Other books that might interest you

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  The Search for the Fountain of...

  Leo Cox

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  For centuries, legends have spoken of a magical spring that grants eternal youth. From the stories of Herodotus and Alexander the Great to the famous expedition of Juan Ponce de León, the search for the Fountain of Youth has fascinated adventurers, scientists, and dreamers alike. But was it ever real? 
  This audiobook takes you on a thrilling journey through historical records, myths, and modern discoveries, uncovering the truth behind one of the world’s greatest mysteries. Discover: 
  ✅ The ancient origins of the Fountain of Youth myth 
  ✅ How explorers like Ponce de León and Spanish conquistadors searched for it 
  ✅ The scientific search for anti-aging waters in history 
  ✅ Whether the legend was a cover for something else entirely 
  The Search for the Fountain of Youth – Myth or Reality? is a must-listen for history lovers, mystery seekers, and anyone fascinated by the quest for immortality.

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  Suburbs - A Very Short Introduction

  Carl Abbott

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  We live in the suburban era. Well over half of all Americans and two-thirds of Canadians live in suburbs. Tracts of suburban bungalows ring Sydney and Melbourne. Suburban apartments rise on the outskirts of Paris, Prague, Singapore, and Beijing. Nearly everyone has a strong opinion about suburbs. Folks who love dense cities scorn "suburbia," while people who like big yards dislike bustling sidewalks and subways. Social scientists argue whether suburbs are losing their luster or if a supposed back-to-the-city trend is a mirage—a debate that has been exacerbated by uncertainty over the effects of COVID-19. 
   
   
   
  This Very Short Introduction tackles two central questions: What is the history behind a suburbanizing world? What does the suburban trend mean for society, politics, and culture? Two chapters describe the ways that the new technologies of streetcars, trains, automobiles, and internet have allowed the compact cities of Britain and the United States to grow into sprawling metropolitan regions. The following chapters explore the vertical suburbs of Europe and East Asia, improvised or do-it-yourself suburbs in both North America and Latin America, and suburbs as places of employment. The book concludes by exploring criticism and praise of suburbs in popular sociology, fiction, film, and the Americanization of twenty-first-century suburbs around the globe.

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  A Rare Recording of Film Icon...

  Sharon Tate

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  Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 - August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model who appeared in advertisements and small television and film roles. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic and dramatic acting performances, Tate was hailed as one of Hollywood's most promising newcomers, being compared favorably with the late Marilyn Monroe. Her first major role was as Jennifer North in the 1967 American drama film Valley of the Dolls, which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination. On August 9, 1969, Tate and four others were murdered by members of the Manson Family in the home she shared with Polanski, while he was away. She was eight-and-a-half months pregnant. The following audio clips are from 1966 and 1967.

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  Obsolescence - An Architectural...

  Daniel M. Abramson

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  In our architectural pursuits, we often seem to be in search of something newer, grander, or more efficient—and this phenomenon is not novel. In the spring of 1910 hundreds of workers labored day and night to demolish the Gillender Building in New York, once the loftiest office tower in the world, in order to make way for a taller skyscraper. The New York Times puzzled over those who would sacrifice the thirteen-year-old structure, “as ruthlessly as though it were some ancient shack.” In New York alone, the Gillender joined the original Grand Central Terminal, the Plaza Hotel, the Western Union Building, and the Tower Building on the list of just one generation’s razed metropolitan monuments. In the innovative and wide-ranging Obsolescence, Daniel M. Abramson investigates this notion of architectural expendability and the logic by which buildings lose their value and utility. The idea that the new necessarily outperforms and makes superfluous the old, Abramson argues, helps people come to terms with modernity and capitalism’s fast-paced change. Obsolescence, then, gives an unsettling experience purpose and meaning. Belief in obsolescence, as Abramson shows, also profoundly affects architectural design. In the 1960s, many architects worldwide accepted the inevitability of obsolescence, experimenting with flexible, modular designs, from open-plan schools, offices, labs, and museums to vast megastructural frames and indeterminate building complexes. Some architects went so far as to embrace obsolescence’s liberating promise to cast aside convention and habit, envisioning expendable short-life buildings that embodied human choice and freedom. Others, we learn, were horrified by the implications of this ephemerality and waste, and their resistance eventually set the stage for our turn to sustainability—the conservation rather than disposal of resources. Abramson’s fascinating tour of our idea of obsolescence culminates in an assessment of recent manifestations of sustainability, from adaptive reuse and historic preservation to postmodernism and green design, which all struggle to comprehend and manage the changes that challenge us on all sides.

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  Revolutionaries - The Other...

  Sanjeev Sanyal

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  The history of India's struggle for freedom is usually told from the perspective of the non-violent movement. Yet, the story of armed resistance to colonial occupation is just as important. Names such as Vinayak Savarkar, Aurobindo Ghosh, Rashbehari Bose, Bagha Jatin, Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Subhas Chandra Bose are still widely remembered. Their story is almost always presented as acts of individual heroism and not as part of a wider movement that had any overarching strategy or significant impact on the overall struggle for Independence. In reality, the revolutionaries were part of a large network that sustained armed resistance against the British Empire for half a century. They not only created a wide network inside India but also established nodes in Britain, France, Thailand, Germany, Persia, Russia, Italy, Ireland, the United States, Japan and Singapore. At various points, they received official support and recognition from the governments of some of these countries. Even the internal dynamics of the Indian National Congress of the time cannot be understood without the revolutionaries, who enjoyed widespread support within the organization. This was no small-scale movement of naive individual heroism but one that involved a large number of extraordinary young men and women who were connected in multiple ways to each other and to the evolving events of their times.  
  Revolutionaries tells their story, one that is replete with swashbuckling adventure, intrigue, espionage, incredible bravery, diabolical treachery and shockingly unpredictable twists of fate.  
  Revolutionaries sheds light on the often-overlooked armed resistance to colonial rule in India, featuring the stories of iconic figures such as Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, and Subhas Chandra Bose, and highlighting the significant impact they had on the overall struggle for independence. 
  HarperCollins 2024

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  The Wayfinder - The Life of the...

  Daniel Slack-Smith

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  The Wayfinder tells the story of the life of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding President of the United Arab Emirates, and explores the key relationships, challenges and events that shaped his outlook on the world. 
  Extensively researched, it takes readers behind the scenes into the delicate negotiations that led to the formation of the UAE in 1971, and the gradual consolidation of the union that occurred in the often turbulent decades that followed the country’s founding. It also examines Sheikh Zayed’s responses to several major world events, including the British withdrawal from the Gulf in 1971, the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, the first Gulf War in 1991, the Iraq War in 2003, and the 9/11 terror attacks. 
  The Wayfinder provides new insights into the life and legacy of one of the most transformative yet historically overlooked political leaders of the 20th century, whose words and actions continue to have a lasting influence on the UAE, its leaders and its people.

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