Library History

It's 1817. The happy chaos of the Yuletide season has descended upon the country estate of Shackleford Park in full force, but lady's maid Kate Darby barely has the time to notice. Matt Harlow is also rather busy. Falling in love would be a disaster for either of them. But staving off their feelings for each other becomes the least of their problems when a devious counterfeiting scheme reaches the gates of Shackleford Park, and Kate and Matt are unwittingly swept up in the intrigue.

Ten-year-old Katy Gordon loves baseball, and she's good at it, too. She tries out for the 1958 Little League season in the disguise of a boy, and she gets in easily. But when the coach finds out she's a girl, he forbids her from playing. "Since the beginning of baseball as an organized sport, it has always been the sole province of male athletes, and will remain so", says the Little League director. It's not fair, and Katy, who's also learning about the Civil Rights Movement in school, recognizes this as another societal injustice.

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she's always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn't getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart.

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?

Dive into the history, culture, and heritage of the state of Maryland with Who HQ! Learn about everything from the Chesapeake Bay to the birth of the US Postal Service 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 Maryland is the state where the first United States flag was stitched? Did you know it is the place where the crown-shaped bottle caps we still use today were invented? Or that Harriet Tubman was born there?

In 1922, explorers opened King Tut's tomb and a nasty hex was placed on everyone present. RIGHT? Not so much. Okay, but aliens did soar in on a space craft and build the Pyramids, right? WRONG! The discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb taught historians a lot about ancient Egyptian culture. But no one incurred the wrath of a mummy. And this early civilization had the money, power, and smarts to build the Pyramids—along with a host of other impressive structures!

In the seventh and eighth centuries AD, armies inspired by the new religion of Islam burst out of Arabia to subjugate the Levant, southwest Asia, North Africa and the Iberian peninsula. These Arab conquests followed immediately after the Prophet Mohammed's death in 632. By this time, against all the odds, he had managed to unite the feuding tribes of Arabia at the point of his sword. The Muslim conquests lasted until 750, by which time several generations of marauding Arab armies had carved out an Islamic empire which, in size and population, rivalled that of Rome at its zenith.

This book offers a powerful journey into the early days of Pride, exploring ten essential facts that reveal how parades that now span continents began as bold acts of protest. From the explosive spark of the Stonewall Uprising in 1969 to the first Christopher Street Liberation Day March one year later, Avery Marlin vividly reconstructs a world where LGBTQ+ people lived under threat of arrest, harassment, and public shame — and the moment they decided to fight back.

Innovation starts with a problem whose solution sets in motion all kinds of unexpected discoveries. That's why you can draw a line from pendulums to punching the clock at a factory, from ice blocks to summer movie blockbusters, from clean water to computer chips. In the lively storytelling style that has made him a popular, best-selling author Steven Johnson looks at how accidental genius, brilliant mistakes, and unintended consequences shape the way we live in the modern world.

Jessie Bollier often played his fife to earn a few pennies down by the New Orleans docks. One afternoon a sailor asked him to pipe a tune, and that evening Jessie was kidnapped and dumped aboard The Moonlight, a slave ship, where a hateful duty awaited him. He was to play music so the slaves could "dance" to keep their muscles strong, their bodies profitable. Jessie was sickened by the thought of taking part in the business of trading rum and tobacco for blacks and then selling the ones who survived the frightful sea voyage from Africa.

In 1940, the German sons and daughters of infamous Nazi dignitaries Himmler, Göring, Hess, Frank, Bormann, Speer, and Mengele were children of privilege at four, five, or ten years old, surrounded by affectionate, all-powerful parents. Although innocent and unaware of what was happening at the time, they eventually discovered the extent of their father's occupations:

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.

Joan of Arc was born in a small French village during the worst period of the Hundred Years' War. For generations, France had been besieged by the British. At age 11, Joan began to see religious visions telling her to join forces with the King of France. By the time she was a teenager, she was leading troops into battle in the name of her country. Though she was captured and executed for her beliefs, Joan of Arc became a Catholic saint and has since captured the world's imagination.

Ever since Howard Carter uncovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, the young pharaoh has become a symbol of the wealth and mystery of ancient Egypt. This Who Was...? explains the life and times of this ancient Egyptian ruler, covering the story of the tomb’s discovery, as well as myths and so-called mummy curses.

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!

It isn't easy being a pioneer in the state of Washington in 1899 - particularly when you are the only girl ever born to the new settlement. With seven older brothers and a love of adventure, May Amelia Jackson just can't seem to abide her family's insistence that she behave like a Proper Young Lady. Not when there's fishing to be done, sheep to be herded, and real live murderers to be captured!