A sparkling and eye-opening history of the Broadway musical that changed the world In the half-century since its premiere, Fiddler on the Roof has had an astonishing global impact. Beloved by audiences the world over, performed from rural high schools to grand state theaters, Fiddler is a supremely potent cultural landmark. In a history as captivating as its subject, award-winning drama critic Alisa Solomon traces how and why the story of Tevye the milkman, the creation of the great Yiddish writer Sholem-Aleichem, was reborn as blockbuster entertainment and a cultural touchstone, not only for Jews and not only in America. It is a story of the theater, following Tevye from his humble appearance on the New York Yiddish stage, through his adoption by leftist dramatists as a symbol of oppression, to his Broadway debut in one of the last big book musicals, and his ultimate destination—a major Hollywood picture. Solomon reveals how the show spoke to the deepest conflicts and desires of its time: the fraying of tradition, generational tension, the loss of roots. Audiences everywhere found in Fiddler immediate resonance and a usable past, whether in Warsaw, where it unlocked the taboo subject of Jewish history, or in Tokyo, where the producer asked how Americans could understand a story that is "so Japanese." Rich, entertaining, and original, Wonder of Wonders reveals the surprising and enduring legacy of a show about tradition that itself became a tradition. Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles.

The Colossus of Rhodes, the majestic Pyramids of Giza, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the spellbinding Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the breathtaking Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Just one of them survives today. But with the book How the Wonders of the World Were Built you can go back in time and learn the secrets of how these gems of ancient architecture were created. They shine from the past... and their light is not diminishing. The gems of antiquity are proof of human endeavours to cope with the wonders of nature. People have always wanted more: to improve existing process and methods and find new opportunities. They want to create something new, something that evokes a feeling of amazement and admiration. A masterpiece that will provide the creators with immortality and fame during their lives.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and all sorts of mysteries attaching to them, have intrigued people since the second century BCE. Why were these particular creations chosen and when? And why did the ancients want to draw up such a list in the first place? What were the technical and cultural factors involved in the creation and listing of the Wonders? The Seven Wonders still rival many of the phenomenal products of both nature and mankind in their size, majesty, and beauty. Six of them no longer stand, having been destroyed by natural disaster or by human intervention. From the Pyramids at Giza to the Colossus of Rhodes, from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the Lighthouse of Alexandria, from the Temple of Ephesus to the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World have never ceased to fascinate down the ages.

Explore the most amazing wonders of the ancient world! More than 2,000 years ago, travelers wrote about the incredible sights they saw while on their journeys. They told tales of hanging gardens that were built for a Babylonian queen, and a colossal statue that guided ships through the harbor of Rhodes in Greece. These writers compiled a list of the very best of these sights that are now known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Author Yona Zeldis McDonough takes the readers on a trip to the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the Great Pyramids in Egypt (the only Wonder still standing), the Statue of Zeus at Olympia and the Colossus of Rhodes in ancient Greece, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Temple of Artemis, detailing the creativity and skill that these early civilizations possessed.

An enticing survey for the general reader. The scope is broad, from discussion of the field of archaeology, and of human origins, to a survey of the early settlements and ancient kingdoms of the world, arranged by region. Thematic "portfolio" sections take up such topics as the origin of writing, metal use, textiles, and the potter's art. Abundantly and spectacularly illustrated. Lacks a bibliography. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

First published in 1988. Can you name the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? Did they even exist? The Pharos at Alexandria survived into the Middle Ages, but the Hanging Gardens of Babylon exist only in references by ancient authors and the Colossus of Rhodes if too improbable to have existed in the form and place traditionally ascribed to it. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World sets the record straight, with an attractive account of each Wonder in the context in which it was built. The authors combine ancient sources with the results of modern scholarship and excavations to recreate a vivid picture of the Seven Wonders. All experts in their specialist fields, the contributors bring together facts and background that are remarkably difficult to find from any other single source and establish for the fist time the archaeology and location of each Wonder.

Describes the architectural achievements of the ancient world known as the Seven Wonders of the World: the Pyramids at Giza, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, and the Colossus of Rhodes.

“A poet celebrates the wonders of nature in a collection of essays that could almost serve as a coming-of-age memoir.” —Kirkus Reviews As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted—no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape—she was able to turn to our world’s fierce and funny creatures for guidance. “What the peacock can do,” she tells us, “is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life.” The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world’s gifts. Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is a book of sustenance and joy. Praise for World of Wonders Barnes & Noble 2020 Book of the Year An NPR Best Book of 2020 An Esquire Best Book of 2020 A Publishers Weekly “Big Indie Book of Fall 2020” A BuzzFeed Best Book of Fall 2020 “Hands-down one of the most beautiful books of the year.” —NPR “A timely story about love, identity and belonging.” —New York Times Book Review “A truly wonderous essay collection.” —Roxane Gay, The Audacity

The History of Science Fiction traces the origin and development of science fiction from Ancient Greece up to the present day. The author is both an academic literary critic and acclaimed creative writer of the genre. Written in lively, accessible prose it is specifically designed to bridge the worlds of academic criticism and SF fandom.