Books – Detail

The story of how Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare's greatest rival, leveraged his classical education to ignite an explosion of English literature, nourished the literary talent of Shakespeare and challenged societal norms with his transgressive genius.

On the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, the Pulitzer Prize finalist whose work is 'oral history at its finest' (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) delivers an epic narrative of the atomic bomb's creation and deployment, woven from the voices of hundreds of scientists, generals, soldiers, and civilians.

The story of the wildest experiments in early photography and the wild people who undertook them.

Explores how the widespread circulation of pictures reshaped a nineteenth-century US culture that was accustomed to printed and spoken words

The Golden Age of Italian Jews by Gino Segrè covers the nine decades from 1848 to 1938 during which Italian Jews rose from their socially constrained ghetto life to acquire full civil rights and eventually to occupy commanding positions in Italian society.-- Provided by publisher.

Gino Segrè is a past winner of the Athenaeum Literary Award for his book (with Bettina Hoerlin)
The Pope of Physics: Enrico Fermi and the Birth of the Atomic Age

In this posthumous collection of thought-provoking essays--many never published before--Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and bestselling author David McCullough affirms the value of history, how we can be guided by its lessons, and the enduring legacy of American ideals. History Matters brings together selected essays by beloved historian David McCullough, some published here for the first time, written at different points over the course of his long career but all focused on the subject of his lifelong passion: the importance of history in understanding our present and future.

From the author of The Ground Breaking, longlisted for the National Book Award, comes a riveting saga of the last year of the Civil War—and a revealing new account of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

In the nineteenth century, Manhattan's streets were so choked with pedestrians, horses, vehicles, and vendors that a trip from City Hall to Central Park could take hours. Alfred Beach had the perfect solution: build a giant pneumatic tube underneath Broadway from the Battery to Harlem.

In this collection of essays and reviews, renowned historian Eric Foner explores the evolving meaning of American freedom and its ongoing struggles. Covering topics from slavery and the Civil War to civil rights and contemporary politics, Foner examines key figures, events, and constitutional issues with clarity and insight. Highlighting how rights can be gained, lost, and must be continually defended, the book underscores the relevance of history in understanding today's political challenges and debates over how the past is remembered and taught.

Told through the lives of three remarkable artists devoted to the pursuit of liberty, an illuminating new history of the ideals that fired the American Revolution.

"This book examines how Philadelphia merchant networks used commerce and trade to integrate the Midwest into the United States, shaping the region's development before the 1803 Louisiana Purchase"-- Provided by publisher.

"Explores the history of Philadelphia as a gentrifying city and the role of educational institutions in the city's transformation"-- Provided by publisher.