Leon Aron considers the “mystery of the Soviet collapse” and finds answers in the intellectual and moral self-scrutiny of glasnost that brought about a profound shift in values. Reviewing the entire output of the key glasnost outlets in 1987-1991, he elucidates and documents key themes in this national soul-searching and the “ultimate” questions that sparked moral awakening of a great nation: “Who are we? How do we live honorably? What is a dignified relationship between man and state? How do we atone for the moral breakdown of Stalinism?” Contributing both to the theory of revolutions and history of ideas, Aron presents a thorough and original narrative about new ideas’ dissemination through the various media of the former Soviet Union. Aron shows how, reaching every corner of the nation, these ideas destroyed the moral foundation of the Soviet state, de-legitimized it and made its collapse inevitable.

America is starkly divided between the haves and the have-nots. A Republican president seeks reelection in the afterglow of a war many view as unnecessary and imperialisttic. He is bankrolled by millionaires, with every step of his career orchestrated by a political mastermind. Religious extremists crusade against the nation's moral collapse. Terrorists plot the assassination of leaders around the world. And a lonely, disturbed revolutionary stalks the President. . . . It all happened. One hundred years ago. It all comes to life in "The Temple of Music. A vivid, gripping historical novel of the Gilded Age, "The Temple of Music re-creates the larger-than-life characters and tempestuous events that rocked turn-of-the-century America. From battlefields to political backrooms, from romance to murder, "The Temple of Music tells the tales of robber barons, immigrants, yellow journalists, and anarchists, all centering on one of the most fascinating, mysterious, but little-explored events in American history: the assassination of President William McKinley by the disturbed anarchist Leon Czolgosz. "The Temple of Music brings to life the intrigues and passions, the hatreds and loves of a rich cast of real-life characters, including Emma Goldman, the passionate anarchist who forsakes her personal life to fight for workers' rights and free love; her imprisoned lover, the failed assassin Alexander Berkman; corrupt kingmaker "Dollar" Mark Hanna, whose fund-raising and strategizing foreshadowed how modern presidential campaigns would be run; William Jennings Bryan, the populist orator and chief political rival of McKinley; flamboyant newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst; self-appointedmorality czar Anthony Comstock; steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie; and Carnegie's iron-fisted manager, Henry Clay Frick. At the center of this tableau is William McKinley, the president, and Leon Czolgosz, his assassin. McKinley rises to the presidency almost by accident, floating on the money and political clout of Mark Hanna. Sober and unimaginative, McKinley's personal life is marked by drama and tragedy, the unstable wife he loves, and enemies he cannot imagine--chief among them, Leon Czolgosz, a lonely immigrant and factory worker who plots the most spectacular protest in an age of spectacular protests--McKinley's assassination at the 1901 Buffalo World's Fair. Sweeping in scope, "The Temple of Music is a rare literary achievement that intertwines history and fiction into an indelible tapestry of America at the dawn of the twentieth century. Praise for Jonathan Lowy's "Elvis and Nixon "Imaginative and often hilarious . . . Pop culture and recent history are hog-tied and transmogrified to smashing effect in Lowy's imaginative and often hilarious first novel. He moves among several storylines effortlessly, concocting a darkly comic melodrama the likes of which we haven't seen since The Manchurian Candidate."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "[A] high-flying first novel . . . darkly funny."--"New York Times Book Review "A snappy blend of fact and fiction."--"Time "Inventive, irreverent, and surreal."--"Houston Chronicle "[A] darkly humorous look at America under siege . . . A notable debut."--"Dallas Morning News "A dizzying blend of fact and fiction . . . A daring debut."--"Arizona Republic "There are a few words that fullydescribe Lowy's "Elvis and Nixon--bizarre, confusing, and enlightening, but also hard to put down."--"Richmond Times-Dispatch "A garishly readable romp."--"Kansas City Star "Entertaining . . . enigmatic."--"Los Angeles Times "A thoughtful and funny look at a nation that was becoming frayed at the edges and two men who were emblematic of that disarray."--"Denver Post "From the Hardcover edition.

The Roads of Roman Italy offers a complete re-evaluation of both the evidence and the interpretation of Roman land transport. The book utilises archaeological, epigraphic and literary evidence for Roman communications, drawing on recent approaches to the human landscape developed by geographers. Among the topics considered are: * the relationship between the road and the human landscape * the administration and maintenance of the road system * the role of roads as imperial monuments * the economics of road construction and urban development.

A portrait of the cult leader behind the Jonestown Massacre examines his personal life, from his extramarital affairs and drug use to his fraudulent faith healing practices and his decision to move his followers to Guyana, sharing new details about the events leading to the 1978 tragedy.