Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy and once one of the most prosperous cities in the United States, is home to a range of cemeteries that tell the story of American trends in honoring the dead. African slaves were interred in Shockoe Bottom�s so-called �burial ground for negroes,� US presidents James Monroe and John Tyler were buried in Hollywood Cemetery, and Civil War soldiers were commemorated throughout the metropolis; indeed, the River City has laid blacks and whites t...

This exploration of Richmond's burial landscape over the past 300 years reveals in illuminating detail how racism and the color line have consistently shaped death, burial, and remembrance in this storied Southern capital.Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy, holds one of the most dramatic landscapes of death in the nation. Its burial grounds show the sweep of Southern history on an epic scale, from the earliest English encounters with the Powh...

Crosses, candles, choir vestments, sanctuary flowers, and stained glass are common church features found in nearly all mainline denominations of American Christianity today. Most Protestant churchgoers would be surprised to learn, however, that at one time these elements were viewed with suspicion as foreign implements associated strictly with the Roman Catholic Church. Blending history with the study of material culture, Ryan K. Smith sheds light on the ironic convergence of anti-Catholic...

In 1798 Robert Morris—“financier of the American Revolution,” confidant of George Washington, former U.S. senator—plunged from the peaks of wealth and prestige into debtors' prison and public contempt. How could one of the richest men in the United States, one of only two founders who signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution, suffer such a downfall? This book examines for the first time the extravagant Philadelphia town ho...

The story of the world-famous monument and the extraordinary world’s fair that introduced it, by the author of Conquering Gotham and Urban ForestsIn this first general history of the Eiffel Tower in English, Jill Jonnes-acclaimed author of Conquering Gotham-offers an eye- opening look not only at the construction of one of the modern world's most iconic structures, but also the epochal event that surrounded its arrival as a wonder of the ...

Gilbert Keith Chesterton, (29 May 1874  14 June 1936) was a poet, novelist, playwright, literary commentator, editor, biographer, journalist, orator and theologian. He was often dubbed as the “prince of paradox” for his light whimsical style that often addressed serious issues such as politics and religion. The latter was as a member and defender of the Christian faith and the former was shaped by a distrust of concentrated wealth and power. He advocated Distributionism and said that every...

On tourist trails and travel agency brochures, what is India synonymous with? Apart from spicy curries and colourful festivals, it is the Taj Mahal. Any visit to this land of paradoxes is incomplete without a stop-over at this beautiful monument. The Taj Mahal is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World and like its counterparts on this list, it's a work of great beauty and scale. It was built laboriously, over many years, during the Mughal period in India.Inside the Taj Mahal boo...

**NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization comes a compelling historical narrative about Jesus—an obscure rabbi from a backwater of the Roman Empire who became the central figure in Western Civilization."Divertingly instructive...gratifying...[Cahill] makes Jesus a still-living literary presence." —The New York Times**In his subtle and engaging investigation into the life and times of Jesus, Thomas Cahill shows ...

This three-volume collection brings together the best of C.S. Lewis’s letters – some published for the first time. This second volume covers the years from 1931–1949, charting Lewis’ emergence as a great Christian thinker and apologist.C.S. Lewis was a most prolific letter writer and his personal correspondence reveals much of his private life, reflections, friendships and feelings. This collection, carefully chosen and arranged by Walter Hooper, is the most extensive ever publishe...

Contends that the roots of Christian belief come not from Judaea but from Egypt• Shows that the Romans fabricated their own version of Christianity and burned the Alexandrian library as a way of maintaining political power• Builds on the arguments of the author's previous books The Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt, Moses and Akhenaten, and Jesus in the House of the PharaohsIn Christianity: An Ancient Egyptian Religion author Ahmed Osman contends t...

Understand the Roman Catholic Church with ease and informality. Gain valuable insights into key elements of the culture and way of life of its adherants. Presented in an accesible format with clearly recognized topics.This book will help you to appreciate the significance of one of the largest organized religions in the world to understand the history of the Church, and what it means to be Roman Catholic to recognize the Catholic Church's key practices and beliefs ...

A constant factor in human history is the need to protect oneself. Another factor is the urge to attack someone else. Until the Normans imposed their sophisticatedly-designed castles on Britain, the country had seen many structures that met either of these needs. Before the Romans brought their efficient war machine across the Channel and based its troops in a variety of walled buildings, their prehistoric antecedents had met these needs in a different way. For example, pre-Roman hillforts...