Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

They Made America: Two Centuries of Innovators from the Steam Engine to the Search Engine

They Made America: Two Centuries of Innovators from the Steam Engine to the Search Engine

by Harold Evans, Gail Buckland

An illustrated history of American innovators--some well known, some unknown, and all fascinating-- by the author of the bestselling The American Century.

As the United States adjusts to its role as sole superpower in a world of shifting allegiances, it has never been more important to understand what makes the country work. It is 30 years now since Alistair Cooke's award-winning 'personal history of the United States' appeared on TV and in the bestseller lists. Since then empires have fallen, reputations have been made and lost and 'globalization' has entered the... (more)

BANANAS PB

by Virginia Scott Jenkins

Before 1880 most Americans had never seen a banana, but by 1910 bananas were so common that the streets were littered with their peels. In this wide-ranging history of the most popular and least expensive fruit in the United States, Virginia Scott Jenkins covers every aspect of the banana in American culture, from its beginnings as luxury food to its reputation as the "poor man's" fruit to its role today as a... (more)

The American Reader: Words That Moved a Nation

The American Reader: Words That Moved a Nation

by Diane Ravitch

The American Reader is a stirring and memorable anthology that captures the many facets of American culture and history in prose and verse. The 200 poems, speeches, songs, essays, letters, and documents were chosen both for their readability and for their significance. These are the words that have inspired, enraged, delighted, chastened, and comforted Americans in days gone by. Gathered here are the writings... (more)

Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-And-Dime

Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-And-Dime

by Karen Plunkett-Powell

Millions of Americans have fond memories of shopping at Woolworth's, wandering the aisles in search of a humble spool Woolco thread, festive Christmas decorations, a goldfish or parakeet, or a blue bottle of Evening in Paris perfume. And who could forget the special treat of grilled-cheese sandwich or ice-cream sundae at the famous lunch counter? These and countless other memories are celebrated in Remembering... (more)

We Americans: Who We Are, Where We've Been

We Americans: Who We Are, Where We've Been

by Thomas B. Allen

From our nation's infancy, when colonists fought to establish a foothold on the edge of a vast and unexplored wilderness, through our brash youth when we grew and found our place in the world, to the brink of a new millennium, there's always been something unmistakable about an American. It's a unique and elusive essence, an attitude, a national character that comes in all colors, shapes, and sizes, speaks scores... (more)

A Field Guide to Sprawl

by Dolores Hayden

A visual lexicon of the colorful slang, from alligator investment to zoomburb, that defines sprawl in America. Duck, ruburb, tower farm, big box, and pig-in-a-python are among the dozens of zany terms invented by real estate developers and designers today to characterize land-use practices and the physical elements of sprawl. Sprawl in the environment, based on the metaphor of a person spread out, is hard to... (more)

You Hear Me?: Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys (Betsy Franco Yas)

You Hear Me?: Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys (Betsy Franco Yas)

by Betsy Franco

Teenage boys speak out—without the filter of adult sensibility—in a compelling collection of poetry and prose. In a powerful collection of more than seventy uncensored poems and essays, more than fifty teenage boys from across the country explore their many-layered concerns: identity, love, envy, gratitude, sex, anger, competition, fear, hope. Here, unadorned and without the filter of adult sensibility, is the... (more)

The Roads That Built America: The Incredible Story of the U.S. Interstate System

The Roads That Built America: The Incredible Story of the U.S. Interstate System

by Dan McNichol

The year 2006 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Interstate System, the most incredible road system in the world. Created by Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose WW II experiences taught him the necessity of a superhighway for military transport and evacuation in wartime, today's Interstate System is what connects our coasts and our borders, our cities and small towns. It's made possible our suburban lifestyle and... (more)

American Greats

by Stanley Marcus

In a spectacular new jacket, with a great new gift price--the beautifully illustrated, full-color volume Parade Magazine called "dazzling...enjoyable and stimulating." This celebration of America at its best offers compelling evidence of a nation's courage, invention and resilience. Here are the greatest achievements in American thought, art, architecture, and design, explored and revealed by famous writers... (more)

The Secret Goldfish: Stories

by David Means

Readers familiar with David Means ' electrifying work in the Los Angeles Times Book Prize -- winning Assorted Fire Events will recognize his extraordinary vision in The Secret Goldfish . A trio of erotically charged kids goes on a crime spree in Michigan; a goldfish bears witness to the demise of a Connecticut marriage; and an extremely unlucky man is stalked by lightning. This dazzling new collection reveals... (more)

The American Porch: An Informal History of an Informal Place

The American Porch: An Informal History of an Informal Place

by Michael Dolan

A fascinating look at an American institution--a place where public life meets private.

In Search of America

by Todd Brewster, Peter Jennings

eter Jennings and Todd Brewster conceived of this fascinating book long before the events of September 11th. But watching America respond to one of the worst attacks in its history deepened the meaning of their project. Now, more than ever, Americans need to treasure their way of life, and to reacquaint themselves with the founding ideas that united and sustained this country in its struggle for independence two... (more)

The Easy Chair

by Bernard Devoto

A distillation of a distinguished writer's most entertaining and enlightening commentary on American life. Collects the author's columns from Harper's magazine.

Days of Destiny: Crossroads in American History

Days of Destiny: Crossroads in American History

by Alan Brinkley

America's greatest historians examine thirty-one uncelebrated days that changed the course of history There are moments in American history when something old ends and something new begins. These are the days of destiny. We asked some of the most respected (and best-selling) historians of our time to choose specific days on which American history turned. Their responses make up the month's worth of essays included... (more)

Culture Shock! USA: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! USA)

Culture Shock! USA: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! USA)

by Esther Wanning

An introduction to the people, customs, ceremonies, food and culture of the U.S.A., with checklists of 'do's and don'ts' and tips on business and civil etiquette. A title in the CULTURE SHOCK series.

American Places: Encounters with History

American Places: Encounters with History

by William Edward Leuchtenburg

For anyone interested in history, the physical traces of the past, especially historical places, hold a special fascination. Whether it is a battlefield or the home of a notable American, there is no question that we understand the past in a different and more immediate way when we encounter it "on the ground." In American Places, more than two dozen of America's most gifted historians write about their own... (more)

American Beliefs

by John Harmon McElroy

Why do so many different people with widely dissimilar ideas and customs get along as Americans? In 'American Beliefs', John McElroy identifies and explains those essential ideas that promote the unity of a vast nation and a diverse people--because they have been shared and acted upon by generations of Americans.

The Story of America

by David Rubel, Allen Weinstein

An insightful, informative, and entertaining volume with contributions by Pulitzer Prize winning authors. The Story of America presents the history of the United States not as a parade of facts and dates but as a story with twists and turns, heroes and villains, lovers, saints -- and even some comic relief. With the help of more than two dozen eminent colleagues, many of them Pulitzer Prize--winners, Allen... (more)

The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart's Masterpiece

The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart's Masterpiece

by Lorraine B. Diehl

On the 100th birthday of Horn & Hardart, a look back at one of America’s most beloved institutions A coin-operated glass-and-chrome wonder, Horn & Hardart’s Automats revolutionized the way Americans ate when they opened up in Philadelphia and New York in the early twentieth century. In a country where the industrial revolution had just taken hold, eating at a restaurant with self-serving vending machines... (more)

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Tags: american life