The inspiring story of an Iraqi librarian's courageous fight to save books from the Basra Central Library before it was destroyed in the war.

It is 2003 and Alia Muhammad Baker, the chief librarian of the Central Library in Basra, Iraq, has grown worried given the increased likelihood of war in her country. Determined to preserve the irreplacable records of the culture and history of the land on which she lives from the destruction of the war, Alia undertakes a courageous and extremely dangerous task of spiriting away 30,000 books from the library to a safe place.

Told in dramatic graphic-novel panels by acclaimed cartoonist Mark Alan Stamaty, Alia's Mission celebrates the importance of books and the freedom to read, while examining the impact of war on a country and its people.

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Alia's Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq

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William Manchester

From tales of chivalrous knights to the barbarity of trial by ordeal, no era has been a greater source of awe, horror, and wonder than the Middle Ages. In handsomely crafted prose, and with the grace and authority of his extraordinary gift for narrative history, William Manchester leads us from a civilization tottering on the brink of collapse to the grandeur of its rebirth-the dense explosion of energy that spawned some of history's greatest poets, philosophers, painters, adventurers, and reformers, as well as some of its most spectacular villains- the Renaissance.

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance - Portrait of an Age

A World Lit Only by Fire

3c5f4c27-c9a2-4d30-9f00-af327db2d959-1

Sally Bedell Smith

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

Texas

The Life of a Modern Monarch

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Perfect for fans of The Crown, this magisterial biography of Queen Elizabeth II is a close-up view of the woman we’ve known only from a distance—and a captivating window into the last great monarchy. From the moment of her ascension to the throne in 1952 at the age of twenty-five, Queen Elizabeth II has been the object of unparalleled scrutiny. But through the fog of glamour and gossip, how well do we really know the world’s most famous monarch? Drawing on numerous interviews and never-before-revealed documents, acclaimed biographer Sally Bedell Smith pulls back the curtain to show in intimate detail the public and private lives of Queen Elizabeth II, who has led her country and Commonwealth through the wars and upheavals of the last sixty years with unparalleled composure, intelligence, and grace. In Elizabeth the Queen, we meet the young girl who suddenly becomes “heiress presumptive” when her uncle abdicates the throne. We meet the thirteen-year-old Lilibet as she falls in love with a young navy cadet named Philip and becomes determined to marry him, even though her parents prefer wealthier English aristocrats. We see the teenage Lilibet repairing army trucks during World War II and standing with Winston Churchill on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on V-E Day. We see the young Queen struggling to balance the demands of her job with her role as the mother of two young children. Sally Bedell Smith brings us inside the palace doors and into the Queen’s daily routines—the “red boxes” of documents she reviews each day, the weekly meetings she has had with twelve prime ministers, her physically demanding tours abroad, and the constant scrutiny of the press—as well as her personal relationships: with Prince Philip, her husband of sixty-four years and the love of her life; her children and their often-disastrous marriages; her grandchildren and friends. Praise for Elizabeth the Queen “An excellent, all-embracing new biography.”—The New York Times “[An] imposing, yet nimbly written, biography [that] dwarfs the field . . . a most satisfying and enjoyable read, one to be savored at length.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “Fascinating . . . After sixty years on the throne, the monarch of Britain is better known for her poker face than for sly wit or easy charm. Yet in biographer Sally Bedell Smith’s Elizabeth the Queen, Her Majesty sparkles with both.”—More “[A] smart and satisfying book.”—Los Angeles Times

Elizabeth the Queen

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Some water damage and staining to dust jacket and some pages.

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

South Carolina

The Wiesenthal File

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Susan Orlean

New York

Susan Orlean’s bestseller and New York Times Notable Book is “a sheer delight…as rich in insight and as varied as the treasures contained on the shelves in any local library” (USA TODAY)—a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution and an investigation into one of its greatest mysteries. “Everybody who loves books should check out The Library Book” (The Washington Post). On the morning of April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. The fire was disastrous: it reached two thousand degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who? Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a “delightful…reflection on the past, present, and future of libraries in America” (New York magazine) that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before. In the “exquisitely written, consistently entertaining” (The New York Times) The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries; brings each department of the library to vivid life; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago. “A book lover’s dream…an ambitiously researched, elegantly written book that serves as a portal into a place of history, drama, culture, and stories” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country.

The Library Book

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Graham Hancock

The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization

A search for evidence of a prehistoric, advanced civilization speculates about an Atlantis-like world buried beneath Antarctic ice and makes predictions about forthcoming geological disasters. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.

Fingerprints of the Gods

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Mitchell Zuckoff

Annex Security Team

Delaware

The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE -- IN THEATERS JANUARY 2016 The harrowing, true account from the brave men on the ground who fought back during the Battle of Benghazi. 13 HOURS presents, for the first time ever, the true account of the events of September 11, 2012, when terrorists attacked the US State Department Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA station called the Annex in Benghazi, Libya. A team of six American security operators fought to repel the attackers and protect the Americans stationed there. Those men went beyond the call of duty, performing extraordinary acts of courage and heroism, to avert tragedy on a much larger scale. This is their personal account, never before told, of what happened during the thirteen hours of that now-infamous attack. 13 HOURS sets the record straight on what happened during a night that has been shrouded in mystery and controversy. Written by New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Zuckoff, this riveting book takes readers into the action-packed story of heroes who laid their lives on the line for one another, for their countrymen, and for their country. 13 HOURS is a stunning, eye-opening, and intense book--but most importantly, it is the truth. The story of what happened to these men--and what they accomplished--is unforgettable.

13 Hours

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Good Neighbours

Frederick Douglass

Brent Hayes Edwards

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

An outspoken abolitionist, Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 1818, and after his escape in 1838, he repeatedly risked his own freedom as an antislavery lecturer, writer, and publisher. My Bondage and My Freedom represents ten years of reflection following his legal emancipation in 1846 and his break with his mentor, William Lloyd Garrison.

My Bondage and My Freedom

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I tried my best to erase any previous notes and markings from it, but you may still find some very light pencil markings throughout the book ( see pictures for examples). 
Cover shows signs of wear in some spots, but no major bents ( see pictures for examples) 

Feel free o reach out if you have any other questions or want more pictures.

Amusing the million - Coney Island at the Turn of the Century

2e2baf4a-a10a-4b9b-8d05-fadd00e14f9f-1

I tried my best to erase any previous notes and markings from it, but you may still find some very light pencil markings throughout the book ( see pictures for examples).

Cover shows signs of wear in some spots, but no major bents ( see pictures for examples)

Feel free o reach out if you have any other questions or want more pictures.

Blackout

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Nathaniel Philbrick

Wisconsin

Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

"An engrossing and tautly written account of a critical chapter in American history." --Los Angeles Times

Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Hurricane's Eye, Pulitzer Prize finalist Mayflower, and Valiant Ambition, is a historian with a unique ability to bring history to life. The Last Stand is Philbrick's monumental reappraisal of the epochal clash at the Little Bighorn in 1876 that gave birth to the legend of Custer's Last Stand. Bringing a wealth of new information to his subject, as well as his characteristic literary flair, Philbrick details the collision between two American icons- George Armstrong Custer and Sitting Bull-that both parties wished to avoid, and brilliantly explains how the battle that ensued has been shaped and reshaped by national myth.

The Last Stand

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Erik Larson

Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

An account of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 relates the stories of two men who shaped the history of the event--architect Daniel H. Burnham, who coordinated its construction, and serial killer Herman Mudgett.

The Devil in the White City

545b6122-6690-45b8-bd68-8149b48c4bac-1

Stephen E. Ambrose

Previous owner’s address label inside front cover, see pictures.

The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s over Germany 1944-45

Examines the lives of the pilots, bombardiers, navigators, and gunners chosen by the Air Force to embark on the most dangerous missions during World War II.

The Wild Blue

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David Grann

The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

Presents a true account of the early twentieth-century murders of dozens of wealthy Osage and law-enforcement officials, citing the contributions and missteps of a fledgling FBI that eventually uncovered one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

Killers of the Flower Moon

336a23d3-9c09-48d9-83ec-461b42ef41f5-1

Willard Sterne Randall

Pennsylvania

A Life

The highly praised one-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson that provides illuminating new insights into his public and private life--by the award-winning author of A Little Revenge: Benjamin Franklin at War with His Son and Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor.

Thomas Jefferson

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I tried my best to erase any previous notes and markings from it, but you may still find some very light pencil markings throughout the book ( see pictures for examples). Other than that, the book is in good condition. 
Feel free o reach out if you have any other questions or want more pictures.

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

Battle Lines - A graphic history of the Civil War

161b0df5-4842-4968-b3a3-b32c0ad6680d-0

Robert S. McNamara

Brian Vandemark

Massachusetts

The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam

1. Reasoning about knowledge: a survey2. Belief revision3. Epistemic aspects of databases4. Time and change for AI5. Temporal logic6. Towards a computational treatment of time7. Non montonic temporal reasoning8. Modal deduction with applications in epistemic and temporal logic

In Retrospect

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Emma Smith

Florida

A History of Books and Their Readers

A history of one of humankind's most resilient and influential technologies over the past millennium--the book. Revelatory and entertaining in equal measure, Portable Magic will charm and challenge literature lovers of all kinds as it illuminates the transformative power and eternal appeal of the written word.

Stephen King once said that books are "a uniquely portable magic." Here, Emma Smith takes readers on a literary adventure that spans centuries and circles the globe to uncover the reasons behind our obsession with this captivating object.

From disrupting the Western myth that the Gutenberg Press was the original printing project, to the decorative gift books that radicalized women to join the anti-slavery movement, to paperbacks being weaponized during World War II, to a book made entirely of plastic-wrapped slices of American cheese, Portable Magic explores how, when, and why books became so iconic. It's not just the content within a book that compels; it's the physical material itself, what Smith calls "bookhood": the smell, the feel of the pages, the margins to scribble in, the illustrations on the jacket, its solid heft. Every book is designed to influence our reading experience--to enchant, enrage, delight, and disturb us--and our longstanding love affair with books in turn has had direct, momentous consequences across time.

Portable Magic

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National Geographic

Huge Hardcover (6 to 8 lbs)

100 Discoveries That Changed the World

Blending high adventure with history, this chronicle of 100 astonishing discoveries from the Dead Sea Scrolls to the fabulous "Lost City of the Monkey God" tells incredible stories of how explorers and archaeologists have uncovered the clues that illuminate our past. Archaeology is the key that unlocks our deepest history. Ruined cities, golden treasures, cryptic inscriptions, and ornate tombs have been found across the world, and yet these artifacts of ages past often raised more questions than answers. But with the emergence of archaeology as a scientific discipline in the 19th century, everything changed. Illustrated with dazzling photographs, this enlightening narrative tells the story of human civilization through 100 key expeditions, spanning six continents and more than three million years of history. Each account relies on firsthand reports from explorers, antiquarians, and scientists as they crack secret codes, evade looters and political suppression, fall in love, commit a litany of blunders, and uncover ancient curses. Pivotal discoveries include: King Tut's tomb of treasure Terracotta warriors escorting China's first emperor into the afterlife The glorious Anglo-Saxon treasure of Sutton-Hoo Graves of the Scythians, the real Amazon warrior women New findings on the grim fate of the colonists of Jamestown With a foreword from bestselling author Douglas Preston, Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs is an expertly curated and breath-taking panorama of the human journey.

Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs

55705b66-9aeb-479a-b589-694043cea82a-1

Angus Konstam

The American Civil War has often been described as the first modern war. The reasons are obvious and persuasive. The sharpshooter with his spencer, repeating rifle, the ironclads, the submarine, the rifled old artillery pieces that could destroy a city.

From Small Arms to Siege Artillery

A comprehensive and handy-to-use guide to the weaponry of the American Civil War. Black-and-white photos, line drawings and diagrams throughout, with extensive historical background.

The Pocket Book of Civil War Weapons

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Reader's Digest Editors

Customs, Legends, History and Lore of Our Great Nation

The personal side of American history is revealed in a collection of anecdotes featuring the designer of Lincoln Logs, the Real McCoy, explanations of unusual customs, and a bonus guide to historic sites

Discovering America's Past

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North Dakota

From "New Yorker" staff writer David Grann, #1 "New York Times" best-selling author of "The Lost City of Z, " a twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. One Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was then slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances. In this last remnant of the Wild West where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes such as Al Spencer, the Phantom Terror, roamed virtually anyone who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage, the newly created F.B.I. took up the case, in what became one of the organization s first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. They infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history. In "Killers of the Flower Moon, "David Grann revisits a shocking series of crimes in which dozens of people were murdered in cold blood. The book is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, as each step in the investigation reveals a series of sinister secrets and reversals. But more than that, it is a searing indictment of the callousness and prejudice toward Native Americans that allowed the murderers to operate with impunity for so long. "Killers of the Flower Moon" is utterly riveting, but also emotionally devastating."

David McCullough

Nevada

Draws on personal correspondence and period diaries to present a history of the American Revolution that ranges from the siege of Boston, to the American defeat at Brooklyn and retreat across New Jersey, to the American victory at Trenton.

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Mark Alan Stamaty

Alia's Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq

William Manchester

A World Lit Only by Fire

Sally Bedell Smith

Elizabeth the Queen

Alan Levy

The Wiesenthal File

Susan Orlean

The Library Book

Graham Hancock

Fingerprints of the Gods

Mitchell Zuckoff; Annex Security Team

13 Hours

Walter Rose

Good Neighbours

Frederick Douglass; Brent Hayes Edwards

My Bondage and My Freedom

John F. Kasson

Amusing the million - Coney Island at the Turn of the Century

James Goodman

Blackout

Nathaniel Philbrick

The Last Stand

Erik Larson

The Devil in the White City

Stephen E. Ambrose

The Wild Blue

David Grann

Killers of the Flower Moon

Willard Sterne Randall

Thomas Jefferson

Ari Kelman & Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

Battle Lines - A graphic history of the Civil War

Robert S. McNamara; Brian Vandemark

In Retrospect

Emma Smith

Portable Magic

National Geographic

Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs

Angus Konstam

The Pocket Book of Civil War Weapons

Reader's Digest Editors

Discovering America's Past

David Grann

Killers of the Flower Moon

David McCullough

1786