history

Presents an examination of the rise of middlebrow culture in America during the first half of the twentieth century, describing the proliferation of the book-of-the-month club, reading groups, and book reviews that shaped middlebrow tastes and changed American culture.

Examines the CIA's installation of a nuclear-powered spy device, which was never removed, atop Nanda Devi to track Chinese troops; the threat the instrument poses; and the author's climbing experiences in the region.

Chronicles the life of Curzio Inghirami and reveals how he staged the most outlandish prank of the seventeenth century by forging an array of ancient Latin and Etruscan documents.

Historical photographs and text help chronicle the first automobile trip across the United States, by Horatio Nelson Jackson in 1903.

Presents a biography of Robert FitzRoy, captain of the "Beagle, " the ship on which Charles Darwin served as a naturalist, discussing his adventures and disappointments as a British Navy commander and governor of New Zealand, and examining his contributions to meteorological science.