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  Battle of Fornovo The: The...

  Editors Charles River

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  In 1494, there were five sovereign regional powers in Italy: Milan, Venice, Florence, the Papal States and Naples. In 1536, only one remained: Venice. These decades of conflict precipitated great anxiety among Western thinkers, and Italians responded to the fragmentation, forevermore, of Latin Christendom, the end of self-governance for Italians, and the beginning of the early modern era in a myriad of ways. They were always heavily influenced by the lived experience of warfare between large Christian armies on the peninsula. 
  The diplomatic and military history of this 30-year period was a complex situation that one eminent Renaissance historian, Lauro Martines, has described as "best told by a computer, so many and tangled are the treatises, negotiations and battles." At the same time, the fighting went in tandem with the Renaissance and was influenced by it. Most historians credit the city-state of Florence as the place that started and developed the Italian Renaissance, a process carried out through the patronage and commission of artists during the late 12th century. If Florence is receiving its due credit, much of it belongs to the Medicis, the family dynasty of Florence that ruled at the height of the Renaissance. The dynasty held such influence that some of its family members even became Pope. 
  Meanwhile, plans for a French invasion were years in the making, and France’s young King Charles VIII, heavily influenced by chivalric tales and his men of finance, had begun his preparations for conquering Naples as a base from which to launch a crusade in 1491. Two key events were the catalysts for these plans. The first was the arrival of Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere at Avignon in May 1494.

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  Suleiman the Magnificent: An...

  Billy Wellman

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  Suleiman the Magnificent is regarded as the greatest ruler of the Ottoman Empire. 
  Suleiman the Magnificent certainly earned his name. He not only had a huge impact on the history of Turkey and the Middle East but also on the European politics of his day, allying himself with France against the Habsburgs of Spain. He is also known for his life-long love affair with Roxelana, a slave girl who became his wife and, some say, co-ruler of the empire. 
  The exploits of this legendary ruler come to life in this audiobook. Enjoy a thrilling story of a man who changed history and brought the Ottoman Empire to new heights. 
  In this audiobook, you will find out:Why Suleiman was a master goldsmith as well as a sultanHow he became a major patron of the arts, employing the famous architect Sinan and changing the skyline of IstanbulWhy he is known to the Turks as “Suleiman the Law Maker (Kanuni)”How close he came to taking Vienna—twice!—and why he failedHow the Ottoman Empire was run almost exclusively by former Christian slavesHow Suleiman’s faithful slave Ibrahim rose to be Grand Vizier—and how he fell from favorHow Suleiman was responsible for the execution of two of his sonsWhy Egypt was so important to the Ottoman EmpireAnd how Suleiman may have been ultimately responsible for the creation of the croissant! 
  Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to begin learning about Suleiman today!

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  The Iraq Wars - A Very Short...

  Samuel Helfont

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  American wars in Iraq were a defining feature of global politics for almost thirty years. The Gulf War of 1991, the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the campaign against the Islamic State beginning in 2014 each had their own logic. Each occurrence was a distinct conflict; however they must not only be considered in isolation. The United States spent the 1990s trying but failing to implement the Gulf War's cease fire agreement. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, American leaders decided to settle the open-ended aftermath of the Gulf War by launching the Iraq War of 2003. The Iraq War unleashed resistance, civil war, insurgency and eventually the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Thus, following the Gulf War, each war was fought to finish the previous conflict. The Iraq Wars, therefore, are perhaps best understood as a chain of events.Academics, journalists, statesmen, and soldiers have produced many library shelves of books on the Iraq Wars. Yet, no short, easily digestible volume exists to synthesize this vast literature of both English and Arabic sources. The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction covers this series of important conflicts as a whole, in a highly succinct and uniquely listenable way.

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  Mountain Man - John Colter the...

  David Weston Marshall

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  "If you seek vicarious adventure, these pages await the armchair explorer." —Providence Journal 
   
   
   
  In 1804, John Colter set out with Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on the first US expedition to traverse the North American continent. During the twenty-eight-month ordeal, Colter served as a hunter and scout, and honed his survival skills on the western frontier. But when the journey was over, Colter stayed behind. He spent two more years trekking alone through dangerous and unfamiliar territory, charting some of the West's most treasured landmarks. 
   
   
   
  Historian David W. Marshall crafts this captivating history from Colter's primary sources, and has retraced Colter's steps—experiencing firsthand how he survived in the wilderness.

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  A Rare Recording of TS Eliot

  TS Elliot

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  Hear actual recordings of T.S. Eliot narrating his 1922 masterpiece “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and “The Waste Land.” Thomas Stearns Eliot (September 26, 1888 - January 4, 1965) was a US-born British poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor. Considered one of the 20th century's major literary figures, he is a central figure in English-language Modernist poetry. Through his trials in language, writing style, and verse structure, he reinvigorated English poetry and, in 1948, was honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature.

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  Curiosity - Farmers Discovering...

  John King

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  Farming and ranching success comes from the freedom to fail because there is no silver bullet. Curiosity – Farmers Discovering What Works tells journeys farmers make to find solutions that are kinder to the environment, easier on the pocket and bring purpose, pride and confidence to those in the most complex profession there is. Each story has nuggets of inspiration and insight to stimulate observation and logic in farming matters. 
  John's perspectives are associated with the practices and principles of Allan Savory's Holistic Management, which though habits and routines, changes how farmers observe, question and probe for solutions. John teaches this in New Zealand and assists with farmers around the globe as a tutor for Holistic Management International. John draws on similarly minded farmers and experts such as Joel Salatin, Gabe Brown, Allan Nation, Allen Williams, Fred Provenza, Christine Jones, Charles Massy and others offering commercial farmers new directions and insights. 
  Reviews include: 
  …his purposeful “short, sharp” essays are designed for busy people. “Hopefully it’s style will remind you of Allan Nation.” Yes, John King did indeed capture Allan’s wise pithiness. I found myself underlining or circling something in virtually every essay. It’s dense, packed with sensible advice gleaned from dozens of on-farm experiments over numerous decades. Joel Salatin, editor, Stockman Grass Farmer, Missouri, USA 
  This invaluable and important book should be compulsory reading for anyone daring to manage farming landscapes with an eye to contributing to healthier farmscapes and catchments, rural families and their animals, and to a sustainable future. How I wish I could have read and lived in such a book as this when I was a young farmer preparing to make all the mistakes. A farming, social, and environmental gem. Charles Massy, author, Call of the Reed Warbler

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