Publisher: Charles River Editors
Florentine Palaces and Their Stories (Illustrated) is a fascinating overview of dozens of palaces in Florence complete with the original illustrations.
This WWII history and visitor’s guide explores the extensive network of Nazi fortifications built to defend Fortress Europe. Hitler's Atlantic Wall, the complex system of coastal fortifications that stretched from Norway to the Spanish border during the Second World War, was built to defend occupied Europe from Allied invasion. Many of its principal structures survive and can be visited today. This authoritative guide provides both practical information for visitors and essential historical context. The wall, which was constructed on a massive scale between 1942 and 1944 by German engineers, forced laborers and troops, consisted of strong points, artillery casemates, bunkers, troop shelters, minefields, anti-tank and anti-boat obstacles. It also included the concrete U-boat and E-boat pens in the key ports and, behind the Channel coast, the V-weapon sites. This huge scheme of fortifications was one of the longest series of defensive lines in military history. This comprehensive volume takes readers and visitors through the entire story of the fortifications from the fall of France to the D-Day invasion on the beaches of Normandy that finally broke through. As a guide to some of the most impressive relics of the Second World War, this book is essential reading for travelers or anyone interested in the liberation of occupied Europe.Show book
Audio Journeys explore Luther Burbank Home and Gardens in Santa Rosa California. It was here that the famous horticulturalist Burbank developed most of his 800 varieties of vegetables, flowers and trees.Show book
“[This] lighthearted visual tour of the City of Lights highlights the various bookstores, libraries, and cafes infused with a rich literary history.” —Fine Books & Collections An essential addition to the library of every booklover and Francophile, this unique love letter to Paris offers an immersive photographic stroll through its literary delights, from historic bookstores to hidden cafes. Paris in Color author Nichole Robertson turns her lens onto spots both legendary and little-known, highlighting quiet moments that every booklover savors—inviting cafe scenes, comfy chairs, enticing book nooks—and the weathered charm of places steeped in centuries of literary history. Quotes by great writers such as Balzac and Colette are interspersed throughout, while a timeline and an index of featured locations round out the volume. This bijou treasure of a book will inspire every creative soul who dreams of following in the footsteps of their literary heroes. Praise for Nichole Robertson’s Paris in Love “A beautiful ode that will leave you pining for Paris.” —Lindsey Tramuta, author of The New Paris “That magic feeling you get when you are falling in love with a person or place—in this case Paris!—is encapsulated in this stunning gem of a book.” —Samantha Hahn, author of Well-Read Women “We’re smitten by Nichole Robertson’s Paris in Love, which celebrates all things Parisian—especially crimson things, from raspberry tarts to scarlet mopeds, rosy begonias and glossy, berry-hued cafe chairs—in glorious photographs.” —San Jose Mercury NewsShow book
Muir was a preservationist and naturalist. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is now one of the most important conservation organizations in the United States. In early March 1867, Muir was injured while working as a sawyer in a factory that made wagon wheels: a tool he was using slipped and struck him in the eye. This accident changed the course of his life. He was confined to a darkened room for six weeks, worried whether he’d ever regain his sight. When he did, "he saw the world-and his purpose-in a new light," writes Marquis. Muir later wrote, "This affliction has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons." From that point on, he determined to "be true to myself" and follow his dream of exploration and study of plants. A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf recounts Muir's walk of about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Indiana to Florida. He had no specific route chosen, except to go by the "wildest, leafiest, and least trodden way I could find." This journal is the earliest of Muir's writings and autobiographically bridges the period between The Story of my Boyhood and Youth and My First Summer in the Sierra. (Summary from Wikipedia and Introduction)Show book
In 1716, Mary Wortley Montagu travelled across Europe to take up residence in Istanbul as the wife of the British ambassador. For two years she lovingly observed the Ottoman society around her with an astonishing lack of prejudice. Her wide-ranging letters – about the life of Turkish women behind the veil, Arabic poetry, contemporary medical practices such as inoculation – remain as fresh as the day they were penned. A self-educated intellectual, a free spirit, a radical and a feminist as well as an aristocrat, she was one of the first modern travel writers, studying and recording the culture around her on its own terms and through its own language.Show book
Audio Journeys from Travel Radio International, Exploration into Destinations around the World. Audio Journalist Patricia Lawrence explores Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park in Petaluma California, the early 19th century Mexican rancho and primitive factory of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. General Vallejo is a prominent figure in California’s Mexican history. A California State Historical Landmark and a National Historic Landmark.Show book
