[bksvol-discuss] Fw: History and Current Events January 2009
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:34:28 -0500
"History is what we say it is."
~ from Robert J. Samuelson's The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath
New and Recently Released!
Looking for Lincoln: A Bicentennial Album - by Philip B. Kunhardt III, Peter W.
Kunhardt, and Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr.
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/18/2008
ISBN: 9780307267139
ISBN-10: 030726713X
With nearly 1,000 drawings and photographs, this generously illustrated book
honors the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. But Looking for Lincoln
is more than just a pictorial tribute to America's 16th president, for it also
examines the evolution of Lincoln's image in the 60 years following his
death. Much of what is now known about Lincoln was not widespread knowledge
when he was alive, so in addition to exploring the early days of Lincoln's
political legacy, the authors also showcase the efforts made by early
biographers. For more, keep an eye out for the PBS television special by the
same
name.
First Chapter
Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America - by Jay Parini
Publisher: Doubleday
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/4/2008
ISBN: 9780385522762
ISBN-10: 0385522762
Have you ever considered how books have influenced American history? To answer
this intriguing question, author Jay Parini offers up 13 titles that he feels
have most heavily affected U.S. history, culture, and character, from The
Federalist Papers to The Feminine Mystique. With an introduction to each book,
a summary, and an explanation of the work's impact and importance, Promised
Land is "learned, educative and even provocative" (Kirkus Reviews). For a full
list of the 13 books that changed America, click on the Table of Contents link
below.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath: the Transformation of America's Economy,
Politics, and Society - by Robert J. Samuelson
Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/11/2008
ISBN: 9780375505485
ISBN-10: 0375505482
While you don't need to be an economist to understand this book, it's
definitely not a primer--an understanding of economic principles is necessary
before
jumping into this examination of the inflation of the 1960s and 70s and its
long-term impact on the American economy. In addition to discussing how and
why that inflation came about, financial columnist Robert Samuelson also
discusses how the lessons learned from that situation can be applied today. If,
however, you're looking for something simpler, try Michael Lewis' Panic for a
basic exploration of the financial crises of the last 20 years, or Niall
Ferguson's The Ascent of Money for a long view of financial history.
First Chapter
Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln - by John
Stauffer
Publisher: Twelve
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/3/2008
ISBN: 9780446580090
ISBN-10: 0446580090
Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two of the most influential leaders of
the 19th century, met only three times yet had a fair amount in common. These
similarities--and some critical differences--are explored in Giants, which is
both a dual biography and an account that places the accomplishments of the
two men in context with each other and in history. If you're looking for an
introduction to either of these two men or their relationship to one another,
this is a good place to start.
History by the Glass
Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol - by Iain Gately
Publisher: Gotham Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 7/3/2008
ISBN: 9781592403035
ISBN-10: 1592403034
If you enjoy reading about world history through the prism of specific objects
(à la Mark Kurlansky's well-received microhistory, Cod), this investigative
history of alcohol in western culture should be just the thing for you. From
the good to the bad to the world-changing (Prince Vladimir of Kiev chose
Christianity
over Islam as his country's religion because of their opposing viewpoints on
alcohol), author Iain Gately provides a "heady cocktail" (Kirkus Reviews)
of fascinating information that demonstrates how booze has been both prized and
vilified over the centuries. If you like Gately's style, try Tobacco: The
Story of How Tobacco Seduced the World next.
Table of Contents
Brewing in Cleveland - Robert A. Musson, M.D
Publisher: Arcadia
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/30/2005
ISBN: 9780738539782
ISBN-10: 0738539783
Beginning in the mid-1800s, the beer-brewing industry in Cleveland experienced
its most extensive growth due to the rapidly increasing immigrant population
of mostly Germans, Czechs, and Irish. The breweries enjoyed great success until
the Prohibition era closed all brewing operations down for 14 dry years.
In 1933, the industry started anew, and Clevelanders were able to enjoy locally
made beer for 50 more years before business conditions led to the industry's
second demise. Today the industry has once again experienced a rebirth, this
time on a smaller scale with the emergence of a number of popular brewpubs
and microbreweries.
Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest
Treasure - by Don & Petie Kladstrup
Publisher: Bantam Dell Publishing Group
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 5/1/2002
ISBN: 9780767904483
ISBN-10: 0767904486
During Nazi Germany's occupation of France, German officers were ordered to
send the best wines back to Germany. Naturally, the French weren't entirely
willing to go along, and the lengths they went to in order to avoid losing all
of their treasured vintages are astounding, ranging from building false
walls to hide the better bottles to doctoring cheap wines to taste aged. In
Wine and War, the authors share the stories of these undercover activities
and focus on the five prominent wine-making families from Burgundy, Alsace, the
Loire Valley, Bordeaux, and Champagne. Oenophiles will want to read this,
but Wine and War will also be of interest to those curious about unusual niches
of World War II history.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
A History of the World in 6 Glasses - by Tom Standage
Publisher: Walker & Company
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 5/30/2005
ISBN: 9780802714473
ISBN-10: 0802714471
Wine, beer, coffee, tea, spirits, and soda--in A History of the World in 6
Glasses, author Tom Standage explains the roles of these six beverages in the
history of humankind and how each is connected to a particular era. Beer, for
example, was widespread throughout the Near East by 4,000 BC, closely tied
to the emergence of farming (rather than the nomadic lifestyle of the
hunter-gatherer). Coffee was linked to the Enlightenment; the rise of Coca-Cola
echoed
the rise of globalization. To find out more, pair a glass of your favorite
drink with this entertaining book for an unusual perspective on world history.
First Chapter
Milk : the surprising story of milk through the ages : with 120 adventurous
recipes that explore the riches of our first food - Anne Mendelson
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/7/2008
ISBN: 9781400044108
ISBN-10: 1400044103
A food lover's guide to milk combines a culinary history that traces the
popularity of milk in the human diet, the dietary applications of both fresh
milk
and fermented milk products, and the development of the modern-day dairy
industry with more than 120 recipes from around the world, such as Cream of
Tomato
Soup, Beef Stroganoff, and Pashka.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Focus on: Latin America
Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America - by John Charles
Chasteen
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 12/8/2005
ISBN: 9780393927696
ISBN-10: 0393927695
If you're new to Latin American history, this "comprehensive and illuminating"
book (Publishers Weekly) will provide you with a basic overview of the
political,
social, and economic events and trends that were instrumental in shaping Latin
America. There's a lot to cover, of course, with more than 20 countries
and 400 years of history, but historian John Chasteen addresses everything from
indigenous civilizations through European colonization to the on-going
destruction of the Amazon rain forest. He also provides detailed portraits of
the men and women who played central roles in building their countries. For
more, read Chasteen's Americanos: Latin America's Struggle for Independence
next.
Table of Contents
Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba--and Then Lost It to the Revolution -
by T.J. English
Publisher: William Morrow
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/1/2008
ISBN: 9780061147715
ISBN-10: 0061147710
Before Cuba's revolution, Havana was a glittering city where stars like Eartha
Kitt and Johnny Mathis performed in fancy hotels and casinos. Built by American
gangsters (led by Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano), Havana's nightlife provided
gamblers with a place to go and mobsters with a successful money-making
scheme--provided they paid off Fulgencio Batista, Cuba's dictator. When Fidel
Castro came to power, it was lights out for mob-owned Havana, and this engaging
narrative follows the story of Havana's underworld from glittery beginning to
bubble-bursting end.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Conquistador: Hernán Cortés, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs -
by Buddy Levy
Publisher: Bantam Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/24/2008
ISBN: 9780553805383
ISBN-10: 055380538X
When Hernán Cortés and his soldiers arrived on the shores of Mexico intent on
expanding the Spanish empire, they were hugely outnumbered by the peoples
they hoped to convert and conquer. In the inland Aztec city of Tenochtitlán,
King Montezuma ruled over a sophisticated civilization composed of 15 million
people and commanded the most powerful military machine in the Americas. Yet
within two years, Cortés had defeated the entire Aztec nation. For those
interested
in learning how Cortés was able to accomplish this astonishing feat--or if you
simply want to learn more about the Aztec Empire--this "superb work" (Booklist)
will be just the ticket.
Table of Contents
First Chapter
The Mapmaker's Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon -
by Robert Whitaker
Publisher: Delta Trade Paperbacks
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 12/28/2004
ISBN: 9780385337205
ISBN-10: 0385337205
In 1735, a European scientific expedition was sent to equatorial Peru to take
measurements that would help define the size and shape of the Earth. They
were successful, but a mapmaker on the team fell in love with and married a
Peruvian girl. Just before the birth of their first child, the two were
separated--for
20 years and by many miles of Amazon jungle. The tales of the expedition and of
the journey the mapmaker's wife took through the jungle to be reunited
with her husband are intertwined here, making for a story "taut with
intellectual controversy, romantic passion, and harrowing danger" (Booklist).
First Chapter
Table of Contents
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