Escalante’s Dream, or The Spanish Lewis and Clark

In 2011, I became a reviewer for Shelf Awareness for Readers: an on-line bookish newsletter that comes out on Tuesdays and Fridays.(1) It was a wonderful experience. I reviewed Big Fat History Books, quirky little reference books, and an occasional cookbook. (2) In April, 2017, I resigned. It just about broke my heart, but I…

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The American Revolution from Another Perspective

It’s the Fourth of July weekend here in the United States:  a holiday that expands and contracts depending on where in the week it falls.  It’s a good time to think about the complexity of revolutions in general, and the American Revolution in particular. In Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution,…

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Road Trip Through History: Salzburg, Pt. 3, The Other Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is impossible to avoid if you spend any time in Salzburg. A dedicated tourist could attend a Mozart concert everyday of the week without much effort. The city has transformed both his birthplace and the building where his family rented an apartment from 1773-1787 (1) into museums. (2) At least one tour…

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