The Battle of New Market was the first of a series of engagements taking place in the summer and fall of 1864 that destroyed Confederate power in the Shenandoah Valley, although the battle itself hardly presaged such an outcome. The battlefield has been preserved and developed in relatively recent times. It has, however, been an object of interest and reverence almost since the moment the battle ended. The Battle of New Market was waged between two provisional field organizations hastily assembl... more info>>

Examines the Battle of Second Manassas in the form of a tour going to twelve locations important to aspects of this fierce Civil War contest between the Union forces commanded by Major General John Pope and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee which took place on 29 and 30 August 1862. Stops on the tour have been selected to help the visitor see the battle, which was characterized by complex maneuvers and fighting over the same areas at several different times. ... more info>>

Thinking of switching to broadband for home Internet access, but uncertain whether to choose cable modem service, DSL or ISDN? Concerned about technical problems you may encounter in doing so? My research and logic as an information technology professional making this choice under time pressure may help! This account chronicles the frustrations and rewards our family encountered while switching to AT&T Broadband's cable modem service (subsequently superseded by its "attbi" service and now acquir... more info>>

World-renowned polar explorer Captain Roald Amundsen's (1872-1928) conversational, candid, and engrossing account of his Norwegian expedition's successful race, first aboard the Fram and then by dogsled, to be the first to reach the South Pole. Setting out from Norway in August, 1910, the Fram arrived in Antarctica in January, 1911. After months of preparation by the members of the expedition operating out of their Bay of Whales base on the Ross Ice Shelf, Amundsen and four of his companions set... more info>>

The Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments to it). Also included are the Declaration of Independence, the 17 subsequent amendments to the Constitution, and brief biographies of the 55 of the Founding Fathers (those who were delegates from each of the thirteen original states except Rhode Island, which did not send any delegates, to the Constitutional Convention, which was held in Philadelphia in 1787). This historical edition of the Constitutution is a ... more info>>

Thirty-nines tales by the consummate and prolific early 19th century American author Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864). Originally published between 1830 and 1852, then reissued as collections of short stories, these tales include twenty-one from "Twice-Told Tales" (1837, 1841), twelve from "Mosses from an Old Manse" (1846, 1854), and six from "The Snow Image and Other Twice-Told Tales" (1851).

Three noteworthy works by the remarkable mid-19th Century British sisters Emily, Charlotte, and Anne Bronte: Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte, 1847), Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte, 1847), and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Anne Bronte, 1848).

Three later works by the prominent late 18th/early 19th Century British writer Jane Austen (1775-1817): Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1816), and Persuasion (1817).

As an international traveler, you should be aware of the rules for bringing items back from your trip. For example, did you know that the duty-free personal exemption was recently raised to $800? Five publications of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection provide comprehensive information on what you must declare, the duty-free exemption, what items are duty-free, paying duty, sending goods to the United States, unaccompanied purchases from insular possessions and Caribbean countries, ... more info>>

If you wanted to know what the first year of teaching school is like, you'd ask teachers who just completed their first year on the job. This book attempts to capture the fascinating and inspiring answers of exemplary first-year teachers to some key questions: What was it like the first year? What were your toughest challenges, your greatest rewards? Did you get the right preparation? Do you have any insights you could offer new teachers? These teachers, all winners of the First Class Teacher Aw... more info>>

Five works by the great mid-19th Century British writer Charles Dickens (1812-1870): "The Holly-Tree" (short story, 1855), "The Wreck of the Golden Mary" (short story, 1856), "The Perils of Certain English Prisoners" (short story, 1857), "The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices" (1857), and"Little Dorrit" (1855-57), plus "Reprinted Pieces, 1850-59" (25 brief writings).