Buy from our bookstore and 25% of the cover price will be given to a school of your choice to buy more books. *15% of eBooks.
Audiobooks Narrated by Brian P. Craig
Browse audiobooks narrated by Brian P. Craig, listen to samples and when you're ready head over to Audiobooks.com where you can get 3 FREE audiobooks on us
Putting the games in the context of Rome's rise and dramatic fall, Mannix captures all the history, planning, and savage pageantry that went into creating the first spectator sports.
The games began in 238 BC as nearly county fair–like entertainment, with trick riding, acrobats, trained animals, chariot racing, and athletic events. The contests then evolved into slave fights thanks to wealthy patricians Marcus and Decimus Brutus, who wanted to give their father an unforgettable funeral by reviving an old tradition. What the brothers wrought, Rome devoured, demanding even greater violence to satisfy the bloodlust of the crowd. Architectural wonders in themselves, massive arenas like Circus Maximus and the Colosseum were built, able to host sea battle reenactments on actual water. Successful gladiators found fame, fortune—and freedom.
But as Rome begin to fall in the fifth century, so did the games, devolving into nothing more than pointless massacres. In the end, millions of humans and animals were sacrificed in barbaric displays. What were once ceremonies given in honor of gods met an inglorious fate, yet they still captivate the imagination of people today.
Contains mature themes.
Only in 1995 did the United States government officially reveal the existence of the super-secret Venona Project. For nearly fifty years American intelligence agents had been decoding thousands of Soviet messages, uncovering an enormous range of espionage activities carried out against the United States during World War II by its own allies. This extraordinary book is the first to examine the Venona messages.
Venona Project cryptanalysts, linguists, and mathematicians attempted to decode thousands of intercepted Soviet intelligence telegrams. Analysts uncovered information of powerful significance: the first indication of Julius Rosenberg's espionage efforts; references to the espionage activities of Alger Hiss; proof of Soviet infiltration of the Manhattan Project; evidence that spies had reached the highest levels of the U.S. State and Treasury Departments; indications that more than three hundred Americans had assisted in the Soviet theft of American secrets; and confirmation that the Communist party of the United States was consciously and willingly involved in Soviet espionage against America.
Drawing not only on the Venona papers but also on newly opened Russian and U. S. archives, John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr provide the most rigorously documented analysis ever written on Soviet espionage in the early Cold War years.
In this book, author Orde Kittrie draws on his experiences as a lawfare practitioner, US State Department attorney, and international law scholar in analyzing the theory and practice of lawfare. Kittrie explains how factors including the increased reach of international laws and tribunals and the rise of economic globalization and information technology have fueled lawfare's increasing power and prevalence. The book includes case studies of recent offensive and defensive lawfare by the United States, China, all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and several non-governmental organizations and individuals. Kittrie asserts that much of the United States' most effective and creative lawfare today is being waged by private sector or other non-governmental attorneys. He analyzes why this is the case, and describes how such attorneys' expertise and experience can contribute even more to US national security. Kittrie also explains that lawfare, deployed more systematically and adeptly by the US government, could likely reduce US and foreign casualties, and save US taxpayer dollars, by supplementing or replacing the use of armed force as a tool for achieving some significant US national security objectives. Understanding this alternative to armed force has never been more important.
The effort to destroy facts and make America ungovernable didn't come out of nowhere. It is the culmination of seventy years of strategic denialism. In On Disinformation, Lee McIntyre shows how the war on facts began, and how ordinary citizens can fight back against the scourge of disinformation that is now threatening the very fabric of our society. Drawing on his twenty years of experience as a scholar of science denial, McIntyre explains how autocrats wield disinformation to manipulate a populace and deny obvious realities, why the best way to combat disinformation is to disrupt its spread, and most importantly, how we can win the war on truth.
McIntyre goes through the history of strategic denialism to show how we arrived at this precarious political moment and identifies the creators, amplifiers, and believers of disinformation. On Disinformation lays out ten everyday practical steps that we can take as ordinary citizens-from resisting polarization to pressuring our Congresspeople to regulate social media-as well as the important steps our government (if we elect the right leaders) must take.
On Disinformation empowers us to save our republic from autocracy before it is too late.
In this astute mix of cultural critique and biblical studies, John H. Walton presents and defends twenty propositions supporting a literary and theological understanding of Genesis 1 within the context of the ancient Near Eastern world and unpacks its implications for our modern scientific understanding of origins. Ideal for students, professors, pastors, and lay listeners with an interest in the intelligent design controversy and creation-evolution debates, Walton's thoughtful analysis unpacks seldom appreciated aspects of the biblical text and sets Bible-believing scientists free to investigate the question of origins. The books in the Lost World series follow the pattern set by Bible scholar John H. Walton, bringing a fresh, close interpretation of the Hebrew text and knowledge of ancient Near Eastern literature to an accessible discussion of the biblical topic at hand, using a series of logic-based propositions.
The bloody two-day battle of Shiloh changed the course of the American Civil War. The conflagration at Shiloh had its roots in the strong Union advance that resulted in the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee. The offensive collapsed General Albert S. Johnston's advanced line in Kentucky and forced him to withdraw to northern Mississippi. Anxious to attack the enemy, Johnston began concentrating Southern forces at Corinth, a major railroad center just below the Tennessee border. His bold plan called for his Army of the Mississippi to march north and destroy General Grant's Army of the Tennessee before it could link up with another Union army on the way to join him.
Johnston's sweeping attack hit the unsuspecting Federal camps at Pittsburg Landing and routed the enemy from position after position as they fell back toward the Tennessee River. Johnston's sudden death in the Peach Orchard, however, coupled with stubborn Federal resistance, widespread confusion, and Grant's determination to hold the field, saved the Union army from destruction. The arrival of General Don C. Buell's reinforcements that night turned the tide of battle. The next day, Grant seized the initiative and attacked the Confederates, driving them from the field. Shiloh was one of the bloodiest battles of the entire war, with nearly 24,000 men killed, wounded, and missing.
Acclaimed writer David Smart illuminates the fascinating life of Royal Robbins-in all its soulful ambition, rivalry, and romance. Royal Robbins chronicles his early years growing up as a latchkey kid in Southern California, the push and pull between being an aspiring banker or one of the original Camp 4 dirtbags, and his later decades as a father, husband, kayaker, and the trailblazing founder of the outdoor apparel company that bears his name. This intimate, colorful tour of climbing history covering Yosemite, the Tetons, the Gunks, the Alps, the United Kingdom, and more from the 1960s onward features star characters such as Liz Robbins-Robbins's wife and a pioneering adventurer in her own right-Yvon Chouinard, John Harlin, Steve Roper, Warren Harding, Tom Frost, and Doug Tompkins.
An important addition to our knowledge of the Golden Age of rock climbing in Yosemite and the development of the clean climbing ethos, Royal Robbins sheds new light on an elemental figure of outdoor culture.
The US has over 1.5 million nonprofits, which touch our lives in countless ways. The finest are inspiring, but unfortunately, too many let us down. Luckily, there's a solution. How to Save the World in Six (Not So Easy) Steps by expert scholar and nonprofit leader David M. Schizer is the ultimate management book for nonprofit professionals, board members, and donors.
Nonprofits need to do two challenging things really well: figure out the best way to advance the mission, and then build support for it. With entertaining anecdotes from his many years leading Columbia Law School and international humanitarian organization JDC, as well as interviews with an all-star cast of nonprofit leaders, Schizer explains how to accomplish these twin goals: Plan: Run a rigorous planning process; Persevere: Line up internal support; Prioritize: Set priorities by asking three key questions; Pivot: Test innovations; Publicize: Share ideas and hold yourself accountable; and Partner: Raise more money by involving donors in the work.
By chronicling the good, the bad, and the ugly at nonprofits and explaining how to get more out of them, this book shows how we can 'save the world' together with the 'six Ps.'
Building sustainable relationships, both professionally and personally, is the biggest competitive advantage in a world where automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are eliminating the human experience, which is what creates emotional connections. In the newly revised and completely rewritten third edition of Relationship Economics: Transform Your Most Valuable Business Contacts into Personal and Professional Success, renowned growth strategist, innovation consultant, and international speaker David Nour delivers an eye-opening discussion of how to prioritize and maximize your return on strategic relationships to fuel unprecedented professional and personal growth.
Drawing on the author's extensive experience consulting with leaders of Fortune 500 clients, the book demonstrates how to invest in people for extraordinary returns. You'll gain a deeper understanding of how the global pandemic and its onslaught of disruptive forces are impacting every facet of digital, in-person, and global relationships. You'll also find: actionable tactics to employ in relationship management, like Relationship Currency® and Relationship Capital®; a deep discussion of the fundamental measures of business relationships; and impactful strategies for turning your contacts into better executions, performance, and results.
Did the New Testament canon arise naturally from within the early Christian faith? Were the books written as Scripture, or did they become Scripture? Why did early Christians have a canon at all?
These are the types of questions that led Michael J. Kruger to pick apart modern scholarship's dominant view that the New Testament is a late creation of the church imposed on books originally written for another purpose. Calling into question this commonly held 'extrinsic' view, Kruger tackles the five most prevalent objections to the classic understanding of a collection of authoritative scriptures.
Kruger addresses foundational and paradigmatic assumptions of the extrinsic model as he provides powerful rebuttals and further support for the classic, 'intrinsic' view.
Unlike many books written on the emergence of the New Testament canon that ask 'when?' or 'how?' Kruger focuses this work on the 'why?'-exposing weaknesses in the five major tenets of the extrinsic model as he goes. While The Question of Canon scrutinizes today's popular scholastic view, it also offers an alternative concept to lay a better empirical foundation for biblical canon studies.
A common assumption about investors is that they don't care who wins as long as they're making money. For some investors, this mindset still rings true. Yet, many investors today want to make money and do good. Sustainable investing has gained considerable momentum in the last few decades. It delivers value by balancing traditional investing with environmental, social, and governance-related (ESG) insights to improve long-term outcomes.
Sustainable Investing: What Everyone Needs to Know demystifies sustainable investing for investors. Using a user-friendly question-and-answer format and insights from noted investment professionals, this book explores some of sustainable investing's most critical questions in a clear and concise manner. The book explains how this approach involves investing in sustainable companies or funds and can include any investment approach that considers ESG criteria when selecting and managing investments. It demystifies sustainable investing specifically for average investors and examines whether such investments have a place in their portfolios. By covering everything from the changing investment landscape and the roles of social and religious values in finance to how to build a portfolio with purpose, H. Kent Baker, Hunter M. Holzhauer, and John R. Nofsinger provide an essential introduction to sustainable investing.
In Get in the Game: How to Level Up Your Business with Gaming, Esports, and Emerging Technologies, decorated gaming and social media research and marketing executive Jonathan Stringfield delivers a roadmap to understanding and navigating marketing and business integrations into the gaming ecosystem: who plays games (and why), how modern games are created and oriented around the world of esports, and where brands can get involved with modern games.
This book explains the breadth and depth of the gaming audience, describing the rapidly changing demographics of modern games and the various motivations gamers have for playing games. It also unpacks the history of gaming and how it has impacted the creative processes and output from the industry. Finally, it offers a practical guide for brands wishing to integrate themselves into new gaming environments, with an emphasis on maximizing success for marketers, developers, content creators, and fans.
Perfect for marketing strategists, brand managers, and chief marketing officers, Get in the Game will also earn a place in the libraries of executives seeking to connect with the misunderstood yet largest segment in consumer entertainment.
