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Murder in Montenegro is the fourth volume in a tetralogy of historical fiction that follows the investigations of Inspector Vasiliev and Sergeant Serov of the Moscow police into the plots to assassinate Alexander II, the pogroms in Kiev, and the Siberian exile system. This last volume combines history and fiction through breathless adventures in the Balkans, Western Europe, and Russia. In the wake of the Russo-Turkish war, detective Vasili Vasiliev is investigating a gruesome beheading which might disrupt a fragile peace, as the Great Powers of Europe wrangle over Balkan territory at the Congress of Berlin.

Sabrina Ramet's latest book explains many things - such as why the sun is happy, why there is no Terminal 4 at Chicago O'Hare Airport, why Farmer Jake thought, for at least a while, that painting his fence might cause it to rain, and, of course, what to do if you find a magic lily pad. The short stories in this collection are certain to delight readers of all ages, awakening the child in everyone.

This biographical novel recounts the extraordinary intuitions of the Italian-American visionary founder of the world's largest bank, the Bank of America.Amadeo Peter Giannini was an innovator and humanist, who always put the common good ahead of personal gain. He revolutionized the banking system when he financed the reconstruction of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake by making micro-loans to hundreds of Italian immigrants lacking collateral. The other banks, which required collateral in order to make a loan, were unable to put the money into circulation.He was a visionary in the film industry, financing the movie, The Kid, by an unknown and extravagant Charlie Chaplin who was turned down by other banks. It was the first time a loan was granted without interest and repaid from box office revenues. The same happened with Walt Disney for his masterpiece, Snow White. In addition, Giannini realized the potential of the new audio technology developed by two young inventors, Bill Hewlett and David Packard, and financed the industry that the two entrepreneurs began in a garage in Palo Alto.Another successful project financed by Giannini's bank was the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge,a daring steel structure designed by Joseph Strauss, an engineer without solid credentials. The loan was granted without interest, with the understanding that it would be repaid from toll revenues. And it did, many times over.Giannini revealed his acumen as a venture capitalist when he persuaded Henry Kaiser to convert his enterprise from the construction of roads and bridges to ship building. During WWII, with Giannini's encouragement, the shipyard was able to build 24 ships in record time, which were used to transport the troops to Europe.After the war, Giannini's bank contributed $37M to Italy's reconstruction, one year in advance of the Marshall Plan.And much more...This book tells it all.

Billy and Lord Byron is a coming-of-age story, or Bildungsroman, focusing on the development of an eighteen-year-old boy, Billy, from youth to adulthood, through the care and healing of an injured crow he discovers while at his summer job digging ditches. Billy's personal growth and mental cultivation center on the knowledge he gains by researching this species of bird as he thoughtfully and playfully nurses the crow back to health and eventual reentry into the wild. It addresses issues of self-development as he prepares to go off to college and portends the author's cultivation of a life-long study of ornithology.Billy and Lord Byron is a coming-of-age story, or Bildungsroman, focusing on the development of an eighteen-year-old boy, Billy, from youth to adulthood, through the care and healing of an injured crow he discovers while at his summer job digging ditches. Billy's personal growth and mental cultivation center on the knowledge he gains by researching this species of bird as he thoughtfully and playfully nurses the crow back to health and eventual reentry into the wild. It addresses issues of self-development as he prepares to go off to college and portends the author's cultivation of a life-long study of ornithology.

An Italian writer and her travel-savvy family are on the move again. Will the US live up to their expectations?

Under Indifferent Skies is an enticing novel, recounting the story of the Armenian genocide and beyond, from the shores of the Mediterranean to the frozen Siberian coast, from the plush palazzi of Venice to the cruel Soviet concentration camps, following the lives of two twin two brothers, Mikaèl and Gabrièl, and their younger sister, Rose. The story moves in space and time against the background of many of the significant historical events of the last century which shook the very foundations of humanity. It is compelling, full of suspense and unexpected narrative twists. It kindles universal emotions and tackles collective aspects of human existence. Primordial instincts like survival, the experience of motherhood, the bond of blood ties, the need to belong, the quest for a purpose in life are some of the issues portrayed here. Above all, it is a story of resilience and hope. A story of faith into a supreme force that governs the Cosmos, which inexorably renders justice in the end.

As the novel opens, aristocratic Eleonora Fonseca Pimentel pleads with the High Court of Naples to be beheaded instead of hanged like a criminal. One of the leading revolutionaries of her time, Eleonora contributed to the establishment of the Neapolitan Republic, based on the ideals of the French Revolution. Imprisoned in 1799 after the return of the Bourbon Monarchy - due to her work as editor-in-chief of Il Monitore Napoletano - and while waiting to be sentenced, she writes a memoir. Here, she discusses not only her revolutionary enthusiasm, but also the adolescent lover who abandoned her, Joseph Correia da Serra. While visiting Monticello many years later, Joseph discovers Eleonora's manuscript in Thomas Jefferson's library. Now retired, Jefferson is committed to founding the University of Virginia and entices Correia with a position in the institution, once it opens. As the two philosophes explore Eleonora's writing through the lens of their own lives, achievements, and follies, they share many intimate secrets. Told from Eleonora and Joseph's alternating points of view, the interwoven first-person narratives follow the characters from the elegant salons of Naples to the halls of Monticello, from the streets of European capitals such as Lisbon, London, and Paris to the cultured new world of Philadelphia and the chic soirées in Washington.Eleonora and Joseph were both prominent figures of the Southern European Enlightenment. Together with Thomas Jefferson, they formed part of The Republic of Letters, a formidable network of thinkers who radically influenced the intellectual world in which they lived - and which we still inhabit today.

This unique collection of writings and interviews highlights the important role that cinema can play for understanding Russian history, politics, culture and society in all phases-Tsarist, Soviet and post-Soviet. This is the book for the Russian movie aficionado - personal, pointed, funny, frank and full of all kinds of inside stories and political folk tales. It is a fascinating window on Soviet/Russian pop culture that only a cultural Marco Polo and fanatical movie-goer like Louis Menashe would even dare attempt. -Hedrick Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Russians and The New Russians "Menashe combines an encyclopedic knowledge of Russian history and society of the past 50 years with a broad-ranging and sensitive eye for cinematic meaning and detail." -Anthony Anemone, The New School University "This sparkling collection of film reviews, essays and interviews with filmmakers is a cultural history of Russia over the past 25 years. Highly recommended to everyone interested in Russia and the movies." -Denise J. Youngblood, University of Vermont, and author of Cinematic Cold War: The American and Soviet Struggle for Hearts and Minds. "A great national cinema is explored in its myriad colors and textures. Not a traditional history, the book is an archive of insights captured across years of passionate viewing." -Jerry W. Carlson, The City College and Graduate Center CUNY, host of the popular program, "City Cinematheque." "Menashe allows us to see both Russia's present and her past through his crisp, clear and fresh lens of a true expert who loves the country and its films, but always remains critical enough to see their flaws and merits." -Birgit Beumers, University of Bristol

This book traces the significant history of the U.S. Consular Service, America's principal representation abroad through most its history.This new edition adds the period 1914 to 1924, after which the Consular Service was integrated with the Diplomatic Service to form the present-day Foreign Service of the United States. This volume thus adds the work of the Consular Service through the end of World War I, the Greek disaster in Turkey, and Germany in the early years of the Weimar Republic.Consuls have played an important role in relations between countries from ancient times to the present. Consuls look after the citizens of their respective countries temporarily living elsewhere, and they act as quasi-diplomatic representatives wherever they are located. In this book the author briefly traces the history of consuls from their creation in the Egypt of the Pharaohs to their spread across the sailing routes of the Mediterranean to the rest of the world. The book focuses mainly on the development of the Consular Service of the United States. As a British colony Americans relied on the far-flung British consular system to take care of their sailors and merchants, but after the Revolution they had to scramble to create an American service. While the American diplomatic establishment was confined by protocol to the major capitals of the world, U.S. consular posts proliferated to most of the major ports where the expanding American merchant marine called. Mostly untrained political appointees, each consul was a lonely individual relying on his native wits to provide adequate help to distressed Americans, mainly seamen. As consular appointments were often used as a reward for authors and other talented people, the American Consular Service could boast of such noteworthy members as Nathanial Hawthorne, James Fennimore Cooper, William Dean Howells, Bret Harte, and the cartoonist Thomas Nast. Winston Churchill's grandfather was an American consul, as was Fiorello LaGuardia, later mayor of New York. American consuls played significant roles in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and World War I and its aftermath."This book is both a historical record and an introduction to the world of American consuls. The description of the early years of the Republic with its raffish, sometimes corrupt consular personalities, its first glimmerings of the political spoils system grow in significance when one considers the modern scandal of political appointee."- Diego Asencio, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs (1980-1983)"The scholar, the practitioner or even the young American bent on public service will find The American Consul to be a riveting read... Kennedy has documented eloquently the tireless, often selfless and patriotic efforts of the American consuls of yesteryear. He has inspired this reader by making the consul's historic role come alive."- Maura Ann Harty, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs (2002-2008)