Higher Worlds

Why are the New Zealand All Blacks the best rugby team in the world? How does the Kirov Ballet produce generation after generation of exceptional ballerinas? How did Southwest Airlines evolve from being an idiosyncratic Texan airline to become one of the most successful businesses internationally? How does the Finnish School Education System deliver great results by breaking conventions? Powerhouse uncovers the performance secrets of some of the most impressive organizations around the world and reveals the key principles they have in common....

On January 25, 1917, HMS Laurentic struck two German mines off the coast of Ireland and sank. The ship was carrying 44 tons of gold bullion to the still-neutral United States via Canada in order to finance the war effort for Britain and its allies. Britain desperately needed that sunken treasure, but any salvage had to be secret, since the British government dared not alert the Germans to the presence of the gold. Lieutenant Commander Guybon Damant was the most qualified officer to head the risky mission.

In Mythologies Without End, Jerome Slater argues that US policies in the region are largely a product of mythologies that are often flatly wrong. For example, the Israelis' treatment of Palestinians after 1948 undermined its claim that it was a true democracy, and the argument that Arab states refused to negotiate with Israel for decades is simply untrue. Because of widespread acceptance of these myths in both the US and Israel, the consequences have been devastating to all of the involved parties.

Centered in the Dordogne region of Southwestern France, one of Europe's most concentrated regions for Neandertal and early modern human occupations, writer Beebe Bahrami follows and participates in the work of archaeologists who are doing some of the most comprehensive and global work to date on the research, exploration, and recovery of our ancient ancestors. From this prehistoric perch, Bahrami gets to know firsthand the Neandertals and the people who love them.

During the late nineteenth century, tens of thousands of diggers, prospectors, merchants, and dealers extracted and shipped over 50 million carats of diamonds from South Africa to London. The primary supplier to the world, South Africa's diamond fields became one of the formative sites of modern capitalist production. At each stage of the diamond's route through the British empire and beyond—from Cape Town to London, from Amsterdam to New York City—carbon gems were primarily mined, processed, appraised, and sold by Jews.

Set in Calcutta, London, the glacier-locked wilds of the Karakoram, and on Everest itself, The Last Englishmen is also the story of a generation. The cast of this exhilarating drama includes Indian and English writers and artists, explorers and Communist spies, Die Hards and Indian nationalists, political rogues and police informers. Key among them is a highborn Bengali poet named Sudhin Datta, a melancholy soul torn, like many of his generation, between hatred of the British Empire and a deep love of European literature, whose life would be upended by the arrival of war on his Calcutta doorstep.

In the fall of 1973, the Greek oil shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, husband of President John F. Kennedy's widow, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and arguably the richest man in the world, proposed to build an oil refinery on the New Hampshire coast, in the town of Durham. But three women vehemently opposed the project. Small Town, Big Oil is the story of how the residents of Durham, led by three women, out-organized, out-witted, and out-maneuvered the governor, media, and Onassis cartel to hand the powerful Greek billionaire the most humiliating defeat of his business career.

History begets legends. Swords versus sorcery. Mortals cross paths with faeries. A high adventure of love, loss, treachery, and redemption. When John of Dumnonia visits his cousin, Rhys, he learns of the House of the Dragon. With renewed purpose, John sets out to seek the legendary Dragon’s Spire. John has his quest, but Owain has a mission, too. A chieftain with dangerous secrets, Owain leads his force of Silurian rebels against the Romans. However, when they’re betrayed, an ambush results. Owain retreats with the survivors, but now, there’s a price on his head. A Roman price. In ...

Mecklenburgh Square has always been a radical address. Nestled in the heart of Bloomsbury, these townhouses have borne witness to the lives of some of the century's most revolutionary cultural figures - many of whom were extraordinary women. United by their desire to experiment with new ways of living - and, therefore, of being - these authors and thinkers were trailblazers in their commitment to creative independence.

Return to the Twilight Court with Princess Seren Firethorn! From the soaring spires of Castle Unseelie to the grandeur of the Court of the Nine Sons, Seren Firethorn seems destined to encounter dragons. But even surrounded by the fierce fairies, it's her uncle, the Unseelie King, who truly troubles her. Under the sea, manipulated by politics and plots, Seren strives to discover what Uisdean is really after. But each truth only reveals another layer of lies, creating a knot so tangled only dragon claws could sever it. From the Author:Extinguish in order 1.Fairy-Struck (Free) 2. Pixie-Led 3. ...

On February 21, 1943, Pan American Airways' celebrated seaplane, the Yankee Clipper, took off from New York's Marine Air Terminal and island-hopped its way across the Atlantic Ocean. Arriving at Lisbon the following evening, it crashed in the Tagus River, killing twenty-four of its thirty-nine passengers and crew. Americans in a World at War traces the backstories of seven worldly Americans aboard that plane, their personal histories, their politics, and the paths that led them toward war.

In The Long Hangover, Shaun Walker provides new insight into contemporary Russia and its search for a new identity, telling the story through the country's troubled relationship with its Soviet past. Walker not only explains Vladimir Putin's goals and the government's official manipulations of history, but also focuses on ordinary Russians and their motivations. He charts how Putin raised victory in World War II to the status of a national founding myth in the search for a unifying force to heal a divided country, and shows how dangerous the ramifications of this have been.

Can Aimi defeat a bigger competitor than teams sponsored by Silicon Valley's most powerful Internet behemoths? The teams boarded the Floating City to travel the world in search of hidden mythological relics that when found may open doors to new worlds for the winners. Aimi was defeated by her mentor in part one of this epic voyage. Has Aimi sacrificed her integrity to no avail? Can she make her way back to her team? If you like honest characters, beautiful twists, and Christian themes, then you’ll love father-daughter writing duo Bill & Mia Belew’s wonderful tale. Buy sixth-in-series, ...

Fred starts to settle into his life in a new world, as Heiress Mari prepares for her upcoming Age of Ascension. Far to the north trouble is brewing among the Brish and General Maltarka has a solution. Part 2

From finding their footing in an art world dictated by social media followers to coming to terms with their queer identity, Bunny knows first-hand what it’s like to feel like an outsider. It was at a real low point that Bunny first got in touch with their Higher Self–and ever since has been helping their followers do the same through their art and inspiring Instagram presence.

AMPossible is the go-to guide for every amputee from the first day after limb loss to the day they get their life back.

The epitome of floral beauty, orchids have long fostered works of art, tales of adventure, and scientific discovery. Tenacious plant hunters have traversed continents to collect rare specimens; naturalists and shoguns have marveled at orchids' seductive architecture; royalty and the smart set have adorned themselves with their allure. In Orchid Muse, historian and home grower Erica Hannickel gathers these bold tales of the orchid-smitten throughout history, while providing tips on cultivating the extraordinary flowers she features.

Can Aimi and her new high school classmates compete against teams sponsored by Silicon Valley's most powerful Internet behemoths? The teams board the Floating City to travel the world in search of hidden mythological relics that when found may open doors to new worlds for the winners. Aimi struggles to lead her team with a mentor who has a different agenda. Will Aimi sacrifice her integrity to win at all cost? Can she keep her team's best interest in mind? If you like honest characters, beautiful twists, and Christian themes, then you’ll love father-daughter writing duo Bill & Mia ...

On January 12, 2010, a major earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Hundreds of thousands of people died, and the greater part of the capital was demolished. Dr. Paul Farmer, U.N. deputy special envoy to Haiti, who had worked in the country for nearly thirty years treating infectious diseases like tuberculosis and AIDS, and former President Bill Clinton, the U.N. special envoy to Haiti, had just begun to work on an extensive development plan to improve living conditions in Haiti.

Had Hitler succeeded in conquering Europe, he would have crowned himself Holy Roman Emperor. The Nazis had in their possession priceless artifacts that would give Hitler legitimacy in his subjects' eyes: the Crown Jewels of the Holy Roman Empire including the Spear of Destiny, alleged to have pierced Christ's side at the Crucifixion. Looted from the royal treasury in Vienna, Austria, the Crown Jewels were hidden in a secret bunker deep beneath Nrnberg castle, known to few.