John Ransom Phillips: A Contemporary Book of the Dead is an artist's monograph of watercolors on papyryus that

A historical fictional title from New York artist John Ransom Phillips featuring previously unpublished material This 200-page publication from artist John Ransom Phillips takes on US Presidents in his signature dreamlike style. Inspired by the Walt Whitman poem, The Dreamers, this historical fictional book takes us inside the minds and dreams of the current and former United States Presidents through the artist's distinctive paintings and poems. The book's chapters are named after all 45 US Presidents and includes previously unpublished works.

In a series of oils, watercolours, and prose full of wit and wisdom and rich with historical allusion, John Ransom Phillips portrays the complexity of nineteenth-century photographer, Mathew Brady. The photographs Brady made have long served to illustrate an era in American history, most notably his portraits of Abraham Lincoln and the images from the Civil War battlefields he captured. Pairing these photographs with his own work, Phillips explores the career of this artist who wanted to make history: An ambitious half-blind man with blue-tinted glasses, straw hat and duster who had the genius to look beyond his thriving New York portrait studio to the battles of the Civil War and was one of the first photographers to shoot in the open air. Paradoxically, Brady sent assistants to photograph his most famous scenes, the battlefields at Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Antietam, instructing them to re-arrange the dead to create images that would enhance public notions about death and dying. AUTHOR: John Ransom Phillips is an artist and author whose work has been exhibited internationally at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., and the David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art in Chicago; Museo de Arte Moderne in Buenos Aires; the Fundacao de Arte e Cultural de Ubatuba in Sao Paolo, and Zamalek Gallery, Cairo. He holds a PhD from the University of Chicago and has been a faculty member of the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Chicago. Alan Trachtenberg is The Neil Gray, Jr. Professor Emeritus of English and American Studies at Yale University, and the author of 'Reading American Photographs: Images as History, Mathew Brady to Walker Evans'(1989). 266 colour & 17 b/w illustrations

An engaging biography that offers a new perspective on one of the most influential figures of the Crusades In 1187, Saladin marched triumphantly into Jerusalem, ending decades of struggle against the Christians and reclaiming the holy city for Islam. Four years later he fought off the armies of the Third Crusade, which were commanded by Europe's leading monarchs. A fierce warrior and savvy diplomat, Saladin's unparalleled courtesy, justice, generosity, and mercy were revered by both his fellow Muslims and his Christian rivals such as Richard the Lionheart. Combining thorough research with vivid storytelling, Jonathan Phillips offers a fresh and captivating look at the triumphs, failures, and contradictions of one of the Crusades' most unique figures. Bringing the vibrant world of the twelfth century to life, this book also explores Saladin's complicated legacy, examining the ways Saladin has been invoked in the modern age by Arab and Muslim leaders ranging from Nasser in Egypt, Asad in Syria, and Saddam Hussein in Iraq to Osama bin Laden, as well as his huge appeal across popular culture in books, drama, and music.

"I share the country's admiration for the bravery of Captain Phillips and his selfless concern for his crew. His courage is a model for all Americans." --President Barack Obama It was just another day on the job for fifty-three-year-old Richard Phillips, captain of the Maersk Alabama, the United States-flagged cargo ship which was carrying, among other things, food and agricultural materials for the World Food Program. That all changed when armed Somali pirates boarded the ship. The pirates didn't expect the crew to fight back, nor did they expect Captain Phillips to offer himself as hostage in exchange for the safety of his crew. Thus began the tense five-day stand-off, which ended in a daring high-seas rescue when U.S. Navy SEALs opened fire and picked off three of the captors. "It never ends like this," Captain Phillips said. And he's right. A Captain's Duty tells the life-and-death drama of the Vermont native who was held captive on a tiny lifeboat off Somalia's anarchic, gun-plagued shores. A story of adventure and courage, it provides the intimate details of this high-seas hostage-taking--the unbearable heat, the death threats, the mock executions, and the escape attempt. When the pirates boarded his ship, Captain Phillips put his experience into action, doing everything he could to safeguard his crew. And when he was held captive by the pirates, he marshaled all his resources to ensure his own survival, withstanding intense physical hardship and an escalating battle of wills with the pirates. This was it: the moment where training meets instinct and where character is everything. Richard Phillips was ready.

“Drawing on fresh archival material and extensive access to Carter and his family, New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Alter tells the epic story of a man of faith and his improbable journey from barefoot boy in the vicious Jim Crow South to global icon. We learn how Carter evolved from a timid child into an ambitious naval nuclear engineer and an indefatigable born-again governor; how as a president he failed politically amid the bad economy of the 1970s and the seizure of hostages in Iran but succeeded in engineering peace between Israel and Egypt, amassing a historic environmental record, moving the government from tokenism to diversity, setting a new global standard for human rights, and normalizing relations with China, among dozens of other unheralded achievements. After leaving office, Carter revolutionized the postpresidency with the bold global accomplishments of the Carter center”--Cover.