Microhistories
These microhistories share a passion for viewing history and its larger themes through the examination of a singular object, event or idea. From rain to porcelain to genes and even the pit bull, enjoy these readable biographies of stuff.
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Rain: A Natural and Cultural History
Weaving together science with the human human story of our ambition to control rain, Barnett tells the story of rain--elemental, mysterious, precious, and destructive.
Format: Book - 2015 First edition
Holds: 3 on 12 copies
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The White Road: Journey Into An Obsession
"An intimate narrative history of porcelain, structured around five journeys through landscapes where porcelain was dreamed about, fired, refined, collected, and coveted"--
Format: Book - 2015 First American edition
Holds: 2 on 9 copies
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Pit Bull: The Battle Over An American Icon
When Bronwen Dickey brought her new dog home, she saw no traces of the infamous viciousness in her affectionate, timid pit bull. Which made her wonder: how had the breed--beloved by Teddy Roosevelt, Helen Keller, TV's "Little Rascals"--come to be known as a brutal fighter. Her search for answers takes her from nineteenth-century New York City dogfighting pits--the cruelty of which helped spark the founding of the ASPCA--to early twentieth-century movie sets where pit bulls cavorted with Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton; from the battlefields of Gettysburg and the Marne, where pit bulls earned presidential medals, to desolate urban neighborhoods where the dogs were brutalized. Whether through love or fear, hatred or devotion, humans are bound to the history of the pit bull. With unfailing thoughtfulness, compassion, and a firm grasp of scientific fact, Dickey offers us a clear-eyed portrait of this extraordinary breed, and an insightful view of Americans' relationship with their dogs. --Publisher
Format: Book - 2016 First edition
Holds: 0 on 5 copies
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Lesser Beasts: A Snout-to-tail History of the Humble Pig
Format: Book - 2015
Holds: 0 on 3 copies
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Photobooth: A Biography
Format: Graphic Novel - 2014 First English edition
Holds: 0 on 2 copies
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Butter: A Rich History
"The delicious kitchen staple we so often take for granted is not merely a stick tucked into our refrigerator door. It's a culinary catalyst, an agent of change, a gastronomic rock star. From its accidental invention in a long-ago herder's pouch to its ubiquitous presence in the world's most fabulous cuisines, butter is boss. Now, it finally gets its due. Award-winning food writer and chef Elaine Khosrova serves up a story as rich, textured, and culturally relevant as butter itself. From the ancient butter bogs of Ireland to the sacred butter sculptures of Tibet, Butter is about so much more than food. Khosrova details its surprisingly vital role in history, politics, economics, nutrition, even spirituality and art. From its humble agrarian origins to its present-day artisanal glory, butter has a fascinating story to tell, and Khosrova is the perfect person to tell it. She even includes the essential collection of carefully developed core butter recipes, from beurre maniu00e9 and croissants to pu00e2te brisu00e9e and the perfect buttercream frosting, and provides practical how-tos for making various types of butter at home--no churning necessary"--
Format: Book - 2016 First edition
Holds: 0 on 6 copies
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Darjeeling: The Colorful and Precarious Fate of the World's Greatest Tea
Format: Book - 2015
Holds: 0 on 4 copies
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Lift: Fitness Culture, From Naked Greeks and Acrobats to Jazzercise and Ninja Warriors
Format: Book - 2016 First edition
Holds: 0 on 3 copies
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Paper: Paging Through History
Through tracing paper's evolution, Mark Kurlansky challenges common assumptions about technology's influence, affirming that paper is here to stay.
Format: Book - 2016 First edition
Holds: 1 on 12 copies
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Cake: A Slice of History
Alysa Levene looks at cakes both ancient and modern, from the Fruit Cake, to the Pound Cake, from the ubiquitous birthday cake to the Angel Food Cake, all the way up to competitive baking shows on television and our modern obsession with macaroons and cup cakes. Along the way, she shows how cakes are so much more than just a delicious sugar hit, and reflects on how and why cakes became the food to eat in times of celebration. Cake reflects cultural differences, whether it is the changing role of women in the home, the expansion of global trade, and even advances in technology. (7/24/2019 2:43:05 AM)
Format: Book - 2016 First Pegasus Books hardcover edition
Holds: 0 on 4 copies
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