Why did Abraham Lincoln sneak into Washington for his inauguration? was the Gettysburg Address written on the back of an envelope? Where did the Underground Railroad run? Did General Sherman really say, "War is Hell"?

If you can't answer these questions, you're not alone. Millions of Americans, bored by dull textbooks, are in the dark about the most significant event in our history. Now New York Times bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis comes to the rescue, deftly sorting out the players, the politics, and the key events - Emancipation and Reconstruction, Shiloh and Gettysburg, Generals Grant and Lee, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and much more. Drawing on moving eyewitness accounts, Davis includes a wealth of "hidden history" about the roles played by women and African Americans before and during the war, along with lesser-known facts that will enthrall even learned Civil War buffs. Vivid, informative, and hugely entertaining, Don't Know Much About the Civil War is the only book you'll ever need on "the war that never ended."

Who dug those canals on Mars?
What was the biblical star of Bethlehem?
Were the pyramids built by extraterrestrials?

From the ancients who charted the heavens to Star Trek, The X-files, and Apollo 13, outer space has intrigued people through the ages. Yet most of us look up at the night sky and feel totally in the dark when it comes to the basic facts about the universe.

Kenneth C. Davis steps into that void with a lively and readable guide to the discoveries, theories, and real people who have shed light on the mysteries and wonders of the cosmos. Discover why Einstein was such a genius, the truth behind a blue moon or two, the amazing secrets of Stonehenge, and even how one great astronomer lost his nose.

With the fun question-and -answer format that has appealed to the millions of readers of his bestselling Don't Know Much About® series, you'll be taking off on an exciting armchair exploration of the solar system, the Milky Way, and beyond.

Textbook for Orthodontic Therapists is a comprehensive text specifically designed for orthodontic therapists. Written in an accessible and digestible format, it provides the essential clinical and theoretical knowledge needed for daily clinical practice. Covering learning outcomes required by the examining bodies and the General Dental Council (GDC), it includes topics such as common types of orthodontic appliances, frequently found orthodontic problems, skeletal assessment and classification of malocclusion. It also contains information on subjects relevant to the dental profession for example medical emergencies, clinical governance and more. Written to help the reader understand the role and function of an orthodontic therapist, Textbook for Orthodontic Therapists offers support to those undertaking the Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy and to assist those who already work as orthodontic therapists, helping them in their quest to enhance safe and effective care.

For years, Kenneth C. Davis has enlightened and enthralled us, opening our minds and tickling our fancies with his wonderfully irreverent, fun, and factual Don't Know Much About(R) books. He has carried readers on wild and edifying rides through history, mythology, geography, the Bible, the Civil War, even across the universe. Now, following on the heels of his triumphant "New York Times" bestseller "Don't Know Much About(R) Anything," comes "Don't Know Much About(R) Anything Else," his latest one-stop potpourri of intriguing information. Chock-full of delightful historical snippets and fascinating people, remarkable milestones and boneheaded blunders, and eye-opening, brain-boggling facts about simply anything and everything in the world, here is the ideal companion for those long car rides, plane flights, quality family hours, or relaxing downtime.

This entertaining guide to some of the best short novels of all time, from a bestselling historian, is the "perfect gift for busy bibliophiles" (BookPage). Experience the joys of literature with this this "exciting guide to all that the world of fiction has to offer" (The New York Times Book Review): a compulsively readable, deeply engaging discussion of great short novels. A journey into fiction designed with our contemporary attention spans in mind, Great Short Books suggests fifty-eight excellent short novels, all under 200 pages--easily readable in a week or less--a fresh approach to a fun, fascinating year of reading. From hard-boiled fiction to magical realism, the 18th century to the present day, Great Short Books spans genres, cultures, countries, and time to present an enchanting and diverse selection of acclaimed and canonical novels. From works in translation like Yu Miri's Tokyo Ueno Station and Marguerite Duras's The Lover to popular, acclaimed authors like Toni Morrison and James Baldwin, this compilation is a celebration of classics from the historic to contemporary--plus a few bestsellers, including Stephen King and Colson Whitehead. Each entry includes the novel's opening lines, a spoiler-free plot summary, a "why you should read it" section, and suggestions for what to read next. "An entertaining journey with a fun, knowledgeable guide" (Booklist), this eclectic collection is a fun and practical book for any passionate reader hoping to broaden their literary IQ--or anyone who wants to find an effortless reentry into reading.

From Homer to Harry Potter, from Chaucer to "Charlotte's Web," a compelling book of quizzes on history's most influential literary works and writers Did a whale named "Mocha Dick" inspire Melville's masterpiece? Who was the first poet to speak at a presidential inauguration? Which French-speaking high school football star shook up the literary world?

Do you freeze when someone mentions Faulkner? When the conversation turns to the Odyssey, do you want to take a hike? Have no fear. For years, Kenneth C. Davis's "New York Times" bestselling Don't Know Much About(R) books have enlightened and enthralled us with a winning blend of fascinating facts and wonderfully irreverent fun. Now he sets his sights on our literary IQ in "Don't Know Much About(R) Literature." With this rich treasure trove of knowledge and intriguing information about the world's great books and authors, Kenneth Davis and his daughter, Jenny, demystify "Dracula," capture Kafka, and help you brush up on your BrontE in the inimitable and endlessly entertaining Don't Know Much About(R) style.

Cystic Fibrosis has seen dramatic advances in treatment since the last edition, including targeted cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein modulators for most CFTR gene abnormalities. This new 5th edition is an update of the rapid clinical and scientific advances in improving prognosis, and the impact of CoVID-19, which has transformed conventional models of care. It covers basic science, such as how detailed understanding of the biology of the CFTR gene and protein has led to novel and beneficial therapies, as well as all aspects of clinical management in high-, middle- and low-income settings, and the voices of patients from across the world. It will be a useful reference for clinicians across the whole multidisciplinary team, scientists, and students. Key Features: • Follows an appealing organisation of chapters, by developing fundamental knowledge of the reader before moving on to more complex or developing topics. • Presents a comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date text, integrating basic science and clinical aspects of Cystic Fibrosis with a wealth of accompanying high quality videos, providing an attractive read for clinicians, trainee doctors, and scientists. • Draws on global expertise and reflects best evidence-based practice from experts doing cutting edge clinical and basic science research from around the world.

In his wildly entertaining, winningly irreverent, "New York Times" bestselling Don't Know Much About(R) series, author Kenneth C. Davis has amused and edified us with fascinating facts about history, mythology, the Bible, the universe, geography, and the Civil War.

Now, the sky's the limit in his latest irresistible installment--a grand tour of knowledge that carries us from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Berlin Wall, from the Salem Witch Trials to Watergate, from Michelangelo to Houdini. Brimming with busted myths, gripping true stories, and peculiar particulars about a plethora of people, places, and events, this captivating compendium is guaranteed to delight information lovers everywhere as it feeds our insatiable appetite to know "everything!"

The treatment of cancer in young women and men is increasingly turning from focusing purely on survival to a recognition of the long-term effects of treatment on subsequent quality of life. In this regard, fertility is a very high priority for patients. This is the first book to explain the latest techniques in fertility preservation. Chapters cover fertility preservation in both women and men, management of cancer in pregnancy, egg donation and surrogacy, hormone replacement options, counselling and ethical issues. A multidisciplinary team of over 60 specialists were involved in this work, with contributions from leading obstetricians, medical oncologists, gynaecological oncologists, urologists and fertility specialists. The book is formally supported by the Association of Cancer Physicians (ACP). This highly patient-centred, readable text will be of value to a wide range of clinicians and physicians, and doctors in training, in their daily work.

Like every era, the Renaissance brims with stories. In this book, Robert Davis and Beth Lindsmith highlight dozens of notable lives from between 1400 and 1600. They bring to life wily politicians, eccentric scientists, fiery rebels and stolid reactionaries, as well as a pornographer, an acrobat, an actress, a poetic prostitute, a star comedian and a least one very fretful mother. Some names - Leonardo, Luther, Medici and Machiavelli - are famous, but many others will be new to general readers. Their stories, ninety-four in all, remind us that history is more than dates and abstract concepts: it also arises from the lives of countless individual men and women.

This ambitious study traces the strategies of human rights activists to show how world-changing reform movements were shaped by women and men from modest backgrounds who were deeply attuned to the power of performance. Tracy C. Davis explores nineteenth-century reform campaigns through the pioneering work of a family of activists – prominent anti-slavery lecturer George Thompson, his daughter Amelia (the first female theatre and music critic for a British daily newspaper) and her husband, the political organizer Frederick Chesson. Engaging in some of the most important social struggles of the late Georgian and Victorian periods – including abolition, enfranchisement, and anti-genocide - this book reveals how two generations' insights into performance consolidated into activist tactics that persist today. Characterised by a skilful deployment of performance theory alongside deep and wide-ranging historical knowledge, this ground-breaking work demonstrates what 'dramaturgy' can teach us about 'history'.

In Victorian society--rigidly stratified by both income and occupation--performers were drawn from various class backgrounds and enjoyed a unique degree of social mobility. Nevertheless, the living and working conditions of female performers were distinctly different from their male counterparts: fully justifying in social, economic, and gender terms the semantic distinction "actress."
"Actresses as Working Women" utilizes the methodologies of a number of disciplines--labor history, historical demography, sociology, performance analysis, and literary theory--and a vast amount of primary evidence to investigate actresses' separate and equivocal status. Their segregation and marginalization guaranteed economic insecurity. Their attempts to reconcile sexuality and the female life cycle to a physically demanding, itinerant occupation while under constant public scutiny led to assumptions about their morality that were difficult to overcome. Performance conventions--in both theatre and music hall traditions--that reflected popular pornographic images reinforced this stigma, which was documented in contemporaneous erotic literature and the male-controlled culture of vice that permeated theatrical neighborhoods.
One of the first in-depth feminist studies of the history of theatre, "Actresses as Working Women" brings a fresh perspective and voluminous evidence to bear on the study of nineteenth-century theatre.

Fenella Kelly, widow, artist and guest house owner, faces eviction; her mortgage is about to expire. Her mother Marjorie wishes she would accept Charles Peake's offer for Bayview, so that they can all move on... Especially incontinent, wheelchair bound Grandmother Norah, who should be in a care home. So why won't Fenella agree? After all, Tom is moving to the other side of the island and Marjorie has a flat overlooking the Mooragh Park and lake. Marjorie resents spending time at Bayview, a place too steeped in memories. While Fenella remains stubbornly resistant to selling, she has in fact been questioning her humdrum life. Painting tourist scenes and catering for greedy guests is all very well, but celibacy is dreary, whilst the unexpected return of Peter Quilliam to the island has stirred dormant desires. While Fenella daydreams, Marjorie seethes, until an unexpected guest comes to stay. Nothing will be the same again.

The Routledge Companion to Theatre and Performance Historiography sets the agenda for inclusive and wide-ranging approaches to writing history, embracing the diverse perspectives of the twenty-first century and Critical Media History. Written by an international team of authors whose expertise spans a multitude of historical periods and cultures, this collection of fascinating essays poses the central question: "what is specific to the historiography of the performative?" The study of theatre, in conjunction with the wider sphere of performance, involves an array of multi-faceted methods for collecting evidence, interpreting sources, and creating meaning. Reflecting on issues of recording - from early modern musical scores, through VHS-technology to latest digital procedures - and on what is missing from records or oblique in practices, the contributors convey how theatre and performance history is integral to social and cultural relations. This expertly curated collection repositions theatre and performance history and is essential reading for Theatre and Performance Studies students or those interested in social and cultural history more generally.

This survey of the rise and decline of English watchmaking fills a gap in the historiography of British industry. Clerkenwell in London was supplied with 'rough movements' from Prescot, 200 miles away in Lancashire. Smaller watchmaking hubs later emerged in Coventry, Liverpool, and Birmingham. The English industry led European watchmaking in the late eighteenth century in output, and its lucrative export markets extended to the Ottoman Empire and China. It also made marine chronometers, the most complex of hand-crafted pre-industrial mechanisms, crucially important to the later hegemony of Britain's navy and merchant marine. Although Britain was the 'workshop of the world', its watchmaking industry declined. Why? First, because cheap Swiss watches were smuggled into British markets. Later, in the era of Free Trade, they were joined by machine-made watches from factories in America, enabled by the successful application to watch production of the 'American system' in Waltham, Massachusetts after 1858. The Swiss watch industry adapted itself appropriately, expanded, and reasserted its lead in the world's markets. English watchmaking did not: its trajectory foreshadowed and was later followed by other once-prominent British industries. Clerkenwell retained its pre-industrial production methods. Other modernization attempts in Britain had limited success or failed.

In August 1844 a heavily-laden party led by Captain Charles Sturt set out from Adelaide to head into the unexplored vastness of central Australia. Amongst their equipment was a boat: as well as carrying out his mission of scientific investigation and mapping the topography, Sturt was convinced he would find the inland sea that was reputed to lie in the middle of the continent and so make his reputation. This is the first full publication of Sturt's original journals of the trip. They record the hardships of the journeying through the parched landscape, but also show how his efforts helped reveal the nature of much of the mysterious interior of Australia, and how, in a manner uncharacteristic of his times, he established respectful and co-operative relations with the Aborigines he encountered along the way.

After an overview of major scientific discoveries of the 18th and 19th centuries, which created electrical science as we know and understand it and led to its useful applications in energy conversion, transmission, manufacturing industry and communications, this Circuits and Systems History book fills a gap in published literature by providing a record of the many outstanding scientists, mathematicians and engineers who laid the foundations of Circuit Theory and Filter Design from the mid-20th Century. Additionally, the book records the history of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society from its origins as the small Circuit Theory Group of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), which merged with the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) to form IEEE in 1963, to the large and broad-coverage worldwide IEEE Society which it is today.Many authors from many countries contributed to the creation of this book, working to a very tight time-schedule. The result is a substantial contribution to their enthusiasm and expertise which it is hoped that readers will find both interesting and useful. It is sure that in such a book omissions will be found and in the space and time available, much valuable material had to be left out. It is hoped that this book will stimulate an interest in the marvellous heritage and contributions that have come from the many outstanding people who worked in the Circuits and Systems area.

How are people and communities able to prevail despite challenge? What helps them bounce back from adversity and even grow in knowledge and understanding? And can this resilience be taught? During the past decade, exciting scientific advances have shed light on how resilience operates from neurons to neighborhoods. In The Resilience Handbook, experts in the science of resilience draw on human and animal research to describe the process of resilience and follow its course as it unfolds both within individuals and in social networks. Contributors also highlight the promise of new interventions that apply what we know about resilience processes to bolster positive health, and raise some of the pressing questions and issues for the field as it matures. This handbook is designed to be used by students as an invitation to a burgeoning field; by researchers, as a framework for advancing theories, hypotheses, and empirical tests of resilience functions; and by clinicians, as a comprehensive and up-to-the-minute integration of theory and practice.

The Routledge Companion to Theatre and Performance Historiography sets the agenda for inclusive and wide-ranging approaches to writing history, embracing the diverse perspectives of the twenty-first century and Critical Media History. Written by an international team of authors whose expertise spans a multitude of historical periods and cultures, this collection of fascinating essays poses the central question: "what is specific to the historiography of the performative?" The study of theatre, in conjunction with the wider sphere of performance, involves an array of multi-faceted methods for collecting evidence, interpreting sources, and creating meaning. Reflecting on issues of recording - from early modern musical scores, through VHS-technology to latest digital procedures - and on what is missing from records or oblique in practices, the contributors convey how theatre and performance history is integral to social and cultural relations. This expertly curated collection repositions theatre and performance history and is essential reading for Theatre and Performance Studies students or those interested in social and cultural history more generally.

LIMITED EDITION HARDBACKS TO COMMEMORATE THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF RUDOLF STEINER'S BIRTH Rudolf Steiner Press is proud to publish a new series of re-edited, re-typeset and re-designed editions of the classic, authorised translations of Rudolf Steiner's four fundamental works. Each volume of this series is printed in a limited edition of 1,000 copies and sewn-bound in high-quality cloth, finished with coloured end-papers and a marker ribbon. Given his energetic involvement in practical initiatives and extensive lecturing, Rudolf Steiner had little time to write books. Of those he did write - belonging almost entirely to the earlier years of his work - four titles form an indispensable introduction to his later teaching: Knowledge of the Higher Worlds, Occult Science, The Philosophy of Freedom and Theosophy. Rudolf Steiner's fundamental handbook for spiritual and personal development has grown more modern as time has passed, although his methods remain clearly distinguishable from the many others now in circulation. For one thing, Steiner's path of spiritual growth is based on the clarity of thought normally associated with scientific research. Rather than denying clear thinking, his aim is to extend it beyond its present limitations. Secondly, Steiner recognizes - as in all genuine disciplines - that the path to spiritual experience is an arduous and dangerous one, calling for self-control in thought, word and deed. Human beings comprise a unity, and we cannot develop knowledge without a corresponding development in feeling and will. Rudolf Steiner foretold that humanity would begin to experience a longing for forms of experience that transcend intellectual, materialistic thinking. More than 100 years after the first publication of this book in 1904, there are countless means to achieve such experience, such as eastern meditation, channelling, remote viewing and astral projection. In addition, there has been a huge growth in people reporting extrasensory perceptions of various kinds, such as near-death experiences and meetings with angels. In this context, Steiner's key spiritual workbook - reproduced here in the classic Osmond/Davy translation - is needed more than ever, given its unique, precise instructions for inner training, its protective exercises, and its indications for grounding and centring. Knowledge of the Higher Worlds begins with the conditions required for personal development, and guides us through the stages of initiation, its practical aspects and its effects.

In August 1844 a heavily-laden party led by Captain Charles Sturt set out from Adelaide to head into the unexplored vastness of central Australia. Amongst their equipment was a boat: as well as carrying out his mission of scientific investigation and mapping the topography, Sturt was convinced he would find the inland sea that was reputed to lie in the middle of the continent and so make his reputation. This is the first full publication of Sturt's original journals of the trip. They record the hardships of the journeying through the parched landscape, but also show how his efforts helped reveal the nature of much of the mysterious interior of Australia, and how, in a manner uncharacteristic of his times, he established respectful and co-operative relations with the Aborigines he encountered along the way.

A deluxe edition with a chilling selection of original and classic short stories. The new tales, many of them published here for the first time, are written by today's top authors, and they bring a modern twist to the outstanding mix of intrigue that lurks in the furtive imagination of E.F. Benson, Henry James, Wilkie Collins, Washington Irving , Edith Wharton, Oscar Wilde, and so many more within this outstanding collection.

What is an Egyptian pyramid doing on the U. S. dollar bill? Did a pharaoh inspire Moses to worship one God? What's a Canaanite demoness doing at a rock concert?

Since the beginning of time, people have been insatiably curious. They've asked questions about where we come from, why the stars shine and the seasons change, and what constitutes evil. The imaginative answers crafted by our ancestors have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature. In this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling Don't Know Much About(R) series, Kenneth C. Davis introduces and explains the great myths of the world using his engaging and delightfully irreverent question-and-answer style. He tackles the epic of Gilgamesh; Achilles and the Trojan War; Stonehenge and the Druids; Odin, Thor, and the entire Norse pantheon; Native American myths, and much more, including the dramatic life and times of the man who would be Buddha. From Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, here is an insightful, lively look at the greatest stories ever told.

This major new collection of essays by leading scholars of Renaissance Italy transforms many of our existing notions about Renaissance politics, economy, social life, religion, medicine, and art. All the essays are founded on original archival research and examine questions within a wide chronological and geographical framework - in fact the pan-Italian scope of the volume is one of the volume's many attractions.Gender and Society in Renaissance Italy provides a broad, comprehensive perspective on the central role that gender concepts played in Italian Renaissance society.