Free/Bargain Nonfiction in December, 2013

[Difflugia]

We point out free and bargain nonfiction titles to each other. Please don't post any self-published books, and please do a search before posting to avoid duplicates.

Be aware that many freebies are only free for a day, so grab them fast!

Two freebies:

Thoreau's Legacy: American Stories About Global Warming
B&N only, apparently.

Americans' relationship with our rich natural heritage has inspired many great writers, from Henry David Thoreau to Rachel Carson and E. O. Wilson. Their work has enhanced our appreciation of the world around us and galvanized support to preserve it for future generations.

Know the Past, Find the Future: The New York Public Library at 100
B&N Amazon

Marking the centennial of The New York Public Library’s Beaux-Arts landmark at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, now called the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Know the Past, Find the Future harnesses the thoughts of an eclectic assortment of notable people as they ponder an even more eclectic assortment of objects. From among the Library’s vast collections, these writers, artists, philosophers, scientists, musicians, athletes, architects, choreographers, and journalists—as well as some of the curators who have preserved these riches—each select an item and describe its unique significance. The result, in words and photographs, is a glimpse of what a great library can be.

[AnemicOak]

Christmas Wishes: A Catalog of Vintage Holiday Treats & Treasures by Tim Hollis free at Amazon US

A nostalgic look at Christmas in the mid-twentieth century

Memorable color illustrations

From plastic nativity scenes to aluminum trees, Christmas became a major marketing extravaganza in America in the mid-twentieth century. This book recalls the holiday between 1940 and 1970, courtesy of department stores, five and tens, toy manufacturers, publishing houses, and record companies. Boomers and Gen-Xers will relive memories of special holiday toys and treats, Christmas children's books by Little Golden and Wonder, holiday music released by Peter Pan and Disneyland records, and merchandising characters such as Frosty the Snowman and Montgomery Ward's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Liberally illustrated with vintage ads, book covers, record sleeves, and photographs.

[cromag]

The December free e-book from the University of Chicago is The Norman Maclean Reader.

It includes stories, essays and interviews -- so I felt I could at least partially justify putting it here.

It's an epub this time, with Adobe DRM. You'll need Adobe Digital Editions to download it.

[Little.Egret]

Free 'Schirmer's Headhunters' by Leo Kessler

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G389GVM

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00G389GVM

They were the ultimate fighters - and the ultimate survivors. SS Assault Regiment Wotan

- also known as Schirmer's Headhunters. After surviving the savagery of the Russian
Front, with the war over, and Germany defeated, they have fled to join the French
Foreign Legion. Now they have to face death in the jungles of Indo-China, fighting a
bitter war for France. Ex-SS Colonel Schirmer and his battle-scarred crew ...

[Little.Egret]

Basic Quilting: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started (How To Basics Series) by Sherrye Landrum, Charlene Atkinson and Alan Wycheck (Stackpole)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E4UWWDU

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00E4UWWDU

[Little.Egret]

Caltech and The Feynman Lectures Website have webbed The Feynman Lectures on Physics
(volumes I & III, volume II coming soon)

http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/

Now, anyone with internet access and a web browser can enjoy reading a high-quality up-to-date copy of Feynman's legendary lectures. This edition has been designed for ease of reading on devices of any size or shape; text, figures and equations can all be zoomed without degradation.

[AnemicOak]

The Battalion: The Dramatic Story of the 2nd Ranger Battalion in WWII by Robert W. Black is free at Amazon (US).

Book Description
Publication Date: August 1, 2013

"Black is the dean of Ranger history."
--Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author


Follows a legendary unit of American fighting men from D-Day through the end of World War II

The Rangers' actions were depicted in the movie Saving Private Ryan

About the Author
Col. Robert W. Black, a highly decorated Ranger veteran of Korea and Vietnam, is a member of the Ranger Hall of Fame. He lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and Port Charlotte, Florida.

EDIT: Amazon UK | Amazon CA

[Little.Egret]

History of Gustavus Adolphus by John L. Stevens
"a thorough biography"

http://www.amazon.com/History-Gustav.../dp/B00FW4A4AA

http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Gust.../dp/B00FW4A4AA

History of Germany in the Middle Ages
Ernest Henderson's History of Germany in the Middle Ages is an expansive
history of from the fall of the Western Roman Empire until the end of the
Middle Ages.

http://www.amazon.com/History-German.../dp/B00G9CIOUQ

http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Germ.../dp/B00G9CIOUQ


India on the Eve of the British Conquest, a Historical Sketch by Sidney Owen
covers the end of the Moghul Empire and the rise of the Maratha Empire.

http://www.amazon.com/India-British-.../dp/B00GOJOVQA

http://www.amazon.co.uk/India-Britis.../dp/B00GOJOVQA

[Little.Egret]

Churchill's Flights by Jerrard Tickell


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQQQ94Q

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DQQQ94Q


F-4 Phantom II in USAF Service

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EGNYXKU

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00EGNYXKU

[AnemicOak]

One of today's US Kindle deals is Day of Infamy by Walter Lord for $1.99

Lord’s classic, bestselling account of the bombing of Pearl Harbor

The Day of Infamy began as a quiet morning on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. But as Japan’s deadly torpedoes suddenly rained down on the Pacific fleet, soldiers, generals, and civilians alike felt shock, then fear, then rage. From the chaos, a thousand personal stories of courage emerged. Drawn from hundreds of interviews, letters, and diaries, Walter Lord recounts the many tales of heroism and tragedy by those who experienced the attack firsthand. From the musicians of the USS Nevada who insisted on finishing “The Star Spangled Banner” before taking cover, to the men trapped in the capsized USS Oklahoma who methodically voted on the best means of escape, each story conveys the terror and confusion of the raid, as well as the fortitude of those who survived.

[koland]

Free from Stackpole:

Snook on a Fly: Tackle, Tactics, and Tips for Catching the Great Saltwater Gamefish by Norm Zeigler
http://www.amazon.com/s/?rh=n:154606...sher=stackpole

(as an aside, no free books from FT Press for second week in a row).

[hwlester]

Originally Posted by koland

(as an aside, no free books from FT Press for second week in a row).

Thanks for mentioning this. I was thinking the link might just be broken. It's been Amazon only for a couple of months, now no freebies at all.

[AnemicOak]

Free from Stackpole...

Decorative Stained Glass Designs: 38 Patterns for Beautiful Windows and Doors by Louise Mehaffey

• 38 patterns for beautiful botanical and traditional designs for the home
• Full-color photos show the finished panels
• All original designs by a professional craftsperson
• Tips on creating successful designs

Length: 96 pages
Optimized for larger screens
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

[samhy]

Originally Posted by Difflugia

Thoreau's Legacy: American Stories About Global Warming
B&N only, apparently.

Actually, I was able to download it from the Penguin website (so it's not geo-restricted).

[itisbomb]

Among the Janeites: A Journey Through the World of Jane Austen Fandom

is today's Nook Daily Find. It can be downloaded for $2.99.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/amon...=9780547757797

Below is the blurb:
For anyone who has ever loved a Jane Austen novel, a warm and witty look at the passionate, thriving world of Austen fandom

They walk among us in their bonnets and Empire-waist gowns, clutching their souvenir tote bags and battered paperbacks: the Janeites, Jane Austen’s legion of devoted fans. Who are these obsessed admirers, whose passion has transformed Austen from classic novelist to pop-culture phenomenon? Deborah Yaffe, journalist and Janeite, sets out to answer this question, exploring the remarkable endurance of Austen’s stories, the unusual zeal that their author inspires, and the striking cross-section of lives she has touched.

Along the way, Yaffe meets a Florida lawyer with a byzantine theory about hidden subtexts in the novels, a writer of Austen fan fiction who found her own Mr. Darcy while reimagining Pride and Prejudice, and a lit professor whose roller-derby nom de skate is Stone Cold Jane Austen. Yaffe goes where Janeites gather, joining a pilgrimage to historic sites in Britain, chatting online with fellow fans, and attending the annual ball of the Jane Austen Society of North America—in period costume. Part chronicle of a vibrant literary community, part memoir of a lifelong love, Among the Janeites is a funny, touching meditation on the nature of fandom.