"Washington felt very keenly the sharp power of the hot criticism to which his course towards France had subjected him. It was a heady current to stem. Unmeasured abuse beat upon him. He seemed for a little the leader of a party, and of a minority party at that, instead of the leader of the nation. He was made to seem for a time nothing but a Federalist, the head of a party which meant to make the federal government the people’s master and then use its mastery to serve England, whom they hated, and to humiliate France, whom they loved."
—from Chapter III: “A Nation in the Making”
Cosimo is continuing our celebrating of American history with our July Series of the Month "A History of the American People" by Woodrow Wilson. This collection is comprised of a five-volume history of the United States and the American people, reflecting many of Wilson's policies and ideas that he later brought to his candidacy and presidency. Our series is a beautiful replica of the 1902 first edition featuring all the original halftone illustrations.
About the author:
Before he served as the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921, before he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919, Thomas Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) was a lawyer and an academic: a university professor of history and politics, and president of Princeton University. It was during his tenure at Princeton that he penned this five-volume history of the United States, and it reflects many of the biases he later brought to national politics, from racial prejudice to anti-immigration attitudes. In Volume III, Wilson delves into the expansion of the United States in the early 19th century in the western frontiers, tells the story of the founding and development of the federal government in the first quarter century of its existence, and explores contentious tariff matters and other divisive issues that challenged the new nation in its early years. Appendices feature the full text of the 1783 Treaty of Peace with England, the 1787 ordinance for the government of the Northwest Territory, the 1787 Constitution of the United States, the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 and 1799, and the Virginia Resolutions of 1798.
Cosimo offers Wilson's impressive series by individual volume at various online bookstores or as a full set in hardcover or paperback, especially of interest to collectors, readers who like to expand their personal library or professional librarians. If you are interested in purchasing the full set, please contact us. The hardcover retail list price for the series is $154.95, but now:our price: $119.99 (you save $35 or a 22 percent discount)The paperback retail list price: $64.95, but now: our price: $49.99 (you save $15 or a 23 percent discount) including free shipping.
As we are celebrating Fourth of July this month, Cosimo likes to present in honor of our country's independence, as our July Classic of the Month: The Constitution of the United States and Other Historical American Documents. Included in our Classic of the Month is The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation, The Constitution, and The Constitution of the Confederate States, created after the attempt to secede from the Union (especially relevant with the controversial flag discussions that have been in the news recently). Together, these four documents offer a firsthand perspective on the political history of the United States.
Founded in 2004 by Cosimo author Hazel Henderson and supported by Ethical Markets Media, The EthicMark Awards are once again upon us. The rewards recognize socially responsible advertising and media communications that uplift the human spirit and society. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the awards!
Award-winning companies are examined by all-encompassing standards for
- the value of their message,
- the product or service being advertised
- and the merits and reputation of the company itself
There is still time to nominate a deserving company -- the submission deadline for 2015 is July 17.
The BBC recently published an article titled "Is the Himalayan Yeti a Real Animal?" asking if there is any truth behind the reports of a Yeti, also known as the Abominable Snowman.
The article discusses the mythical descriptions and morals behind the folklore, as well as accounts of those who have seen the Yeti. There are also several scientific studies identified and researchers named, but true evidence is still hard to come by.
In July of 1947, something crashed near Corona, a tiny town not far from Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. And that crash has been dissected and debated ever since.
Cosimo is highlighting Crash at Corona: The U.S. Military Retrieval and Cover-Up of a UFO - The Definitive Study of the Roswell Incident by Don Berliner and Stanton T. Friedman in honor of the anniversary of the the Roswell Incident. Berliner and Friedman sifted through once-classified government documents, interviewed military and civilian witnesses, pieced together evidence, considered alternative theories, and concluded that a UFO crashed near Corona-and the U.S. government knew it and covered it up. Praise for Crash at Corona "One of the more credible books arguing the existence of UFOs...Most arresting of all is the testimony of those who handled the debris, who had no opportunity to compare notes, yet have described the materials ...in almost identical language." -- Publishers Weekly About the Authors Don Berliner has written more than 300 magazine articles and 25 books on aviation history and space and was also a staff writer for the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). He is board chairman of the non-profit Fund for UFO Research, Inc., and is a delegate to the UFO Research Coalition.
Stanton T. Friedman is a nuclear physicist and is also the author of Top Secret/Majic. He has appeared on Larry King, Unsolved Mysteries, and Nightline and was involved with the documentaries UFOs Are Real and Flying Saucers Are Real. Hehas given more than 700 lectures on the subject of UFOs. Friedman also wrote introductions for two other titles published by Cosimo, The Roswell Report: Fact versus Fiction in the New Mexico Desert and The Roswell Report: Case Closed.
Detective stories existed for centuries before the concept of the detective himself--amateur or professional--was fully formulated, and tales of mystery and intrigue have been thrilling readers since ancient times.
The Lock & Key Library is the classic overview of the history of the genre, at once a rousing read for fans of the unsolved and unknown as well as an essential literary resource for anyone who seeks to understand the roots of modern pulp fiction.
Here adventurous readers will find tales from ancient times, the first detective story of modern literature (it's by Voltaire, and it's in Volume IV), and classic and beloved--but often hard-to-find--writings by the likes of Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Louis Stevenson, and other luminaries of fiction. Classic North European, German, French, American, and Mediterranean mystery stories are now right at your fingertips with this series.
Assembled and edited by American author and journalist Julian Hawthorn (1846-1934), son of writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, and first published in 1909, this 10-volume mystery collection will delight armchair detectives and readers of the classics alike. Also great as a gift to build up one's private library.
The paperback retail list price for this two-volume set is: $132.90, but now our price is: $109.99 (you save $22.91 or a 17 percent discount) and free shipping.
The hardcover retail list price for this two-volume set is: $229.90, but now our price is: $184.99 (you save $44.91 or a 20 percent discount) and free shipping.
"He's full of spirit and very expressive", those were the words Danny Schechter's mother, Ruth, wrote when he was still a toddler. Everyone who knew Danny Schechter as a journalist, filmmaker and author, will attest to this early and accurate description in his life: he was always full of spirit and never stopped expressing himself till his untimely death on March 17, 2015.
Last Saturday, June 27 - which was also Danny's birthday - my wife and I attended a celebration of his life in Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. The church was packed with friends and family from around the country and around the world, who had known Danny during one or more of his many chapters in life.
The celebration was kicked off with, for some, a bit of unusual music, the South African National Anthem, honoring Danny's close friendship with that country and his active role in its struggle against Apartheid, and was followed by an impressive number of speakers, such as his younger brother Bill who spoke about their childhood in the Bronx and their colorful family background as grandchildren of Russian immigrant grandparents. Other speakers who followed spoke about his fight for civil rights - from the US civil rights movement to South Africa and beyond -; his unique role at Boston radio station WBCN during the 1970s where he became known as "Danny Schechter, the News Dissector"; his multiple media activities with ABC and CNN, and later on independently as part of Globalvision with his longtime friend and business partner Rory O'Connor; and his role as loving son of his parents and father to his daughter Sarah.
A brief own view of his life was presented in this video, "Danny Schechter - In His Own Words"
In between the tributes, his friend Nenad Bach, a Croatian performer and peace activist, performed the following song, " Everything is Forever"
As I come closer to the end of this post, let me dedicate two memorable songs to Danny Schechter. The first is "Sun City", performed by Artists United Against Apartheid founded by Steven Van Zandt in 1985. Danny Schechter, who had met Van Zandt at that time and became instrumental in the production of "Sun City", had suggested the song to be different from "We are the World" to be "about change, not charity, freedom, not famine"
Then the last song is "Danny Boy" performed by Roy Orbison, a song Danny had selected to be part of a compilation he created with his musical partner, Polar Levine, in January of this year. This is what he then wrote for this collection:
"When I was diagnosed with a serious cancer in 2014, one of my first purchases was a new turntable to find comfort in some of the music that made up the soundtrack for a life now at risk. I realized how important it was to me.........I wanted to give something back - to my many friends - by sharing some of the many songs that influenced me, kept me dancing and echoed my joy and outrage........These are the tracks of my hope. Danny Schechter, January 2015 "
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During this celebration service, two ways to honor Danny Schechter were presented. I call upon readers of this blog, of Danny's books, and followers of his films and other work to consider donating to one or both of these causes to honor his work, his life and his legacy:
A Civil Right Memorial and History Project at Cornell University A Civil Rights Memorial at
Cornell University to preserve the memory of Michael Schwerner, James
Chaney and Andrew Goodman and the commitment of the Cornell students,
like Danny, who went south before or during the Freedom Summer in 1964.
In addition to the memorial, Danny helped create a fund to provide
financial support to students who volunteer to do social justice work.
The Danny Schechter Global Vision Award for Journalism The Global Center, a non-profit educational foundation dedicated to developing informative and socially responsible media and a new type of journalism in which the reporting of events and conditions is done in conjunction with those most affected by those events, is pleased to announce the creation of an annual award honoring the life and work of the late journalist, filmmaker and “News Dissector” Danny Schechter. The Danny Schechter Global Vision Award for Journalism will be given annually to a reporter who best emulates Schechter's practice of combining journalism with social activism and/or whose work is deserving of greater recognition and wider impact.
In addition to the award itself, which will be announced and promoted each year on or about Schechter's birthday of June 27th, each recipient will receive a check in the amount of $3000 to support future reporting. Recipients will be chosen by a panel including daughter Sarah Schechter and business partner Rory O'Connor.
An anonymous donor has already contributed $15,000 to ensure that the award is fully funded for its first five years. Those interested in contributing further can make tax-deductible donations to The Global Center, an IRS-certified 501 (c) (3) foundation that is acting as fiscal sponsor for the award.
Today marks the 200th anniversary of The Battle of Waterloo. The battle was fought on Sunday, June 18 1815, near Waterloo in what is now called Belgium. A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated, ending Napoleon's rule as Emperor of the French, and marking the end of his Hundred Days return from exile. For those who wish to learn more about French history, The Battle of Waterloo, and Napoleon himself, Cosimo has a few great titles to offer:
Compiled herein are the thoughts and quotes of Napoleon on everything from women ("A beautiful woman pleases the eye, a good woman pleases the heart; the first is a jewel, the second a treasure") to the reason to wage war ("We must either strike or be stricken") to humanity itself ("Humanity is grateful to those who astonish her").
Within the reign of Napoleon still in the living memory of some, American author J. T. Headley took on the daunting task of rehabilitating the names and deeds of the emperor's right hand men, virtuoso military strategists and men of dauntless action eclipsed only by the brilliance of their leader. Gathered from essays that appeared in magazines in 1846, this striking two-volume work offers an extraordinary and unparalleled look at Napoleon's most trusted generals, including Berthier, Lannes, Murat, Brune, and Bernadotte, among others.
Napoleon: The Last Phaseby Lord Rosebery
In this monograph, first published in 1900, Lord Rosebery looks at Napoleon's final years and the legacy he left behind, expounding upon the previous writings about the French emperor, especially with regards to his doubts about their veracity and completeness, and offering his thoughts on Napoleon's life in exile, the question of what title he should be afforded, Napoleon's impact upon democracy, and much more. This curious volume of 19th-century history will intrigue students of Napoleon and of historical commentary alike.
In this exceptional biography, John Gibson Lockhart examines the life and career of the man who became France's foremost military leader and, in the process, gained the love of his people.
With Contact in the Desert fresh in our minds with its conclusion of panels and speakers last month, Cosimo is proud to present the June Classic of the Month, The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects: The Original 1956 Edition by Edward J. Ruppelt with an introduction by UFO expert and investigative writer Colin Bennett.
It was in June of 1947 (67 years ago on the 24th!) that the phrase "flying saucer" gained national attention when a pilot named Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine unidentified objects flying in formation near Mount Rainier in Washington State.
The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects was the first serious, unbiased account written about UFOs by anyone connected with the official government investigations of UFO phenomena. Ruppelt, who coined the term "unidentified flying objects" and headed Project Blue Book from 1951 to 1953, includes his personal investigations and findings in his extensive research on UFOs. He discusses both well-publicized UFO sightings and lesser-known accounts, as well as the inner workings of Air Force UFO research. About the Author Edward J. Ruppelt (1923-1960) served at the Air Technical Intelligence Center, where he took over Project Grudge, a formal investigation by the U.S. military with the goal of debunking extraterrestrial and UFO activity. Under Ruppelt's supervision, the project, later named Blue Book, experienced its most fruitful years, when investigations were properly conducted without judgment or disdain. For more books by Colin Bennett or other UFO titles, please visit our UFO webpage or our UFO bookshelf.
In honor of Cinco de Mayo and the celebration of Mexican ethnicity, Cosimo is happy to announce The Conquests of Mexico and Peru as our Series of the Month.
With its vivid language and bold strokes, the magnificent History of the Conquest of Peru two volume set, first published in 1847, is one of historian William Prescott's landmark works. A masterly study of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro's overthrow of the Inca Empire, this astonishing chronicle is considered a classic of Latin American history.
Perhaps the most important work of Latin American history, it is "one of the most brilliant examples which the English language possesses of literary art applied to historical narration," raves Prescott biographer Harry Thurston Peck. "All the chief actors of his great historic drama not only live and breathe, but they are as distinctly differentiated as they must have been in life."
Also available from Cosimo Classics: History of the Conquest of Peru, Prescott's companion volume about Pizarro's subjugation of the Incans.
About the Author
Historian, writer, and scholar William Hickling Prescott (1796-1859) was born in Salem, Massachusetts. A regular contributor to the prestigious Boston literary journal North American Review, he also authored numerous books of history, including 1837's The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic, a critical and popular success in both America and Europe.
The paperback retail list price for this two-volume set is: $31.98, but our current price is: $24.99 (you save $6.99 or a 22 percent discount) and for a limited time, enjoy free shipping!
With spring finally here, Cosimo is proud to present Letters to a Friend by John Muir as our classic of the month.
Perhaps the most important of the founders of the modern conservation movement and an immense influence on animal-rights philosophies, John Muir was a champion of the preservation of unspoiled wilderness. His studies and surveys of Yosemite Valley and the Sierra Nevada mountains in the late 19th century-and his love of their untamed beauty-led directly to federal protection of vast ranges of virgin Western lands. This collection of letters Muir wrote as a university student in the 1860s and '70s to his "spiritual mother," botanist Mrs. Ezra Carr, offer a fascinating look at the legendary naturalist as a young man. Dispatched mostly from Yosemite Valley, where he was working as a sheepherder, they reveal the shaping of the philosophies that would later dominate Muir's work. A legend of the American West and the careful guardianship of the environment––as well as the freedom the natural world represents––Muir's writings are a must read for anyone who appreciates the wild splendor of our planet.
Letters to a Friend is available in hardcover and paperback at leading online bookstores, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. About the Author: Scottish-American naturalist, explorer, and writer JOHN MUIR(1838-1914) helped found the Sierra Club in 1892, and served as its first president. He wrote numerous articles for such publications as Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, and the New York Tribune; among his many books are The Mountains of California (1894), Our National Parks (1901), The Yosemite (1912), and Travels in Alaska (1915).
Armenian Prisoners, Kharper, Armenia, Ottoman Empire
April, 1915 (Wikimedia)
Today marks the day that hundred years ago, over 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Empire. According to most historians this was a genocide, i.e. the systematic destruction of all or a significant part of a racial, ethnic, religious or national group - according to Wikipedia, which lists as examples of genocides, the Holocaust, the Rwandan and Bosnian Genocides, and the Armenian Genocide. Turkey, however, does not want to call this tragic episode a genocide.
"Persecution of Armenians assuming unprecedented proportions. Reports from widely scattered districts indicate systematic attempts to uproot peaceful Armenian populations and through arbitrary arrests, terrible tortures, wholesale expulsions and deportations from one end of the Empire to the other accompanied by frequent instances of rape, pillage, and murder, turning into massacre, to bring destruction and destitution on them. These measures are not in response to popular or fanatical demand but are purely arbitrary and directed from Constantinople in the name of military necessity, often in districts where no military operations are likely to take place."
Morgenthau went on, explaining the shocking reasons behind the violence:
"The Moslim and Armenian populations have been living in harmony but because Armenian volunteers, many of them Russian subjects, have joined the Russian army in Caucasus and because some have been implicated in armed revolutionary movements and others have been helpful to Russians in their invasion... terrible vengeance is being taken. Most of the sufferers are innocent and loyal to the Ottoman government."
"The real purpose of the deportation was robbery and destruction; it really represented a new method of massacre. When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a whole race; they understood this well, and, in their conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to conceal the fact." Not only historians and eyewitnesses believe that a genocide took place. By now twenty-four countries have recognized it as "genocide", including countries such as Russia, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and recently Austria and the European Parliament, Still, the Turkish government maintains that it wasn't genocide and it is even illegal in Turkey to discuss what happened to the Armenians during that era. As further evidence this contentious issue is not close to any resolution, was the response by the Turkish government whenPope Francis described the atrocities against the Armenians "as the first genocide of the 20th century." Turkey then recalled its own ambassador to the Holy See.
In the U.S., foreign policy interests, i.e. the relationship with Turkey color its approach. On the one hand, forty-three states of the U.S. have recognized the events as genocide, on the other hand President Obama, who made statements to the contrary as a senator and as a Presidential campaigner, will not use the word "genocide" in today's commemorations of this anniversary. While future historians will show which political leaders and religious leaders were on the right side of this issue, our readers should make up their own mind by doing their homework and read historic witness accounts such as those of Henry Morgenthau's or of current experts such as Thomas de Waal. See also the following articles:
With spring officially here, the trees growing greener, the flowers starting to bloom, and the weather starting to warm up, it is once again time for Earth Day!
The purpose of Earth Day is to bring awareness to the environmental issues that continue to have an impact on the health of our Earth. Climate change, sustainability, living green, waste production (and not to mention the water shortages and restrictions currently happening in California), are all things to think about tomorrow, April 22. Visit the Earth Day website for more information on how you can get involved, donate, spread the word, or find a group of local Earth Day lovers at an event near you. 2015 marks the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, so in celebration, we at Cosimo would like to highlight all of our Earth related books.
"Civilization And The Transformation Of Power is an absorbing, provocative, scintillating account of the interiors of western history. Jim Garrison is one of the great visionaries of our time, and his account not only traces the rise of western culture, it points beyond it to a more integral, gracious, compassionate world, drawing on the best of East and West, feminine and masculine, to paint a picture of a more caring tomorrow." --Ken Wilbur, author of "A Brief History Of Everything"
The human species is in a rather precarious situation. Poverty, the energy and financial crises, and above all the challenge of climate change mean that our civilization has come to a dangerous edge. Our safety nets-on both collective and individual levels-have been removed. Can we create a future that allows for a dignified society and a peaceful world? With a change of consciousness and a new spirituality, we may.
"In this book Allerd describes his convincing views on desalination solutions for local and urban clean water shortages as well as his deeply felt findings on the spiritual meanings of water, all assembled on a 20 years' journey on which I was lucky to travel along." -- Leonor Lindner
As climate change continues to threaten the earth and as the global financial crisis lingers, governments and communities need to take charge of their own and global monetary systems. Sustainability sociologist Frans Verhagen proposes a solution-the Tierra Solution-to repair the present global monetary, financial, and economic systems that enrich the few, impoverish the many, and imperil the planet. Verhagen calls for transformational changes in order to advance climate-resilient economic development.
As Earth Day brings awareness to the environmental issues facing us all, so does the Fanack
organization bring us awareness about one of the biggest environmental issues being faced in the Middle East: the scarcity of water. "Fanack Water Files: Water Challenges and Solutions in Jordan, with a Special Report on the Red Sea-Dead Sea Project" is the first publication of the Fanack Water Files. It deals in depth with the water situation in Jordan, a critical country in the region bordering Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Israel. For more information about Fanack and water, see also here.
For more books by these authors, or to expand your knowledge of all things Earth related, visit our website. Have a happy Earth Day!
