FREE/BARGAIN - Non-Fiction - 2014

[Froide]

Originally Posted by koland

I must have missed a few, then. Saw a few new ones in one of the other searches today, as well.

I have noticed that on Chrome and Firefox, sometimes Amazon doesn't always display all 16 titles that it claims are on that page's lists. Sorting by pub date seems to help and on Internet Explorer, I haven't seen the issue at all.

Good to know!

[sufue]

I read this several years ago in DTB, and have wanted to go to Florence ever since. Since I'm an engineer, I was especially fascinated by Brunelleschi's inventions - like what was essentially a "clutch" for his hoist, many years before clutches existed. I passed it along to my husband (full disclosure: also an engineer) and he liked it too. Well worth it at this price - I'm picking up the ebook version, and will probably read again, which I almost never do with non-fiction.

Originally Posted by itisbomb

Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture
by Ross King

is $1.99 at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Brunelleschis-...eschi%27s+dome

Below is the blurb:
On August 19, 1418, a competition concerning Florence's magnificent new cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore--already under construction for more than a century--was announced: "Whoever desires to make any model or design for the vaulting of the main Dome....shall do so before the end of the month of September." The proposed dome was regarded far and wide as all but impossible to build: not only would it be enormous, but its original and sacrosanct design shunned the flying buttresses that supported cathedrals all over Europe. The dome would literally need to be erected over thin air.

Of the many plans submitted, one stood out--a daring and unorthodox solution to vaulting what is still the largest dome (143 feet in diameter) in the world. It was offered not by a master mason or carpenter, but by a goldsmith and clockmaker named Filippo Brunelleschi, who would dedicate the next twenty-eight years to solving the puzzles of the dome's construction. In the process, he did nothing less than reinvent the field of architecture.

Brunelleschi's Dome is the story of how a Renaissance genius bent men, materials, and the very forces of nature to build an architectural wonder we continue to marvel at today. Denounced at first as a madman, Brunelleschi was celebrated at the end as a genius. He engineered the perfect placement of brick and stone, built ingenious hoists and cranes to carry an estimated 70 million pounds hundreds of feet into the air, and designed the workers' platforms and routines so carefully that only one man died during the decades of construction--all the while defying those who said the dome would surely collapse and his own personal obstacles that at times threatened to overwhelm him.

Even today, in an age of soaring skyscrapers, the cathedral dome of Santa Maria del Fiore retains a rare power to astonish. Ross King brings its creation to life in a fifteenth-century chronicle with twenty-first-century resonance.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

Metamorphoses by Ovid and Ian Crowe

http://www.amazon.comMetamorphoses-O...dp/B00AM08R3K/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Metamorphose...dp/B00AM08R3K/
http://www.amazon.ca/Metamorphoses-O...dp/B00AM08R3K/



The Metamorphoses by Publius Ovidus Naso (43 BC-AD17) is, beyond all question, one of the the most famous works from our classical past. It has decisively influence painters, dramatists, poets, and storytellers from the moment it first appeared up to the present day and has retained its immense popularity as a source of classical myths for over two thousand years.

The poem is a long narrative history of the world which incorporates about 250 well known legends and folk tales from Greek and Roman times, starting with the creation of the world and ending in Imperial Rome at the time of Augustus. Ovid has long been the principal source for such stories. However, the poem is a great deal more than merely a collection of tales, for it possesses a unique style, widely celebrated for its variety, vividness, narrative energy, and, above all, wit.

Ian Johnston's new verse translation of this immortal epic brilliantly captures the wonderful spirit of Ovid's poem in a fluent and immediately accessible English style.

The Amazon US link for Metamorposis is broken. Here's a working link:
Amazon US

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by crich70

The Amazon US link for Metamorposis is broken. Here's a working link:
Amazon US

Thanks, edited to fix.

(just checking whether anyone used the links, yeah)

[Little.Egret]

Pyrrhus now has 72 freebies

http://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search-...lisher=Pyrrhus

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?url=searc...lisher=Pyrrhus
http://www.amazon.ca/s/?url=search-a...lisher=Pyrrhus

New ones include

The Remarkable History of the Hudson's Bay Company by George Bryce

For two full centuries the Hudson's Bay Company, under its original Charter, undertook financial enterprises of the greatest magnitude, promoted exploration and discovery, governed a vast domain in the northern part of the American Continent, and preserved to the British Empire the wide territory handed over to Canada in 1870. For nearly a generation since that time the veteran Company has carried on successful trade in competition with many rivals, and has shown the vigour of youth.
The present History includes not only the record of the remarkable exploits of this well-known Company, but also the accounts of the daring French soldiers and explorers who disputed the claim of the Company in the seventeenth century, and in the eighteenth century actually surpassed the English adventurers in penetrating the vast interior of Rupert's Land.

An Historical Sketch of the Native States of India by G.B. Malleson

"THE WANT of a condensed historical sketch of the Native dynasties now reigning in India has been felt alike in that country and in England. Proposals to supply the want have from time to time been mooted. Had any of these been carried to their legitimate conclusion, the present publication would never have seen the light."

Such a work must necessarily be of the nature of a compilation. This aspires to be nothing more. I have gone to the best authorities and have deliberately robbed them.

Nor, when mentioning my obligations, can I omit the name of my valued friend Mr. Runga Charlú, Controller to the household of the Máhárájá of Mysore, a gentleman whose vast range of learning, great acquaintance with affairs, sound comprehensive views, and lofty character render him an invaluable ally to anyone engaged in literary work."

The Story of the Normans by Sarah Orne Jewett

This is a comprehensive history of the Normans, best known for waging the successful invasion of England under William the Conqueror in the Middle Ages.

But the Normans first took Normandy of course and later Sicily.


Conquest of Siberia by G.F. Muller

This book is an account of the Russian conquest of one of its most famous and notorious parts: Siberia, the bitterly cold region known as a final destination for political dissidents.

The Outbreak of Rebellion, the Army in the Civil War by John Nicolay

Nicolay worked in the Lincoln Administration as the president's secretary during the Civil War and thus provided one of the most unique insights in his account of those crucial years.


From the Rapidan to Richmond and the Spottsylvania Campaign by William Meade Dame

This is an account by a Civil War soldier of Grant's campaigns against Lee in 1864 and 1865, starting with the Overland Campaign until the siege of Petersburg brought about the capitulation of Richmond in April 1865. Since it was written by a Confederate shortly after the war, it reads very much like Lost Cause literature that glorifies the Southern cause and soldiers, portraying them as failing only due to a lack of material.

The Houses of Lancaster and York by James Gairdner

This comprehensive history looks at medieval England around the reign of Edward III and the dynasties that ruled during the time.

The Pictish Nation Its People and Its Church by Archibald Scott

"A HISTORY of the Nation and Church of the Picts is centuries overdue. Others have contemplated the task; but they shrank from it almost as soon as they began to enter the maze of deliberately corrupted versions of ancient manuscripts, of spurious memoranda introduced into ancient documents, of alleged donations to Gaidheals or Scots of what had been Pictish property, and of fabulous claims to great antiquity made for pretended missions of the Church of Rome to the Britons, the Picts, and the Scots.

. Although, for example, there is more than one version of the original Pictish Chronicle; it is not difficult for an equipped and experienced student to isolate what now remains of the original, or at least of the oldest versions, and even to tell the dialects of Celtic in which the latter were written. The mediaeval hands that wrote introduction or added information to this Chronicle have not always revealed their actual identity like the York copyist of the most valuable of the manuscripts, Robert de Popilton; but it is nearly always possible to tell where they wrote, with what motive they wrote, and to identify the source or sources of their additions, when they had any.

[Calenorn]

I wish the Pyrrhus Press folks would share some of these freebies with their friends who shop at Barnes & Noble.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by Calenorn

I wish the Pyrrhus Press folks would share some of these freebies with their friends who shop at Barnes & Noble.

Not Pyrrhus but some Kindle freebies are DRM-free, have you tried converting any to ePub ?

The White Topi and Other Stories by Alan McKenzie, Edited by Alan Grainger, Preface by Peter McKenzie

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QBWV0OQ/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QBWV0OQ/
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00QBWV0OQ/

The experiences of Alan McKenzie who served as a missionary in India from 1934 to 1954. He had many exciting adventures and also wrestled with British Colonialism which he abhored

[ATDrake]

Bargain @ $1.99 each from Osprey Publishing (couponable @ Kobo, likely price-matched in the other usual Canada & US venues, may or may not also be on sale in other regions):

Linkage for the lot of about 2 dozen sale titles going from pages 1-3 {if you're seeing the new-look Kobo browsing function}, mostly military-related (history & memoirs, etc.) titles, but also a couple of New Age spirituality things and some kind of car history and a few memory-enhancement learning tricks guides.

I especially recommend:

The Samurai and the Sacred: The Path of the Warrior by Dr Stephen Turnbull (Wikipedia), a Cambridge & Leeds University-educated historian, who specializes in Far East military history, and who is now also a lecturer at the latter institution. I have a number of his books in paper (possibly including this one, which I nevertheless snapped up in e-), and they are well-organized, entertaining and informative, and very readable, not just for the military history buffs (of which I freely admit to not being one), but also in general terms of providing good background on cultural history and societal practices for more general-interest readers who would like to know more about the target regions.

The samurai were celebrated warriors, but they were also deeply spiritual men whose religious beliefs sustained and inspired their forays into battle. In this entirely original work, Stephen Turnbull, a leading authority on Japanese history and author of more than 50 books, reveals the soul of the samurai in a thoughtful exploration of the religions and philosophies that motivated them. Drawing inspiration from all manners of belief systems – from Japan’s mainstream religions of Shinto and Buddhism, to Confucianism, Christianity, and Folk Religion – the samurai were fascinating men who often valued their honor above their lives.

THE SAMURAI AND THE SACRED is strikingly illustrated with lavish Japanese prints and vibrant photographs. A provocative study, it includes chapters on martial arts, modern militarism, the cult of the sword, revenge, suicide, hara kiri and kamikaze pilots. THE SAMURAI AND THE SACRED is a compelling read that provides insight into Japanese culture, philosophy, and warfare.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by koland

Not a publisher, per se. Just another self-publishing platform, like smashwords or draft2digital (and many others popping up, all over). They do automate some of the listing in other stores for authors that don't want to deal with it (and no doubt take a cut, there).

http://www.speedypublishing.com/

Yep, I found out after I went to the site shortly after my post.

The name "Speedy Publishing" didn't sound like a traditional publisher. I thought that it sounded like one of the many self-serve photocopy stores, which also have employees and equipment to print books (so-called), booklets, et al., and which are scattered throughout the U.S. hahahah. But, I kept an open mind.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

Bargain @ $1.99 each from Osprey Publishing (couponable @ Kobo, likely price-matched in the other usual Canada & US venues, may or may not also be on sale in other regions):
. . . .

Another great find, Mr. Drake!

[GtrsRGr8]

Accidental duplicate.

[Calenorn]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

Not Pyrrhus but some Kindle freebies are DRM-free, have you tried converting any to ePub ?

Not yet, I have been busy with other things.

How do you like the Pyrrhus books? Do they contain many scan errors? Is their formatting good?

[Little.Egret]

Liberty Against the Law by Christopher Hill

In 17th-century England, the law was not an instrument of justice - it was an instrument of oppression.
So argues Christopher Hill in this classic study. The enclosures, loss of many traditional rights and draconian punishments for minor transgressions changed the lives of the peasantry and created a landless class of wage labourers. Hill explores the immense social changes that occurred and the expressions of liberty against the law through, for example, the literary culture of the times and the hero-worship of the outlaw.

Christopher Hill (1912-2003) was a university lecturer in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century history, and from 1965 to 1978 he was Master of Balliol College. His many books and textbooks include `The English Bible and the Seventeenth Century Revolution' and `Liberty Against the Law'.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q76LKBY/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00Q76LKBY/
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00Q76LKBY/

From Endeavour

[mitford13]

59p in the amazon uk store:

Lovely Bits of Old England: John Betjeman at the Telegraph

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...cm_cd_asin_lnk

[GtrsRGr8]

The opinions expressed in this book are not necessarily mine.

The reason (well, one of the reasons) that I am posting this is because it is extremely timely. In just the last day or two there was some major report by or to the U.S. Senate on this very subject, and it has stirred up quite a bit of discussion in the news, on talk radio, and perhaps elsewhere.

Hard Measures: How Aggressive CIA Actions After 9/11 Saved American Lives. By Jose A. Rodriguez Jr.; Bill Harlow. Rated 4 1/2 stars from 185 reviews at the present moment. Print list price $16.00; digital (list?) price $10.26; Kindle price now $2.99. 290 pages. Threshold Editions. http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Measures-...American+Lives.

Book Description
While the American public is aware of the CIA’s use of highly controversial “enhanced interrogation techniques,” few know the man who, in the wake of September 11, led all U.S. counterterrorism operations and oversaw the use of those procedures—procedures that obtained vital and timely intelligence and helped safeguard the nation from future attacks.

Puerto Rican–born Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr., served the United States for twenty-five years as an undercover officer before bringing his wealth of field knowledge to the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center; now, in this riveting account and fascinating life story, one of America’s top undercover operatives reveals how hard measures have derailed terrorist activity targeting the U.S., and saved countless American lives. Fully disclosed here for the first time are the undercover operations and tactics implemented during the George W. Bush presidency—which were approved by the highest levels of the U.S. government, certified as legal by the Department of Justice, and supported by bipartisan leadership of congressional intelligence oversight committees.

But as the shock of 9/11 faded, the support that the intelligence community enjoyed and deserved gave way to shortsighted and potentially dangerous political correctness. One by one, the tools needed to successfully fight terrorism were banished, and the men and women who volunteered to carry out our nation’s orders in combating al-Qa'ida found themselves second-guessed, hamstrung, and investigated— including Rodriguez himself. In effect, the United States has chosen to willfully and unilaterally disarm itself in the war on terror. In Hard Measures, Rodriguez convincingly argues for the techniques used, and uncompromisingly details when these techniques were necessary, why they worked, and how, ultimately, they contributed to the capture of the world’s most-wanted terror operatives, including Usama bin Ladin. From law school student to CIA recruit to his role as America’s top spy, Rodriguez’s full story is one of utmost importance—a rare, insider’s look at an issue that demands attention. Above all, it’s a reasoned, imperative, and fully informed case for hard measures, and an explosive and gripping account of the real war on terror— where it’s been and where it’s headed.