Early History

Over the centuries, the West has become fascinated by the Vikings, one of the most mysterious and interesting European civilizations. In addition to being perceived as a remarkably unique culture among its European counterparts, what’s known and not known about the Vikings’ accomplishments has added an intriguing aura to the historical narrative. Were they fierce and fearsome warriors? Were they the first Europeans to visit North America? It seems some of the legends are true, and some are just that, legend.

Faith should be more than rituals and routines. It should move you, challenge you, and shape the way you live. That’s exactly what Pietism set out to do. Born in the quiet corners of 17th-century Europe, this movement turned stagnant religion into a dynamic force—one that put passion back into worship, purpose into belief, and power into the hands of everyday believers. Its impact still ripples through churches, communities, and hearts today. This isn’t just history—it’s the story of a movement that made faith personal. Pietists believed that Christianity wasn’t just about ...

“Reconstruction” is employed as a generic term for the period that followed the American Civil War. Suggesting a successful rejuvenation of a war-ravaged South, it lamentably gave way to a resurrection of the same white ruling class and slave-owner mentality, protecting the status quo in the legislatures and courts. With the distortion of Reconstruction’s intent came a body of racial policy and a tacitly understood social code that barred the pre-war slave class from personal freedom and opportunity, at the risk of great personal violence for anyone who objected.

In 1805 and 1806, Aaron Burr, former vice president of the newly formed American republic, traveled through the Trans-Appalachian West gathering support for a mysterious enterprise, for which he was arrested and tried for treason in 1807. This book explores the political and cultural forces that shaped how Americans made sense of the uncertain rumors and reports about Burr's intentions and movements, and examines what the resulting crisis reveals about their anxieties concerning the new nation's fragile union and uncertain republic.

Written by a leading authority and artist of the historical transverse flute, The Notation Is Not the Music offers invaluable insight into the issues of historically informed performance and the parameters - and limitations - of notation-dependent performance. As Barthold Kuijken illustrates, performers of historical music should consider what is written on the page as a mere steppingstone for performance.

In the turbulent world of the second century, the early Christian Church faced intense scrutiny, widespread persecution, and the rise of numerous heresies that threatened to distort its core teachings. Amidst this backdrop, a group of courageous thinkers and writers emerged—men of profound intellect and deep faith—dedicated to defending the fledgling Christian faith against both external attacks and internal divisions. Christian Apologists of the Second Century: Christian Defenders of the Faith explores the lives, writings, and theological contributions of these early apologists who ...

When Jesus sent 70 disciples on ahead of him, part of their mission was to heal the sick. In fact, they were supposed to heal the sick before they preached the Gospel. Best-selling author Mike Aquilina calls this command the healing imperative. And it's an imperative that ushered in the world of modern medicine. In The Healing Imperative: The Early Church and the Invention of Medicine as We Know It, Aquilina reconstructs the fascinating history of a uniquely Christian institution: the hospital.

In The Varieties of Political Experience in Eighteenth-Century America, Richard R. Beeman offers an ambitious overview of political life in pre-Revolutionary America. Beeman uncovers an extraordinary diversity of political belief and practice. In so doing, he closes the gap between eighteenth-century political rhetoric and reality. Although the majority of people living in America before the Revolution would not have used the term "democracy," important changes were underway that made it increasingly difficult for political leaders to ignore "popular pressures".

The human species is relatively new to the planet in geologic terms. With origins reaching back only a few million years, the rise of humans from primate ancestors is a remarkable evolutionary success story. Early Humans traces the beginnings of the human species, its success and adaptability, and the development of such innovations as human language and culture.

George Arliss was an actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who was active from 1887 to his retirement in 1939. This genial gentleman spent much of his life in the Victorian Era, and in many respects, he was a child of his times. However, as the 20th century advanced, Arliss realized that times had changed. By the 1910s a contraption called “motion pictures” was competing with his domain of the legitimate theater in which he was one of its most popular stars. Arliss realized that films could no longer be ignored when he received several persistent offers to star in them. When he began...

A psychological murder mystery set in Edwardian England during the early 1900s. "The Baron's Burden" transports readers to the crumbling manors and imposing estates of aristocratic England, where the veneer of noble life conceals dark secrets and complex intrigues. When Old Lord Windsom unexpectedly inherits his family's decaying estate, he also inherits a legacy of debts and duties. His marriage to the ambitious actress Erin Carson, adds further complications, igniting a series of scandals that ripple through high society. As Erin Carson's schemes to secure her status unfold, a series of ...

Historian Alejandra Dubcovsky tells a story of war, slavery, loss, remembrance, and the women whose resilience and resistance transformed the colonial South. In exploring their lives she rewrites early American history, challenging the established male-centered narrative.

The Letters: A Historical and Scriptural Journey Through the Letters to the 7 Churches of Asia provides commentary on the letters while also serving as a traveler's guide to the historical locations of the 7 Churches. Dr. Johnny King, with his years of experience and knowledge, expertly guides one through the historical and archaeological facts regarding the locations as well as giving insight to the spiritual climate, the church and the pastor each of the letters were addressed to. The letters become alive and applicable to any “who hath an ear to hear.” This book is a great traveling ...

World War I saw the advent of combat aviation. Pilots from all over the world took to the skies in open-air biplanes armed with machine guns. They were daredevil pioneers. Newspapers filled pages with stories on the danger and heroism of aerial combat. The romance of hunting and evading enemies in the clouds turned ace fighter pilots into the equivalent of modern knights. This book contains first-hand history of the dawn of combat aviation in the First World War.

When Betty Robinson assumed the starting position at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, she was participating in what was only her fourth-ever organized track meet. She crossed the finish line as a gold medalist and the fastest woman in the world. This improbable athletic phenom was an ordinary high school student, discovered running for a train in rural Illinois mere months before her Olympic debut. Amsterdam made her a star.

"Miracles in the Early Christian Church" edited by Timothy W. Grogan is a thought-provoking exploration into the historical claims of miraculous events that were believed to have shaped the early Christian faith. Drawing from Conyers Middleton's seminal 1749 work, this annotated edition critically examines the authenticity of miracles attributed to the Christian Church from its earliest days. Grogan provides detailed commentary on the controversies surrounding these events, questioning their origins and the motivations behind them.

In Surviving Slavery in the British Caribbean, Randy M. Browne looks past the familiar numbers of life and death and into a human drama in which enslaved Africans and their descendants struggled to survive against their enslavers, their environment, and sometimes one another.

Danger lurks everywhere as he travels alone across the continent. Strange mannerisms, frightening movements, sudden screaming—all involuntary—set him apart. Out of step with everyone, Pieter experiences a crisis of faith and eventually leaves his family, church and community to set off on his own. The French Indian conflict with the British is beginning to gather momentum. At nineteen, Pieter is swept up into the maelstorm of war. By 1757, the British and the French are in a race to claim the Great Sea of the West for their respective countries. The British capture Pieter, now a young ...

Under the Skin investigates the role of cross-cultural body modification in seventeenth-century and eighteenth-century North America, revealing that the practices of tattooing and scalping were crucial to interactions between Natives and newcomers. These permanent and painful marks could act as signs of alliance or signs of conflict, producing a complex bodily archive of cross-cultural entanglement. Indigenous body modification practices were adopted and transformed by colonial powers, making tattooing and scalping key forms of cultural and political contestation in early America.

Joseph Julius Jackson was an African-American preacher who published The History of the Black Man (1921). The book discusses the influence of African civilization upon ancient history, and covers the black kingdoms of Ghana, Sudan, Melle, Hausa, Songhay, as well as the Moorish dynasty of Spain in some detail.