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With penetrating insights for today, this vital history of the world economic collapse of the late 1920s offers unforgettable portraits of four men--Montagu Norman, Amile Moreau, Hjalmar Schacht, and Benjamin Strong--whose personal and professional actions as heads of their respective central banks changed the course of the twentieth century.

A lost history revealing that, for centuries, Christianity's center was actually in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, with significant communities extending as far as China.

"From one of our most astute observers of human nature, a far-reaching exploration of Japanese history and culture and a moving meditation on impermanence, mortality, and grief. For years, Pico Iyer has split his time between California and Nara, Japan, where he and his Japanese wife Hiroko have a small home. But when his father-in-law dies suddenly, calling him back to Japan earlier than expected, Iyer begins to grapple with the question we all have...

"The followers of John C. Bogle have made simple communication about investing an art form. During its more than 20 years of existence, the Bogleheads have moved from a loose association of dedicated investors to a formal website, Bogleheads.org. (The Bogleheads previously gathered online at the "Vanguard Diehards" message board on Morningstar.com.) The Bogleheads website now attracts an incredible 1.5 million visits per month and as many as 1,500...

Overview: Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America. Rockefeller was likely the most controversial businessman in our nation's history....

In these tumultuous times of economic and technological change, staying ahead depends on continual self-education-a lifelong mastery of fresh ideas, subjects, and skills. If you want to accomplish more and stand apart from everyone else, you need to become an ultralearner. The challenge of learning new skills is that you think you already know how best to learn, as you did as a student, so you rerun old routines and old ways of solving problems. To...

The man who inspired the world's fastest-growing religion Muhammad presents a fascinating portrait of the founder of a religion that continues to change the course of world history. Muhammad's story is more relevant than ever because it offers crucial insight into the true origins of an increasingly radicalized Islam. Countering those who dismiss Islam as fanatical and violent, Armstrong offers a clear, accessible, and balanced portrait of the central...

"'A Man Called Intrepid" is the true story of Sir William Stephenson (code-named Intrepid) and the spy network he founded that would ultimately stall the Nazi was machine and help win World War II. Illustrated with thirty-two pages of black-and-white photographs, it describes the infamous "Camp X" spy training center in Ontario, Canada; the breaking of the Ultra Code used by Enigma; and countless tales of assassinations, clandestine activities, guerrilla...