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Anna Komnene and the Alexiad: The Byzantine Princess and the First Crusade
Par Ioulia Kolovou. 2020
&“Kolovou . . . rescues Anna from the talons of misogynist historians and places her where she belongs as an extraordinary, but…
very human, woman.&” —Beating Tsundoku A woman of extraordinary education and intellect, Anna Komnene was the only Byzantine female historian and one of the first and foremost historians in medieval Europe. Yet few people know of her and her extraordinary story. Subsequent historians and scholars have skewed the picture of Anna as an intellectual princess and powerful author. She has been largely viewed as an angry, bitter old woman, who greedily wanted a throne that did not belong to her. After being exiled to a convent, she composed the Alexiad, the history of the First Crusade and the Byzantine Emperor, Alexios I Komnenos (1081-1118), her father. This book aims to present Anna Komnene—the fascinating woman, pioneer intellectual, and charismatic author—to the general public. Drawing on the latest academic research to reconstruct Anna&’s life, personality and work, it moves away from the myth of Anna the conspirator and &“power-hungry woman&” which has been unfairly built around her over centuries of misrepresentation. It places Anna Komnene in the context of her own time: the ancient Greek colony and medieval Eastern Roman empire, known as Byzantium, with the magnificent city of Constantinople at its heart. At the forefront of an epic clash between East and West, this was a world renowned for its dazzling wealth, mystery and power games. This was a world with Anna Komnene directly at the center.&“Well-written, well-researched, and an overall fascinating read . . . A brilliant addition to women&’s history.&” —Where There&’s Ink There&’s PaperThe diarist&’s account of her life in the early 1920s explores &“the conflict she felt between artistic longings and her…
pre-ordained female fate&” (The Detroit News). Continuing the journey of self-education and self-discovery she began in Linotte, Anaïs Nin discloses a part of her life that had previously remained private. She discusses the period in which she met Hugo Guiler, the young man who later became her husband, and made the wrenching transition from the shelter of her family to the world of artists and models. She also reveals the struggle she faced between her expected role as a woman and her determination to be a writer—a negotiation that still poses difficulties for many of us almost a century after Nin wrote this diary. &“Through sheer nerve, confidence, and will, Nin made of the everyday something magical. This was a gift, indeed, and it&’s a fascinating process to witness.&” —The Christian Science Monitor With a preface by Joaquin Nin-CulmellThe Road to San Giovanni
Par Italo Calvino. 1993
From the Italian author, personal essays featuring his relationship with his father, his love of movies, and fighting fascism during…
World War II. &“In each other&’s presence we became mute, would walk in silence side by side along the road to San Giovanni. To my father&’s mind, words must serve as confirmations of things, and as signs of possession; to mine, they were foretastes of things barely glimpsed, not possessed, presumed.&” —from The Road to San Giovanni In these autobiographical essays, published after Italo Calvino&’s death, the intellectually vibrant writer not only reflects on his own past but also inquires into the very workings of memory itself. From the title essay&’s lyrical evocation of the author&’s relationship with his father, and a charming account of teenage years spent in the glow of the cinema screen, to Calvino&’s reminiscences of his experiences in the Italian Resistance during World War II and of his years in Paris, to his declaration of purpose as a writer in the final essay&’s visionary fragments, these five &“memory exercises&” are heartfelt, affecting, and wise.Praise for The Road to San Giovanni&“Brimming with Calvino&’s beautifully crafted prose, dry humor, and continual questioning . . . Calvino has been very well served by his translator, Tim Parks.&” —Observer&“In five elegant &“memory exercises&” written between 1962 and 1977, Italian fiction writer Calvino (1923-85) presents an affecting self-portrait and offers indirect insights into how he conjured up his imaginary worlds . . . . This sparkling translation concludes with Calvino's lyric, metaphorical, highly elliptical description of his creative process.&” —Publishers WeeklyWild Philly: Explore the Amazing Nature in and Around Philadelphia (Wild Ser.)
Par Mike Weilbacher. 2022
A vibrant, family-friendly guide to the unexpected nature found in and around Philadelphia. Philadelphia may seem like a concrete jungle,…
but in reality, it's full of amazing wildlife. You just need to know where to find it! Equal parts natural history, field guide, and trip planner, Wild Philly has something for everyone. This handy yet extensive guide looks at the factors that shape local nature and profiles over 100 local species, from beautiful flowers and towering trees to majestic birds and surprising city-dwellers like coyotes and red foxes. Also included are descriptions of day trips that help you explore natural wonders on hiking trails, in public parks, and in your own backyard.Rare Trees: The Fascinating Stories of the World's Most Threatened Species
Par Sara Oldfield, Malin Rivers. 2023
Discover the secrets and beauty of the world&’s rarest trees in this fantastic book filled with more than 300 color…
photographs. Forests cover nearly a third of the world's surface, and the trees that make them up include a staggering diversity of more than 60,000 species. Individual trees play specific ecological roles in their unique environments—and they have adapted to thrive on steep mountains, in cloud forests, on dry savannahs, in parched deserts, and in tropical wetlands. Our history, and our future, are interwoven with the trees that define the regions of our green planet. Rare Trees profiles over 60 unique species that are currently endangered—including the most charismatic, fascinating, and downright bizarre examples from all around the globe. Filled with hundreds of color photographs, maps to help readers identify habitats, and accessible and engaging text by tree experts from the Global Trees Campaign, Rare Trees will give readers a new appreciation for the importance of trees and will inspire them to preserve this critical canopy of life.Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature In and Around Dallas–Fort Worth (Wild Ser.)
Par Amy Martin. 2022
Discover all the unexpected nature Dallas-Fort Worth has to offer with this enlightening guidebook! Dallas-Fort Worth is more than just…
a bustling metroplex, it&’s full of amazing wildlife. You just need to know where to find it! Equal parts natural history, field guide, and trip planner, Wild DFW has something for everyone. This handy yet extensive guide looks at the factors that shape local nature and profiles over 100 local species, from American basket-flowers and pecan trees to bald eagles, nine-banded armadillos, and Texas spiny lizards. Twenty-five day trips help you find and explore these natural wonders on hiking trails, in public parks, and in your own backyard.Wild Miami: Explore the Amazing Nature in and Around South Florida
Par Tj Morrell, Shannon Jones, Brian Diaz, Fernando Bretos. 1986
A vibrant, family-friendly guide to the unexpected nature found in and around Miami. Miami may be a bustling city with…
a vibrant nightlife, but its wildlife is just as wild, if you know where to look. Wild Miami reveals the amazing ecology of this tropical metropolis. Equal parts natural history, field guide, and trip planner, Wild Miami has something for everyone. This handy yet extensive guide looks at the factors that shape local nature and profiles over 100 local species, from beautiful flowers and towering palm trees to manatees and green treefrogs, spotted sunfish, and great blue heron. Also included are descriptions of day trips that help you explore natural wonders on hiking trails and beaches, in public parks, and in your own backyard.Lost Son: An American Family Trapped Inside the FBI’s Secret War
Par Brett Forrest. 2023
A young American lost in Russia. An FBI-cover up. A mystery leading from Washington to the heart of the Kremlin's…
war in Ukraine. When Billy Reilly vanished, his parents embarked on a desperate search for answers. Was their son&’s disappearance connected to his mysterious work for the FBI, or was it a personal quest gone wrong? Only when Wall Street Journal reporter Brett Forrest embarks on his own investigation does a picture emerge: of the FBI's exploitation of US citizens through a secretive intelligence program, a young man's lust for adventure within the world's conflicts, and the costs of a rising clash between Moscow and Washington.Sept. 11th roused Billy Reilly's curiosity for religions, war, and the world and its people beyond his small town near Detroit. Online, Billy taught himself Arabic and Russian. His passions led him into jihadi Internet forums, attracting the interest of the FBI.An amateur drawn into professional intelligence, Billy became a Confidential Human Source, one of thousands of civilians who assist FBI agents with investigative work, often at great hazard and with little recourse. When Russia stirred rebellion in Ukraine, Billy set out to make his mark.In Russia, Billy's communications dropped. His parents, frantic, asked the FBI for help but struggled to find answers. Grasping for clues, the Reilly family turned to Brett Forrest. Commencing a quest of his own, Forrest applied years' worth of research, along with decades of extensive experience in Russia, illuminating the inner workings of the national-security machine that enmeshed Billy and his family, picking up the lost son's trail.A masterwork of reporting, composed like a thriller, blending political maneuvering and international espionage, Lost Son illustrates one man's coming of age amid new global dangers.Juliet: The Life and Afterlives of Shakespeare's First Tragic Heroine
Par Sophie Duncan. 2023
The enduring cultural legacy of Shakespeare&’s Juliet Capulet — a history "as vital and provocative as the character herself" (Literary…
Review).Romeo and Juliet may be the greatest love story ever told, but who is Juliet? Demure ingénue? Or dangerous Mediterranean madwoman? From tearstained copies of the First Folio to Civil War-era fanfiction, Shakespeare&’s star-crossed heroine has long captured our collective imagination. Juliet is her story, traced across continents through four centuries of history, theatre, and film. As Oxford Shakespeare scholar Sophie Duncan reveals, Juliet&’s legacy stretches beyond her literary lifespan into a cultural afterlife ranging from enslaved African girls in the British Caribbean to the real-life Juliets of sectarian violence in Bosnia and Belfast. She argues that our dangerous obsession with the beautiful dead teenager and Juliet&’s meteoric rise as a defiant sexual icon have come to define the Western ideal of romance. Wry and inventive, Juliet is a tribute to fiction&’s most famous teenage girl who died young, but who lives forever.Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World's Most Vital Resource
Par David Sedlak. 2014
The history behind our growing water crisis: “A gem . . . An erudite romp through two millennia of water and sanitation practice…
and technology.” —NatureTurn on the faucet, and water pours out. Pull out the drain plug, and the dirty water disappears. Most of us give little thought to the hidden systems that bring us water and take it away when we’re done with it. But these underappreciated marvels of engineering face an array of challenges that cannot be solved without a fundamental change to our relationship with water, David Sedlak explains in this enlightening book.To make informed decisions about the future, we need to understand the three revolutions in urban water systems that have occurred over the past 2,500 years, and the technologies that will remake the system. The author starts by describing Water 1.0, the early Roman aqueducts, fountains, and sewers that made dense urban living feasible. He then details the development of clean drinking water and sewage treatment systems—the second and third revolutions in urban water. He offers an insider’s look at current systems that rely on reservoirs, underground pipe networks, treatment plants, and storm sewers to provide water that is safe to drink, before addressing how these water systems will have to be reinvented. For everyone who cares about reliable, clean, abundant water, this book is essential reading.Precious Ramotswe: A Mysterious Profile (Mysterious Profiles)
Par Alexander McCall Smith. 2009
In this profile, the bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series recounts the creation of his popular…
Botswanan sleuth. In 1998, Mma Precious Ramotswe made her debut in Alexander McCall Smith&’s The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. The Plain Dealer hailed the novel as &“One of the best, most charming, honest, hilarious and life-affirming books to appear in years.&” Decades and many books later, Precious has her own bestselling series, but readers may be wondering how exactly this beloved character came to be. In this profile, the prolific McCall Smith offers readers a behind-the-scenes look at the development of his delightful detective. He recounts his childhood spent in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and working in Botswana in the 1980s. He reveals the inspiration for Precious and discusses the experience of creating the first book and getting it published. Those and other tales are sure to entertain fans of Precious old and new. Praise for Alexander McCall Smith and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series &“The Miss Marple of Botswana.&” —The New York Times Book Review &“Smart and sassy . . . Precious&’ progress is charted in passages that have the power to amuse or shock or touch the heart, sometimes all at once.&” —Los Angeles Times &“The author&’s prose has the merits of simplicity, euphony and precision. His descriptions leave one as if standing in the Botswana landscape. This is art that conceals art. I haven&’t read anything with such alloyed pleasure for a long time.&” —Anthony Daniels, The Sunday Telegraph &“McCall Smith is a master. . . . There&’s beauty and revelation of one kind or another woven expertly into every line.&” —The Christian Science Monitor &“Comfort-food reading, and never more welcome.&” —Kirkus ReviewsA Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition
Par Ernest Hemingway. 1964
Ernest Hemingway&’s classic memoir of Paris in the 1920s, now available in a restored edition, includes the original manuscript along…
with insightful recollections and unfinished sketches.Published posthumously in 1964, A Moveable Feast remains one of Ernest Hemingway&’s most enduring works. Since Hemingway&’s personal papers were released in 1979, scholars have examined the changes made to the text before publication. Now, this special restored edition presents the original manuscript as the author prepared it to be published. Featuring a personal foreword by Patrick Hemingway, Ernest&’s sole surviving son, and an introduction by grandson of the author, Seán Hemingway, editor of this edition, the book also includes a number of unfinished, never-before-published Paris sketches revealing experiences that Hemingway had with his son, Jack, and his first wife Hadley. Also included are irreverent portraits of literary luminaries, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ford Maddox Ford, and insightful recollections of Hemingway&’s own early experiments with his craft. Widely celebrated and debated by critics and readers everywhere, the restored edition of A Moveable Feast brilliantly evokes the exuberant mood of Paris after World War I and the unbridled creativity and unquenchable enthusiasm that Hemingway himself epitomized.Houseplants & Succulents For Dummies
Par Steven A. Frowine. 2024
Become the best plant parent you can be Houseplant hysteria is here to stay. For new and seasoned plant owners…
alike, Houseplants & Succulents For Dummies is the ideal resource on plant care, growing cycles, unique plant varieties, and all the essentials you need to know about your rooted friends. Ensure that your sprouts grow and thrive, with tons of tips and answers to all your questions. Are they getting enough light? Are you overwatering? Why are the leaves turning yellow? This fun Dummies guide teaches you to find the right plants for your personal plant care style, identify common varieties, choose the right potting soil, and pick the perfect little nook for your leaf baby. You’ll also learn how to rescue your plants when pests and diseases strike, and even how to use plants as part of a stylish home décor approach. Get growing! Learn about the different types of plants and choose the ones that will work for you Figure out how to keep your plants happy—and what to do about it if they’re not Determine how often to water plants, what type of soil they need, and how much light Improve your mental and respiratory health by filling your home with plantsGrab this handy book if you’re new to the houseplant craze and want a user-friendly, comprehensive guide on plant care. Intermediate and advanced plant parents will also love this handy reference with info on the latest plant trends and new varieties.Alex Delaware: A Mysterious Profile (Mysterious Profiles #8)
Par Jonathan Kellerman. 2009
The #1 New York Times–bestselling author discusses his early days as a writer and the creation of his beloved psychologist…
and sleuth.In 1985, clinical child psychologist Alex Delaware made his debut in the mystery novel When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman. But how did Kellerman create a character who would go on to win him Edgar and Anthony Awards for best first novel and make him a number-one New York Times–bestselling author? Discover in this short read how Delaware and his friend and partner, police detective Milo Sturgis, came to be. Inside, Kellerman shares his initial struggles with the publishing world and the story behind his first success. He also details when he realized he had a series on his hands and how he developed his heroes into the characters who continue to delight millions of readers decades later.Praise for the Alex Delaware Novels“Startling . . . Charged with suspense. This one is simply too good to miss.” —Stephen King on Over the Edge“Harrowing . . . The work of a novelist of uncommon insight and storytelling skill.” —Los Angeles Times“High-powered . . . Alex Delaware is no ordinary psychologist. . . . He is also a born detective.” —The New York Times“An engrossing thriller. . . . This knockout of an entertainment is the kind of book which establishes a career in one stroke.” —Newsday on When the Bough BreaksBob Lee Swagger: A Mysterious Profile (Mysterious Profiles #6)
Par Stephen Hunter. 2009
The Pulitzer Prize–winning, New York Times–bestselling author describes how he created his popular veteran sniper.Retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Bob Lee…
Swagger debuted in Stephen Hunter’s military action thriller Point of Impact in 1993. The book was the first of many adventures for the fictional sniper and inspired a hit-movie, as well as a television series. But what led to the invention of such a character?In this quick read, Hunter shares how “the Nailer” came to his kitchen table and subsequently sprang to life. Hunter discusses the real-life hero who served as his inspiration for Swagger, the development of his first villains, and the influence the television show Dragnet had on his writing. He also details how research helped shaped Swagger’s world, and explains what keeps him writing adventure after adventure.Praise for the Bob Lee Swagger Novels“Nobody writes action better than Stephen Hunter and Black Light is one of his best. . . . [The] action scenes play like a movie, the plot is intriguing and the writing is top-notch.” —Phillip Margolin, author of The Burning Man“Stephen Hunter is in a class by himself. Time to Hunt is as vivid and haunting as a moving target in the crosshairs of a sniper scope.” —Nelson Demille, author of Mayday“The best straight-up thriller writer at work today.” —Rocky Mountain News“Thrilling in the manner of ancient storytellers, with battles fierce enough for a war and characters crazy enough to fight them to the death.” —New York Times Book Review“A thinking man’s Rambo.” —Publishers WeeklyImproving Water Policy and Governance (Routledge Special Issues On Water Policy And Governance Ser.)
Par Cecilia Tortajada, Asit K. Biswas. 2011
Old forms of governance in both public and private sectors are becoming increasingly irrelevant because of rapidly changing conditions. Because…
of these changes, both governance processes and the scope of the institutions through which power is exercised throughout society may have to undergo a radical break with the past and prevailing models of governance. Water sector is an integral part of the global system. Consequently, its governance processes and the institutions responsible for its management must change as well in order to cope with the current challenges and potential future changes. Because of these current and future changes, water governance may have to change more during the next 20 years compared to the past 2000 years, if societal expectations are to be successfully met. All these changes will make water governance more complex than ever before witnessed in human history. Improving water governance will require good and objective analyses of case studies from different parts of the world as to what has worked, why and the enabling environments under which good governance has been possible. The present volume analyses case studies of good water governance from different parts of the world, and for different water use sectors. It concludes with an analysis of the critical issues that should be considered for water governance and a priority research agenda for improving water governance in the future. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Water Resources Development.New Orleans and the Design Moment
Par Jacob A. Wagner, Michael Frisch. 2013
Following the disaster of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, people began to discuss and visualize the ways in which the…
urban structure of the city could be reorganized. Rather than defining the disaster recovery process as simply a matter of rebuilding the existing city, these voices called for a more radical rethinking of the city’s physical, social and environmental systems. This idea of disaster as an opportunity for urban restructuring is a hallmark of a "design moment." Design moments are different from the incremental process of urban growth and development. Instead of gradual growth and change, design moments present the opportunity for a significant restructuring of urban form that can shape the city for decades to come. As such, a design moment presents a critical juncture in the historical growth and development of a city. In this book we explore the question: what does urban design have to do with a disaster like Hurricane Katrina? Focused on New Orleans, the authors explore different dimensions of the post-disaster design moment, including the politics of physical redevelopment, the city’s history and identity, justice and the image of the city, demolition and housing development, and the environmental aspects of the recovery process. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Urban Design.Proust Was a Neuroscientist
Par Jonah Lehrer. 2008
The New York Times–bestselling author provides an &“entertaining&” look at how artists enlighten us about the workings of the brain…
(New York magazine). In this book, the author of How We Decide and Imagine: How Creativity Works &“writes skillfully and coherently about both art and science&”—and about the connections between the two (Entertainment Weekly). In this technology-driven age, it&’s tempting to believe that science can solve every mystery. After all, it&’s cured countless diseases and sent humans into space. But as Jonah Lehrer explains, science is not the only path to knowledge. In fact, when it comes to understanding the brain, art got there first. Taking a group of artists—a painter, a poet, a chef, a composer, and a handful of novelists—Lehrer shows how each one discovered an essential truth about the mind that science is only now rediscovering. We learn, for example, how Proust first revealed the fallibility of memory; how George Eliot discovered the brain&’s malleability; how the French chef Escoffier discovered umami (the fifth taste); how Cézanne worked out the subtleties of vision; and how Gertrude Stein exposed the deep structure of language—a full half-century before the work of Noam Chomsky and other linguists. More broadly, Lehrer shows that there&’s a cost to reducing everything to atoms and acronyms and genes. Measurement is not the same as understanding, and art knows this better than science does. An ingenious blend of biography, criticism, and first-rate science writing, Proust Was a Neuroscientist urges science and art to listen more closely to each other, for willing minds can combine the best of both to brilliant effect. &“His book marks the arrival of an important new thinker . . . Wise and fresh.&” —Los Angeles TimesImpermanence: Life and Loss on Superior's South Shore
Par Sue Leaf. 2024
A personal journey through the ever-changing natural and cultural history of Lake Superior&’s South Shore Lake Superior&’s South Shore is…
as malleable as it is enduring, its red sandstone cliffs, clay bluffs, and golden sand beaches reshaped by winds and water from season to season—and sometimes from one hour to the next. Generations of people have inhabited the South Shore, harvesting the forests and fish, mining copper, altering the land for pleasure and profit, for better or worse. In Impermanence, author Sue Leaf explores the natural and human histories that make the South Shore what it is, from the gritty port city of Superior, Wisconsin, to the shipping locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. For Leaf, what began as a bicycling adventure on the coast of Lake Superior in 1977 turned into a lifelong connection with the area, and her experience, not least as owner of a rustic cabin on a rapidly eroding lakeside cliff, imbues these essays with a passionate sense of place and an abiding curiosity about its past and precarious future. As waves slowly consume the shoreline where her family has spent countless summers, Leaf is forced to confront the complexity of loving a place that all too quickly is being reclaimed by the great lake. Impermanence is a journey through the South Shore&’s story, from the early days of the Anishinaabe and fur traders through the heyday of commercial fishing, lumber camps, and copper mining on the Keweenaw Peninsula to the awakening of the Northland to the perils and consequences of plundering its natural splendor. Noting the geological, ecological, and cultural features of each stop on her tour along the South Shore, Leaf writes about the restoration of the heavily touristed Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to its pristine conditions, even as Lake Superior maintains its allure for ice fishers, kayakers, and long-distance swimmers. She describes efforts to protect the endangered piping plover and to preserve the diverse sand dunes on the Michigan coast, and she observes the slough that supports rare intact wild rice beds central to Anishinaabe culture. Part memoir, part travelogue, part natural and cultural history, Leaf&’s love letter to Lake Superior&’s South Shore is an invitation to see this liminal world in all its seasons and guises, to appreciate its ageless, ever-changing wonders and intimate charms.Burl: Journalism Giant and Medical Trailblazer
Par Jane Wolfe. 2022
Burl is the story of one man&’s unlikely rise from the coal mines of Appalachia to the pinnacle of journalism.…
After being diagnosed with a fatal kidney disease as a child, Burl Osborne pioneered home dialysis treatment and became the 130th person to undergo a live kidney transplant in 1966—then an unproven, high-risk operation.While managing his challenging illness, Burl distinguished himself early as a writer and reporter with The Associated Press, eventually rising to the top of the wire service&’s executive ranks. Then, against the advice of his colleagues and the newspaper&’s own doctors, he sought an even greater challenge: joining The Dallas Morning News to lead the fight in one of America&’s last great newspaper wars. Throughout his life and career, he garnered respect from business and political leaders, reporters, editors, and publishers around the country. Burl thrusts readers into the improbable and remarkable life of a man at the forefront of both medicine and the golden age of journalism.