James Gardner

Almost nine million people from all over the world flock to the Louvre in Paris every year to see its incomparable art collection. Yet few, if any, are aware of the remarkable history of that location and of the buildings themselves, and how they chronicle the history of Paris itself-a fascinating story that historian James Gardner elegantly tells for the first time.Before the Louvre was a museum, it was a palace, and before that a fortress. But much earlier still, it was a place called le Louvre for reasons unknown. People had inhabited that spot for more than 6,000 years before King Philippe Auguste of France constructed a fortress there in 1191 to protect against English soldiers stationed in Normandy. Two centuries later, Charles V converted the fortress to one of his numerous royal palaces. After Louis XIV moved the royal residence to Versailles in 1682, the Louvre inherited the royal art collection, which then included the Mona Lisa, given to Francis by Leonardo da Vinci; just over a century later, during the French Revolution, the National Assembly established the Louvre as a museum to display the nations treasures. Subsequent leaders of France, from Napoleon to Napoleon III to Francois Mitterand, put their stamp on the museum, expanding it into the extraordinary institution it has become.With expert detail and keen admiration, James Gardner links the Louvres past to its glorious present, and vibrantly portrays how it has been a witness to French history - through the Napoleonic era, the Commune, two World Wars, to this day - and home to a legendary collection whose diverse origins and back stories create a spectacular narrative that rivals the buildings legendary stature.

The Salvation Army is nowadays viewed with fondness, but William Booths evangelical crusade of the 1880s and early 1890s sparked violent riots led by an opposition group, the Skeleton Army. These riots caused destruction to property, injury to many people and, on occasion, loss of life. Spreading across the South and West of England, the Skeleton Armys aim was to eject Salvationists from their towns. Rather than facing repercussions themselves, however, it was often the peaceful parading Salvationists who were imprisoned. In With God on Their Side, James Gardner follows the spread of violence in the context of the popular conservatism of late-Victorian England, with close study of particular towns creating a rich tapestry of historical narrative that will be of interest to scholars and enthusiasts alike. The motives and actions of both groups are considered, along with the subsequent shift in the Salvation Armys focus towards social welfare. It is this shift that enabled the organisation to grow into the treasured charity we know today, and helped transform William Booth from one of the most vilified men of the nineteenth century into its saint.

The Salvation Army is nowadays viewed with fondness, but William Booths evangelical crusade of the 1880s and early 1890s sparked violent riots led by an opposition group, the Skeleton Army. These riots caused destruction to property, injury to many people and, on occasion, loss of life. Spreading across the South and West of England, the Skeleton Armys aim was to eject Salvationists from their towns. Rather than facing repercussions themselves, however, it was often the peaceful parading Salvationists who were imprisoned. In With God on Their Side, James Gardner follows the spread of violence in the context of the popular conservatism of late-Victorian England, with close study of particular towns creating a rich tapestry of historical narrative that will be of interest to scholars and enthusiasts alike. The motives and actions of both groups are considered, along with the subsequent shift in the Salvation Armys focus towards social welfare. It is this shift that enabled the organisation to grow into the treasured charity we know today, and helped transform William Booth from one of the most vilified men of the nineteenth century into its saint.

¿CUÁL ES EL DESTINO FINAL DE NUESTRO UNIVERSO? Esa es la impresionante pregunta abordada por James Gardner en este brillante libro prologado por Ray Kurzweil. Tradicional mente los científicos han ofrecido dos respuestas poco alentadoras: fuego o hielo. Gardner concibe una tercera y dramática alternativa: un estado final del cosmos en el cual una forma o inteligencia grupal altamente evolucionada diseña una renovación cósmica, el nacimiento de un nuevo Universo. El Universo inteligente es una mirada al pasado y al mismo tiempo una hoja de ruta para conocer el futuro del Universo. Explora los misterios del cosmos y proporciona una mirada sincera y fascinante al lugar al que nos están llevando nuestras mentes. "Una vez más, Gardner asume el más grande de los temas: la funcj y el futuro del Universo. Este libro se atreve a pisar un paisaje q muy pocos otros autores han imaginado. Provocativo y profetice."

La historia que hay tras una obra de arte trasciende sus cualidades estéticas. Tras ella podemos encontrar las vicisitudes de la vida de un artista y el camino que recorrió para concebir esa imagen, o bien es reflejo de una época y de la condición humana del momento. Hay un sinfín de anécdotas fascinantes asociados a las obras de arte y esos relatos son los que Nora y Stefan Koldehoff han plasmado en este libro.