The pleasure of reading the Education," wrote Alfred Kazin,"is the pleasure of reading a work of literature made up,literally, from historical facts . . . It is the pleasure of seeinghistory come alive, of seeing it move, of seeing behind history tothe actions and actors. It is the pleasure of seeing revealed thehumanity so often concealed in history. His political ideals shaped by two presidentialancestors--great-grandfather John Adams and grandfather John QuincyAdams--Henry Adams was one of the most powerful and original mindsto confront the American scene from the Civil War to the FirstWorld War. Privately printed in 1907 and published to wide acclaimshortly after the author's death in 1918, Adams's Education is lessa memoir and more a work of brilliant history which charts thegreat transformation in nineteenth-century American intellectuallife. A work of profound lyricism, enormous humanity, andremarkable prescience, The Education of Henry Adams presents aworld poised between the certainties
The most riveting political biography of our time, Robert A.Caro’s life of Lyndon B. Johnson, continues. Master of theSenate takes Johnson’s story through one of its most remarkableperiods: his twelve years, from 1949 through 1960, in the UnitedStates Senate. Once the most august and revered body in politics,by the time Johnson arrived the Senate had become a parody ofitself and an obstacle that for decades had blocked desperatelyneeded liberal legislation. Caro shows how Johnson’s brilliance,charm, and ruthlessness enabled him to become the youngest and mostpowerful Majority Leader in history and how he used hisincomparable legislative genius--seducing both Northern liberalsand Southern conservatives--to pass the first Civil Rightslegislation since Reconstruction. Brilliantly weaving rich detailinto a gripping narrative, Caro gives us both a galvanizingportrait of Johnson himself and a definitive and revelatory studyof the workings of legislative power.
Esteemed historians of education David Tyack, Carl Kaestle,Diane Ravitch, James Anderson, and Larry Cuban journey throughhistory and across the nation to recapture the idealism of oureducation pioneers, Thomas Jefferson and Horace Mann. We learn how,in the first quarter of the twentieth century, massive immigration,child labor laws, and the explosive growth of cities fueled schoolattendance and transformed public education, and how in the 1950spublic schools became a major battleground in the fight forequality for minorities and women. The debate rages on: Do today'sreforms challenge our forebears' notion of a common school for allAmericans? Or are they our only recourse today? This lavishly illustrated companion book to the acclaimed PBSdocumentary, School, is essential reading for anyone who caresabout public education.
"James Cameron's Titanic" chronicles a master storyteller'scinematic re-creation of one of the most vividly remembereddisasters of the modern era. Cameron's epic motion picture, winnerof eleven Academy Awards, was an unforgettable triumph offilmmaking, weaving a rich human tapestry of romance and heroism,tragedy and greed, and, ultimately, the power of true love - astory that will continue to capture the hearts of audiences forgenerations to come. This collector's edition will include all theoriginal content from the first book as well as a new and extendedintroduction by James Cameron. Additional new content will include:twenty-six newly designed pages with never-before-seen images fromthe film studio and from James Cameron's personal archive;behind-the-scenes stories from Cameron himself detailing theconcept art and making of the original film; a revelatory look atthe technical process of transforming original film into dynamic 3Dprints; quotes from Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio discussingthe fi