Public concern about inequitable economic globalization has revealed the demand for citizen participation in global decision making. Civil society organizations have taken up the challenge, holding governments and corporations accountable for their decisions and actions, and developing collaborative solutions to the dominant problems of our time. Critical Mass: The Emergence of Global Civil Society offers a unique mixture of experience and analysis by the leaders of some of the most influential global civil society organizations and respected academics who specialize in this field of study. Co-published with the Centre for International Governance Innovation

Winner of the 2020 Independent Press Award - Women's fiction What's worse than a mother like Josephine? Turning out to be just like her. Late Nineteenth Century: Wealthy and headstrong Kit Firestone chafes under the rules of the Golden City’s high society, especially the interference of her charming but overbearing mother, Josephine. Kit’s secret rebellion leads to potentially catastrophic results and keeps her from finding true happiness. When her brother nearly dies from a dangerous infection, Kit defies convention and becomes a working nurse. Through her troubled romance with a young doctor and a series of dramatic events, including a natural disaster and her mother’s own critical illness, Kit begins to understand who her mother truly is and what their relationship is all about. She may not get the chance to appreciate their bond, however, because, through no fault of her own, a madman has Kit in his crosshairs. "...the novel's fast-paced narrative and engaging dialogue will draw readers in from the start. It's full of intriguing details about San Francisco near the turn of the last century, and it also provides engaging information about the evolution of medicine-and women's health care, in particular... A solidly entertaining, feminist tale that's also well-suited for medical-history buffs." Kirkus Reviews "Michaels's...offers a vivid portrait of San Francisco's Gilded Age through the eyes of Kit Firestone, an impassioned nurse who was born into high society ... [the author] is adept at handling medical practices of the time and women's health topics, such as sexually transmitted diseases and birth control, with sensitivity and intelligence. Part family drama, part romance, Michaels's tale will satisfy both fans of the series and newcomers alike." Publishers Weekly Josephine's Daughter is Book Five in A.B. Michaels’ historical fiction series “The Golden City.” Other titles in the series include The Art of Love, The Depth of Beauty, The Promise, The Price of Compassionand The Madness of Mrs. Whittaker. All titles in this series are stand-alone reads. For more information, please visit the author's website.

Alan Grant, Scotland Yard Inspector is feeling bored while confined to bed in hospital with a broken leg. Marta Hallard, an actress friend of his, suggests that he should amuse himself by researching a historical mystery. She brings him some pictures of historical characters, aware of Grant's interest in human faces. He becomes intrigued by a portrait of King Richard III. He prides himself on being able to read a person's character from his appearance, and King Richard seems to him a gentle, kind and wise man. Why is everyone so sure that he was a cruel murderer? With the help of other friends and acquaintances, Grant investigates Richard's life and the case of the Princes in the Tower, testing out his theories on the doctors and nurses who attend to him. Grant spends weeks pondering historical information and documents with the help of Brent Carradine, a likable young American researcher working in the British Museum. Using his detective's logic, he tries to come to the conclusion whether the claim of Richard being a murderer is a fabrication of Tudor propaganda, or was he really a monstrous hunchback. The Daughter of Time was voted greatest mystery novel of all time by the Crime Writers' Association in 1990.

'A detective story with a very considerable difference. Ingenious, stimulating and very enjoyable' SUNDAY TIMES 'As interesting and enjoyable a book as they will meet in a month of Sundays' OBSERVER Scotland Yard inspector Alan Grant, recovering from a broken leg, becomes fascinated with a contemporary portrait of Richard III, believed to have brutally killed his brother's children - the Princes in the Tower - to make his crown secure. But is the hunchback with such a sensitive, noble face really one of the world's most heinous villains? Or was he the victim of one of the most insidious plots in history? 'One of the best mysteries of all time' NEW YORK TIMES 'Suspense is achieved by unexpected twists and extremely competent storytelling . . . credible and convincing' SPECTATOR

Abraham Lincoln raved that this series of historical biographies gave him "just that knowledge of past men and events which I need. I have read them with the greatest interest. To them I am indebted for about all the historical knowledge I have." Considered what we would now call "young adult" literature, this collection, first published between 1848 and 1871, was designed to present a clear, distinct, connected narrative of the lives of the great figures of world history, those people who have been most influential, at least as American pastor and historian JOHN STEVENS CABOT ABBOTT (1805-1877) saw it from his 19th-century perspective. Wildly popular and republished many times under different collected names, this replica set mimics the 1904 reprint known as the "Makers of History" series. It will delight students of history as well as show the scholar how history telling has changed over the last few centuries. More than 30 other volumes in the series are also available from Cosimo Classics. This volume, dating from 1870, covers Hortense Eugnie Ccile Bonaparte (1783-1837), wife of Louis Bonaparte and the mother of Napoleon III, including her royal family, her marriage, the sorrows of exile, and much more.