"A myth-busting, 100-year history of the Mexican drug trade that reveals how an industry founded by farmers and village healers became dominated by cartels and kingpins. The Mexican drug trade has inspired prejudiced narratives of a war between north and south, white and brown; between noble cops and vicious kingpins, corrupt politicians and powerful cartels. In this first comprehensive history of the trade, historian Benjamin T. Smith tells the real...

Conducting an orchestra is something that is seen as well as heard, but it is quite misunderstood. People may wonder, "What does this person actually do for a living?" This most mysterious of jobs is brought to life in this book. Drawing on his own experiences on and off the podium, Leonard Slatkin tells tales of some of the most fascinating people in the musical world, including Frank Sinatra, Leonard Bernstein, and John Williams. He takes the reader...

"Our world was made on and by the Silk Roads. For millennia it was here that East and West encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas and cultures, the birth of the world's great religions, the appetites for foreigngoods that drove economies and the growth of nations. From the first cities in Mesopotamia to the growth of Greece and Rome to the depredations by the Mongols and the Black Death to the Great Game...

When Welles Crowther was a young boy in Nyack, NY, his father gave him a red handkerchief to keep in his back pocket, in case he ever needed it. He kept it with him on the way to church that day and nearly every day after. It was a fixture as he grew up, tucked in jeans or wrapped around his head as he played lacrosse for Boston College. The bandanna was a signature, long before it became a symbol. Welles was like a lot of us, if just a bit better...

Traces the dramatic story of J. Paul Getty and his family from the turn of the century--when the oil money began to flow--through the '50s, '60s, and '70s when the dream turned sour. With wealth beyond imagination, they built museums, founded charities, and ran an oil empire, but also experienced great misfortune and despair.

Using the latest marine survey techniques, HD photography, and underwater communications, National Geographic reveals one of the oldest intact shipwrecks in the world, which will transform understanding of 17th century trading. In the tradition of Jacques Cousteau, journey on an amazing expedition, conquering the unfamiliar, inaccessible waters of the Baltic Sea, to reveal one of the most technologically advanced trading ships of that time and cast...

"An intimate account of the service staff of the White House, from the Kennedys to the Obamas"-- America's First Families are unknowable in many ways. No one has insight into their true character like the people who serve their meals and make their beds every day. The Residence reveals daily life in the White House as it is really lived through the voices of the maids, butlers, cooks, florists, doormen, engineers, and others who tend to the needs...

"Did you know you could grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs in containers? Well, now you can take your houseplants to the next level by growing home-grown produce and seasoning that will taste delicious in all of your favorite dishes. How to Grow Your Own Food identifies 50 common, easy-to-grow edible plants from herbs to vegetables, along with detailed care instructions and beautiful illustrations of each plant. You'll find everything you need to...