Schama explores the mysterious contradictions of the Dutch nation that invented itself from the ground up, attained an unprecedented level of affluence, and lived in constant dread of being corrupted by happiness. Drawing on a vast array of period documents and sumptuously reproduced art, Schama re-creates in precise detail a nation's mental state. He tells of bloody uprisings and beached whales, of the cult of hygiene and the plague of tobacco, of thrifty housewives and profligate tulip-speculators. He tells us how the Dutch celebrated themselves and how they were slandered by their enemies. "History on the grand scale...An ambitious portrait of one of the most remarkable episodes in modern history."--New York Times"Wonderfully inclusive; with wit and intense curiosity he teases out meaning from every aspect of Dutch seventeenth-century life."--Robert Hughes
A "vivid and devastating" (The New York Times) portrait of an indomitable girl--from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Andrea Elliott "From its first indelible pages to its rich and startling conclusion, Invisible Child had me, by turns, stricken, inspired, outraged, illuminated, in tears, and hungering for reimmersion in its Dickensian depths."--Ayad Akhtar, author of Homeland ElegiesONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times - ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Atlantic, The New York Times Book Review, Time, NPR, Library Journal In Invisible Child, Pulitzer Prize winner Andrea Elliott follows eight dramatic years in the life of Dasani, a girl whose imagination is as soaring as the skyscrapers near her Brooklyn shelter. In this sweeping narrative, Elliott weaves the story of Dasani's childhood with the history of her ancestors, tracing their passage from slavery to the Great Migration north. As Dasani comes of age, New York City's homeless crisis has exploded, deepe
The author of What Was the Battle of Gettysburg? presents an age-appropriate portrait of the iconic music artist that discusses his award-winning achievements, status as a counterculture figure and in
From tales of chivalrous knights to the barbarity of trial by ordeal, no era has been a greater source of awe, horror, and wonder than the Middle Ages. In handsomely crafted prose, and with the grace
Chronicles the historical transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and focuses on riveting figures of the era--such as Leonardo da Vinci, Lucrezia Borgia, Henry VIII, and others--and notes k
Chronicles the historical transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and focuses on riveting figures of the era--such as Leonardo da Vinci, Lucrezia Borgia, Henry VIII, and others--and notes k
The noted historian and biographer chronicles the collapse of the Dark Ages and the achievements of thought and imagination that constituted the Renaissance, profiling the age's leading figures and no
I am down to a pencil, a pen, and a bottle of ink. I hope one day to eliminate the pencil.Al Hirschfeld redefined caricature and exemplified Broadway and Hollywood, enchanting generations with his mas
Beth grew up in an abusive home with an alcoholic dad. After looking for comfort in the wrong place, she becomes pregnant at the age of sixteen, and her life is changed forever. As she struggles to p
Georgia O'Keeffe, one of the most original painters America has ever produced, left behind a remarkable legacy when she died at the age of ninety-eight. Her vivid visual vocabulary -- sensuous flower
Victoria woke one morning at the age of eighteen to discover that her uncle had died and that she was now queen. She went on to rule for sixty-three years, with an influence so far-reaching that the d
Victoria woke one morning at the age of eighteen to discover that her uncle had died and that she was now queen. She went on to rule for sixty-three years, with an influence so far-reaching that the d
A dense archeological analysis of the Hungarian Maros site, an early Bronze Age society that has been under investigation for 20 years. O'Shea (U. of Michigan) argues that the traditional Binford-Saxe
Never-before-published work by an iconic woman artist from the very start of her career.Francesca Woodman took her first photograph at the age of the thirteen. From the time she was a teenager until h
(Applause Books). Since it first opened its doors in October 1907, the Plaza has been the hub of glamour and culture in New York. It is where F. Scott Fitzgerald lived during the Jazz Age, where Frank
At the age of twenty-five, Orson Welles (1915--1985) directed, co-wrote, and starred in Citizen Kane, widely regarded as the greatest film ever made. But Welles was such a revolutionary filmmaker that
Exploring the unconventional life of Athanasius Kircher, the legendary 17th-century priest-scientist who was either a genius or raving lunatic, this fascinating portrait of a man who lived during an e
Masterpiece of semi-autobiographical fiction reveals a powerful portrait of the coming of age of a young man of unusual intelligence, sensitivity, and character. Telling portrayals of an Irish upbrin
This study portrays a man and an age. Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller (1578a??1654), author of the famous Mishnah commentary Tosafot yom tov, was a major talmudist, a disciple of the legendary Rabbi Judah Loew
