English Garden History

Packed with a wealth of information, this publication charts the evolution of garden design through a selection of some of our best-loved country house estates and historic gardens, including Hampton Court Palace, Chatsworth, Sissinghurst, and Kew. In addition, it also provides fascinating profiles on the geniuses who created some of our most inspirational gardens, including William Kent, Lancelot "Capability" Brown, Humphry Repton, Gertrude Jekyll, and Sir Joseph Paxton.

Its history stretches back almost to the founding of the nation and includes many colorful characters, both well known and obscure, from the hatchet-wielding prohibitionist Carry Nation to George Garvin Brown, who in 1872 created Old Forester, the first bourbon to be sold only by the bottle.

At once a requisite collector's guide and a pursuit of meaning within storytelling, The Essential Guide to Collecting Calvin and Hobbes also offers a critical appraisal of Bill Watterson, as well as a deep examination of the most obscure Calvin and Hobbes relic, the textbook Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes: "a miraculous artifact unlike any other collectible in the world."

What determines what we eat today? Who decides what ends up on our dinner tables tomorrow? And what are the real origins of our favorite foods? Tom Hillenbrand takes readers on a fast-paced journey through the culinary history of the world—from the campfires of many thousands of years ago to the invention of corn to the hamburgers of the future. Filled with astonishing insights and surprising connections, Hillenbrand's essay is a highly entertaining and thought-provoking portrayal of what lies behind the food we consume every day.

Join us for a delightful journey into the culinary world of Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel Little Women. In this special episode, host Niina is joined by writer Jenne Bergstrom, author of The Little Women Cookbook, as they explore the heartwarming and relatable chapter, “Domestic Experiences.” Perfect for fans of Little Women, history enthusiasts, and food lovers alike, this episode offers a delicious blend of literature and gastronomy. Tune in and let your imagination feast on the tastes and textures of a cherished classic!

The sacred. The sinful. The stupid. Tequila is all of it—and this is your lime-salted, smoke-soaked guide to surviving it. There are books about tequila—and then there’s this unholy gospel of agave-fueled madness. The Book of Tequila: Glory, Regret, and Other Sacred Traditions is your laugh-out-loud, profanity-laced, weirdly informative guide to the most dangerous spirit on Earth.

When Elvis Presley decided he wanted to buy a horse in 1966, he didn't want just any horse. "He wanted a Golden Palomino," Priscilla Presley remembers. "He would get up at 3:00 in the morning, go to certain farms and ranches and say, 'Do you have a Golden Palomino for sale?' People would say, 'That was Elvis Presley!'" Elvis's legendary love of horses drove him to find the golden palomino that would become his beloved companion, Rising Sun.

The Eternal Vine: 8,000 Years of Wine Across the World is a sweeping, narrative-driven history of wine that spans millennia and continents. From the Neolithic wine jars of ancient Georgia to the sun-drenched vineyards of modern-day Napa and Mendoza, this immersive journey reveals how wine has shaped—and been shaped by—human civilization.

Love and hope often arrive in the strangest places and in the strangest ways. During his tour of duty in Iraq, Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman of the U.S. Marines endured the emotional stress common for those involved in bloody battles for freedom. Although the rules forbid pets, Kopelman and his comrades adopted an abandoned puppy left behind after the battle for Fallujah. The dog (named Lava) befriended the Marines and journalists, and was eventually smuggled out of Iraq.

Jay Kopelman sets forth more than a dozen lessons, including: Life can change in an instant, but you'll be able to handle it; passion for something can help you tap into your most powerful reserve of energy; have a standard operating procedure for everything; and never forget who you are or how you got here. Active and retired troops, soldiers' friends and families, and everyone who has ever loved a dog will embrace this book.

Two hundred years ago China's imperial rulers sensed a threat to a past-oriented society in the dynamism of the West and tried to frustrate foreign entry.

Since the Civil War, US soldiers and their canine companions have been inseparable. Over time, these dogs have shown they provide more than love. Stubby, a bull terrier in World War I, could sniff out poison mustard gas before any human in his division. Smoky, a whip-smart Yorkshire terrier, ran telegraph wire through no-man's land in World War II. Nemo, a tough-as-nails German shepherd serving in Vietnam, took a bullet in the eye, yet crawled on top of a gravely wounded soldier to protect him.

In 1870 in Warrensburg, Missouri, a well-known foxhound named Drum was shot during a hunting excursion. Drum’s owner sued the shooter for damages, and lawyer and skilled orator George Graham Vest made the courtroom address on behalf of the plaintiff. What followed was, not a recounting of testimonies and evidence as expected, but a historical, poetic, and philosophical ode to man’s best friend.