The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire - Kyle Harper

Staff Pick

Serious history buffs will appreciate the new perspective on the decline of the Roman Empire offered in The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire (Princeton, $35). While experts and armchair historians have spent years debating the human causes that contributed to the downfall of the great empire, Kyle Harper argues that it was brought to the brink of destruction by a larger, less manageable force: nature. He demonstrates that the Roman Empire was able to flourish due to an ideal climate, but when climate stability began to decay so did the fortunes of Rome. And while the Romans benefited from increased migration, travel, and trade, these factors also permitted the spread of a variety of deadly diseases. The author is clearly an expert in his field, and he makes a compelling case by drawing on modern developments in fields such as DNA sequencing, epidemiology, and climate science. As Harper lays out in his book, perhaps the Romans’ greatest mistake was holding on to the belief that they had “tamed the forces of wild nature.” These environmental factors, along with human error, helped to bring about the destruction of one of the greatest empire’s the world has ever seen.

The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire (Princeton History of the Ancient World #2) By Kyle Harper Cover Image
$45.00
ISBN: 9780691166834
Availability: Not On Our Shelves—Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Princeton University Press - October 24th, 2017

Women Artists in Paris, 1850-1900 - Laurence Madeline

Staff Pick

Women Artists in Paris: 1850-1900 (Yale, $65) edited by Laurence Madeline, former curator at the Musée d’Orsay, is a must-own for art lovers, historians, and feminists alike. This stunning exhibition catalogue presents over eighty paintings by thirty-seven different artists. Paris in the late nineteenth century was considered the place for artists to train, and people came from around the world to develop their technique. This catalogue is a testament to the exceptional and varied work produced by the women who journeyed to Paris to pursue their artistic ambitions. These artists fought to achieve recognition at a time when artistic talent and creative genius were thought to be reserved for men, all the while also trying to adhere to the social norms that governed the lives of respectable women. They persevered in the face of rejection and condescension, and created masterful works of art in the process. The scholarly essays that open the book are fascinating and well worth the read, but the catalog of full-page color reproductions that follow are what readers will find irresistible. Here you will encounter works by household names like Mary Cassatt alongside those by artists still waiting to achieve the widespread public recognition they are due, such as Marie Bashkirtseff and Cecilia Beaux.

Women Artists in Paris, 1850-1900 By Laurence Madeline, Bridget Alsdorf (Contributions by), Jane R. Becker (Contributions by), Joëlle Bolloch (Contributions by), Vibeke Waallann Hansen (Contributions by), Richard Kendall (Contributions by) Cover Image
By Laurence Madeline, Bridget Alsdorf (Contributions by), Jane R. Becker (Contributions by), Joëlle Bolloch (Contributions by), Vibeke Waallann Hansen (Contributions by), Richard Kendall (Contributions by)
$70.00
ISBN: 9780300223934
Availability: Special Order—Subject to Availability
Published: Yale University Press - October 31st, 2017

The Day of the Duchess - Sarah MacLean

Staff Pick
After disappearing from society years earlier, Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, abruptly marches into Parliament and demands a divorce from her husband, Malcolm. But Malcolm still loves her and is convinced that if she could move beyond their past failings, she might realize she feels the same. While Sera tries her best to push him into someone else’s arms, he schemes to win her heart (again). Sarah MacLean is a master of combining pop references and history, and this novel is best described as the Kardashians meets the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meets The Bachelor meets The Philadelphia Story, set in Victorian England. In other words, the perfect vacation romance read.
The Day of the Duchess: Scandal & Scoundrel, Book III By Sarah MacLean Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9780062379436
Availability: Not On Our Shelves—Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Avon - June 27th, 2017

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