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  Brilliance and Fire - A...

  Rachelle Bergstein

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  "A diamond is forever." Who among us doesn't recognize this slogan and, with it, the fascination that diamonds hold in our collective imagination as emblems of royalty, glamor, and eternal love? Rachelle Bergstein's cultural biography illuminates the enticing, often surprising story of our society's enduring obsession with diamonds-and the people who have worked tirelessly to ensure their continued allure. Whether in the gilded ballrooms of New York City at the end of the nineteenth century or on the red carpets of today, diamonds have retained their coveted status throughout history. Along the way, they have also become our culture's abiding symbol of true love and marriage (with more than a little help from an advertising agency, hired to accomplish just that).From the South African mines where most diamonds have been sourced since the late 1890s to the companies that have fought to monopolize them; from the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Kanye West, who have dazzled in them, to the people behind the scenes who have carefully crafted our understanding of their value-Brilliance and Fire offers a glittering history of the world's most coveted gemstone and its greatest champions and most colorful enthusiasts.

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  Christmas Carol Collection 2012

  Various Various

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  LibriVox volunteers bring you this year's selection of 23 sacred and secular carols, hymns and Christmas songs, in English, French, German, Japanese and Latin.

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  Tricking Power into Performing...

  Shepherd Siegel

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  Tricking Power into Performing Acts of Lovetells the history of tricksters who challenged the boundaries of doctrine to light the way to a more peaceful and playful society.

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  Gondola

  Donna Leon

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  The international bestselling author delivers “a delightful look at the gondola as cultural icon, marvel of construction and object of romance and mystery” (Judith Malafronte, Opera News). 
   
  Of all the trademarks of Venice—and there are many, from the gilded Basilica of San Marco to the melancholy Bridge of Sighs—none is more ubiquitous than the gondola. In Gondola, the acclaimed “American with the Venetian heart,” tells the fascinating story of this famous boat, complete with gorgeous full-color illustrations (The Washington Post). 
   
  First used in medieval Venice as a deftly maneuverable getaway boat, the gondola evolved over the centuries into a floating pleasure palace, bedecked in silk, that facilitated the romantic escapades of the Venetian elite. Sumptuary laws turned it black—a gleaming, elegant hue for a boat manned by robust gondolieri in their iconic black-and-white-striped shirts and straw hats. 
   
  Each boat is carefully fashioned in a maestro’s workshop—though Leon also recounts a tale of an American friend who attempted to make a gondola all on his own. Once its arched prow pushes off from the dock, the single Venetian at its oar just might break out in a barcarole, the popular songs sung by gondolieri.  
   
  Please note this ebook edition does not include audio recordings.

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  All-Girls Education from Ward...

  Mary Ellen Pethel

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  The history behind one of the oldest all-girls prep schools in the South.   During the final days of the Civil War, Dr. William Ward and his wife, Eliza Ward, envisioned a school for young women in Nashville that would evolve into one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions. As the New South dawned, Ward Seminary opened its doors in September 1865.   Merging with Belmont College for Young Women in 1913, Ward-Belmont operated as a college preparatory school, music conservatory, and junior college. In 1951, the high school division moved farther west, reopening as the Harpeth Hall School after Ward-Belmont’s sudden closure. Ward Seminary, Belmont College, Ward-Belmont, and Harpeth Hall are simply separate chapters of one continuous story—providing a lens through which to understand the evolution of all-girls education in the United States.

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  We Love Chinatown

  Singapore Urban Sketchers

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  Established by the colonial government, southwest of the Singapore River, to cater to Singapore’s Chinese-majority immigrant population, Chinatown is today a bustling destination, much like its counterparts around the world. Designated a conservation area by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in 1989, the neighbourhood is still referred to as “Niu Che Shui”—literally “ox-cart water”, a reference to how the area received its water supply—by some. The pre-war shophouses that once housed coolies, opium dens and letter-writers are now occupied by a mix of old and new: restaurants, souvenir shops, spas, bars and boutiques. The food stalls on Smith Street pay homage to hawkers of the past, and early malls like People’s Park Complex have gone new age with rooftop gardens. Reflecting Singapore’s multi-ethnic nature, Chinatown also interestingly houses the country’s oldest Hindu temple, and the prominent Jamae Mosque. We Love Chinatown offers a glimpse into this vibrant neighbourhood, as seen through the eyes of the talented artists from Urban Sketchers Singapore.

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