Henry David Thoreau was just a few days short of histwenty-eighth birthday when he built a cabin on the shore of WaldenPond and began one of the most famous experiments in living inAmerican history. Apparently, he did not originally intend to writea book about his life at the pond, but nine years later, in Augustof 1854, Houghton Mifflin's predecessor, Ticknor and Fields,published Walden;or, a Life in the Woods. At the time the book waslargely ignored, and it took five years to sell out the firstprinting of two thousand copies. It was not until 1862, the year ofThoreau's death, that the book was brought back into print. Sincethen it has never been out of print. Published in hundreds ofeditions and translated into virtually every modern language,it hasbecome one of the most widely read and influential books everwritten, not only in this country but throughout the world. On the one hundred and fiftiethanniversary of the original publication of Walden, Houghton Mifflinis proud to present the most bea

More populous than any other country on earth, China alsooccupies a unique place in our modern world for the continuity ofits history and culture. In this sumptuously illustratedsingle-volume history, now in its second edition, noted historianPatricia Buckley Ebrey traces the origins of Chinese culture fromprehistoric times to the present. She follows its development fromthe rise of Confucianism, Buddhism, and the great imperialdynasties to the Mongol, Manchu, and Western intrusions and themodern communist state. Her scope is phenomenal - embracing Chinesearts, culture, economics, society and its treatment of women,foreign policy, emigration, and politics, including the keyuprisings of 1919 and 1989 in Tiananmen Square. Both acomprehensive introduction to an extraordinary civilization and anexpert exploration of the continuities and disjunctures of Chinesehistory, Professor Ebrey's book has become an indispensable guideto China past and present. This second edition includes a newchapter on China's rece

From a master chronicler of Spanish history comes amagnificent work about the pivotal years from 1522 to 1566, whenSpain was the greatest European power. Hugh Thomas has written arich and riveting narrative of exploration, progress, and plunder.At its center is the unforgettable ruler who fought the French andexpanded the Spanish empire, and the bold conquistadors who werehis agents. Thomas brings to life King Charles V—first as a ganglyand easygoing youth, then as a liberal statesman who exceeded allhis predecessors in his ambitions for conquest (while making sureto maintain the humanity of his new subjects in the Americas), andfinally as a besieged Catholic leader obsessed with Protestantheresy and interested only in profiting from those he presidedover. The Golden Empire also presents the legendary men whom KingCharles V sent on perilous and unprecedented expeditions: HernánCortés, who ruled the “New Spain” of Mexico as an absolutemonarch—and whose rebuilding of its capital, Tenochti

The distinguished historian of the Jewish people, Howard M.Sachar, gives us a comprehensive and enthralling chronicle of theachievements and traumas of the Jews over the last four hundredyears. Tracking their fate from Western Europe’s age of mercantilism inthe seventeenth century to the post-Soviet and post-imperialistIslamic upheavals of the twenty-first century, Sachar applies hisrenowned narrative skill to the central role of the Jews in many ofthe most impressive achievements of modern civilization: whether inthe rise of economic capitalism or of political socialism; in thediscoveries of theoretical physics or applied medicine; in “higher”literary criticism or mass communication and popularentertainment. As his account unfolds and moves from epoch to epoch, fromcontinent to continent, from Europe to the Americas and the MiddleEast, Sachar evaluates communities that, until lately, have beenunderestimated in the perspective of Jewish and world history—amongthem, Jews of Sephardic

A masterpiece o f the historian’s art, Hugh Thomas’s TheSpanish Civil War remains the best, most engrossing narrativeof one of the most emblematic and misunderstood wars of thetwentieth century. Revised and updated with significant newmaterial, including new revelations about atrocities perpetratedagainst civilians by both sides in this epic conflict, this"definitive work on the subject" (Richard Bernstein, The NewYork Times ) has been given a fresh face forty years after itsinitial publication in 1961. In brilliant, moving detail, Thomasanalyzes a devastating conflict in which the hopes, dreams, anddogmas of a century exploded onto the battlefield. Like no otheraccount, The Spanish Civil War dramatically reassembles theevents that led a European nation, in a continent on the brink ofworld war, to divide against itself, bringing into play themachinations of Franco and Hitler, the bloodshed of Guernica, andthe deeply inspiring heroics of those who rallied to the side ofdemocracy. Communists, an

As a young boy he re-enacted historic battles with toysoldiers, as a soldier he saw action on three continents, and asthe Prime Minister only a direct edict from King George VI couldkeep him from joining the troops on D-Day. Churchill's War Lab reveals how Churchill's passion for militaryhistory, his unique leadership style, and his patronization ofradical new ideas would lead to new technology and new tactics thatwould save lives and enable an Allied victory. No war generatedmore incredible theories, more technical advances, more scientificleaps, or more pioneering work that lay the foundation for thepost-war computer revolution. And it was Churchill's doggeddetermination and enthusiasm for revolutionary ideas that fuelledthis extraordinary outpouring of British genius. From the coauthorof Cold War comes an exciting new take on Churchill's warleadership and the story of a complex, powerful and inventive warleader.

With almost a quarter of the world's migrants, Europe has beenattempting to regulate migration and harmonize immigration policyat the European level. The central dilemma exposed is how liberaldemocracies can reconcile the need to control the movement ofpeople with the desire to promote open borders, free markets andliberal standards. Gallya Lahav's book traces ten years of publicopinion and elite attitudes toward immigration cross-nationally toshow how and why increasing EU integration may not necessarily leadto more open immigration outcomes. Empirical evidence reveals thatsupport from both elite and public opinion has led to the adoptionof restrictive immigration policies despite the requirements ofopen borders. Unique in bringing together original data on Europeanlegislators and national elites, longitudinal data on publicopinion and institutional and policy analyses, this study providesan important insight into the processes of European integration,and globalization more broadly.

Churchill's six-volume history of World War II -- the definitivework, remarkable both for its sweep and for its sense of personalinvolvement, universally acknowledged as a magnificent historicalreconstruction and an enduring work of literature. From Britian'sdarkest and finest hour to the great alliance and ultimate victory,the Second World War remains the pivotal event in our century.Churchill was not only its greatest leader, but the free world'smost eloquent voice of defiance in the face of Nazi tyranny. Hisepic account of those times, published in six volumes, won theNobel Prize in 1953.

An absorbing, revelatory, and definitive account ofone of the greatest tragedies in human history Adroitly blending narrative, de*ion, and analysis, RichardJ. Evans portrays a society rushing headlong to self-destructionand taking much of Europe with it. Interweaving a broad narrativeof the war's progress from a wide range of people, Evans revealsthe dynamics of a society plunged into war at every level. Thegreat battles and events of the conflict are here, but just astelling is Evans's re- creation of the daily experience of ordinaryGermans in wartime. At the center of the book is the Naziextermi?nation of the Jews. The final book in Richard J. Evan'sthree-volume history of Hitler's Germany, hailed "a masterpiece" by The New York Times, The Third Reich at War lays bare themost momentous and tragic years of the Nazi regime.

The Great Pyramid's eerily precise architecture has forcenturies both astounded and puzzled archaeologists and has givenrise to numerous modern fantasies concerning the so-called 'Mysteryof the Pyramids'. Sweeping away centuries of myth and confusion,John Romer describes for the first time exactly how the GreatPyramid was designed and built. He argues that the pyramid makersworked from a single plan whose existence has long been doubted andeven denied by scholars. Moreover, the Great Pyramid's uniquearchitecture is integral to the way it was built, and for itsbuilders the tasks of construction and design were not separate asthey are now. By placing this awesome monument in its genuinecontemporary context, this book underlines the extraordinarytalents and the originality of the ancient Egyptians at the time ofKing Khufu. Describes for the first time exactly how the Great Pyramid wasdesigned and built ? A product of the most recent research anddecades of personal study by an author who is very well

The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist and best-selling author of The Lexus and the Olive Tree gives a bold, timely, and surprising picture of the state of globalization in the twenty-first century. In this brilliant #1 bestseller, "the most important columnist in America today" (Walter Russell Mead, The New York Times) demystifies the brave new world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering global scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, Thomas L. Friedman explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; and how governments and societies can, and must, adapt. The World Is Flat is the timely and essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.

In this landmark work, one of the world’s most renownedEgyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, fromits birth as the first nation-state to its final absorption intothe Roman Empire—three thousand years of wild drama, boldspectacle, and unforgettable characters. Award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson captures not only the lavishpomp and artistic grandeur of this land of pyramids and pharaohsbut for the first time reveals the constant propaganda andrepression that were its foundations. Drawing upon forty years ofarchaeological research, Wilkinson takes us inside an exotic tribalsociety with a pre-monetary economy and decadent, divine kings whoruled with all-too-recognizable human emotions. Here are the years of the Old Kingdom, where Pepi II, made kingas an infant, was later undermined by rumors of his affair with anarmy general, and the Middle Kingdom, a golden age of literatureand jewelry in which the benefits of the afterlife became availablefor all, not just royalt

An epic history of a doomed civilization and a lostempire. The devastating struggle to the death between theCarthaginians and the Romans was one of the defining dramas of theancient world. In an epic series of land and sea battles, bothsides came close to victory before the Carthaginians finallysuccumbed and their capital city, history, and culture were almostutterly erased. Drawing on a wealth of new archaeological research, Richard Milesvividly brings to life this lost empire-from its origins among thePhoenician settlements of Lebanon to its apotheosis as the greatestseapower in the Mediterranean. And at the heart of the history ofCarthage lies the extraordinary figure of Hannibal-the scourge ofRome and one of the greatest military leaders, but a man who alsounwittingly led his people to catastrophe. The first full-scale history of Carthage in decades, CarthageMust Be Destroyed reintroduces modern readers to thelarger-than-life historical players and the ancient glory of thisalmost forgotten civili

With a flaming holographic cover, the new GWR 2011 edition explodes with new and updated records. There's 100% new photography and hot new categories and features including TV's 75th anniversary, eye popping 3-D cinema, the historic Space Shuttle and a 270 city record-breaking GPS World Tour.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National BookAward Based on hitherto unexamined sources: interviews with ex-slaves,diaries and accounts by former slaveholders, this "rich andadmirably written book" (Eugene Genovese, The New York TimesBook Review ) aims to show how, during the Civil War and afterEmancipation, blacks and whites interacted in ways that dramatizednot only their mutual dependency, but the ambiguities and tensionsthat had always been latent in "the peculiar institution."

This beautiful and fascinating collection contains theearliest known painting of London, a view of the Thames during theFrost Fair in I684, a map depicting the area destroyed by the GreatFire in I666, views of such landmarks as The Tower of London, BigBen, and Buckingham Palace, an early map of the LondonUndergrounddating from the late 18oos, and a playful version oftoday's iconic Tube map. Each map's original printing informationis provided, as well as additional information that places it inhistoric context and further illuminates its qualities. Each map isexquisitely reproduced to show offits color and detail.

A visually stunning collection that brings the soldiers'experience to vivid photographic life- includes a DVD. The Aviation Photographic Unit was a military unit unlike anyother in World War II. Founded and led by legendary photographerEdward Steichen, the photographers in this unit gave Americans onthe home front memorable and dramatic images of the people fightingthe Navy's battles in the Pacific theater. Beginning with just halfa dozen intrepid shutterbugs and expanding to ten battle-seasonedphotographers, the unit covered everything from early aircraftraids to amphibious landings to the surrender in Tokyo Bay. With anestimated 14,000 images in the collection of the National Archives,the work of this talented photographic unit is historicallysignificant not only as a visual record of the war, but also forits influence on generations of postwar photographers. Faces of Waris a tribute to the vision of Edward Steichen, as well as the menwho served under him, and most importantly to their subjects

Now revised — the easy-to-understand guide to the story ofAmerica Want to better understand U.S. History? This friendly book servesas your tour guide through the important events of America's pastand present, introducing you to the people who helped to shapehistory. From pre-Columbus to the American Revolution, fromWatergate to Iraq to Barack Obama, you'll discover fascinatingdetails that you won't find in dry history texts! They're coming to America — explore early civilizations, meetNative Americans, and see how the development of the Englishcolonies led to slavery and the American Revolution From Thomas Jefferson to Abraham Lincoln — examine thecontributions of great Americans as well as the discovery of gold,the birth of California, the Civil War, and Manifest Destiny America grows up — be there during the conquering of the West,industrial development, and the invention of the light bulb and thetelephone The impact of the World Wars — understand the sweeping

This is a magisterial new global history of World War II.Beginning in 1937 with the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, EvanMawdsley shows how the origins of World War II lay in a conflictbetween the old international order and the new and then traces theglobalisation of the conflict as it swept through Asia, Europe, andthe Middle East. His primary focus is on the war's military andstrategic history though he also examines the political, economic,ideological, and cultural factors which influenced the course ofevents. The war's consequences are examined too, not only in termsof the defeat of the Axis but also the break-up of colonial empiresand the beginning of the Cold War. Accessibly written andwell-illustrated with maps and photographs, this compelling newaccount also includes short studies of the key figures, events andbattles that shaped the war. · Takes a global approach to the history of the Second World War,integrating events in Asia and the Pacific, India, North Africa,Europe, Russia and