The Excruciating History of Dentistry: Toothsome Tales & Oral Oddities from Babylon to Braces


James Wynbrandt - 1998
    The transition from yesterday's ignorance, misapprehension, and superstition to the enlightened and nerve-deadened protocols of today has been a long, slow, and very painful process.The Excruciating History of Dentistry contains, among others, the following facts: -- Among the toothache remedies favored by Pierre Fauchard, the father of dentistry, was rinsing the mouth liberally with one's own urine-- George Washington never had wooden teeth; however, his chronic dental problems may have impacted the outcome of the American Revolution-- Soldiers in the Civil War needed at least two opposing front teeth to rip open powder envelopes, so some men called up for induction had their front teeth extracted to avoid serviceJames Wynbrandt has written a delightfully witty and amazingly thorough history of dentistry -- one that no dentist or patient should do without.

Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics


Immanuel Kant - 1783
    It furnishes us with a key to his main work, The Critique of Pure Reason; in fact, it is an extract containing all the salient ideas of Kant's system. It approaches the subject in the simplest and most direct way, and is therefore best adapted as an introduction into his philosophy.

Accidental Proposal


Kenadee Bryant - 2016
    Jenna Howard’s life is one giant disappointment after another… Orphaned at five years old, Jenna survived the foster care system only to be rewarded with an apartment in the slum of New York City. She leaves her job at the diner to work evenings at a strip club to pay rent. Jenna starts to think maybe she’s meant to be alone forever, until one night a mysterious customer offers her a deal of a lifetime. Liam Stanford is the most eligible bachelor in New York City. He’s also a millionaire and womanizer… Liam’s father has finally decided to hand over the reins to the family company, but there’s a catch. Liam has to prove he’s matured enough to handle the job, and that includes finding a steady girlfriend. Liam isn’t willing to lose his opportunity on a technicality, so he finds a pretty girl working the bar at one of the local strip clubs and offers her a deal. Jenna must agree to marry him for one year. Then, once Liam has control of the company, they’ll part ways…and he’ll give her one million dollars. That kind of money could change Jenna’s life. She could leave New York and finally go to college… With nothing to lose but her pride, Jenna accepts Liam’s deal, but she isn’t willing to accept Liam’s coldhearted playboy routine. There is more to him than his hard exterior suggests. Will Jenna be able to peel back the armor and finally get to know the man behind the suit, or will their deal be nothing more than an… Accidental Proposal?

Las puertas templarias


Javier Sierra - 2000
    The first novel by "Cena Secreta" (Secret Supper) author Javier Sierra, this revolves around the famous Knights Templar, Solomon's Temple, and a mysterious fountain.

Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C.


Scott W. Berg - 2007
    L'Enfant's story is one of consuming passion, high emotion, artistic genius, and human frailty. As a boy he studied drawing at the most prestigious art institute in the world. As a young man he left his home in Paris to volunteer in the army of the American colonies, where he served under George Washington. There he would also meet many of the people who would have a profound impact on his life, including Alexander Hamilton and James Monroe. And it was Washington himself who, in 1791, entrusted L'Enfant with the planning of the nation's capital--and reluctantly allowed him to be dismissed from the project eleven months later. The plan for the city was published under another name, and for the remainder of his life L'Enfant fought for recognition of his achievement. But he would not live to see that day, and a century would pass before L'Enfant would be given credit for his brilliant design. Scott W. Berg recounts this tale, richly evocative of time and place, with the narrative verve of a novel and with a cast of characters that ranges from Thomas Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers to the surveyor who took credit for L'Enfant's plans, the assistant who spent a week in jail for his loyalty to L'Enfant, and the men who finally restored L'Enfant's reputation at the beginning of the twentienth century. Here is a fascinating, little-explored episode in American history: the story of a visionary artist and of the founding of the magnificent city that is his enduring legacy.

The Portable Medieval Reader


James Bruce Ross - 1949
    The variety, the complexity, the sheer humanity of the middle ages live most meaningfully in their own authentic voices." The Portable Medieval Reader assembles an entire chorus of those voices—of kings, warriors, prelates, merchants, artisans, chroniclers, and scholars—that together convey a lively, intimate impression of a world that might otherwise seem immeasurably alien. All the aspects and strata of medieval society are represented here: the life of monasteries and colleges, the codes of knigthood, the labor of peasants and the privileges of kings. There are contemporary accounts of the persecution of Jews and heretics, of the Crusades in the Holy Land, of courtly pageants, popular uprisings, and the first trade missions to Cathay. We find Chaucer, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Saint Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas and Abelard alongside a host of lesser-known writers, discoursing on all the arts, knowledge and speculation of their time. The result, according to the Columbia Record, is a broad and eminetly readable "cross section of source history and literature...as rich and varied as a stained glass window."

The Teaching Gap: Best Ideas from the World's Teachers for Improving Education in the Classroom


James W. Stigler - 1999
    Discusses ways to improve the American educational system, arguing that the art of teaching is far more important than increased spending.

50 Big Ideas You Really Need to Know


Ben Dupré - 2009
    Every important principle of philosophy, religion, politics, economics, the arts and the sciences is profiled in a series of short illustrated essays, complemented by an informative array of timelines and box features.

New Leather


Debra Varva - 2009
    He has no need to tie a man up or beat the crap out of him and call it sexy. No one is doing that to him either, or so he thought. During an interview, the charismatic BDSM Dom, James Pauly, asks Carl to be his submissive lover to learn about the lifestyle from within and Carl agrees to a six-week contract. James has not been romantically involved since his last sub left when James refused to whip him beyond what was safe. In Carl, he sees a second chance to connect with a man who wants more than the pain James can give him. He recognizes the sexual interest in Carl's eyes and thinks the handsome young reporter will be perfect. Carl is surprised by the desire he feels for a man who admits to subjugating his lovers, but the intensity of the games they play becomes addictive and Carl wants more--much more. James, dismayed by yet another sub's demands for pain, refuses to be rushed. He hopes to keep Carl past their contract, but it may be all he can do to keep him for the six weeks. For both men, the arrangement becomes a journey of self-discovery that could tear them apart in spite of their growing attraction.Approx. word count: 38K

The Pagan Book of Days: A Guide to the Festivals, Traditions, and Sacred Days of the Year


Nigel Pennick - 1992
    • Includes charts of equinoxes and solstices, movable holy days, and monthly lunar phases through 2033 • First edition sold more than 30,000 copies Pagan rites and festivals are at the root of many traditional holidays in the Western world. Embracing a sensitivity we have lost, the Pagan traditions emphasize mystical spirituality, reverence for the feminine principle, and the links between people and the earth. This unique daybook contains a treasury of information about rituals and celebrations that have for centuries been associated with the changing seasons of the year. Included are the observances of the ancient Greek, Roman, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse traditions, as well as Wiccan traditions and the worship of the Goddess. In The Pagan Book of Days the author provides details on auspicious and inauspicious days, holy days of ancient gods and goddesses, and the eight stations of the year (the solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter days). He also includes lunar and solar charts indicating dates of major Pagan celebrations from the year 2011 through 2033. Illustrations throughout depict images from the classical and northern European traditions. The Pagan Book of Days is an enlightening way to incorporate these ancient cultural and spiritual practices and awarenesses into your daily life.

Louder Than Words: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning


Benjamin K. Bergen - 2012
    You can use it to talk about all sorts of things -- from your new labradoodle puppy to the expansive gardens at Versailles, from Roger Federer's backhand to things that don't exist at all, like flying pigs. And when you talk, your listener fills in lots of details you didn't mention -- the curliness of the dog's fur or the vast statuary on the grounds of the French palace. What's the trick behind this magic? How does meaning work?In Louder than Words, cognitive scientist Benjamin Bergen draws together a decade’s worth of research in psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience to offer a new theory of how our minds make meaning. When we hear words and sentences, Bergen contends, we engage the parts of our brain that we use for perception and action, repurposing these evolutionarily older networks to create simulations in our minds. These embodied simulations, as they're called, are what makes it possible for us to become better baseball players by merely visualizing a well-executed swing; what allows us to remember which cupboard the diapers are in without looking, and what makes it so hard to talk on a cell phone while we're driving on the highway. Meaning is more than just knowing definitions of words, as others have previously argued. In understanding language, our brains engage in a creative process of constructing rich mental worlds in which we see, hear, feel, and act.Through whimsical examples and ingenious experiments, Bergen leads us on a virtual tour of the new science of embodied cognition. A brilliant account of our human capacity to understand language, Louder than Words will profoundly change how you read, speak, and listen.

Target Churchill


Warren Adler - 2013
    Winston Churchill, the cigar-puffing icon of the British fighting spirit embarks on a crusade to lift the veil of secrecy that hangs over Stalin's mission. Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri sets the diplomatic stage upon which the world's political players grapple for supremacy as Churchill delivers his fated Iron Curtain speech on March 5th 1946.Soviet operatives have infiltrated British and American governments at the highest level. As Churchill prepares to launch the Cold War, Stalin unleashes his trained mole, an American Nazi who served in Hitler's SS. His mission: Assassinate Winston Churchill.Churchill travels with a lone bodyguard, W.H. Thompson, a former British police officer who protected Churchill faithfully through the turbulent years of war. Thompson alone senses danger, but will his trained instincts and vigilance be enough to protect the former Prime Minister from a ruthless killer? In this gripping historical thriller, battles are fought not on the beaches, on the landing grounds, in the fields, on the streets or in the hills, but behind closed doors in the shadows of espionage.

Shattered Worlds


J.L. WeilMiranda Hardy - 2017
    Escape into twenty-three epic worlds that will leave you breathless.From dystopian nightmares to gorgeous steampunk and fantasy settings to fairy-tale retellings and beyond, SHATTERED WORLDS has every story you’ve been dying to get your hands on!This unique Young Adult/New Adult collection, inspired by the creative minds of today’s New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling authors, promises to satisfy your cravings for action and adventure as you experience rune magic and time-travel, overthrow corrupt governments, meet reapers and aliens, battle dragons, fall hopelessly in love, and break ancient curses, right alongside some of the bravest characters in fantasy fiction!Each book within this collection is exclusive to the set and can’t be found anywhere else.Preorder now for your passport to SHATTERED WORLDS!

Their Reluctant Submissive


Marla Monroe - 2012
    Funny, she doesn’t remember applying for the position. She’s had enough of the BDSM lifestyle, but Jackson and Marx aren’t taking no for an answer. Is love enough to change her mind, or will it make things worse?Marx and Jackson aren’t looking for a full-time submissive. They want someone who can think for themselves, but let them lead in the bedroom. They believe that Kelly is that woman. They set out to court her and show her they aren’t asking for all that much.Kelly desperately wants to believe them, but her experience is that one thing leads to another and before you know it, you’re bound hand and foot. She doesn’t want to be someone’s possession anymore. She wants the real thing—love and the freedom to share it with her man, or is that men?

A History of Bangladesh


Willem Van Schendel - 2009
    A country chiefly famous in the West for media images of poverty, underdevelopment, and natural disasters, Bangladesh did not exist as an independent state until 1971. Willem van Schendel's history reveals the country's vibrant, colourful past and its diverse culture as it navigates the extraordinary twists and turns that have created modern Bangladesh. The story begins with the early geological history of the delta which has decisively shaped Bangladesh society. The narrative then moves chronologically through the era of colonial rule, the partition of Bengal, the war with Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh as an independent state. In so doing, it reveals the forces that have made Bangladesh what it is today. This is an eloquent introduction to a fascinating country and its resilient and inventive people.