19th century

Presents a biography of nineteenth-century author Herman Melville, and traces his rise and eventual decline in both critical and popular reception against the backdrop of 19th-century America.

Provides a history of nineteenth-century surgery and recounts Joseph Lister's discoveries about germs and infection.

Explores how the West rose and fell, discussing boomtowns,ranch life, cattle drives and more, while looking at the careers of such notable persons as William Sturgis, Theodore Roosevelt, and Clara Frewen.

Biography of nineteenth century author Herman Melville, drawing upon newly discovered family letters to present information on his life from childhood, to his sojourns at sea, to his inconsistent career as a writer.

Introduces the science behind the pioneers' epic journey to begin a new life in the West, discussing how covered wagons were engineered, how food was preserved, and how injuries and diseases were treated.

"A . . . biography of Edgar Allan Poe that examines the renowned author's life through the prism of his mysterious death and its many possible causes. . . Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7, 1849, at just forty, in a painful, utterly bizarre manner that would not have been out of place in one of his own tales of terror. What was the cause of his untimely death, and what happened to him during the three missing days before he was found, delirious and 'in great distress' on the streets of Baltimore, wearing ill-fitting clothes that were not his own? . . . Over the years, there has been a staggering amount of speculation about the cause of death, from rabies and syphilis to suicide, alcoholism, and even murder. But many of these theories are formed on the basis of the caricature we have come to associate with Poe . . . By debunking the myths of how he lived, we come closer to understanding the real Poe-and uncovering the truth behind his mysterious death, as a new theory emerges that could prove the cause of Poe's death was haunting him all his life"--Provided by publisher.

"With the freeing of four million enslaved people after the Civil War, the Reconstruction period brought new victories and challenges in the fight for Black rights. Learn more about this crucial period in US history"--Provided by publisher.

The Creek War is one of the most tragic episodes in American history, leading to the greatest loss of Native American life on what is now U.S. soil. What began as a vicious internal conflict among the Creek Indians metastasized like a cancer. The ensuing Creek War of 1813-1814 shattered Native American control of the Deep South and led to the infamous Trail of Tears, in which the government forcibly removed the southeastern Indians from their homeland. The war also gave Andrew Jackson his first combat leadership role, and his newfound popularity after defeating the Creeks would set him on the path to the White House. In A Brutal Reckoning, Peter Cozzens vividly captures the young Jackson, describing a brilliant but harsh military commander with unbridled ambition, a taste for cruelty, and a fraught sense of honor and duty. Jackson would not have won the war without the help of Native American allies, yet he denied their role and even insisted on their displacement, together with all the Indians of the American South in the Trail of Tears. A conflict involving not only white Americans and Native Americans, but also the British and the Spanish, the Creek War opened the Deep South to the Cotton Kingdom, setting the stage for the American Civil War yet to come. No other single Indian conflict had such significant impact on the fate of America--and A Brutal Reckoning is the definitive book on this forgotten chapter in our history.