simple and satisfying recipes filled with fresh, seasonal ingredients and downhome flavor. Martina encourages cooking "outside the lines" and shows you how to make cooking fun with creative "ad-lib" tips for recipe riffs you might consider. Mix things up in the kitchen and create your own delicious memories with her inspired recipes to feed a handful or a houseful. Whip up Martina's family favorites like her mother-in-law Flavia’s Deviled Eggs, husband John’s Bacon-Wrapped Olives, or her go-to Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Sauce and Slaw. Plan a weekend brunch menu, serving Baked French Toast with Pecan Crumble and Blackberry-Maple Syrup and Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole with Tomato Gravy. Toast friends at happy hour with her Blackberry-Lemon Gin & Tonic while enjoying Grilled Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese and Herbs. And when it’s time to celebrate with family and indulge in dessert, try Martina's Fresh Apple Cake with Homemade Caramel Sauce or No-Bake Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cookies.

Read more less

A compelling look at the historical roots of poverty and homelessness, the "worthy" and "unworthy" poor, and the role of charity health care and public policy in the United States.Home to over 730,000 people, with close to four million people living in the metropolitan area, Seattle has the third-highest homeless population in the United States. In 2018, an estimated 8,600 homeless people lived in the city, a figure that does not include the significant number of "hidden" homeless people doubled up with friends or living in and out of cheap hotels. In Skid Road, Josephine Ensign digs through layers of Seattle history—past its leaders and prominent citizens, respectable or not—to reveal the stories of overlooked and long-silenced people who live on the margins of society. The sometimes fragmentary tales of these people, their lives and deaths, are not included in official histories of a place. How, Ensign asks, has a large, socially progressive city like Seattle responded to the health needs of people marginalized by poverty, mental illness, addiction, racial/ethnic/sexual identities, and homelessness? Drawing on interviews and extensive research, Ensign shares a diversity of voices within contemporary health care and public policy debates. Informed by her own lived experience of homelessness, as well as over three decades of work as a family nurse practitioner providing primary health care to homeless people, Ensign is uniquely situated to explore the tensions between caregiving and oppression, as well as charity and solidarity, that polarize perspectives on homelessness throughout the country. A timely story in light of the ongoing health care reform debate, the affordable housing crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the stories from Skid Road illuminate issues surrounding poverty and homelessness throughout America.

Read more less

Lose weight and feel great with juicing and smoothies For those of us who don't have time to cut up or cook fruits and vegetables with every meal, juices and smoothies are a fast and easy way to consume them at home or on the go. Packed with over 100 recipes, Juicing & Smoothies For Dummies covers the most up-to-date information on incorporating this healthy lifestyle into your everyday routine. From how to safely cleanse the body of toxins to the hottest ingredients to bolster juices and smoothies—including chia seeds, coconut oil, hemp seeds, bee pollen, and more—it arms you with everything you need to sip your way to a healthier, happier you. There are many health benefits to drinking freshly juiced fruits and vegetables. These tasty and nutrition-packed beverages can help protect you against cardiovascular disease, cancer, cellular damage, and various inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Plus, it's great for weight loss because juices and smoothies have hunger-reducing properties, on top of being filling. In this friendly and accessible guide, you'll find expert guidance on how to use juices and smoothies to reap all of these excellent rewards, while getting the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables—in a glass! Concoct more than 120 juicing and smoothie recipes using the hottest, most nutritious ingredients Find the best juicers and blenders for the job Ward off colds and migraines, promote longevity, and shed pounds Get a month's worth of grocery items to have on hand to make healthy juices and smoothies in minutes Whether you want to lose weight, cleanse, or simply add more healthy fruits and veggies to your diet, Juicing & Smoothies For Dummies makes it easy.

Read more less

On March 9, 1996, tens of thousands of readers of a daily newspaper in China’s Anhui province saw a photograph of two young women at a local long-distance bus station. Dressed in fashionable new winter coats and carrying luggage printed with Latin letters, the women were returning home from their jobs in one of China’s large cities. As the photo caption indicated, the image represented the “transformation of migrant women”; the women’s “transformation” was signaled by their status as consumers. New Masters, New Servants is an ethnography of class dynamics and the subject formation of migrant domestic workers. Based on her interviews with young women who migrated from China’s Anhui province to the city of Beijing to engage in domestic service for middle-class families, as well as interviews with employers, job placement agencies, and government officials, Yan Hairong explores what these migrant workers mean to the families that hire them, to urban economies, to rural provinces such as Anhui, and to the Chinese state. Above all, Yan focuses on the domestic workers’ self-conceptions, desires, and struggles.Yan analyzes how the migrant women workers are subjected to, make sense of, and reflect on a range of state and neoliberal discourses about development, modernity, consumption, self-worth, quality, and individual and collective longing and struggle. She offers keen insight into the workers’ desire and efforts to achieve suzhi (quality) through self-improvement, the way workers are treated by their employers, and representations of migrant domestic workers on television and the Internet and in newspapers and magazines. In so doing, Yan demonstrates that contestations over the meanings of migrant workers raise broad questions about the nature of wage labor, market economy, sociality, and postsocialism in contemporary China.

Read more less

Combining anthropological methods and theories with political philosophy, Sian Lazar analyzes everyday practices and experiences of citizenship in a satellite city to the Bolivian capital of La Paz: El Alto, where more than three-quarters of the population identify as indigenous Aymara. For several years, El Alto has been at the heart of resistance to neoliberal market reforms, such as the export of natural resources and the privatization of public water systems. In October 2003, protests centered in El Alto forced the Bolivian president to resign; in December 2005, the country’s first indigenous president, Evo Morales, was elected. The growth of a strong social justice movement in Bolivia has caught the imagination of scholars and political activists worldwide. El Alto remains crucial to this ongoing process. In El Alto, Rebel City Lazar examines the values, practices, and conflicts behind the astonishing political power exercised by El Alto citizens in the twenty-first century.Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 1997 and 2004, Lazar contends that in El Alto, citizenship is a set of practices defined by one’s participation in a range of associations, many of them collectivist in nature. Her argument challenges Western liberal notions of the citizen by suggesting that citizenship is not only individual and national but in many ways communitarian and distinctly local, constituted through different kinds of affiliations. Since in El Alto these affiliations most often emerge through people’s place of residence and their occupational ties, Lazar offers in-depth analyses of neighborhood associations and trade unions. In so doing, she describes how the city’s various collectivities mediate between the state and the individual. Collective organization in El Alto and the concept of citizenship underlying it are worthy of attention; they are the basis of the city’s formidable power to mobilize popular protest.

Read more less

A surprising and revealing look at what Americans really believe about taxesConventional wisdom holds that Americans hate taxes. But the conventional wisdom is wrong. Bringing together national survey data with in-depth interviews, Read My Lips presents a surprising picture of tax attitudes in the United States. Vanessa Williamson demonstrates that Americans view taxpaying as a civic responsibility and a moral obligation. But they worry that others are shirking their duties, in part because the experience of taxpaying misleads Americans about who pays taxes and how much. Perceived "loopholes" convince many income tax filers that a flat tax might actually raise taxes on the rich, and the relative invisibility of the sales and payroll taxes encourages many to underestimate the sizable tax contributions made by poor and working people.Americans see being a taxpayer as a role worthy of pride and respect, a sign that one is a contributing member of the community and the nation. For this reason, the belief that many Americans are not paying their share is deeply corrosive to the social fabric. The widespread misperception that immigrants, the poor, and working-class families pay little or no taxes substantially reduces public support for progressive spending programs and undercuts the political standing of low-income people. At the same time, the belief that the wealthy pay less than their share diminishes confidence that the political process represents most people.Upending the idea of Americans as knee-jerk opponents of taxes, Read My Lips examines American taxpaying as an act of political faith. Ironically, the depth of the American civic commitment to taxpaying makes the failures of the tax system, perceived and real, especially potent frustrations.

Read more less

A surprising and revealing look at what Americans really believe about taxes Conventional wisdom holds that Americans hate taxes. But the conventional wisdom is wrong. Bringing together national survey data with in-depth interviews, Read My Lips presents a surprising picture of tax attitudes in the United States. Vanessa Williamson demonstrates that Americans view taxpaying as a civic responsibility and a moral obligation. But they worry that others are shirking their duties, in part because the experience of taxpaying misleads Americans about who pays taxes and how much. Perceived "loopholes" convince many income tax filers that a flat tax might actually raise taxes on the rich, and the relative invisibility of the sales and payroll taxes encourages many to underestimate the sizable tax contributions made by poor and working people. Americans see being a taxpayer as a role worthy of pride and respect, a sign that one is a contributing member of the community and the nation. For this reason, the belief that many Americans are not paying their share is deeply corrosive to the social fabric. The widespread misperception that immigrants, the poor, and working-class families pay little or no taxes substantially reduces public support for progressive spending programs and undercuts the political standing of low-income people. At the same time, the belief that the wealthy pay less than their share diminishes confidence that the political process represents most people. Upending the idea of Americans as knee-jerk opponents of taxes, Read My Lips examines American taxpaying as an act of political faith. Ironically, the depth of the American civic commitment to taxpaying makes the failures of the tax system, perceived and real, especially potent frustrations.

Read more less

This book was previously published as Sweatpants at Tiffanie’s The knock out romantic comedy of the year! This brilliant, funny love story is perfect for fans of Jo Watson, Mhairi McFarlane and Zara Stoneley. ‘Absolutely loved Sweatpants at Tiffanie’s… I devoured every page’ Holly Martin True love packs a punch… Tiffanie Trent is not having a great week. Gavin, her boyfriend, has dumped her unceremoniously on their tenth anniversary, leaving her heartbroken and homeless. Frank Black, the owner of Blackie’s boxing gym and where Tiff has been book-keeper for the last decade, has dropped dead. He's not having a great week either. And if that wasn’t enough, Mike ‘The Assassin’ Fellner, boxer of international fame and Tiff’s first love, is back in town and more gorgeous than ever. Tiff can’t seem to go anywhere without bumping into his biceps. When she discovers Blackie has left her the gym, Tiff, with her saggy trackies and supermarket trainers, is certain she’ll fail. Can Tiff step up and roll with the punches, or will she be down and out at the first round? Readers love Pernille Hughes: ‘A fun, smart, sassy read full of likeable characters that stayed with me long after the last page’ Alex Brown ‘Punchy, pacy and packed with wit and warmth’ Sunday Times bestseller Cathy Bramley ‘A lovely, uplifting story…everything I look for in a romantic comedy’ Karen Clarke ‘A proper meet-cute…DEFINITELY unputdownable’ Isabella May ‘Funny, poignant and wonderfully descriptive…an unlikely but perfect romcom’ Rachel Burton ‘If you are looking for a wonderful rom-com, that also had a few surprises in it, then this is definitely worth a read’ Rachel’s Random Reads

Read more less

A New York Times, New Yorker, Washington Post, Newsweek, TIME Book of the Year 2023 ‘Fabulously entertaining’ Daily Telegraph ‘Perfect for fans of Frank Abignale Jr.’s Catch Me If You Can’ Publishers Weekly The astounding, never-before-told story of how an ingenious Ghanaian con artist ran one of the 20th century’s longest and most audacious frauds. When Ghana declared independence from Britain in 1957, it immediately became a target for opportunists determined to lay hold of whatever assets colonialism hadn’t already stripped. The military ousted the new nation’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, then falsely accused him of stealing the country’s gold and hiding it overseas. Into this story stepped one of history’s most charismatic scammers, John Ackah Blay-Miezah – a con man to rival the trickster god Anansi. Born into poverty, Blay-Miezah declared himself the custodian of an alleged Nkrumah trust fund worth billions. You, too, could claim a piece, if only you would help him rescue it – with a small investment. Over the 1970s and ’80s, he grew his scam to epic proportions, amassing hundreds of millions of pounds from thousands of marks all over the world. He baffled Henry Kissinger, scandalised Shirley Temple-Black, and had Nixon’s former attorney-general at his beck and call. Many tried to stop him, but Blay-Miezah continued to live in luxury, protected by ex-SAS soldiers while he deceived lawyers, businessmen and investigators around the globe. In Anansi’s Gold, Yepoka Yeebo chases the ever-wilder trail of Blay-Miezah – and unfolds a riveting account of Cold War entanglements and African dreams – revealing the untold story of the grifter who beat the West at its own thieving game.

Read more less

Longquan wares were made mainly in Zhejiang province over a period of over sixteen hundred years, from the 3rd to the 19th centuries. There are two outstanding features of the beautiful Longquan ceramics, one is that the body is made of porcelain, and the other, that the glaze contains kaolin in its composition. This gives Longquan ware unique colour and quality. The body is smooth and dense, the glaze either unctuous or shiny, the colour a myriad shades of kingfisher blue and jade green. The result of development of porcelain technology at Longquan was a tough, attractive, and versatile celadon material that was ideally suited for export. Longquan vessels found their way to a variety of markets around the world, from royal palaces to common dwellings. During the Yuan dynasty a peak in quantity was reached, with more than 150 kiln sites overall. Many new decoration techniques and forms of mass production for global exports emerged, until production almost expired entirely during the late Ming dynasty, due to a range of still-debated reasons. It is readily apparent that the Longquan kilns in Zhejiang province produced a wide range of wares, in vast quantities, over a period of more than 500 years. During the Southern Song period premier kinuta ceramics glazed with shimmering pale bluish-green colours attracted the highest approbation. During the early Ming dynasty the Daoyao kiln manufactured superlative imperial ceramics for the imperial household. However, despite their great beauty and perceived worth, Longquan ceramics have never been regarded as one of the “Five Great Wares”. This book combined some of the rarest and most exquisite Longquan wares of over 270 pieces from museums and Art Institutes around the world.

Read more less

2017 Foreword INDIES Finalist (Historical, Adult Fiction). 1940s Vancouver. The Japanese have just bombed Pearl Harbour and racial tension is building in Vancouver. The RCMP are rounding up "suspicious" young men, and fishing boats and property are soon seized from Steveston fishers; internment camps in BC's interior are only months away. Daniel Sugiura, a young reporter for the New Canadian, the only Japanese-Canadian newspaper allowed to keep publishing during the war, narrates The Three Pleasures. The story is told through three main characters in the Japanese community: Watanabe Etsuo, Morii Etsuji and Etsu Kaga, the Three Pleasures. Etsu in Japanese means "pleasure"; the term is well-suited to these three. Morii Etsuji, the Black Dragon boss, controls the kind of pleasure men pay for: gambling, drink and prostitution the pleasures of the flesh. Watanabe Etsuo, Secretary of the Steveston Fishermen's Association, makes a deal with the devil to save his loved ones. In the end, he suffers for it and never regains the pleasures of family. And there is Etsu Kaga, a Ganbariya of the Yamato Damashii Group, a real Emperor worshipper. His obsession becomes destructive to himself and all involved with him. He enjoys the pleasure of patriotism until that patriotism becomes a curse. The Three Pleasures is an intimate and passionate novel concerning an unsightly and painful period in Canada's history. "Terry Watada's literary tour de force, The Three Pleasures, lifts the Japanese Canadian internment experience beyond passive victimization by giving life to a host of historical figures heroes, villians and tragic characters in a fascinating yet little-known resistance movement within the camps. An absolute page-turner and worthy read." (jim wong-chu)

Read more less

Now more than ever, you can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling through Germany. From fairy-tale castles and alpine forests to quaint villages and modern cities: experience it all with Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves Germany you'll find:* Fully updated, comprehensive coverage for planning a multi-week trip through Germany* Rick's strategic advice on how to get the most out of your time and money, with rankings of his must-see favorites* Top sights and hidden gems, from the towering Zugspitze and jagged Alps to rustic villages and delicious strudel* How to connect with local culture: Stroll through a Cristkindlemarkt around Christmas, chat with fans about the latest fussball match, or kick back in a biergarten* Beat the crowds, skip the lines, and avoid tourist traps with Rick's candid, humorous insight* The best places to eat, sleep, and relax with a Berliner Weisse in hand* Self-guided walking tours of lively neighborhoods and incredible museums* Vital trip-planning tools, like how to link destinations, build your itinerary, and get from place to place* Detailed maps, including a fold-out map for exploring on the go* Over 1,000 bible-thin pages include everything worth seeing without weighing you down* Coverage of Munich, Bavaria, Tirol, Salzburg, Berchtesgaden, Baden-Baden, the Black Forest, Rothenburg, Würzburg, Frankfurt, Rhine Valley, Mosel Valley, Trier, Cologne, Nürnburg, Lutherland, Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg, and more* Covid-related travel info and resources for a smooth tripMake the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves Germany.Planning a one- to two-week trip? Check out Rick Steves Best of Germany.

Read more less

The War on Cash: How Banks and a Power-Hungry Government Want to Confiscate Your Cash, Steal Your Liberty and Track Every Dollar You Spend. And How to Fight Back is a wake-up call to everyone about the tactics being used by governments to restrict the public's use of cash and to abuse the laws for its own purposes. Powerful forces are threatening your financial freedom. All over the world, including in the United States of America, governments, certain academics, banks and non-governmental organizations (nonprofits) are working in a coordinated way to stop you from using cash. They want you to have no option but to pay for everything you buy using electronic payment systems. They want you to be unable to go to a bank and withdraw your money in cash. They want you to be afraid to have more than a few dollars cash on your person, in your home, or in your car.In The War on Cash, David McRee: Outlines the tactics being used by governments and their banking and financial services allies to restrict the public's use of cash, and to abuse the laws for their own purposes Explains how the huge payment processing companies understand that getting a piece of every financial transaction in the world is worth trillions of dollars Details why the data collection industry is also salivating over the profit potential of massive data collection, analysis and sales, costing you money and your personal privacy and freedoms Covers how the use and possession of cash is essential to a free and prosperous society McRee gives the reader the information and tools to fight back against government control and collectivism and capitalism and individual liberty.

Read more less

From the most trusted name in travel, Frommer’s Bermuda is a comprehensive, completely up-to-date guide to one of the world’s most storied vacation destinations. Written by Bermuda local and travel expert David LaHuta (former adventure correspondent for the Rachael Ray Show), the book is filled with helpful advice and honest recommendations. LaHuta guides readers to unique pink sand beaches, secluded turquoise coves, and spellbinding caves; through the cobbled streets of historic St. George’s (a UNESCO World Heritage Site); and to restaurants and food stands known only to locals. Inside the guide: · Helpful maps, including a detachable foldout map · Detailed itineraries for planning your trip to suit your schedule and interests (and help you avoid the cruise ship crowds) · Rewarding experiences so you’ll appreciate the island’s history, culture, natural history, and cuisine · Candid reviews of the best hikes, nature sites, restaurants, historic sights, museums, tours, shops, and experiences—and no-punches-pulled opinions on the ones not worth your time and money · Accurate, up-to-date info on transportation (including a safer alternative to scooters), useful websites, and more · Budget-planning help with the lowdown on prices and ways to save money, whether you’re traveling on a shoestring or in the lap of luxury About Frommer’s: There’s a reason that Frommer’s has been the most trusted name in travel for more than sixty years. Arthur Frommer created the best-selling guide series in 1957 to help American servicemen fulfill their dreams of travel in Europe, and since then, we have published thousands of titles became a household name helping millions upon millions of people realize their own dreams of seeing our planet. Travel is easy with Frommer’s.

Read more less

Discover how to buy and finance property to produce income and build wealth with the bible on real estate investment—revised and updated for the post-COVID marketSince its debut publication nearly two decades ago, Building Wealth One House at a Time has established itself as the go-to guide for everyday investors seeking proven strategies for buying and financing properties. The latest edition, completely updated and featuring 5 all-new chapters, continues to be the best resource for making your first million in real estate.As a nationally recognized expert with demonstrable success over five decades, real estate investor John Schaub shows you how you can accumulate a million dollars of houses debt free, with a steady cash flow for life. In Building Wealth One House at a Time, Third Edition, he shows how his time-tested method works in the post-Covid market, and how an ethical approach to buying, financing and managing property can help you weather any real estate climate.You’ll discover how to choose houses that will make you the most money, how to know how much a house is worth before you make an offer, how to borrow without going to a bank, and more. Additional new chapters provide savvy advice on how to buy with cash flow in any market, negotiate benefits (not price), and how buying right separates the rich from the rest. You’ll also learn how to implement the ideas in this book while you’re working another job, or transitioning from working to full-time investing.New chapters include: Change Happens, Are You Ready? Do You Want to Be Rich or Earn a Lot of Money? Retiring Sooner with More Keep It Simple—Investing with Fewer Moving Parts The Tax Advantages of Investing in Property

Read more less

Louise Roe-internationally renowned fashion journalist, TV host, and makeover guru-knows style. It's not about trends but about being your own person and sharing the things you love in your appearance, your home, and your personality. In Front Roe, Louise shares her expertise on cultivating personal style and feeling like a confident leading lady in your own life.In her first book, Louise has compiled the practical tips and secret tricks that she's picked up through years of working in the fashion industry with magazine editors, stylists, celebrities, and most importantly, real women. Front Roe helps a woman discover her personal style through looks she loves-images in magazines that speak to her, quotes that inspire her, fashion or styles she is taken with, and family photos. Once the foundation is laid, Louise expands into the specifics of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle, offering helpful advice from today and yesteryear on everything from finding the right underwear and buying vintage clothing, to picking the best perfume for you, and making your home a sanctuary.As Louise says, "With a little nudging and direction, everybody can develop their own personal style, no matter their shape, age, or wallet size. In my view, fashion should be aspirational, but attainable and definitely something to have a sense of humor about. It's worth living every single day as the most confident, happy, and glamorous version of yourself. Here's how!" Front Roe is the perfect distillation of this philosophy. Louise shares stories, information, and ideas from around the world to help women feel educated, uplifted, inspired, and considerably more positive about their mind, body, closet, and home.

Read more less

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES' BEST BOOKS OF 2023ONE OF THE ECONOMIST'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023ONE OF THE NEW YORKER'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023TIME MAGAZINE'S #1 NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR'A journalistic masterpiece' David Remnick, New YorkerMy job is to go to places where people die. I pack my bags, talk to the survivors, write my stories, then go home to wait for the next catastrophe. I don't wait very long.Journalist Patricia Evangelista came of age in the aftermath of a street revolution that forged a new future for the Philippines. Three decades later, in the face of mounting inequality, the nation discovered the fragility of its democratic institutions under the regime of strongman Rodrigo Duterte.Some People Need Killing is Evangelista's meticulously reported and deeply human chronicle of the Philippines' drug war. For six years, Evangelista chronicled the killings carried out by police and vigilantes in the name of Duterte's war on drugs - a war that has led to the slaughter of thousands - immersing herself in the world of killers and survivors and capturing the atmosphere of fear created when an elected president decides that some lives are worth less than others.The book takes its title from a vigilante whose words seemed to reflect the psychological accommodation that most of the country had made: 'I'm really not a bad guy,' he said. 'I'm not all bad. Some people need killing.'A profound act of witness and a tour de force of literary journalism, Some People Need Killing is also a brilliant dissection of the grammar of violence and an important investigation of the human impulses to dominate and resist.

Read more less

'Engrossing ... Big Brother meets Big Business - that pretty much nails it' Stephen King'A gripping read, a literary blockbuster with brains. Horribly compelling' The Observer'A triumph' The Guardian___________________In a world ravaged by bankruptcy and unemployment, Cloud is the only company left worth working for. But what will it cost you?Amidst the wreckage of America, Cloud reigns supreme. Cloud brands itself not just as an online storefront, but as a global saviour. Yet, beneath the sunny exterior, lurks something far more sinister.Paxton never thought he’d be working Security for the company that ruined his life, much less that he’d be moving into one of their sprawling live-work facilities. But compared to what’s left outside, perhaps Cloud isn’t so bad. Better still, through his work he meets Zinnia, who fills him with hope for their shared future.Except that Zinnia is not what she seems. And Paxton, with his all-access security credentials, might just be her meal ticket.As Paxton and Zinnia’s agendas place them on a collision course, they’re about to learn just how far the Cloud will go to make the world a better place. To beat the system, you have to be inside it.What people are saying about The Warehouse:'Literary blockbuster’ Observer‘A triumph’ Guardian‘Brilliantly imagined’ BBC Culture‘Inventive, addictive’ Paul Tremblay‘Thrilling’ Blake Crouch‘An Orwellian thriller’ Publisher’s Weekly‘Wildly imaginative yet terrifyingly real’ Riley Sager‘Taut, tense and masterful’ Chuck Wendig'One of the breakout books of the year' Barnes & Noble'Holds up a dark mirror to our times' San Francisco Chronicle'A jet black satire of modern consumerism' Waterstones'A thriller of ideas ... taut action, incisive cultural commentary ... shades of Fahrenheit 451 and Jurassic Park.' USA Today

Read more less

‘Oh my word… fantastic… [The] stories intertwine so beautifully, it’s truly amazing. Such a lot of research must have to have been done but so worth it. I can’t recommend this book enough.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Could a rediscovered map show her the way? Present day: When thirty-six-year-old Robyn Willoughby discovers an exquisite yet blood-stained Tudor map in her father’s antique map shop, desperate for a distraction from her problems, she decides to investigate. But as Robyn delves into the mystery, she finds herself caught up in a centuries-old secret – one that will change her life forever. 1569: Forced to flee Holland to escape persecution, twenty-year-old Freida Ortelius uses her mapmaking skills to start anew in London. Soon her rare talent catches the eye of Queen Elizabeth, who demands Freida’s help in fighting the Spanish threat. Freida must now embark on a deadly mission, the consequences of which will echo down the ages… A sweeping and heartbreaking read, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Kathryn Hughes. Readers adore The Mapmaker’s Daughter: ‘Loved this… the characters were brilliant and the storyline was amazing, wonderfully written and descriptive, could not put it down.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This book has it all: history, intrigue, suspense, mystery, and a gripping narrative that kept me engaged from beginning to end.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Loved this book!… Great characters and story that intertwined. Highly recommended.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A joy to read… I loved the characters and the way the plot of both times weaved and intwined… Excellent.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Fascinating! I would recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction without hesitation.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read more less

Why is it that Tony Blair always wore the same pair of shoes when answering Prime Minister's Questions? That John McEnroe notoriously refused to step on the white lines of a tennis court between points? And that President-elect Barack Obama played a game of basketball the morning of his victory in the Iowa primary, and continued the tradition the day of every following primary? Superstitious habits are common. Do you ever cross your fingers, knock on wood, avoid walking under ladders, or step around black cats? Sentimental value often supersedes material worth. If someone offered to replace your childhood teddy bear or wedding ring with a brand new, exact replica, would you do it? How about £20 for trying on a jumper owned by Fred West? Where do such feelings come from and why do most of us have them? Humans are born with brains designed to make sense of the world and that need for an explanation can lead to beliefs that go beyond reason. To be true they would have to be supernatural. With scientific education we learn that such beliefs are irrational but at an intuitive level they can be resistant to reason or lie dormant in otherwise sensible adults.It now seems unlikely that any effort to get rid of supernatural beliefs or superstitious behaviours will be completely successful. This is not all bad news - such beliefs are a useful glue that binds us together as a society. Combining brilliant insight with witty example Hood weaves a page-turning account of our 'supersense' that navigates a path through brain science, child development, popular culture, mental illness and the paranormal. After reading SuperSense, you will realize why you are not as reasonable as you might like to think - and why that might be no bad thing.

Read more less

'Having been shot at definitely helps you write great thrillers... I've been a huge fan of Chris Ryan since I read The One That Got Away - he just gets better and better' - STEPHEN LEATHER'An intelligent and enthralling read' - FINANCIAL TIMESThe SAS is operating covertly in the wartorn badlands of northern Syria. They know it will be gritty, bloody and dangerous. But when Regiment legend Danny Black's unit, codenamed Zero 22, is tasked with a more routine operation, they don't expect it to end the way it does: in compromise and massacre, orchestrated by the shadowy Wagner Group, a paramilitary organisation in thrall to the Russian president.Back in the UK, Danny learns that his unit was betrayed by a mole feeding high-level military intelligence to the Russians. Like any SAS man worthy of the name, his first thought is to avenge the men who lost their lives on the Zero 22 op. He has no hesitation in accepting the mission to assassinate the man responsible for the death of his mates.But the headshed have more complicated plans and Danny finds himself operating with a face from his past whom he never thought he would see again. Together they embark on a high-risk, deniable mission that will require all Danny's Regiment skills if they are to have any hope of success. As the mission unfolds, however, Danny learns that darker forces are at play. And when everything he thinks he knows gets turned on its head, he realises that what started out as an act of revenge is just a single play in a conspiracy that will take him across the continents and pit him not only against the highly trained militants of the Wagner Group, but against the Kremlin, the White House and the insidious machinations of the most powerful men in the world.

Read more less

'Having been shot at definitely helps you write great thrillers... I've been a huge fan of Chris Ryan since I read The One That Got Away - he just gets better and better' - STEPHEN LEATHER'An intelligent and enthralling read' - FINANCIAL TIMESThe SAS is operating covertly in the wartorn badlands of northern Syria. They know it will be gritty, bloody and dangerous. But when Regiment legend Danny Black's unit, codenamed Zero 22, is tasked with a more routine operation, they don't expect it to end the way it does: in compromise and massacre, orchestrated by the shadowy Wagner Group, a paramilitary organisation in thrall to the Russian president.Back in the UK, Danny learns that his unit was betrayed by a mole feeding high-level military intelligence to the Russians. Like any SAS man worthy of the name, his first thought is to avenge the men who lost their lives on the Zero 22 op. He has no hesitation in accepting the mission to assassinate the man responsible for the death of his mates.But the headshed have more complicated plans and Danny finds himself operating with a face from his past whom he never thought he would see again. Together they embark on a high-risk, deniable mission that will require all Danny's Regiment skills if they are to have any hope of success. As the mission unfolds, however, Danny learns that darker forces are at play. And when everything he thinks he knows gets turned on its head, he realises that what started out as an act of revenge is just a single play in a conspiracy that will take him across the continents and pit him not only against the highly trained militants of the Wagner Group, but against the Kremlin, the White House and the insidious machinations of the most powerful men in the world.

Read more less

The fabulous sequel to 2019's hit debut novel: Master of Sorrows.Annev has avoided one fate. But a darker path may still claim him . . . After surviving the destruction of Chaenbalu, new mysteries and greater threats await Annev and his friends in the capital city of Luqura. As they navigate the city's perilous streets, Annev searches for a way to control his nascent magic and remove the cursed artifact now fused to his body. But what might removing it cost him? As Annev grapples with his magic, Fyn joins forces with old enemies and new allies, waging a secret war against Luqura's corrupt guilds in the hopes of forging his own criminal empire. Deep in the Brakewood, Myjun is learning new skills of her own as apprentice to Oyru, the shadow assassin who attacked the village of Chaenbalu - but the power of revenge comes at a daunting price. And back in Chaenbalu itself, left for dead in the Academy's ruins, Kenton seeks salvation in the only place he can: the power hoarded in the Vault of Damnation . . .'Master of Sorrows is a brilliant and riveting tale about having the courage to find and choose one's path. I recommend this book for lovers of classic epic fantasy looking for a modern voice' NOVEL NOTIONS'A wonderful mix of the old and the new . . . if you're a fan of coming-of-age stories, magic schools, and the idea of what's right and what's wrong, then Master of Sorrows is the book for you' THE FANTASY INN'A very strong dark fantasy debut that will appeal directly to fans of The Poppy War and The Name of the Wind. It's intense, mystical and brutal' fantasybookreview.co.uk'This is an adventure well-worth embarking on, one filled with monsters, gods, deception and betrayal' booktopia.com

Read more less

Fall in love with the glorious Renaissance Faire romance that has TikTok swooning!'A book worth losing sleep over' 5***** Reader Review'Favourite romance series hands down' 5***** Reader Review'I devoured it' 5***** Reader Review_________Stacey put her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother. But it's been years now. Even the local Renaissance Faire, where she spends summer pouring drinks and flirting with patrons, is losing its attraction. She vows to have her life figured out by next summer's Faire. It's past time she found The One.Dex MacLean, her summertime Faire fling, does not fit the bill. Yes, he's easy on the eye with his band The Dueling Kilts, but Stacey doesn't love him. Then she receives a tender email from her monosyllabic hunk, and she wonders whether she got him wrong.So when Faire finally returns to Willow Creek, Stacey hopes to at last come face-to-face with the man to whom she's been exchanging hundreds of loving online messages.But to Stacey's shock, that wasn't Dex. So who has she been falling for?_________'DeLuca writes stories that are the book form of a duvet day, warm and comfortable and just what you want' 5***** Reader ReviewReaders are obsessed with the Willow Creak series!'A pure joy to read. Utterly delightful. I didn't want it to end' 5***** Reader Review'THIS is how you write modern romance!' 5***** Reader Review'This gave me all the butterflies, all the feels, all the heart skipping beats' 5***** Reader Review'Completely in love with this book! A must read' 5***** Reader Review'A gorgeous enemies-to-lovers romance' 5***** Reader Review'Well Met left me swooning' 5***** Reader Review

Read more less

If anyone had good reason to join the league of the “Nones,” the “Dones,” and the deconstructionists, it would be Zach Hoag. After growing up and out of the compound walls of a Texas cult, and becoming a failed church planter in one of the most post-Christian cities in America, Zach was faced with both a crisis and a choice. He loved Jesus, yet questioned: If the church is such a broken system, is it really worth belonging to anymore?The viral upswing of the “spiritual but not religious” trend has cast religion as going rapidly out of style. Yet even in his own desert of deconstruction, Zach couldn’t shake his desire for a spiritual home. His search ultimately led him to look behind the statistics, where Zach found an astonishing undercurrent subversively at work.The truth, as Zach discovered, is that we are in a cultural moment of apocalypse. Not an end-of-the-world apocalypse, but in the very literal sense of the word which translates simply, “a revealing.” Perhaps the downtrend of Christian faith in America is just the kind of Great Revealing we need to show us who we really are as American Christians, who Jesus really is in our midst, and how we can step into the flourishing faith he has always intended for us.For anyone who is anxious about the future of the church and their place in it, The Light Is Winning rallies to an unexpected, unshakeable hope: Could it be that we’ve made religion out to be the culprit when in fact, religion is just what we need to revive us? Could it be that our struggle for relevance must come to a necessary end, so that we can get to the real? After all, isn’t this the essence of the story of God: death paves the way for a resurrected, deeply rooted, flourishing faith. Such faith can be yours. The Light Is Winning will show you how.

Read more less

'I loved this book!' - Alison Weir'[A] lively, gossipy forage through royal wardrobes' - Daily Mail'A sparkling history' - Dr Kate StrasdinPeek into the wardrobes of history's most fashionable royalsWhy did women wear such heavy and uncomfortable skirts in the Elizabethan era?What the hell happened to Charles II's pubic hair wig?How did Princess Diana's revenge dress become so iconic?Fashion for the royal family has long been one of their most powerful weapons. Every item of their clothing is imbued with meaning, history and majesty, telling a complex tale of the individuals who wore them and the houses they represented.From the draping of a fabric to the arrangements of jewels, the clothing worn by royals is anything but coincidental. King at just nine years old, Edward VI's clothes were padded to make him seem stronger and more manly; and the ever-conscious Elizabeth II insisted her coronation gown include all the representative flora of the commonwealth nations, and not just that of the United Kingdom. Yet reigning monarchs are not the only ones whose fashion sensibilities could mean make or break for the crown.Original and enlightening, Rosie Harte's complete history delicately weaves together the fashion faux pas and Vogue-worthy triumphs that chart the history of our royals from the Tudors to the Victorians right through to King Charles III and our twenty-first-century royal family. Travelling far beyond the bounds of the court, The Royal Wardrobe reveals the economic, social and political consequences of royal apparel, be it breeches, tiara, wig or waistcoat.Each stitch has a story, you just need to know how to read them

Read more less

A stunning investigation of the life and legend of Mexican kingpin Joaquín Archivaldo “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, building on Noah Hurowitz’s revelatory coverage for Rolling Stone of El Chapo’s federal drug-trafficking trial. This is the true story of how El Chapo built the world’s wealthiest and most powerful drug-trafficking operation, based on months’ worth of trial testimony and dozens of interviews with cartel gunmen, Mexican journalists and political figures, Chapo’s family members, and the DEA agents who brought him down. Over the course of three decades, El Chapo was responsible for smuggling hundreds of tons of cocaine, marijuana, heroin, meth, and fentanyl around the world, becoming in the process the most celebrated and reviled drug lord since Pablo Escobar. El Chapo waged ruthless wars against his rivals and former allies, plunging vast areas of Mexico into unprecedented levels of violence, even as many in his home state of Sinaloa continued to view him as a hero. This unputdownable book, written by a great new talent, brings El Chapo’s exploits into a focus that previous profiles have failed to capture. Hurowitz digs in deep beyond the legends and delves into El Chapo’s life and legacy—not just the hunt for him, revealing some of the most dramatic and often horrifying moments of his notorious career, including the infamous prison escapes, brutal murders, multi-million-dollar government payoffs, and the paranoia and narcissism that led to his downfall. From the evolution of organized crime in Mexico to the militarization of the drug war to the devastation wrought on both sides of the border by the introduction of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, this book is a gripping and comprehensive work of investigative, on-the-ground reporting.

Read more less