Combining impeccable scholarship and literary elegance, David Wetzel depicts the drama of machinations and passions that exploded in a war that forever changed the face of European history.

On July 19, 1870, Emperor Napoleon III of France declared war against the Prussia of King William I and Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck. This book depicts the world in which that war took place. In this study of the diplomatic history of the Franco-Prussian War, the author draws extensively on private and official records, journalistic accounts, cabinet minutes, and public statements by key players to produce a book that is unmatched in the range and clarity of its analysis, its characterizations, and its vivid language. -- Description from book cover.

Learn from the Games of the Best Two Chess Players in the World In every sport, there is that one match-up that electrifies the fans. In soccer, you have Ronaldo vs. Messi. In tennis, Federer vs. Nadal. And in chess, there is Carlsen vs. Caruana. The rivalry of reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana began 2010 in the Dutch village Wijk aan Zee and culminated in the World Chess Championship 2018. Over the past years, they have crossed swords 71 times: In classical, rapid and blitz chess. All their games against each other - including the thrilling World Championship match - are thoroughly annotated in this book. GM Niclas Huschenbeth gives detailed move-to-move explanations and decodes the complexities of the game, with the aim to improve the reader's chess understanding. After all, what could be better suited to enhance one's understanding than to study the games of the two best chess players on the planet? From the introduction: What You Will Learn From This Book Have you ever played through a top level chess game and asked yourself "Why in the world did he play that move?" or "This move does not make any sense, what's the idea behind it?" If so, I can completely sympathize. "Learn from the best. Analyze their games. Understand what they are doing and how they are doing it." These were the words of my coach when I was in my youth, aspiring to become a good player myself. And I did. Or rather, I tried. All too often, though, I found myself scratching my head when playing through the games of Kasparov, Kramnik & Co. What was the idea behind this move? Why didn't he play that move instead? Back then, the computers were too weak to be of any help. These days, they are a bit more useful. They tell you the best move and the correct evaluation. But they still do not tell you why. It's like trying to work out a difficult math problem and then just being shown the final solution. No learning happens. I was lucky to have my coach guide me through the jungle that chess often is. But not everybody is so fortunate to have a great coach. This is why I wrote this book. In this book, I decode the sometimes mysterious moves and explain the ideas behind them. To me, chess boils down to two basic skills: understanding and calculation. Finding the right plans and finding ways to execute them - the two go hand in hand. But in training, we often compartmentalize, focusing on one specific topic, let's say "how to play with the bishop pair" or "good knight vs. bad bishop." But chess does not work like that. After all, the beautiful thing about chess games is that you usually have some elements of everything. This is why I always found game analyses to be the most rewarding. You learn about chess as a whole and not about one specific detail. It is not without reason that about every coach recommends the study of one's own games as well as the games of the very best.

"In the Days of Giants" is an excellent read for everyone interested in Norse mythology and culture. It will introduce you to the magical world of Norse heroic and scheming gods, clever trolls, elves and giants. Contents: The Beginning of Things How Odin Lost His Eye Kvasir's Blood The Giant Builder The Magic Apples Skadi's Choice The Dwarf's Gifts Loki's Children The Quest of the Hammer The Giantess Who Would Not Thor's Visit to the Giants Thor's Fishing Thor's Duel In the Giant's House Balder and the Mistletoe The Punishment of Loki

"This book is made of the stories told by the Northern folk,-the people who live in the land of the midnight sun, where summer is green and pleasant, but winter is a terrible time of cold and gloom; where rocky mountains tower like huge giants, over whose heads thunder rolls and crashes, and under whose feet are mines of precious metals."--p.1-2.

A gripping look at the great duel between Affirmed, the last horse to win the Triple Crown—comprised of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes—and his archrival, Alydar. From the moment they first galloped head-to-head in Saratoga Springs, the two chestnut colts showed they were the stuff of racing legend. Alydar, all muscle with a fearsome closing kick, was already the popular favorite to win the Kentucky Derby. Affirmed, deceptively laid-back streamlined elegance, was powered forward by his steely determination not to settle for second place. In the Sport of Kings, the Triple Crown is the most valued prize, requiring a horse to win not just one race, but three: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. And 1978 would not be just for the record books, but also one of the greatest dramas ever played out in the racing world. There were names to conjure with, worthy of the Sport of Kings. The bloodline of Native Dancer. The teen wonderboy jockey Steve Cauthen. The once unbeatable Calumet Farm—the Damn Yankees of the racing world—now in eclipse and hoping for a comeback. The newcomer Harbor View Farm—owned by brash financier Louis Wolfson, who wouldn’t let even a conviction and a prison sentence for securities violations stand in the way of his dreams of glory. And the racetracks themselves: Belmont, Saratoga, Pimlico. And, of course, Churchill Downs. It has been thirty-five years since Affirmed and Alydar fought for the Triple Crown, thirty-five years when no other horse has won it. Duel for the Crown brings this epic battle to life. Not just two magnificent Thoroughbreds but the colorful human personalities surrounding them, caught up in an ever-intensifying battle of will and wits that lasted until the photo finish of the final Triple Crown race . . . and Alydar and Affirmed leaped into the history books.