Historical Non-Fiction (19+)

A rich, textured look at war, celebration, suffering, life, death, and renewal in the century gone by, this volume is nothing less than extraordinary.

Excerpt This compact, comprehensive, and generously illustrated history of ancient Greece takes us from the Stone Age roots of Greek civilization to the early Hellenistic period following the death of Alexander the Great. Designed for nonspecialist readers, it will be a welcome and needed resource for all who wish to learn about this important subject. Thomas Martin begins with a prehistory of late Stone Age activity that provides background for the conditions of later Greek life. He then describes the civilizations of the Minoans on the island of Crete and of their successors, the Mycenaeans, on the mainland; the Greek Dark Age and the Archaic Age; the Classical Age of Greece in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.; the transformation of the kingdom of Macedonia into the greatest power in the Greek world; and the period after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., when monarchies emerging from Alexander's fragmented empire once again came to dominate Greek history. The narrative integrates political, military, social, and cultural history, with a focus on the development of the Greek city-state in the eighth to fourth centuries B.C. and on the society, literature, and architecture of Athens in its Golden Age. The book, which includes useful timelines, maps, plans, and photographs, was adapted from and may be cross-referenced with the historical overview of Greece that is part of the multimedia interactive database Perseus: Interactive Sources and Studies on Ancient Greece, versions 1.0 and 2.0. The book extends the coverage of the Perseus overview, with its new sections on Greek prehistory, the Bronze and Dark Ages, and the Hellenistic period.

Almost thirty years ago, against the backdrop of the explosive Watergate scandal, Charles Colson revealed the story of his own search for meaning during the investigations that led to the collapse of the Nixon administration. A former special counsel to the President, Colson found new life not with success and power but, paradoxically, while in national disgrace and facing a term in prison.

The radical pamphlet that helped incite the American Revolution Penguin presents a series of six portable, accessible, and—above all—essential reads from American political history, selected by leading scholars. Series editor Richard Beeman, author of The Penguin Guide to the U.S. Constitution, draws together the great texts of American civic life to create a timely and informative mini-library of perennially vital issues. Whether readers are encountering these classic writings for the first time, or brushing up in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, these slim volumes will serve as a powerful and illuminating resource for scholars, students, and civic-minded citizens. Common Sense is the book that created the modern United States, as Paine's incendiary call for Americans to revolt against British rule converted millions to the cause of independence and set out a vision of a just society. Published anonymously in 1776, six months before the Declaration of Independence, Common Sense was a radical and impassioned call for America to free itself and set up an independent republican government. Savagely attacking hereditary kingship and aristocratic institutions, Paine urged a new beginning for his adopted country in which personal freedom and social equality would be upheld and economic and cultural progress encouraged. His pamphlet was the first to speak directly to a mass audience—it went through fifty-six editions within a year of publication—and its assertive and often caustic style embodied the democratic spirit he advocated.