The epic story of how the gigantic land of America acquired its unique shape across 3000 miles of territory, and how the largest land survey in history paved the way both for a colossal sale of property and for the embedding of democracy and the spirit of independence in the psyche of Americans. The sheer scale of it makes the measuring of America extraordinary. Beginning in 1785, it became the largest land survey in history stretching from the Ohio river to the Pacific coast and from Lake Erie to the Mexican border. It prepared the ground for the sale of almost two billion acres, and shaped landscapes and cities across the US more drastically than any event since the last ice age. Before the survey could begin, there had to be agreement about what kind of measurement should be used. What made the 18th-century debate so critical was the revolution taking place in Western thought as objective, scientific reasoning challenged the traditional, subjective view of the world. A battle began between those (like the British) supporting a centuries-old organic form of measurement (ounces and pounds, yards and acres) and the modernizers, like Thomas Jefferson, who backed a system based on scientific observation. The effects of the measuring of America on the landscape and people (native and immigrant) were huge and long-lasting.

Measuring America

History

Andro Linklater

Americas

Penguin Group USA

X-treme Latin

Humor & Entertainment

BEARD, Henry

Humor

After Yesterday's Crash: The Avant-Pop Anthology

Literature & Fiction

United States

Shares the favorite recipes of celebrities

The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Cookbook: Recipes and Entertaining Secrets from the Most Fabulous People in the World

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Rozas, Diane

Leach, Robin

Celebrities & TV Shows

This text offers an incisive and original account of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Florentine art in its social, cultural, political, geographic, economic and religious settings. Ranging in scope from the monumental and public cathedral dome to the intimacy of the domestic interior, it explores artistic patronage and the working conditions of artists in a way that is fully accessible to the inexperienced reader.

Renaissance Florence: The Invention of a New Art

Arts & Photography

Turner, Richard A.

History & Criticism

Murder on Safari

Lord and Lady Baradale, on a posh safari in Kenya, anticipate splendid photo trophies for their luxurious labors. But rather than collecting trophies, they gave some up. 
When Lady Baradale's jewels are stolen, a young Canadian policeman, Vachell, is called in. He sets to work on the theft, but is interrupted by murder. Lady Baradale's body is discovered with a bullet hole in the skull. Every member of the hunting party is suspect. 
"Elspeth Huxley does not rely for effect simply on the unusual nature of her Kenyan setting. She has woven a complicated web of clue and counter-clue, clever enough to entrance and entangle even the most experienced detective fan." (The Times, London)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Huxley, Elspeth Joscelin Grant

Mystery

Jennie

Jennie [mass_market] Gallico, Paul [Jun 01, 1963]

GALLICO, PAUL

Contemporary

Much maligned in pre-war Germany, the short story enjoyed a creative rebirth in 1945. Initially imported by the Allies, the form also matched perfectly the prevailing mood of irony, objectivity and mistrust of the didactic. With the original German text running alongside English translations, this collection features stories from eight outstanding post-war authors including Heinrich Böll, Ilse Aichinger and Reinhard Lettau which students will find both educational and engrossing. Böll’s opening story 'Pale Anna' follows a soldier returning home, his situation comparable to that of the writer in the first months of peace: he knows no-one and has few words not linked to painful memories. This poignant narrative is followed by a variety of tales representing the diversity of the time and including satires, explorations of private obsessions and experiments in form and language.

German Short Stories 1 (German and English Edition)

VARIOUS

Teen & Young Adult

The little world of a public school, with its grudges and rivalries, reaches out into the little world of the aged, as the Old Boys grimly battle over the post of President of the Association.

Old Boys

TREVOR,William

Literary

In this book, an old, comically timid and absent-minded man, Surujpat Harbans, runs for office, aided by superstition, bribes, and an aggressive compaign.

Suffrage of Elvira

Naipaul; V.S.

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