Old Europe

Old English is the language you think you know until you actually hear or see it. Unlike Shakespearean English or even Chaucer's Middle English, Old English—the language of Beowulf—defies comprehension by untrained modern readers. Used throughout much of Britain more than a thousand years ago, it is rich with words that haven't changed (like word), others that are unrecognizable (such as neorxnawang, or paradise), and some that are mystifying even in translation ( gafol-fisc, or tax-fish).

At the center of the book is a poignant love triangle: the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev; the Spanish prima donna Pauline Viardot, with whom Turgenev had a long and intimate relationship; and her husband Louis Viardot, an art critic, theater manager, and republican activist. Together, Turgenev and the Viardots acted as a kind of European cultural exchange - they either knew or crossed paths with Delacroix, Berlioz, Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, the Schumanns, Hugo, Flaubert, Dickens, and Dostoyevsky, among many other towering figures.

How much do you know about the enthralling and unique Viking culture? Perhaps you have watched one of the many remarkable fiction or non-fiction films that depict Vikings (Last Kingdom, anyone?), and it has piqued your interest, making you want to learn more. Or maybe you're just a big history buff, who is keen to learn more about how the Vikings lived, innovated, and helped shape society as we know it today.

Audiolibro de viajes por las cicatrices de la vieja Europa: Chernóbil, Gernika, Auschwitz, Lourdes y Transilvania. Una reflexión sobre el presente de unas ciudades marcadas por hechos históricos de trascendencia internacional. Los cinco relatos, todos ellos rodeados de un halo de misterio, rinden homenaje a estas "ciudades o regiones estigmatizadas." Mediante entrevistas, anécdotas y memorias, el autor nos cuenta cómo fueron antes de entrar en la leyenda por derecho propio y nos adentra en el día a día de sus habitantes en un apasionante viaje.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Wall Street Journal Top 10 Nonfiction Book of 2016 “As compelling and entertaining as a detective novel” (The Economist), the incredible true story—part art history and part mystery—of a Velázquez portrait that went missing and the obsessed nineteenth-century...

Elana K. Arnold, author of the Printz Honor book Damsel, returns with a dark, engrossing, blood-drenched tale of the familiar threats to female power—and one girl’s journey to regain it. You are alone in the woods, seen only by the unblinking yellow moon. Your hands are empty. You are nearly...

Behind the glittering facade of 18th century European civilization lurked some of the most brutal and cynical power brokers ever to practice the art of diplomacy, and ironically it was their blueprint for conquest that the French Revolution was to utilize so well. Europe Under the Old Regime is actually the preface to Sorel's tremendous and magnificently elaborate work, Europe and the French Revolution.

Murders, riots, strikes, and runaway horses. Midlothian in the 18th and 19th centuries was an interesting place to live. This book introduces the listener to the hard lives of the colliers, the birth of the rural police force, and the impact the army had on life in the county south of Scotland’s capital city. Highwaymen and grave robbers, footpads and murderers, illicit distillers and murderous poachers - all lived or worked in Midlothian at a time when Scotland was changing from a rural to an industrial nation.

Audiolibro de viajes por las cicatrices de la vieja Europa: Chernóbil, Gernika, Auschwitz, Lourdes y Transilvania. Una reflexión sobre el presente de unas ciudades marcadas por hechos históricos de trascendencia internacional. Los cinco relatos, todos ellos rodeados de un halo de misterio, rinden homenaje a estas "ciudades o regiones estigmatizadas." Mediante entrevistas, anécdotas y memorias, el autor nos cuenta cómo fueron antes de entrar en la leyenda por derecho propio y nos adentra en el día a día de sus habitantes en un apasionante viaje.

Internationally acclaimed Irish folksinger Maura O'Connell narrates seven of the brightest jewels from the Irish storytelling tradition in this magnificent, unabridged recording of Malachy Doyle's Tales from Old Ireland. With its captivating language, larger-than-life characters, dramatic landscapes, and magical happenings, this enchanting collection of favorite Irish folk tales will transport listeners to another world for many happy hours.

Bringing to life golf's founding father and son, Tommy's Honor is a stirring tribute to two legendary players and a vivid evocation of their colorful, rip-roaring times. Tommy's Honor is both fascinating history and a moving personal saga. But this audiobook isn't only for golfers. It's for every son who has fought to escape a father's shadow and for every father who has guided a son toward manhood, then found it hard to let him go.

Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine and James Monroe were in the vanguard of revolutionary ideas in the 18th century. As founding fathers, they risked their lives for American independence, but they also wanted more. Each wished for profound changes in the political and social fabric of pre-1776 America and hoped that the American Revolution would spark republican and egalitarian revolutions throughout Europe, sweeping away the old aristocratic order. Ultimately, each rejoiced at the opportunity to be a part of the French Revolution, a cause that became increasingly untenable as idealism gave way to the bloody terror.

Modern communications have driven motorways and pylons through the countryside, dwarfed us with TV and telephone masts, and drastically altered the way in which we move around, see, and understand Scotland. Recent politics and logistics have established borders and jurisdictions which now seem permanent and impervious. The Faded Map looks beyond these to remember a land that was once quiet and green.

Historic quarters in cities and towns across the middle of Europe were devastated during the Second World War—some, like those of Warsaw and Frankfurt, had to be rebuilt almost completely. They are now centers of peace and civility that attract millions of tourists, but the stories they tell about places, peoples, and nations are selective. They are never the whole story. Exploring seven old towns, from Frankfurt and Prague to Vilnius in Lithuania, Marek Kohn examines how they have been used since the Second World War to conceal political tensions and reinforce certain versions of history.

Hilaire Belloc is one of the most important writers of the 20th century. At turns reviled or revered, depending on the audience, he was a razor sharp social commenter and a master of both poetry and prose who continues to captivate readers. In Old Thunder, Joseph Pearce examines Belloc's enduring impact on British intellectual life.

"The last dream of the old oak tree" on Christmas night is one of those fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen that focus on his religious beliefs and philosophy of life. Dayfly and oak tree, short and long life, days and centuries, moments and history, life and death pass by in dreams and convey the comforting message that duration alone means nothing and that short and long life can lead to happiness and fulfilment—at least in dreams.

Former Prime Minister John Major takes a remarkable journey into his own unconventional family past to tell the richly colourful story of the British music hall. Music hall was one of the glories of Victorian England. Sentimental, vulgar, class-conscious, but always patriotic and on the side of the underdog, it held a mirror to the audiences’ hopes and fears - and sometimes the general absurdity of life. Vast, smoke-filled auditoriums were packed night after night in nearly every town and city in Britain.

Step into the captivating world of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Our Old Home." This collection of essays takes listeners on a journey through England, as Hawthorne shares his observations, reflections, and encounters with the country's history, culture, and people. With his keen eye for detail and eloquent prose, Hawthorne paints vivid portraits of picturesque landscapes, ancient landmarks, and the charm of English villages. Through his insightful musings, he explores themes of identity, heritage, and the interplay between the past and the present.

Venice waits for you. It is the home of the artist, the writer, adventurer or madman (depending on how you look at it) for thousands of years. Their spirit abides, Marco Polo, Da Vinci, Shakespeare, Christie… haunting the canals, which demand exploration and defy explorers.

Political Research Design and the Science of Politics offers listeners detailed information about the basic principles and nuances of developing empirical research design procedures to predict and describe political phenomena. In chronicling the predominant approaches used in empirical political research, the strengths and limitations of various research strategies are contrasted. Major controversies in contemporary political science are discussed.