The complete American presidential inaugural addresses featuring historical background by a National Book Award winner A testament to the power of oratory, this stirring and often surprising collection includes all fifty-five United States presidential inaugural addresses, as well as a general introduction and commentary that provides historical context for each speech. Marking pivotal moments in American history, readers will learn: - How George Washington came to ad-lib 'So help me, God' at the end of his first inaugural address - Why Thomas Jefferson's first inaugural address is consider... View More...
1939: the Germans have invaded Poland. The keepers of the Warsaw zoo, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, survive the bombardment of the city, only to see the occupiers ruthlessly kill many of their animals. The Nazis then carry off the prized specimens to Berlin for their program to create the "purest" breeds, much as they saw themselves as the purest human race. Opposed to all the Nazis represented, the Zabinskis risked their lives by hiding Jews in the now-empty animal cages, saving as many as three hundred people from extermination. Acclaimed, best-selling author Diane Ackerman, fascinated both by ... View More...
The first installment in Pamela Aidan's irresistible trilogy, An Assembly Such As This takes us into the world of Jane Austen's Fitzwilliam Darcy. "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me." So begins the timeless romance of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen's classic novel is beloved by millions, but little is revealed in the book about the mysterious and handsome hero, Mr. Darcy. And so the question has long remained: Who is Fitzwilliam Darcy? In An Assembly Such as This, Pamela Aidan finally answers that long-standing question. In this ... View More...
Kaia Alderson's debut historical fiction novel reveals the untold, true story of the Six Triple Eight, the only all-Black battalion of the Women's Army Corps, who made the dangerous voyage to Europe to ensure American servicemen received word from their loved ones during World War II.Grace Steele and Eliza Jones may be from completely different backgrounds, but when it comes to the army, specifically the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), they are both starting from the same level. Not only will they be among the first class of female officers the army has even seen, they are also the first ... View More...
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From the author of The House of the Spirits, this epic novel spanning decades and crossing continents follows two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a place to call home. "One of the most richly imagined portrayals of the Spanish Civil War to date, and one of the strongest and most affecting works in Isabel Allende's] long career."--The New York Times Book Review NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Esquire - Good Housekeeping - Parade In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists suc... View More...
Once again Jean M. Auel opens the door of a time long past to reveal an age of wonder and danger at the dawn of the modern human race. With all the consummate storytelling artistry and vivid authenticity she brought to The Clan of the Cave Bear and its sequel, The Valley of Horses, Jean M. Auel continues the breathtaking epic journey of the woman called Ayla. Riding Whinney with Jondalar, the man she loves, and followed by the mare's colt, Ayla ventures into the land of the Mamutoi--the Mammoth Hunters. She has finally found the Others she has been seeking. Though Ayla must learn their differe... View More...
For readers of The Paris Wife and The Swans of Fifth Avenue comes a "sensuous, captivating account of a forbidden affair between two women" (People)--Eleanor Roosevelt and "first friend" Lorena Hickok. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Financial Times - San Francisco Chronicle - New York Public Library - Refinery29 - Real Simple Lorena Hickok meets Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while reporting on Franklin Roosevelt's first presidential campaign. Having grown up worse than poor in South Dakota and reinvented herself as the most prominent woman reporter in America, "Hick," as she's known t... View More...
Two young boys encounter the best and worst of humanity during the Holocaust in this powerful read that USA Today called as memorable an introduction to the subject as The Diary of Anne Frank." Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance. But Bruno longs to be an explorer ... View More...
"Plague stories remind us that we cannot manage without community . . . Year of Wonders is a testament to that very notion." - The Washington PostAn unforgettable tale, set in 17th century England, of a village that quarantines itself to arrest the spread of the plague, from the author The Secret Chord and of March, winner of the Pulitzer Prize When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villag... View More...
INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A beautiful tale of hope, courage, and sisterhood--inspired by the real House of Mercy and the girls confined there for daring to break the rules. Growing up in New York City in the 1910s, Luella and Effie Tildon realize that even as wealthy young women, their freedoms come with limits. But when the sisters discover a shocking secret about their father, Luella, the brazen elder sister, becomes emboldened to do as she pleases. Her rebellion comes with consequences, and one morning Luella is mysteriously gone. Effie suspects her father has sent Luella to the Hous... View More...
A great adventure.A haunting tragedy."An enduring love." In the spring of 1846, Tamsen Donner, her husband, George, their five daughters, and eighty other pioneers headed to California in eager anticipation of new lives out West. Everything that could go wrong did, and an American legend was born. The Donner Party. We think we know their story--starving pioneers trapped in the mountains performing an unspeakable act to survive--but we know only that one harrowing part of it. "Impatient with Desire" brings us answers to the unanswerable question: What really happened in the four months the Donn... View More...
A timeless American classic rediscovered--an unforgettable saga of a heartland familyOn a farm in western Missouri during the first half of the twentieth century, Matthew and Callie Soames create a life for themselves and raise four headstrong daughters. Jessica will break their hearts. Leonie will fall in love with the wrong man. Mary Jo will escape to New York. And wild child Mathy's fate will be the family's greatest tragedy. Over the decades they will love, deceive, comfort, forgive--and, ultimately, they will come to cherish all the more fiercely the bonds of love that hold the family tog... View More...
A Library Journal Editors' Pick Buzzfeed's THE ULTIMATE BUZZFEED BOOKS GIFT GUIDE Bookish "AUTUMN'S 2017 MOST SWOON-WORTHY ROMANCE BOOKS" list The Civil War has turned neighbor against neighbor--but for one scientist spy and her philosopher soldier, war could bind them together . . . For all of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother's traditions and the name of a white f... View More...
Grafton and Carmellini must prevent a surprise attack far more devastating than Pearl Harbor in this high octane thriller in Stephen Coonts's The Art of War."When it comes to military fiction, Coonts remains on every fan's A-list."--Booklist The Chinese dragon is flexing its muscles. As its military begins to prey on neighbors in the South China Sea, attacking fishing vessels and scheming to seize natural resources, America goes on high alert. But a far more ominous danger lurks closer to home: A nuclear weapon has been planted in the harbor at Norfolk, Virginia--site of the biggest naval base... View More...
In The Winter King and Enemy of God Bernard Cornwell demonstrated his astonishing ability to make the oft-told legend of King Arthur fresh and new for our time. Now, in this riveting final volume of The Warlord Chronicles, Cornwell tells the unforgettable tale of Arthur's final struggles against the Saxons and his last attempts to triumph over a ruined marriage and ravaged dreams. This is the tale not only of a broken love remade, but also of forces both earthly and unearthly that threaten everything Arthur stands for. Peopled by princesses and bards, by warriors and magicians, Excalibur is th... View More...
From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, now available in paperback--bestselling historical novelist Bernard Cornwell brings life to one of the most spectacular naval battles in history with SHARPE'S TRAFALGAR.The greatest writer of historical adventures today. --Washington PostCritically acclaimed, perennial New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell (Agincourt, The Fort, the Saxon Tales) makes real history come alive in his breathtaking historical fiction. Praised as the direct heir to Patrick O'Brian (Agincourt, The Fort), Cornwell has brilliantly captured the fury, ... View More...
