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The golden atlas: The greatest explorations, quests and discoveries on maps
by Edward Brooke-Hitching
The Golden Atlas is a spectacular visual history of exploration and cartography, a treasure chest of adventures from the chronicles of global discovery, illustrated with a selection of the most beautiful maps ever created. The book reveals how the world came to be known, featuring a magnificent gallery of exceptionally rare hand-coloured antique maps, paintings and engravings, many of which can only be found in the author's collection. The Golden Atlas takes you back to a world of darkness and peril, placing you on storm-lashed ships, frozen wastelands and the shores of hostile territories to see how the lines were drawn to form the shape of the modern world. The author's previous book, The Phantom Atlas, was a critically acclaimed international bestseller, described by Jonathan Ross as 'a spectacular, enjoyable and eye-opening read' and this new book is sure to follow suit.
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Domina: The women who made Imperial Rome
by Guy De La Bédoyère
Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero—these are the names history associates with the early Roman Empire. Yet, not a single one of these emperors was the blood son of his predecessor. In this captivating history, a prominent scholar of the era documents the Julio-Claudian women whose bloodline, ambition, and ruthlessness made it possible for the emperors’ line to continue. Eminent scholar Guy de la Bédoyère, author of Praetorian, asserts that the women behind the scenes; including Livia, Octavia, and the elder and younger Agrippina, were the true backbone of the dynasty. De la Bédoyère draws on the accounts of ancient Roman historians to revisit a familiar time from a completely fresh vantage point. Anyone who enjoys I, Claudius will be fascinated by this study of dynastic power and gender interplay in ancient Rome.
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| Well-read black girl: Finding our stories, discovering ourselves by Glory Edim (editor)What it is: a stirring anthology of candid contributions from 21 black women writers (including Tayari Jones, Morgan Jerkins, Gabourey Sidibe, Jesmyn Ward, and Jacqueline Woodson) that celebrates the transformative power of being seen in literature.
Don't miss: Kaitlyn Greenidge's "Books for a Black Girl's Soul," which includes recommendations for "A Book To Read When You Wish You Could Pack It All In and Just Be Missy Elliott," among others. |
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Hillary's Antarctica adventure, exploration and establishing Scott Base
by Watson, Nigel
Written by Nigel Watson of the Antarctic Heritage Trust, and illustrated with Jane Ussher's stunning photographs, plus historic images and never-before-seen ephemera and diary entries, this is the first book that fully documents and celebrates Ed Hillary's contribution to Antarctic history. Hillary and the New Zealand team were supposed to be a support act to the British Commonwealth Antarctic crossing party. By heading on to the South Pole and reaching it before the crossing party, Hillary exceeded the brief. His actions created tensions, unleashed a media storm and denied the British an historic first overland to the South Pole since Captain Scott. Hillary even had the audacity to achieve the feat with three farm tractors. In doing so, Sir Edmund Hillary added another fascinating chapter to the exploration annals of Antarctica and he, and his expedition team, laid the foundations for New Zealand's continuous, and increasingly important, presence in Antarctica.
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Histories of the unexpected: How everything has a history
by Willis, Sam
In this fascinating and original new book, Sam Willis and James Daybell lead us on a journey of discovery that tackles some of the greatest historical themes; from the Tudors to the Second World War, from the Roman Empire to the Victorians, but via entirely unexpected subjects. You will find out here how the history of the beard is connected to the Crimean War; how the history of paperclips is all about the Stasi; how the history of bubbles is all about the French Revolution. And who knew that Heinrich Himmler, Tutankhamun and the history of needlework are linked to napalm and Victorian orphans? Histories of the Unexpected not only presents a new way of thinking about the past, but also reveals the everyday world around us as never before.
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| Brilliant beacons: A history of the American lighthouse by Eric Jay DolinWhat it is: an engaging history of lighthouses, the "national treasures" that have served as the sites of numerous political, economic, military, and technological developments since the first American lighthouse was built in 1716 in Boston.
Featuring: stories of heroic lighthouse keepers, including Ida Lewis (1842-1911), who saved 18 people during her 54-year tenure as keeper of Lime Rock in Newport, Rhode Island. |
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| The empire of necessity: Slavery, freedom, and deception in the New World by Greg GrandinWhat it's about: In 1804, Amasa Delano, a sea captain with abolitionist sympathies, found the slave ship Tryal in distress off the coast of Chile. Discovering that the 70 enslaved West Africans aboard had revolted (killing many of the crew and taking the ship's captain hostage), Delano reacted with swift violence against the mutineers.
Is it for you? Dramatic and thought-provoking, this gripping history examines the disturbing hypocrisy of the newly "free" Colonial America. |
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| The sea and civilization: A maritime history of the world by Lincoln PaineWhat it is: an ambitious expedition along the earth's oceans, lakes, and rivers that illuminates the remarkable ways in which world history has been shaped by waterways.
Topics include: how Viking expeditions impacted cultural exchange; the influence of religion on maritime law.
Reviewers say: "an invaluable resource for salty dogs and landlubbers alike" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Erebus: The story of a ship
by Palin, Michael, 1943-
Michael Palin; Monty Python star and television globetrotter, brings the remarkable Erebus back to life, following it from its launch in 1826 to the epic voyages of discovery that led to glory in the Antarctic and to ultimate catastrophe in the Arctic. The ship was filled with fascinating people: the dashing and popular James Clark Ross, who charted much of the 'Great Southern Barrier'; the troubled John Franklin, whose chequered career culminated in the Erebus's final, disastrous expedition; and the eager Joseph Dalton Hooker, a brilliant naturalist when he wasn't shooting the local wildlife dead. Vividly recounting the experiences of the men who first set foot on Antarctica's Victoria Land, and those who, just a few years later, froze to death one by one in the Arctic ice, beyond the reach of desperate rescue missions, Erebus is a wonderfully evocative account of a truly extraordinary adventure, brought to life by a master explorer and storyteller.
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The Pacific: In the wake of Captain Cook, with Sam Neill
by Wilson-Anastasios, Meaghan
A rich, complex and engaging account of Cook's voyages across the Pacific in which, actor and raconteur, Sam Neill retraces Cook's footsteps, in the 250th anniversary year of Cook's first Pacific voyage in 1768. These vast waters, one third of the earth's surface, were uncharted - but not unknown. A rich diversity of people and cultures navigated, traded, lived and fought here for thousands of years. Before Cook, the Pacific was disconnected from the power and ideas of Europe, Asia and America. In the wake of Cook, everything changed. The Pacific with Sam Neill is the companion book to the documentary series, in which actor and raconteur Sam Neill takes a deeply personal, present-day voyage to map his own understanding of James Cook, Europe's greatest navigator, and the immense Pacific Ocean itself. Voyaging on a wide variety on vessels, from container ships to fishing trawlers and sailing boats, Sam crosses the length and breadth of the largest ocean in the world to experience for himself a contemporary journey in Cook's footsteps, engaging the past and present in both modern and ancient cultural practice and peoples.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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