A poet lives for more than three centuries, becomes a woman, and ages only twenty years in this classic fantastical work by the author of Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando begins their story as a melancholy sixteen-year-old nobleman and poet who spends their days in the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who takes a shine to them. Love, passion, and heartbreak guide Orlando's life through two more kings. In their thirties, Orlando becomes an ambassador to Turkey...

"A sweeping epic set in the harsh deserts of Arabia and ancient Palestine. A war that rages between kingdoms on the earth and in the heart. The harrowing journey of the woman at the center of it all. Step back in time to the year of our Lord ... A.D. 30. The outcast daughter of one of the most powerful Bedouin sheikhs in Arabia, Maviah is called on to protect the very people who rejected her. When their enemies launch a sudden attack with devastating...

True tales of executioners culled from the annals of history Award-winning mystery writer Howard Engel traces the hangman's tradition from medieval England and early Canada to the present-day United States. From beheadings and hangings to the electric chair, Engel offers gritty details of the executioner's process, focusing on key players who epitomize both the exemplars and buffoons of the dark profession. Citing far-removed examples of past punishments,...

In a land steeped in history and lore, there lies a tale of revolution and empire. A tale that echoes through the ages, and whispers its secrets to those with ears to hear. "French History: The French Revolution and Napoleon" is a chronicle of an extraordinary era. Journey into the heart of France during a time of upheaval and transformation, where the old order crumbled before the force of the people's will. You shall bear witness to the birth of...

The ancient Romans used the word barbarian to describe people who were coarse, rude, or even just foreign. Over time the word has also come to connote bloodthirsty cruelty. But were the Goths, the Huns, the Vikings, and the Mongols as barbaric as we’ve been led to believe? In dynamic, detailed spreads that young readers will pore over, bestselling author Steven Kroll and illustrator Robert Byrd explore how these nomadic warriors lived, worshipped,...

Why would someone wake up and claim they're Napoleon? Or believe they have been turned into a wolf and demand to be fed raw meat? For centuries, we've dismissed delusions as a problem for the shrinks to sort out in distant asylums. But delusions are more than just bizarre case studies - they tell stories of collective anxieties and traumas. In this groundbreaking history, Victoria Shepherd explores delusions from ancient times to present and implores...

To be alive today is to be confronted by the products of science - from aspirin, refrigeration, electric light and the telephone, to the airplane and the computer - to name just a few. In addition to beneficial medicines and life enhancing discoveries, however, scientific research also has led to many dangerous developments, such as the machine ...

The definitive account of the illustrious and controversial history of America's most elite Special Operations fighting force-the US Navy SEALs The legend was forged in the fires of World War II, when special units of elite navy frogmen were entrusted with dangerous covert missions in the brutal global conflict.  These Underwater Demolition Teams, as they were then called, soon became known for their toughness and fearlessness, and their remarkable...

"Beginning with opium, the "joy plant," which has been used for 10,000 years, Hager tells a captivating story of medicine. His subjects include the largely forgotten female pioneer who introduced smallpox inoculation to Britain, the infamous knockout drops, the first antibiotic, which saved countless lives, the first antipsychotic, which helped empty public mental hospitals, Viagra, statins, and the new frontier of monoclonal antibodies. This is a...

"New York 1872 --a city brimming with social upheaval and sexual revolution... From rigged elections, everyday shootings, and attacks on the press to sexual impropriety, reproductive rights, and the chasm between rich and poor, the issues of the day still resonate. Political parties split over a bitterly contested election; suffragist battled suffragist over bettering women's place in society; and pious saints fought soulless sinners, until at year-end...