Splendors of the Past
Author:
Publisher: National Geographic Society
Published: 1981
Total Pages: 304
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →EXPLORES LOST CITIES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.
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Splendors of the past
Splendors of the Past
Splendors and Glooms
Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2012-08-28
Total Pages: 392
ISBN-13: 0763662461
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz brings her sorcery to a Victorian gothic thriller — an enthralling, darkly comic tale that would do Dickens proud. The master puppeteer, Gaspare Grisini, is so expert at manipulating his stringed puppets that they appear alive. Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, is spellbound by Grisini’s act and invites him to entertain at her birthday party. Seeing his chance to make a fortune, Grisini accepts and makes a splendidly gaudy entrance with caravan, puppets, and his two orphaned assistants. Lizzie Rose and Parsefall are dazzled by the Wintermute home. Clara seems to have everything they lack — adoring parents, warmth, and plenty to eat. In fact, Clara’s life is shadowed by grief, guilt, and secrets. When Clara vanishes that night, suspicion of kidnapping falls upon the puppeteer and, by association, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall. As they seek to puzzle out Clara’s whereabouts, Lizzie and Parse uncover Grisini’s criminal past and wake up to his evil intentions. Fleeing London, they find themselves caught in a trap set by Grisini’s ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance to shed before it’s too late. Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz’s Victorian gothic is a rich banquet of dark comedy, scorching magic, and the brilliant and bewitching storytelling that is her trademark.
Splendors of Quanzhou, Past and Present
Author: William N. Brown
Publisher: Springer Nature
Published: 2023
Total Pages: 139
ISBN-13: 9811980365
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This open access book explores the past and present of Quanzhou (Zayton) and the rich diversity and tolerance that kindled Quanzhou's innovativeness and helped it prosper both commercially and culturally--values that are today being embraced by China's global trade partners. Quanzhou (Zayton), Marco Polo's port of departure and Columbus' goal in China, was not only the start of the Maritime Silk Road and the Middle Age’s greatest port but also centuries ahead of its time in its tolerance and diversity. The fabled "City of Light" had 7 mosques for its 40,000 Muslims, some of whom served in government, as well as 3 Franciscan cathedrals funded in part by the emperor, Jewish synagogues, and centers for Nestorian Christians, Hindus, Taoists, Manicheans, Jains, etc. As Franciscan Bishop Andrew of Perugia wrote in 1322, "Tis a fact that in this vast empire, there are people of every nation under heaven, and every sect, and all and sundry are allowed to live freely according to their creed." In 2021, UNESCO designated "Quanzhou, Emporium of the World," as a world heritage site, and the city is now the hub of the Belt and Road Initiative, the 21st Century Silk Road, which was inspired by ancient Quanzhou.
Mexico
Author: Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)
Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Published: 1990
Total Pages: 730
ISBN-13: 0870995952
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Precolumbian art -- Viceregal art -- Nineteenth century art -- Twentieth century art.
SPLENDORS OF THE PAST, LOST CITIES OF THE ANCIENT.
Wasps
Author: Michael Knox Beran
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2021-08-03
Total Pages: 481
ISBN-13: 1643137077
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →An examination of WASP culture through the lives of some of its most prominent figures. Envied and lampooned, misunderstood and yet distinctly American, WASPs are as much a culture, socioeconomic and ethnic designation, and state of mind. Charming, witty, and vigorously researced, WASPS traces the rise and fall of this distinctly American phenomenon through the lives of prominent icons from Henry Adams and Theodore Roosevelt to George Santayana and John Jay Chapman. Throughout this dynamic story, Beran chronicles the efforts of WASPs to better the world around them as well as the struggles of these WASPs to break free from their restrictive culture. The death of George H. W. Bush brought about reflections on the end of patrician WASP culture, where privilege reigned, but so did a genuine desire to use that privilege for public service. In the time of Trump—who is the antithesis of true WASP culture—people look at the John Kerry, Bobby Kennedy, and Philip and Kay Grahams of the world with wistfulness. And even though we are a more diverse and pluralistic nation now than ever before, there is something about WASP culture that remains enduringly aspirational and fascinating. Beginning at the turn of the 20th century, Beran’s saga dramatizes the evolving American aristocracy that forever changed a nation—and what we can still glean from WASP culture as we enter a new era.
Vanished Splendors: A Memoir
Author: Balthus
Publisher: Ecco
Published: 2002-12-03
Total Pages: 272
ISBN-13: 9780066212609
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →The painter Balthus, whose tenacity and cultivated taste for secrecy have enveloped him in an aura of forbidding mystery, wrote this memoir at the end of his long life. A man who for decades opted to "give expression to the world" rather than to "express" himself speaks for the first and only time about his life, family, work, his theory of art and how it intersects with history, literature, and spirituality. Balthus was born Balthasar Klossowski in 1908 to Polish art historian Erich Klossowski and his wife, the painter Elisabeth Dorothea Spiro. The family lived in Germany, France, and Switzerland. In this memoir Balthus describes his childhood with his mother and her lover -- the poet Rainer Maria Rilke -- who became Balthus's own spiritual mentor. He evokes la vie de boheme in Paris during the 1920s, his friendships with Picasso, Derain, Artaud, Giacometti, Saint-Exupéry, René Char, Pierre Jean Jouve, and Albert Camus. He discusses his paintings, offers glimpses into his marriage, and expresses his passion for Chinese art and the Swiss chalets and Italian villas that he helped to restore. He recalls touching moments with his beloved daughter Harumi and the inspiration he drew from his cats. Also, in a kind of final lesson, Balthus shares his thoughts about painting and creation, denounces contemporary art as being illusory and deceitful, and talks candidly about his Catholic faith and how it inspired his work. "We are most charmed by the memoir's ease of expression, as if Balthus were confiding in us, as individuals," writes Joyce Carol Oates in her introduction to Vanished Splendors. "We are brought into a startling intimacy with genius."
Sicilian Splendors
Author: John Keahey
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Published: 2018-11-13
Total Pages: 263
ISBN-13: 125010470X
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →"A wondrously joyous account of travel as it should be." –Publishers Weekly A travel narrative that focuses on Sicily's little-known regions, from the author of Seeking Sicily and Hidden Tuscany. From Palermo to Castiglione di Sicilia to Alimena, Sicily holds great secrets from the past and unspoken promises. Tradition, in the form of festivals, the written word, photographs, and song, reverberates through village walls. Now, slowly shaking itself free of the Mafia, Sicily is opening itself up to visitors in ways it never has before. Sicilian Splendors explores the history, politics, food, Mafia, and people which John Keahey encounters throughout his travels during his return to Sicily. Through conversing with natives and immersing himself in culture, Keahey illustrates a brand new Sicily no one has ever talked about before. Villagers, eager to welcome tourism and impart awareness of their cultural background, greet Keahey for meals and drink and walk him through their winding streets. They share stories of well-known writers, such as Maria Messina, who have found inspiration in Sicily’s villages. Keahey’s never-ending curiosity as a traveler shines light on Sicily’s mythical mysteries and portrays the island not only through his eyes but also through Sicily’s heart. This picturesque travel memoir navigates Sicily today and seeks to understand Sicily’s past. In lyrical prose and vivid dialect, Keahey paints images of the island’s villages, people, and culture with careful strokes and a meticulously even hand. Keahey not only serves as a guide through the marvel of Sicily’s identity, but he also looks deeply into Sicily’s soul.
