История
Различные книги в жанре ИсторияAncient Egyptian Myths and Legends
"Let us walk in the gloom of the pyramids, in the cool shadows of ruined temples, aye, through the tortuous labyrinth of the Egyptian mind itself, trusting that by virtue of the light we carry we shall succeed in unravelling to some extent the age-long enigma of this mystic land." — from Chapter One.In this classic study, a noted mythologist made perhaps the first serious attempt to review the religious history of ancient Egypt in the light of the science of modern mythology. Instead of regarding Egyptian mythology and legend as unique, «classic» and inviolate, as did many Egyptologists, Spence saw Egyptian religious thought as part of world mythology, rooted in primitive conceptions common to mankind as a whole and related to those of many other cultures. In supporting this thesis, Spence offers an immensely erudite in-depth survey of the broad spectrum of Egyptian gods and goddesses, cults, and beliefs, as well as a concise review of Egyptian history, manners, customs, and archaeology.Animism, totemism, fetishism, creation myths, and other aspects of early religious beliefs are explored in an introductory chapter. The author then goes on to discuss the Egyptian priesthood, mysteries and temples, the cult of Osiris; Ra the Sun-God, Anubis, Horus, Thoth, and numerous other deities; the Book of the Dead, the birth of Hatshepsut, sacred trees, alchemy, the festival of Bast, Egyptian art, magic, and amulets, legends; and a host of other topics.Enhanced with over 50 photographs and illustrations, this book belongs in the library of any student of ancient Egypt or of early man's attempts, through mythology and legend, to give order, meaning, and purpose to his world.
Refugees from Slavery
In the mid-1850s, Boston abolitionist Benjamin Drew visited numerous Canadian towns, interviewing scores of refugees from Southern slave states and taking notes of what they had to say. For reasons of safety, he protected the identity of his informants and used fictitious names.Drew's subsequent book was an immediate response to a volume by a Boston preacher who opposed abolition. Drew's soul-stirring account, the culmination of countless fugitive slave autobiographies that preceded it, stressed the well-known abuses suffered by slaves. It also offered fresh insights into the workings of the plantation system and provided a valuable depiction of the lives of former slaves in the North and in Canada.A significant work in the abolitionist crusade that also had an enormous influence on twentieth-century historians, Refugees from Slavery is essential reading for students of American history and African-American studies.
Hear Me Talkin' to Ya
"Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." — Charlie Parker"What is jazz? The rhythm — the feeling." — Coleman Hawkins"The best sound usually comes the first time you do something. If it's spontaneous, it's going to be rough, not clean, but it's going to have the spirit which is the essence of jazz." — Dave BrubeckHere, in their own words, such famous jazz musicians as Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Fletcher Henderson, Bunk Johnson, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Clarence Williams, Jo Jones, Jelly Roll Morton, Mezz Mezzrow, Billie Holiday, and many others recall the birth, growth, and changes in jazz over the years. From its beginnings at the turn of the twentieth century in the red-light district in New Orleans (or Storyville, as it came to be known), to Chicago's Downtown section and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and Chicago's South Side to jam sessions in Kansas City to Harlem during the Depression years, the West Coast and modern developments, the story of jazz is vividly and colorfully documented in hundreds of personal interviews, letters, tape recorded and telephone conversations, and excerpts from previously printed articles that appeared in books and magazines.There is no more fascinating and lively history of jazz than this firsthand telling by the men who made it. It should be read and re-read by all jazz enthusiasts, musicians, students of music and culture, students of American history, and other readers. «A lively book bearing the stamp of honesty and naturalness.» — Library Journal. «A work of considerable substance.» — The New Yorker. «Some of the quotations are a bit racy but they give the book a wonderful flavor.» — San Francisco Chronicle.
Newton's Philosophy of Nature
Aside from the Principia and occasional appearances of the Opticks, Newton's writings have remained largely inaccessible to students of philosophy, science, and literature as well as to other readers. This book provides a remedy with wide representation of the interests, problems, and diverse philosophic issues that preoccupied the greatest scientific mind of the seventeenth century.Grouped in sections corresponding to methods, principles, and theological considerations, these selections feature cross-references to related essays. Starting with an examination of the methods of natural philosophy — including the rules of reasoning, the formulation of hypotheses, and the experimental method — the essays explore the laws of motion and the relationships between God and gravity, creation, and universal design. Discussions of questions related to natural philosophy include theories on light, colors, and perceptions. The volume concludes with absorbing selections from the Opticks and a helpful series of historical and explanatory notes.
Slave Insurrections in the United States, 1800-1865
Accounts of slave uprisings have been a largely neglected phase of American history. News of such events was consistently suppressed in earlier times by masters for fear this information might inspire other slaves to revolt. Sources documenting such events were scarce; locating them and obtaining access to them were tremendous tasks. This objective and fully documented work describes early insurrectionary movements, rebellions at sea, and the Negro's role in the American Revolution. Also discussed in detail are a number of notable uprisings, among them Gabriel Prosser's unsuccessful revolt in 1800; Denmark Vesey's insurrection in 1822; and Nat Turner's rebellion in 1831. Profiles of black leaders and white sympathizers are also recounted, as are insurgencies that occurred during the Civil War.
The Story of My Misfortunes
In this classic of medieval literature, a brilliant and daring thinker relates the spellbinding story of his philosophical and spiritual enlightenment–and the tale of his tragic personal life as well. Peter Abélard paints an absorbing portrait of monastic and scholastic life in twelfth-century Paris, while also recounting the circumstances and consequences of one of history’s most famous love stories–his doomed romance with Heloise.Considered the founder of the University of Paris, Abélard was instrumental in promoting the use of the dialectical method in Western education. He regarded theology as the «handmaiden» of knowledge and believed that through reason, people could attain a greater knowledge of God. «By doubting,» he declared, «we come to inquire, and by inquiry we arrive at truth.» Abélard's tendency to leave questions open for discussion made him a target for frequent charges of heresy, and all his works were eventually included in the church's Index of Forbidden Books. Unfortunately, Abélard’s reputation as a philosopher is often overshadowed by his renown as a lover. In addition to its value as a scholarly treatise, The Story of My Misfortunes offers the rare opportunity to observe a legendary romance from the point of view of one of its participants.
A Short History of Science to the Nineteenth Century
Driven by an unquenchable thirst, the human spirit seeks an explanation of the world. In this fascinating study, a noted historian of science traces the course of the ceaseless yearning for answers across two and a half millennia and chronicles, in simple form, the development of the idea of a rational and interconnected material world. This account begins with the earliest recordings of true science among the Ionian Greeks and proceeds to detail the development of unitary systems of thought among Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, and others. Examinations of the science of imperial Rome ― including Roman mathematics, astronomy, physics, and calendarial science ― give rise to the science of the Middle Ages and the influence of Scholasticism, the rise of humanism, and the reawakened scientific spirit of the early Renaissance. These developments in turn led to the downfall of Aristotelian science in the seventeenth century, the Galilean revolution, Newtonian mathematical physics, and finally, the enthronement of determinism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Profusely illustrated with maps and diagrams, this comprehensive yet concise volume offers an absorbing, readable history of science up to the dawn of the modern era.
From Paracelsus to Newton
The alchemist and physician known as Paracelsus (1493–1541) appears to have dwelt in a completely different intellectual world from Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727). Newton's work lies in the lofty era of the Enlightenment and the modern world, while that of the enigmatic Paracelsus conjures up the superstitious lore of the Dark Ages. The rise of science and the decline of magic unfolded over many generations, and as this fascinating book shows, there existed remarkable elements of continuity between the world views of the early sixteenth and late seventeenth centuries.The essays contained in this volume constitute a slightly modified version of the Eddington Lectures, delivered at Cambridge in the autumn of 1980. In this masterly series of discourses, Charles Webster explores three test cases relating to prophecy, spiritual magic, and demonic magic. Focusing on evidence from Germany at the time of the Reformation and from England during the Restoration, these essays form a more balanced historical perspective on the epistemological shift that occurred between the ages of Paracelsus and Newton. They propose a view of the Scientific Revolution as a diverse phenomenon, the result of a dynamic interplay of forces emanating from many different directions, and all contributing to the process of creativity and change. 20 black-and-white illustrations. Introduction. Notes to each chapter.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
Classic exploration of the Great Pyramid's construction and objectives combines imagination, erudition. Physical form; when it was built, and by whom; roles as an astronomical observatory, source of inspiration for religious teachings, scientific and mystic implications. Unabridged republication of the classic 1877 edition.
The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science
To the medieval thinker, man was the center of creation and all of nature existed purely for his benefit. The shift from the philosophy of the Middle Ages to the modern view of humanity’s less central place in the universe ranks as the greatest revolution in the history of Western thought, and this classic in the philosophy of science describes and analyzes how that profound change occurred. A fascinating analysis of the works of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Hobbes, Gilbert, Boyle, and Newton, it not only establishes the reasons for the triumph of the modern perspective, but also accounts for certain limitations in this view that continue to characterize contemporary scientific thought. A criticism as well as a history of the change that made possible the rise of modern science, this volume is also a guide to understanding the methods and accomplishments of the great philosopher-scientists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.