Language and Litterature

A superb translation of Dante’s classic tale that chronicles the poet’s journey through the nine circles of Hell, a dual-language edition vividly rendered and with an introduction and commentary by National Book Award–winning translator Allen Mandelbaum

The American sailing vessel Adriatic collided with the French steamship Le Lyonnais on November 2, 1856, off the coast of Nantucket in what can best be described as a maritime hit-and-run. Adriatic´s captain, Jonathan Durham, rendered no aid and left the passenger steamship to fend for herself. 114 people died in the collision and in the days that followed. Durham did not count on a hero, French

In summer 2023, Chester County, Pennsylvania, was shaken by the daring escape of convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante. Using a "crab-walking" method, Cavalcante scaled a prison wall, sparking a gripping two-week manhunt. He traversed forests, farmlands, and neighborhoods, evading law enforcement and causing schools to close, businesses to shutter, and streets to empty. The pursuit showcased his

George Lowther was a mutineer and a pirate, one of the most prolific during the golden age of piracy. His first mate, Edward "Ned" Low, went on to establish himself as perhaps the most sadistic and depraved of all pirate captains. Virtually all popular sources specify Lowther's death being by suicide in 1723, while marooned on the small island of Blanquilla, off the coast of Venezuela. While res

Sweetly soulful and creatively multifaceted, Richard Manuel of the Band left an indelible mark on rock history. From pivotal moments like Bob Dylan´s controversial move to electric music to Woodstock and the Last Waltz, Manuel´s journey unfolds in this first-ever biography. Through insightful analysis and interviews, his troubled yet inspired spirit is contextualized within music history. From h

The West Point Cemetery is one of the most beautiful military cemeteries in the world. It is also the resting place of more Medal of Honor recipients per acre than any place in the United States. Author Robert Holcomb was born on the grounds of the US Military Academy at West Point, graduated from the academy, and served in the US Army for 20 years. His parents are buried at the West Point Cemete

From 1940 to 1955, American society and culture underwent dramatic changes, including the introduction of the Comics Code in October 1954, which heavily impacted comic books. The Code aimed to moderate comic content in response to public opinion, including such topics as juvenile delinquency, wartime sentiment, teenage sex, drugs, violent crime, and more. While compliance was technically voluntary

Vintage Country is the first illustrated book to explore the rural and urban roots of country music, tracing its evolution from early recordings and radio days to its 1940s–1950s rise, before Nashville´s dominance. Written by renowned historian Tony Russell, it profiles over 100 key artists and bands, including Jimmie Rodgers, Doc Boggs, Taylor´s Kentucky Boys, Red Foley, DeZurik Sisters, Ca

The number 15 plane on the Doolittle Raid carried a flight surgeon, Dr. Thomas Robert White, MD (1909–92). White was a graduate of Harvard Medical School and recipient of both the Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross. During the war, White authored a 40,000-word account of the mission. He vividly described the bombing and subsequent escape and evasion through occupied China. This incl

Featuring foreword by Laurie Cabot, “Official Witch of Salem” Alexander Cabot´s remarkable story begins in Communist Cuba and takeshim to New York, Salem, Britain, Brazil, and beyond, engaging with amiasma of spiritual and magical systems and a fascinating cast ofinfluential practitioners along the way. Through Cabot´s firsthand accounts, Memoirs of a High Priestoffers an incredible insider´s l

On the University of Virginia campus, one can find a winged, 12-foot-tall bronze statue titled The Aviator. Curiously, The Aviator is a memorial to a UVA dropout, James Rogers McConnell. McConnell was a fighter pilot in the famous squadron of American volunteers who fought for the French prior to US entry into World War I, the Lafayette Escadrille. Prior to joining the escadrille, McConnell serv

The Sunday Times bestseller following the inspiring story of life as a shepherdess, by the star of More4's Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive & the Kids and Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm. Amanda Owen has been seen by millions on ITV's The Dales and Channel 5's Our Yorkshire Farm, living a life that has almost gone in today's modern world, a life ruled by the seasons and her animals. She is a fa

'It's hard to think of a better living practitioner of hilarious honesty than David Sedaris' The Times 'David Sedaris is funny - invariably. That's his gift' Los Angeles Times Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask-or not-was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoo

The harrowing, moving and poignant account of one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz: a girl who was only five years old when she was sent to an extermination camp.

No Crying in Baseball is a rollicking, revelatory deep dive into a one-of-a-kind film. Before A League of Their Own, few American girls could imagine themselves playing professional ball (and doing it better than the boys). But Penny Marshall's genre outlier became an instant classic and significant aha moment for countless young women who saw that throwing like a girl was far from an insult. P

Well-known disability activist and social media influencer, Melissa Blake, offers a frank, illuminating memoir and a call to action for disabled people and allies. In the summer of 2019, journalist Melissa Blake penned an op-ed for CNN Opinion. A conservative pundit caught wind of it, mentioning Blake's work in a YouTube video. What happened next is equal parts a searing view into society, how

From calls to arms to demands for peace, and from cries of freedom to words of inspiration, this stirring anthology captures the voices of prophets and politicians, rebels and tyrants, soldiers and statesman, placing them in historical context. With over a million copies already sold, this completely revised and updated pocket edition includes speeches by those that have truly shaped the modern

Thomas Sowell has an almost godlike status amongst conservative intellectuals. "It's a scandal that economist Sowell has not been awarded the Nobel Prize," wrote a reviewer in Forbes. A profile in the Wall Street Journal described him as "one of America's great sages." His writing on politics, economics, and social issues have prompted both contempt and praise. In Maverick, Jason Riley explores

Few in history can match the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette. Over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic. He was a soldier, statesman, idealist, philanthropist, and abolitionist. As a teenager, Lafayette ran away from France to join the American Revolution. Returning home a national hero, he helped lau

Award-winning cycling author's look at the men and psychology of the mountain climber.