Here is the comprehensive yet quick-answer guide to one of the most popular topics in home reference: American history. With succinct, clearly written topical overviews, timelines, and capsule biographies, accompanied by sidebars and illustrations, this single volume incorporates all major events and contributions from the earliest inhabitants of North America to the present age. 90 illustrations. 10 maps.
Covering a wide range of knowledge, The New York Public Library African American Desk Reference is a magnificent resource for home, family, and business, and an essential addition to your personal reference library. "Indispensable for those interested in the African American experience. We have no better source for quick and reliable information." --Cornel West, Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University "As much about African American culture as one could possibly gain from one volume is now available in this highly readable, easily accessible, genuinely informative desk reference." --Johnetta B. Cole, PhD, President Emerita, Spelman College; Presidential Distinguished Professor, Emory University In over 5,000 fascinating information capsules, this landmark reference captures the most vital people, places, organizations, movements, and creative works of a people, and provides a practical resource for everyday living. In its nineteen chapters, you’ll find: * Timelines of African American History * Political and Civil Rights Leaders * African Contributions to the Making of the Americas * Holidays and Celebrations * Museums and Historical Sites * Religion and Spirituality * Health Tips and Recipes * Business Contacts and Professional Associations * Demographics and Population * Major Writers, Artists, and Musicians * Musical Forms * Sports * and more
Organized by cultural and social categories, a compendium of information about American history contains succinct overviews, detailed timelines, and capsule biographies that detail major events.
"A researcher's dream and a browser's delight, this brand-new edition of the national bestseller puts at your fingertips the best resources of one of the world's finest libraries. More permanent than an almanac, handier than an encyclopedia, The New York Public Library Desk Reference is the first place to look for quick answers to all your reference questions." "In this completely updated and revised edition, you will find an incredible variety of people, events, facts, dates, terms, and much more. Organized into twenty-six subject categories for ease of use, this unique volume also features dozens of side bars, illustrations, an atlas, charts, graphs, tables, and lists, as well as sources for additional reading. No other one-volume work offers such a wide range of commonly needed information." "Open to "The Arts" for a list of musical terms or major playwrights and their best-known works. Or to "Personal Finances" for interest tables and tips on making a household budget. Settle arguments with your friends with "Sports and Games," which provides the winner of every World Series, Super Bowl, Masters Championship, and Wimbledon, to name only a few." "Brush up your "Grammar and Punctuation," polish your "Etiquette," and refer to the "Useful Addresses," including those of senators and representatives, major newspapers, and hot lines. Every page of The New York Public Library Desk Reference is chock-full of useful, hard-to-find, and entertaining information." "For writers, students, businesspeople, and everyone who needs quick information on our multifaceted world, The New York Public Library Desk Reference takes its place beside the dictionary and thesaurus as a standard reference work that no home or office should be without."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
How many of these questions can you answer without calling the New York Public Library's Telephone Reference Service? Who really designed the American flag? How hot is the sun's surface? How does quicksand work? When was the Ark of the Covenant last seen? Who sat at the Algonquin Round Table? Where does the name "The Grateful Dead" come from? Why is Christmas abbreviated as Xmas? Can any creatures besides humans get a sunburn? How many muscles does it take to smile? To frown? Why are rabbits' feet considered good luck? You could, of course, do all the painstaking research yourself. Or you could pick up the phone and call the resourceful, erudite, quick-witted librarians of the New York Public Library's Telephone Reference Service, Tel Ref, for whom questions like these are all in a day's work. For the past twenty years, Tel Ref has met the information needs of a public as diverse as the subjects in the Library's catalog, and now they've compiled their most interesting, unusual, and most-often-asked queries into The Book of Answers -- a delight for browsers, a treasure trove of fascinating information, and the perfect companion to The New York Public Library Desk Reference.
Discover ancient African civilizations. Explore the devastating Middle Passage and see the famous March on Washington. Find the answers to your questions about African American history . . . Did blacks fight in the Revolutionary War? See page 18. What was the Underground Railroad? See page 30. Who were the Buffalo Soldiers? See page 59. What is the NAACP? See page 64. What was the Harlem Renaissance? See page 77. How did the civil rights movement begin? See page 112. What was the Black Power movement? See page 131. What is affirmative action? See page 146.
This up-to-date, intimate portrait of the 99 neighborhoods of Queens is a wonderful tribute to the borough’s past history and present diversity. Detailing the history, people, and cultural activities of each neighborhood, the book is generously illustrated with more than 200 photographs, both contemporary and historical, and over 50 new maps that chart the precise neighborhood boundaries. With two airports (La Guardia and JFK), Shea Stadium, and Aqueduct Racetrack, Queens is a destination for millions of travelers and visitors each year. But those who live in the borough’s neighborhoods know that it offers much more: parks, bridges, colleges and universities, museums, shops, restaurants, and other institutions and sites that testify to its more than 350-year history. From Astoria to Woodside, with points in between, Queens, the most diverse county in the country, offers a cornucopia of cultures, sights, tastes, and sounds. With input from residents, historians, demographers, politicians, borough officials, shopkeepers, and many others, The Neighborhoods of Queens captures the unique character of each neighborhood. The book features practical tips (subway and bus routes, libraries, fire departments, hospitals), quirky and unusual neighborhood facts, and information on famous residents. For anyone who lives in Queens, visits its neighborhoods, or remembers it from earlier times, this book is an unsurpassed treasure.
Discover how a game of lacrosse led to a victory for the Ojibwatribe against the British, find out why the Menominees are calledthe wild rice people, and meet some of the great heroes of NativeAmerica, from Sequoyah and Sitting Bull to Pocahontas. Enjoy theholidays, foods, dances, and stories of these diverse peoples andfind the answers to all your questions about Native Americanhistory.... Why did the Mound Builders build mounds? See page 14. What was the Trail of Tears? See page 59. Why didn't Montezuma attack Cortes' men? See page 27. Who were the Navajo Code Talkers? See page 94. What was the Alcatraz takeover? See page 107. What was the Iroquois confederacy? See page 33. Did all Inuit live in igloos? See page 131. What were the Mayans' greatest scientific achievements? See page21.
