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On March 8, 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China. Its mission was "to proceed all the way to the ends of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas" and unite the whole world in Confucian harmony.

When it returned in October 1423, the emperor had fallen, leaving China in political and economic chaos. The great ships were left to rot at their moorings and the records of their journeys were destroyed. Lost in China's long, self-imposed isolation that followed was the knowledge that Chinese ships had reached America seventy years before Columbus and had circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan. Also concealed was how the Chinese colonized America before the Europeans and transplanted in America and other countries the principal economic crops that have fed and clothed the world.

Unveiling incontrovertible evidence of these astonishing voyages, 1421 rewrites our understanding of history. Our knowledge of world exploration as it has been commonly accepted for centuries must now be reconceived due to this landmark work of historical investigation.

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A Book Sense Pick for May 2005, this is the humorous tale of how the author moved— against his will and his better judgment—to Italy with his wife, only to rediscover himself, his marriage, and the importance of getting in touch with his inner Italian

After years of working on a string of sitcoms, Phil Doran found himself on the outside looking in. Just as he and his peers had replaced the older guys when he was coming up the ranks, it was now happening to him. And it was freaking him out. He came home every night angry, burned- out, and exhausted. After twenty-five years of losing her husband to Hollywood, Doran’s wife decided it was finally time for a change—so on one of her many solo trips to Italy she surprised her husband by purchasing a broken-down 300-year-old farmhouse for them to restore. The Reluctant Tuscan is about the author’s transition from being a successful but overworked writer-producer in Hollywood to rediscovering himself and his wife while in Italy, and finding happiness in the last place he expected.

In the witty tone that made him a success as a writer in Hollywood, The Reluctant Tuscan captivates those who simply love a good travel narrative as well as anyone who loves the quirky humor of Bill Bryson, Dave Barry, and Jerry Seinfeld.

Praise for The Reluctant Tuscan:
“Doran’s brutally funny accounts . . . are enough to keep readers hooked until the last page.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“ . . . disarmingly funny.”
—THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC

“A truly funny book that reveals Italy as never before.”
—THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
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Price: $3.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]

We all have fond memories of a favorite dessert our grandmother or mother used to bake. It’s these dishes that give us comfort in times of stress, help us celebrate special occasions, and remind us of the person who used to bake for us those many years ago.

In Heirloom Baking, Marilynn Brass and Sheila Brass preserve and update 150 of these beloved desserts. The recipes are taken from their vast collection of antique manuscript cookbooks, handwritten recipes passed down through the generations that they’ve amassed over twenty years. The recipes range from the late 1800s to today, and come from a variety of ethnicities and regions. The book features such down-home and delicious recipes as Brandied Raisin Teacakes, Cuban Flan, Cranberry-Orange Cream Scones, Chattanooga Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars, and many more. Accompanying the recipes are stories from the lives of the families from which they came.

The Brass Sisters have taken care to update every recipe for today’s modern kitchens. More than 150 photographs showcase the scrumptious food in full-color detail. Finally, the Brass sisters encourage each reader to begin collecting his or her own family recipes in the lined pages and envelope at the back of the book..
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What is the best way to photograph a speeding bullet? Why does light move through glass in the least amount of time possible? How can lost hikers find their way out of a forest? What will rainbows look like in the future? Why do soap bubbles have a shape that gives them the least area?

By combining the mathematical history of extrema with contemporary examples, Paul J. Nahin answers these intriguing questions and more in this engaging and witty volume. He shows how life often works at the extremes--with values becoming as small (or as large) as possible--and how mathematicians over the centuries have struggled to calculate these problems of minima and maxima. From medieval writings to the development of modern calculus to the current field of optimization, Nahin tells the story of Dido's problem, Fermat and Descartes, Torricelli, Bishop Berkeley, Goldschmidt, and more. Along the way, he explores how to build the shortest bridge possible between two towns, how to shop for garbage bags, how to vary speed during a race, and how to make the perfect basketball shot.

Written in a conversational tone and requiring only an early undergraduate level of mathematical knowledge, When Least Is Best is full of fascinating examples and ready-to-try-at-home experiments. This is the first book on optimization written for a wide audience, and math enthusiasts of all backgrounds will delight in its lively topics.

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It was all routine even if hundreds of pounds of earth were pressing down on their heads, even though the ceiling might potentially collapse at any moment, even if they were surrounded by a sea of darkness and had no idea what lay in front of them. Award-winning author Neil Miller soon tells us that what lay in front of amateur spelunkers Randy Tufts and Gary Tenen was anything but routine. These young men had crawled into a virgin cave, a landscape untouched and unseen for hundreds of thousands of years. In cave terminology, this underground oasis was “living”—water still seeped down the limestone walls, depositing minerals that slowly built up into stunningly beautiful formations. In a time when countless caves had been destroyed by vandals and looters who had defaced the walls and had broken formations, this pristine discovery was every caver’s dream. While duplicating that moment might seem difficult, this fascinating account of the fight to preserve Kartchner Caverns lends us the same sense of awe and urgency. In an arresting tale spanning the twenty-five-year period in which Tufts and Tenen struggled to protect their find, Miller skillfully weaves together personal interviews, biographical information, political maneuvering, and geological facts. Presented in full color with dazzling photographs showcasing the natural wonder of the caverns, this is an invitation to take in the mysterious, stunning beauty of a cave as if discovering it for the first time. The triumph of the conservationists and the opening of Kartchner Caverns as a state park are known to anyone who has visited the caves as a tourist. But this narrative offers a chance to go beyond the guidebooks with its revealing look at this unspoiled natural wonder and the science of cave conservation. With as much depth and colorful detail as the caverns themselves, this page-turning account will captivate anyone interested in caves and the preservation of natural wonders..
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"On the morning of my fifty-first birthday," writes author H. Jackson Brown, "I thought it would be interesting and maybe even enlightening to jot down a few things more than half a century of living had taught me." Soon he had accumulated quite a list. When a friend said he would contribute a few ideas of his own, Jackson decided to invite other friends and acquaintances -- from kindergarten kids and teenagers to senior citizens -- to join the effort.

Live And Learn And Pass It On contains the best of their answers, the combined wisdom of thousands of years of living. Here is what we have been taught by our parents, spouses, children, pastors, teachers, friends and enemies. They are lessons learned from loving and winning and loving and losing, the school of hard knocks, and the old method of trial and error. "Editing their entries convinced me that wisdom knows no age." Jackson says. "Regardless of how much we know, it is never enough. School is always in session, and life challenges us to excel at being both insatiable student and inspired teacher."

• I've learned that a strong code of ethics is as reliable as a compass. -- Age 43
• I've learned that you can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. -- Age 7
• I've learned that if I eat donuts today I wear them tomorrow. -- Age 39
• I've learned that goldfish don't like Jello. -- Age 5
• I've learned that I don't feel my age as long as I focus on my dreams instead of my regrets. -- Age 83
• I've learned that deciding who you will marry is the most important decision you'll ever make. -- Age 95
• I've learned that it's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble. -- Age 14
• I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decisions. -- Age 66
• I've learned that it always makes me feel good to see my parents holding hands. -- Age 13
• I've learned that life is like a blind date. Sometimes you just have to have a little faith! -- Age 23

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Running from a swamp fire, being lost in the jungle or working as line handlers through the Panama Canal this ordinary couple had extraordinary experiences. Join these motorhomers as they set out to explore Central America with their dog. Visit with them a candle-lit Mayan church high in the mountains of Guatemala, watch the rescue of passengers from a grounded ferry in Nicaragua, share their impromptu school presentation in El Salvador; and paddle upstream with them in an underground sacrificial cave in Belize. You will meet the special people they befriended and the unique places they camped in their RV.

* Discover how easy and safe an extraordinary adventure can be.

* Get clear directions to over 100 places where they and others have camped.

* Learn about the people you meet when you get off the beaten track.

* Find out how to transit the Panama Canal for free on a yacht.

* Gain information on how to take your dog and motorhome into all seven countries and safely back to the US..
Price: $12.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Lao-tzu's "Te-Tao Ching" has been treasured for thousands of years for its poetic statement of life's most profound and elusive truths. This new translation, based on the 1973 discovery of two copies of the manuscript more than five centuries older than any others known, corrects many defects of the later versions. In his extensive commentary, Professor Henricks reevaluates traditional interpretations..
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