Includes a complete copy of the Constitution.Fifty-five menmet in Philadelphia in 1787 to write a document that would create acountry and change a world. Here is a remarkable rendering of thatfateful time, told with humanity and humor. "The best popularhistory of the Constitutional Convention available."--LibraryJournal From the Paperback edition.

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A renowned historian contends "that the Americanwarrior, not technology, wins wars." (Patrick K. O'Donnell, authorof Give Me Tomorrow ) John C. McManus coverssix decades of warfare in which the courage of American troopsproved the crucial difference between victory and defeat. Based onyears of archival research and personal interviews with veterans,Grunts demonstrates the vital, and too often forgotten, importanceof the human element in protecting the American nation, andadvances a passionate plea for fundamental change in ourunderstanding of war.

“Reads like a novel. A fast-paced page-turner, it haseverything: sex, wit, humor, and adventures. But it is animpressively researched and important story.” —David Fromkin, author of Europe’s Last Summer Vienna, 1814 is an evocative and brilliantly researched accountof the most audacious and extravagant peace conference in modernEuropean history. With the feared Napoleon Bonaparte presumablydefeated and exiled to the small island of Elba, heads of some 216states gathered in Vienna to begin piecing together the ruins ofhis toppled empire. Major questions loomed: What would be done withFrance? How were the newly liberated territories to be divided?What type of restitution would be offered to families of thedeceased? But this unprecedented gathering of kings, dignitaries,and diplomatic leaders unfurled a seemingly endless stream ofpersonal vendettas, long-simmering feuds, and romanticentanglements that threatened to undermine the crucial work athand, even as their hard-fought policy dec

Heroism in battle has been celebrated throughout history, yetit is one of the least understood virtues. What makes some men andwomen perform extraordinary deeds on the battlefield? What makesthem risk their lives in the pursuit of victory?Max Hastings, oneof our foremost military historians, has seen combat up close andwritten about it for decades. In Warriors , he brings us theexperiences of fourteen soldiers who fought in the wars of thenineteenth and twentieth centuries. From an exuberant cavalryofficer in Napoleon’s army to an abused orphan who in World War IIbecame America’s youngest general since Custer, to an Israeliofficer who recovered from a devastating injury to save hiscountry, each portrait depicts a unique and remarkable story. Atribute to soldierly valor and a deeply insightful study of combat,this is an essential book for anyone who wishes to understand whatit means to be at war.

Gather Together in My Name continues Maya Angelou’s personalstory, begun so unforgettably in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.The time is the end of World War II and there is a sense ofoptimism everywhere. Maya Angelou, still in her teens, has givenbirth to a son. But the next few years are difficult ones as shetries to find a place in the world for herself and her child. Shegoes from job to job–and from man to man. She tries to returnhome–back to Stamps, Arkansas–but discovers that she is no longerpart of that world. Then Maya’s life takes a dramatic turn, and shefaces new challenges and temptations. In this second volume of her poignant autobiographical series,Maya Angelou powerfully captures the struggles and triumphs of herpassionate life with dignity, wisdom, humor, and humanity.

With What's So Great About America , Dinesh D'Souza isnot asking a question, but making a statement. The former WhiteHouse policy analyst and bestselling author argues that in theaftermath of September 11, 2001, American ideals and patriotismshould not be things we shy away from. Instead he offers thegrounds for a solid, well-considered pride in the Western pillarsof "science, democracy and capitalism," while deconstructingarguments from both the political Left and political Right. As an"outsider" from India who has had amazing success in the UnitedStates, D'Souza defends not an idealized America, but America as itreally is, and measures America not against an utopian ideal, butagainst the rest of the world in a provocative, challenging, andpersonal book.

This book marries a child`s wonder a genius`s intellect .we journey into hawking`s universe,while marvelling at his mind` sunday times. Was there a beginning of time?Could time run backwards?IS the universe infinite ordoes it have boundaries?These are iust some of the questions considered in aninternationallV acclaimed asterpiecewhich begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein．before delving into the secrets which still Iie at the heart of space and time．

They Came Before Columbus reveals a compelling,dramatic, and superbly detailed documentation of the presence andlegacy of Africans in ancient America. Examining navigation andshipbuilding; cultural analogies between Native Americans andAfricans; the transportation of plants, animals, and textilesbetween the continents; and the diaries, journals, and oralaccounts of the explorers themselves, Ivan Van Sertima builds apyramid of evidence to support his claim of an African presence inthe New World centuries before Columbus. Combining impressivescholarship with a novelist’s gift for storytelling, Van Sertimare-creates some of the most powerful scenes of human history: thelaunching of the great ships of Mali in 1310 (two hundred masterboats and two hundred supply boats), the sea expedition of theMandingo king in 1311, and many others. In They Came BeforeColumbus, we see clearly the unmistakable face and handprint ofblack Africans in pre-Columbian America, and their overwhelmingimpact on the civilizatio

Gibbon’s masterpiece, which narrates the history of the RomanEmpire from the second century a.d. to its collapse in the west inthe fifth century and in the east in the fifteenth century, iswidely considered the greatest work of history ever written. Thisabridgment retains the full scope of the original, but in a compassequivalent to a long novel. Casual readers now have access to thefull sweep of Gibbon’s narrative, while instructors and studentshave a volume that can be read in a single term. This uniqueedition emphasizes elements ignored in all other abridgments—inparticular the role of religion in the empire and the rise ofIslam.

A funny, raucous, and delightfully dirty history of 1,000years of bedroom-hopping secrets and scandals of Britain’sroyals. Insatiable kings, lecherous queens, kissing cousins, and wantonconsorts—history has never been so much fun. Royal unions have always been the stuff of scintillating gossip,from the passionate Plantagenets to Henry VIII’s alarming headcount of wives and mistresses, to the Sapphic crushes of Mary andAnne Stuart right on up through the scandal-blighted coupling ofPrince Charles and Princess Diana. Thrown into loveless, arrangedmarriages for political and economic gain, many royals were drivento indulge their pleasures outside the marital bed, engaging indelicious flirtations, lurid love letters, and rampant sex withvoluptuous and willing partners. This nearly pathological lust made for some of the mosttitillating scandals in Great Britain’s history. Hardly harmless,these affairs have disrupted dynastic alliances, endangered lives,and most of all, fed the sala

In Prehistory, the award-winning archaeologist and renownedscholar Colin Renfrew covers human existence before the advent ofwritten records–the overwhelming majority of our time here onearth–and gives an incisive, concise, and lively survey of thepast, and of how scholars and scientists labor to bring it tolight. Renfrew begins by looking at prehistory as a discipline,detailing how breakthroughs such as radiocarbon dating and DNAanalysis have helped us to define humankind’s past–how things havechanged–much more clearly than was possible just a half centuryago. As for why things have changed, Renfrew pinpoints some of theissues and challenges, past and present, that confront the study ofprehistory and its investigators. Renfrew then offers a summary ofhuman prehistory from early hominids to the rise of literatecivilization that is refreshingly free of conventional wisdom andgrand “unified” theories. In this invaluable account, Colin Renfrew delivers a meticulouslyresearched and

The dust storms that terrorized the High Plains in the darkestyears of the Depression were like nothing ever seen before orsince. Timothy Egan's critically acclaimed account rescues thisiconic chapter of American history from the shadows in a tour deforce of historical reportage. Following a dozen families and theircommunities through the rise and fall of the region, Egan tells oftheir desperate attempts to carry on through blinding black dustblizzards, crop failure, and the death of loved ones. Brilliantlycapturing the terrifying drama of catastrophe, Egan does equaljustice to the human characters who become his heroes, "the stoic,long-suffering men and women whose lives he opens up with urgencyand respect" (New York Times). In an era that promises ever-greaternatural disasters, "The Worst Hard Time" is "arguably the bestnonfiction book yet" (Austin Statesman Journal) on the greatestenvironmental disaster ever to be visited upon our land and apowerful cautionary tale about the dangers of trifling withnature

Although 'continually and bitterly ashamed' that the Arabs had risen in revolt against the Turks as a result of fraudulent British promises of self-rule, Lawrence led them in a triumphant campaign which revolutionized the art of war. Seven Pillars of Wisdom recreates epic events with extraordinary vividness. In the words of E. M. Forster, 'Round this tent-pole of a military chronicle, T. E. has hung an unexampled fabric of portraits, de*ions, philosophies, emotions, adventures, dreams'. However flawed, Lawrence is one of the twentieth century's most fascinating figures. This is the greatest monument to his character and achievements.

Writing at the time of Napoleon's greatest campaigns, Prussiansoldier and writer Carl von Clausewitz created this landmarktreatise on the art of warfare, which presented war as part of acoherent system of political thought. In line with Napoleon's ownmilitary actions, he illustrated the need to annihilate the enemyand make a strong display of one's power in an 'absolute war'without compromise. But he was also careful to distinguish betweenwar and politics, arguing that war could only be justified whendebate was no longer adequate, and that if undertaken, its aimshould ultimately be to improve the wellbeing of the nation.

The author of the New York Times bestseller This Is Your Brain on Music reveals music's role in the evolution of human culture-and "will leave you awestruck" (The New York Times) Daniel J. Levitin's astounding debut bestseller, This Is Your Brain on Music, enthralled and delighted readers as it transformed our understanding of how music gets in our heads and stays there. Now in his second New York Times bestseller, his genius for combining science and art reveals how music shaped humanity across cultures and throughout history. Dr. Levitin identifies six fundamental song functions or types-friendship, joy, comfort, religion, knowledge, and love-then shows how each in its own way has enabled the social bonding necessary for human culture and society to evolve. He shows, in effect, how these "six songs" work in our brains to preserve the emotional history of our lives and species. Dr. Levitin combines cutting-edge scientific research from his music cognition lab at McGill University and work i

For this rousing,revisionist history, the former head of exhibitions at England'sNational Maritime Museum has combed original documents and recordsto produce a most authoritative and definitive account of piracy's"Golden Age." As he explodes many accepted myths (i.e. "walking theplank" is pure fiction), Cordingly replaces them with a truth thatis more complex and often bl... (展开全部) For this rousing, revisionist history, the formerhead of exhibitions at England's National Maritime Museum hascombed original documents and records to produce a mostauthoritative and definitive account of piracy's "Golden Age." Ashe explodes many accepted myths (i.e. "walking the plank" is purefiction), Cordingly replaces them with a truth that is more complexand often bloodier. 16 pp. of photos. Maps. From the Hardcover edition.

Completely revised and expanded with 200 new entries, The GreatAmerican History Fact-Finder covers a wide spectrum of Americanhistory and culture, including political events, military history,sports, arts, entertainment, landmark legislation, and business.Here is essential information on everything from the Mayflower tospace exploration, from the dot-com boom and bust to the StanleyCup. The book's 2,200 concise entries, arranged from A to Z, bringour nation's past into sharp focus while also offering just plainuseful facts about the well known and not so well known: - Who ran on the campaign slogan "Don't swaphorses in midstream"? - In what year was the Super Bowl firstplayed? - Where did the westbound and eastbound tracksof the transcontinental railroad meet? - When did events at Yalta, the Bay of Pigs, andKent State take place? - What did the swimmer Gertrude Ederle achievein 1926?

The Hellenistic Age chronicles the years 336 to 30 BCE, aperiod that witnessed the overlap of two of antiquity’s greatcivilizations, the Greek and the Roman. Peter Green’s remarkablyfar-ranging study covers the prevalent themes and events of thosecenturies: the Hellenization, by Alexander’s conquests, of animmense swath of the known world; the lengthy and chaotic partitionof this empire by rival Macedonian bands; the decline of thecity-state as the predominant political institution; and, finally,Rome’s moment of transition from republican to imperial rule. It isa story of war and power-politics, and of the developing fortunesof art, science, and statecraft, spun by an accomplished classicistwith an uncanny knack for infusing life into the distant past, andapplying fresh insights that make ancient history seem alarminglyrelevant to our own times. “Spectacular . . . [filled with] Mr. Green’s criticalacumen.” –The Wall Street Journal “Green draws upon a li

This groundbreaker by one of the premier historians of this century takes an anti-ethnocentric approach to the history of civilizations. This book focuses on the broad sweep of history rather than on the famous events. It covers historical developments in almost every corner of the globe, from the Muslim world and the Far East to Europe and the Americas. Includes maps.

Pulitzer Prize-winner Garry Wills makes a compelling argumentfor a reassessment of Henry Adams as our nations greatest historianand his History as the "nonfiction prose masterpiece of thenineteenth century in America." Adams drew on his own southernfixations, his extensive foreign travel, his political service inthe Lincoln administration, and much more to invent the study ofhistory as we know it. His nine-volume chronicle of America from1800 to 1816 established new standards for employing archivalsources, firsthand reportage, eyewitness accounts, and othertechniques that have become the essence of modern history.Ambitious in scope, nuanced in detail, Henry Adams and the Makingof America throws brilliant light on the historian and the makingof history.

In Lone Star Nation , Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W.Brands demythologizes Texas’s journey to statehood and restores thegenuinely heroic spirit to a pivotal chapter in Americanhistory. From Stephen Austin, Texas’s reluctant founder, to the alcoholicSam Houston, who came to lead the Texas army in its hour of crisisand glory, to President Andrew Jackson, whose expansionistaspirations loomed large in the background, here is the story ofTexas and the outsize figures who shaped its turbulent history.Beginning with its early colonization in the 1820s and taking inthe shocking massacres of Texas loyalists at the Alamo and Goliad,its rough-and-tumble years as a land overrun by the Comanches, andits day of liberation as an upstart republic, Brands’ livelyhistory draws on contemporary accounts, diaries, and letters toanimate a diverse cast of characters whose adventures, exploits,and ambitions live on in the very fabric of our nation.