This book scientifically challenges earlier radiocarbon testing and presents new evidence in determining the Shroud of Turin's true age.

This is the first biography of the father of descriptive ornithology, the author of American Ornithology or The Natural History of Birds Inhabiting the United States not given by Wilson,, an electee to the American Philosophical Society and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, and last, Emperor Napoleon's nephew. Stroud, an independent scholar, uses archival sources, including unpublished letters in possession of the Bonaparte family, to tell the story of a man forced by the circumstances of his birth and by the liberality of his views to move from France, to the U.S., to Italy, and back to France. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

For the ruling and propertied classes of the late eighteenth century, the years following the French Revolution were characterized by intense anxiety. Monarchs and their courtiers lived in constant fear of rebellion, convinced that their power-and their heads-were at risk. Driven by paranoia, they chose to fight back against every threat and insurgency, whether real or merely perceived, repressing their populaces through surveillance networks and violent, secretive police action. Europe, and the world, had entered a new era. In Phantom Terror, award-winning historian Adam Zamoyski argues that the stringent measures designed to prevent unrest had disastrous and far-reaching consequences, inciting the very rebellions they had hoped to quash. The newly established culture of state control halted economic development in Austria and birthed a rebellious youth culture in Russia that would require even harsher methods to suppress. By the end of the era, the first stirrings of terrorist movements had become evident across the continent, making the previously unfounded fears of European monarchs a reality. Phantom Terror explores this troubled, fascinating period, when politicians and cultural leaders from Edmund Burke to Mary Shelley were forced to choose sides and either support or resist the counterrevolutionary spirit embodied in the newly-omnipotent central states. The turbulent political situation that coalesced during this era would lead directly to the revolutions of 1848 and to the collapse of order in World War I. We still live with the legacy of this era of paranoia, which prefigured not only the modern totalitarian state but also the now preeminent contest between society's haves and have nots. These tempestuous years of suspicion and suppression were the crux upon which the rest of European history would turn. In this magisterial history, Zamoyski chronicles the moment when desperate monarchs took the world down the path of revolution, terror, and world war.

It was a crime scene investigation like no other. A man was tortured, beaten, and killed. He was popular with the people, but many in power wanted Him dead. After a mock trial, the powerful had their way. He was given a hasty burial, but now the body has disappeared. Was there a clue left behind? A bloody sheet offers evidence of a horrific execution. Was the body stolen? By whom and why? Did it just vanish? What does the cloth reveal about the disappearance? The Shroud of Turin (Italy) bears the faint front and back image of a bearded crucified man with corresponding bloodstains that match the Gospel accounts of what happened to Jesus. It is the most analyzed artifact in the world yet remains an unsolved mystery. While there are no artistic substances on the linen cloth, the blood is real, and testing corresponds with type AB. The blood has soaked through the cloth; however, the image resides only on the top 1 percent of the surface fibers. Could it be the same Shroud that wrapped Jesus in the tomb? The Shroud poses the ultimate either-or proposition as either the actual burial cloth of Jesus or the product of human effort, as a work of devotional art or a masterful hoax. There is nothing in between. The culmination of a lifetime of research, countless presentations, and ongoing associations with Shroud experts worldwide, Russ Breault's Shroud Encounter--Explore the World's Greatest Unsolved Mystery examines the science, history, and theology surrounding this profound enigma. If proven one day to be authentic, the implications could truly shake the world.

"All human societies, from prehistory through to today, have been characterized by some degree of economic inequality. Arguably, complex societies would not have thrived if they had been unable to concentrate and redistribute resources effectively. We frequently talk about the top 5% or 1% today but, as Guido Alfani explains in this book, concerns about the rich and super-rich and their potential to influence contemporary politics and society are nothing new - just take the Medici family and Renaissance Tuscany as one example. The medieval theologian Nicole Oresme's fear of the super-rich individual acting "as God among men" resonates with much of what present-day economist Thomas Piketty cautioned against in his landmark Capital in the Twentieth Century. As Gods Among Men represents the first scholarly attempt to provide a general overview of role and significance of the rich and the super-rich in the long run of history. With a focus on the West, particularly Europe and North America, Alfani's research spans a thousand years of history. He draws from a wealth of comparative data, as well as insights gleaned from the latest research in economic history, sociology, and anthropology, to show how society's problematic relationship with the super-rich cannot be fully understood without a careful analysis of the ways in which they have built their enormous wealth, and how they have used that wealth to gain influence. Alfani highlights important aspects of their behavior, such as their attitudes toward saving and consumption, or their propensity to act as patrons of the arts and of the sciences or as benefactors of the weakest part of society, to build up a profile of the richest members of our society and to trace patterns throughout history, underlining elements of both continuity and change over the period"--

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Selection Named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Economist and Kirkus Reviews An “extraordinary” biography that “in its breadth . . . reminds me of nothing so much as Robert A. Caro’s The Power Broker” (New York Review of Books). Harvey Sachs’s “monumental” (Alex Ross) biography recounts the sixty-eight-year career of conductor Arturo Toscanini (1867–1957), an artist celebrated for his fierce dedication, photographic memory, explosive temper, impassioned performances, and uncompromising work ethic. Toscanini collaborated with Verdi, Puccini, Debussy, and Richard Strauss; undertook major reforms at La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera; and eventually pioneered the radio and television broadcasts of the NBC Symphony. His monumental achievements inspired generations, while his opposition to Nazism and fascism made him a model for artists of conscience. In this “persuasive and compelling” new biography, Sachs illuminates the “crucial—the central—role Toscanini played in our musical culture for well over 60 years” (New York Times Book Review). Set against the roiling currents of twentieth-century Europe and the Americas, Toscanini is a “necessary” portrait of this “complex, flawed, but noble human being and towering artist” (Wall Street Journal) whose peerless influence reverberates today.