And The Rest Is History

The true operatic tragedy of Maximilian and Carlota, the European aristocrats who stumbled into power in Mexico—and faced bloody consequences. In the 1860s, Napoleon III, intent on curbing the rise of American imperialism, persuaded a young Austrian archduke and a Belgian princess to leave Europe and become the emperor and empress of Mexico. They and their entourage arrived in a Mexico ruled by terror, where revolutionary fervor was barely suppressed by French troops. When the United States, now clear of its own Civil War, aided the rebels in pushing back Maximilian’s imperial soldiers, the French army withdrew, abandoning the young couple. The regime fell apart. Maximilian was executed by a firing squad and Carlota, secluded in a Belgian castle, descended into madness. Assiduously researched and vividly told, The Last Emperor of Mexico is a dramatic story of European hubris, imperialist aspirations clashing with revolutionary fervor, and the Old World breaking from the New.

The eighth book in the bestselling Chronicles of St Mary's series which follows a group of tea-soaked disaster magnets as they hurtle their way around History. If you love Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor. Because, my dear Max, you dance on the edge of darkness ... and I don't think it would take very much for you to dance my way. When an old enemy appears out of nowhere with an astonishing proposition for Max - a proposition that could change everything Max is tempted. Very tempted. With an end to an old conflict finally in sight, it looks as if St Mary's problems are over with. Can they all now live happily ever after? As everything hangs in the balance, Max and St Mary's find themselves engulfed in tragedies worse than they could ever imagine. Is this the end? Readers love Jodi Taylor: 'Once in a while, I discover an author who changes everything... Jodi Taylor and her protagonista Madeleine "Max" Maxwell have seduced me' 'A great mix of British proper-ness and humour with a large dollop of historical fun' 'Addictive. I wish St Mary's was real and I was a part of it' 'Jodi Taylor has an imagination that gets me completely hooked' 'A tour de force'

Winner of the 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism A New York Times Book Review Top Ten Book of the Year Time magazine Top Ten Nonfiction Book of 2007 Newsweek Favorite Books of 2007 A Washington Post Book World Best Book of 2007 In this sweeping and dramatic narrative, Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, weaves together the histories of the twentieth century and its music, from Vienna before the First World War to Paris in the twenties; from Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia to downtown New York in the sixties and seventies up to the present. Taking readers into the labyrinth of modern style, Ross draws revelatory connections between the century's most influential composers and the wider culture. The Rest Is Noise is an astonishing history of the twentieth century as told through its music.

From the bestselling author of The Ascent of Money and The Square and the Tower “A dazzling history of Western ideas.” —The Economist “Mr. Ferguson tells his story with characteristic verve and an eye for the felicitous phrase.” —Wall Street Journal “[W]ritten with vitality and verve . . . a tour de force.” —Boston Globe Western civilization’s rise to global dominance is the single most important historical phenomenon of the past five centuries. How did the West overtake its Eastern rivals? And has the zenith of Western power now passed? Acclaimed historian Niall Ferguson argues that beginning in the fifteenth century, the West developed six powerful new concepts, or “killer applications”—competition, science, the rule of law, modern medicine, consumerism, and the work ethic—that the Rest lacked, allowing it to surge past all other competitors. Yet now, Ferguson shows how the Rest have downloaded the killer apps the West once monopolized, while the West has literally lost faith in itself. Chronicling the rise and fall of empires alongside clashes (and fusions) of civilizations, Civilization: The West and the Rest recasts world history with force and wit. Boldly argued and teeming with memorable characters, this is Ferguson at his very best.

After a productive off-season highlighted by adding new manager Alex Cora and slugger J.D. Martinez, the Boston Red Sox had high expectations for the 2018 campaign. They met those lofty goals in dominant fashion by winning the 2018 World Series, the first for the organization since 2013 and amazingly, their fourth title since ending the 86 year drought in 2004. During the regular season they ran away with the American League East, winning the division by eight games and setting a franchise record with 108 wins. Anchored by a powerhouse offense led by MVP candidate Mookie Betts, and boosted by the mid-season acquisition of hurler Nathan Eovaldi, this historic team would not be denied on their way to the title. Packed with expert analysis and vivid color photography, The Rest is History guides fans through Boston's 2018 journey, from the record-setting regular season, to the quick dispatching of the hated Yankees in the ALDS; from their amazing four straight wins over the defending champion Astros in the ALCS, all the way through their World Series triumph over the Dodgers. This commemorative edition also includes feature stories on stars Betts, Chris Sale, Andrew Benintendi, and other fan favorites, and is a must-have keepsake for Red Sox fans for generations to come.

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till tonight. -Romeo and Juliet Antony and Cleopatra, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu, John Lennon and Yoko Ono-while we're familiar with all of these people as individuals, we also associate them with the grand, sometimes fiery passion they shared with their partners. And the Rest Is History is an intriguing look at how these iconoclastic lovers first crossed paths, whether it was through fate, setups, or blind luck. From angry sparks flying to love at first sight, the meetings shared in this book give us a look at what makes that one great love.

And the Rest Is History takes readers on a traveling circus from Paris to Beirut, Baghdad, and beyond, introducing them to spies and terrorists, arms dealers and crooks, and along the way reveals a few surprises about the secret underbelly of recent history you won’t find in WikiLeaks. This book pinpoints precisely when the era of “fake news” actually began in America, and will change the way you think about journalism and journalists. It includes: • riveting testimony of the author’s torture and born-again experience as a hostage in a Beirut cellar; • unusual insight into the beginnings of the Iran–Contra scandal; • eyewitness reporting from the battlefields of the Middle East; • the inside scoop on Saddam Hussein’s WMD programs; • astonishing stories of French government dirty tricks, the intelligence underworld, Israeli hostage negotiations, and the real-life escapades of a Soviet sleeper agent. And the Rest Is History is a reporter’s journey from Left-Bank leftist to born-again Christian conservative. But most of all it’s a rollicking good read full of unusual characters, places, and events you will never hear about on the evening news. “Ken Timmerman is a superb investigative reporter—and old school—which means he does his research. His behind-the-scenes adventures in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Israel, and even France are a terrific read for those of us who share his passion for tracking down the facts, not molding the facts to a ‘narrative.’” —Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute and NY Times bestselling author of Clinton Cash and Profiles in Corruption “I have followed for some time your excellent reporting on the Mid-East. You consistently provide insights and facts nowhere else available to the public. Your professionalism and persistence make a great contribution to our understanding, to the public debate, and ultimately to our national security.” —R. James Woolsey, former director, Central Intelligence Agency “I have spent my life tracking the murderers of yesterday. Mr. Timmerman is tracking the murderers of tomorrow.” —Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, introducing the author to an audience in Paris, France, in 2002

A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant. With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress, the Durants take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the towering themes of history and give meaning to our own.