Showing results by narrator "J. A. Smith" in All Categories

Irish author Bram Stoker is considered one of the masters of Gothic horror, in large part due to his creation of one of modern culture’s most enduring villains, Count Dracula. Making a life first in civil service and then in the theater, Stoker drew upon his personal experiences, his deepest fears, and the larger-than-life people in his inner circle to create his timeless masterpiece, cementing his own immortality in the process.

The State of Israel was founded in conflict, and in the first ten years of its existence, it was involved in two major wars with its Arab neighbors. The First Arab-Israeli War began almost the moment that the new state was announced in May 1948. Although it barely had time to create armed forces, somehow Israel survived a simultaneous invasion by armies from four Arab states during that conflict. In 1956, Israel found itself at war again, this time fighting alongside Britain and France, who had launched an invasion of Egypt after fears that the Suez Canal might be closed.

The British Raj refers to the time from 1858 to 1947 when the British Crown directly ruled the Indian subcontinent. During those 90 years, India saw enormous social, political, and cultural upheaval. New systems of education were introduced, and increasing industrialization brought societal change. The British administration also united large numbers of indigenous people, though they were often united mainly by their opposition to the British and their desire for independence.

Mary Wollstonecraft is an undisputed icon for women’s rights, and this is not a status she earned lightly. Daring to demand equality at a time when it was incredibly risky to do so, Wollstonecraft developed a long resume of standing up to those that wished to subvert her rights and the rights of those she loved. She stood up to her own father as a teenager when he abused her mother, and she didn’t hesitate to help her sister escape from a similarly tyrannical husband.

Poetry. Literary nonfiction. Fiction. Drama. LGBTQIA studies. Women's studies. Compiled in one book for the first time, featuring both new and out-of-print pieces, the contents of The Judy Grahn Reader span four decades of work by the prominent writer and activist. This volume contains writing from every phase of Judy Grahn's career, including poems from all of her major poetry collections, a number of her groundbreaking essays, as well as selected fiction and the full-length play The Queen of Swords.

In a clear, lively style, Barnes offers general overviews of every variety of disease and their carriers, from insects and worms through rodent vectors to household pets and farm animals. She devotes whole chapters to major infectious diseases such as leprosy, syphilis, smallpox, and influenza. Other chapters concentrate on categories of diseases ("gut bugs", for example, including cholera, typhus, and salmonella).

An international drug kingpin with a cult following, Pablo Escobar is legendary for his infamy, but he began his life with rather modest roots. Born to a simple farmer, no one ever dreamed Escobar would become the number one drug dealer in the world. He carved out a drug empire in the city of Medellín, Colombia, and the surrounding Aburrá Valley and Andes mountain range.

Richard Pryor was one of the greatest comedic minds of all time, but his stand-up routine was more than just comedy. His deft navigation through the human condition often made it seem like his comic observations were more akin to a cathartic form of group therapy. As Pryor ran through all the ills of human existence, it was as if he were embarking upon a great purging of the psyche for both him and the audience.

Nancy Wake was a brave woman. She risked her life behind enemy lines during the Nazi occupation of France in the Second World War. The Gestapo dubbed her “The White Mouse” for her uncanny ability to evade their traps. When it became too dangerous, she left France—not to flee—but to join the resistance. Before the war, Nancy lived a life of luxury with her husband, a wealthy French industrialist.

Among the legendary heroes and outlaws of the Wild West, few names echo louder than that of Wild Bill Hickok. Wild Bill wasn’t just a name whispered in saloons or shouted on the stage of Buffalo Bill’s world-famous Wild West shows. Long before he stepped onto any stage, Wild Bill had carved his path in blood, sweat, and gunpowder. He was a Civil War scout who could read the vast plains like a map, a fearless marshal who faced down lawlessness, and a frontier sheriff whose very name sent ripples through the towns he protected.

James Baldwin grew up in a poverty-stricken home, but through the skill of his prose and his keen observation, he was able to rise above it all. Baldwin was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of artist who had an uncanny understanding of people, situations, and the status quo. As a writer, Baldwin was highly critical of many aspects of society, and he used his pen to question why things were the way they were. This audiobook follows James Baldwin’s journey from Harlem to France, as he sorts out both his personal inclinations and the world as a whole.

In this audiobook, you will hear about the Vietnamese, who fought for their country against an enemy with superior weaponry and naval support. Learn about why the world powers of China, the Soviet Union, and the United States all got involved in the First Indochina War, and how that led to the division of Vietnam into a communist North Vietnam and capitalist South Vietnam in the years leading up to the Vietnam War.

Jim Morrison—the name still evokes an image of a rough-hewn rock star, absolutely oozing both profound intellectual wisdom as well as an inordinate amount of cool charisma. Few could encapsulate two ends of the spectrum as well as he did, but Jim Morrison was both the wild man and the soft-spoken poet. He was Mr. Mojo Risin’, ready to party, and that quiet voice searching for soft asylum all at the same time. This book examines both of these dynamic poles of Jim Morrison’s personality and more.

The Great Northern War was a war waged by Russia, Denmark-Norway, and Saxony-Poland-Lithuania against the Swedish Empire from 1700 to 1721. It also engaged several of the other great powers of Europe at the time, engulfing much of the continent and its colonies in more than two decades of war. It was part of a long and almost constant series of wars fought home and around the world by European nations over control of more land, resources, and wealth. By its end, Russia had firmly established its ascendency, while Sweden would no longer pose a threat as a major empire.

David Bowie is known all over the world for a string of hit songs and a reputation for extravagance on stage. He was the one, after all, who helped launch glam rock in the 1970s. Who could ever forget his persona of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars? When Bowie had ridden this wave to its conclusion, he found new ways to reinvent himself. He embraced soul, funk, hard rock, and even the industrial machinations of Nine Inch Nails.

With his fiery piano-playing style and powerful stage presence, Jerry Lee Lewis enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame. Although his time as a relevant artist was comparably brief, that short time in the sun was nothing short of revolutionary. While his run lasted, Lewis played a pivotal role in forging what would become classic rock and roll and rockabilly.

The history of China as a single nation began more than 2,000 years ago, when Qin Shi Huangdi first united a group of warring kingdoms into a single empire. China was then ruled by a series of imperial dynasties until the last one—the Qing Dynasty—fell in 1912. The 275-year period of Qing rule saw China becoming a world superpower, gaining dominance over present-day Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam, as well as becoming the center of global trade.

In terms of world history, the year 1815 is mainly remembered for the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. But something else happened that year which is now largely forgotten but which had a fundamental impact on the whole world in the years that followed. In April 1815, a volcano erupted on the island of Sumbawa in present-day Indonesia. The eruption itself was so powerful that it was audible thousands of miles away.

Scientists estimate that in normal conditions a human being regularly has an average of 30,000 to 40,000 daily thoughts. And according to research, depression is always preceded by repetitive negative thinking and not vice versa, and reducing the number of negative thoughts per day actually reduces both the frequency and intensity of depressive feelings and emotions! These crucial findings constitute the starting point of the seven lessons and seven exercises contained in this beginner's guidebook, designed to help you break the habit of negative thinking now!

Michael Jackson is undoubtedly a legend. His music is known all over the world, and his status as the “King of Pop” is rarely if ever disputed. However, as much as we know about Jackson’s larger-than-life presence on the stage, less is known about the story of his life. MJ dominated the '80s, then fell hard in the '90s, but was poised for a comeback in 2009. He would put everything on the line to make sure that his performance was flawless. Although he would ultimately leave this mortal plane in the undertaking, his legacy would become greater than ever before.