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The Stones of Florence
by Mary McCarthyA journey through the glorious Italian city&’s scenery, history, and culture, from the New York Times–bestselling author of Venice Observed and The Group. Mary McCarthy&’s classic celebrates the Italian city often looked upon as the provincial sister to the better-dressed, more &“feminine&” Venice. To McCarthy, Florence, or Firenze, is a place of ageless enchantment, from the Duomo to the fortressed palaces. The Renaissance began here; art and architecture flourished. From its roots as a center of medieval trade to its transformation into one of the world&’s wealthiest cities, McCarthy charts Florence&’s rich and turbulent history. She introduces a cast of towering real-life characters. Through her probing writer&’s lens, the poetry of Dante and the magnificent artistry of Raphael and Botticelli come vibrantly alive. Along this illuminating journey, McCarthy offers fascinating bits of trivia: There are no ruins in Florence because the Florentines aren&’t sentimental about their past; America took its name from a Florentine traveler named Amerigo Vespucci. From Michelangelo to the Medicis to the story behind a statue&’s missing head, The Stones of Florence is Mary McCarthy&’s hymn to this unique city. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Mary McCarthy including rare images from the author&’s estate.
The Stones of Florence: The Stones Of Florence And Venice Observed (Kiwi Ser. #375)
by Mary McCarthyA journey through the glorious Italian city&’s scenery, history, and culture, from the New York Times–bestselling author of Venice Observed and The Group. Mary McCarthy&’s classic celebrates the Italian city often looked upon as the provincial sister to the better-dressed, more &“feminine&” Venice. To McCarthy, Florence, or Firenze, is a place of ageless enchantment, from the Duomo to the fortressed palaces. The Renaissance began here; art and architecture flourished. From its roots as a center of medieval trade to its transformation into one of the world&’s wealthiest cities, McCarthy charts Florence&’s rich and turbulent history. She introduces a cast of towering real-life characters. Through her probing writer&’s lens, the poetry of Dante and the magnificent artistry of Raphael and Botticelli come vibrantly alive. Along this illuminating journey, McCarthy offers fascinating bits of trivia: There are no ruins in Florence because the Florentines aren&’t sentimental about their past; America took its name from a Florentine traveler named Amerigo Vespucci. From Michelangelo to the Medicis to the story behind a statue&’s missing head, The Stones of Florence is Mary McCarthy&’s hymn to this unique city. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Mary McCarthy including rare images from the author&’s estate.
Storied Bars of New York: Where Literary Luminaries Go to Drink
by Delia CabeExplore the fabled past and vibrant present of New York’s literary bar scene Want to know what it’s like to pull up a stool with the likes of Hemingway, Updike, or Capote? Curious how Jay McInerney takes his martini, or where to find Colson Whitehead’s favorite neighborhood bar? For well-read drinkers and boozy bookworms everywhere comes Storied Bars of New York, a photographic and historical celebration of the best literary pubs, cocktail bars, and taverns of New York City. Every chapter profiles an influential bar and comes complete with photographs, a laundry list of the writerly clientele, a recipe for the establishment’s signature cocktail (as well as which authors were likely to order it), and a snapshot of its place in New York culture at the time of its eminence, as demonstrated by quotes from authors and excerpts from magazine reviews. In a city where there is almost too much to explore, this guide will make finding your favorite erudite-cool drinking spot that much easier.
Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different: True Tales of Amazing Boys Who Changed the World without Killing Dragons (The Dare to Be Different Series)
by Ben Brooks Quinton WintorBoys can be anything they want to be! This timely book joins and expands the gender-role conversation and gives middle-grade boys a welcome alternative message: that masculinity can mean many things. You won't find any stories of slaying dragons or saving princesses here. <P><P>In Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different, author Ben Brooks-with the help of Quinton Wintor's striking full-color illustrations-offers a welcome alternative narrative: one that celebrates introverts and innovators, sensitivity and resilience, individuality and expression. It's an accessible compilation of 75 famous and not-so-famous men from the past to the present day, every single one of them a rule-breaker and stereotype-smasher in his own way. <P><P> Entries include Frank Ocean, Salvador Dali, Beethoven, Barack Obama, Ai Weiwei, Jesse Owens, and so many more-heroes from all walks of life and from all over the world. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Stories from Blue Latitudes: Caribbean Women Writers At Home and Abroad
by Elizabeth Nunez Jennifer SparrowSTORIES FROM BLUE LATITUDES gathers the work of twenty-six major and emerging women fiction writers from the Caribbean. The stories are at once poignant and shocking, and shed light on a part of the world that is too often misrepresented. They deal with the sad legacy of colonialism and the ways in which race, skin color, and class complicate relationships between men and women and between parents and children. In some stories, the sexual exploitation of Caribbean girls and women becomes a metaphor for neocolonial exploitation, a biting rejoinder to enticing travel brochures that depict the Caribbean as a tropical playground for tourists. But whether writing about childhood or adulthood, about life on the islands or life abroad, these extraordinary writers express their concerns, both universal and specific, with a vibrancy that comes from lived experience and a love of a place they will always call home.
Stories in Stone: How Geology Influenced Connecticut History and Culture (Garnet)
by Jelle Zeilinga de BoerIn a series of entertaining essays, geoscientist Jelle Zeilinga de Boer describes how early settlers discovered and exploited Connecticut's natural resources. Their successes as well as failures form the very basis of the state's history: Chatham's gold played a role in the acquisition of its Charter, and Middletown's lead helped the colony gain its freedom during the Revolution. Fertile soils in the Central Valley fueled the state's development into an agricultural power house, and iron ores discovered in the western highlands helped trigger its manufacturing eminence. The Statue of Liberty, a quintessential symbol of America, rests on Connecticut's Stony Creek granite. Geology not only shaped the state's physical landscape, but also provided an economic base and played a cultural role by inspiring folklore, paintings, and poems. Illuminated by 50 illustrations and 12 color plates, Stories in Stone describes the marvel of Connecticut's geologic diversity and also recounts the impact of past climates, earthquakes, and meteorites on the lives of the people who made Connecticut their home.
Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to New York City Area Cemeteries & Their Residents
by Doug KeisterDiscover history and beauty in the graveyards of Gotham: &“Keister has done for cemetery exploration what Audubon did for birding.&”—Sunset Magazine With Stories in Stone: New York, the author presents cemetery buffs with stunning photographs, fascinating text, and easy GPS directions for locating gracious architecture, fabulous artwork, and memorable gravesites of famous and not-so-famous area &“residents&” residing peacefully in its beautiful cemeteries. This fact-filled guide covers Green-Wood (part of &“The Big Four&”), churchyards & resting places in both Manhattan and the outer boroughs, and even the pet cemetery in Hartsdale. This unique take on New York&’s landmarks is a collection of fascinating stories and images, including information on cemetery symbols, funerary architecture, secret societies and clubs, people, and even their dogs.
Stories of Ohio (Belt Revivals)
by William Dean HowellsThis unsung classic of American literature helps shed light on both Ohio and the career of a writer known as the &“Dean of American Letters.&” With a new introduction by Anne Trubek A novelist, critic, and playwright, William Dean Howells was friends with such luminaries as Mark Twain, Henry James, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Though he&’s best known for his East Coast novels like The Rise of Silas Lampham and A Hazard of New Fortunes, Howells never forgot his roots in Ohio. And in Stories of Ohio, he offers a series of short vignettes that chronicle the state&’s history, including: the Native burial grounds of the Serpent Mound the first European settlers on the frontier Ohio&’s role in the War of 1812 the Civil War generals and presidents the state birthed in the late nineteenth century. Though this history primarily focuses on life in Ohio before the nineteenth century, it will help today&’s reader see the state in a brand-new light. &“If these Stories distill into two hundred pages what Ohio was, they also suggest what Ohio could have been if compassion and a desire for intercultural exchange had superseded conquest as a motivating force on the frontier.&” —James Bruggeman at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal
Stories of Practice: Tourism Policy And Planning (New Directions in Tourism Analysis)
by Dianne Dredge John JenkinsAnalyses of contemporary tourism planning and policymaking practice at local to global scales is lacking and there is an urgent need for research that informs theory and practice. Illustrated with a set of cohesive, theoretically-informed, international case studies constructed through storytelling, this volume expands readers' knowledge about how tourism planning and policymaking takes place. Challenging traditional notions of tourism planning and policy processes, this book also provides critical insights into how theoretical concepts and frameworks are applied in tourism planning and policy making practice at different spatial scales. The book engages readers in the intellectual, political, moral and ethical issues that often surround tourism policymaking and planning, highlighting the great value of reflective learning grounded in the social sciences and revealing the complexity of tourism planning and policy.
Stories of the Vikings
by Mary MacGregorOn a summer day nearly twelve hundred years ago, three ships with bright red sails drew near to one of the little ports of the Dorset coast in the south of England. The townsfolk saw the ships, and paying no heed to the bright sails, said carelessly one to another, 'The merchantmen will be in port to-day.' And the harbour-master gathered together a few of his men and hastened to the quay. For he, too, had seen the ships, and, as in duty bound, he went to meet them, to demand from the captains the port taxes which were lawfully due to the king.
Stories of Yellowstone: Adventure Tales from the World's First National Park
by M. Mark MillerCovering the time period from 1807, when John Colter first discovered the wonders of the Yellowstone Plateau to the 1920s when tourists sped between luxury hotels in their automobiles, these tales of Wonderland come from the letters, journals, and diaries kept by early visitors and later tourists. The earliest stories recount mountain men's awe at geysers hurling boiling water hundreds of feet into the air and their encounters with the native inhabitants of the region. The latest stories reflect the "civilizing" of the park and reveal the golden age of tourist travel in the area.
The Stories That Haunt Us: More Terrifying Tales from the Author of Maritime Mysteries
by Bill JessomeLegends and lore from Canada&’s rugged Maritime provinces, shrouded in the mists of the Atlantic Ocean . . . From the host of TV&’s Maritime Mysteries, this book includes forty of the best stories collected from around the Maritimes. Using his journalist&’s skills, Bill Jessome weaves incredible stories that both charm us and chill us. The region including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick has an extensive storytelling tradition and a large part of that lexicon consists of tales of the supernatural. Many of these stories are passed down over the generations, and Jessome has acquired dozens of haunting accounts by listening to Maritimers at the kitchen table, around the flickering campfire, and when the moon is full. Includes illustrations
Storm
by Allen NorenBegun as a grand adventure, Storm tells the story of a trip that quickly became a tumultuous test of endurance. When the Baltic States of the former Soviet Union opened up, Allen and his girlfriend Suzanne were drawn to the prospect of traveling together once again. Setting out on a motorcycle, the two seasoned travelers rode through Germany, Denmark, and Sweden to the Arctic Circle, then on to Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Though they'd been together for seven years, and thought they knew what to expect from an extended road trip, they couldn't foresee the unrelenting natural elements, shifts in once-shared dreams, or fissures in their relationship that lay ahead. Often darkly humorous, Storm reveals a couple's love and the fragility of human connections as it recounts the journey that became a test of both riders' physical and emotional endurance.
Storm Birds
by Einar Karason"This gripping novel is as good at describing the magnificent seascapes and the unforgiving elements as it is at examining the inner lives of the besieged crew, toiling ceaselessly against implacable nature" -Financial Times BOOKS OF THE YEAR"Gripping and Exciting" The Sunday Times BOOKS OF THE YEARIn February 1959, several Icelandic trawlers were caught in a storm off Newfoundland's Grand Banks. What happened there is the inspiration for this novel. Not since The Perfect Storm has there been a book which captures the sheer drama and terror of a crisis at sea. Karason is an exceptional storyteller, an Icelandic Erskine Caldwell or William Faulkner.The side trawler Mafurinn is hit by a major storm just as they prepare to turn for home. Thirty-two men aboard, and a hold full of redfish. The sea is cold enough to kill a man in minutes, and the trawler quickly ices up in the biting frost and violent tempest. The heavy icing weighs down the already fully laden craft, which is pummelled by one breaker after another - and here, out on the open sea, there is no exit route. Distress signals from other ships in the same circumstance and be heard from the fishing grounds around them. It is a battle of life and death.Translated from the Icelandic by Quentin Bates
Storm Birds
by Einar Karason"This gripping novel is as good at describing the magnificent seascapes and the unforgiving elements as it is at examining the inner lives of the besieged crew, toiling ceaselessly against implacable nature" -Financial Times BOOKS OF THE YEAR"Gripping and Exciting" The Sunday Times BOOKS OF THE YEARIn February 1959, several Icelandic trawlers were caught in a storm off Newfoundland's Grand Banks. What happened there is the inspiration for this novel. Not since The Perfect Storm has there been a book which captures the sheer drama and terror of a crisis at sea. Karason is an exceptional storyteller, an Icelandic Erskine Caldwell or William Faulkner.The side trawler Mafurinn is hit by a major storm just as they prepare to turn for home. Thirty-two men aboard, and a hold full of redfish. The sea is cold enough to kill a man in minutes, and the trawler quickly ices up in the biting frost and violent tempest. The heavy icing weighs down the already fully laden craft, which is pummelled by one breaker after another - and here, out on the open sea, there is no exit route. Distress signals from other ships in the same circumstance and be heard from the fishing grounds around them. It is a battle of life and death.Translated from the Icelandic by Quentin Bates
Storming Las Vegas: How a Cuban-Born, Soviet-Trained Commando Took Down the Strip to the Tune of Five World-Class Hotels, Three Armored Cars, and $3 Million
by John Huddy“In my world, you are either the hunter or the prey, and I am the hunter. Vegas was my prey. I tell my crew: Vegas makes it, Vigoa takes it.”–Jose Vigoa[pg. 37]When it comes to violent crime, the Las Vegas cops and casino owners thought they had seen it all. But they had never witnessed anything like Jose Vigoa.Born in Cuba, a child of Fidel Castro’s revolution, Vigoa used his quick wits and quicker fists to trade a life of poverty and desperation for one of danger and adventure as a Soviet-trained special forces officer. Battle hardened in the killing fields of Afghanistan and Angola, Vigoa won a reputation for toughness, bravery, and coolness under fire. A brilliant military career lay ahead of him.Then, in 1980, Castro opened Cuba’s floodgates in the Mariel boatlift, and Vigoa, like so many of his countrymen and -women, braved chaos and hardship to start a new life in America’s promised land. But involvement with the drug trade brought his dreams crashing down. Years of prison followed.On his release, Vigoa was determined to take revenge on what he perceived as the corrupt power structure of Las Vegas. On September 20, 1998, the former Spetsnaz lieutenant launched what would be the most audacious and ruthless series of high-profile casino and armored car robberies that Las Vegas had ever seen. In a brazen sixteen-month-long reign of terror, he and his tightly disciplined crew would hit the crème de la crème of Vegas hotels: the MGM, the Desert Inn, the New York-New York, the Mandalay Bay, and the Bellagio. They struck hard and fast, then vanished without a trace. Millions of dollars were stolen. Two brave men were gunned down in cold blood; others were wounded. And yet the robberies were so well planned and executed that the police–“the stupids,” as Vigoa contemptuously referred to them–were all but helpless.Not Lt. John Alamshaw. The twenty-three-year veteran, in charge of robbery detectives, was not giving up so easily. For him, Vigoa’s rampage was a personal affront. And he would do whatever it took, even risk his badge, to bring Vigao down.With exclusive access to all the major players, including Vigoa and Alamshaw, veteran journalist and network producer John Huddy is the perfect man to tell the gripping never-before-told story of this harrowing true-crime drama that will leave readers breathless.From the Hardcover edition.
Story Land
by Jim MillerWhen sedans and station wagons replaced trains for vacationers heading to New Hampshire's rugged and picturesque White Mountains, new motels and attractions catering to middle-class families sprang up amidst the established grand hotels and diversions for socialites, artists, skiers, and hikers. In 1954, a tiny children's park inspired by a collection of storybook dolls opened in the quiet village of Glen. Through a unique combination of independent innovation and regional cooperation, Story Land has continually grown for more than 50 years through economic and cultural changes that undermined many amusement parks. Parents still travel great distances for a Story Land getaway with their children, just as their own parents did, sharing a common experience that is talked about between multiple generations at family gatherings. This photograph collection illustrates the unlikely beginnings and creative entrepreneurship behind one of New England's most memorable and enduring childhood institutions.
The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor
by Gabriel García Márquez Randolph HoganTranslated by Randolf Hogan. In 1955, Garcia Marquez was working for El Espectador, a newspaper in Bogota, when in February of that year eight crew members of the Caldas, a Colombian destroyer, were washed overboard and disappeared. Ten days later one of them turned up, barely alive, on a deserted beach in northern Colombia. This book, which originally appeared as a series of newspaper articles, is Garcia Marquez's account of that sailor's ordeal.
The Story of Big Bend National Park
by John JamesonA breathtaking country of rugged mountain peaks, uninhabited desert, and spectacular river canyons, Big Bend is one of the United States' most remote national parks and among Texas' most popular tourist attractions. Located in the great bend of the Rio Grande that separates Texas and Mexico, the park comprises some 800,000 acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, and draws over 300,000 visitors each year. The Story of Big Bend National Park offers a comprehensive, highly readable history of the park from before its founding in 1944 up to the present. John Jameson opens with a fascinating look at the mighty efforts involved in persuading Washington officials and local landowners that such a park was needed. He details how money was raised and land acquired, as well as how the park was publicized and developed for visitors. Moving into the present, he discusses such issues as natural resource management, predator protection in the park, and challenges to land, water, and air. Along the way, he paints colorful portraits of many individuals, from area residents to park rangers to Lady Bird Johnson, whose 1966 float trip down the Rio Grande brought the park to national attention. This history will be required reading for all visitors and prospective visitors to Big Bend National Park. For everyone concerned about our national parks, it makes a persuasive case for continued funding and wise stewardship of the parks as they face the twin pressures of skyrocketing attendance and declining budgets.
The Story of Big Bend National Park
by John JamesonThe history of the first national park in Texas—the politics, intrigues, controversies, and the people inspired by the stunning desert environment. A breathtaking country of rugged mountain peaks, uninhabited desert, and spectacular river canyons, Big Bend is one of the United States&’ most remote national parks and among Texas&’ most popular tourist attractions. Located in the great bend of the Rio Grande that separates Texas and Mexico, the park comprises some 800,000 acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, and draws over 300,000 visitors each year. The Story of Big Bend National Park offers a comprehensive, highly readable history of the park from before its founding in 1944 up to the present. John Jameson opens with a fascinating look at the mighty efforts involved in persuading Washington officials and local landowners that such a park was needed. He details how money was raised and land acquired, as well as how the park was publicized and developed for visitors. Moving into the present, he discusses such issues as natural resource management, predator protection in the park, and challenges to land, water, and air. Along the way, he paints colorful portraits of many individuals, from area residents to park rangers to Lady Bird Johnson, whose 1966 float trip down the Rio Grande brought the park to national attention. This history will be required reading for all visitors and prospective visitors to Big Bend National Park. For everyone concerned about our national parks, it makes a persuasive case for continued funding and wise stewardship of the parks as they face the twin pressures of skyrocketing attendance and declining budgets.
The Story of Colchester Zoo
by S. C. KershawColchester Zoo is today one of the finest zoos in Britain. Yet, unlike almost every other major zoo in the country, Colchester Zoo has never had its story told – until now. The forgotten figures of Frank and Helena Farrar are here brought to life once again in these pages which show how they founded firstly Southport Zoo in the 1950s and then Colchester Zoo in the 1960s. Told here is the story of how Frank and Helena’s domestic life with their lions and monkeys prompted them to embark on a series of adventures which took them all over the world. Also told is the story of how Colchester Zoo declined in the 1970s and how the Tropeano family turned it into the internationally respected breeding centre for endangered animals that it is today. This is a tale of struggle and heartbreak but also of transformation and redemption, and is a fitting tribute to one of our great animal institutions as it reaches its fiftieth anniversary.
The Story of Flight
by Jakob WhitfieldA beautifully illustrated history of the iconic flying machines that have helped us soar through the skies. Perfect for child and adult aviation fans alike!The story of flight is a fascinating one: from the earliest balloons and airships to the latest stealth jet, each breakthrough laid the foundation for the next. Trace the extraordinary history of flight in this strikingly illustrated guide, from the Wright Flyer to cutting-edge drones. Along the way, discover how the social upheavals of the past 240 years influenced the flight path: two world wars, equality for women and the fight against climate change. Finally, explore the incredible inventions that await us in the future.Also available in this series on transport is The Story of the Car.
The Story of Scandinavia: From the Vikings to Social Democracy
by Stein RingenIn The Story of Scandinavia, political scholar Stein Ringen chronicles more than 1,200 years of drama, economic rise and fall, crises, kings and queens, war, peace, language and culture. Scandinavian history has been one of dramatic discontinuities of collapse and restarts, from the Viking Age to the Age of Perpetual War to the modern age today. For a thousand years, the Scandinavian countries were kingdoms of repression where monarchs played at the game of being European powers, at the expense of their own populations.The brand we now know as "Scandinavia" is a recent invention. During most of its history, Denmark and Sweden, and to some degree Norway, were bloody enemies. These sentiments of enmity have not been fully settled. Under the surface of collaboration remain undercurrents of hatred, envy, contempt and pity. What does it mean today to be Scandinavian? For the author, whose identity is Scandinavian but his life European, this masterly history is a personal exploration as well as a narrative of compelling scope.
The Story of Scandinavia: From the Vikings to Social Democracy
by Stein RingenIn The Story of Scandinavia, political scholar Stein Ringen chronicles more than 1,200 years of drama, economic rise and fall, crises, kings and queens, war, peace, language and culture. Scandinavian history has been one of dramatic discontinuities of collapse and restarts, from the Viking Age to the Age of Perpetual War to the modern age today. For a thousand years, the Scandinavian countries were kingdoms of repression where monarchs played at the game of being European powers, at the expense of their own populations.The brand we now know as "Scandinavia" is a recent invention. During most of its history, Denmark and Sweden, and to some degree Norway, were bloody enemies. These sentiments of enmity have not been fully settled. Under the surface of collaboration remain undercurrents of hatred, envy, contempt and pity. What does it mean today to be Scandinavian? For the author, whose identity is Scandinavian but his life European, this masterly history is a personal exploration as well as a narrative of compelling scope.
The Story of Spain: The Dramatic History of Europe's Most Fascinating Country (Second Edition)
by Mark R. WilliamsThe book is a popular history of Spain and the Spanish Empire from prehistoric times to the present day. It provides description and analysis of political, social, economic and cultural events over the centuries, which together shaped the history of this distinctive country. The book offers 60 illustrations and maps, including 16 pages of color photographs, as well as lists of historic places to visit at the end of each chapter. There is a dynastic chart, suggested readings, and index.