Otros libros que te pueden interesar

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  The Mysterious Romance of Murder...

  David Lehman

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  Why do we keep returning to Agatha Christie's ingenious puzzles and Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled murder mysteries? What do spy thrillers teach us, and what accounts for the renewed popularity of morally ambiguous noirs? In The Mysterious Romance of Murder, the poet and critic David Lehman explores a wide variety of outstanding books and movies—some famous (The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity), some known mainly to aficionados—with style, wit, and passion. 
   
   
   
  Lehman revisits the smoke-filled jazz clubs from the classic noir films of the 1940s, the iconic set pieces that defined Hitchcock's America, the interwar intrigue of Eric Ambler's best fictions, and the intensity of attraction between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer, Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. He also considers the evocative elements of noir—cigarettes, cocktails, wisecracks, and jazz standards—and offers five original noir poems (including a pantoum inspired by the 1944 film Laura) and ironic astrological profiles of Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, and Graham Greene. Written by a connoisseur with an uncanny feel for the language and mood of mystery, espionage, and noir, The Mysterious Romance of Murder will delight fans of the genre and newcomers alike.

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  Escape of the Amethyst

  C.E. Lucas Phillips

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  The astounding true story of the ordeal and escape of the British frigate Amethyst from Chinese Communist batteries in the Yangtze River in April 1949. 
   
   
   
  In the early morning of 20th April 1949, HMS Amethyst was fulfilling orders to travel to Nanking to stand guard for the British Embassy during the height of the Chinese Civil War when she was fired upon by guns from the riverbank. 
   
   
   
  Shells pounded into the ship, killing the commanding officer and destroyed the bridge before the ship grounded on the bank. 
   
   
   
  How did the Amethyst escape the battering of Chinese Communist guns? 
   
   
   
  C. E. Lucas Phillips's Escape of the Amethyst was written with the full assistance of Commander J. S. Kerans, DSO RN, who took over control of the Amethyst, and utilizes a wealth of Admiralty records, much of which was previously classified as Secret, to provide a vivid account of this extraordinary moment in the history of the Royal Navy.

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  Ancient Egyptian Astronomy and...

  Charles River Editors

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  Among the most intriguing aspects of ancient Egyptian culture is the relationship between their observations of the heavens and their beliefs about life, death, and cosmic order. While modern Egyptologists debate whether the Egyptians practiced astrology in the sense familiar to people today, it is universally acknowledged that they maintained a profound “Star Religion” from very early times. The term “Star Religion” encompasses a reverence for celestial phenomena, especially the stars, and their integration into religious ritual, calendar systems, and mythology. However, whether this system extended to linking human birth and life with celestial positions remains contentious. 
  	Some independent researchers, such as John Anthony West, an American Egyptologist and writer, argue that the Egyptians did indeed incorporate astrology as part of their sacred science. West contends that astronomical observations were closely connected to the timing of human life and the divine order, implying that celestial patterns influenced both earthly events and the lives of individuals. Traditional Egyptologists, however, caution against projecting later astrological practices backward into the prehistoric or early dynastic periods of Egypt, emphasizing that surviving textual evidence primarily reflects religious and ritualistic use of celestial phenomena rather than predictive or personal astrology. 
  Regardless of how they’re analyzed, from the earliest periods of their civilization, the Egyptians observed the night sky with remarkable attention to detail. Astronomical phenomena were integrated into their ritual calendar, architecture, and mythological narratives, and the brightest star visible from Earth, Sirius (known in ancient Egypt as Spdt), is mentioned as early as 2300 BCE in the Pyramid Texts, although it was undoubtedly observed much earlier.

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  Circumcision - How an Ancient...

  Kenneth S. Lipman

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  Winner of the Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Award Gold Medal for health and medicine 
  Winner of the Firebird Book Award for medical nonfiction 
  Nominated for the prestigious Montaigne Medal science award 
  Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize 
  Finalist for the First Horizon Award 
  Every year, millions of baby boys are circumcised, either for purported health benefits, or for religious reasons. This book provides a comprehensive and clear explanation of the risks and rewards of that practice, which has significant effects on sexuality, psychology, and overall health. 
  Drawing on 869 research references and firsthand accounts, Dr. Lipman sheds light on the disparity between traditional views and contemporary medical perspectives. 
  Whether you're a parent contemplating the procedure for your child or an academic in search of an in-depth analysis, Circumcision provides a balanced and factual perspective on this widely performed yet increasingly debated surgery. 
  In this groundbreaking, meticulously rendered book, you will learn: 
  • Why circumcision does not improve a baby's health 
  • Why circumcision does not reduce the incidence of AIDS or urinary tract infections, as is often claimed 
  • The deep financial incentives behind the six billion-dollar circumcision industry 
  • That the pain of circumcision is equivalent to torture, and why anesthesia is rarely used 
  • Circumcision's significant physical and mental health risks, including death 
  • Why both men and women enjoy sex more if the man is uncircumcised 
  • That adherents to Judaism or Islam may not be required to ritually circumcise their child, as is often thought 
  • The history of circumcision 
  • The ethics and legality of circumcision 
  • Why America is the only country in the world with a high rate of medical circumcision

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  Quetzalcoatl - The Mesoamerican...

  Kelly Mass

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  It’s a hard name to pronounce, but hey, it’s been the legend of Native American peoples for centuries. 
  Was it a man? Was it a god? Was it a white person? Or was it some animal or strange thing? 
  Quetzalcoatl is an Aztec divine being whose name originates from the Nahuatl language and meaning "valuable snake" or "Quetzal-feathered Snake." 
  "Quetzalcoatl, in its actual sense, means'snake of valuable plumes,' but in the allegorical sense, 'best of men,'" said Ixtlilxóchitl, a descendant of Aztec royalty and history expert of the Nahua people, in the 17th century. 
  Quetzalcoatl was related to gods of the wind, the world Venus, the early morning, merchants, and arts, crafts, and knowledge amongst the Aztecs, whose beliefs are the best recorded in historic sources. 
  He was also the Aztec priesthood's client god, and also the god of research study and knowledge. 
  In addition to the gods Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca, and Huitzilopochtli, Quetzalcoatl was just one of the most considerable gods in the Aztec temple. Quetzalcoatl's ally Tlaloc (the divine being of rain) and Quetzalcoatl's twin and psychopomp, Xolotl, the dog-headed soul-guide for the dead, are 2 other gods represented by the world Venus. 
  Apart from that, many people in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are convinced that Quetzalcoatl was the name for Jesus, who, according to their record, the Book of Mormon, came to the American continent. 
  In this brief book, we will discuss all those convictions, myths, and background stories, so you can be informed and make up your own mind.

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  Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard...

  Charles River Editors

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  Laying next to the tomb effigy of King Henry II of England in France's Fontevraud Abbey is a curious coffin chiseled in the shape of a young woman in repose. The once vibrant paint on the effigy is flaking, and several areas of the centuries-old tombs are chipped, but her general features are still somewhat recognizable. The beautiful, crowned queen, depicted with a soft smile on her face, was dressed in a simple, but elegant gown in white and blue, and an open book in her arms. The effigy is for none other than Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. 
  	Over the years, this mysterious 12th century figure has been portrayed in countless ways, from a valiant warrior queen and resourceful politician to a control-obsessed and manipulative siren whose only objective in life was power. What is clear is that during her long life, Eleanor she played an outsized role in both French and English history, and she also had an impact on the course of the Crusades, not just with her first husband, France’s King Louis VII, but also through her offspring with her second husband, Henry II.  
  	The enduring figure of the Middle Ages is the chivalrous knight who served as a hero across much of Europe, and nobody played a more defining role in casting the popular image of medieval knights than Eleanor’s son Richard the Lionheart, one of the most famous English kings and crusaders. In many respects, it was ironic that Richard became one of the central characters of the Middle Ages, and his very popular legacy today belies centuries of controversy. Richard I Plantagenet, better known by his nickname “Coeur de Lion” (Lionheart), eventually became King of England, Grand Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Poitou, and Duke of Anjou, but as the third son in a large family, he did not expect to or even want to rule England. Nevertheless, it was he who eventually came to the throne upon his father's death, assisted in great measure by his statesmanlike mother Eleanor.

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