American Decades: The decades of 20th -century American-the most diverse and dramatic intervals in the history of humankind-have been singled out for individual coverage in this landmark series. Changes and challenges unique to each 10-year period are covered with extraordinary depth and thoroughness in American Decades. Each volume begins with a chronology of world events to provide a context for the American experience. Next, readers can explore...

Towering classic of dystopian satire, BRAVE NEW WORLD is a brilliant and terrifying vision of a soulless society--and of one man who discovers the human costs of mindless conformity. Hundreds of years in the future, the World Controllers have created an ideal civilization. Its members, shaped by genetic engineering and behavioral conditioning, are productive and content in roles they have been assigned at conception. Government-sanctioned drugs and...

Molly and Niel Sloan awake to see golden rain falling. In their remote California mountain town, they learn from their television of enormous waterspouts and blizzards around the globe; then, the television ceases, as do all other forms of communication with the outside world. The Sloans are left, together with their neighbors, in the midst of a purple fog, disturbed by a threat they cannot identify or understand. Together they discover that the world...

"In this spirited novel by master storyteller Jules Verne, five Civil War prisoners escape their Confederate jail by hijacking a hot-air balloon. Blown halfway across the world and stranded on a remote island, the fugitives' survival depends upon their ability to build a sustainable environment while withstanding pirate attacks, volcanic eruptions, and other challenges. Engineer Cyrus Harding takes charge of the crew, consisting of his servant, Neb;...

"As the fiftieth anniversary of the first lunar landing approaches, the award winning historian and perennial New York Times bestselling author takes a fresh look at the space program, President John F. Kennedy's inspiring challenge, and America's race to the moon."--Jacket. As the fiftieth anniversary of the first lunar landing approaches, the award winning historian and perennial New York Times bestselling author takes a fresh look at the space...