Howard Brinkley

In 2005 the British Broadcasting Corporation sponsored a program to find the greatest painting in Britain. Any painting hanging in a British art gallery was eligible to become The Greatest Painting in Britain, whether it was created by an Englishman or not. After every work of art in the country was evaluated a short list of finalists by British, Italian, Dutch, Belgian and French artists was announced. There were heavy hitters like Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh. Also on the list was one of the most original works in the Western World's art canon - The Arnolfini Portrait by Netherlands painter Jan van Eyck in 1434, perpetrated with oils on three panels of oak boards. In the end the vote was not all that close. The winner was The Fighting T m raire Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken Up, 1838 painted by a contemporary and bitter rival of Constable, Joseph William Mallord Turner. Turner was secretive and prolific in his paintings and did more than any other artist to elevate landscape painting to the lofty status of historical painting that was universally held to be the highest form of Western painting. Turner knew his rightful place among the Old Masters; 150 years after his death the people of England agreed with him. This book tells his incredible story.

★★★ Discover the young life that shaped a great man ★★★Few famous humans came into the world under such humble circumstances as Abraham Lincoln on February 12, 1809. But it may very well be that the humble and unassuming life he lived actually served to shape him into the solid, moral, honest, decent, hard-working adult that he became. What were those circumstances, the formula so to speak, that molded this future president? This biography looks at the childhood and young adulthood of Abraham Lincoln.

In 1820, a sperm whale attacked and sunk the Whaleship Essex. 2000 miles off the coast of South America, the crew knew it would be a true feat to survive and make it to shore--any shore. It's story became legendary; Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about it; Edgar Allen Poe incorporated details of it in his only novel; and, most notoriously of them all, it served as the inspiration for Herman Melville's Moby Dick. This account retraces the history of one of the most famous shipwrecks of all time.

They work in the shadow of America's greatest leaders; without them, the White House could not function. They are the ushers and butlers of the White House. This short book traces the history of White House staff from the very beginning. It includes profiles of some of the most influential members, including Alonzo Fields and Eugene Allen. HistoryCaps is an imprint of BookCaps Study Guides. With each book, a brief period of history is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to science and philosophy), so check our growing catalog regularly to see our newest books.

The Holocaust was the systematic murder of six million European Jews by Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party. The horrors of the Holocaust have documented been many times. Even those that were not killed, mutilated, or starved in concentration camps were stripped of their citizenship and their identities. The Nazis did not stop there, though. Hitler, in his quest to build an empire, planned and executed the most extensive theft of art and cultural treasures in history. A group of art historians, museum curators, scholars, and others with an expertise in art accepted the enormous responsibility of traveling to the front lines of World War II in an effort to protect art before it could be stolen or recover the art that fell into the hands of the Nazis. Even more lent their expertise when the fighting ended, remaining in Europe for years after the war was over. They were called "Venus fixers" by the troops but have since come to be known as the Monuments Men. Acting on orders from General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had the backing of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, many of the Monuments Men - and women - put their lives on the line for art. By doing so, they preserved not just paintings, sculptures, and tapestries, but a significant portion of the culture that makes life worth living. As Mikhail Piotrovsky, the director of the State Hermitage Museum in Russia, said, "Art belongs to humanity. Art is what makes us human." This book dives into the fascinating history of one of the greatest treasure hunts of all time HistoryCaps is an imprint of BookCaps Study Guides. With each book, a brief period of history is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to science and philosophy), so check our growing catalogue regularly to see our newest books.

Everyone who was alive remembers where they were the day John F. Kennedy was shot; but that's just a brief moment in time. What shaped the country-and even the world-wasn't that brief moment...it was how we rebuilt. This book follows the 30 days following the death of John F. Kennedy died-it shows how a nation came together, endured, and became stronger in the wake of horrific tragedy. HistoryCaps is an imprint of BookCaps Study Guides. With each book, a brief period of history is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to science and philosophy), so check our growing catalogue regularly to see our newest books.

The amount of attention focused on Apollo 11 was enormous. Sending a man to the Moon was not simply an American achievement, but an achievement for the entire world. By Apollo 17, the space race was over and the fascination with the Apollo mission was not as great. Though the mission is not the most covered mission, it is one of the most important-what its experiments proved paved the way for space missions to come. HistoryCaps is an imprint of BookCaps Study Guides. With each book, a brief period of history is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to science and philosophy), so check our growing catalogue regularly to see our newest books.

Never has the world come as close to the catastrophic destruction that nearly came to pass in October 1962. The United States and the Soviet Union, uneasy allies in World War II but Cold War rivals after the defeat of Germany, squared off over the discovery of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. This launched 13 days of tense negotiations between the two nations, as both President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev prepared for the possibility of nuclear war. While neither man wanted a war and understood the potential consequences, the situation was not merely in their hands. Khrushchev faced pressure from Soviets to take a hardline stance against the U. S., while Kennedy faced the real possibility of a military coup if he did not follow the strong recommendations of his military advisors to destroy the missiles. As Attorney General Robert Kennedy said, "The 10 or 12 people who participated in all these discussions were bright and energetic people. We had perhaps amongst the most able in the country and if any one of a half a dozen of them were president, the world would have been very likely plunged into catastrophic war." Read more about the history of this short crisis in this book. HistoryCaps is an imprint of BookCaps Study Guides. With each book, a brief period of history is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to science and philosophy), so check our growing catalogue regularly to see our newest books.

The Dust Bowl was the largest ecological disaster in United States history, coinciding with the nation's worst economic crisis, the Great Depression of the 1930s. Massive dust storms, combined with nearly a decade of drought, wreaked havoc on parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Arkansas. The storms were a relentless threat to the environment and the health and welfare of those in their path. The effects of the dust storms were far-reaching, impacting not just the farmers and their families, but the state of California. Many who were forced off their land viewed the state as a mecca and it became the new home for millions of former Midwesterners. However, many families stayed in the Great Plains and reluctantly turned to the federal government for assistance to make ends meet. The government's new role as a provider of economic relief and social aid was met with gratitude by some and anger by others. In this book, Brinkley will take you through a short history of the "Dirty Thirties." HistoryCaps is an imprint of BookCaps Study Guides. With each book, a brief period of history is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to science and philosophy), so check our growing catalogue regularly to see our newest books.

★★★ Spies Treason Conspiracy The American Civil War? ★★★Spies Treason Conspiracy The American Civil War? Civil War spying had all the ingredients of a modern spy movie--just replaces gadgets with Saber's and Colt's. This book looks at the incredible history of espionage in the Civil War. With a gripping narrative this book will read more like a John le Carr spy novel than a history book. HistoryCaps is an imprint of BookCaps Study Guides. With each book, a brief period of history is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to science and philosophy), so check our growing catalogue regularly to see our newest books.

Spires Treason Conspiracy The American Revolution? The Culper Spying Ring had all the ingredients of a modern spy movie--just replaces gadgets with muskets. This book looks at the incredible history of Washington's famous spying ring. With a gripping narrative this book will read more like a John le Carr spy novel than a history book. HistoryCaps is an imprint of BookCaps Study Guides. With each book, a brief period of history is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to science and philosophy), so check our growing catalogue regularly to see our newest books.

Over 3,000 lives lost. A city in ruins. Fires raging for days. In the early morning hours of April 18, 1906, San Francisco was rocked by a powerful earthquake that reduced buildings to rubble and unleashed fires that would burn the city to the ground. Entire neighborhoods vanished. Families were torn apart. And a nation watched in horror. The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 remains one of the deadliest and most devastating natural disasters in U. S. history. But what exactly happened in those terrifying moments-and the chaotic days that followed? How did a city surrounded by water find itself consumed by fire? And what did officials, citizens, and first responders learn the hard way about disaster preparedness? This book explores not just the destruction, but the resilience. Discover how San Francisco began the long journey of rebuilding, what lessons were learned, and how the tragedy changed disaster response planning forever. Perfect for young readers, educators, or anyone interested in real history that reads like a story, this book brings the past to life. HistoryCaps is an imprint of BookCaps Study Guides, publishing accessible, engaging nonfiction for readers of all ages. With dozens of new titles every month, there's always something new to discover