FREE/BARGAIN - Non-Fiction - 2016

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Actually, many queens have been head of state over the centuries, such as Isabella of Castille and Elizabeth I of England.

Anyone have an idea who might have been the first female head of state in the Western world? (I suppose we cannot count Cleopatra of Egypt, which is southwest of Israel.)

Empress Matilda (1102–1167), daughter of Henry I of England, perhaps

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Matilda

"Her attempt to be crowned at Westminster collapsed in the face of bitter opposition from the Londoners"

Matilda returned to Normandy, now in the hands of her husband, in 1148, leaving her eldest son to continue the campaign in England; he eventually succeeded to the throne as Henry II in 1154.

Hungary
Mary (ruled 1382–1385 and 1386-1395) - she was crowned as King of Hungary to emphasize that she was a monarch in her own right; she co-ruled with her husband Sigismund of Luxembourg from 1387
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Hungary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_I_of_Denmark
Margaret I of Denmark, certainly (ruled 1387–1412)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_I_of_England
Bloody Mary, 1553

There were many successful female Regents however.

See also

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...regnant#Europe

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Anyone have an idea who might have been the first female head of state in the Western world? (I suppose we cannot count Cleopatra of Egypt, which is southwest of Israel.)

How about Boudicca (?AD - 61AD), leader of the Iceni and allied tribes in a revolt against Roman atrocities?

[sufue]

If we are willing to count Egypt, Hatshepsut in 1478 BCE comes to mind. Wikipedia also mentions Sobekneferu in 1806 BCE.

Otherwise I'm a Boudicca fan...

[GtrsRGr8]

I've had a tab, with this ebook, opened in my browser for quite some time. I need to close it. So, here, in brief, is the ebook. It's free.

Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557). Helen C. Evans, Editor. Co-published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University Press. 682 pages. Lots of beautiful pictures and lots of closely spaced text in a small font (so, in other words, there's lots of text).

Go to this webpage to download it (only PDF available).

[Little.Egret]

Charles River Editors, free

The Most Important Capitals of Ancient Egypt: The History of Memphis, Thebes, and Alexandria

Apollo 1 and the Space Shuttle Challenger: The History of NASA's Two Most Notorious Disasters

Laurence Olivier and Richard Burton: The Lives and Careers of Britain's Most Famous Shakespearean Actors

The Influential Legends of Soul Music: The Lives of Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and Stevie Wonder

And still free

The Three Kingdoms of Ancient China: The History and Legacy of the Reunification of China after the Han Dynasty


See all

https://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search...+river+editors

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?url=sear...+river+editors
https://www.amazon.ca/s/?url=search-...+river+editors

[ATDrake]

X-link to the DRM-free thread for a new bundle:

Humble Book Bundle Start Your Own Tech Company from Apress contains mostly entrepreneurship and marketing/management type books, but also a few practical DIY things when it comes to maintaining your company's own tech stuff with open source software and the like.

[ATDrake]

Bargain @ 99 cents from HarperCollins e-books (non-couponable; available in Canada & US; linkage goes to Kobo but likely price-matched everywhere else):

In Rough Country: Essays and Reviews by National Book Award (as well as Bram Stoker and World Fantasy Award, among others) winner Joyce Carol Oates (ISFDB, Wikipedia), consisting of her critique of and views upon assorted literature.

In Rough Country is a sterling collection of essays, reviews, and criticism from Joyce Carol Oates that focuses on a wide array of books and writers—from Poe to Nabokov, from Flannery O’Connor to Phillip Roth. One of our foremost novelists, National Book Award and PEN/Malamud Award winner Oates demonstrates an unparalleled understanding and appreciation of great works of literature with In Rough Country, and offers unique and breathtaking insights into the writer’s art.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

Bargain @ 99 cents from HarperCollins e-books (non-couponable; available in Canada & US; linkage goes to Kobo but likely price-matched everywhere else):

In Rough Country: Essays and Reviews by National Book Award (as well as Bram Stoker and World Fantasy Award, among others) winner Joyce Carol Oates (ISFDB, Wikipedia), consisting of her critique of and views upon assorted literature.
<snip>

Price now matched at Amazon.

That is an unusually big markdown for Kobo. I wonder what's wrong with them today?

The ratings on the book are what I would consider tepid, however, despite the popularity of the writer. There's just one rating at Amazon, but at GoodReads the average is 3.48, from 65 ratings at the present moment.

Thanks for your post.

[curtw]

Ultimate Guitar Chords, Scales & Arpeggios Handbook: 240-Lesson, Step-By-Step Guitar Guide, Beginner to Advanced Levels (Book & Videos) Kindle Edition

Free at Amazon US.

[Froide]

Today's NOOK Free Fridays selection:

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results
by Gary Keller, Jay Papasan

Overview

The ONE Thing has made more than 275 appearances on national bestseller lists, including #1 Wall Street Journal, NewYork Times, and USA Today. It won 12 book awards, has been translated into 26 languages, chosen as one of the Top 5 Business Books of 2013 by Hudson’s Booksellers and one of Top 30 Business Books of 2013 by Executive Book Summaries. Voted one of Top 100 Business Books of All Time on Goodreads. People are using this simple, powerful concept to focus on what matters most in their personal and work lives. Companies are helping their employees be more productive with study groups, training, and coaching. Sales teams are boosting sales. Churches are conducting classes and recommending for their members. By focusing their energy on one thing at a time people are living more rewarding lives by building their careers, strengthening their finances, losing weight and getting in shape, deepening their faith, and nurturing stronger marriages and personal relationships.

YOU WANT LESS. You want fewer distractions and less on your plate. The daily barrage of e-mails, texts, tweets, messages, and meetings distract you and stress you out. The simultaneous demands of work and family are taking a toll. And what’s the cost? Second-rate work, missed deadlines, smaller paychecks, fewer promotions—and lots of stress. AND YOU WANT MORE. You want more productivity from your work. More income for a better lifestyle. You want more satisfaction from life, and more time for yourself, your family, and your friends. NOW YOU CAN HAVE BOTH—LESS AND MORE. In The ONE Thing, you’ll learn to • cut through the clutter • achieve better results in less time • build momentum toward your goal • dial down the stress • overcome that overwhelmed feeling • revive your energy • stay on track • master what matters to you The ONE Thing delivers extraordinary results in every area of your life—work, personal, family, and spiritual. WHAT’S YOUR ONE THING?

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Part motivational book, part self-help, the latest from Keller (The Millionaire Real Estate Agent), together with Papasan (president of Rellek Publishing), vies to give us a path for achieving extraordinary results. Keller challenges the worthiness of deeply rooted notions-a balanced life, discipline, willpower, multitasking-and presents his insights with a coach's verve and goal-oriented approach. He begins by examining the attitudes and ideas that derail us. From here he moves on to show us how to become more productive; and this, he claims, relies on focus, which leads him to ask: "What's the one thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?" While the book does grab you by the collar, many of Keller's points are more rhetoric than argument. For example, he challenges the philosophical idea of balance and concludes that it does not exist: "It is a grand idea, but not a very practical one. Idealistic, but not realistic." Unfortunately, though, while the actual philosophical idea is about ethics, Keller is referring to work-life balance. Despite the book's appealing style and energy, more intellectual substance would have helped the overall work. 34 illus.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Free Fridays selections are found at B&N Readouts. Here are the e-bookstore links:

• At BN.com http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-...=9781885167804
• At Amazon.com (not yet price-matched): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C1BHQXK...r=1#nav-subnav

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Froide

Today's NOOK Free Fridays selection:

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results
by Gary Keller, Jay Papasan
<snip>

The book has very respectable ratings at Amazon--4.7 stars, from 1,242 reviews (the number of reviews seems to indicate that the book is popular, too).

At this writing, the price of the Kindle has not dropped (it's $13.99. Ouch!).

I'm very glad to know of this free Friday promotion. I've actually got a bookmark in my browser, labeled "Check on Fridays" and make a point to do just that. Most, if not all, are freebies, like this one.

I appreciate the giveaways and other markdowns on Fridays, but wouldn't it be more appreciated on, say, Mondays, when most of us have to go back into work? That's when we could really use some cheer that a good freebie or two would bring.

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by sufue

I read Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King a long time ago in DTB and loved it. So I'm excited to see that King's Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle US. This one will float to the top of my TBR list pretty fast, like right now!

link: https://www.amazon.com/Michelangelo-.../dp/B00N8LIIH0

Thank you! I also read (own, twice over now-- Hard Cover and ebook) Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture and look forward to this new (to me) book.

[Little.Egret]

UK Kindle Summer Sale

The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, the Lost Hero of Science: Costa Winner 2015 - 22 Oct 2015 by Andrea Wulf

£1.49 Kindle Edition

Previously £11 or £16

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invention-N...dp/B00PW4O1SQ/

(Review)

This is one of the finest books published this year. Magnificently researched and elegantly written. Wolf tells the story of Alexander von Humboldt, one of the most remarkable men of the 18th century. His exploits were so vast that you are left feeling exhausted when you have finished this outstanding book.

Humboldt was born in 1769. His parents were a wealthy Prussian family. He died aged 89. In 1801 he described a scenario in which mankind having destroyed our planet proceed to inhabit other world's only to destroy them. An amazing piece of foresight. He had more things named after him than any other person in history. For example, an ocean current, towns, a squid, minerals, a place on the moon, many rivers and geysers were all named after him. Why?


Andrea Wulf was born in India, moved to Germany as a child, and now lives in Britain. She is the author of several books. Her book “Brother Gardeners” won the American Horticultural Society 2010 Book Award and was long-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2008. The “Founding Gardeners” was published under great acclaim in spring 2011 and made it on the New York Times Best Seller List.

-----
Alexander von Humboldt at Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1995

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

UK Kindle Summer Sale

The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, the Lost Hero of Science: Costa Winner 2015 - 22 Oct 2015 by Andrea Wulf

£1.49 Kindle Edition

Previously £11 or £16

(Review)

This is one of the finest books published this year. Magnificently researched and elegantly written. Wolf tells the story of Alexander von Humboldt, one of the most remarkable men of the 18th century. His exploits were so vast that you are left feeling exhausted when you have finished this outstanding book.

Humboldt was born in 1769. His parents were a wealthy Prussian family. He died aged 89. In 1801 he described a scenario in which mankind having destroyed our planet proceed to inhabit other world's only to destroy them. An amazing piece of foresight. He had more things named after him than any other person in history. For example, an ocean current, towns, a squid, minerals, a place on the moon, many rivers and geysers were all named after him. Why?


Andrea Wulf was born in India, moved to Germany as a child, and now lives in Britain. She is the author of several books. Her book “Brother Gardeners” won the American Horticultural Society 2010 Book Award and was long-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2008. The “Founding Gardeners” was published under great acclaim in spring 2011 and made it on the New York Times Best Seller List.

-----
Alexander von Humboldt at Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1995

It sounds like a very interesting book.

I might be dense, but I couldn't find the book at the URL that you gave, however. I did a search of the whole Gutenberg site and couldn't find "Wulf;" there were one or two hits of "Andrea."

Thinking that it might be a U.K. only promo, I tried ".org.uk" and ".uk.org" and got . . . nothing. Besides, I was not aware that Gutenberg ever sold books anywhere.

I am thoroughly confused.

Thanks, while I'm thinking about it, for giving the U.S. URL's when you make your posts.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

It sounds like a very interesting book.

I might be dense, but I couldn't find the book at the URL that you gave, however. I did a search of the whole Gutenberg site and couldn't find "Wulf;" there were one or two hits of "Andrea."

Thinking that it might be a U.K. only promo, I tried ".org.uk" and ".uk.org" and got . . . nothing. Besides, I was not aware that Gutenberg ever sold books anywhere.

I am thoroughly confused.

Thanks, while I'm thinking about it, for giving the U.S. URL's when you make your posts.

Yes, the book The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, the Lost Hero of Science: Costa Winner 2015 - 22 Oct 2015 by Andrea Wulf

Oops

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invention-N...dp/B00PW4O1SQ/

Is about Alexander von Humboldt (as in biography), who besides having lots of things named after him also wrote and published books which are available free at Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1995

Thus Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1

I see from Luzme.com that the Andrea Wulf book is $14.99 in the US Kindle Store
https://www.amazon.com/The-Invention...dp/B00RKO0L3A/