February 2017

Of all the Italian cities, Florence was the cradle of the Renaissance. But Florentine life was brutal, not gentle. However wealthy and
beautiful it appeared, economically and strategically, its position was always desperate. Despite its perils, the families and artists of
Florence flourished.
Here, in a short form book from eminent British historian Sir J. H. Plumb, is the story of Renaissance Florence - from the Medici and the
Pazzi to Michelangelo and Leonardo.

Here, from American Heritage, is the story of our presidents. From George Washington's reluctant oath-taking through George W. Bush's
leadership challenges after September 11, 2001, we view ambitious and fallible men through the new lens of the twenty-first century.
Where did they succeed? Where did they fail? And what do we know now that we could not have known at the time?

America's story is made up of many elements, but through it have coursed two main streams that have nourished and carried a people
forward to a destiny that was beyond all imagining when the story began.
One of these is an idea that goes back to the rim of recorded time. It was first a dim, gnawing hope that the future lay in a magic land off
to the west. Once that land was found, it drew people to it like a magnet.
It is easy to say that it was gold or precious stones or land that led them on, for it was all of these. Yet, it was more - and here was the
second great stream of American history. There was something that literally drove people westward, goading them across the endless
mountains, through steep passes, across searing plains and desert into the face of terrors known and those unguessed. It was vision. It
was courage. It was, at times, the sheer joy of overcoming fantastic obstacles.
And it was also the conviction that what they were doing was different from anything that had happened before, that nothing would ever

In Napoleon, National Book Award winner J. Christopher Herold tells the fascinating story of a legendary leader who changed the world in
every aspect - political, cultural, military, and commercial.
Napoleon Bonaparte's rise from common origins to the pinnacle of power, as well as his defeat at Waterloo, still influences our daily lives,
from the map of Europe to the metric system. Here's the fascinating story of the great soldier-statesman.

Here, from the distinguished mountaineer Eric Shipton, is the dramatic story of the Golden Age of Mountaineering. Mountain Conquests
brings vividly to life the great climbing successes that were scored first in the Alps and then around the world - from the Matterhorn and
Mount Blanc to Mount Everest, Denali, and K2.

In this indispensable volume, one of America's ranking scholars combines a life's work of research and teaching with the art of lively
narration. Both authoritative and beautifully told, The Middle Ages is the full story of the thousand years between the fall of Rome and the
Renaissance - a time that saw the rise of kings and emperors, the flowering of knighthood, the development of Europe, the increasing
power of the Catholic Church, and the advent of the middle class.
With exceptional grace and wit, Morris Bishop vividly reconstructs this distinctive era of European history in a work that will inform and
delight scholars and general readers alike.
"Mr. Bishop, the sage of Cornell, says here almost everything of transending importance about the Middle Ages and says it better than it
has ever been said before. One feels great sympathy for those who must follow him...." --Louisville Courier-Journal

Between the Fall of Rome and the Renaissance were the Middle Ages. Once seen as a thousand years of warfare, religious infighting, and
cultural stagnation, they are now understood to be the vital connection between the past and the present. Along with the battles that
helped shape the modern world are a rich heritage of architecture, arts, and literature, of empire and its dissolution. It was the era of the
Crusades and the Norman Conquest, the Black Death and the fall of Constantinople. It is a landscape both familiar and foreign, dark and
foreboding at times, but also filled with the promise and potential of the future.
This anthology, compiled by the Editor of American Heritgae, includes essays by leading historians including Richard Winston on the
Barbarian invasions, Regine Pernoud on Charlemagne, Morris Bishop on life in the year 1,000, Islam in Iberia, the Norman Conquest,
Troubadors, the achievements of the Byzantine Empire, King Alfonso the Learned of Castille and his scholarship and art, the Knights
Templar, and the Black Death.

Today, the great cathedrals of Europe stand as beautiful, imposing monuments - the pride of parishioners and the wonder of tourists. It is
difficult for us now, even with all our engineering and architectural skills, to imagine the extraordinary ways these medieval houses of
worship were constructed.

Here, from British historian and New Yorker senior writer Anthony Bailey is the dramatic story of the Low Countries - Belgium, the
Netherlands, and Luxembourg - from early nomads and barbarian invaders to the birth of towns and cities to the rise and decline of world
prominence and finally to the dark and tragic days of World War II.

Here, from British historian and New Yorker senior writer Anthony Bailey is the dramatic story of the Low Countries - Belgium, the
Netherlands, and Luxembourg - from early nomads and barbarian invaders to the birth of towns and cities to the rise and decline of world
prominence and finally to the dark and tragic days of World War II.