NCW Libraries

This history of practitioners of "service magic" in medieval and early modern Europe reveals the central place they occupied in everyday life and how they helped soothe the anxieties of both commoners and nobles. "It's the year 1600 and you've lost your precious silver spoons, or maybe they've been stolen. Perhaps your child has a fever. Or you're facing a trial. Maybe you're looking for love or escaping a husband. What do you do? In medieval and...

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter. Master storyteller Erik Larson...

"A riveting account of the decades-long effort by reactionary white conservatives to undermine democracy and entrench their power-and the movement to stop them"-- Provided by publisher.

"Star Trek actor, activist, and author George Takei shares his empowering and moving story about growing up in Japanese American incarceration camps during WWII"-- Provided by publisher.

The true story of five castaways abandoned on the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812--a tale of treachery, shipwreck, isolation, and the desperate struggle for survival. Fraught with misunderstandings and mistrust, the incident left three British sailors and two Americans, including the captain of the sealer, Charles H. Barnard, abandoned in the barren, windswept, and inhospitable Falklands for a year and a half. With deft narrative skill and...

"This book is a stirring account of the ordinary people and extraordinary acts that made Asian America and the young people who are remaking America today"--Amazon.

Empireworld traces the legacies of the British empire across the globe. The empire's influence upon the quarter of the planet it occupied, and its gravitational influence upon the world outside it, has been profound. "2.6 billion people inhabit former British colonies. The empire's influence upon the quarter-planet it occupied, and its gravitational influence upon the world outside it, has been profound from the spread of Christianity by missionaries,...

"Israel is an important place for people of three major religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. This has given it a rich history, but it has also led to conflict. Readers take an informative look at what life is like in Israel for people of different groups as they explore meticulously researched text, which has been updated to discuss current events. Vivid, full-color photographs are found throughout chapters that focus on topics such as government,...

"¿Qué papel tuvieron las primeras mujeres en la prehistoria? ¿De verdad eran ellas las que se quedaban cuidando a la prole? ¿Cómo eran realmente la maternidad y la educación de los hijos? ¿En qué momento empezaron las mujeres a perder poder? En el relato que se ha construido de las sociedades prehistóricas, las mujeres han ocupado un lugar secundario que la ciencia no se ha preocupado por entender y explicar en profundidad hasta ahora, cuando...

"Real Clothes, Real Lives highlights over 300 garments and accessories from the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection. This unique survey honors countless lives, tracing through the lens of dress how women's roles have changed over the decades. Each piece holds colorful stories about the woman who wore it, the one who made or bought it, and her context in place and time. Whether homemade or ready-made, many of the garments are modest and inexpensive....