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Though ethanol, a liquid fuel made from agricultural byproducts, has generated controversy in recent years - good or bad for the environment? a big-ag boon or boondoggle? - its use goes back more than a century. Tracing the little-known history of this promising and contentious fuel, Ethanol: A Hemispheric History for the Future of Biofuels reveals the transnational nature of ethanol's development by its two biggest producers, the U.S. and Brazil. By drawing the connections between the shifting fortunes of ethanol in these two countries, the book presents the first full picture of the long history of this renewable fuel that from the beginning offered an imperfect alternative to oil. Though generally presented as parallel stories, the histories of ethanol in the U.S. and Brazil are inextricably linked. Authors Jeffrey T. Manuel and Thomas D. Rogers show how policies in one country shaped those in the other. Brazil patterned its mid-century development on the U.S. model, adopting an automobile- and highway-focused transportation system and a fossil fuel-intensive agricultural sector. U.S. policymakers in turn took note when Brazil responded to the 1970s oil shocks by distributing ethanol nationwide, replacing half of its gasoline consumption. In the 2000s, the nations' leaders worked together to dramatically expand ethanol production. Today, as a new generation of biofuels meant to power aviation and fight climate change again connects Brazilian and U.S. ethanol, Manuel and Rogers explain how the fuel's future, like its history, is complicated by technical, scientific, economic, and social questions - about how to calculate carbon emissions, agricultural land use, national security and sovereignty, and the balance between government regulation and market forces. Understanding the future of biofuels demands a reckoning with this extensive, shared history - a reckoning that Manuel and Rogers's far-reaching, deeply researched book brings into view.

The Age of Johnson: The Library of Loren and Frances Rothschild brings together the most comprehensive collection of rare books and autograph works in private hands of the 18th-century literary giant Samuel Johnson, together with extensive collections of the works of the other principal authors of the period long-known as the Age of Johnson— including James Boswell, Edmund Burke, Frances Burney, Oliver Goldsmith, Hester (Thrale) Piozzi, Alexander Pope, and Jonathan Swift.An introduction to each of these authors provides information placing the author in his or her historical and literary context, and the descriptive entries for each of the over 900 individual manuscripts, letters, and rare books records bibliographical information, significant facts, and critical information about the work recorded.    The individual entries, when viewed in the aggregate, survey and illuminate the breadth and depth of the literary and intellectual canon of the authors of the Age of Johnson, illuminate their relationships and their works to one another. The text taken as a whole demonstrates why Samuel Johnson, as an individual and as an author, defined the era long named for him.

A fresh perspective on how early scholars perceived the cosmos and the nature of knowledge through a tour-de-force study of the central role geometry played in medieval creativity. Geometry, rhetoric and creativity were intricately linked in medieval thought. Early thinkers integrated mathematical and linguistic frameworks in their attempts to understand both divine and human creation with geometry providing the means through which these scholars tackled everything from theological speculation to the medieval art of "Invention". Through detailed explorations of the works of figures such as Augustine, Calcidius and Cassiodorus, this book reveals how medieval thinkers conceptualized beginnings-not as fixed points but as unfolding processes with metaphors of weaving, mapping and journeying reflecting how these scholars navigated the act of creation, whether that terrestrial or cosmological. Engaging with philosophy, theology and intellectual history, this work offers fresh insights into how medieval minds reconciled the limits of human understanding with the vast complexity of the universe. In doing so, it challenges modern assumptions about the separation of mathematical and linguistic thinking, demonstrating the dynamic, process-oriented nature of medieval ideas about the mind and the procedures of thinking.

The deep faith of Mughal kings in astrology has been hidden in plain sight, ignored by those who failed to understand its relevance. The evidence lies in original sources: commissioned biographies like Humayunnama and Akbarnama, autobiographies such as Baburnama and Tuzuk-i-Jahangir, records of imperial correspondence and court documents. This belief went back to pre-Islamic cultural roots and the bloodlines of Chengiz Khan, descendant of the mother goddess Alanqoa. Akbar created the formal position of Jotik Rai, or royal astrologer, a post held for a century by Brahmin pundits from Benares who were gifted their weight in gold and silver as reward for an accurate forecast. In 1542 Humayun, then a hunted fugitive without hope, became certain that the Mughal empire would be reborn after reading his son Akbar’s horoscope. Humayun wore clothes of different colours each day, as prescribed by planetary positions. Astrology was part of statecraft. In one instance, Akbar’s astrologer convinced him to march against Kashmir’s ruler Yousaf Shah Chak in 1586 when his commanders advised that the army’s passage through the mountains might be ruinous. Jahangir issued coins with a zodiac theme. Shahjahan took pride in the title Sahib-i-Qiran-i-Sani, or Lord of the Two Conjunctions. Even Aurangzeb set aside his religiosity when it came to astrologers—they fixed the time of his two coronations. At the age of seventy-seven, Aurangzeb told his son Bahadur Shah that every single occurrence in his tempestuous life had been predicted in the horoscope cast at his birth. Every Mughal prince consulted astrologers to fix the auspicious time for the day’s appointments.

This was the NCR and there were mountains to be bagged. Wild Mountain Times by Gary Robertson invites you on a rollicking journey with the Dundee NCR Hillwalking and Mountaineering Club. What began as humble escapes for working-class factory workers has blossomed into a wild adventure among the stunning Scottish hills, often with a wee dram in hand. Take a glimpse into the lives of those who discovered joy and camaraderie amidst nature’s grandeur. From nights spent under the stars to tales spun in remote bothies, laughter echoes through the glen. Yet, it’s not all mirth; the book candidly addresses the perils of the mountains, where accidents and loss are part of the narrative. Join this band of adventurers as they navigate the beauty and danger of the Scottish landscape, celebrating the spirit of friendship and the thrill of the climb. With character’s like Johnny V Diff, The Bonnie Prince and Big Betty, prepare for wild tales, and the occasional wee bothy poyum, that will leave you chuckling and eager to find yourself up the Scottish mountains.

The British Isles provide a temperate climate and a richfeeding ground for many species of animals, birds andfish. From puffins in the Scilly Isles to the graceful reddeer roaming the Scottish Highlands, there is a surprisingdiversity of life in this part of the world. This accessible reference guide provides essential information aboutBritish habitats and the many and varied creatures foundin them. Native and visiting birds and animals are allincluded, so that nature lovers can find out about all thespecies that might be seen around the British Isles. Withentries for over 440 creatures, this book will make anindispensable addition to any nature lover's bookshelf. Illustrated directories feature familiar garden visitors,such as the common frog, hedgehog, blue tit andjackdaw, hawks, deer and rodents, as well as rarely seenanimals such as the Western barbastelle bat, the whitebeaked dolphin and king eider duck. Each main entry details the animal's habitat anddistribution, size, food and breeding information,and includes a description together with helpfulidentification advice. Beautifully illustrated with hundreds of artworks,identification photographs and distribution maps.

Accompanying the landmark BBC natural history documentary narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and featuring stunning full-colour photography. Five years, four powerful animal families. Who will rule the Kingdom? Zambia's spectacular Luangwa Valley contains ideal leopard territory. It also hosts one of the highest densities of wild dogs ever recorded, one of the ten remaining strongholds of lions left in Africa and is home to one of the few hyena populations to be studied in depth. Kingdom chronicles the real-life saga of four animal families as each one stakes their claim here for a territory called Nsefu. Over the course of five years, this story follows the twists and turns of their interconnected lives. Leopard mother Olimba is busy bringing up her two cubs, when wild dog Storm arrives, fiercely determined to make this place home for her pack. Hyenas Tenta and Tandala walk a tightrope between following their rivals for food, whilst keeping themselves and their cubs safe; and the lion pride strive to secure their control of this territory for generations to come. Featuring stunning full-colour photography, Kingdom charts the uplifting highs of these real animal characters, as well as their heart-rending lows, as they jostle for power and their family's survival.

A groundbreaking retelling of the advent of British rule in Sri Lanka. How did the modern nation of Sri Lanka come to be? In search of an answer to this question, Islanded returns us to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and to the advance of the British on the kingdom of Kandy. This advance saw the fall of the last foothold of kingly rule, centered in the highlands of the island. The British undertook a process of “islanding” and “partitioning,” which cast the island, its nature and geography, its religious and ethnic character, and its historical traditions and maritime culture as separate from British domains in mainland India and elsewhere. Kings had seen themselves as rightful rulers of the whole territory of the island. Now, this right was violently extended by British colonists through the application of a model of crown rule and modern bureaucracy that tied ethnicity to language and religion, employing essentialized but not fully realized patterns that would continue to trouble the modern nation. Picking up a range of unusual themes, from migration, orientalism, and ethnography to botany, medicine, and education, Islanded is a groundbreaking text in Sri Lankan history writing, shaping discussions of the imperial transition in South Asia.

The story of ancient Rome is one of the great tales ofhuman history. This richly illustrated book offers afascinating insight into the rise of Rome, which ruledalmost the whole known world, from Britain in the westto North Africa and the Middle East. Over 1500 yearsafter Rome's final decline and fall, this examination of thepeople, places and events of Rome's military and politicalempire will absorb any reader. Over 470 magnificent photographs,specially commissioned illustrations, family trees, maps,battle plans and timecharts build up a panoramic pictureof the political strength of the Roman Empire and itspolicy of ruthless conquest, in this highly accessible popular history of government,warfare, military conquest, leadership and power inancient Rome.

Egypt's cultural heritage is vast, and the story of thisancient civilization has long captured our imagination. This fully illustrated book provides a treasure chestof found objects, archaeological sites, hieroglyphicinscriptions and beautiful tomb art from ancient Egypt. It introduces the gods and goddesses of Egypt, describestheir characters and identifying features, the mythssurrounding them, and their role in the creation ofsociety. Quotations from books, hymns, prayers andhieroglyphic paintings give an authentic picture ofculture and society, and maps, chronologies and artworkssupplement the photographs in this masterly history

Připravte se na dobrodružnou cestu napříč světem neuvěřitelných výkonů. Seznamte se s nejchytřejšími a nejtalentovanějšími domácími mazlíčky, obdivujte dechberoucí sportovní rekordy a sledujte, kam až dokáže zajít lidská vytrvalost. Podívejte se do vesmíru, kde padají hranice lidského poznání, a nahlédněte do světa moderních technologií, kterému kraluje umělá inteligence. Nezůstane ale jen u toho - od zábavných kuriozit a bizarních výstřelků až po nejnovější rekordy ve všech oborech lidského konání -, každá stránka vás překvapí něčím nečekaným. Následujte nejodvážnější, nejšikovnější i nejujetější rekordmany z celého světa!

Táto encyklopédia – napísaná odborníkmi a nádherne spracovaná – je skvelým protikladom k internetu a svetu zahltenému nespoľahlivými informáciami. Od kvantovej fyziky cez Pytagorovu vetu, staroveký Rím až po hlbiny oceánov predstavuje všestranný zdroj poznania v digitálnej ére: jasný, jednoduchý, presný a nezaujatý. Pre každú rodinu, na štúdium či pre prostú radosť z objavovania.

Phoenicians among Others provides the first history of Phoenician immigrants in the ancient Mediterranean from the fourth to the first centuries BCE. Through an examination of inscriptions, many bilingual in Phoenician and Greek or Egyptian, Phoenicians among Others demonstrates how mobility and migration challenged migrants and states alike. Far from being excluded, and despite facing prejudices, immigrants mobilized adaptive strategies to mediate their experiences and encourage a sense of membership and belonging, constructed new identities, and transformed the societies they joined.By integrating the voices and histories of immigrants with those of the states in which they lived, Denise Demetriou highlights the diverse ways that migrants influenced the development of societies, introduced new institutions, shaped the policies of their home and host states, made notions of citizenship more fluid, and changed the course of local, regional, and Mediterranean histories.

A major new history of the two most important British secret service networks in the First and Second World Wars   Intelligence gathering was essential to both sides in the First and Second World Wars. At the heart of MI6’s efforts were two key networks in Belgium. Agents in The White Lady acted as couriers, radio operators and spies to facilitate the end of German control. And, when war broke out again two decades later, the leaders of the network regrouped and established a successor: The Clarence Service.   Helen Fry charts the history of these pivotal intelligence networks. Drawing on recently declassified information, Fry examines who the agents were, how they were recruited, and how the intelligence they gathered directly impacted the outcome of both wars. Operators in the field sent over eight hundred radio messages to London and delivered more than a thousand reports, including groundbreaking information on Hitler’s secret weapon the V-1. This is a compelling account of the agents who risked their lives and found ingenious ways to smuggle intelligence out of occupied Belgium.

Between the 1860s and the early 1920s, more than two million Jews moved from Eastern Europe to the United States while smaller groups moved to other destinations, such as Western Europe, Palestine, and South Africa. During and after the First World War hundreds of thousands of Jews were permanently displaced across Eastern Europe. Migration restrictions that were imposed after 1914, especially in the United States, prevented most from reaching safe havens, and an unknown but substantial number of Jews perished during the Holocaust-as they had been displaced in Eastern Europe years before they were deported to ghettos and killing sites. Even after the Holocaust, tens of thousands of Jewish survivors were stranded in permanent transit for many years.Between Borders tells and contextualizes the stories of these Jewish migrants and refugees before and after the First World War. It explains how immigration laws in countries such as the United States influenced migration routes around the world. Using memoirs, letters, and accounts by investigative journalists and Jewish aid workers, Tobias Brinkmann sheds light on the experiences of individual migrants, some of whom laid the foundation for migration and refugee studies as a field of scholarship, even coining terms such as "displaced person," and contributing to its legal definition at the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention. The stories of these migrants and refugees were used to propose a new future for the United States, reimagining it as a pluralistic society-one comprised of immigrants.

Foreword by Dáithí Ó SéStep back into a world where turf fires warmed the hearth, water was drawn from the well, and stories told by flickering candlelight lit up the night. In Old Ways to New Days, folklorist Shane Lehane brings the soul of Ireland's past to life in a beautifully woven tapestry of tradition, transformation and memory. From the magic of birth to the customs of death and mourning; from matchmakers and milking stools to butter charms and fairy lore, Lehane traces the arc of a society rooted in the land, as it evolved with the arrival of bicycles, electricity, cinema and the wireless. At once scholarly and deeply personal, this is a celebration of how the old ways still echo in Irish memory and lore, even as the new days roll on. Wonderfully illustrated with dip-pen drawings, this is a book to treasure and a poignant reminder of who we were, and how we came to be.

Eleni put an arm around him and said: “Come, come, life is ahead of us. Raise your soul now. We have much to do.”This is a book about how the great forces of history shape us – and how world-famous political activist Yanis Varoufakis was inspired by the resilience and the courage of his family, from his mother Eleni and grandmothers Anna and Trisevgeni, to his partner Danae. It is both an intimate portrait of a political awakening and a dramatic sweep through Greece''s history of post-colonial independence, Nazi occupation, communist partisan resistance, Cold War fracture, civil war, fascist dictatorship, socialist revival and tumultuous present-day economic collapse.Raise Your Soul is a powerful tale of resistance and endurance – a beacon of hope for dark times.

The ending of the slave trade and abolition of slavery by European powers during the 19th century is generally told as the work of enlightened liberals fighting against entrenched slaving interests in Africa, the Caribbean, and European capitals. Sudhir Hazareesingh here turns this narrative on its head, showing how the enslaved resisted their oppressors from the earliest years of the Atlantic slave trade in the 16th century until the abolition of slavery in the United States in 1865, and how this opposition was the driving force for change.Daring To Be Free portrays the struggle for liberation from the perspective of the enslaved, wherever possible in their own words. It shines a light on the lives of revolutionaries like Toussaint Louverture, José Antonio Aponte, Nat Turner, and the pregnant rebel Solitude; freed writers of narrative accounts like Frederick Douglass and Ottobah Cugoano; and the countless maroons, insurgents and conspirators whose acts of defiance destabilised the slave order in the colonies and galvanized the movement for abolition in France, Britain, and the United States. Hazareesingh gives particular emphasis to the powerful roles of women as campaigners, disruptors and warriors.Drawing on written archives and oral history, as well as a rich body of secondary sources, the book traces the networks of cooperation that connected runaway settlements, covert rebellions and organized uprisings from Haiti, Jamaica, Brazil and Cuba to Mauritius and the United States. It shows us how the struggle for liberty was shaped not only by western Enlightenment ideals but by the spiritual, martial, and religious influences from the lives of the enslaved in Africa before the Middle Passage – and by the inspiring example of Haiti, the first successful anticolonial revolution and the first independent black state, which echoed down the 19th century.Daring To Be Free reshapes our understanding of Atlantic slavery by portraying how enslaved lives were defined not by their dehumanisation at the hands of colonialists and slavers but by their own resilience, solidarity, and commitment to freedom. It also examines the afterlife of the slave trade in contemporary discussions about the legacy of slavery and possibilities for redress, reparations, and memorial in our own time.

'A witty, unforgettable celebration of the courage, genius and defiance that changed the course of history' Jacob Rees-Mogg'Gimson makes excellent cases for all his choices. His "cardinal point" about heroes, "seen from Homer to Hollywood, is that they are enjoyable". That is so right: no one who is immensely worthy but boring can be a hero' Charles Moore'This is a lovely book to dip in and out of, every visit an education' John RentoulA brilliant compendium of Britain's most renowned heroes from Boudicca to Mandela, illustrated by Martin Rowson. Heroes have flaws, but their stories stir the soul. In Gimson's Heroes, bestselling author Andrew Gimson traces the lives of fifty astonishing individuals who had the courage to defy conventional wisdom. From Horatio Nelson disobeying orders to Lord Byron scandalising polite society; Grace Darling rowing through a deadly storm to Florence Nightingale teaching the British how to nurse - these icons are no mere monuments of history, but living, breathing people of daring and defiance. Here are stories of resolve and sacrifice: Wallace Hartley plays on as the Titanic goes down, Noor Inayat Khan refuses to flee from occupied France, Stan Hollis storms an enemy pillbox and Nelson Mandela brings down the white regime in South Africa. A hero, Gimson concludes, is someone with the courage, originality and genius to see what must be done - and to dare to do it, no matter the cost. Complemented by Martin Rowson's uniquely charming illustrations, Gimson's Heroes is a witty, fascinating and lively celebration of the extraordinary legacies of those who went further than most would ever dream. The fifty Heroes included in the book are:Boudicca c.25-60/61 AD Alfred the Great 848-899 King Harold c.1022-1066 Robert the Bruce 1274-1329 Julian of Norwich 1342-1416 Owain Glyndwr c.1359 - c.1415 Bess of Hardwick c.1522 or 1527-1608 Queen Elizabeth I 1533-1603 Sir Francis Drake 1540-1596 Sir Walter Raleigh 1552-1618 Sir Philip Sidney 1554-1586 William Shakespeare 1564-1616 George Herbert 1593-1633 Gerrard Winstanley 1609-1676 Prince Rupert of the Rhine 1619-1682 Robert Boyle 1627-1691 Thomas Coram 1668-1751 Samuel Johnson 1709-1784 James Wolfe 1727-1759 Edmund Burke 1729-1797 James Boswell 1740-1795 Thomas Telford 1757-1834 Horatio Nelson 1758-1805 Mary Wollstonecraft 1759-1797 Thomas Clarkson 1760-1846 Jane Austen 1775-1817 Elizabeth Fry 1780-1845 George Stephenson 1781-1848 Lord Byron 1788-1824 Lord Shaftesbury 1801-1885 Benjamin Disraeli 1804-1881 Isambard Kingdom Brunel 1806-1859 Charles Dickens 1812-1870 David Livingstone 1813-1873 Grace Darling 1815-1842 Prince Albert 1819-1861 Florence Nightingale 1820-1910 Octavia Hill 1838-1912 Fred Burnaby 1842-1885 Ernest Shackleton 1874-1922 Sir Winston Churchill 1874-1965 Wallace Hartley 1878-1912 Ernest Bevin 1881-1951 The Unknown Warrior died c. 1914 John Betjeman 1906-1984 Stan Hollis 1912-1972 Michael Wharton 1913-2006 Noor Inayat Khan 1914-1944 Prince Alexander Obolensky 1916-1940 Nelson Mandela 1918-2013Praise for the three previous Gimson books:Gimson's Kings & Queens: Brief Lives of the Monarchs since 1066 'The most entertaining and instructive book on the English monarchy you will ever read' Daily TelegraphGimson's Prime Ministers: Brief Lives from Walpole to Johnson'The best general book on British politics I've ever come across. Learned, witty and wise, and splendidly illustrated by Martin Rowson' Tibor Fischer, GuardianGimson's Presidents: Brief Lives from Washington to Trump'This is history at its liveliest and most enjoyable. Most presidential biographies are abominably long-winded and reverential. With miniaturist wit and precision, Gimson manages to compress all the salient facts about each president into five or six pages, while offering beautifully crafted insights into their characters and temperaments ...There is something fascinating or funny on every page' Craig