In its first thousand years--from the revelations to Muhammad in the seventh century to the great Islamic empires of the sixteenth--Islamic civilization flourished. While Europeans suffered through the Dark Ages, Muslims in such cities as Jerusalem, Damascus, Alexandria, Fez, Tunis, Cairo, and Baghdad made remarkable advances in philosophy, science, medicine, literature, and art. This engrossing and accessible book explores the first millennium of Islamic culture, shattering stereotypes and enlightening readers about the events and achievements that have shaped contemporary Islamic...
In its first thousand years--from the revelations to Muhammad in the seventh century to the great Islamic empires of the sixteenth--Islamic civilizati...
This delightful book tells the story of ancient libraries from their very beginnings, when "books" were clay tablets and writing was a new phenomenon. Renowned classicist Lionel Casson takes us on a lively tour, from the royal libraries of the most ancient Near East, through the private and public libraries of Greece and Rome, down to the first Christian monastic libraries. To the founders of the first public libraries of the Greek world goes the credit for creating the prototype of today's library buildings and the science of organizing books in them.
Casson recounts the...
This delightful book tells the story of ancient libraries from their very beginnings, when "books" were clay tablets and writing was a new phenomen...
First published in Paris in 1511, The Praise of Folly hasenjoyed enormous and highly controversial success from the author's lifetime down to our own day.It hasno rival, except perhaps Thomas More's Utopia, as the most intense and lively presentation of the literary, social, and theological aims and methods of Northern Humanism. Clarence H. Miller's highly praised translation of The Praise of Folly, based on the definitive Latin text, echoes Erasmus' own lively style while retaining the nuances of the original text. In his introduction, Miller places...
First published in Paris in 1511, The Praise of Folly hasenjoyed enormous and highly controversial success from the author's lifetime do...
A classic of eighteenth-century American history and literature, Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography has had an influence perhaps unequaled by any other book by an American writer. Written ostensibly as a letter to his son William, Franklin's Autobiography offers his reflections on philosophy and religion, politics, war, education, material success, and the status of women. Prepared by the editors of The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, this edition is drawn with scrupulous care from the original manuscript in Franklin's handwriting now in the Henry E. Huntington Library...
A classic of eighteenth-century American history and literature, Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography has had an influence perhaps unequaled by an...
Here a distinguished American historian challenges the belief that the eighteenth century was essentially modern in its temper. In crystalline prose Carl Becker demonstrates that the period commonly described as the Age of Reason was, in fact, very far from that; that Voltaire, Hume, Diderot, and Locke were living in a medieval world, and that these philosophers "demolished the Heavenly City of St. Augustine only to rebuild it with more up-to-date materials." In a new foreword, Johnson Kent Wright looks at the book's continuing relevance within the context of current discussion about the...
Here a distinguished American historian challenges the belief that the eighteenth century was essentially modern in its temper. In crystalline prose C...
Security depends on intelligence, and in this book a leading authority discusses basic problems in American intelligence and how to fix them. For this edition he provides a new preface in which he assesses the security recommendations of the recently released Congressional committee report on 9/11. Praise for the earlier edition: "Odom's important and thought-provoking book . . . couldn't be more timely."--Eric Lichtblau, New York Times Book Review (front cover) "Indispensable . . . a formidable contribution to the difficult work ahead in realigning the intelligence...
Security depends on intelligence, and in this book a leading authority discusses basic problems in American intelligence and how to fix them. For this...
Rebecca West's never-before-published Survivors in Mexico bringsto readers a daring and provocative work by a major twentieth-century author. An exhilarating exploration of Mexican history, religion, art, and culture, it explores the inner lives of figures ranging from Cortes and Montezuma to Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Leon Trotsky. "Witty and entertaining, substantive and reflective, insightful and well documented, in splendid and uncommon prose, Rebecca West's travelogue . . . is a model of British sophistication and knack for seeing the other."--Jorge G. Castaneda,...
Rebecca West's never-before-published Survivors in Mexico bringsto readers a daring and provocative work by a major twentieth-century a...
The debate on globalization has reached a level of intensity that inhibits comprehension and obscures the issues. In this book a highly distinguished international economist scrupulously explains how globalization works as a concept and how it operates in reality. Martin Wolf confronts the charges against globalization, delivers a devastating critique of each, and offers a realistic scenario for economic internationalism in the future.
Wolf begins by outlining the history of the global economy in the twentieth century and explaining the mechanics of world trade. He dissects the...
The debate on globalization has reached a level of intensity that inhibits comprehension and obscures the issues. In this book a highly distinguish...
This handsome, affordable paperback edition of Walden is the most authoritative version of Henry David Thoreau's classic American literarymasterpiece to date. Jeffrey Cramer's newly edited text is based on the original 1854 edition of Walden, with emendations taken from Thoreau's draft manuscripts, his own markings on page proofs, and notes in his personal copy of the book. An elegantly produced paperback, it has been priced especially with the student market in mind. An introduction by Denis Donoghue places Thoreau's life and achievement in context. Also included here are notes...
This handsome, affordable paperback edition of Walden is the most authoritative version of Henry David Thoreau's classic American literarymaste...
