March is the month of our "world famous in Christchurch" book sale. - Friday 11 March, 9:00am - 7:00pm
- Saturday 12 March, 9:00am - 4:00pm
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| In a different key: The story of autism by John Donvan and Caren ZuckerIn 1943, Donald Triplett of Forest, Mississippi was the first person to be diagnosed with autism. This comprehensive history of the condition by journalists John Donvan and Caren Zucker traces Triplett's story (which has a positive outcome) and those of many others. The book describes unfortunate early approaches to autism and includes recent advances in diagnosis, education, and social inclusion, offering hope for people with autism and their families. For more on current views of the subject, try Steve Silberman's accessible and richly detailed Neurotribes. |
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| Agincourt: The fight for France by Ranulph FiennesIn the early 15th century, English kings struggled to retain control over their territories in France. The crucial battle in this rivalry occurred at Agincourt in October 1415. Noted British explorer Ranulph Fiennes recounts the conflict while detailing how several of his ancestors participated -- on both sides of the fight! Both an intriguing family history and a vividly described military drama, this book also illuminates the centuries-long English-French animosity that dates at least to William's 1066 defeat of Harold. Publishers Weekly calls this a "stylish, substantive" commentary. |
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Ancient ancestors: From the big bang to modern Britain, in science and myth
by Anthony Adolph
How is the Royal Family descended from fish? How distantly are we related to dinosaurs? How much of your DNA came from Neanderthals? How are the builders of Stonehenge connected to your great-grandpa? According to science, life first appeared on Earth about 3,500 million years ago. Every living thing is descended from that first spark, including all of us. But if we trace a direct line down from those original life forms to ourselves, what do we find? What is the full story of our family tree over the past 3,500 million years, and how are we able to trace ourselves so far back? This book charts not only the extraordinary story of our ancient ancestors but also our 40,000-year-long quest to discover our roots.
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At the beach: 100 years of summer fashion in New Zealand
by Cecilie Geary
Celebrates changing beach fashions and fun since the early 1900s. What we did and what we wore reveals our relationship to the coast and the changes in social attitudes to modesty and participation in leisure pursuits. From the neck to knee bathers of the Edwardian era to the skimpy bikinis of the 1970s and beyond see how and why swimwear shrank. With over 100 images the book shares some personal beach experiences, explores the relationship between glamour and the beach, the rise of the perfect tan, and uncovers the history of our swimwear industry riding the local and global fashion wave. At the Beach goes in search of the influence of the beach on our New Zealand identity.
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Scarlet women: The scandalous lives of courtesans, concubines, and royal mistresses
by Ian Graham
Courtesans were an elite group of talented, professional mistresses. The most successful became wealthy and famous in their own right. While they led charmed lives, they occupied a curious position: they enjoyed freedom and political power unknown to most women, but they were ostracised by polite society. From the hetaerae of ancient Greece to the cortigiani onesti of 16th century Venice, the oiran of Edo-period Japan to the demimondaines of 19th century France, this captivating book uncovers the rich, colourful lives of these women who dared to pursue fortunes outside their societies' norms.
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Republic of spin: An inside history of the American presidency
by David Greenberg
A history of the political publicity methods of the past century that documents the rise of the White House "spin machine" to illuminate the art of image-making and message craft, citing the activities of presidents and back-stage strategists as well as ongoing debates about the impact of spin on politics.
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David's sling: A history of democracy in ten works of art
by Victoria C Gardner Coates
David's Sling illustrates the marriage of art and democracy through analysing 10 works of art that commemorate the success of free societies and the cultural changes that created them, including the Parthenon, Michelangelo's David and Picasso's Guernica.
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One child: The story of China's most radical experiment
by Mei Fong
When Communist Party leaders adopted the one-child policy in 1980, they hoped curbing birth-rates would help lift China's poorest and increase the country's global stature. But at what cost? Now, as China closes the book on the policy after more than three decades, it faces a population grown too old and too male, with a vastly diminished supply of young workers. Mei Fong has spent years documenting the policy's repercussions on every sector of Chinese society. In One Child, she explores its true human impact, travelling across China to meet the people who live with its consequences.
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"Peshawar's beautiful -- a true city of the East, teeming with people, noisy, polluted, with nonstop traffic. BRRRMMM, BRRRMMM." ~ from Emmanuel Guibert and Didier Lefèvre's The Photographer
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| Woman rebel: The Margaret Sanger story by Peter BaggeIn this "modern masterpiece" (Publishers Weekly), cartoon artist Peter Bagge vividly portrays contraception pioneer Margaret Sanger, presenting her in lively fashion rather than as a remote historical figure. Bagge's compelling text and drawings relate Sanger's life from her childhood through her career as a feminist health advocate and "Woman Rebel" (the title of the journal she published). If you're interested in the history of women's health or curious about Sanger's life, be sure to check out this biographical study. Extensive notes and an afterword reveal the depth of Bagge's research. |
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| The photographer by Emmanuel Guibert and Didier Lefèvre; design by Frédéric Lemercier; translated by Alexis SiegelIn a riveting compilation of photographs by Didier Lefèvre and illustrations by Emmanuel Guibert, The Photographer recounts Lefèvre's dangerous 1986 round trip between Normandy and Afghanistan as a documentary photographer for Doctors Without Borders. Lefèvre's photographs provide most of the storytelling, while his text and Guibert's drawings fill in context, supply information where relevant photographs are unavailable, and transport readers to the middle of Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation. The French-language edition of this account of life in a war zone won a Bédélys Prize in Canada and was a European bestseller. |
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To end all wars: The graphic anthology of the First World War
by John Clark
An omnibus of 27 short graphic narratives based on actual events, characters, circumstances, incidents, myths or consequences of WWI. Featuring the four theatres of war (land, sea, air and the home front), spanning four continents and drawn from both sides of the conflict, the stories range from 4 to 16 pages, each by a different author and/or illustrator from the world of independent comics.
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| Footnotes in Gaza by Joe SaccoAward-winning comics journalist Joe Sacco relates how he sought out refugees who witnessed the 1956 massacres of Palestinians in the Sinai villages of Rafah and Khan Younis. Interweaving the survivors' accounts with his depiction of life in Gaza in 2003, he also vividly portrays the risks he took to collect the interviews. Sacco's photo-like exterior details and cartoon-style renditions of people and interiors add visual impact this gripping account, which presents the first full report on the events of 1956 and brings home to readers the realities of life in contemporary Gaza. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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