History

The History of White People

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The History of White People By Nell Irvin Painter Cover Image
$18.95
ISBN: 9780393339741
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - April 18th, 2011

A wide-ranging look at how whiteness has been defined throughout history, from the marble statues of ancient Greece and Rome (back in the day, they were colorful) to how "Caucasian" became part of the language (you can thank Ottoman harems for that).

Sarah


Commander in Chief

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Commander in Chief: FDR's Battle with Churchill, 1943 (FDR at War #2) By Nigel Hamilton Cover Image
Not Available
ISBN: 9780544279117
Availability: Out of Print
Published: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - June 7th, 2016

Commander in Chief is the second volume of Nigel Hamilton’s masterful reexamination of FDR’s crucial role in the planning and execution of the Allied war strategy during World War II. This volume centers on the decision making process after the North African invasion beginning  with Roosevelt’s summit with Churchill in Casablanca in 1943 and how it took all of Roosevelt’s diplomatic skill and resolve to set the course for ultimate victory.

Dale

 


1941: Fighting the Shadow War

It's always fascinating to see an in-depth and somewhat alternative view of a history we think we know about. 1941 saw a sharply divided American public arguing about whether to get into the war or not, with Teddy Roosevelt Jr. and the rabidly anti-Semitic Charles Lindbergh leading the isolationist camp and Roosevelt trying to help Churchill and Europe while not breaking promises he had been forced to make in the 1940 presidential campaign. Deeply researched and engagingly written.  Wortman will be at PSB on May 10.

1941: Fighting the Shadow War: A Divided America in a World at War By Marc Wortman Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9780802125118
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Atlantic Monthly Press - April 19th, 2016

West of Eden: An American Place

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West of Eden: An American Place By Jean Stein Cover Image
$30.00
It's Complicated--Contact Us for More Information
ISBN: 9780812998405
Published: Random House - February 9th, 2016

This oral history of Hollywood and Los Angeles, looks at five different  families/individuals who lived, struggled, worked, and played there - the actress Jennifer Jones, movie mogul Jack Warner, tycoon Edward Doheny, troubled Jane Garland and Stein's own fascinating family.  Their stories are woven into an intense, illuminating and sometimes tragic tapestry.

 

Nathan

 


A History of the Twentieth Century In 100 Maps

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A History of the Twentieth Century in 100 Maps By Tim Bryars, Tom Harper Cover Image
$45.00
It's Complicated--Contact Us for More Information
ISBN: 9780226202471
Published: University of Chicago Press - October 22nd, 2014

Whether or not you're a map geek, you will want to buy this book as a gift and then keep it for yourself and not give it away.  Maps are much more than geography - 20th century history and culture can be viewed through its maps, and this is an eclectic, diverse and beautiful collection.  A 1901 map of Jewish East London, the world map of Orwell's 1984, a trench map used by soldiers

in the Somme offensive - and 97 more.    

David

 


SPQR

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SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome By Mary Beard Cover Image
$37.50
ISBN: 9780871404237
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Liveright - November 9th, 2015

Informed by the many new discoveries and interpretations of contemporary scholarship, yet eminently readable and conversational in tone, Beard engagingly reexamines what we know of ancient Roman history, in process revising many myths of its thousand year span.

Dale

 


Map: Exploring the World

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Map: Exploring The World By Phaidon Editors, John Hessler (Introduction by), Daniel Crouch (Contributions by) Cover Image
By Phaidon Editors, John Hessler (Introduction by), Daniel Crouch (Contributions by)
$59.95
It's Complicated--Contact Us for More Information
ISBN: 9780714869445
Published: Phaidon Press - September 28th, 2015

More than just a collection of beautiful maps from around the world and throughout history, this book uses critical juxtaposition to create new perspectives on history, politics, and geography. Easily the most interesting coffee table book this year.

Josh

 


Lafayette In the Somewhat United States

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Lafayette in the Somewhat United States By Sarah Vowell Cover Image
Not Available to Order
ISBN: 9781594631740
Published: Riverhead Books - October 20th, 2015

Sarah Vowell is certainly not your typical historian. There's been some great colonial history published in the past few years, but hers is chatty, sassy, snarky, and hilarious and thus eminently readable. Lafayette really was as great a friend of the United States as he's chalked up to be, and this unconventional and insightful recounting of his adventures is combined with a larger view of the dysfunction of the early US government and its often inept political and military establishments.

David

 


DROWNED CITY: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans

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Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans By Don Brown Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780544157774
Availability: Available with a Delay: On Order at Supplier: Email online@portersquarebooks.com for More Info
Published: Clarion Books - August 4th, 2015

This remembrance of the events in New Orleans ten years ago is a very powerful and straightforward portrayal of the tragedy. The graphic novel format helps the reader feel the desperation,despair and hopelessness of the terrible circumstances and the spirit of those who lived through it.Recommended for kids and adults 12 and up.

Carol

 


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