Chronicles

There are indeed enough Histories of China already: why yet another one? Because the time has come for new departures; because we need to clear away the false notions with which the general public is constantly being fed by one author after another; because from time to time syntheses become necessary for the presentation of the stage reached by research.

Histories of China fall, with few exceptions, into one or the other of two groups, pro-Chinese and anti-Chinese: the latter used to predominate, but today the former type is much more frequently found. We have no desire to show that China’s history is the most glorious or her civilization the oldest in the world. A claim to the longest history does not establish the greatness of a civilization; the importance of a civilization becomes apparent in its achievements.

A thousand years ago China’s civilization towered over those of the peoples of Europe. Today the West is leading; tomorrow China may lead again. We need to realize how China became what she is, and to note the paths pursued by the Chinese in human thought and action. The lives of emperors, the great battles, this or the other famous deed, matter less to us than the discovery of the great forces that underlie these features and govern the human element.

Only when we have knowledge of those forces and counter-forces can we realize the significance of the great personalities who have emerged in China; and only then will the history of China become intelligible even to those who have little knowledge of the Far East and can make nothing of a mere enumeration of dynasties and campaigns.

History of the Philippine Islands is an old history of the Philippines, from their discovery by Magellan in 1521 to the beginning of the 17th century, with descriptions of Japan, China and adjacent countries.

By Antonio de Morga, Alcalde of Criminal Causes, in the Royal Audiencia of Nueva España, and Counsel for the Holy Office of the Inquisition

The title, "History of Holland," given to this volume is fully justified by the predominant part which the great maritime province of Holland took in the War of Independence and throughout the whole of the subsequent history of the Dutch state and people. In every language the country, comprising the provinces of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Friesland, Gelderland, Overyssel and Groningen, has, from the close of the sixteenth century to our own day, been currently spoken of as Holland, and the people as 'Hollanders.' It is only rarely that the terms the Republic of the United Provinces, or of the United Netherlands, and in later times the Kingdom of the Netherlands, are found outside official documents. Just as the title "History of England" gradually includes the histories of Wales, of Scotland, of Ireland, and finally of the widespread British Empire, so is it in a smaller way with the history that is told in the following pages. 

In 1860, with North and South about to be divided by war, East and West were united through an extraordinary venture -- the Pony Express. Over the course of ten days in April, eighty riders and five hundred horses delivered mail between California and Missouri -- a mission that took three weeks by stagecoach.

Although it existed for only a year and a half, the Pony Express remains a legendary chapter in American history and a symbol of the bold, adventurous character of the Old West. The spirit of the brave riders and their ponies is captured perfectly in Glenn D. Bradley's audiobook.

From before its earliest settlement to the vibrant metropolis that exists today, the island of Manhattan has always been a place of struggle, growth, and radical transformation. Humans, history, and natural events have shaped this tiny sliver of land for more than 400 years.

This audiobook explores the rich history that still draws people from all around the world to the island’s shores today. From The Battery downtown up to Inwood, every inch of the island has a story to tell. Here the history of New York City is told as a story, in few words. The effort has been to make it accurate and interesting. 

"The Hon. Emily Lawless has brought together enough historic material to establish the claim of the Emerald isle to a place among the nations of the earth. There were days when, as in England, noble lords and fair ladies lived in splendor and were the pride of their country, and when Ireland's sons believed in her future. The story of these days, of the early English invasions, and of the causes which have led to the present condition of the country, are briefly but conscientiously sketched by Miss Lawless." -The North American Review

Comprehensive and engaging, The Story of Ireland is an eye-opening account of a nation that has long been shaped by forces beyond its coasts. The Story of Ireland re-examines Irish history, challenging the accepted stories and long-held myths associated with Ireland. The Story of Ireland is an essential text for readers who are fascinated by events, politics, and history.

On the morning of April 18, 1906, San Francisco was struck by a violent earthquake that shook the city and ignited an even deadlier menace–-a three-day fire that burned up and down the city's streets and incinerated its buildings and neighborhoods. Landmarks, homes, hotels, churches, and artwork were reduced to rubble and ash. Hundreds died, and thousands more struggled to find food, money, and shelter or fled the city by ferry.

Pennsylvania native Charles Morris, one of the more prolific and versatile writers of his day, went to San Francisco immediately following the earthquake to interview survivors and observe the mayhem. The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire was rushed into print a few weeks thereafter. Considered the first full and balanced account of the earthquake and fire, Morris's gripping record combines dramatic eyewitness accounts and firsthand observations with scientific fact and grim detail, contrasting romantic tales of heroism and escape with the stark realism of devastation, death, and loss.

For more than three centuries the trading nations of Europe were suffered to pursue their commerce or forced to abandon their gains at the bidding of pirates.

From the days when Barbarossa defied the whole strength of the Emperor Charles V., to the early part of the present century, when prizes were taken by Algerine rovers under the guns, so to say, of all the fleets of Europe, the Corsairs were masters of the narrow seas, and dictated their own terms to all comers.

Nothing but the creation of the large standing navies of the present age crippled them; nothing less than the conquest of their too convenient coasts could have thoroughly suppressed them.

Hilaire Belloc's history of the battle at Waterloo and its ultimate meaning and the lasting effect it has had on Western Europe. A brilliant analysis, as only Hilaire Belloc can provide. "Waterloo" is a great study for historians, Belloc fans, and adventurers. 

George Rawlinson (1812-1902) was a prolific author about classical history, and The Story of Ancient Egypt is one of Rawlinson’s most famous works. From the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria to the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Ancient Egyptians produced several wonders of the world, revolutionized architecture and construction, created some of the world’s first systems of mathematics and medicine, and established language and art that spread across the known world.

With world-famous leaders like King Tut and Cleopatra, it’s no wonder that today’s world has so many Egyptologists. What makes the accomplishments of the Ancient Egyptians all the more remarkable is that Egypt was historically a place of great political turbulence. Its position made it both valuable and vulnerable to tribes across the Mediterranean and the Middle East, and Ancient Egypt had no shortage of its own internecine warfare. Its most famous conquerors would come from Europe, with Alexander the Great laying the groundwork for the Hellenic Ptolemy line and the Romans extinguishing that line after defeating Cleopatra and driving her to suicide.

The Germania, written by the Roman historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus around 98 ad and originally entitled On the Origin and Situation of the Germans (Latin: De origine et situ Germanorum), was a historical and ethnographic work on the Germanic peoples outside the Roman Empire.

Lady Sarah Wilson (4 July 1865 – 22 October 1929), born Lady Sarah Isabella Augusta Spencer-Churchill, became one of the first woman war correspondents in 1899, when she was recruited by Alfred Harmsworth to cover the Siege of Mafeking for the Daily Mail during the Second Boer War.

This book has been deemed as a classic and has stood the test of time. The book has been considered by academicians and scholars of great significance and value to literature. 

Pagan and Christian Rome comprises a parallel topographical and archaeological study of pagan and Christian Rome, showing the decline of one and the rise of the other.

The audiobook describes the transformation of Rome from a pagan to a Christian city, contrasts the pagan temples with Christian churches, pagan cemeteries with catacombs, and the tombs of the Emperors with the tombs of the Popes.

The author brings his knowledge of the subject in general to bear on those researches which have of late years made almost a new era in the archaeological history of the Eternal City; and his book is written in the same fascinating style as was his previous volume, Ancient Rome In the Light of Recent Discoveries.

This story of Bokwala, a Congo victim, has been written in the belief that it will help the friends of the Congo native to see something of how Congo affairs appear when looked at from the standpoint of those whom they most nearly concern in their actual working, i.e., the Congo natives themselves.

Bokwala’s story is the truth, and nothing but the truth. The whole truth, however, is written only in tears and blood wrung from the unfortunate people who are subjects of such treatment as is described in this book. Even if it were written with pen and ink, it could not be printed or circulated generally. No extreme case has been chosen, the story told has none of the very worst elements of Congo life in it; it is the life which has been lived by hundreds and thousands of Congo natives, and in great measure is being lived by them to-day.

As an historian, teacher, and author of political science textbooks, Jesse Macy in 1919 gives an interesting and unique look at the political climate at a very difficult and historic time in America. In reading this historical writing from nearly 100 years ago about the happenings in the years immediately prior to the American Civil War, it is a reminder not only of the strides we have achieved over the years and generations toward individual freedom and equality but a reminder of what is yet left to achieve.

In 1919, Lansing became the nominal head of the US Commission to the Paris Peace Conference afther the World War I. Because he did not regard the League of Nations as essential to the peace treaty, Lansing began to fall out of favor with Wilson, for whom participation in the League of Nations was a primary goal.

During Wilson's stroke and illness, Lansing called the cabinet together for consultations on several occasions. In addition, he was the first cabinet member to suggest that Vice President Thomas R. Marshall assume the powers of the presidency. Displeased by Lansing's independence, Edith Wilson requested Lansing's resignation. Lansing stepped down from his post on February 12, 1920.

Harry B, Irving has complied a collection of the most interesting criminals. The introduction begins, ""The silent workings, and still more the explosions, of human passion which bring to light the darker elements of man's nature present to the philosophical observer considerations of intrinsic interest; while to the jurist, the study of human nature and human character with its infinite varieties, especially as affecting the connection between motive and action, between irregular desire or evil disposition and crime itself, is equally indispensable and difficult".

The biographies in this work include: The life of Charles Peace; The career of Robert Butler; M. Derues; Dr. Castaing; Professor Webster; The mysterious Mr. Holmes; The widow Gras; Vitalis and Marie Boyer; The Fenayrou case; Eyraud and Bompard.

The Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters is an exciting collection of first-hand stories describing the catastrophe of Titanic’s maiden voyage as told by its survivors shortly after the ship sank.

Originally written and published in 1912, this audiobook was the very first attempt to solve the mystery of the accident and relieve the heartache it stirred internationally. Marshall narrates the personal stories of Titanic’s passengers before, during, and after the sinking of the ill-fated ship.

This book takes us back in time and forces us to understand the trauma of our ancestors from a not-so-comfortable distance. Listen to the voices of real passengers tell their own touching stories of tragedy and see the photographs and sketches that accompany their stories.