Book picks similar to
A Splintered History of Wood: Belt Sander Races, Blind Woodworkers, and Baseball Bats by Spike Carlsen
non-fiction
history
nonfiction
woodworking
Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink
Jane Goodall - 2009
With the insatiable curiosity and conversational prose that have made her a bestselling author, Goodall - along with Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard - shares fascinating survival stories about the American Crocodile, the California Condor, the Black-Footed Ferret, and more; all formerly endangered species and species once on the verge of extinction whose populations are now being regenerated.Interweaving her own first-hand experiences in the field with the compelling research of premier scientists, Goodall illuminates the heroic efforts of dedicated environmentalists and the truly critical need to protect the habitats of these beloved species. At once a celebration of the animal kingdom and a passionate call to arms, Hope For Animals Their World presents an uplifting, hopeful message for the future of animal-human coexistence.Praise for Hope For Animals Their World"Goodall's intimate writing style and sense of wonder pull the reader into each account...The mix of personal and scientific makes for a compelling read."-Booklist"These accounts of conservation success are inspirational."-Publishers Weekly
Your Creative Career: Turn Your Passion into a Fulfilling and Financially Rewarding Lifestyle
Anna Sabino - 2018
She wasn't born into a wealthy family, didn't inherit money from a distant relative, and doesn't have a rich husband. But she made it as an entrepreneur, as a single woman, and most importantly, as an artist.In Your Creative Career, she shows her fellow artists and creatives how to build a business that reflects their talent and true calling while generating serious cash. Whether the goal is to build an empire and be financially free, create a lifestyle business, or just to have more time, Your Creative Career guides you through every aspect of creative entrepreneurship.If you want to start your creative career, transition into it, or give it a boost, this book is a must read that features:Proven systems and strategies to create ideally priced products that keep selling.The importance of going through all the steps of making it from idea inception and execution to branding and distribution.The importance of transitioning from artistic solitude to collaborative, creative entrepreneurship.The most effective marketing and PR methods adjusted to the new reality of short attention spans and information overload.
Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity from Bronze Age to Silver Screen
Greg Jenner - 2020
But the famous and infamous have been thrilling, titillating, and outraging us for much longer than we might realise. Whether it was the scandalous Lord Byron, whose poetry sent female fans into an erotic frenzy; or the cheetah-owning, coffin-sleeping, one-legged French actress Sarah Bernhardt, who launched a violent feud with her former best friend; or Edmund Kean, the dazzling Shakespearean actor whose monstrous ego and terrible alcoholism saw him nearly murdered by his own audience - the list of stars whose careers burned bright before the Age of Television is extensive and thrillingly varied.Celebrities could be heroes or villains; warriors or murderers; brilliant talents, or fraudsters with a flair for fibbing; trendsetters, wilful provocateurs, or tragic victims marketed as freaks of nature. Some craved fame while others had it forced upon them. A few found fame as small children, some had to wait decades to get their break. But uniting them all is the shared origin point: since the early 1700s, celebrity has been one of the most emphatic driving forces in popular culture; it is a lurid cousin to Ancient Greek ideas of glorious and notorious reputation, and its emergence helped to shape public attitudes to ethics, national identity, religious faith, wealth, sexuality, and gender roles.In this ambitious history, that spans the Bronze Age to the coming of Hollywood's Golden Age, Greg Jenner assembles a vibrant cast of over 125 actors, singers, dancers, sportspeople, freaks, demigods, ruffians, and more, in search of celebrity's historical roots. He reveals why celebrity burst into life in the early eighteenth century, how it differs to ancient ideas of fame, the techniques through which it was acquired, how it was maintained, the effect it had on public tastes, and the psychological burden stardom could place on those in the glaring limelight. DEAD FAMOUS is a surprising, funny, and fascinating exploration of both a bygone age and how we came to inhabit our modern, fame obsessed society.
Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom
Katherine Eban - 2019
Drawing on exclusive accounts from whistleblowers and regulators, as well as thousands of pages of confidential FDA documents, Eban reveals an industry where fraud is rampant, companies routinely falsify data, and executives circumvent almost every principle of safe manufacturing to minimize cost and maximize profit, confident in their ability to fool inspectors. Meanwhile, patients unwittingly consume medicine with unpredictable and dangerous effects.The story of generic drugs is truly global. It connects middle America to China, India, sub-Saharan Africa and Brazil, and represents the ultimate litmus test of globalization: what are the risks of moving drug manufacturing offshore, and are they worth the savings? A decade-long investigation with international sweep, high-stakes brinkmanship and big money at its core, Bottle of Lies reveals how the world’s greatest public-health innovation has become one of its most astonishing swindles.
SAVEUR: The New Classics Cookbook: 1,000 Recipes + Expert Advice, Tips, and Tales
Saveur Magazine - 2014
This masterful selection celebrates the brand’s authority, heritage, and depth of worldwide culinary knowledge in what will become an indispensable and treasured guide for everyone who relishes authentic cooking and SAVEUR’s standard of excellence.Offering authentic, from-the-source recipes for virtually every type of dish (from tapas and cocktails to salads, dumplings, one pot meals, and more), essential techniques, and practical advice, this thorough collection of recipes from the pages of SAVEUR represents a comprehensive foundation for any home cook looking for a go-to guide—and daily inspiration—from a trusted source. Also includes suggested menus for holidays and occasions; illustrative sidebars that showcase groups of ingredients (such as the Mexican pantry, different varieties of tomatoes, what makes a good tagine) or provide easy-to-follow instructions for techniques (like how to crimp a dumpling or fold an empanada); and two sections of gorgeous full-color photographs that bring the cuisine to life. The 16 chapters are organized by course and food type. A robust selection of pantry basics (DIY condiments, stocks and sauces, spice blends and rubs, and more) is also included. Each recipe includes a headnote (explaining the origin of the dish, offering suggestions for perfecting the method, or a serving suggestion) and there are illustrations and cook’s notes, imparting helpful tips (wear gloves when working with hot chiles, use young ginger for the best flavor) scattered throughout the book. Icons call out vegetarian dishes and other helpful information at a glance. Multiple indexes make it easy to find recipes for any occasion.Since its founding in 1994, SAVEUR magazine has provided vivid and unprecedented access to the world's cuisines, telling the stories of authentic meals and the cooks behind them through impeccable photography, faithfully reproduced recipes, and expertly crafted articles from the world's most celebrated food writers. SAVEUR's editors are passionate about the stories behind the meals, be they classic dishes known to all, or obscure traditions worth sharing with the world. They understand each ingredient, each person, each meal, has undergone a special journey and this knowledge is at the root of every article and image in SAVEUR. Cherished by travel enthusiasts, home cooks, and professional chefs, and culinary adventurers alike, SAVEUR is the magazine of choice for people who experience the world food-first, whether they're slurping noodles from a street cart in Vietnam, or savoring the pleasures of a three-star meal in Paris. Honoring both the humble and the elevated, spontaneous meals and those that take days to prepare, every issue of SAVEUR is a celebration of real food made by real people.
The Corfu Trilogy
Gerald Durrell - 2006
All three books are set on the enchanted island of Corfu in the 1930s, and tell the story of the eccentric English family who moved there. For Gerald, the budding zoologist, Corfu was a natural paradise, teeming with strange birds and beasts that he could collect, watch and care for. But life was not without its problems - his family often objected to his animal-collecting activities, especially when the beasts wound up in the villa or - even worse - the fridge. With hilarious yet endearing portraits of his family and their many unusual hangers-on, The Corfu Trilogy also captures the beginnings of the author's lifelong love of animals. Recounted with immense humour and charm, this wonderful account of Corfu's natural history reveals a rare, magical childhood.
The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America
Hannah Nordhaus - 2011
In luminous, razor-sharp prose, Nordhaus explores the vital role that honeybees play in American agribusiness, the maintenance of our food chain, and the very future of the nation. With an intimate focus and incisive reporting, in a book perfect for fans of Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, Michael Pollan’s The Botany of Desire,and John McPhee’s Oranges, Nordhaus’s stunning exposé illuminates one the most critical issues facing the world today,offering insight, information, and, ultimately, hope.
The Great White Bear: A Natural and Unnatural History of the Polar Bear
Kieran Mulvaney - 2011
Fully grown they can measure 10 feet and weigh close to 2,000 pounds, but at birth they are just 20 ounces. Creatures that may wander thousands of miles over the course of a year, they begin life in a snowdrift.Human encounters with these legendary beasts are cause for both excitement and apprehension. Tales throughout history describe the ferocity of polar bear attacks on humans; but human hunting of polar bears has exacted a far larger toll, obliging Arctic nations to try to protect their region’s iconic species before it’s too late.Now, however, another threat to the polar bears’ survival has emerged, one that is steadily removing sea ice and the life it supports. Without this habitat, polar bears cannot exist. The Great White Bear celebrates the story of this unique species. Through a blend of history, both natural and human, through myth and reality and observations both personal and scientific, Kieran Mulvaney masterfully provides a context for readers to consider the polar bear, its history, its life, and its uncertain fate.
Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World
Laura Spinney - 2017
And yet, in our popular conception it exists largely as a footnote to World War I.In Pale Rider, Laura Spinney recounts the story of an overlooked pandemic, tracing it from Alaska to Brazil, from Persia to Spain, and from South Africa to Odessa. She shows how the pandemic was shaped by the interaction of a virus and the humans it encountered; and how this devastating natural experiment put both the ingenuity and the vulnerability of humans to the test.Laura Spinney writes that the Spanish flu was as significant – if not more so – as two world wars in shaping the modern world; in disrupting, and often permanently altering, global politics, race relations, family structures, and thinking across medicine, religion and the arts.
1919 Versailles: The End of the War to End All Wars
Charles L. Mee Jr. - 2014
Four great empires - Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, and Turkey - were part of the war's rubble. Far from restoring order, the diplomats who met in 1919 at Paris and Versailles plunged the world into the chaos of the twentieth century. Here, from award-winning historian Charles Mee, is the account of what happened when the three most powerful heads of state gathered to establish a new order.
No Need to Knead: Handmade Artisan Breads in 90 minutes
Suzanne Dunaway - 1999
Now imagine if you could make this and other breads completely from scratch with your own hands in less than ninety minutes from start to hot out of the oven.In No Need to Knead, acclaimed professional baker Suzanne Dunaway reveals her truly revolutionary technique for baking unforgettable Italian breads that require no fussy steps, no special equipment, and no anxiety. Here are the Focaccia, Filoncino, Ciabatta, and Pane Rustico of your dreams. Dunaway also provides recipes for breads from around the world: traditional breads (like the best ever Sourdough Bisciuts and Skillet Corn Bread), sweet loaves (Classic Brioche and Sourdough Lemon Cake are just two), and special breads (from African Spice Bread to Russian Kulich). And there are dozens of recipes for Italian and other dishes you can make with bread including classic pizze, simple bruschette, bread soufflés, bread soups, bread salads, and bread desserts (try the knockout Chocolate Bread Pudding). There are even recipes for fun breads to make with children.Inspired by the honest simplicity of rustic Italian loaves, Dunaway spent years testing and experimenting to develop her radical technique for baking bread. While trying to reproduce the incredible Pane Casereccio (housewife's bread) she tasted in Rome, Dunaway discovered that stirring a very wet dough (as opposed to kneading a drier one) allows the dough to retain oxygen and moisture, yielding a loaf with incredible texture and taste. Maximizing surface area and baking the bread at a higher temperature than normal gives the bread its remarkable signature crust.With Dunaway's guidance, you will be making a Kalamata Olive Filoncino glistening with sea salt and infused with a tangy olive taste, and a classic chewy Focaccia. What's more, many of the basic bread doughs are fat-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free. So let Dunaway take the fear and work out of baking bread and show you how to make world-class loaves that are foolproof, fantastically delicious, and incredibly satisfying to the soul.
Magpies, Homebodies, and Nomads: A Modern Knitter’s Guide to Discovering and Exploring Style
Cirilia Rose - 2014
Her attitude toward curating her own collection of designs is informed as much by travel, cultural history, and tried-and-true sourcebooks as it is by modern media and technology. In Magpies, Homebodies, and Nomads, Rose takes readers behind the scenes of her design process, showing them how she curates and organizes ideas and translates them into knitwear designs. Through 25 projects that fall into three categories—Magpies (accessories for the small amounts of precious yarns that knitters inevitably collect), Homebodies (garments for time spent close to home), and Nomads (garments to wear when venturing out into the world)—Rose shares her modern aesthetic and invites readers to develop their own.
Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented
Matt Lewis - 2010
Since then, their profile has gotten even bigger, with continued praise from Oprah and Martha Stewart; product availability in every Whole Foods across the U.S.; and a new bakery in Charleston, South Carolina, with even more traffic than their original Brooklyn location. Now, in Baked Explorations, the authors give their signature “Baked” twists to famous desserts from across the country. Here is their take on our most treasured desserts: Banana Cream Pie, Black & White Cookies, Mississippi Mud Pie, and more—from the overworked to the underappreciated. Readers will love this collection of 75 recipes from breakfast treats to late-night confections and everything in between. Praise for Baked Explorations:"They might look like another pair of fresh-faced Brooklynites (retro tie and mustache? check), but Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, the owners of the Baked sweet shops in Brooklyn and Charleston, are media-savvy butter fiends . . . Those whoopie pies? Four sticks of buttery fun. Oh to be young, decadent and baked in Brooklyn." -The New York Times "Lewis and Poliafito take on more underappreciated desserts, giving beloved treats like black-and-white cookies and whoopie pies a modern makeover." -New York Daily News
No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Man-Eater in History
Dane Huckelbridge - 2019