Light History

Here, Cosimo proudly presents Book 3 of Ancient Egypt, in which Massey explains how the original elemental spirits of early humans were transformed into deities, and how the concept of a “soul” developed from animalistic representations of natural forces.

The third book in the US urban legend series brings you more legends and interesting history. Some of these legends may be well known, but many of them are only known to the locals. Inside you will find history, legends, locations and eyewitness accounts.

Here, Cosimo proudly presents Book 1 of Ancient Egypt, in which Massey argues that “primitive man” found no human agency in the phenomena of the natural world, which led to a woeful misinterpretation of Egyptian hieroglyphics by the Greeks and Romans as well as a misunderstanding of the essence of Egyptian mythology. As a consequence, Massey contends, a deep fount of wisdom of the ancients has been lost, and he goes on to reveal how it can be rediscovered.

Here, Cosimo proudly presents Book 2 of Ancient Egypt, in which Massey reads the prehistoric story of human civilization that can be studied in the language of ceremonial rites, ancient customs, and ritual dance, and consequently explores the resultant concept that religion evolved out of expressions of human fertility and sexuality–particularly as embodied in the primeval symbols of blood, sacrifice, and motherhood–and formed the first influences on Judeo-Christianity.

This is the story of these men and of the families who lived in the shadow of the dam: the daughter of the lawyer who filed the charter for an exclusive club on the shore of the artificially created lake; the Quaker steel mill owner who tried to stop the dam's construction; a librarian, escaping to a bustling mountain city from a loveless life in Boston; a young man determined to expose and undermine the greed and carelessness that shaped the last years of the 19th century.

England, May 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Thomas Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith’s son from Putney emerges from the spring’s bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour. Cromwell is a man with only his wits to rely on; he has no great family to back him, no private army.

In this bold and brilliant short work of experimental fiction by the author of Grief Is the Thing with Feathers and Lanny, Max Porter inhabits Francis Bacon in his final moments, translating into seven extraordinary written pictures the explosive final workings of the artist's mind. Writing as painting rather than about painting, Porter lets the images he conjures speak for themselves as they take their revenge on the subject who wielded them in life.

Bob Dylan is the prince of self-reinvention and deflection. Whether it's the folkies of Greenwich Village, the student movement of the 1960s and 1970s, born-again Christians, the Chabad Lubavitch community, or English department postmodernists, specific intellectual and sociopolitical groups have repeatedly claimed Bob Dylan as their spokesperson. But in the words of filmmaker Todd Haynes, "The minute you try to grab hold of Dylan, he's no longer where he was."

From the first flickers of ingenuity, humankind has excelled in civilization-defining inventions and innovations. Lightbulb Moments in Human History takes a positive, playful and perceptive look at how these big ideas have driven humanity’s inevitable rise. Be astounded by the accidental invention of writing by Sumerian bookkeepers.

(Vinci, Toscana, 1452-Amboise, Turena, 1519). Artista, pensador e investigador italiano que, por su insaciable curiosidad y su genio polifacético, representa el modelo más acabado del hombre del Renacimiento. Era hijo ilegítimo de un abogado florentino, quien no lo alejó de su madre, una modesta campesina. Leonardo se formó como artista en Florencia, en el taller de Andrea Verrochio; pero gran parte de su carrera se desarrolló en otras ciudades italianas como Milán (bajo el mecenazgo del duque Ludovico Sforza) o Roma (donde trabajó para Julio de Médicis).

Rahab, a historical figure, takes center stage in this novel, which seeks to reimagine what her life might have been like, focusing particularly on her journey of transformation. Moving from darkness to light is never easy, and it must have been even more challenging in an era when women had little to no rights. Too often, we are quick to judge the mistakes or circumstances of others, rarely pausing to consider what we ourselves might have done in similar situations. This book dares us to step into a vastly different world through the power of imagination, offering us the chance to glimpse...

The Rev. Calvin Dill Wilson (1857-1946) was a Presbyterian minister and author. His book Black Masters, first published in 1904, explores the history of wealthy free African Americans who became slave-owners. According to Wilson’s research, there were around 6,200 Black slave-holders in the years before the Civil War who owned some 18,000 slaves. By owning their families, free colored men and women could protect them against oppressive local laws.

Yaakov was the youngest son of the Kotowskis, a well-to-do Jewish family in the small Polish town of Skulsk, who enjoyed the respect and admiration of local Jews and Christians alike. The quiet life of the family was disrupted abruptly when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Soon, its members were deported to a faraway village where they suffered horrific torments at the hands of the Germans and their collaborators.

The saga continues…Last Light in the Valley is the sequel to the popular historical novel, From Culloden to Shiloh by the same author. The last living member of a family, successful in building a cattle empire in the Highlands of Scotland, Jasper Sprinkler, retires from a career in American politics to live the remainder of his years in the White Mountains, New Hampshire. However, the peace and serenity the man seeks is interrupted by unwanted incidents of violence, fear, murder and various emotional upsets that keep the reader gripped as the stories unfold. Eventually, Jasper decides to ...

We begin with a man off balance: one in one thousand, the only child in town whose polio leads to partial paralysis. We meet his future wife, chanting Hai Rams for Gandhiji and choosing education over marriage. On one side of the line that divides this book, we follow them as their homeland splits in two and they are drawn together, moving to Canada and raising their children in mining towns and in crowded city apartments.

Lee is remembered today for constantly defeating the Union’s Army of the Potomac in the Eastern theater from 1862-1865, considerably frustrating Lincoln and his generals. His leadership of his army led to him being deified after the war by some of his former subordinates, especially Virginians, and he came to personify the Lost Cause’s ideal Southern soldier. His reputation was secured in the decades after the war as a general who brilliantly led his men to amazing victories against all odds.

During the hardships of obtaining emancipation, two couples shared one home in Illinois. Residing with them was a young Black girl named Polly Crocket. But after five years, Polly, along with the two couples, were abducted, placed into a canoe, and taken down South where they became slaves. Polly was then bought by a prior who, after a year, faced setbacks that required him to sell all he owned, including Polly.

One of the most important untold stories of World War II, The Light of Days is a soaring landmark history that brings to light the extraordinary accomplishments of brave Jewish women who inspired Poland's Jewish youth groups to resist the Nazis.

The most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to Texas historiography of the past quarter-century, this volume of original essays will be an invaluable resource and definitive reference for teachers, students, and researchers of Texas history. Discovering Texas History focuses on the major trends in the study of Texas history since 1990.

The Land of Flickering Lights is a unique contribution to American political writing at this or any other time. Democratic Senator Michael Bennet from Colorado lifts a veil on Congress to reveal, in his words, "through a series of actual stories - about the people, the politics, the motives, the money, the hypocrisy, the stakes, the outcome - the pathological culture of the capitol and the consequences for us all."