JUVENILE · HISTORY
Stewart Ross
Also known as: Stewart Ross Sally Hewitt, Ross, Stewart, Pipe, Jim
Alexander of Islay or Alexander MacDonald (died 1449; Scottish Gaelic: Alasdair MacDomhnaill, Dòmhnallach or MacDhòmhnaill) was a medieval Scottish nobleman who succeeded his father Domhnall of Islay as Lord of the Isles (1423–1449), later rising to the rank of Earl of Ross (1436–49). His lively career, especially before he attained the earldom of Ross, led Hugh MacDonald, the 17th century author of History of the MacDonalds, to commemorate him as "a man born to much trouble all his lifetime". Alexander allied himself with King James I of Scotland against the power of the Albany Stewarts in 1425 but, once the Albany Stewarts were out of the way, Alexander quickly found himself at odds with the new king. War with King James would initially prove Alexander's undoing, and would see the King's power in Scotland greatly increased, but at the Battle of Inverlochy Alexander's army prevailed against the forces of the King. Alexander died in 1449, having greatly extended his family's landed wealth and power.
Early in the morning of August 6, 1945, a big American bomber roars down the runway on a tiny island called Tinian.
— from Hiroshima
Most acclaimed
Knights
1996
Aristófanes (444 - 385 a. C.) es, sin ningún género de duda, el gigante de la comedia griega antigua. Contemporáneo de figuras tan importantes como Sócrates, Sófocles y Eurípides, el comediógrafo ateniense vivió en una época dorada de la cultura griega, marcada también por la guerra entre Esparta y Atenas, que se desarrolló a lo largo de casi treinta años. Habituado a incluir en sus comedias personajes contemporáneos a él y a tratar temas de actualidad para la Atenas de entonces, Aristófanes hace de Los caballeros (424 a. C.) un claro manifiesto antibelicista en contra de continuar la guerra en la que estaban inmersos los atenienses en ese momento y que buena parte de la población consideraba innecesaria. El ataque contra los que apoyan la guerra se personifica en el Paflagonio, un trasunto del político y militar Cleón, a quien Aristófanes odiaba por considerarlo un arribista ávido de poder y riqueza. A pesar de la seriedad del tema, Los caballeros es, como todas las comedias de Aristófanes, una pieza divertida en la que se hace una crítica mordaz y virulenta dirigida contra los políticos que apoyan las guerras e ignoran los deseos del pueblo.
Hiroshima
The bombing of Hiroshima was one of the pivotal events of the twentieth century, yet this controversial question remains unresolved. At the time, General Dwight Eisenhower, General Douglas MacArthur, and chief of staff Admiral William Leahy all agreed that an atomic attack on Japanese cities was unnecessary. All of them believed that Japan had already been beaten and that the war would soon end. Was the bomb dropped to end the war more quickly? Or did it herald the start of the Cold War? In his probing new study, prizewinning historian Ronald Takaki explores these factors and more. He considers the cultural context of race - the ways in which stereotypes of the Japanese influenced public opinion and policymakers - and also probes the human dimension. Relying on top secret military reports, diaries, and personal letters, Takaki relates international policies to the individuals involved: Los Alamos director J. Robert Oppenheimer, Secretary of State James Byrnes, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, and others... but above all, Harry Truman.
Rome
"Michel Serres first book in his 'foundations trilogy' is all about beginnings. The beginning of Rome but also about the beginning of society, knowledge and culture. Rome is an examination of the very foundations upon which contemporary society has been built. With characteristic breadth and lyricism, Serres leads the reader on a journey from a meditation the roots of scientific knowledge to set theory and aesthetics. He explores the themes of violence, murder, sacrifice and hospitality in order to urge us to avoid the repetitive violence of founding. Rome also provides an alternative and creative reading of Livy's Ab urbe condita which sheds light on the problems of history, repetition and imitation. First published in English in 1991, re-translated and introduced in this new edition, Michel Serres' Rome is a contemporary classic which shows us how we came to live the way we do"--