Book picks similar to
Communications and Power in Medieval Europe: The Carolingian and Ottonian Centuries by Karl Leyser
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french-carolingians
late-ant-early-med
Vietnam: The Real War
Pete Hamill - 2013
Collected here are images that tell the story of the war that left a deep and lasting impression on American life. These are pictures that both recorded and made history, taken by unbelievably courageous photojournalists. In a moving essay, writer Pete Hamill, who reported from Vietnam in 1965, celebrates their achievement.As we begin to look back from the vantage point of half a century, this is the book that will serve as a photographic record of the drama and tragedy of the Vietnam War.
Louis XIV
Olivier Bernier - 1987
His court at the Palace of Versailles became the most dazzling on the Continent, and through his intelligence and cunning, he made France the leading power of Europe. Now, in this masterful biography, historian Olivier Bernier brilliantly recreates Louis XIV's world to reveal the secrets of this monarch's unequaled sovereignty and to explore the singular mystique that surrounds him today. Not only was Louis heir to his father's throne, he felt he was divinely chosen to rule France. From the year he became king at the age of thirteen, he oversaw every aspect of government, from waging war and making political appointments to supervising the building of his many palaces. Along with political treachery that marked Louis XIV's long reign, Bernier also brings to light the personal scandals. We witness the poignant resignation of Louis XIV's queen to her husband's parade of mistresses and illegitimate children, the infamous intrigue when the king's brother was accused of poisoning his wife in a jealous rage, and the momentous building of Versailles, not an act of monstrous self-indulgence that bankrupted the nation but the visible expression of Louis XIV's new monarchy - his ingenious methods of centering all activity around court life, thus preventing his courtiers from fomenting rebellion. Under the Sun King, architecture, painting, music, and theater flourished, making France not only a great political force but a paradigm of fashion and culture as well. Louis XIV takes us from the grandeur of Versailles to the battlefields of the countryside, from the bedrooms of the king's mistresses to the chambers of his ministers, and presents an engrossing portrait of royal life and a commanding leader.
Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War
William C. Davis - 1977
The first major history ever written on the first battle of the Civil War, this narrative describes the chaotic fighting by courageous amateurs that nearly resulted in Confederate independence.
Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat
Richard Faulds - 2005
For advanced students, there is a broad menu of additional poses to increase strength, flexibility, and challenge. Far more than an exercise program, Kripalu Yoga also teaches the lifestyle practices and energy techniques that make yoga a powerful catalyst for physical healing, psychological growth, and spiritual awakening.
Capturing Music: The Story of Notation
Thomas Forrest Kelly - 2014
But before this instant accessibility and dizzying array of formats before CDs, the eight-track tape, the radio, and the turntable there was only one recording technology: music notation. It allowed singers and soloists to travel across great distances and perform their work with stunning fidelity, a feat that we now very much take for granted. Thomas Forrest Kelly transports us to the lively and complex world of monks and monasteries, of a dove singing holy chants into the ear of a saint, and of bustling activity in the Cathedral of Notre Dame an era when the only way to share even the simplest song was to learn it by rote, church to church and person to person. With clarity and a sense of wonder, Kelly tells a story that spans five hundred years, leading us on a journey through medieval Europe and showing how we learned to keep track of rhythm, melody, and precise pitch with a degree of accuracy previously unimagined.Kelly reveals the technological advances that led us to the system of notation we use today, placing each step of its evolution in its cultural and intellectual context. Companion recordings by the renowned Blue Heron ensemble are paired with vibrant illuminated manuscripts, bringing the art to life and allowing readers to experience something of the marvel that medieval writers must have felt when they figured out how to capture music for all time."
Memories of Summer: When Baseball Was an Art, and Writing about It a Game
Roger Kahn - 1997
His father had a passion for the Dodgers; his mother’s passion was for poetry. Somehow, young Roger managed to blend both loves in a career that encompassed writing about sports for the New York Herald Tribune, Sports Illustrated, the Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, and Time.Kahn recalls the great personalities of a golden era—Leo Durocher, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Red Smith, Dick Young, and many more—and recollects the wittiest lines from forty years in dugouts, press boxes, and newsrooms. Often hilarious, always precise about action on the field and off, Memories of Summer is an enduring classic about how baseball met literature to the benefit of both.
The Summer of France
Paulita Kincer - 2012
As she realizes she may be too late to pull her family together, her husband Grayson pressures her to find another job so they can pay the increasing bills. Relief comes with a phone call from Fia’s great Uncle Martin who runs a bed and breakfast in Provence. Uncle Martin wants Fia to venture to France to run the B&B so he and his wife Lucie can travel. He doesn’t tell Fia about the secret he hid in the house when he married Lucie after fighting in World War II, and he doesn’t mention the people who are tapping his phone and following him, hoping to find the secret. After much cajoling, Fia whisks her family to France and is stunned when Uncle Martin and Aunt Lucie leave the same day for a Greek cruise. She’s thrown into the minutiae of a running the B&B without the benefit of speaking the language. Her dreams of family bonding time fade as her teenagers make French friends. Kasie joins a local swim team, riding off to practice on the back of a scooter each morning, hips tucked next to the 18-year-old French boy who teaches her to smoke brown cigarettes and drink red wine. West accompanies a pouty French teenager around the city, playing his guitar in the town squares to earn spending money. Fia’s husband Grayson begins touring the countryside with a pretty French woman, and Fia resists the distractions of Christophe, a handsome French man. Why the whirlwind of French welcome, Fia wonders after she comes home from a day at the beach in Nice to find someone has ransacked the B&B. Fia parses Uncle Martin’s obscure phone calls, trying to figure out this WW II hero’s secret. Can she assuage Uncle Martin’s World War II guilt and build the family she’s always dreamed of?
Brussels: Bruges, Ghent & Antwerp
Zoë Hewetson - 1994
The fully updated guide includes unique cutaways, floor plans and reconstructions of the must-see sights, plus street-by-street maps. The also is packed with photographs and illustrations leading you straight to the best attractions these cities offer. With insider tips and essential local information, this uniquely visual DK Eyewitness Travel guide highlights everything you'll need to know to make your vacation special, from local festivals and markets to day trips around the countryside. Detailed listings will guide you to the best hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops for all budgets, while practical information will help you to get around by train, bus, or car."DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent & Antwerp" will help you effortlessly explore every corner of Brussels, Bruges, Ghent & Antwerp.
Aunt Lucie's legacy
Philippe Saimbert - 2012
Although she wasn’t exactly a saint while she was alive, now that she’s dead, she surpasses herself in making life miserable for her family. Her testament is crystal clear: to collect the inheritance, her nephews and their families have to move into her house, which is definitely not a palace! Aunt Lucie has another surprise up her sleeve, a sort of mad treasure hunt, ankle-deep in mud. Welcome to rural France! What’s certain is that her dear nephews are not about to get bored as they get caught in an unforgettable adventure in the heart of the Béarn. How far will they go to get their hands on the jackpot?Comical situations, funny dialog and dramatic turns of events come fast and furious, masterfully orchestrated by dear Aunt Lucie. The climax could only be astonishing.
Revenge of the Rose
Nicole Galland - 2006
"The Holy Roman Empire circa 1200 A.D."Impoverished young knight Willem of Dole believed he would spend his life in rural Burgundy, struggling to provide for his widowed mother and younger sister, Lienor. And so it's with surprise--and apprehension--that he obeys a summons to the magnificent court of Konrad, Holy Roman Emperor, whose realm spans half of Europe. Willem's mischievous friend Jouglet, Konrad's favorite minstrel, is no doubt behind it somehow . . . but what's in it for Jouglet?Court life is overwhelming to the idealistic young Willem, who is shocked by the behavior of his fellow knights, for whom chivalry is a mere game. Yet under Jouglet's witty, relentless tutelage, the naive knight quickly rises in Emperor Konrad's esteem--until suddenly his sister, Lienor, becomes a prospect for the role of Empress. This unexpected elevation of the sibling "nobodies" delights Jouglet, but threatens three powerful--and dangerous--men at the court: the Emperor's brother, Cardinal Paul, who has in mind a different bride for Konrad; the Emperor's uncle, Alphonse, Count of Burgundy, who would keep secret certain things that only Willem can reveal; and most especially the Emperor's own steward Marcus, who is hopelessly in love with Konrad's cousin Imogen. For if Willem's star keeps rising, Imogen will be betrothed to the knight by royal decree--and Willem's star will surely continue to rise, unless Marcus figures out a way to stop it. But that would entail outscheming cleverJouglet, ablest of schemers.Gossip, secrets, and lies are the fuel of daily life in Konrad's court. As Konrad edges closer to proclaiming Lienor his bride, those around Willem play a perilous game of cat-and-mouse as they attempt to secure their own fortunes, knowing that even the slightest move can shift the playing field entirely. And through it all, Jouglet remains Willem's most maddening yet staunchest ally. But what, really, does Jouglet stand to gain . . . or lose?Transporting the reader to the brilliant, conniving heart of the largest empire of medieval Europe, "Revenge of the Rose" is a novel rich in irony and tongue-in-cheek wit, and reveals all the grit and color, politics and passion, of court life in the Holy Roman Empire.
Betrayal: The Life and Lies of Bernie Madoff
Andrew Kirtzman - 2009
The New York Times calls Betrayal, “a novelistic, you-are-there sort of narrative,” and the shocking story of the King of the Swindlers—and his hundreds of celebrity and corporation victims, and the everyday people who tragically invested their life savings with him—does indeed read like a page-turning thriller. But it’s all amazingly, disturbingly true.
The Iron Road: An Illustrated History of the Railroad
Christian Wolmar - 2014
From the historic moment in September 1830 when the first train ran between Liverpool and Manchester, to the high speed trains bulleting across Asia and Europe, The Iron Road: An Illustrated History of the Railroad looks at how railroads have changed the world.Photographs, maps, paintings, and illustrations bring events and locations to life, adding a unique visual quality to the stories of great invention, feats of mind-boggling engineering, groundbreaking changes in trade and commerce, and tales of adventurers, visionaries, and rogues.The Iron Road is the third title in DK's successful illustrated histories format, which combines text-rich narratives with beautiful visual design.
1001 Escapes to Experience Before You Die
Helen Arnold - 2009
Contemplate the sunset from a minimalist mountain retreat, cruise the Nile on a nineteenth-century cabin cruiser, hire a fort with its own private beach, chill out in an ice hotel, or wallow in a mud bath. The choice is yours. This book is quite simply a compilation of some of the most amazing escapes from the everyday that you can experience in the world - however much time you have to spare and whatever your budget.Within these pages you will find classic escapes that offer away-from-it-all tranquility, such as a sun-drenched private Caribbean island, complete with butler; a converted monastery in Peru, at such high altitude that oxygen has to be pumped into the bedrooms; a lighthouse in Newfoundland; and, that most classic of great train journeys, the Trans-Siberian railway.Beautifully illustrated, "1001 Escapes To Make Before You Die" will also show you some hidden gems located in some of the world's biggest and busiest cities that offer the perfect retreat from the frenzy of city life. Discover an oasis of greenery just a stone's throw from Djemma El Fna, the pulsating center of Marrakech; a tranquil walled garden in the heart of London's Chelsea; and, a hidden treehouse deep within the Amazon rain forest.
Sugar Creek: Life on the Illinois Prairie
John Mack Faragher - 1986
Follows the development of a rural Illinois community from its origins near the beginning of the nineteenth century, looks at community activity, and tells the stories of ordinary pioneers.
Marilyn Monroe Confidential: An Intimate Personal Account
Lena Pepitone - 1979
Offers information on the last 6 years of her life, including her marriage to Arthur Miller, the making of Some Like It Hot, a notorious affair with Yves Montand,her addiction to sleeping pills and alcohol, and her early expieriences as a struggling actress. The book is shocking with specific details about Marilyn's lack of personal hygenine and love of nudity. It also suggests that Marilyn gave birth to a child, but gave it up for adoption. widely criticized however highly quoted.