Kirjahaku

★★★ In the shadow of every great man is a greater woman ★★★T.E. Lawrence is often credited with bringing diplomacy to the Middle East; in the shadows of every great man you will often find an even greater woman. In Lawrence's case, that woman's name was Gertrude Bell. In a time when women didn't go to school, Bell did; in a time when women didn't join the army, Bell secured a job at the Army Intelligence Headquarters in Cairo; she spoke Arabic, Persian, French and German. She knew the Middle Eastern terrain and culture better than almost any Westerner of her time. In a male driven world, Bell managed to become one of the greatest policy makers the world has ever known; without her, the Middle East might very well be a much different place, and her influence in the territory gave her the nickname "Queen of the Desert." This biography tells the extraordinary story of one of the most adventurous and fascinating women you will ever encounter.

Just for a moment try to put every shopping trip you've ever made out of your head. Imagine a different world. Imagine that all the goods for sale are locked away in cabinets and to handle them, or even to examine them closely, you need to ask a shop assistant to open it up for you. Imagine that within seconds of entering a store a floorwalker approaches you and asks if you're planning to buy something - then, when you say "I'm just looking," rudely tells you to leave. Imagine any attempt to return faulty or unsuitable goods being met with ridicule, obstruction or a flat refusal to help you.Until the late 19th century people didn't have to imagine that; it was reality. For anyone alive today a visit to the average store back then would convince you that they didn't really want to sell you anything. The idea of customer service was an alien one. Stores sold things. If you wanted to buy them, fine. If you didn't they weren't really interested. Browsing was strongly discouraged and impulse buys were almost unheard of. Shopping was something you did when you had to. It certainly wasn't something anyone enjoyed.Then, in the late 1880s, one man came along and changed all that. His name was Harry Gordon Selfridge and this is the story of his life.

The story of music in the United States of America is a long and colorful one. With so many different nationalities blending together to form a single nation they've all added their own musical traditions to the mix, and the results have been remarkable. Probably the biggest single contribution has come from the African-American community. Rhythms developed from traditional African music have evolved into several new genres and influenced many more. From jazz to the blues, from hip-hop to hard rock, almost everything in popular music has its roots in the churches and music clubs of the American South. One of the most talented and determined performers of the 20th century, without a doubt, was James Brown.Born into appalling poverty in the rural south, the man who'd later be known as Soul Brother #1 showed musical ability at an early age. Unfortunately it looked like it would be squandered when he turned to a life of street crime, ending up sentenced to a lengthy prison term at the age of sixteen. A chance meeting and a willingness to work hard earned him a second chance - and he made the most of it.

In 1925, British explorer Percy Fawcett vanished deep in the Amazon rainforest-leaving behind one of history's greatest unsolved mysteries.Fawcett's life was nothing short of extraordinary. Born into a family of adventurers, he grew up surrounded by tales of uncharted lands and untold treasures. In 1906, he launched his first expedition to South America-and for the next two decades, he would return again and again, driven by a relentless belief: that a lost, ancient city-what he called "Z"-lay hidden in the heart of the Amazon.This book explores the remarkable life of Percy Fawcett, from his early expeditions to the moment he vanished without a trace. Drawing on historical records, journals, and the enduring legends that followed, it offers a gripping account of exploration, obsession, and one man's quest for the unknown.Was there really a lost city in the jungle? And what happened to Fawcett on that final expedition? The truth may still lie buried in the Amazon...

Maria Altmann and her husband fled their homeland when the Nazi regime came to Austria and threatened their lives. They left their loved ones, their property, and everything that was in it--including their family's artwork.Altmann eventually settled in the United States, but did not forget the past that was stolen from her. Several dozens of years later, Altmann had her day in court, and changed everything. Because of her will to reclaim what rightfully belonged to her family, museums worldwide were forced to give back artwork that had been stolen and looted.This book paints a new picture of how Holocaust survivors rebuilt and reclaimed the lives that were taken from them.

In 1823, Hugh Glass did the unthinkable: he wrestled a grizzly bear...and won. But that is only the beginning of the remarkable tale--Glass, badly mauled with a broken leg, was 200 miles from help. Determined, he set his own leg and made the long journey first by crawling, then by floating down a river.Following the freak encounter with the bear, Glass became a legend. He's considered one of the greatest American hunters, and knew the frontier like few people before or after him. This book tells the incredible stories that made up his life.

★★★ The story of one of the greatest entrepreuners that ever lived ★★★In 1950 a saleswoman living in Florida decided to find a fun new way to market an unexciting product - reusable food containers. She already had plenty of experience selling household goods but now she wanted to try something different, and she was after a quirky, lively way to sell things. The solution she chose was being used to sell brushes in the USA by the late 1930s, but now it's spread throughout the entire world and been adapted to a wide range of different products. Mostly that's because it was made famous by Brownie Wise and Tupperware. Yes, Tupperware isn't very exciting, but what could be more fun than a party? This is the remarkable story of Brownie Wise.