Library History

Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown, both Navy pilots during the Korean War in 1950, come from different backgrounds: Hudner is a white New Englander, a son of privilege; Brown is an African American son of a sharecropper from Mississippi. When the two men join forces in Fighter Squadron 32, they forge a deep friendship at a time when racial inequality was prevalent in America.

In Burning the Books, Richard Ovenden describes the deliberate destruction of knowledge held in libraries and archives from ancient Alexandria to contemporary Sarajevo, from smashed Assyrian tablets in Iraq to the destroyed immigration documents of the UK Windrush generation.

Britain's most esteemed scholar of 16th and 17th century literature, Frank Kermode is also a noted author and professor. In this Modern Library Chronicle, he uses the context of the Elizabethan Era to link each of Shakespeare's plays to their probable years of creation. By portraying the bard's England in terms of its society, economy, and arts, Kermode provides an invaluable guide to understanding Shakespeare?s works.

Claude Monet is considered one of the most influential artists of all time. He is a founder of the French Impressionist art movement, and today his paintings sell for millions of dollars. While Monet was alive, however, his work was often criticized, and he struggled financially. This book unveils a true portrait of the artist!

Hattie Owen prefers to be steeped in the familiarity of her small-town life than to think about the vast world beyond her own. Her family's boarding house is where she feels most at home, with its eccentric tenants and predictable routines, so different from the controlling and repressive home of her well-to-do grandparents who live nearby.

This book spotlights female scientist Temple Grandin, whose experience being on the autism spectrum has informed her advocacy and her work as an animal behaviorist. Temple Grandin's pride in being different and how it shaped her world is celebrated in this biography.

Isabel and Nicki Hoffman may be twins, but they're each one of a kind. Isabel loves dancing with her friends, while Nicki prefers skateboarding alone. In December 1999, the girls create a list of challenges to complete before midnight on New Year's Eve. But just before the new millennium arrives, disaster strikes. Will the most momentous night of their lives be a twin win or a sister setback?

Everyone wants a ticket to Futureland, where you can literally live out your wildest dreams. Want to step inside your favorite video game? Go pro in a sports arena? Perform at a real live concert? Grab your ticket and come right in.

With a storyteller's voice and attention to the details that make history real and interesting, Steve Sheinkin delivers the wild facts about America's greatest adventure. From the Louisiana Purchase (Remember: If you're negotiating a treaty for your country, play it cool.) to the gold rush (There were only three ways to get to California - all of them bad.) to the life of the cowboy, the Indian wars, and the everyday happenings that defined living on the frontier.

On the brink of adulthood (not to mention a whole new century), Rosie makes her first trip to the big city, along with her wide-eyed siblings and their rascally old granddad. There, amidst the wonders of the fair, Rosie discovers the world and herself, while also coming face-to-face with some of the era's most famous people--including showgirl Lillian Russell and Colonel William F. Cody (a.k.a. Buffalo Bill

Dive into the history, culture, and heritage of the state of Massachusetts with Who HQ! Learn about everything from the minutemen to the invention of basketball in this illustrated book for young readers. From the creators of the #1 New York Times bestselling Who Was? series comes a new collection of books all about the fifty states! Are you aware that the first-ever telephone call was placed in Boston? Did you know Massachusetts is where the chocolate chip cookie was invented? Or that it is home to the oldest Major League Baseball stadium?

Dive into the history, culture, and heritage of the state of Indiana with Who HQ! Learn about everything from the Indy 500 to the Corn Belt in this illustrated book for young readers. From the creators of the #1 New York Times bestselling Who Was? series comes a new collection of books all about the fifty states! Are you familiar with the Hoosier State? Did you know it is home to a town called Santa Claus that receives thousands of letters every year? Or that six men from Indiana have been elected vice president?

Dive into the history, culture, and heritage of the state of Wisconsin with Who HQ! Learn about everything from the origin of the badger mascot to the Green Bay Packers in this illustrated book for young readers. From the creators of the #1 New York Times bestselling Who Was? series comes a new collection of books all about the fifty states! Are you aware that the first ice cream sundae was served in Wisconsin? Did you know that Barbie and Ken's fictional hometown is in this state? Or that the most complete wooly mammoth skeleton ever found was excavated there?

Dive into the history, culture, and heritage of the state of Colorado with Who HQ! Learn about everything from the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings to the Mile High City in this illustrated book for young readers. From the creators of the #1 New York Times bestselling Who Was? series comes a new collection of books all about the fifty states! Are you aware that the first lines of "America the Beautiful" were inspired by views of Colorado mountains? Did you know this state is home to the highest auto tunnel in the world?

Dive into the history, culture, and heritage of Puerto Rico with Who HQ! Learn about everything from Taíno history to El Yunque National Forest in this illustrated book for young readers. From the creators of the #1 New York Times bestselling Who Was? series comes a new collection of books all about the United States and territories! Are you aware that Puerto Rico is Spanish for rich port? Did you know it is home to unique animals like the coquí frog and the emerald hummingbird? Or that Mosquito Bay, off the island of Vieques, glows at night?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was only 25 when he helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott and was soon organizing black people across the country in support of the right to vote, desegregation, and other basic civil rights. Maintaining nonviolent and peaceful tactics even when his life was threatened, King was also an advocate for the poor and spoke out against racial and economic injustice until his death - from an assassin's bullet - in 1968.

The morning of August 24, AD 79, seemed like any other in the Roman city of Pompeii. So no one was prepared when the nearby volcano Mount Vesuvius suddenly erupted, spouting ash that buried the city and its inhabitants. The disaster left thousands dead, and Pompeii was no more than a memory for almost 1,700 years. In 1748, explorers rediscovered the port city with intact buildings and beautiful mosaics.

Capture the beauty, power, and wisdom of the Native American oral tradition with this superlative collection of readings taken from the writings and speeches of people from many different tribes. The collection offers insights into Native American ways of living, learning, and dying, and helps us to feel a reconnection with the land and ourselves. The words of Chief Joseph, Sitting Bull, Ohiyesa, Black Elk, and others create a powerful listening experience.

Dive into the clandestine world of one of the most notorious crime syndicates in American history with this comprehensive book on the Colombo Mafia Crime Family. This meticulously researched work unveils the dark and complex web of activities, power struggles, and influential figures that shaped the Colombo family's legacy. From the early rise of Joe Profaci, the mastermind behind the family's establishment, to the turbulent times of Carmine Persico, this book covers a vast timeline, shedding light on the intricate operations of the family.

Fossil records show that the first humans were born in Africa. Meaning, every person on Earth can trace their ancestry back to that continent. The History of We celebrates our shared ancestors' ingenuity and achievements and imagines what these firsts would have looked and felt like. What was it like for the first person to paint, to make music, to dance, to discover medicine, to travel to unknown lands? It required courage, curiosity, and skill.