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The Noblest Invention: An Illustrated History of the Bicycle
Why We Ride From the time we first wobble away from Mom or Dad on two wheels, we're hooked. The mobility, the freedom that the bicycle brings is our first taste of independence For many, that feeling persists, and bicycling becomes a lifelong love. It represents the promise of the open road, the enthralling sense of speed, the quiet places, the challenging trails-- all in the pleasant company of family, chums, or just yourself. And then there's that moment of terrified, bittersweet pride when your own child rides on once you have let go. The Noblest Invention celebrates this unique interaction between humans and machine. The editors of Bicycling magazine have created a unique history of the bicycle that illustrates, through personal essays and breathtaking photography, why this simple machine has captured the imagination of people of all ages around the world. Chronicling the evolution of the bicycle from the primitive wooden Laufmaschine to the high-tech mountain bike with its specialized frame and suspension, this book takes a fascinating look at the innovations, the early creators and their wares, and how the bike has had an impact on culture as a tool in the workplace and as an inspiration for artists and writers alike. From the timeless allure of the greatest annual sporting event, the Tour de France, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, to the mystery of the bicycle's true inventor (did da Vinci really have a hand in it?), take a trip with this remarkable feat of engineering. Remember, relive, and most important, enjoy the ride. .
Price: $11.10
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The Noblest Triumph: Property and Prosperity Through the Ages
In The Noblest Triumph, Tom Bethell looks at the history of property rights and shows that the key role played by the institution of private property has been misunderstood by Western elites for more than a century. Beginning with the ancient Greeks and arriving at the present day, Bethell looks at basic ideas about property found in the writings of Plato, Adam Smith, Blackstone, Bentham, Marx, Mill, and others. He shows that the institution of property is inextricably tied to traditional conceptions of justice and liberty, and he argues that prosperity and civilization can only arise where private property is securely held by the people. The Noblest Triumph is an indispensable book for anyone interested in this fundamental aspect of civilization and the progress of humankind through the ages. .
Price: $9.75
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The Noblest Minds
Ever since Douglass Adair convincingly demonstrated that a love of fame was central to the American founding, political scientists and historians have started to view the founders and their acts in a new light. In "The Noblest Minds", ten distinguished scholars examine this passion for fame and honor and demonstrate for the first time its significance in the development of American democracy. The first two-thirds of the book is devoted to essays on individual founders, as the contributors consider the role of fame in the lives and political characters of Washington, Franklin, Madison, Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, and Marshall. The remaining chapters analyze the founders' theoretical accomplishment in reviving political science, and explore the problem of honor in the modern world. Political scientists and American historians alike will find this book to be valuable and illuminating. What made the founding generation of American statesmen so outstanding? To answer this question, "The Noblest Minds" brings together a distinguished group of historians and political scientists to evaluate a neglected but compelling theory advanced nearly four decades ago by Douglass Adair. Adair argued that it was the "love of fame" that moved many of the leading lights of the founding generation. Adair's thesis is the starting point for a series of searching essays on the role of fame in the lives of Adams, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, Marshall, and Washington. These profiles also provide wide-ranging historical and philosophical reflections on the question of fame. What emerges from these essays is a more complex picture of the founding generation than that presented by Adair. While acknowledging the role of the love of fame, "The Noblest Minds" argues for the influence of other concerns such as honor, virtue, and the cause of liberty. This more complex picture of the founding generation provides a unique and rewarding vantage point from which to consider the question of "character" in politics, which looms so large in contemporary political debate. It illuminates the differences between true fame and mere celebrity in such a way as to point to considerations that transcend both. Political scientists and American historians alike will find this book to be valuable and illuminating..
Price: $140.24
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Cranes--The Noblest Flyers: In Natural History and Cultural Lore
Alice Lindsay Price, a devoted naturalist, has for the past twenty years joined the scientific pursuit of avian scholarship to her lifelong passions of painting, writing, and literature In her new work, Cranes—The Noblest Flyers, she brings into focus the wealth of human lore, both scientific and cultural, to portray the survival into the twenty-first century of the two North American Crane species, the Sandhill and the Whooping Crane. Her comprehensive display of facts and lore interwoven into her own observations in the field—as well as those of scientists and naturalists working to save the species from extinction—remind us how essential is our awareness of the natural world. Cranes—The Noblest Flyers is illuminated with illustrations and photographs by the author, and with a wide assortment of historical images from Cretan bird goddess to petroglyphs to Audubon. “I think of all the hope these birds represent and of the many scientists and birders who gave so much to their survival. ‘Hope,’ in the words of poet Emily Dickinson, ‘is the thing with feathers.’”.
Price: $14.12
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