Holiday History

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World. Overflowing with wonderfully engaging facts, vibrant music and sound effects, it is a celebration of just some of the inspirational women who put their mark on the world we live in. Prepare to be inspired. List of women featured: Elizabeth Blackwell, Qiu Jin, Boudicca, Flora Drummond, Pocahontas, Noor Inayat Khan, Harriet Tubman, Valentina Tereshkova, Ada Lovelace, Sayyida al-Hurra, Hatshepsut, Josephine Baker, Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley.

On Christmas Day 1914, amid the bloodily stalemated trenches of Flanders just five months into World War I, a memorable event dubbed the Christmas Truce occurred. In place of the rattle of gunfire and the crash of bursting artillery shells, familiar German and English Christmas carols floated through the frosty air. Officers and men on both sides emerged from their trenches to mingle, exchange Yuletide greetings, give one another small gifts and mementos, and discuss the fighting as language allowed.

ALSO AVAILABLE IN LARGE PRINT Get ready to immerse yourself in centuries of history! Discover Florence's past and its tremendous legacy of beauty, churches, museums, and incomparable masterpieces by the greatest artists of all time. Get to know the cradle of the Renaissance with this comprehensive guidebook for cultured travelers. Learn the story behind such world-famous landmarks as The Florence Cathedral Brunelleschi's Dome Giotto's Campanile The Baptistery of St. John Ponte Vecchio And many more. Please note that this is a historical guide. It does not include lists of hotels and ...

ALSO AVAILABLE IN LARGE PRINT Get ready to immerse yourself in centuries of history! Discover Athens' past and its tremendous legacy of beauty, temples, museums, and spectacular monuments with this comprehensive guidebook for cultured travelers. Learn the story behind such world-famous landmarks as The Acropolis The Parthenon The Areopagus The Agora The Arch of Hadrian The Panathenaic Stadium The Academy And many more. Please note that this is a historical guide. It does not include lists of hotels and restaurants, nor does it contain pictures or maps. Available in the same book series: ...

In September 1620, 102 brave travelers and their crew stepped upon a ship called the Mayflower in England. Most were members of a religious group now known as the Pilgrims. They were bound for North America to start a new life. They endured many hardships and made many tough choices. Now the choices are yours. Would you rather suffer from seasickness or from skin sores caused by scurvy? Would you rather have been a crew member navigating the ship in stormy seas or cramped into the living quarters just along for the tumultuous ride? It's your turn to pick this or that!

It's 1817. The happy chaos of the Yuletide season has descended upon the country estate of Shackleford Park in full force, but lady's maid Kate Darby barely has the time to notice. Matt Harlow is also rather busy. Falling in love would be a disaster for either of them. But staving off their feelings for each other becomes the least of their problems when a devious counterfeiting scheme reaches the gates of Shackleford Park, and Kate and Matt are unwittingly swept up in the intrigue.

From the author of 'Barry Braithwaite's Last Life', 'Upcote and Smythe', 'Caveman' and more, a hilarious blow-by-blow account of the life of an expatriate Englishman. Ernest Postlethwaite was a man embarking on a new life. No longer for him the routine and drudgery of the commuter. The first part of Ernest Postlethwaite's groundbreaking journal charters the course of a man on a mission to achieve cultural and linguistic integration in a small village in southern Spain. This unadulterated manuscript will bring tears to the eyes of the most hard-hearted among us, as we follow his footsteps ...

Bestselling author Michael Foley dives deep into the history of Christmas and the customs that surround this beloved holiday. Learn about the fascinating origins of your favorite Christmas food, drink, observances, and songs. Discover how Saint Nicolas, a fourth-century Catholic bishop, became Santa Clause and who Santa’s global competitors are (some of them will shock you). And dig into the forbidden history of the Yuletide season’s dark and ghoulish side.

Following the scandalous revelations about his love life, disgraced media mogul Harry Rose is searching for redemption. His daughters - bright, winsome Eliza and dark, difficult Maria - have taken over the helm at Rose Corp. But while Eliza's on study leave at Oxford, Maria embarks on a drive to rid the British media giant of sleaze. His legacy under threat, Harry wants Maria out and Eliza in. But hanging between Harry and Eliza is the unresolved death of Eliza's mother, Ana.

The United States is a nation that touts its diversity, but there is one tradition that all Americans love to share. Every year on the Fourth of July, Americans celebrate the founding of the nation. Independence Day is the greatest of national traditions, but much of the inherited lore that surrounds the Fourth is myth and legend, not history.

The downfall of Bo Xilai in China was more than a darkly thrilling mystery. It revealed a cataclysmic internal power struggle between Communist Party factions, one that reached all the way to China’s new president Xi Jinping. The scandalous story of the corruption of the Bo Xilai family - the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood; Bo’s secret lovers; the secret maneuverings of Bo’s supporters; the hasty trial and sentencing of Gu Kailai, Bo’s wife - was just the first rumble of a seismic power struggle that continues to rock the very foundation of China’s all-powerful Communist Party.

Constantinople, 1921. Each day Nur gazes across the waters of the Bosphorus to her childhood home, a grand white house, nestled on the opposite bank. Memories float on the breeze - the fragrance of the fig trees, the saffron sunsets of languid summer evenings. But now those days are dead. The house has been transformed into an army hospital, it is a prize of war in the hands of the British. And as Nur weaves through the streets carrying the embroideries that have become her livelihood, Constantinople swarms with Allied soldiers - a reminder of how far she and her city have fallen.

"Set during Christmas on an island, a delightful and intriguing story." - Amazon Review "I liked the romance, family history, intrigue, and mystery." - Amazon Review "The books are refreshing, fun, and unconventional." - Amazon Review In the heart of a mysterious tropical island, historian Olivia Parker seeks refuge from a shattering family secret. She finds an unusual job—portraying a ghost who vanished from a historic mansion. Haunted house designer Jack Thorpe is battling shadows of suspicion. The upcoming Christmas gala at the mansion is his chance at redemption. But when Olivia and ...

Much like The Stories Behind The Best-Loved Songs Of Christmas, The Stories Behind The Great Traditions of Christmas and More Stories Behind The Best Loved Songs of Christmas this new Collins Christmas book will fill a void in the book world.

ALSO AVAILABLE IN LARGE PRINT Get ready to immerse yourself in centuries of history! Discover Rome's past and its tremendous legacy of beauty, churches, museums, and spectacular monuments with this comprehensive guidebook for cultured travelers.Learn the story behind such world-famous landmarks as The Colosseum The Roman Forum The Pantheon The Trevi Fountain The Spanish Steps Saint Peter's Basilica The Circus Maximus And many more. Please note that this is a historical guide. It does not include lists of hotels and restaurants, nor does it contain pictures or maps. Available in the same ...

In this alternately humorous and horrifying memoir, a Jewish father shleps his reluctant children around Europe on a hard-charging tour of Holocaust sites and memorials in order to impress on them the profound evil of Hitler’s war against the Jews and the importance of combatting genocide.

All across the world, among hundreds of cultures and across centuries, people have come together to give thanks. But Americans didn’t have an official Thanksgiving holiday until the 1800s. The holiday Americans know today exists because of a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale, a spirited letter-writing campaign, a sympathetic president, and a civil war.

Dear Traveler, Welcome to the WanderStories™ guide to Italian cuisine, traditions and customs, holidays and celebrations, humor and jokes, and what makes Italians Italian. We, at WanderStories™, are storytellers. We don’t tell you where to eat or sleep, we don’t intend to replace a typical travel reference guide. Our mission is to be the best local guide that you would wish to have by your side when visiting the sights. So, we meet you at the sight and take you on a tour. WanderStories™ travel guides are unique because our storytelling style puts you alongside the best local guide...

A short history of Santa! Most people know that Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus’ birthday…even if he wasn’t actually born at Christmas. But what about the other start of the Advent season? Jolly Old Saint Nick (AKA Santa Claus). How on Earth did we go from the birthday of the Savior of the World to big old guy in a red suit?! And why does he go down chimneys? And exactly why do we give gifts to each other when it’s not even our birthday? This and more will be answered in this very concise history of Santa and Christmas. Note: This book is taken from Bethlehem, the Year Jesus ...

The People Remember tells the journey of African descendants in America by connecting their history to the seven principles of Kwanzaa. It begins in Africa, where people were taken from their homes and families. They spoke different languages and had different customs. Yet they were bound and chained together and forced onto ships sailing into an unknown future. Ultimately, all these people had to learn one common language and create a culture that combined their memories of home with new traditions that enabled them to thrive in this new land.