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A fascinating behind-the-scenes account of life at the White House in the second half of the nineteenth century

Hired in January 1865 as one of four White House bodyguards assigned to protect the president, Colonel William H. Crook—a Union army veteran and member of the Washington Police Force—developed a close, mutually respectful relationship with Abraham Lincoln. To his profound regret, Crook was not on duty the night that the Great Emancipator was assassinated—if he had been, one of the grimmest chapters in American history might have been rewritten.

For the next fifty years, Crook dedicated himself to the White House and to the office of the presidency. In a variety of positions, from bodyguard to clerk to disburser, he served twelve different presidents—from Andrew Johnson to Woodrow Wilson—and played a key role in the inner workings of the executive mansion. Published posthumously, Through Five Administrations is Crook’s report on the first half of his tenure, and includes the deeply affecting story of his brief time with Lincoln, his memories of the divisive period surrounding Johnson’s impeachment, revealing portraits of Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes and their families, and a fascinating look at the turmoil caused by James A. Garfield’s assassination and the unexpected presidency of Chester A. Arthur.

This scathing critique of America’s preoccupation with wealth and status in the Gilded Age continues to resonate more than a century after it was first published

According to economist Thorstein Veblen, the leisure class produces nothing, contributes nothing, and creates nothing, yet exercises a peculiar control over American society. The shallowness of their interests—from fashion to sports to entertainment—endows the practice of “conspicuous consumption” with an undeserving air of respectability.

Veblen deploys a razor sharp wit to expose the pretensions of the idle rich and their disastrous influence on the national character. From ruthless business practices to the plight of women in a male-dominated culture, The Theory of the Leisure Class tackles difficult subjects with sophisticated analysis and a vibrant literary style that influenced the work of authors including Edith Wharton, Henry James, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

A must-read for students of American history and anyone concerned about economic inequality, Veblen’s classic treatise is timelier today than ever.

The remarkable life and inspiring beliefs of a legendary peacemaker and liberator of India—in his own words.

Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always.

In the story of his life from early childhood through 1921, Mohandas K. Gandhi candidly reveals his young investigations into sin and seeking atonement; the philosophy, art, and literature that influenced his thoughts and ideas; and his first experiences with politics and protest, which would provide the foundation for his nonviolent struggle for justice, equality, and Indian independence from the British Empire.

Gandhi’s intention in setting down an account of his formative years was to clarify the spiritual principles by which he lived and to inspire individuals and movements in their quests for personal and political freedom. The timeless lessons to be derived from the autobiography of this dedicated seeker of truth and brilliant leader continue to resonate wherever freedom is challenged by tyranny.

Volume One of the thirteenth-century Venetian explorer’s famous travelogue, recounting his historic journeys through Asia and his encounters with Kublai Khan.

In 1271, Marco Polo embarked from Venice on a voyage to China. Together with his father and uncle, he came upon the court of the Mongolian emperor Kublai Khan. After twenty years in the service of the Great Khan, the Polos returned home—only for Marco to be taken prisoner during a conflict between Venice and Genoa. While detained, Marco recounted the incredible stories of his many travels—through China, Burma, Sumatra, India, and Siam, across the Gobi Desert and the mountains of Tibet, encountering strange customs, religions, fabrics, and spices—to his fellow prisoner, the scribe Rustichello da Pisa.

Marco Polo’s epic travelogue brought vivid depictions of the Far East to medieval Europe, offering a fascinating glimpse into lands and cultures previously unknown to Western scholars. The first book of this two-volume edition encompasses Polo’s journeys through the Middle East and Central Asia, and his introduction to Kublai Khan.