NCW Libraries

What is a country? Acclaimed travel writer and Oxford geography don Nick Middleton brings to life the origins and histories of fifty states that, lacking international recognition and United Nations membership, exist on the margins of legitimacy in the global order. From long-contested lands like Crimea and Tibet to lesser-known territories such as Africa's last colony and a European republic that enjoyed independence for a single day, Middleton presents...

An introduction to the Age of Exploration covers the nautical practices of fifteenth-century Europe, Henry the Navigator's fateful new sea routes, and the impact of European advancement on ancient civilizations.

National Geographic presents a behind-the-scenes tour of selected World Heritage Sites as conservationists apply their knowledge and dedication to preserve monuments, buildings, national parks and even entire cities, to ensure they survive for future generations.

"Using an infamous deception about a fake mountain range in British Columbia as her jumping-off point, Katie Ives examines the lure of blank spaces on the map and the value of the imagination. "Imaginary Peaks" details the mystery of the Riesenstein Hoax within the larger context of cartography, exploration, and climbing history"--

"When the odds were stacked against us, and there have been many times when the great experiment we call America could have and should have failed, did God intervene to save us?" That question, posed by authors Chris and Ted Stewart, is the foundation for this remarkable book. And the examples they cite provide compelling evidence that the hand of Providence has indeed preserved the United States of America on multiple occasions. Skillfully weaving...

"The true, harrowing story of the ill-fated 1913 Canadian Arctic Expedition and the two men who came to define it. In the summer of 1913, the wooden-hulled brigantine Karluk departed Canada for the Arctic Ocean. At the helm was Captain Bob Bartlett, considered the world's greatest living ice navigator. The expedition's visionary leader was a flamboyant impresario named Vilhjalmur Stefansson hungry for fame. Just six weeks after the Karluk departed,...

In a desert valley, surrounded by mountains of rock and cactus, is the tiny village the boy calls home. He never wanders far, frightened of coyotes and the dusty wilds beyond. On a visit to Grandpa's ranch, he resists the invitation to explore an area where his grandfather grew up, far from any village. The boy would rather play it safe on his tablet. But one of the creatures he fears has other plans for him, and soon the vast desert "jungle" begins...

The historic Arctic expedition put climate change on the map. Over 250 scientists from 26 countries searching for the truth. The historic and dangerous journey will be remembered for decades to come.

Renowned paleontologist Kirk Johnson embarks on an epic adventure through time at the polar extremes of the planet. Following a trail of fossils found in all the wrong places - beech trees in Antarctica, redwoods and hippo-like mammals in the Arctic - NOVA uncovers the bizarre history of the poles, from miles-thick ice sheets to warm polar forests teeming with life.