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Recommendations based on Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architectureby Ross King
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Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling
by Ross King
An exploration of the artistic genius of Michelangelo, and the turbulent politics behind the Sistine Chapel.
In 1508, despite strong advice to the contrary, the powerful Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the newly restored Sistine Chapel. With little experience as a painter ... (Goodreads)
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
by Dava Sobel
Story of a man's determination to solve the complex problem of determining longitude at sea.
Anyone alive in the eighteenth century would have known that "the longitude problem" was the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day—and had been for centuries. Lacking the ability to measure their ... (Goodreads)
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love
by Dava Sobel
A captivating exploration of Galileo's life and times, told through his daughter's letters.
Dramatically recolors the personality and accomplishment of a mythic figure whose seventeenth-century clash with Catholic doctrine continues to define the schism between science and religion. ... (Goodreads)
The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade That Gave the World Impressionism
by Ross King
The story of the rise of Impressionism in Paris during the 1860s and 1870s, focusing on the Salon des Refusés and the works of Manet, Monet, and Renoir.
With a novelist's skill and the insight of an historian, bestselling author Ross King recalls a seminal period when Paris was the artistic center of the world, and the rivalry between Meissonier and ... (Goodreads)
The Lost Painting
by Jonathan Harr
The search for a lost masterpiece by Caravaggio, and the fascinating history behind its disappearance and rediscovery.
An Italian village on a hilltop near the Adriatic coast, a decaying palazzo facing the sea, and in the basement, cobwebbed and dusty, lit by a single bulb, an archive unknown to scholars. Here, a ... (Goodreads)
Henry VIII: The King and His Court
by Alison Weir
A detailed account of the life and reign of Henry VIII, focusing on his court and the people who surrounded him.
Henry VIII, renowned for his command of power and celebrated for his intellect, presided over one of the most magnificent–and dangerous–courts in Renaissance Europe. Never before has a detailed, ... (Goodreads)
Salt: A World History
by Mark Kurlansky
Comprehensive overview of the influence of salt on human society, from ancient times to the present.
In his fifth work of nonfiction, Mark Kurlansky turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the ... (Goodreads)
Art Through the Ages
by Helen Gardner
Comprehensive survey of art history, from prehistoric times to modern day. Includes analysis of major works and movements.
The market-leading text for the art history survey course, GARDNER'S ART THROUGH THE AGES has served as a comprehensive and thoughtfully crafted guide to the defining phases of the world's artistic ... (Goodreads)
The Lives of the Artists
by Giorgio Vasari
A collection of biographies of Italian Renaissance artists, revealing their lives, works, and techniques.
Packed with facts, attributions, and entertaining anecdotes about his contemporaries, Giorgio Vasari's collection of biographical accounts also presents a highly influential theory of the development ... (Goodreads)
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
by Peter Frankopan
An epic narrative of the discover of the world's trade routes, spanning more than 3,000 years.
The New Silk Roads takes a fresh look at the relationships being formed along the length and breadth of the ancient trade routes today. The world is changing dramatically and in an age of Brexit and ... (Goodreads)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
by John Berendt
A journalist's exploration of a mysterious murder in Savannah, Georgia.
A sublime and seductive reading experience. This portrait of a beguiling Southern city was a best-seller (though a flop as a movie). ~ Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty, ... (Goodreads)
Paris to the Moon
by Adam Gopnik
A collection of essays about the author's experiences living in Paris with his family. It explores the city's culture, history, and daily life.
With singular wit and insight, Gopnik weaves the magical with the mundane in a wholly delightful, often hilarious look at what it was to be an American family man in Paris at the end of the twentieth ... (Goodreads)
John Adams
by David McCullough
Biography of the second President of the United States and his contributions to the founding of the nation.
The enthralling, often surprising story of John Adams, one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived. In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous ... (Goodreads)
Vincent Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings
by Rainer Metzger
A comprehensive collection of Vincent Van Gogh's paintings, showcasing his unique style and artistic evolution.
Van Gogh, who took up a variety of professions before becoming an artist, was a solitary, despairing and self-destructive man. This richly illustrated and expert study follows the artist from the ... (Goodreads)
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time
by Greg Mortenson
A man's mission to build schools in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan to promote peace.
The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his humanitarian campaign to use education to combat terrorism in the Taliban’s backyard Anyone who despairs of the individual’s ... (Goodreads)
The Story of Art
by E.H. Gombrich
Comprehensive overview of art history, from prehistoric to modern times.
The Story of Art, one of the most famous and popular books on art ever written, has been a world bestseller for over four decades. Attracted by the simplicity and clarity of his writing, readers of ... (Goodreads)
The Life of Elizabeth I
by Alison Weir
Biography of the influential 16th-century English queen, detailing her rise to power and rule.
NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER Perhaps the most influential sovereign England has ever known, Queen Elizabeth I remained an extremely private person throughout her reign, keeping her own counsel and ... (Goodreads)
King Leopold's Ghost
by Adam Hochschild
A harrowing account of the colonization of the Congo and the exploitation of its people.
In the 1880s, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. Carrying out a ... (Goodreads)
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
by Jon Krakauer
A gripping narrative of the 1996 expedition on Mount Everest that resulted in tragedy.
When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. ... (Goodreads)
Caesar: Life of a Colossus
by Adrian Goldsworthy
Biography of Julius Caesar, detailing his rise to power and influence over Roman history.
Tracing the extraordinary trajectory of the great Roman emperor’s life, Goldsworthy covers not only the great Roman emperor’s accomplishments as charismatic orator, conquering general, and powerful ... (Goodreads)
The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom
by Corrie ten Boom
A remarkable testament to faith and courage in the face of unfathomable odds and unspeakable horrors.
The book begins with the ten Boom family celebrating the 100th anniversary of the family business; they sell and repair watches under the family's elderly father, Casper ten Boom . The business takes ... (Wikipedia)
American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America
by Colin Woodard
Examination of the cultural divides between the 11 distinct regions of North America.
An illuminating history of North America's eleven rival cultural regions that explodes the red state-blue state myth. North America was settled by people with distinct religious, political, and ... (Goodreads)
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
by Jane Jacobs
Exposes the flaws of urban planning, advocating for a more organic approach.
A direct and fundamentally optimistic indictment of the short-sightedness and intellectual arrogance that has characterized much of urban planning in this century, The Death and Life of Great ... (Goodreads)
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
by Alison Weir
A historical account of the tumultuous lives of Henry VIII's six wives, their political and religious struggles.
The tempestuous, bloody, and splendid reign of Henry VIII of England (1509-1547) is one of the most fascinating in all history, not least for his marriage to six extraordinary women. In this ... (Goodreads)
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
by Daniel James Brown
An inspiring story of a rowing crew battling against the odds to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
This novel is about the University of Washington eight-oared crew that represented the United States in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and narrowly beat out Italy and Germany to win the gold medal. The ... (Wikipedia)
M Train
by Patti Smith
A memoir of Patti Smith's travels, musings, and creative inspirations, from cafes in New York to graves in Paris.
M Train begins in the tiny Greenwich Village café where Smith goes every morning for black coffee, ruminates on the world as it is and the world as it was, and writes in her notebook. Through prose ... (Goodreads)
The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
by Timothy J. Keller
Examining the parable of the prodigal son to understand grace, faith, and the Christian message.
The, New York Times, bestselling author of, The Prodigal Prophet, uncovers the essential message of Jesus, locked inside his most familiar parable. Newsweek called renowned minister Timothy Keller "a ... (Barnes & Noble)
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years
by Sarah L. Delany
Two African American sisters recount their lives spanning over a century, from slavery to the civil rights movement.
In their 200+ combined years, Sadie and Bessie Delany have seen it all. They saw their father, who was born into slavery, become America's first black Episcopal bishop. They saw their mother–a woman ... (Goodreads)
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
by Nathaniel Philbrick
Journey of the Pilgrims from England to America, exploring their struggles and successes.
HOW DID AMERICA BEGIN? This simple question launches acclaimed author Nathaniel Philbrick on an extraordinary journey to understand the truth behind our most sacred national myth: the voyage of the ... (Goodreads)
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
by Charles C. Mann
Re-examination of the pre-Columbian Americas, uncovering new evidence of its history.
In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.,Contrary to what so many ... (Goodreads)
