Charles River

*Includes pictures of important people and places, as well as the artists' most famous works. *Discusses the relationships between the artists. *Includes a Bibliography on each man for further reading. The Renaissance spawned the use of the label "Renaissance Man" to describe a person who is extremely talented in multiple fields, and no discussion of the Renaissance is complete without the original "Renaissance Man", Leonardo da Vinci. Indeed, if 100 people are asked to describe Leonardo in one word, they might give 100 answers. As the world's most famous polymath and genius, Leonardo found time to be a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. It would be hard to determine which field Leonardo had the greatest influence in. His "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper" are among the most famous paintings of all time, standing up against even Michelangelo's work. But even if he was not the age's greatest artist, Leonardo may have conducted his most influential work in other fields. His emphasis on the importance of Nature would influence Enlightened philosophers centuries later, and he sketched speculative designs for gadgets like helicopters that would take another 4 centuries to create. Leonardo's vision and philosophy were made possible by his astounding work as a mathematician, engineer and scientist. At a time when much of science was dictated by Church teachings, Leonardo studied geology and anatomy long before they truly even became scientific fields, and he used his incredible artistic abilities to sketch the famous Vitruvian Man, linking art and science together. It's possible that Michelangelo is the most famous artist in history, but it's also possible that he's an underrated artist. The vast influence of his career is reflected by the fact that he is not only known for his own art but has also come to embody an entire epoch of Western art. Along with Leonardo da Vinci, there are no other artists who so fully capture the spirit of scientific and artistic discovery that characterized art during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Moreover, Michelangelo's career is distinguished from that of his peers through his seamless ability to work within different art forms, receiving acclaim regardless of the medium. After first rising to fame as a sculptor, he also painted and served as an architect, and since his death, Michelangelo has also become decorated for his prolific output as a poet. The diversity and high standard of his work, no matter the medium, make it difficult to even arrive at a most famous work. People can make a compelling argument for at least three works: the statue of David (1501-1504), the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1508-1512), or the design for St. Peter's Basilica (worked on from 1546 through his death). That the same artist produced these canonical monuments of Western art is remarkable, but that each was made through a different medium defines Michelangelo as a sui generis talent. Although Raphael was perhaps the most favored artist of the Italian Renaissance, his reputation has since been surpassed by famous contemporaries like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. To this day, it is difficult to think of Raphael without considering his artistic rivals, and comparing the artwork between Raphael and his contemporaries illuminates Raphael's artistic style and the reception surrounding his work. In many ways, his art synthesized the styles of other artists; Raphael's artwork was not produced in a vacuum, and his career reflects the rise of the artist as a culturally significant figure while also preserving the grandeur of the church. Even if he lacked the innovation of Leonardo or Michelangelo, Raphael was every bit as renowned during the time period, and an analysis of his life explains his mass appeal and cultural significance.

*Includes pictures *Includes contemporary accounts of Nazareth and Biblical accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "Nathanael said to him, 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.""-John 1:46 " And He] came and lived in a city called Nazareth This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: 'He shall be called a Nazarene.'"-Matthew 2:23 "'What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God '"-Mark 1:24 The town of Nazareth, located in Galilee in northern Israel, is a bustling settlement of over 60,000 people today. But more than 2,000 years ago it was an insignificant village of only a few hundred people-mostly farmers and some laborers who would travel to the nearby Roman settlements for employment. Yet it was in this unlikely location that the Holy Family lived. Even more important is that this was where the Annunciation took place, the moment when the angel Gabriel revealed to Mary that she would be the virgin mother of Jesus. Many also maintain that Nazareth was where Jesus spent many of his childhood years learning the trade of his father, growing up attending services at the local synagogue, and developing the foundations of his faith. Joseph, Mary and Jesus would have had a traditionally Jewish lifestyle at that time, but after the life of Christ, Nazareth increasingly became a center of pilgrimage in the Holy Land. Over the years it has been the location of some of the most impressive displays of faith against oppression and danger, representing the turbulence of the early years of Christianity in the region, and of the military campaigns in the Holy Land during the Crusades and the Ottoman period. Through it all, Nazareth has continued to be an extremely important site for the Christian faith, as there are five sites in present-day Nazareth that relate to the life and times of Jesus Christ: the Church of Saint Gabriel, the Basilica of the Annunciation, the Church of Saint Joseph, the ancient synagogue, and a precipice on the edge of the town where Jesus was taken to be executed for blasphemy. Nazareth: The History and Legacy of the Hometown of Jesus Christ looks at the history of the city and its importance in antiquity. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Nazareth like never before.

*Includes pictures *Includes accounts of the tribes written by contemporaries *Includes bibliographies for further reading *Includes a table of contents Throughout the 19th century, American settlers pushing across the Western frontier came into contact with diverse American tribes, producing a series of conflicts ranging from the Great Plains to the Southwest, from the Trail of Tears to the Pacific Northwest. Indian leaders like Geronimo became feared and dreaded men in America, and Sitting Bull's victory over George Custer's 7th Cavalry at Little Bighorn was one of the nation's most traumatic military endeavors. Given this history, it's no surprise that the Shawnee continue to be closely associated with their most famous leader, Tecumseh, the most famous Native American of the early 19th century. While leading the Shawnee, he attempted to peacefully establish a Native American nation east of the Mississippi River in the wake of the American Revolution. One of the most famous Native American tribes on the Great Plains is the Cheyenne, and their fame may be surpassed only by their influence on American history. Having split off from other groups around the 16th-17th centuries, the Cheyenne shifted from a sedentary agricultural society to the kind of nomadic g.roup many envision when thinking of groups on the Plains. But it was land disputes and conflicts with white settlers and the Cheyenne that set in motion the chain of events that led to the most famous battle among Native Americans and the American government: the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Like other notable Plains tribes, the Arapaho split off from other groups around the 16th-17th centuries and shifted from a sedentary agricultural society to the kind of nomadic group many envision when thinking of groups on the Plains. That nomadic lifestyle brought them into contact with the Sioux and Cheyenne, both of whom became allies as white settlers pushed west and led to conflicts. The United States sought to defuse tensions with natives during the westward push by drafting treaties regarding major pieces of land, often without understanding the complex structure of the various tribes, and subgroups within those tribes. Most notably, the Arapaho were victims of the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864, an action considered so heinous that the leader of the attack, Colonel John Chivington, was actually relieved of command after it. Outside of the Midwest, the Chippewa are not as well-known as other Native American tribes like the Sioux or Cherokee, but they have long been one of the biggest groups in all of North America. Not surprisingly, their presence around the Great Lakes region made them especially important to early European explorers who sailed the St. Lawrence and came into contact with the natives as they continued searching for the Northwest Passage. The French in particular conducted substantial fur trading with the Chippewa, and it is thanks to the European explorers that the various groups have all been identified as Chippewa today. The territory of the Blackfeet, at its greatest extent, encompassed a vast area from the eastern Rocky Mountains of Alberta and Montana and extending several hundred miles out onto the Great Plains, around the upper reaches of the Saskatchewan River and its tributaries in Alberta and the upper reaches of the Missouri River and its tributaries in Montana. The area of the land most sacred to the Blackfeet is the Sweet Grass Hills, which are located just south of the Canadian border in the central part of Montana. These are a group of buttes forested with balsam firs rising several thousand feet above the surrounding plains and which can be seen for a considerable distance. This was also Napi's favorite resting place in the mythology of the Blackfeet. Young Blackfeet went up into the Hills on their vision quests and, as their predecessors had done for several thousands of years, left inscriptions and petroglyphs.

*Includes E. A. Wallis Budge's explanation of the Seven Tablets of Creation, the creation myth that bears striking similarities to the Book of Genesis. *Includes the Ancient Mesopotamian account of the Descent of the Goddess Ishtar into the Underworld. *Explains the role religion played at the national level, city level, and personal level in all aspects of life. *Includes pictures depicting gods and events in the religion. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? Throughout time, people have been religious by nature, and billions today adhere to unique faiths across the world. In Charles River Editors' Religions of the World, readers can get caught up to speed on today's religions and yesterday's religions in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Throughout history, the world's most prominent religions have had intricacies that made them unique, yet many of them have also shared similar characteristics and stories. Nowhere is this clearer than in the religion practiced by people in Ancient Mesopotamia, which also happens to be the oldest documented religion in the world. Ancient Mesopotamian religion continues to captivate people for many of the same reasons today's best known religions and their histories fascinate people. The religion practiced by the Ancient Mesopotamians provides a certain mix between the mundane and the surreal, and at the same time aspects of it are both familiar and bizarre to people today. Some find themselves drawn to it based on its preeminent position in religious history as the oldest documented religion in the world. Others become fascinated with the close connections between some of the Mesopotamian religious texts, which include a flood story, a creation story and a story of the righteous sufferer, and their parallels in the Hebrew Bible. There are also many who learned about the mythological tales of the Greco-Roman world as children and revel in the mythological battles, love affairs and intrigue depicted in the Mesopotamian texts. Today the Ancient Mesopotamians and their religion are a source of curiosity, but thousands of years ago the religion was an integral part of their lives. From their birth to their death, deities surrounded them, and whether their social interactions were on the level of a smaller city or that of a larger nation-state, deities played key roles in the social fabric of their society. In fact, the people and religion were so intertwined that a study of Ancient Mesopotamian religion is a study of Ancient Mesopotamian culture. Religions of the World: The Religion of Ancient Mesopotamia examines the history and legacy of the religion practiced by the Ancient Mesopotamians, looking at the similarities it shares with other religions and the differences that make it unique. Along with pictures of important figures and places, you will learn about the religion of Ancient Mesopotamia like you never have before, in no time at all.

Um homem caolho, com uma capa cinza e um chap u de abas largas apoiando-se em uma bengala. Um andarilho que aparece quando menos esperado, trazendo triunfo ou perdi o. O deus da profecia, poesia e destino. Um metamorfo. Um feiticeiro. O deus Odin representa uma figura dram tica na mitologia n rdica e permanece uma parte da imagina o popular. Ele a inspira o para personagens como Gandalf o Cinza de J. R. R. Tolkien, e ainda faz parte de literatura moderna t o variada quanto hist rias em quadrinhos da Marvel bem como o romance de Neil Gaiman Deuses Americanos. Ao lado de seu filho Thor, Odin um dos deuses n rdicos mais bem conhecidos, e bem f cil esquecer-se que outrora ele esteve no centro de um pante o devotamente adorado por milh es de europeus durante a Idade M dia. Odin possui numerosos nomes e t tulos (mais de 200 de acordo com uma fonte), mas seu t tulo mais conhecido o "Pai de Tudo", o co-criador da Terra ("Midgard"), da humanidade e todas as criaturas que habitam esse mundo. Importante notar que ele tamb m o deus da profecia, xtase, e poesia, pap is todos profundamente conectados no mundo n rdico, tendo em vista que a linha separando o poeta do profeta era t nue e eles eram tidos como possuindo uma inspira o por uma esp cie de f ria ext tica. Esses pap is eram conectados pelo fato de Odin patrocinar o conhecimento, especialmente o conhecimento m stico, j que ele era o descobridor de runas m gicas e m sicas que ent o passou para a humanidade. Isso n o foi obtido sem sacrif cio - ele teve de arrancar um de seus pr prios olhos e permanecer morto por nove dias com fim de adquiri-los. Odin era um deus da vida e tamb m da morte, e famoso por tomar as almas de guerreiros que morriam em combate de volta ao seu reino de Valhalla. Seu papel estava ligado sua posi o como um deus da guerra, uma posi o que talvez n o pare a evidente a um leitor moderno para um deus do conhecimento e sabedoria. Entretanto, Odin era o rei dos deuses e o mestre de Asgard; portanto, no entendimento n rdico, uma de suas tarefas cruciais era a defesa daquele reino atrav s de poderio militar quando necess rio. Seus seguidores vivos iriam invoc -lo durante batalhas, e dizia-se que ele levou campe es e at mesmo ex rcitos de humanos ao triunfo. Um martelo que mortal algum pode levantar. Um deus da tempestade com cabelos de fogo. Um alien gena-her i-deus de hist rias em quadrinho que defende a humanidade. A su stica. At mesmo o dia da semana, "Thursday" - quinta feira em ingl s - tem seu nome ("Thor's Day", o dia de Thor). Apesar do virtual desaparecimento da religi o e mitologia n rdica v rios s culos atr s, a sociedade moderna ainda frequentemente depara-se com o deus da tempestade Thor, que continua a ser trazido de volta vida na forma da literatura, e foi recentemente o protagonista de filmes de grande or amento de Hollywood. Por que que este deus, dentre as centenas (sen o milhares) de divindades entregues lixeira da hist ria ao dar lugar para as religi es hoje mais comuns do mundo, captura tanto a imagina o das pessoas nos dias atuais? Uma melhor compreens o da atra o de Thor pode ser encontrada em quase todo aspecto da hist ria e da evolu o da figura ao decorrer dos s culos, incluindo as origens do deus, as imagens evocativas usadas para descrev -lo, e at mesmo paralelos entre Thor e outros deuses e her is similares. Tudo isso foi extensivamente explorado pela literatura, em hist rias sobre Thor encontradas na Edda prosaica e po tica, e a conex o que sociedades tiveram com Thor por centenas de anos, chegando at mesmo contemporaneidade. Essa obra tamb m examina o decl nio e substitui o da mitologia n rdica pelo cristianismo, as raz es pelas quais Thor foi frequentemente o ltimo deus adorado pelos n rdicos, e o que restou hoje do Thorismo, incluindo seus paralelos em outras f s, seu papel no reaviva

*Includes pictures of art depicting Mayan gods and goddesses. *Explains the Mayan calendar, ball game, sacrifice rituals, and other religious tenets. *Explains the evolution of the religion after the arrival of the Spanish. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "More than a collection of quaint mythology and exotic rituals, Maya] religion was an effective definition of the nature of the world, answering questions about the origin of humanity, the purpose of human life on earth, and the relationship of the individual to his family, his society, and his gods. It is a religion which speaks to central and enduring problems of the civilized human condition: power, justice, equality, individual purpose, and social destiny." - A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya In the years leading up to 2012, there has been much interest in the Maya calendar. Largely, this is because the calendar will complete its 5,200-year cycle on December 21, 2012, and this auspicious event has been misinterpreted as signaling the end of the world. For the Maya, the endings of calendar period of all lengths (cycles ranged from 20 days to centuries in length) were very important and required various types of rituals and offerings to be properly recognized. Often, the best acceptable "offering" was human blood, and Maya elites engaged in autosacrificial bloodletting to appease the deity presiding over the transition in question. Combined with the detailed Maya knowledge of astronomy, the calendar system functioned as a way for Maya priests and elites to know which particular god in their crowded pantheon was ruling at a particular moment. The Maya believed that each interval of time, embedded in units like the day, the night, the solar year, the k'atun (20 year cycle), the lunar cycle, and Venus's cycle, was governed by a certain deity. Such knowledge was considered vital in Maya cosmology and allowed the elites to maintain and consolidate power, effect political change, and lend religious veracity to monumental building projects. The blending of technologies and religion extended to writing for the Maya, who used a writing system to codify and standardize religio-political beliefs. It's also important to remember that though the Maya mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the last millennium, their culture survived and was passed down among peoples in the region. As a result, the religion has also evolved, and the conflation of traditional Maya religious beliefs has largely involved a shift from animistic polytheism to quasi-monotheism with continuing aspects of animism. The forest surrounding ancient Maya settlements was considered to be filled with spirits, some malevolent and some benign, and to protect their settlements, modern Maya villagers set a cross and a balam or "jaguar" spirit at each of the four entrances to the village. This demonstrates a clear blending of Catholic symbols (the cross) and Maya spiritual beliefs (the balam guardians) and cosmology (the four directions). The onset of Catholic religious hegemony influenced all aspects of Maya society, including religious life, and in a move that is typically Mesoamerican, Maya practitioners included aspects into Maya religious practices. Ritual sacrifice continued long after the arrival of the Spanish, and colonized Maya incorporated crucifixion as a method of human sacrifice. Also, though the last recorded Maya human sacrifice occurred in 1868, animal sacrifice continues to this day, and some Maya continue to make ritual offerings of animals (usually chickens), food, and drinks at mountain or cave shrines. Religions of the World: The Religion of the Maya examines the history and evolution of the Mayan religion, including its main tenets, the similarities it shares with other religions and the differences that make it unique. Along with pictures of important figures and places, you'll learn about the Maya religion like never before.

*Includes Suggested Playlists for both Lennon and McCartney. *Includes detailed descriptions of the origins and recording of some of The Beatles' timeless classics, including Tomorrow Never Knows, Strawberry Fields Forever, and A Day in the Life. *Includes descriptions of the Beatles' famous encounters with Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. *Includes pictures of Lennon, McCartney and important people, places, and events in their lives. *Includes a Bibliography for both Lennon and McCartney for further reading. In 1964, girls all across the United States filled venues, almost literally screamed their heads off, and fainted en masse. Almost from the second they played the first note, The Beatles would be hit with the resounding screams, which made it impossible for them to even hear themselves sing. When they made their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in early 1964, they were greeted by young fans who whipped themselves up into such a frenzy that some of them fainted. Beatlemania had struck North America, creating a musical and pop culture phenomenon unlike anything the world had ever seen. At the center of it all was John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the principal songwriting duo who were instrumental in creating the soundtrack of the 1960s, while producing some of the world's most timeless classics. Together with George Harrison and Ringo Starr, Lennon and McCartney propelled The Beatles to unprecedented heights, sparking Beatlemania on two sides of the Atlantic and experimenting with their sound in ways that revolutionized rock and inspired bands across various musical genres. Through it all, Lennon became one of the world's most interesting and outspoken men, a complex figure who survived a turbulent upbringing, addictions to drugs, and unstable relationships, only to be tragically killed just as he was settling into a serene, comfortable life. His loss is as widely felt today as it was in December 1980, as people remain in awe of his music and continue to grapple with the contradictory nature of his life and work, which at any given moment could oscillate from his notoriously acerbic wit to the endless optimism of Imagine. McCartney lacked the controversy of Lennon, the spirituality of Harrison, and the silliness of Starr, but he was unquestionably one of the driving forces behind the Beatles' most productive recording periods, especially on the Beatles' seminal Revolver album. It was also McCartney who tried hardest to keep the Beatles together from 1968-1970, even while his perfectionist attention to detail frequently drove his bandmates crazy. Ultimately, it was McCartney who was the first to publicly announce his departure from the Beatles. Sir Paul may have never topped the highs established by the Beatles, but he has gone on to have the longest and most productive solo career of the four. While that was helped in part by the tragic murder of Lennon in 1980, McCartney has nonetheless remained at the forefront of pop culture since 1970, and the Guinness Book of World Records has recognized him as the most successful recording artist of all time. Indeed, McCartney wrote or co-wrote over 30 #1 hits and has sold over 100 million albums and 100 million singles in his music career. Lennon-McCartney chronicles the lives and legacies of the two rock icons and analyzes their lasting musical legacies, humanizing both the rebellious hellion and the "cute" one. Along with suggested playlists of the two's greatest songs, descriptions of the recording and inspiration behind some of their classics, and pictures, you will learn about history's greatest songwriting duo like you never have before.

*Includes pictures of John, John Quincy, and important people, places, and events in their lives. *Includes several letters and diary entries from both men and Abigail Adams. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever." - John Adams John Adams has become one of the more popular presidents in history relatively recently, but it was not always so. For most of his life he was seen as a bit of an outsider, different from his fellow first presidents in his temperament, birth, life and politics. Adams and his son were the only presidents out of the first seven who were born north of the Mason Dixon line, and he was not an easy man to understand or work with. Not only did he have few friends, but he also often fell into long term quarrels with those he had. Politically, Adams shared Washington's preference for Britain as well as his preference of non-interference. However, while he was certainly the more significant man in his work and his governing, he could never seem to move out of Washington's shadow. Even worse, his presidency was seen as threatening to the very essence of American liberty with the Alien and Sedition Acts, and his loss to Jefferson in 1800 was a repudiation of the Federalists that left Jeffersonians in power until John Quincy Adams was elected in 1824. His presidency is still viewed relatively unfavorably. Adams remained a celebrated figure in Boston for all the work he did in Massachusetts before and after the Revolution, but his national reputation has experienced quite a renaissance over the past decade, beginning with David Mccullough's best selling biography in 2001, followed in 2008 by the popular HBO series based on it. Then, in 2010, Dearest Friend, a record of the correspondence between Adams and his wife Abigail solidified his position as one of the most darling Founding Fathers of the 21st Century. Few men in American history have a record anywhere near comparable to John Adams, but one of them happened to be Adams's own son, John Quincy Adams. And yet, few Americans are familiar with him aside from the fact that he was his father's son and the 6th president of the United States. John Quincy Adams set a lot of firsts for his country. In addition to being the first son of a president to become president himself, John Quincy Adams also managed to be a U. S. Senator, a U. S. House Representative, a Secretary of State, and an ambassador to several countries. Though he is known primarily for his presidential races against Andrew Jackson, there is a general consensus among historians that he is one of America's greatest and most skilled diplomats, responsible for successes such as the Treaty of Ghent (which ended the War of 1812), the annexation of Florida from Spain, and the Monroe Doctrine. Along with his substantive record, Adams was one of the foremost ideological thinkers of the 19th century, particularly in his adamant opposition to slavery. Adams brought the issue to the forefront in government whenever he could, and he predicted the Civil War that would come less than 15 years after his death: "The conflict between the principle of liberty and the fact of slavery is coming gradually to an issue. Slavery has now the power, and falls into convulsions at the approach of freedom. That the fall of slavery is predetermined in the counsels of Omnipotence I cannot doubt... But the conflict will be terrible, and the progress of improvement perhaps retrograde before its final progress to consummation." President Adams chronicles the lives and careers of both presidents. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in her life, you will learn about John and John Quincy like you never have before.

Es dif cil encontrar una isla en el mapa m s central que Sicilia. Situada en la encrucijada entre Europa y frica, y entre el Mediterr neo oriental y occidental, Sicilia rara vez ha sido gobernada como un Estado independiente y unificado. Sin embargo, la isla siempre ha ocupado un asiento de primera fila en algunos de los acontecimientos m s importantes de la historia, y en ning n otro lugar es m s evidente que en la antig edad. Muy f rtil en la antig edad, Sicilia fue especialmente apreciada por su producci n de cereales. La isla hab a sido habitada por tribus nativas desde la prehistoria, pero en los siglos IX y VIII a. C., Sicilia ser a el lugar de encuentro entre los griegos y los fenicios, midiendo sus poderes mar timos que luchaban por establecer colonias a lo largo de sus costas. Estas colonias, con el tiempo, se independizar an y, para la poca cl sica (510-323 a. C.), librar an sus propias guerras. Fue durante la poca cl sica que, especialmente bajo los tiranos (dictadores) de la ciudad griega de Siracusa, Sicilia se acerc m s a ser gobernada como un estado nico, unificado e independiente. Con el tiempo, lleg a desafiar al poderoso imperio comercial de Cartago, una antigua colonia fenicia en el norte de frica, y compiti con las ciudades y reinos de la Grecia continental por la primac a en el mundo griego. M s tarde, Sicilia ser a tanto un premio como un campo de batalla durante la Primera Guerra P nica (263-241 a. C.) y, en menor medida, tambi n durante la Segunda Guerra P nica (218-201 a. C.). Fueron conflictos masivos y prolongados entre Cartago y la naciente Rep blica Romana, y Roma se convertir a posteriormente en la principal potencia del Mediterr neo en su camino hacia el gobierno de gran parte del mundo conocido. Sicilia pasar a a ser el primer territorio de la Rep blica Romana fuera de Italia y su primera provincia; e Hier n, el tirano de Siracusa en ese momento, ser a el primer rey cliente de Roma. As , los dos modelos diferentes a trav s de los cuales Roma controlar a su imperio en el futuro hicieron su primera aparici n en Sicilia. La provincia de Sicilia ser a, adem s, crucial a la hora de proporcionar fondos, y sobre todo cereales, a la naciente Rep blica Romana. Despu s de las guerras p nicas, Sicilia seguir a siendo un dominio romano hasta el final de la antig edad, y los asuntos en la isla afectaron dram ticamente a los romanos en casa. La Primera Guerra Servil (135-132 a. C.) y la Segunda Guerra Servil (104-100 a. C.) tuvieron lugar en Sicilia, y fueron quiz s las revueltas esclavas m s grandes (y temporalmente exitosas) en la antig edad, demostrando un gran malestar en las primeras etapas del imperialismo romano. En el a o 70 a. C., el orador romano y estadista Cicer n pronunci un discurso contra Verres, el gobernador corrupto de la isla, y m s de 2.000 a os m s tarde todav a ofrece una visi n inestimable de la manera en que las cosas funcionaban en Sicilia y la Rep blica Romana en su conjunto. Aunque la conquista de Egipto en el a o 30 a. C. despojar a a Sicilia de su papel central como principal abastecedor de grano de Roma, la isla seguir a siendo una parte importante del Imperio Romano durante unos 500 a os m s. Sicilia s lo volver a a ser independiente despu s de la ca da del Imperio Romano Occidental a las tribus b rbaras a finales del siglo V d. C., que dio inicio al comienzo de la Edad Media. Antigua Sicilia: La Historia Y El Legado De La Isla M s Grande Del Mediterr neo En La Antig edad analiza uno de los territorios m s importantes y disputados del mundo. Junto con im genes que representan personas importantes, lugares y eventos, usted aprender acerca de la antigua Sicilia como nunca antes.

El peligro merode bajo las aguas fr as y grises del Mar del Norte y tambi n bajo las brillantes olas azules del Atl ntico tropical durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, cuando el Tercer Reich de Hitler intentaba estrangular las l neas de suministro de los Aliados con ataques de U-Boot (abreviatura del alem n Unterseeboot - plural U-Boote). Submarinos alemanes y brit nicos peinaban el vasto campo de batalla oce nico en busca de presas, mientras los cient ficos desarrollaban nuevas tecnolog as y contramedidas. La guerra submarina comenz tentativamente durante la Guerra Civil estadounidense (aunque los Pa ses Bajos e Inglaterra hab an hecho peque os prototipos siglos atr s, y el sargento estadounidense Ezra Lee pilot en vano el monoplaza Turtle contra el HMS Eagle cerca de Nueva York en 1776). La invenci n del torpedo por parte del brit nico Robert Whitehead introdujo el arma que ser a luego usada con m s frecuencia por los submarinos. Mejoramientos continuos al dise o de Whitehead conllevaron a los torpedos militares que fueron desplegados contra las rutas mar timas de env o durante ambas Guerras Mundiales. La Primera Guerra Mundial fue testigo de la Primera Batalla del Atl ntico, cuando el Imperio Alem n (Kaiserreich) desat sus U-Boote contra Inglaterra. A lo largo de los 52.5 meses que dur la guerra, los submarinos alemanes enviaron buena parte de la marina mercante brit nica al fondo del oc ano. De hecho, la dependencia alemana en los U-Boote tanto en la Primera como en la Segunda Guerra Mundial proven a principalmente de la geograf a de su naci n. Los alemanes finalmente reconocieron la superioridad de la Marina Real brit nica (Royal Navy) y su capacidad de bloquear la corta costa alemana en el evento de una guerra. Mientras que los brit nicos pod an interceptar buques de superficie f cilmente, los submarinos sal an subrepticiamente de sus ancladeros en Kiel o Hamburgo sin ser detectados, capaces as de atacar los barcos mercantes de Inglaterra. Durante la I Guerra Mundial los U-Boote alemanes operaron en solitario, excepto en una ocasi n. Inicialmente, los brit nicos y las naciones que supl an a Inglaterra de alimentos y materiales dispersaban nav os individualmente a trav s del oc ano, lo que los hac a m s vulnerables ante los submarinos solitarios. Sin embargo, la re-adopci n generalizada m s adelante en la guerra del sistema de convoyes inclin las probabilidades a favor de los buques de superficie, como lo describiera un capit n de U-Boot: "Los oc anos enseguida se tornaron vac os y desiertos; por largos per odos de tiempo a la vez los U-Boote, operando individualmente, no ve an nada en absoluto, y entonces de pronto aparec a un gran despliegue de embarcaciones, treinta o cincuenta o m s de ellas, rodeadas por una fuerte escolta de acorazados de todo tipo". (Blair, 1996, 55). La Primera Guerra Mundial comprob el valor de los submarinos y asegur su amplia utilizaci n en el siguiente conflicto. Adem s de Gran Breta a y Alemania, Jap n y los Estados Unidos tambi n construyeron extensas flotas submarinas antes y/o durante la guerra. Una innovaci n crucial en las operaciones de U-Boot en el Atl ntico durante la II Guerra Mundial consisti en las t cticas de "manada de lobos" (Rudeltaktik en alem n), en las que el Almirante Karl D nitz deposit su fe: "Mientras mayor sea el n mero de U-Boote que puedan participar simult neamente en el ataque, m s favorables ser n las oportunidades ofrecidas a cada atacante individual. (...) Resultaba obvio que, en t rminos t cticos estrat gicos y generales, los ataques a convoyes deben llevarse a cabo por un grupo de U-Boote actuando al un sono". (D nitz, 1990, 4).

Um homem caolho, com uma capa cinza e um chap u de abas largas apoiando-se em uma bengala. Um andarilho que aparece quando menos esperado, trazendo triunfo ou perdi o. O deus da profecia, poesia e destino. Um metamorfo. Um feiticeiro. O deus Odin representa uma figura dram tica na mitologia n rdica e permanece uma parte da imagina o popular. Ele a inspira o para personagens como Gandalf o Cinza de J. R. R. Tolkien, e ainda faz parte de literatura moderna t o variada quanto hist rias em quadrinhos da Marvel bem como o romance de Neil Gaiman Deuses Americanos. Ao lado de seu filho Thor, Odin um dos deuses n rdicos mais bem conhecidos, e bem f cil esquecer-se que outrora ele esteve no centro de um pante o devotamente adorado por milh es de europeus durante a Idade M dia. Odin possui numerosos nomes e t tulos (mais de 200 de acordo com uma fonte), mas seu t tulo mais conhecido o "Pai de Tudo", o co-criador da Terra ("Midgard"), da humanidade e todas as criaturas que habitam esse mundo. Importante notar que ele tamb m o deus da profecia, xtase, e poesia, pap is todos profundamente conectados no mundo n rdico, tendo em vista que a linha separando o poeta do profeta era t nue e eles eram tidos como possuindo uma inspira o por uma esp cie de f ria ext tica. Esses pap is eram conectados pelo fato de Odin patrocinar o conhecimento, especialmente o conhecimento m stico, j que ele era o descobridor de runas m gicas e m sicas que ent o passou para a humanidade. Isso n o foi obtido sem sacrif cio - ele teve de arrancar um de seus pr prios olhos e permanecer morto por nove dias com fim de adquiri-los. Odin era um deus da vida e tamb m da morte, e famoso por tomar as almas de guerreiros que morriam em combate de volta ao seu reino de Valhalla. Seu papel estava ligado sua posi o como um deus da guerra, uma posi o que talvez n o pare a evidente a um leitor moderno para um deus do conhecimento e sabedoria. Entretanto, Odin era o rei dos deuses e o mestre de Asgard; portanto, no entendimento n rdico, uma de suas tarefas cruciais era a defesa daquele reino atrav s de poderio militar quando necess rio. Seus seguidores vivos iriam invoc -lo durante batalhas, e dizia-se que ele levou campe es e at mesmo ex rcitos de humanos ao triunfo. til comparar Odin a duas outras divindades proeminentes: Thor e Zeus. Thor, o filho de Odin, era um outro deus da guerra n rdico, e Zeus era um outro deus rei. E ainda em ambos os casos, Odin difere grandemente destes deuses. Ele era mais enigm tico, e seu poderio era mais indireto e sutil. Odin era um deus de mist rios, de descobrir conhecimento obscuro, e ainda que fosse poderoso em batalha, as hist rias onde ele tem maior destaque s o aquelas onde ele assume formas discretas e faz com que os outros lhe passem informa es que talvez n o divulgassem t o abertamente. Isso difere da natureza temperamental dos outros dois deuses e de seu orgulho. Odin sempre foi um deus que planejava muitos passos adiante, disposto a fazer sacrif cios de curto-prazo extremos para progredir com seus planos, e continuamente trabalhava para endireitar a natureza de seu destino. Este livro explora a figura de Odin, incluindo suas origens, as hist rias contadas sobre ele, o modo como era adorado e fragmentos e mem rias dele que sobreviveram at a era moderna. Junto de ilustra es e uma bibliografia, voc aprender a respeito de Odin como nunca antes, e sem perder tempo.

*Includes pictures *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading The spy novel emerged from the intrigues of the mid-20th century for good reason. The war with the Third Reich involved an unseen cloak and dagger struggle between the participants, but beyond that, an even larger and longer contest took place in the shadows. Communism gained its first major foothold in statehood with the success of the Russian Revolution at the end of World War I, a success bizarrely assisted by the massive funding provided to the revolutionaries by some Western businessmen. Armand Hammer's father Julius, for instance, gave the new Soviet Union $50,000 in gold to back their new currency. In exchange he received asbestos mining and oil concessions, plus a pencil manufacturing monopoly in the USSR lasting until the Stalin era. Soviet Russia followed a philosophy demanding international, global revolution - which, in practice, often resembled conquest by any means available, direct or indirect. While the Soviets never hesitated to use naked force when it seemed advisable, or when compelled to it by outside attack, they made intensive use of covert operations - spying, assassination, bribery, infiltration of governments and educational systems, the deployment of agents provocateur and "agitprop" - in an effort to weaken other nations from within or possibly cause takeover by a friendly revolutionary regime. Soviet agents operated in all European countries and others, but their main efforts naturally focused on the strongest potential rivals - Germany, the United States, and Great Britain. Intelligent, persistent, and ruthless, the Soviets succeeded in recruiting a considerable number of agents, including men from the British ruling class. Their activities enabled the Soviets to capture and execute hundreds, if not thousands, of the opponents of their regime along with numbers of British agents. The men responsible for this unprecedented leaking of life-or-death information would enter history as the Cambridge Five - though in fact, they may have been only the core of a much larger group. The Cambridge Five: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Soviet Spy Ring in Britain during World War II and the Cold War chronicles the war's most infamous spy ring and its activities. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Cambridge Five like never before.

*Includes pictures *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading The samurai are among the most iconic warriors in history. The fighting elite of feudal Japan, they have played a dominant role in the country's life for over a thousand years. Even today, a century and a half after the rule of the samurai has formally ended, they remain a powerful symbol of martial might, and the embodiment of the stoic warrior. Like the knights who fought in Europe during the same era, the samurai were a feudal aristocracy. Militarily, politically, socially, and economically, they were the most powerful, the most influential, and the most privileged members of society. Though not all samurai were equal in power and status, they were almost always better off than the rest of Japanese society. The word samurai, meaning "those who serve," indicates the foundation upon which their power was built. As a feudal society, medieval Japan was shaped by a hierarchy of land ownership and its associated obligations. Most samurai held their land for a more senior overlord, to whom they owed military service. That overlord owed service to his overlord, and so on up the hierarchy, which allowed the most powerful lords to raise great armies. A proud and dominant force, the collective dominance of the samurai arose from a dedication to service. Such service also created the opportunity for revolt, as a lord with enough loyal followers might try to usurp his master, and battles for land and power between competing samurai factions dominated Japanese history for centuries as a result. The wealth of the samurai not only led to their role as leaders but as a hard-hitting military elite as well, mostly because they could afford the armor, weapons, and horses that gave them an edge in battle. Supported by the labor of the people who lived on their lands, they were also able to spare the time to train for war, something for which young men of the samurai class were prepared from an early age. The Samurai: The History and Legacy of Japan's Military Elite looks at who the samurai were, how they fought, and the historical wars in which they played a leading part. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the samurai like never before.

*Includes pictures of important people and places. *Explains the origins, history, religion, and social structure of the Creek. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "The Muscogee was once a mighty people. The Georgians trembled at your war-whoop, and the maidens of my tribe, on the distant lakes, sung the prowess of your warriors and sighed for their embraces. Now your very blood is white; your tomahawks have no edge; your bows and arrows were buried with your fathers. Oh Muscogees, brethren of my mother, brush from your eyelids the sleep of slavery; once more strike for vengeance; once more for your country." - Tecumseh, 1811 From the "Trail of Tears" to Wounded Knee and Little Bighorn, the narrative of American history is incomplete without the inclusion of the Native Americans that lived on the continent before European settlers arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the first contact between natives and settlers, tribes like the Sioux, Cherokee, and Navajo have both fascinated and perplexed outsiders with their history, language, and culture. In Charles River Editors' Native American Tribes series, readers can get caught up to speed on the history and culture of North America's most famous native tribes in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Though they are not as well known as tribes like the Sioux or Cherokee, the Creek are one of the oldest and most important Native American tribes in North America. With roots that tie them to the Ancient Moundbuilders, the Creek were one of the most established groups in the Southeastern United States, and came to be known as one of the Five Civilized Tribes. It's also believed that the Creek were the first natives encountered by Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto's historic expedition in the mid-16th century. The Creek became known as one of the Five Civilized Tribes for quickly assimilating aspects of European culture, but in response to early European contact, the Muscogee established one of the strongest confederacies in the region. Despite becoming a dominant regional force, however, infighting brought about civil war in the early 19th century, and they were quickly wrapped up in the War of 1812 as well. By the end of that fighting, the Creek were compelled to cede millions of acres of land to the expanding United States, ushering in a new era that found the Creek occupying only a small strip of Alabama by the 1830s. Native American Tribes: The History and Culture of the Creek comprehensively covers the culture and history of the famous group, profiling their origins, their history, and their lasting legacy. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Creek like you never have before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures *Includes accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "The desert was quivering with heat. The gun detachments and the platoons squatted in their pits and trenches, the sweat running in rivers down their dust-caked faces. There was a terrible stench. The flies swarmed in black clouds upon the dead bodies and excreta and tormented the wounded. The place was strewn with burning tanks and carriers, wrecked guns and vehicles, and over all drifted the smoke and the dust from bursting high explosives and from the blasts of guns." - Cecil Ernest Lucas-Phillips The fighting in North Africa during World War II is commonly overlooked, aside from the famous battle at El Alamein that pitted the British under General Bernard Montgomery against the legendary "Desert Fox," Erwin Rommel. But while the Second Battle of El Alamein would be the pivotal action in North Africa, the conflict in North Africa began all the way back in the summer of 1940, when Italian dictator Benito Mussolini declared Italy's entrance into the war. From his perspective, the fact that the British and French had their hands full with the Germans created an opportunity for Italy to enlarge its colonial holdings in Africa by seizing portions of the British Empire. However, British troops in the colony of Egypt responded to Italy's declaration of war by driving through the Egyptian-Ethiopian border and attacking Italian troops stationed in the Italian colony of Ethiopia. By September 13, 1940, Italian commanders in Ethiopia were finally ready to put Mussolini's plan into action and attack British colonial holdings, but British troops had already attacked a series of Italian frontier posts and had inflicted 3,500 casualties among Italy's North African troops. Although British maneuvering in North Africa began successfully against the Italians, the British forces suffered a series of defeats over the next two years, due to several problems the British army faced as a result of inadequate preparation and weaponry. For example, when the war began, junior officers were unprepared for the kind of cooperation between units that was necessary in the battles of North Africa. At the same time, while British tanks were capable of opposing Italian tanks, they were vastly inferior to German models. Dealing with the Italians was one thing, but the British faced an entirely different monster in North Africa when Erwin Rommel, a German general who had gained much fame for his role in the invasions of Poland and France, was sent to North Africa in February 1941. For the next two years, the Allies would face off against the legendary Desert Fox and his Afrika Korps. As a specific unit, the Afrika Korps represented only a small part of the German forces deployed in the North African theater, but the term "Afrika Korps" has since come to imply all forces under Rommel's command, and the Afrika Korps is now associated with all German war efforts in North Africa. On August 1, 1945, a month before the formal end of World War II, the British War Office announced the disbanding of a small, eclectic unit, the Long Range Desert Group. Since its founding five years earlier, in June 1940, the LRDG had pioneered and refined the concept and tactics of deep penetration, covert reconnaissance in both the North African desert, and later as a more varied special forces operations unit in the Aegean, Italy and the Balkans. The LRDG, although built on work done during the North African desert campaigns of World War I, suffered a difficult gestation at the onset of World War II, and it was only much later revived after World War II in the era of Vietnam and the African counterinsurgency wars to become a standard configuration in most modern armies. The Long Range Desert Group: The History of the Elite British Army Unit during World War II chronicles one of World War II's most famous fighting units.

"El punto es que la idea de los veh culos espaciales en forma de platillos voladores fue impresa en la psique nacional durante muchos a os antes de 1947, cuando tuvo lugar el incidente de Roswell. A los primeros observadores de los OVNIs no les cost mucho trabajo suponer que los objetos desconocidos que flotaban en el cielo ten an la misma forma de disco que los veh culos de ciencia ficci n"- Frank Wu, ilustrador de revistas de ciencia ficci n. Cuando la gente piensa en objetos voladores no identificados (OVNIS), tiende a pensar en discos voladores pilotados por seres grises con grandes cabezas y enormes ojos. Tienden a pensar que estos avistamientos apenas comenzaron hace relativamente poco tiempo y que la creencia en los OVNIs es una especie de religi n moderna provocada, quiz s, por los temores justificados de una era nuclear. Pero un estudio del fen meno revela r pidamente que la humanidad ha estado viendo OVNIS desde el principio de la historia registrada y quiz s mucho m s tiempo que eso. La Ufolog a moderna se centra en luces misteriosas sobre "Ceres" o cuentos de abducci n alien gena, pero no siempre fue as . Observando c mo ha cambiado la creencia en el fen meno de los OVNIs y c mo se ha mantenido, arroja nueva luz sobre c mo la cultura y las creencias cambian con el tiempo. No se tiene que creer que los seres humanos est n siendo visitados por extraterrestres de otro planeta para reconocer la importancia de los OVNIS en la sociedad humana. Cualquier creencia generalizada que perdure durante siglos es digna de estudio, y como siempre, existen casos que no pueden ser explicados como simples "creencias"... Todo el mundo est familiarizado con las teor as acerca de los OVNIs, o "platillos voladores" como se los llamaba entonces, pero incluso este nombre data de 1947. Antes de esa poca se les llamaba "cohetes fantasmas" o "aviones fantasmas" o "naves a reas fantasmas" Antes de la era del vuelo, los objetos voladores se llamaban varias cosas como "carros voladores" No importa la terminolog a que se use, cada generaci n claramente ha tenido su propia creencia de que la humanidad no est sola. Por ejemplo, pocas cosas en la historia estadounidense son tan controvertidas como la Colisi n de Roswell. El nico hecho innegable es que algo sucedi cerca de Roswell, Nuevo M xico, en 1947, pero m s all de eso, los hechos se vuelven turbios a medida que los recuerdos y las pruebas pierden su lustre a trav s de los a os. Dicho esto, el impacto de un objeto no identificado contin a desconcertando a los residentes, visitantes y curiosos, y no s lo ha puesto a Roswell en el mapa, sino que lo ha mantenido all para miles de turistas. Sin embargo, prevalece el escepticismo sobre la versi n oficial del incidente, y un sinn mero de personas contin an creyendo que el gobierno estadounidense encubri un aterrizaje forzoso alien gena. Como John B. Alexander, Ph. D., un antiguo director de proyecto del Laboratorio Nacional de Los lamos y consultor de la CIA, dijo: "Intentar llegar a una resoluci n completa del incidente es un mandado de un tonto, ya que cualquiera que sea la verdad, se ha distorsionado tanto con el tiempo que los hechos se han fusionado inextricablemente con la ficci n". Platillos voladores: La misteriosa historia del fen meno OVNI examina la locura de objetos voladores no identificados. Junto con fotos de personas importantes, lugares y eventos, aprender sobre platillos voladores como nunca antes, en un abrir y cerrar de ojos.

*Includes pictures *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading The Weimar Republic has become a byword for a failed, tragic, political experiment. The official period of its existence, 1919-1933, marked the inter-war years in Germany and their related uncertainty, chaos and the state's ultimate collapse. Historians have found the roots of Nazism embedded in the Weimar years and that in the final analysis, Weimar politicians voluntarily handed over power to the man who wrought destruction on an epic scale, Adolf Hitler. Yet the Weimar era encapsulated a number of trends and fissures within German society, as well as the international community. The Weimar Republic was a prisoner of events and in the long run had little power to shape them. Historians are fond of interpreting the past as a tension between human agency, that is to say decision-making, and structural developments that evade individual choices. Both these interpretations are crucial when examining the tumultuous years of Germany's Weimar Republic. The early 1930s were a tumultuous period for German politics, even in comparison to the ongoing transition to the modern era that caused various forms of chaos throughout the rest of the world. In the United States, reliance on the outdated gold standard and an absurdly parsimonious monetary policy helped bring about the Great Depression. Meanwhile, the Empire of Japan began its ultimately fatal adventurism with the invasion of Manchuria, alienating the rest of the world with the atrocities it committed. Around the same time, Gandhi began his drive for the peaceful independence of India through nonviolent protests against the British. It was in Germany, however, that the strongest seeds of future tragedy were sown. The struggling Weimar Republic had become a breeding ground for extremist politics, including two opposed and powerful authoritarian entities: the right-wing National Socialists and the left-wing KPD Communist Party. As the 1930s dawned, these two totalitarian groups held one another in a temporary stalemate, enabling the fragile ghost of democracy to continue a largely illusory survival for a few more years. That stalemate was broken in dramatic fashion on a bitterly cold night in late February 1933, and it was the Nazis who emerged decisively as the victors. A single act of arson against the famous Reichstag building proved to be the catalyst that propelled Adolf Hitler to victory in the elections of March 1933, which set the German nation irrevocably on the path towards World War II. That war would plunge much of the planet into an existential battle that ultimately cost an estimated 60 million lives. Germany Between the World Wars: The History and Legacy of the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany in the Interwar Period chronicles the pivotal events in the years between World War I and World War II. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Germany between the wars like never before.

Um homem caolho, com uma capa cinza e um chap u de abas largas apoiando-se em uma bengala. Um andarilho que aparece quando menos esperado, trazendo triunfo ou perdi o. O deus da profecia, poesia e destino. Um metamorfo. Um feiticeiro. O deus Odin representa uma figura dram tica na mitologia n rdica e permanece uma parte da imagina o popular. Ele a inspira o para personagens como Gandalf o Cinza de J. R. R. Tolkien, e ainda faz parte de literatura moderna t o variada quanto hist rias em quadrinhos da Marvel bem como o romance de Neil Gaiman Deuses Americanos. Ao lado de seu filho Thor, Odin um dos deuses n rdicos mais bem conhecidos, e bem f cil esquecer-se que outrora ele esteve no centro de um pante o devotamente adorado por milh es de europeus durante a Idade M dia. Odin possui numerosos nomes e t tulos (mais de 200 de acordo com uma fonte), mas seu t tulo mais conhecido o "Pai de Tudo", o co-criador da Terra ("Midgard"), da humanidade e todas as criaturas que habitam esse mundo. Importante notar que ele tamb m o deus da profecia, xtase, e poesia, pap is todos profundamente conectados no mundo n rdico, tendo em vista que a linha separando o poeta do profeta era t nue e eles eram tidos como possuindo uma inspira o por uma esp cie de f ria ext tica. Esses pap is eram conectados pelo fato de Odin patrocinar o conhecimento, especialmente o conhecimento m stico, j que ele era o descobridor de runas m gicas e m sicas que ent o passou para a humanidade. Isso n o foi obtido sem sacrif cio - ele teve de arrancar um de seus pr prios olhos e permanecer morto por nove dias com fim de adquiri-los. Odin era um deus da vida e tamb m da morte, e famoso por tomar as almas de guerreiros que morriam em combate de volta ao seu reino de Valhalla. Seu papel estava ligado sua posi o como um deus da guerra, uma posi o que talvez n o pare a evidente a um leitor moderno para um deus do conhecimento e sabedoria. Entretanto, Odin era o rei dos deuses e o mestre de Asgard; portanto, no entendimento n rdico, uma de suas tarefas cruciais era a defesa daquele reino atrav s de poderio militar quando necess rio. Seus seguidores vivos iriam invoc -lo durante batalhas, e dizia-se que ele levou campe es e at mesmo ex rcitos de humanos ao triunfo. Um martelo que mortal algum pode levantar. Um deus da tempestade com cabelos de fogo. Um alien gena-her i-deus de hist rias em quadrinho que defende a humanidade. A su stica. At mesmo o dia da semana, "Thursday" - quinta feira em ingl s - tem seu nome ("Thor's Day", o dia de Thor). Apesar do virtual desaparecimento da religi o e mitologia n rdica v rios s culos atr s, a sociedade moderna ainda frequentemente depara-se com o deus da tempestade Thor, que continua a ser trazido de volta vida na forma da literatura, e foi recentemente o protagonista de filmes de grande or amento de Hollywood. Por que que este deus, dentre as centenas (sen o milhares) de divindades entregues lixeira da hist ria ao dar lugar para as religi es hoje mais comuns do mundo, captura tanto a imagina o das pessoas nos dias atuais? Uma melhor compreens o da atra o de Thor pode ser encontrada em quase todo aspecto da hist ria e da evolu o da figura ao decorrer dos s culos, incluindo as origens do deus, as imagens evocativas usadas para descrev -lo, e at mesmo paralelos entre Thor e outros deuses e her is similares. Tudo isso foi extensivamente explorado pela literatura, em hist rias sobre Thor encontradas na Edda prosaica e po tica, e a conex o que sociedades tiveram com Thor por centenas de anos, chegando at mesmo contemporaneidade. Essa obra tamb m examina o decl nio e substitui o da mitologia n rdica pelo cristianismo, as raz es pelas quais Thor foi frequentemente o ltimo deus adorado pelos n rdicos, e o que restou hoje do Thorismo, incluindo seus paralelos em outras f s, seu papel no reaviva

*Includes pictures *Includes soldiers' accounts of the fighting *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading In the warm predawn darkness of June 22, 1941, 3 million men waited along a front hundreds of miles long, stretching from the Baltic coast of Poland to the Balkans. Ahead of them in the darkness lay the Soviet Union, its border guarded by millions of Red Army troops echeloned deep throughout the huge spaces of Russia. This massive gathering of Wehrmacht soldiers from Adolf Hitler's Third Reich and his allied states - notably Hungary and Romania - stood poised to carry out Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's surprise attack against the country of his putative ally, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. At precisely 1:00 a.m. that morning, the radios of command and headquarter units all along the line crackled to life. Officers and generals heard a single code word: "Dortmund" for Army Group North, and "Wotan," the name of the one-eyed pre-Christian god of knowledge, war, and runes, for Army Group South. In answer to shouted orders and tactical-level radio transmissions, men threw aside camouflage nets, truck, halftrack, and panzer engines started with a throbbing rumble, and artillerists prepared their weaponry for the terrific barrage generally preceding a Wehrmacht assault. Soldiers swarmed onto trains, and the propellers of thousands of German aircraft, including the still-formidable Stuka dive-bombers, roared amid the nighttime stillness on dozens of airfields throughout Eastern Europe. The Soviets were so caught by surprise at the start of the attack that the Germans were able to push several hundred miles into Russia across a front that stretched dozens of miles long, reaching the major cities of Leningrad and Sevastopol in just three months. The first major Russian city in their path was Minsk, which fell in only six days. In order to make clear his determination to win at all costs, Stalin had the three men in charge of the troops defending Minsk executed for their failure to hold their position. This move, along with unspeakable atrocities by the German soldiers against the people of Minsk, solidified the Soviet will. In the future, Russian soldiers would fight to the death rather than surrender, and in July, Stalin exhorted the nation, "It is time to finish retreating. Not one step back Such should now be our main slogan. ... Henceforth the solid law of discipline for each commander, Red Army soldier, and commissar should be the requirement - not a single step back without order from higher command." Though the attack caught Stalin utterly by surprise, the tension between the two violent, predatory states made such a clash almost inevitable. The USSR had no plans to invade Germany in 1941, but it had remained an aggressive military state infused with the savage zeal to abolish all borders into one international "workers' paradise" through force of arms, as Vladimir Lenin (and many other Soviet leaders and writers) made clear. Hitler, for his part, wanted Lebensraum for the Germans - at the expense, of course, of the Slavs - and viewed the communist state as an existential threat to Europe itself. Driven by a mix of raw acquisitive ambition, ideology, and actual understanding of the Soviet Union's own minatory intent, the Fuhrer launched a full-scale invasion. Likely with intentional malice, the declaration of war delivered by Gustav von Schulenburg several hours after the invasion's start mirrored almost exactly the Soviet pretext of "defending their borders" used during the USSR's invasions of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. Operation Barbarossa: The History of Nazi Germany's Invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II analyzes the beginning of the war along the Eastern Front. Along with pictures of important people and places, you will learn about Operation Barbarossa like never before.

*Analyzes Lucrezia's legacy and how it endured over the centuries. *Examines the legends and rumors surrounding Lucrezia's life in an attempt to separate fact from fiction. *Includes pictures depicting Lucrezia and other important people and places in her life. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "Lucrezia Borgia is the most unfortunate woman in modern history. Is this because she was guilty of the most hideous crimes, or is it simply because she has been unjustly condemned by the world to bear its curse? The question has never been answered... We possess the history of Alexander VI and Cesare, but of Lucrezia Borgia we have little more than a legend, according to which she is a fury, the poison in one hand, the poignard in the other; and yet this baneful personality possessed all the charms and graces." - Ferdinand Gregorovius A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? When historians are asked to pick a point in history when Western civilization was transformed and guided down the path to modernity, most of them point to the Renaissance. Indeed, the Renaissance revolutionized art, philosophy, religion, sciences and math, with individuals like Galileo, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Dante, and Petrarch bridging the past and modern society. In Charles River Editors' Legends of the Renaissance, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of the most important men and women of the Renaissance in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. History remembers Lucrezia Borgia in unflattering terms. She has been portrayed as an incestuous adulteress and a murderer, but her contemporaries thought of her in very different terms. Lucrezia was a political pawn in her father and brother's plots and a political power in her own right. She was well-educated and well-respected during her lifetime. While she was, in all certainty, a part of multiple political plots, she was also considered to be pious, thoughtful, and mannerly. Of course, legends often overtake and overshadow reality. The world has always had a fascination with femme fatales, and few historical women have ever been portrayed as one quite like Lucrezia Borgia. Lucrezia is a baseless, immoral villain in Victor Hugo's Lucrezia Borgia, and she continues to be depicted as a schemer and manipulator on par with her famous brother and father in film and critically acclaimed television series. Indeed, it would be hard to find another woman in the historical record who is remembered in any way comparable to the legacy of Lucrezia that remains nearly 500 years after her death. The great irony is that Lucrezia's reputation seems to be wildly at odds with the actual woman herself. Though political opponents of the Borgias successfully portrayed Lucrezia as an incestuous schemer, Lucrezia was unusually moral for a powerful woman during the Renaissance. Aside from adultery, hardly unusual in that era, Lucrezia proved to be both an efficient and benevolent ruler when her husband was away from Ferrara, and the two of them had an unusually close and loving relationship in an era where political marriages were made out of convenience, not love. Legends of the Renaissance: The Life and Legacy of Lucrezia Borgia chronicles Lucrezia's life and discusses the legends and myths about her life in an attempt to separate fact from fiction. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in her life, you will learn about Lucrezia like you never have before, in no time at all.