A real-life history of both the Marquis de Sade and the twisted story of his long-lost manuscript sounds like an intriguing tale. However, the organization of The Curse of the Marquis de Sade was so confusing, it was a hard book to read. If you don’t know already, de SadeContinue Reading
The boy King Tutankhamun’s tomb artifacts included a stunning bust of his mother, Nefertiti. While a lot is known about the boy king, not as much is known about his parents. Was his father, Akhenaten, aka King Amenhotep IV, the first Egyptian king to believe in a single god? OrContinue Reading
Sex and Sexuality in Medieval England commits a common sin in histories of culture. It is overloaded with names and dates. Perhaps if I was related to the people mentioned, I would find that revelatory. Unfortunately, I just found it boring. However, the conclusions were interesting. One in six childrenContinue Reading
Spare Parts tells the true, and frequently bloody, story of how mankind began transplanting skin, blood, teeth and organs from person to person. It began with noses. Noses were lost frequently in the past due to duels, war injuries, criminal punishments, and venereal disease. Using tree grafting as a model,Continue Reading
Peek behind the bedroom door at Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England. England’s King Henry the VIII is known for his voracious appetites—both for food and women. He created an entirely new religion just so he could dump his first wife! Later, he realized it was easier to just executeContinue Reading
You’ve read the histories (or watched the BBC shows) about ancient battles. But how did the people on the ground feel? Were they jostling shoulder-to-shoulder in a phalanx? What were the smells, sounds, and sights during the throes of battle? A Sensory History of Ancient Warfare answers those questions. ThoughContinue Reading
China has definitely been frequently in the news lately. If you are curious about the world’s longest written history, you could spend an eternity reading books about the various dynasties. Or you can read The Shortest History of China in an afternoon and understand our number one trade partner’s historyContinue Reading
If you, like me, are constantly googling random things as questions come up, you will love The Secret History of Food. It provides more in-depth information than Wikipedia. Luckily, it also goes off in weird tangents and down deep rabbit holes when an intriguing side fact is found. Here isContinue Reading
Medieval England from 1154-1485. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. OK, it was the worst. But you are stuck here so you might as well make the best of it. Your time machine has accidentally thrust you here. How do you navigate life beforeContinue Reading
Martha is a maid in a saloon where most of the women work on their back upstairs. She is hoping her integrity will prevent her from suffering the same fate. A chance run-in with a bounty hunter changes her attitude in Wild West, a Calamity Jane origin story. There areContinue Reading
Join elementary-age Nico and Annie as they travel back in time to The Great Pyramid. What secrets will be revealed in this colorful children’s book? The first revelation is that The Great Pyramid is the last remaining Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The second is that Napoleon might haveContinue Reading
The Crown in Crisis is a well-researched and detailed study of the abdication of British King Edward VIII on the brink of World War II. However, non-Anglophiles may find all the characters and what their jobs entail rather confusing. Though I can envision future university students citing this book inContinue Reading
The Medieval Knight was popular from 1200-1500 throughout Europe. English kings and nobles originally required forty days of knightly service, either fighting or standing guard, in exchange for bequeathing land to the knight. However, they were soon forced to pay the knights too. It was getting increasingly expensive to beContinue Reading
There are scores of books about New York City. But Enchanted New York takes us on a deeper journey into its magical past of Freemasons, occultists and seers. Beginning with Washington’s inauguration, the book charts a real journey down Broadway and forward in time. Even though travel is discouraged rightContinue Reading
The true tale of The Imprisoned Princess proves that the rich have always been different even in the late 1600s. Indeed the poorer royals, born on both sides of the blanket, were as prone to affairs as the royals at the Court of Versailles. Some like Clara were even havingContinue Reading
World War began with a bomb. When Pearl Harbor was hit by Japanese bombs from above, it forced the United States to join both the German and the Japanese fronts. It also inspired American men, and women, to do their patriotic duty by serving in the military. Over a thousandContinue Reading