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  Strange Legends of Sanskrit...

  HENRY ROMANO

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  The Vedic and Sanskrit periods are different in matter, spirit, and form from the earlier periods. Sanskrit literature, which is abundant and well developed, is profane; Vedic literature is primarily religious. However, the Upanishads also contain a moralizing spirit despite their speculative tendencies. 
  The Hindu Vedas are filled with gods’ stories, powers, and epic battles supposedly fought thousands of years ago. Sagas are mythological stories intended to be taken as allegories to learn valuable lessons for life. Hindu myths tell of noble gods fighting evil forces, flying Vimanas machines, and battles with powerful weapons. Can we be sure these are just metaphors? 
  Vimana means “having been measured out” or “traveling,” and they were machines that the gods piloted. This flying craft came in various shapes and sizes and could travel a wide range of speeds and distances, like the chariots found in biblical texts. According to Hindu Sanskrit texts, the Vimana aircraft are flying machines of various degrees of sophistication. 
  In comparison with the Vedic age, religion now prevails significantly differently. Several gods are worshipped in the new period, including Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Most of the prominent deities of the Veda have become secondary deities, although Indra still holds a prominent position as the chief of a warrior’s heaven. As well as the serpent deities and several classes of demigods and demons, some new gods of lesser ranks have also developed, such as Kubera, goddess of wealth; Ganesh, goddess of learning; Karttikeya, god of war; Shri or Lakshmi, goddess of beauty and fortune; and Durga or Parvati, the terrible spouse of Shiva.

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  The Apprentice of Buchenwald -...

  Oren Schneider

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  Alexander Rosenberg was a smart and curious teenager who spoke many languages, collected stamps, played the violin, and lived a pampered life with his affluent parents in a tranquil Czechoslovakian town. The rise of fascism and Nazi Germany causes his protected existence to collapse, alongside the illusion of secular Jewish assimilation in 1930s Europe. 
   
   
   
  Using their last reserves of wealth and influence to escape extermination, the Rosenbergs go underground to avoid the Gestapo. Eventually exposed, captured, and taken to Buchenwald, the largest concentration camp in Germany, Alexander and his father collaborate to survive one day at a time. A chaotic chain of events puts young Alexander at the heart of a massive armament sabotage scheme. When his father is gravely injured and disappears after an air bombing, it is up to industrious Alexander to create leverage and use wartime machinations and raw talent to save his father's life. 
   
   
   
  This universal, true story of inner strength, resourcefulness and optimism was documented and written by Alexander's grandson, Oren Schneider. It is dedicated to brave people everywhere who choose not to give up.

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  Collected Works Of Marxism...

  Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels,...

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  This book contains the fundamental works of Marxism, Anarchism and Bolshevism:
  The Communist Manifesto, originally the Manifesto of the Communist Party, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels;
  Reform or Revolution by Rosa Luxemburg;
  The Conquest of Bread by the Russian anarcho-communist Peter Kropotkin;
  Anarchism: What it Really Stands For by Emma Goldman;
  The State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin;
  Fascism: What It Is and How To Fight It by Leon Trotsky.
   
  Translated by Mary Fox.
  Illustrated by Dmytro Rybalko.

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  How to Be a Patriot: Why love of...

  Sunder Katwala

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  How do we define patriotism in a diverse society?What divides us and what brings us together?Why do we feel uncomfortable celebrating our country’s history? 
  How to be a Patriot offers a new way of understanding our collective identity in a country wracked by division and brimming with markers of selfhood – faith, race, gender, age, sexuality. 
  Sunder Katwala himself grew up with some questions to work through. As a half-Indian, Irish Catholic child of the NHS, the chequered history of post-imperial Britain seemed very personal to him, but he realised that with that background he could hardly be anything but British, and proud of it too. 
  His timely and clear-eyed analysis seeks to navigate the many crises of this increasingly disunited kingdom: extremism and integration after 7/7; fear of immigration and the deep divides of Brexit; the resurgence of online racism; and the debate over our cultural heritage. Equipped with a nuanced understanding of the subject and a wealth of supporting data, he sets out to foster a more open and tolerant society: one that welcomes alternative ideas and cultures rather than shutting them out. 
  Ultimately, How to be a Patriot is a rousing story of lives lived together and shared values. Far from being divisive, it concludes, an inclusive and confident patriotism is a reminder that our differences need not define us. 
  Sunder Katwala's How to be a Patriot is a top non-fiction book that offers a unique perspective on nationalism and policy. It's a public commentary on the social science of our time, exploring discrimination and ideologies. 
  For fans of Tony Blair (A Journey), Matthew J. Goodwin (Values, Voice and Virtue), Isabel Hardman (Fighting for Life), Doug Stokes (Against Decolonisation), and Andy Burnham (Head North). 
  HarperCollins 2023

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  Mellon vs Churchill - The Untold...

  Jill Eicher

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  Andrew Mellon, one of the most accomplished businessmen of his era, is almost unknown today. To this shy, diffident (but brilliant) man fell the daunting task of collecting the war debts from European governments still devastated by WWI and struggling to recover economically. Dealing with the US Congress and the heads of foreign governments on the world stage became one of the great adventures of his life. Winston Churchill is one of the best-known figures in history. Mellon vs. Churchill presents Churchill through a different lens, focusing on his service as Chancellor of the Exchequer when Great Britain was the largest debtor to the US. That he became the most vocal critic of American foreign policy during that time is a scarcely told chapter of economic history—and his contentious debate with Mellon has seldom been explored. 
   
   
   
  Yet, while Churchill served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mellon was his counterpart at the US Treasury, and their debate and fierce differences of opinion about the handling of what Churchill called "the monstrous war debts" made frequent headlines on both sides of the Atlantic. No mention of any of their five meetings are included in the official biographies of either man. Now these confrontations are brought to vivid life in Mellon vs. Churchill, as are many other vignettes from their public, but largely forgotten, rivalry.

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  Soldiers and Silver - Mobilizing...

  Michael J. Taylor

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  By the middle of the second century BCE, after nearly one hundred years of warfare, Rome had exerted its control over the entire Mediterranean world, forcing the other great powers of the region—Carthage, Macedonia, Egypt, and the Seleucid empire—to submit militarily and financially. But how, despite its relative poverty and its frequent numerical disadvantage in decisive battles, did Rome prevail? Michael J. Taylor explains this surprising outcome by examining the role that manpower and finances played, providing a comparative study that quantifies the military mobilizations and tax revenues for all five powers. Though Rome was the poorest state, it enjoyed the largest military mobilization, drawing from a pool of citizens, colonists, and allies, while its wealthiest adversaries failed to translate revenues into large or successful armies. Taylor concludes that state-level extraction strategies were decisive in the warfare of the period, as states with high conscription and low taxation raised larger, more successful armies than those that primarily sought to maximize taxation. Comprehensive and detailed, Soldiers and Silver offers a new and sophisticated perspective on the political dynamics and economies of these ancient Mediterranean empires.

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