The moving and untold story of the Russian advance into East Prussia in 1945, and the fight for survival of a people and their way of life

Aviation books were a unique and prolific subgenre of American juvenile literature from the early to mid-20th century, drawing upon the nation's intensifying interest. The first books of this type, Harry L. Sayler's series Airship Boys, appeared shortly after the Wright brothers' first successful flight in 1909. Following Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic, popular series like Ted Scott and Andy Lane established the "golden age" of juvenile aviation literature. This work examines the 375 juvenile aviation series titles published between 1909 and 1964. It weaves together several thematic threads, including the placement of aviation narratives within the context of major historical events, the technical accuracy in depictions of flying machines and the ways in which characters reflected the culture of their eras. Three appendices provide publication data for each series, a list of referenced aircraft and an annotated bibliography; there is a full index.

How popular culture helped to create class in nineteenth-century America

The story of the only person to attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon, and the golden age of Polar Exploration.

Colin O’Brady’s awe-inspiring, New York Times bestselling memoir recounting his recovery from a tragic accident and his record-setting 932-mile solo crossing of Antarctica is a “jaw-dropping tale of passion and perseverance” (Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author of Grit). Prior to December 2018, no individual had ever crossed the landmass of Antarctica alone, without support and completely human powered. Yet, Colin O’Brady was determined to do just that, even if, ten years earlier, there was doubt that he’d ever walk again normally. From the depths of a tragic accident, he fought his way back. In a quest to unlock his potential and discover what was possible, he went on to set three mountaineering world records before turning to this historic Antarctic challenge. O’Brady’s pursuit of a goal that had eluded many others was made even more intense by a head-to-head battle that emerged with British polar explorer Captain Louis Rudd—also striving to be “the first.” Enduring Antarctica’s sub-zero temperatures and pulling a sled that initially weighed 375 pounds—in complete isolation and through a succession of whiteouts, storms, and a series of near disasters—O’Brady persevered. Alone with his thoughts for nearly two months in the vastness of the frozen continent—gripped by fear and doubt—he reflected on his past, seeking courage and inspiration in the relationships and experiences that had shaped his life. “Incredibly engaging and well-written” (The Wall Street Journal)—and set against the backdrop of some of the most extreme environments on earth, from Mt. Everest to Antarctica—this is “an unforgettable memoir of perseverance, survival, daring to dream big, and showing the world how to make the impossible possible” (Booklist, starred review).

Do your students consider taking a trip on an airplane an amazing, exciting adventure? If they don't now, they will after learning about how Charles Lindbergh ushered in the age of commercial flight in an historic flight from New York to Paris. They'll discover how Lindbergh's early flying experiences uniquely qualified him for his flight across the Atlantic. It's a flight they won't forget, and it will teach them to appreciate their next flight experience as they never have before.

A co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize offers a clear-eyed explanation of the planet’s imperiled ice. Much has been written about global warming, but the crucial relationship between people and ice has received little focus—until now. As one of the world’s leading experts on climate change, Henry Pollack provides an accessible, comprehensive survey of ice as a force of nature, and the potential consequences as we face the possibility of a world without ice. A World Without Ice traces the effect of mountain glaciers on supplies of drinking water and agricultural irrigation, as well as the current results of melting permafrost and shrinking Arctic sea ice—a situation that has degraded the habitat of numerous animals and sparked an international race for seabed oil and minerals. Catastrophic possibilities loom, including rising sea levels and subsequent flooding of lowlying regions worldwide, and the ultimate displacement of millions of coastal residents. A World Without Ice answers our most urgent questions about this pending crisis, laying out the necessary steps for managing the unavoidable and avoiding the unmanageable.

In the early hours of Thursday, July 10, 1919 hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers rushed out onto the streets and rooftops and gaped up into the sky as a great silver ship, hundreds of feet long, rolled slowly across the city. Restaurants, hotels, theatres and bars emptied as people took to the street to gaze upwards. The ship seemed to hover over the New York Times building in 42nd street before turning its bow to the east and heading off towards the Atlantic. New Yorkers had never seen anything like it. They were left to wonder as the thrum of the engines died away. But it was no alien visitation. The huge silver craft, bearing a lion rampant across its bow, was the Scottish-built airship R34 manned by a 30-strong crew of World War I veterans (and a stowaway cat). A few days earlier the R34 had made the first-ever east-west flight across the Atlantic against powerful head winds and electrical storms. The flight of the R34 was one of the great feats of British aviation and it has been shamefully forgotten - but there is a wealth of information out there. Some of it is in the diary kept by General Edward Maitland, which was later published, other material comes from the flight reports of the airship's officers, crew diaries, press interviews, and technical information buried in the National Archives in Kew and in the records of the royal Aeronautical Society and the New York Times. Weaving all of this together, George Rosie paints a vivid picture of the great feats of early 19th Century aviation and one of which Scotland should be immensely proud.