Garden History

The author of Cod and The Basque History of the World takes an extraordinary look at an ordinary substance — salt, the only rock humans eat — and how it has shaped civilization from the very beginning. Mark Kurlansky has produced a kaleidoscope of history, a multi-layered masterpiece that blends economic, scientific, political, religious, and culinary records into a rich and memorable tale.

“Brilliant . . . smartly written, featuring tons of interviews with the Knicks of the Phil Jackson-Clyde-Reed era.” — New York Magazine “Harvey Araton has evocatively rendered the team that New York never stops pining for—the Old Knicks. More than a nostalgic chronicle . . . it’s a...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER An enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city: “Elegant and wicked.... [This] might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime." —The New York Times Book...

“Larson is a marvelous writer...superb at creating characters with a few short strokes.”—New York Times Book Review Erik Larson has been widely acclaimed as a master of narrative non-fiction, and in his new book, the bestselling author of Devil in the White City turns his hand to a...

Will she risk herself--to save her kingdom? Embark on a captivating journey of forbidden love, dark secrets, and a kingdom on the brink of chaos in this mesmerizing tale set in ancient Babylon. For seven years, since her treaty marriage at a young age, the Babylonian princess Tiamat has lived the opulent, and yet oppressive, life of the palace. And for seven years, her father, the mad king Nebuchadnezzar, has lived as a beast, hidden away to prowl his luxurious Hanging Gardens. But when Tia’s husband dies, the powerful mage Shadir plots to expose the family’s secret and set his own man ...

The complete history of the legendary Venice landmark where Hemingway, Welles, and others were regulars. A meeting place for writers, artists, models, and the stars of stage, screen, and corporate boardrooms, a luxurious restaurant whose fabulous concoctions and timeless decor have often been imitated but never matched, Harry’s Bar in Venice has remained one of the world’s most renowned watering holes for more than 60 years.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A SELECTION ON BARACK OBAMA’S SUMMER READING LIST The definitive history of the 1990s New York Knicks, illustrating how Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason resurrected the iconic franchise through oppressive physicality and...

Your Ultimate Kyoto & Osaka Travel Companion! Discover Japan’s cultural soul and urban heartbeat—without the stress, confusion, or wasted time. Whether it’s your first trip or you’re coming back for more, this guide is your key to unlocking two of Japan’s most iconic cities. From Kyoto’s timeless temples to Osaka’s neon-lit streets, from quiet tea houses to buzzing food stalls—this book takes you straight into the real Japan, where ancient tradition meets electric modernity. 📖 Inside This Guide, You’ll Find: ✔ Kyoto’s Spiritual Wonders – Walk through Fushimi ...

Across America, the pure love and popularity of barbecue cookery have gone through the roof. Prepared in one regional style or another, in the South and beyond, barbecue is one of the nation's most distinctive culinary arts. And people aren't just eating it; they're also reading books and articles and watching TV shows about it. But why is it, asks Adrian Miller - admitted 'cuehead and longtime certified barbecue judge - that in today's barbecue culture, African Americans don't get much love?

Acclaimed cookbook author Jessica B. Harris weaves an utterly engaging history of African American cuisine, taking the listener on a harrowing journey from Africa across the Atlantic to America, and tracking the trials that the people and the food have undergone along the way. From chitlins and ham hocks to fried chicken and vegan soul, Harris celebrates the delicious and restorative foods of the African American experience and details how each came to form an important part of African American culture, history, and identity.

Embark on a Journey Through Spain’s Rich History and Vibrant Culinary Traditions Imagine walking through the ancient streets of Toledo, tasting the authentic flavors of paella in Valencia, and marveling at the avant-garde architecture of Barcelona. Spain Chronicles: From Empire to Avant-Garde isn’t just a travel guide—it’s your passport to exploring Spain’s deep cultural roots and its enduring passion for life. Whether you’re a history buff, a foodie, or an adventurer at heart, this book offers a curated experience that goes beyond the usual tourist paths, uncovering the stories...

In this groundbreaking classic essay collection, Alice Walker speaks out as a Black woman, writer, mother, and feminist on topics ranging from the personal to the political. Originally published forty years ago, Alice Walker’s first collection of nonfiction is a dazzling compendium that...

“Hoffman’s characters are always moving back and forth, challenging our perceptions, daring us to judge them.”—New York Times Book Review The Red Garden introduces us to the luminous and haunting world of Blackwell, Massachusetts. Hoffman offers a transforming glimpse of small-town...

This is the true story of how organized baseball started, how gambling shaped the game from its earliest days, and how it became our national pastime and our national mirror. Baseball in the Garden of Eden draws on original research to tell how the game evolved from other bat-and-ball games and gradually supplanted them, how the New York game came to dominate other variants, and how gambling and secret professionalism promoted and plagued the game.

His winning percentage was well above Jordan’s shooting average or Woods’s domination of golf tournaments. And he sold products and drew spectators like no one had ever done. He was hands down the most famous athlete in America’s most popular spectator sport, and exactly one hundred years ago you would have been hard pressed to find anybody in the country who didn’t know his name. He was Dan Patch, and he was a racehorse.

Ten Restaurants That Changed America reveals how the history of our restaurants reflects nothing less than the history of America itself. Whether charting the rise of our love affair with Chinese food through San Francisco's the Mandarin, evoking the richness of Italian food through Mamma Leone's, or chronicling French haute cuisine through Henri Soulé's Le Pavillon, Paul Freedman uses each restaurant to tell a story of race and class, immigration and assimilation.

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Guardian, Scientific American, and The Economist The riveting, untold true story of the botanists at the world’s first seed bank who made “the mad, heroic decision during the siege of Leningrad to guard biodiversity at the cost of human life” (The New...

From lavish palace for Elizabethan nobles to dreary jailhouse for 18th-century prisoners of war, from well-manicured country house for a string of landed families to weed-choked ruin, Sissinghurst, in Kent, has become one of the most illustrious estates in England - and its future may prove to be just as intriguing as its past. In the 1930s, English poet Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Harold Nicolson, acquired land that had once been owned by Vita's ancestors.

Scions of a once-great southern Chinese family that produced the tutor of the last emperor, Jun and Hong were each other’s best friends until, in their twenties, they were separated at the end of the Chinese Civil War. One became a model Communist, the other a model capitalist. On Taiwan, Jun married a Nationalist general, established a trading company, and emigrated to the United States. On the Communist mainland, Hong built her medical career under a cloud of suspicion about her family and survived two waves of “re-education” before she was acclaimed for her achievements.

Archaeological evidence proves that women in ancient Mesopotamia had great political and religious status during the Garden of Eden period where, once upon a time, goddesses and gods lived harmoniously together. That is why there was a design and rhythm to the Garden of Eden, a yin and yang concept. Through the veil of ignorance, we lost that paradise. To create that balance in a new way, we first have to heal the earth by opening certain stories and putting them back onto the page and into our collective memory. In Mesopotamian Goddesses: Unveiling Your Feminine Power, Eric Hoffer award-...