The struggle of the Albanian people led by George Castriota Scanderbeg to defend Europe against the assault of the Ottoman Turks has been much celebrated. For a quarter of a century, from 1443 until his death in 1468, he used his military prowess to thwart the efforts of the most powerful Empire in the world at the time to subdue his tiny country.One of the true heroes of the Middle Ages in Europe, unfortunately the remarkable story of Scanderbeg remains little known outside of Albania. George Castriota defended Europe for a quarter of a century and, it can rightly be said, helped to save Western civilization from being overrun by Islam and suffering the same fate as the once mighty Byzantine Empire. This book examines the genius and remarkable achievements of Scanderbeg who helped shape the identity of the Albanian people and reveals the important contribution this small but proud nation has made to European civilization.Although the challenges have changed over the centuries, the clash of civilizations, which the history of the Albanian struggle to fend off the Islamic onslaught illustrates, continues today. As a result, it is all the more worth noting the contribution that this tiny land, led by Scanderbeg, made in the fight to preserve Western culture and civilization. Equally important is the example set by the Albanian people in ultimately harmonizing these two great civilizations.A.K. Brackob has a Ph.D. in history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a specialist on the history of southeastern Europe during the Middle Ages and author of Mircea the Old: Father of Wallachia, Grandfather of Dracula.

Scanderbeg: A History of George Castriota and the Albanian Resistance to Islamic Expansion in Fifteenth Century Europe

Biographies & Memoirs

Brackob, A K

Historical

Vita Histria

Ovid in Exile

The Roman poet Ovid (43 B.C.-A.D. 17) was a rock star of the newly-founded empire ruled by Caesar Augustus. A sensitive, artistic soul, his verse, focused on the art of love, attracted the Roman youth of his day and made him a celebrity in the imperial city. But while his erotic poems attracted a mass following, his profound masterpiece, Metamorphoses, deeply rooted in the legends and traditions of ancient Rome and Greece, confirmed his creative genius and established him as one of the leading literary voices of all of antiquity, forging an enduring legacy that has impacted world literature for over two millennia. At the pinnacle of his career, however, Ovid became embroiled in one of the great scandals of his day, the details of which remain shrouded in mystery, resulting in his sudden banishment from Rome in A.D. 8 at the order of the Emperor. Augustus sent the Roman bard to the farthest reaches of the empire, exiling him to the Greek port city of Tomis, on the Black Sea coast, to live out the remainder of his days.Written by the late Romanian scholar Adrian Rădulescu, Ovid in Exile provides a rare and insightful look at the life and works of Publius Ovidius Naso. Rădulescu studies the historical environment of the Greek city of Tomis to where the Roman poet was expatriated, discussing the impact of his exile on his life and literary work. Failing to regain imperial favor or to have his sentence commuted, Ovid spent the last eight years of his life in Tomis where he wrote two of his most important and enduring literary masterpieces, Tristia and Ex Ponto. Ovid in Exile tells the story of this remarkable man who, two thousand years after his death, remains one of the most influential figures in all of world literature.

Rădulescu, Adrian

Arts & Literature

The Roman poet Ovid (43 B.C.-A.D. 17) was a rock star of the newly-founded empire ruled by Caesar Augustus. A sensitive, artistic soul, his verse, focused on the art of love, attracted the Roman youth of his day and made him a celebrity in the imperial city. But while his erotic poems attracted a mass following, his profound masterpiece, Metamorphoses, deeply rooted in the legends and traditions of ancient Rome and Greece, confirmed his creative genius and established him as one of the leading literary voices of all of antiquity, forging an enduring legacy that has impacted world literature for over two millennia. At the pinnacle of his career, however, Ovid became embroiled in one of the great scandals of his day, the details of which remain shrouded in mystery, resulting in his sudden banishment from Rome in A.D. 8 at the order of the Emperor. Augustus sent the Roman bard to the farthest reaches of the empire, exiling him to the Greek port city of Tomis, on the Black Sea coast, to live out the remainder of his days.\nWritten by the late Romanian scholar Adrian Radulescu, Ovid in Exile provides a rare and insightful look at the life and works of Publius Ovidius Naso. Radulescu studies the historical environment of the Greek city of Tomis to where the Roman poet was expatriated, discussing the impact of his exile on his life and literary work. Failing to regain imperial favor or to have his sentence commuted, Ovid spent the last eight years of his life in Tomis where he wrote two of his most important and enduring literary masterpieces, Tristia and Ex Ponto. Ovid in Exile tells the story of this remarkable man who, two thousand years after his death, remains one of the most influential figures in all of world literature.\nThe author, Adrian Radulescu, was formerly director of the Museum of History and Archeology in Constan?a and one of Romania’s foremost experts on the ancient history of Dobrogea and the life of the Roman poet Ovid.

Revealing the Inner Contours of Human Emotion: Preserving the Ballets of Anthony Tudor

Anthony Tudor stands as one of the pillars of twentieth century ballet choreography. An English born choreographer who found a home in the United States, Tudor gained renown as the most innovative choreographer of his day. He explored the inner contours of human emotion as he sculpted one-act short stories about ordinary men and women, for there would be no kings and queens, or even fairies in the ballets of Anthony Tudor.A modernist who used movement sparingly, the Tudor Ballets and their characters were mutually definitive and contextual. He directed his dancers to move with a sensitivity to character and to intention. The Tudor stories unfolded through the shape of a hand or a foot, or through the tilt of a hat, or the form of a skirt. Within seconds of the curtain rising on a Tudor ballet, the audience understood the backstory of each character.Based on a series of interviews with the curators of the Tudor legacy: Sally Bliss, Trustee of the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust, and four of the Répétiteurs, the professionals tasked with restaging the Tudor ballets, this book discusses the legacy of Anthony Tudor and the restaging of his ballets to preserve their unique qualities that make them Tudor ballets.The author, Christine Knoblauch-O'Neal, is Director of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance Program in the Performing Arts Department at Washington University in St. Louis. Before beginning her academic career, Christine performed for twenty years as a dancer with companies such as the American Ballet Theater (where she worked with Anthony Tudor), the National Ballet, and the Cincinnati Ballet.

Neal, Christine

Humor & Entertainment

Duty, Honor, Country: The Life of Arthur MacArthur, Jr.

On September 15, 1906, Arthur MacArthur Jr. became the twelfth man in the history of the United States Army to be awarded the rank of Lieutenant General, the highest rank in the Army up to that time. This great honor, which marked the culmination of MacArthur's brilliant military career, included him in the ranks of such outstanding American military leaders as George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and William Tecumseh Sherman, all of whom had previously held this rank. This bespeaks of the importance of Arthur MacArthur as a figure in American history, yet invariably when the name MacArthur is mentioned today it is almost immediately associated with his son Douglas. Arthur MacArthur is, however, equally deserving of recognition as a great military leader.\nThis biography, based on extensive archival research, reveals the remarkable career of this great patriot and his contribution to American history. This is all the more important because, to fully understand the career of his famous son, Douglas, who had such a profound impact on the military history of the United States in the twentieth century, it is essential to study the life and career of Arthur MacArthur Jr who began his military career as a mere boy fighting for the 23rd Wisconsin infantry regiment during the Civil War. Douglas MacArthur was himself conscious of the profound influence his father had upon his life. Douglas once said, "Of all men I have known my father was the one I most respected and admired."\nA.K. Brackob has a Ph.D. in history from the University of Illinois. His other books include Scanderbeg: A History of George Castriota and the Albanian Resistance to Islamic Expansion in Fifteenth Century Europe.

Brackob, A

Lucrezia Borgia: Daughter of Pope Alexander VI

Lucrezia Borgia is among the most fascinating and controversial personalities of the Renaissance. The daughter of Pope Alexander VI, she was intensely involved in the political life of Italy during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. While her marriage alliances helped advance the political objectives of the papacy, she also held the office of Governor of Spoleto, a role normally reserved for Cardinals, making her one of the most powerful and dynamic female figures of the Renaissance. Among the first books to employ historical method to move beyond myth and romance that had obscured the fascinating story of Lucrezia Borgia was this biography written by the noted German historian Ferdinand Gregorovius.\nFerdinand Gregorovius (1821-1891) was one of the preeminent scholars of the Italian Renaissance. His biography of Lucrezia Borgia reveals the atmosphere of the Renaissance, painting a portrait of Lucrezia and her relationships with her father Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, her brother Cesare, her mother Vanozza, her father’s mistress, Giulia Farnese, her husband Duke Alfonso D’Este of Ferrara, and many others, including important artists and writers of the time. All are vividly portrayed against the colorful background of Renaissance Italy. Gregorovius separates myth from documented fact and his book remains a key reference work on the life and times of the Borgia princess.\nThis new edition of Gregorovius’s classic work Lucrezia Borgia is enhanced with an introduction by Samantha Morris, a noted expert on the history of the Borgias. Samantha studied archaeology at the University of Winchester where her interest in the history of the Italian Renaissance began. She is the author of Cesare Borgia: In a Nutshell and Girolamo Savonarola: The Renaissance Preacher. She also runs the website theborgiabull.com.

GREGOROVIUS, FERDINAND

Community & Culture

As the multi-national Ottoman Empire began to fall apart in the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish war of 1878, the Albanian people faced the peril of being absorbed into the surrounding newly formed nation-states of Southeastern Europe. Albanian leaders met at Prizren in 1878 to devise a strategy to defend their national rights. The Formation of the Albanian National Consciousness explores the origins of the movement that ultimately led to the creation of the modern-day Albanian nation-state.Had a national consciousness failed to develop prior to the crisis of 1878, the creation of a national movement, which not only sought to protect Albanian lands against foreign annexation but also strove to unite the four Albanian vilayets into a single autonomous administrative unit, would not have been possible. The development of a national consciousness during the decades preceding 1878 built the foundation for the national movement that culminated in the creation of the League of Prizren and ultimately led to the formation of an independent Albanian nation-state in 1912.A.K. Brackob is a noted specialist in East European history. His other books include Scanderbeg: George Castriota and the Albanian Resistance to Islamic Expansion in Southeastern Europe in the Fifteenth Century and Mircea the Old: Father of Wallachia, Grandfather of Dracula.

The Formation of the Albanian National Consciousness

History

Europe

Targeted as a Spy: Surveillance of an American Diplomat in Communist Romania

Latham Jr., Ernest H.

Military

The Knights of the Golden Circle in Texas: How a Secret Society Helped Provoke Civil War

The United States today is a divided nation and some say the country may be heading toward breakup, or possibly civil war. That has happened before and the result was disastrous. As many as 750,000 Americans perished during the Civil War. A study of the causes of our last Civil War may help to prevent another.The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) played a major role in starting the Civil War in the United States. Although intended to remain a secret organization of conspirators, it is perhaps the most well-documented conspiracy in United States history. The goal of the KGC was the creation of a new society separate from the United States dedicated to the preservation and expansion of slavery into Latin America.The KGC existed in almost every state in the Union, but nowhere was it as powerful and successful as it was in Texas. Several governors, many senators and military leaders were members, having taken an oath to support the organization and their fellow members. Most of the documents generated by the KGC were destroyed after the war ended as its members feared execution for treason.Not everything was destroyed, though. This book relies on documents created by the organization and its members that have not previously been used by researchers. Many members of this organization remained in positions of authority in state affairs after the abolition of slavery. This book goes far beyond previous published work in establishing the identities of the members of this organization who promoted and encouraged the most disastrous war in American history.

Farmer, Randolph W.

Americas

On September 15, 1906, Arthur MacArthur Jr. became the twelfth man in the history of the United States Army to be awarded the rank of Lieutenant General, the highest rank in the Army up to that time. This great honor, which marked the culmination of MacArthur's brilliant military career, included him in the ranks of such outstanding American military leaders as George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and William Tecumseh Sherman, all of whom had previously held this rank. This bespeaks of the importance of Arthur MacArthur as a figure in American history, yet invariably when the name MacArthur is mentioned today it is almost immediately associated with his son Douglas. Arthur MacArthur is, however, equally deserving of recognition as a great military leader.This biography, based on extensive archival research, reveals the remarkable career of this great patriot and his contribution to American history. This is all the more important because, to fully understand the career of his famous son, Douglas, who had such a profound impact on the military history of the United States in the twentieth century, it is essential to study the life and career of Arthur MacArthur Jr who began his military career as a mere boy fighting for the 23rd Wisconsin infantry regiment during the Civil War. Douglas MacArthur was himself conscious of the profound influence his father had upon his life. Douglas once said, "Of all men I have known my father was the one I most respected and admired."

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Books by Vita Histria

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Vita Histria publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Scanderbeg: A History of George Castriota and the Albanian Resistance to Islamic Expansion in Fifteenth Century Europe

Ovid in Exile

Ovid in Exile

Revealing the Inner Contours of Human Emotion: Preserving the Ballets of Anthony Tudor

Duty, Honor, Country: The Life of Arthur MacArthur, Jr.

Lucrezia Borgia: Daughter of Pope Alexander VI

The Formation of the Albanian National Consciousness

Targeted as a Spy: Surveillance of an American Diplomat in Communist Romania

The Knights of the Golden Circle in Texas: How a Secret Society Helped Provoke Civil War

Duty, Honor, Country: The Life of Arthur MacArthur, Jr.