Incredible true stories reveal strange new magic in American history in this wondrous first book from the creator of the award-winning podcast The Memory Palace.

One doesn't often find the words imagination and history in the same sentence. Nate DiMeo has forever woven them together. The Memory Palace wants you to linger, to stay awhile, and find a deeper meaning both in the stories of the past and perhaps in your own life as well.--Ken Burns

The Memory Palace is a collection of crystalline historical tales that read like luminous short fiction and, like Nate DiMeo's acclaimed podcast of the same name, conjure lost moments and forgotten figures who are calling out across time to be remembered.

Space capsules filled with fruit flies and future senators. A socialite scientist who gives up her glamorous life to follow love and the elusive prairie chicken. A boy genius on a path to change the world who gets lost in the theoretical possibilities of streetcar transfers. An enslaved man who steals a boat and charts a course that leads him to freedom, war, and Congress. A farmer's wife who puts down her butter churn, picks up the butter, and becomes an international art star. An amusement park glowing at the water's edge when electric lights are a brand-new thing. This cabinet of curiosities teems with wonder.

For fifteen years, Nate DiMeo has turned to the past to make sense of the way we live today, finding beauty and meaning in history's dustier corners, holding things up to the light and weaving facts, keen insight, wit, and poignant observation into unforgettable tales. With new stories and treasured favorites from the beloved podcast assembled alongside dynamic illustrations and archival photographs for the first time, enchantment awaits you.

Few, if any, historians have brought such insight, wisdom, and empathy to public discourse as Jill Lepore. Arriving at The New Yorker in 2005, Lepore, with her panoptical range and razor-sharp style, brought a transporting freshness and a literary vivacity to everything from profiles of long-dead writers to urgent constitutional analysis to an unsparing scrutiny of the woeful affairs of the nation itself. The astonishing essays collected in The Deadline offer a prismatic portrait of Americans' techno-utopianism, frantic fractiousness, and unprecedented--but armed--aimlessness. From lockdowns and race commissions to Bratz dolls and bicycles, to the losses that haunt Lepore's life, these essays again and again cross what she calls the deadline, the river of time that divides the quick from the dead. Echoing Gore Vidal's United States in its massive intellectual erudition, The Deadline, with its remarkable juxtaposition of the political and the personal, challenges the very nature of the essay--and of history--itself.

A New York Times Bestseller

A timely collection of speeches by David McCullough, the most honored historian in the United States--winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among many others--that reminds us of fundamental American principles.

Insightful and inspirational, The American Spirit summons a vexed and divided nation to remember--and cherish--our unifying ideas and ideals (Richmond Times-Dispatch). Over the course of his distinguished career, McCullough has spoken before Congress, the White House, colleges and universities, historical societies, and other esteemed institutions. Now, at a time of self-reflection in America following the bitter 2016 election campaign that has left the country divided, McCullough has collected some of his most important speeches in a brief volume that celebrates the important principles and characteristics that are particularly American.

The American Spirit is as inspirational as it is brilliant, as simple as it is sophisticated (Buffalo News). McCullough reminds us of the core American values that define us, regardless of which region we live in, which political party we identify with, or our ethnic background. This is a book about America for all Americans that reminds us who we are and helps to guide us as we find our way forward.

In Defense of Sanity: The Best Essays of G.K. Chesterton is a captivating collection of G.K. Chesterton's most insightful and witty essays. Covering a wide range of topics, from literature to faith and politics, Chesterton's timeless wisdom shines through. These essays offer a refreshing perspective on the complexities of the modern world, championing traditional values and common sense. With humor and clarity, Chesterton's work continues to inspire and challenge readers to embrace enduring truths in a fast-paced world.

In Defense of Sanity: The Best Essays of G.K. Chesterton is a captivating collection of G.K. Chesterton's most insightful and witty essays. Covering a wide range of topics, from literature to faith and politics, Chesterton's timeless wisdom shines through. These essays offer a refreshing perspective on the complexities of the modern world, championing traditional values and common sense. With humor and clarity, Chesterton's work continues to inspire and challenge readers to embrace enduring truths in a fast-paced world.

Patriots, Loyalists, and Revolution in New York City, 1775-1776 draws students into the chaos of a revolutionary New York City, where Patriot and Loyalist forces fight for advantage among a divided populace. Confronted with issues like bribery, the loss of privacy, and collapsing economic opportunity, along with ideological concerns like natural rights, the philosophical foundations of government, and differing definitions of tyranny, students witness how discontent can lead to outright revolt.

Step back to London, 1895.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories are full of references to everyday activities and events from Victorian times that make the twenty-first century reader run to the reference shelf. Few, for example, are intimately acquainted with the responsibilities of a country squire, the importance of gentlemen's clubs, or the intricacies of the Victorian monetary system.

These twenty-four short essays explore various aspects of life mentioned in the original tales of Sherlock Holmes, providing modern-day insight into the nineteenth century world. Originally shared through various Sherlockian newsletters around the world, they are gathered here for the first time. Essays cover:

• The Life of a Country Squire
• The Holmes' Family Connection to the Vernets of France
• The Fate of Second Sons
• The Victorian Medical Practice
• Victorian Transportion
• The Origins of Scotland Yard
• The River Thames
• Apiculture in the 1800s
• Westminster Palace
• Sherlock's Christmas Spirit
• Practicing Law in Victorian England
• The Second Anglo-Afghan War
• Gentleman's Clubs
• Tobacco
• 221B Baker Street
• Abductive Reasoning
• Dog Breeding
• Poisons
• Fingerprints
• Phrenology
• Communications
• The Monetary System
• The British Museum
• Chloroform

These examinations bring deeper meaning and color to the adventures of the world's most famous consulting detective.

The president of The Crew of the Barque Lone Star, a Sherlockian Scion Society, notes this collection brings life to a society which we have only dreamed of.

Whether a fan of Sherlock Holmes or a history enthusiast, this book offers interesting tidbits to all.

La forma de constitución que sustituyó al feudalismo y al absolutismo fue la democracia; la forma de gobierno, la plutocracia. Hoy, la democracia es una fachada de la plutocracia: como las naciones no tolerarían una forma pura de plutocracia, se les concedieron poderes nominales, mientras que el poder real descansa en manos de los plutócratas. Tanto en las democracias republicanas como en las monárquicas, los estadistas son marionetas, los capitalistas son los titiriteros; dictan las directrices de la política, gobiernan mediante la compra de la opinión pública de los votantes y, a través de las relaciones profesionales y sociales, de los ministros.

En lugar de la estructura feudal de la sociedad, intervino la plutocracia; el nacimiento ya no es el factor decisivo para el rango social, sino los ingresos. La plutocracia de hoy es más poderosa que la aristocracia de ayer: porque nadie está por encima de ella salvo el Estado, que es su herramienta y el ayudante de su ayudante.

Cuando aún existía la verdadera nobleza de sangre, el sistema de aristocracia por nacimiento era más justo que el de la aristocracia adinerada de hoy: porque entonces la casta gobernante tenía sentido de la responsabilidad, cultura y tradición, mientras que la clase que gobierna hoy carece de sentimientos de responsabilidad, cultura o tradición.

Few, if any, historians have brought such insight, wisdom, and empathy to public discourse as Jill Lepore. Arriving at The New Yorker in 2005, Lepore, with her panoptical range and razor-sharp style, brought a transporting freshness and a literary vivacity to everything from profiles of long-dead writers to urgent constitutional analysis to an unsparing scrutiny of the woeful affairs of the nation itself. The astonishing essays collected in The Deadline offer a prismatic portrait of Americans' techno-utopianism, frantic fractiousness, and unprecedented--but armed--aimlessness. From lockdowns and race commissions to Bratz dolls and bicycles, to the losses that haunt Lepore's life, these essays again and again cross what she calls the deadline, the river of time that divides the quick from the dead. Echoing Gore Vidal's United States in its massive intellectual erudition, The Deadline, with its remarkable juxtaposition of the political and the personal, challenges the very nature of the essay--and of history--itself.

Social upheaval in early 20th-century Europe is the historical setting for this seminal study by the Spanish philosopher, Jos Ortega y Gasset. Continuously in print since 1932, Ortega's vision of Western culture as sinking to its lowest common denominator and drifting toward chaos brought its author international fame and has remained one of the influential books of the 20th century.

During the spring of 1966, the vision of the late John F. Kennedy, the martyred President of the United States, appeared to me on three separate occasions, in three different places, and engaged me in lengthy disquisitions about the condition of man, the dangers apparent in his present estate, and what must be done to avert them.

I made it clear during these conversations that I was very dubious about the value of anything that I might be able to do, but John F. Kennedy assured me that for a number of reasons, which he explained, I was the likeliest person to proceed with this assignment.

I have lost none of the doubts which assailed me during these conversations. If anything, they have increased. First of all, I can offer no evidence to a mechanist or materialist society that the conversations took place. They must start or fall according to the information which they contain. There are no signed documents; there is no blurred photograph of an evanescent mist which I could claim to be the spirit of John F. Kennedy returning to his present mode of being. I cannot even say that I actually SAW John F. Kennedy during these conversations.

The physical, or rather, non-physical, circumstances of these encounters were quite simple. On each occasion, I was engulfed by a strange radiance in which the physical world disappeared, and I was serenely aware that I was in the Presence of John F. Kennedy. There was absolute peace, and I was under the impression that nothing ever had or ever could disturb us in these surroundings. It was as though one had attained a state of ultimate beauty, and had left behind forever all the cares of earth.

Confucianism and the Succession Crisis of the Wanli Emperor, 1587 is set in the Hanlin Academy in Ming dynasty China. Most students are members of the Grand Secretariat of the Hanlin Academy, the body of top-ranking graduates of the civil service examination who serve as advisers to the Wanli emperor. Some Grand Secretaries are Confucian purists, who hold that tradition obliges the emperor to name his first-born son as successor; others, in support of the most senior of the Grand Secretaries, maintain that it is within the emperor's right to choose his successor; and still others, as they decide this matter among many issues confronting the empire, continue to scrutinize the teachings of Confucianism for guidance. The game unfolds amid the secrecy and intrigue within the walls of the Forbidden City as scholars struggle to apply Confucian precepts to a dynasty in peril.

This riveting narrative details the mysterious disappearance of Peter Starr, a San Francisco attorney from a prominent family, who set off to climb alone in the rugged Minaret region of the Sierra Nevada in July 1933. Rigorous and thorough searches by some of the best climbers in the history of the range failed to locate him despite a number of promising clues. When all hope seemed gone and the last search party had left the Minarets, mountaineering legend Norman Clyde refused to give up. Climbing alone, he persevered in the face of failure, resolved that he would learn the fate of the lost man. Clyde's discovery and the events that followed make for compelling reading. Recently reissued with a new afterword, this re-creation of a famous episode in the annals of the Sierra Nevada is mountaineering literature at its best.

This is a collection of newspaper columns, written about Aspen, Colorado and its agrarian neighbor, Woody Creek. Published during the period 2004-2014. History, ranching, skiing, dogs, partying, horses, love and romance, family, and philosophy all get a chance to shine in this well-written collection of stories, each being almost a short-story within itself.

The coronavirus pandemic, the deepening economic crash, dangerously divisive political responses, and exploding social tensions have thrown an already declining American capitalist system into a tailspin. The consequences of these mounting and intertwined crises will shape our future. In this unique collection of over 50 essays, The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself, Richard D. Wolff argues clearly that returning to normal no longer responds adequately to the accumulated problems of US capitalism. What is necessary, instead, is transition toward a new economic system that works for all of us. A blueprint for how we got here, and a plan for how we will rescue ourselves - Chris Hedges A magnificent source of hope and insight. - Yanis Varoufakis In this compelling set of essays, and with his signature clarity, intensity, accessibility and deference to historical and present perspective, Wolff has issued not just a stark warning, but concrete reasoning, as to why this time really should be different. - Nomi Prins One of the most powerful and incisive voices in America. As an economist he transcends that dismal science, he is a tribune of Main St, a voice of the people. - George Galloway Wolff clearly explains the ways that capitalism exacerbates unemployment, inequality, racism, and patriarchy; and threatens the health and safety of workers and communities - i.e., most of us. - Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Ph.D. If you care about deeper measures of social health as Americans suffer the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, you will find here a wealth of insight, statistics, and other ammunition that we all need in the fight for a more just society. - Adam Hochschild The current failed system has a noose around all of our necks. Richard Wolff offers an economic vision that gets our society off the gallows. - Jimmy Dore

My life will be judged worthwhile to the extent that it is of use to others. For this reason, I wish to tell of the things which have happened to me in my struggle against the forces of darkness. It is my hope that others will be forewarned of what to expect in this fight.

During the past thirty years of this struggle, many of the great patriots who gave me, instinctively, their valuable guidance and inspiration, were themselves heavily immobilized by the machinations of international Jewry. They considered their personal losses relatively unimportant, however, compared to the sufferings of the Gentile people who have been enslaved by the Jews.

In the same way, it might seem idle carping for me to mention the murder of my parents by government agents working for the Jews, who wanted revenge against me for my work; not when we consider that sixty-six million Christians have been killed in Russian concentration camps since 1917, all of them murdered by the Jewish Communists who built and operated these camps.

These millions lie nameless and unmourned. But they were no less the victims of the Jews than my parents were -- or many other Americans whose sacrifices have gone unrecorded by those who are next on the death list.

Revisionism is a matter of method, not ideology.

It advocates, for all research, a return to the starting point, examination followed by re-examination, re-reading and re-writing, evaluation followed by re-evaluation, reorientation, revision, recasting; it is, in spirit, the opposite of ideology. It does not deny, but aims to affirm more accurately. Revisionists are not 'deniers' or 'negationists'; they strive to seek and find where, it seems, there was nothing left to seek or find.

Revisionism can be applied to a hundred everyday activities and a hundred areas of historical, scientific or literary research. It does not necessarily call into question established ideas, but often leads to their being qualified. It seeks to disentangle the true from the false. History is, by its very nature, revisionist; ideology is its enemy. As ideology is never stronger than in times of war or conflict, and as it then manufactures falsehoods in profusion for the needs of its propaganda, the historian will, in the circumstances, be led to redouble his vigilance: He will no doubt realise that, where a war has caused tens of millions of victims, the first victim will have been the verifiable truth: a truth that must be sought out and re-established.

The official history of the Second World War contains a little truth combined with a lot of falsehood.

At the risk of being misunderstood by some, I dedicate this book to those, among the bloody victors of the Second World War, who, like Churchill, Eisenhower or de Gaulle, refused, both during the battle and afterwards, to endorse, if only with one word, the atrocious, grotesque, insolent imposture of the alleged genocide of the Jews and the alleged Nazi gas chambers.

Lastly, I hope that this book will be a sign of a memory that is not selective or tribal, but universal, without any exclusivity: in memoriam omnium. May it also be read as a tribute to the real sufferings of all the victims of the 1939-1945 war, whether these victims belonged to the victors, whom we praise, or to the vanquished, whom we have never ceased, for nearly half a century, to humiliate and offend!

Written during the worst years of the Second World War, The Peace is Ernst Jünger's noble attempt to see a way forward for Europe and Western Civilization after decades of civil war and destruction. More than a document of historical interest, it is a statement of principle and hope by one of the great men of 20th century history.

On October 27, 2018, three congregations were holding their morning Shabbat services at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood when a lone gunman entered the building and opened fire. He killed eleven people and injured six more in the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in American history. The story made international headlines for weeks following the shooting, but Pittsburgh and the local Jewish community could not simply move on when the news cycle did. The essays in this anthology, written by local journalists, academics, spiritual leaders, and other community members, reveal a city's attempts to come to terms with an unfathomable horror. Here, members from each of the three impacted congregations are able to reflect on their experiences in a raw, profound way. Local journalists who covered the story as it unfolded explore the personal and public aspects of reporting the news. Activists consider their work at a calm distance from the chaotic intensity of their daily efforts. Academics mesh their professional expertise with their personal experiences of this shattering event in their hometown. A local rabbi shares his process for crafting messages of comfort even as he attempts to reckon with his own feelings. Bringing these local voices together into a chorus raises them over the din of international chroniclers who offer important contributions but cannot feel the intensity of this tragedy in the same way as Pittsburghers. The essays in this anthology tell a collective story of city shaken to its very core, but determined that love will ultimately win. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to Jewish Family and Community Service of Pittsburgh (https: //www.jfcspgh.org/), which serves individuals and families of all faiths throughout the Greater Pittsburgh community.