Posts tagged ‘history’
Eggs-traordinary Chicken Gift Book, Now 67 Percent Off
Weekly Book Special: September 14th-September 20th
September is National Chicken Month. To commemorate, this week’s book special is:
Complete Chicken:
An Entertaining History of Chickens
by Pam Percy, Hardcover, 144 pages, 2002, ISBN: 0896585573
List Price: $30.00, Lowest Amazon.com Price: $29.99, OUR PRICE: $9.95
The book provides a colorful, egg-straordinarily entertaining account of chicken history; breeds; the world of chicken collectibles; and the chicken’s role in art, pop culture, myth, legend, religion, and folklore.
You’ll also find a wide selection of words and phrases inspired by chicks, technical poultry terms, instructions on how to say “cock-a-doodle-doo” in different languages, as well as other trivia.
The lighthearted yet informative text is complemented by photos of different breeds, images of chickens in ads, and photos of chicken collectibles (also known as “chickenalia”).
Our favorite section is on chickens in advertising (click to enlarge):
“The author, an avowed chicken afficionado, presents the lowly chicken in a brand new light in this entertaining book,” writes John Trapp, a retired wildlife biologist, on his Birds Etcetera blog. “I found this book to be highly readable, visually appealing, entertaining, and educational. What more could you want in a book?”
This book is discounted only through September 20th. Purchase it for $9.95 (list price $30.00):
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In addition, let your loved one, relative or friend choose a unique gift from our extensive selection of nearly 40,000 hard-to-find books and prints. Give a gift certificate in any amount. |  |
Weekly Book Special: Ultimate Coffee Guide, Now 30 Percent Off
Weekly Book Special: August 24th-August 30th
This is the last week for our hardworking research intern Laura, who, as a globetrotting coffee connoisseur, chose this week’s book special:
Coffee:
Follow a Bean from Tree to Cup
and Learn the Art of Preparing Good Coffee
by Philippe Boe, Paperback, 125 pages
List Price: $14.00, OUR PRICE: $9.95
This concise book tells you everything about coffee: its journey from its native Ethiopia to the 17th-century coffee houses of Europe; facts, figures and quotes to whet your appetite; how coffee is manufactured, the perfect cup, storage and utensils; coffee’s effects on the body; and recipes for coffee and for dishes using coffee.
You will also learn about the 73 species of coffee tree, only two of which are cultivated — arabica and canephora; coffee and the economies of the developing world; how to appreciate coffee like wine; and useful web sites addresses.
Beautiful color images show coffee drinkers around the world, from Italy to Vienna and Colombia to Colorado. Translated from the French edition.
Laura’s favorite section is “Coffee Around the World” (click to enlarge):
“I like this book because it has a wide range of recipes, photos and fun facts — it’s more than just a cookbook,” Laura says. “I just spent the semester in Florence, and you have to know the proper coffee to drink during the day. This book has those kinds of details, and more.”
This book is discounted only through August 30th. Purchase it for $9.95 (list price $14.00):
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In addition, let your loved one, relative or friend choose a unique gift from our extensive selection of nearly 40,000 hard-to-find books and prints. Give a gift certificate in any amount. | |
Award-Winning Indian Cookbook: Emperor’s Table, The Art of Mughal Cuisine by Salma Husain
Weekly Book Special: August 18th-August 24th
India celebrated its Independence Day on August 15th. Learn more about the country’s rich food history with this week’s book special:
Emperor’s Table: The Art of Mughal Cuisine
Written by Salma Husain, Illustrated by Pavan K. Varma
(Hardcover, 2008, 144 pages)
List Price: $27.00, OUR PRICE: $5.95
For The Mughals transformed India’s cooking by intermingling Middle Eastern cuisine with Indian spices and ingredients to produce some of the most exquisite Mughlai food.
This book not only traces the history of the Mughal emperors through their fondness for food and contribution to the growth of recipes, but is an engaging read on the role of each ruler’s personal likes and dislikes as well as how this has shaped the course of food habits in India.
Offers a mouth-watering selection of dishes ranging from soups and breads to exotic meat dishes. Showcases the splendor of the Mughal table through full-color miniature paintings. The recipes were selected from the original Persian manuscripts and books. They are easy to follow, but are modified for modern times.
Deepika, our Indian-American intern, says her favorite recipe is for Orange Flavoured Chicken Pulao (click to enlarge: illustration / recipe):
This book won Gourmand’s 2008 World Cookbook Award for "Best Culinary History."
Writes Time Out Mumbai: "Her study of food from the Mughal era puts recipes second and the people who loved them first." Author Salma Husain, who spent six years on the cookbook, told the magazine, "I didn’t want to do just a collection of recipes. This book shows the journey of Mughal food in India.”
This book is discounted only through August 24th. Purchase it for $5.95 (list price $27.00):
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In addition, let your loved one, relative or friend choose a unique gift from our extensive selection of nearly 40,000 hard-to-find books and prints. Give a gift certificate in any amount. | |
Complete Kwanzaa: Celebrating Our Cultural Harvest
Complete Kwanzaa:
Celebrating Our Cultural Harvest
by Dorothy Winbush Riley
(Hardcover, 387 pages, 1995, ISBN: 0785816976, $23.00)
Celebrated between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1, Kwanzaa is a joyous and meaningful holiday that gives African American an opportunity to reunite with family and friends and to pay tribute to their rich cultural heritage.
Here is a comprehensive guide that explains the traditional ceremonies, foods, and history of Kwanzaa. Offers an introduction to the cultural foundations of Kwanzaa, practical tips on how to tailor celebrations to individual circumstances, and directions on how to hold a Karamu feast, as well as recipes.
Also includes an explanation of the seven principles of Kwanzaas. Includes: the philosophy behind each principle; profiles of successful African American who represent the principles of Kwanzaa; inspirational quotations and proverbs; and folktales new and old. Illustrations.
“In this work, which is helpful in understanding the custom, Riley has illuminated each Kwanzaa principle with chapters replete with poetry, life stories of noted personalities who have benefited from using that particular system, quotations, folktales, and proverbs,” writes Ann Burns in a review for Library Journal. “A good source, especially for young adult collections.”
History of the Portrait Collection, Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia (American Philosophical Society)
History of the Portrait Collection,
Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia
by Doris Devine Fanelli and Karie Diethorn (American Philosophical Society)
(Paperback, 360 pages, 2001, ISBN: 0871692422, $65.00)
The American Philosophical Society in conjunction with the Independence National Historical Park announces the publication of the first catalog of the portraits in the National Park collection.
Read the 
of this book before you purchase it.
These portraits, most of which are exhibited in the Second Bank of the United States, consist of 255 works, 109 of them by Charles Willson Peale. Many are likenesses of heroes of the American Revolution and Founding Fathers of American government, statesmen, jurists, men of science, arts and letters. The collection was enhanced by the addition of the works of notable 18th and 19th Anglo-American artists.
The book is divided into two sections: a history of the collection dividing it chapters covering works pre-1950, 1850-1900 and 1900-1951, and a catalog. Each catalog entry is enhanced with either a black and white or four-color reproduction and contains a physical description of the portrait, a brief biography of the subject, the circumstance of the portrait’s commission and its provenance.
Book Special: The Three Roosevelts: Patrician Leaders Who Transformed America, Now 60 Percent Off
The Three Roosevelts:
Patrician Leaders Who Transformed America
by James MacGregor Burns and Susan Dunn
Paperback, 678 pages, 2001, ISBN: 08711317801
List Price: $37,00, OUR PRICE: $15.00
In war and in peace, the 20th century was the Roosevelt century. From Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal and battles with the plutocrats of the Gilded Age, to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and wartime leadership, to Eleanor Roosevelt’s pivotal work on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and vital role in the Civil Rights movement, their crusades dramatically reshaped the political and moral landscape of our nation.
Read the of this book before you purchase it.
Illuminates the intertwining lives of these leaders who became America’s most powerful advocates for social and economic justice. Explores how Theodore’s example of dynamic leadership would inspire the careers of his distant cousin Franklin and his niece Eleanor. A gripping narrative of three of America’s greatest leaders. Photos.
“In this eloquent book, noted political scientist and biographer Burns demonstrates the masterly use of political psychology to understand both the power of leaders and the dynamic between leaders and followers,” writes Louisiana State University Prof. William D. Pederson in a review for Library Journal.
“Co-written with Dunn, this comparative case study of the Roosevelt political triumvirate applies Burns’s leadership theory to Theodore and Franklin; an extension of his theory is also applied to Eleanor, the unelected member of the trio who was a national and world leader nonetheless.
“Skillfully woven throughout is the influence Abraham Lincoln had on the trio — a thread that gives this work cohesiveness and additional depth. A significant psychological element shared by all three was that they were members of society’s upper crust who came to identify with those given society’s crumbs.”
Story of Thanksgiving, by Robert Bartlett and Sally Comport
Story of Thanksgiving
by Robert Merrill Bartlett and Sally Wern Comport
(Hardcover, 51 pages, 2001, ISBN: 0060287780, $15.00)
Turkey and cranberry sauce. Pumpkin pie. Family and friends around the table. That’s what Thanksgiving means to us today. But has it always been this way?
In 1621 the English Pilgrims and the Native American Wampanoags gathered together for a feast. But do you know what they ate and what games they played? And do you know how George Washington and Abraham Lincoln helped make Thanksgiving into the holiday that we know today?
Read the of this book before you purchase it.
From ancient Greece to medieval England to colonial America, people all over the world have celebrated their good fortune at harvest time. Find out how their traditions have contributed to our modern Thanksgiving. And try your hand at making some delicious pumpkin muffins for your Thanksgiving table! Color illustrations.
Late author Robert Merrill Bartlett lived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in a house built in 1660 by his ancestor Pilgrim Robert Bartlett. Ten generations of Barletts have lived in this historic house by the sea.
Dr. Bartlett was a Congregational minister, a teacher, and an author of over 25 books in the field of biography, religion, and history, including “The Pilgrim Way” and “The Faith of the Pilgrims.” He enjoyed sharing the story in this book with his children and grandchildren at Thanksgiving dinners in his Pilgrim house.
“First published in 1965, and reissued now with new illustrations, this is very much the traditional settlers’ view of the Thanksgiving holiday,” writes Booklist in a review. “The late author was a descendant of the original pilgrims and lived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in a house built in 1660 by his ancestors. “No one was living in Plymouth, then,” he says.
“[Bartlett] connects the holiday with harvest festivals in Europe, tells of the Puritans who fled religious persecution, and describes the party, which started with the pilgrims and their Wampanoag friends coming together. Comport’s pictures in warm fall colors are energetic and festive, and the book ends with a recipe for pumpkin muffins and the music for ‘Over the River and Through the Woods.'”
Weekly Book Special: Elvis Treasures, Biography by Robert Gordon (ISBN: 0375506268)
Weekly Book Special: August 10th-August 16th
This week marks Elvis Week, an annual, gathering of friends and fans from around the world celebrating Elvis’ life and career. Get an all-access pass to his life with this week’s book special:
The Elvis Treasures
by Robert Gordon (Hardcover with slipcase and in original shrinkwrap, 2002, 64 pages)
List Price: $50.00, OUR PRICE: $14.95
For Elvis fans everywhere, Graceland has opened the doors to its extensive archives, allowing the historic documents and memorabilia within to be reproduced in facsimile, collectible form.
With the expert help of archivists from Elvis Presley Enterprises, the King’s life story is told through hundreds of never-before-published handwritten letters, press releases, movie scripts, memorabilia and photographs.
These historic documents, combined with the evocative text of author Robert Gordon, create a moving portrait of the legendary performer in this one-of-a-kind collector’s book.
Includes “Elvis Speaks,” an exclusive 60-minute Audio CD of candid conversations with the King of Rock ‘n Roll. Praised by Joe Esposito and Sam Phillips.
Our favorite section is on his “Aloha from Hawaii” charity concert (click to enlarge):
About.com ranks this among their Top 10 Elvis Books. This book has “plenty to offer and intrigue any Elvis fan,” writes official Elvin fan club Elvis Information Network. “The removable artifacts are compelling and make fascinating viewing as they bring you much closer to the spirit and life of The King. This is a release you will appreciate in your Elvis library and one you will revisit time and time again.”
This book is discounted only through August 16th. Purchase it for $14.95 (list price $50.00):
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In addition, let your loved one, relative or friend choose a unique gift from our extensive selection of nearly 40,000 hard-to-find books and prints. Give a gift certificate in any amount. | |
New Government Report: Bank Mergers and Banking Structure in the United States, 1980-98
Bank Mergers and Banking Structure in the United States, 1980-98
by Stephen A. Rhoades
Paperback, 33 pages, 2000, $25.00
ISBN: 9781437933659
After 1980, the U.S. banking industry experienced a sustained and unprecedented level of merger activity that has substantially affected banking structure.
From 1980 through 1998, there were approximately 8,000 mergers, involving about $2.4 trillion in acquired assets. From 1990 to 1999 several mergers occurred that, at the time of occurrence, were the largest bank mergers in U.S. history.
This report describes various facets of bank merger activity and some of the changes in U.S. banking structure that occurred from 1980 through 1998. A primary force underlying the sustained merger movement in banking since 1980 was the gradual removal of state and federal restrictions on geographic expansion in banking. Charts and tables.
Patriot Improvers Vol. 1-3, Members of the American Philosophical Society (APS), by Whitfield Bell
Patriot Improvers Vol. 1-3, Members of the American Philosophical Society (APS), by Whitfield Bell
When Benjamin Franklin adopted John Bartram’s 1739 idea of bringing together the “virtuosi” of the colonies to promote inquiries into “natural secrets, arts and syances,” the result was, in 1743, the founding of the American Philosophical Society (APS).
Read more about Dr. Whitfield Bell’s definitive three-volume set of biographical sketches of early APS Members, many of whom were important historical figures in colonial Philadelphia.
The three-volume set is a worthy testament to a much loved member of the APS and a handsome addition to bookshelves.
Patriot-Improvers: Members of the American Philosophical Society, Volume One: 1743-1768
(Memoir 226)
(Hardcover, 531 pages, 1997, $40.00)
Includes biographies of the Society’s best known members such as Franklin, David Rittenhouse, John Bartram, Benjamin Rush, John Dickinson, Thomas Hopkinson and lesser known merchants, artisans, farmers, physicians, lawyers and clergymen with familiar surnames such as Biddle, Colden and Morris. Illustrations. Read more >>
Patriot-Improvers: Members of the American Philosophical Society, Volume Two: 1768 (Memoir 227)
(Hardcover, 425 pages, 1999, $40.00)
This is the 2nd of 3 volumes of sketches that represent, “the first systematic attempt to collect and preserve data on the lives of [the Society’s first] members” and add much to our knowledge of the history and culture of 18th-century America. Contents: Sketches of Members inducted from 8 April-20 Dec. 1768; History of the Medical Society 1766-1768 and Sketches of Members; and Portraits of 31 Members. Read more >>
Patriot-Improvers: Biographical Sketches of Members of the American Philosophical Society: Volume Three: 1767-1768: Memoirs, APS (vol. 228)
(Hardcover, 696 pages, 2010, $60.00)
The long-anticipated third volume of Patriot-Improvers brings to an end the important work of Dr. Whit Bell, who started in 1997 to put together “biographical sketches of members of the American Philosophical Society elected between 1743, when Franklin proposed it, and 1769, when it was established on its present foundation by the union of several earlier institutions.” Work on this third volume was completed by APS Librarian Charles Greifenstein after the death of Dr. Bell in early 2009. Read more >>
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