"The Roosevelts: An Intimate History" comes to PBS

The fourteen hour documentary film, "The Roosevelts: An Intimate History," began on PBS on September 14th and will continue for seven episodes. Each episode gives viewers an intense overview of the lives of  Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt from unknown stories and facts, to deeply researched fresh takes on famous happenings and events, this film is sure to delight any history buff.

Beginning with Theodore Roosevelt’s birth in 1858, the episodes (from documentary filmmaker Ken Burns) cover both the political and private lives of the three relatives, covering elections, economic struggles, wars, family births and deaths, as well as their bravery, vision, and courage in both personal and public spheres, ending with Eleanor’s death in 1962. This documentary is the first of its kind to combine all three individual stories and histories of the three most predominant Roosevelts into one single narrative and to do so in such great detail, thoroughness, and depth.

If viewers wish to supplement the documentary watching or to learn more about the Roosevelts, Cosimo offers a robust collection of titles by Theodore Roosevelt, including: The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses, Theodore Roosevelt's Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail, Theodore Roosevelt's Letters to His Children, America and the World War, and A Book-Lovers Holidays in the Open.

Please visit our website to view all of our books written by Theodore Roosevelt, or visit our reports and history sections to learn more about the politics and the past events of that time. To watch full episodes of "The Roosevelts: an Intimate History," please visit the film's section on PBS.

Praxis Peace Institute to Hold Upcoming "Economics of Sustainability" Conference

Since its founding in 2001, California-based Praxis Peace Institute programs have addressed some of the most relevant social challenges of our time. These areas include communication and conflict transformation, inquiries into the effects of culture and propaganda, participatory democracy and peace building, solutions to species' extinctions, and the exploration of what an economic system that supported peace would look like.

The upcoming Praxis event is no exception; titled "The Economics of Sustainability," the conference will showcase the economic and environmental models that have a proven track record in establishing a sustainable relationship with our planet and its inhabitants. Highlights include workshops, meetings, group activities, presentations, and networking opportunities by and with economists, scientists, activists, and leaders in the environmental movement. The conference will take place from October 6 - 9, 2014 at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, California. For more information about the conference, topics, speakers, and how to register, please visit Praxis' events page.


About Praxis

Praxis Peace Institute, based in Sonomo, California, is a non-profit peace education organization dedicated to deep inquiry, creative problem solving, and informed civic participation. In bringing together leading educators, researches, activists, and elected representatives, Praxis Peace Institute has established itself as a vehicle for practical workshops, cutting-edge conferences, and civic education. Their goal is to understand the failed mechanisms of the old systems in order to nurture the visions and alternative structures that support the evolution of systemic peace, social justice, and responsible stewardship of our planet.

Praxis Peace Institute Imprint
Praxis responded to the libertarian conspiracy film Thrive with a pamphlet titled "Uncivil Liberties: Deconstructing Libertarianism," in which it carefully and concisely laid out the problems inherent in libertarian philosophy and why it is so appealing to today's society. In order to broaden the reach of this pamphlet, Praxis made it into a full fledged book that was published by Praxis's own imprint,  established with the help of Cosimo B2B (see below). As we are approaching the congressional elections later this year, this book is a must-read for anyone invested in modern politics and the future of the United States. Uncivil Liberties is available from most online bookstores. 


Cosimo B2B 
Cosimo B2B is Cosimo's services unit, that offers publishing services to organizations such as Praxis Peace Institute, who are considering setting up their own publishing company, in order to reach worldwide readership and enhance their brand name. We welcome those organizations and institutions that are aligned with Cosimo's mission of creating a smarter and more sustainable society by connecting people with valuable ideas. If your organization wants to know more about the benefits of having its own imprint and is interested in working with us to create such an imprint, please visit our private imprint page.

Harry Houdini Played by Adrien Brody on the History Channel

The mini-series "HOUDINI" aired recently on the History Channel to good ratings and reviews, starring Adrien Brody as Harry Houdini and Kristen Connolly as his wife, Bess.

The show depicts the life of immigrant Ehrich Weiss as both the man and the magician behind the global escapologist phenomenon that was Harry Houdini. In episode one, the mini-series picks up at the start of Houdini's career, following his unsuccessful time as a circus performer and moves forward to showcase his world-wide fame and super stardom (illustrating some of his famous illusions and tricks), even diving into his later years where he discovers and struggles with the ideas and people of the spiritualism movement in episode two. 

This is not the first medium to have brought Houdini back to life, many biographical movies, plays, and books were made after his death in 1926, the most well-known being the 1953 version, entitled Houdini (played by Tony Curtis). In the 52 years he was alive, Houdini  acted in many films and wrote his fair share of books and articles. Cosimo is proud to offer two classic titles written by Houdini: The Right Way to do Wrong: An Exposé of Successful Criminals, and Miracle Mongers and Their Methods: A Complete Exposé.

In this 1920 book, Houdini uncovers the mysteries behind such extraordinary feats as fire-eating, sword-swallowing, snake-charmers, and strong men. More than a simple expose of stage trickery, though, this is a brisk history of such oddities throughout history and around the world, from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, from the culture of the Native Americans to that of Japan. This is a fascinating work of the strange and seemingly inexplicable made plain and understandable.

The legendary Harry Houdini started the tradition of magicians debunking charlatans and revealing secrets of the trade that continues today. But Houdini went even further here, in this delightful 1906 novelty: he revealed the working secrets of thieves, swindlers, and con artists. Culled from his conversations with "the chiefs of police and the most famous detectives in the world," Houdini's tales of the tricks of the trade of beggars, pickpockets, and burglars are instructive and amusing. 

To watch full episodes of "HOUDINI" on the History Channel, visit the show's video page. 

September Organization of the Month: Transitions

Cosimo is excited to announce Transitions (TOL) as our Organization of the Month for September.

Transitions is a nonprofit organization established to strengthen the professionalism, independence and impact of the news media in the post-communist countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union.

Based in Prague, the organization does this through a combination of journalism and media training programs, blogs, and the publication of Transitions Online magazine.

The first book to be published by the Transitions imprint was Classroom Struggles: Education Reporting and Analysis from Transitions. Classroom Struggles is a collection of news and feature articles written by young journalists in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Russia. The articles expose the political and socio-cultural roadblocks education faces in those regions. As tensions between Ukraine and Russia have been rising in recent months, this collection is a compelling source for understanding the role of education in that region. It offers a information and discussion for readers interested in these regions, political scientists, and journalists. Classroom Struggles is available for purchase at leading online bookstores around the world including Barnes & Noble and Amazon.


About Transitions
TOL was established in April 1999, after the final issue of its print predecessor, Transitions Magazine, was published. Four of the former print magazine’s staff members established Transitions Online as a means of keeping the widely respected, cross-border coverage of the magazine alive.

Cosimo B2B 
Cosimo B2B is Cosimo's services unit, that offers publishing services to organizations such as TOL and others, who would like to present books to a worldwide readership and enhance their brand name. We welcome those organizations and institutions that are aligned with Cosimo's mission of creating a smarter and more sustainable society by connecting people with valuable ideas. If your organization wants to know more about the benefits of publishing with us or having its own imprint set up by us, please visit our private imprint page.

September Classic of the Month: The Child and the Curriculum

Just in time for the start of the school year, Cosimo presents our September Classic of the Month, The Child and the Curriculum by John Dewey.

In a time when memorization and recollection were the primary expectations in a child’s education, John Dewey discovered that essential components lacked within the classroom walls – exploration, curiosity, and ultimately, the ability to experience. He found that how children were expected to learn, greatly differed from the innate learning process we are all naturally inclined to follow— that the growth of knowledge is spurred through manipulation of one’s environment and one’s reflection upon it. It is in his words that readers can grapple the conclusion of his thoughts: “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” 

In this fascinating single volume, two of John Dewey’s insightful essays on education in America are presented, which display ground-breaking theory that has provided a foundation to modern education.

About the Author

American educator and philosopher John Dewey (1859–1952) helped found the American Association of University Professors. He served as a professor of philosophy at Columbia University from 1904 to 1930 and authored numerous books, including How We Think (1910),
Reconstruction in Philosophy (1919), and Human Nature and Conduct (1922). 

Cosimo Classics is proud to offer this title in both hardcover and paperback at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback, hardcover) and Amazon (paperback, hardcover).

September Series of the Month: Better than a Harvard Education - The Five Foot Shelf of Classics

Our bookshelves are overflowing with the fantastic range of titles in our September Series of the Month, The Five Foot Shelf of Classics, collected by Charles William Eliot.

Originally published between 1909 and 1917 under the name "Harvard Classics," this stupendous 51-volume set (a collection of the greatest writings from literature, philosophy, history, and mythology) was assembled by American academic Charles William Eliot (1834-1926), Harvard University's longest-serving president. Also known as "Dr. Eliot's Five Foot Shelf," it represented Eliot's belief that a basic liberal education could be gleaned by reading from an anthology of works that could fit on five feet of bookshelf.

Eliot compiled these titles to serve as a "home educator" -- for people who couldn't attend Harvard so they too could get a literary education with some of the best and most well-known classics around the world. 

Eliot’s collection was even featured in the memoir: What the Great Books Taught Me About Life, Death, and Pretty Much Everything Else, in which author Christopher Beha details how he turned to these great works for comfort and inspiration during a time of personal struggle. Beha’s memoir illustrates what Eliot believed about The Five Foot Shelf: that the great works of literature are still worth consulting, as a source not just of education, but of edification in every sense of the word.

Cosimo offers this series by individual volume at leading online bookstores or as a full set in hardcover or paperback, especially of interest to historians, collectors, who like to expand their personal library, or professional librarians. Actually it is a must for those of you who want to know the fundamentals of literature, philosophy and history without being muddled by a multitude of platitudes in social media, gaming and neverending TV shows. If you are interested in purchasing the full set, please contact us.

The collection includes titles such as:

• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

• The Complete Poems of John Milton

• Ben-Hur

• The Origin of Species

• Don Quixote,

• The Odyssey

• Beowulf

• Aeneid, and many more

The paperback retail list price for this series is: $1209.49, but now our price is: $969.99 (you save $239.50 or a 20 percent discount)

The hardcover retail list price for this series is: $1784.49, but now our price is: $1429.99 (you save $354.5 or a 20 percent discount)

September Book of the Month: Classroom Struggles by Transitions

This September, Cosimo is celebrating Classroom Struggles as its book of the month. This eye-opening work, originally published by Transitions and TOL Chalkboard, provides a collection of news and feature articles written by young journalists in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Russia. Each informative article exposes the political and socio-cultural issues that hinder educational growth and prosperity in these regions. In these days after the recent annexation of Crimea and with the ongoing conflict in Eastern-Ukraine, this collection offers insight in this region with essays such as "Talking Past Another: Students in Crimea can learn in a variety of languages. Most choose Russian", "Running in Place: Despite Efforts to distance itself from Soviet times, the Ukrainian education system can't kick its old habits" and " A Terrible Thing to Waste: Education in Russia is becoming another tool of the ruling party."

 
Cosimo B2B

Classroom Struggles: Education Reporting and Analysis from Transitions offers compelling insight into the classrooms of multiple areas around the world. This collection is a fascinating source for anyone interested in political issues, educational reform, and/or the mentioned regions.

About Transitions:

Transitions is a nonprofit organization established to strengthen the professionalism, independence and impact of the news media in the post-communist countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union. Based in Prague, the organization does this through a combination of journalism and media training programs, and the publication of Transitions Online (www.tol.org) magazine.

Cosimo is proud to offer Classroom Struggles in paperback at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback) and Amazon (paperback).

Cosimo B2B is Cosimo's services unit, that offers publishing services to organizations such as Transitions, who are considering setting up their own publishing company, in order to reach worldwide readership and enhance their brand name. We welcome those organizations and institutions that are aligned with Cosimo's mission of creating a smarter and more sustainable society by connecting people with valuable ideas. If your organization wants to know more about the benefits of having its own imprint and is interested in working with us to create such an imprint, please visit our private imprint page.

NYT Columnist Paul Krugman Highlights The Great Illusion and War in Ukraine

A recently published column in The New York Times entitled "Why We Fight Wars" by economic columnist Paul Krugman, refers to the 1910 Cosimo Classic, The Great Illusion. 


Krugman states: "A century has passed since the start of World War I, which many people at the time declared was 'the war to end all wars.' Unfortunately, wars just kept happening. And with the headlines from Ukraine getting scarier by the day, this seems like a good time to ask why." 

The Great Illusion, written by Norman Angell, argued that war destroys any wealth that conquerors may have wanted to obtain, making the whole enterprise pointless. This book was published just shortly before World War I began and obviously Angell's advice was not followed nor taken seriously then. Will Angell's and Krugman's advice be followed now before it is too late?

To read the full article by Paul Krugman, please visit The New York Times.

British journalist and politician Sir Ralph Norman Angell (1872-1967) was an executive for the World Committee against War and Fascism and a member of the executive committee of the League of Nations Union. Knighted in 1931, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1933. For more titles on war and peace, please see Angell's other titles, including: Peace Theories and the Balkan War and The Fruits of Victory.