The First American. Frontiersman and backwoods attorney. Teller of bawdy tales and a spellbinding orator. A champion of liberty some called a would-be tyrant. Savior of the Union and the Great Emancipator. All these are Abraham Lincoln,in his time America's most admired and reviled leader, and still our nation's most enigmatic and captivating hero.Timed to complement the new motion picture Lincoln , directed by Steven Spielberg, Lincoln: A President for the Ages introduces a new Lincoln grappling with some of history's greatest challenges. Would Lincoln have dropped the bomb on Hiroshima? How would he conduct the War on Terror? Would he favour women's suffrage or gay rights? Would today's Lincoln be a star on Facebook and Twitter? Would he embrace the religious right,or denounce it?The answers come from an All-Star array of historians and scholars, including Jean Baker, Richard Carwardine, Dan Farber, Andrew Ferguson, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Allen C. Guelzo, Harold Holzer, James Malanowski, James Tackach, Frank J. Williams, and Douglas L. Wilson. Lincoln also features actor/activist Gloria Reuben describing how she played Elizabeth Keckley, the former-slave-turned-confidante of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and a selection of speeches and letters that explore little-known sides of Lincoln The Faces of Lincoln," exploring his complex contemporary legacy.Whether you're a lifetime admirer of Lincoln or newly intrigued by his story, Lincoln: A President for the Ages offers a fascinating glimpse of his many-sided legacy.

"If there was a price placed on clean water we might start treating it like it has value. Maybe when it's gone we'll realize we can't drink oil or money." - Dave Matthews Less than 1 percent of the world's water is fresh and potable- and no more will ever be available. Thanks to pollution, global warming, and population growth, water access is poised to become today's most explosive global issue. This book, based on the film Last Call at the Oasis by Academy Award (R)-winning director Jessica Yu, offers insights into the coming water crisis from visionary scientists, policymakers, activists, and environmentalists, including: ROBERT MORAN on how oil and mineral development pollute and divert water supplies- often beyond public scrutiny PETER H. GLEICK on discovering the"soft path" to global water security ROBERT GLENNON on how the power of markets can help protect the world's water LYNN HENNING on how a family farmer became a passionate"water activist" ALEX PRUD'HOMME on how the water crisis affects us all GARY WHITE on how innovative social and economic strategies can make clean water available even for the world's poorest people HADLEY ARNOLD AND PETER ARNOLD on how arid regions like America's Southwest can wisely husband water supplies for cities and farmers alike ROBYN BEAVERS on how today's smartest businesses are making sustainable water management a competitive advantage ZEM JOAQUIN on nine"ecofabulous" ways of saving water at home- and doing it with style BILL MCDONOUGH on how smart design can preserve water's"Endless Resourcefulness" for generations to come No resource on earth is more precious- or more endangered- than water. Last Call at the Oasis is a powerful tool for learning about the water challenges we face as well as the remarkable solutions available to us- if we have the will to use them.

Each book includes a 15 gift card from DonorsChoose.org to give to a classroom in need. The American public school system is in crisis, failing millions of students, producing as many drop-outs as graduates, and threatening our economic future. By 2020, the United States will have 123 million high-skill jobs to fill- and fewer than 50 million Americans qualified to fill them. Educators, parents, political leaders, business people, and concerned citizens are determined to save our educational system. Waiting for "Superman" offers powerful insights from some of those at the leading edge of educational innovation, including Bill and Melinda Gates, Michelle Rhee, Geoffrey Canada, and more. Waiting for "Superman" is an inspiring call for reform and includes special chapters that provide resources, ideas, and hands-on suggestions for improving the schools in your own community as well as throughout the nation. For parents, teachers, and concerned citizens alike, Waiting for "Superman" is an essential guide to the issues, challenges, and opportunities facing America's schools.

"Food, Inc." is guaranteed to shake up our perceptions of what we eat. This powerful documentary deconstructing the corporate food industry in America was hailed by "Entertainment Weekly" as "more than a terrific movie--it's an important movie." Aided by expert commentators such as Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, the film poses questions such as: Where has my food come from, and who has processed it? What are the giant agribusinesses and what stake do they have in maintaining the status quo of food production and consumption? How can I feed my family healthy foods affordably?

Expanding on the film's themes, the book "Food, Inc." will answer those questions through a series of challenging essays by leading experts and thinkers. This book will encourage those inspired by the film to learn more about the issues, and act to change the world.

This unique tie-in to the major motion picture "Oceans"--coming this April from Disney & "National Geographic"--explores the health of our oceans, and what we can do to improve it.
More than 75 percent of the globe is covered by the oceans. It is sometimes difficult to understand why it is called Planet Earth rather than Planet Ocean. Since half the world's human population lives within a stone's throw of an ocean coastline, the oceans' health is increasingly important. Rich with resources and potential--as a source of renewable energy, new drugs, drinking water--for years we have treated them as both infinite and undamageable. But they are not.

Over-fishing, climate change, pollution, acidification, and more have put the world's oceans and marine life at great risk.

"Oceans" gathers some of the most insightful visionaries, explorers, and ocean lovers-- marine biologists, politicians, environmentalists, fishermen, sportsmen, deep divers, and more--in a unique anthology, in which each speaks to a unique aspect of our world's most dimly understood dimension.