Once dismissed as a rusting industrial has-been—the “Next Detroit”—Philadelphia has enjoyed an astonishing comeback in the 21st century. Over the past two decades, Inga Saffron has served as the premier chronicler of the city’s physical transformation as it emerged from a half century of decline. Through her Pulitzer Prize-winning columns on architecture and urbanism in the Philadelphia Inquirer, she has tracked the city’s revival on a weekly basis.Becoming Philadelphi...

In the tradition of Cod and Olives: a fascinating journey into the hidden history, culture, and commerce of caviar.Once merely a substitute for meat during religious fasts, today caviar is an icon of luxury and wealth. In Caviar, Inga Saffron tells, for the first time, the story of how the virgin eggs of the prehistoric-looking, bottom-feeding sturgeon were transformed from a humble peasant food into a czar’s delicacy–and ultimately a coveted status symbo...

A Dazzling Russian travelogue from the bestselling author of Great PlainsIn his astonishing new work, Ian Frazier, one of our greatest and most entertaining storytellers, trains his perceptive, generous eye on Siberia, the storied expanse of Asiatic Russia whose grim renown is but one explanation among hundreds for the region's fascinating, enduring appeal. In Travels in Siberia, Frazier reveals Siberia's role in history—its science, economics, an...

A gripping biological detective story that uncovers the myth, mystery, and endangered fate of the world’s most humble fruitTo most people, a banana is a banana: a simple yellow fruit. Americans eat more bananas than apples and oranges combined. In others parts of the world, bananas are what keep millions of people alive. But for all its ubiquity, the banana is surprisingly mysterious; nobody knows how bananas evolved or exactly where they originated. Rich cultural ...

The author of What Makes Flamingos Pink? offers up "a fun, fact-filled snack for the terminally informed . . . enlivened by the author's wit" ( Kirkus Reviews).Is it true that elephants are afraid of mice?How much gold does the United States store in Fort Knox?Why do I get a headache when I eat ice cream too fast?How did the "seventh inning stretch" originate?As the official webmaster for Xerox, Bill McLain was surprised...

The highly acclaimed exploration of sushi’s surprising history, global business, and international allureOne generation ago, sushi’s narrow reach ensured that sports fishermen who caught tuna in most of parts of the world sold the meat for pennies as cat food. Today, the fatty cuts of tuna known as toro are among the planet’s most coveted luxury foods, worth hundreds of dollars a pound and capable of losing value more quickly than any other product on earth. So how...

Bite-sized bits of information to give you the edge on trivia night—from crime and punishment to the rich and famous to ghosts, ghouls, oddballs, and more!Packed with more than 400 pages, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader: Attack of the Factoids is a fact-a-palooza of obscure information. Like what, you ask? Here are just a few extraordinary examples:* Bats always turn left when they exit a cave.* In the 1960s, astronauts trained for moon voyages by walking on ...

We have all heard the dreaded "Are we there yet?" question; I know I have at least a million times over the past two decades travelling with my own children!Stickers, Story and Coloring Books are fine but kids will soon tire of them. Yes, we can give in and buy in car DVD players but believe me, where siblings and different age groups are involved, there will still be arguments! Ok, so you can buy two or even three portable units but someone's headphones will fail or they forget to...

Where were Venetian blinds invented?What color is the black box on a commercial airplane?Where did India ink originate?*Most of us know more than we think we know. We also think we know more than we actually do-because some of what we think we know simply "ain't so." We all harbor misconceptions that are accepted not only because they are popular but also because they make sense.It makes sense to believe, for example, that German chocolate originated in German...

**INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS Book Award, Finalist 2014"Greenberg’s breezy, engaging style weaves history, politics, environmental policy, and marine biology." --New Yorker**From the acclaimed author of Four Fish and The Omega Principle, Paul Greenberg uncovers the tragic unraveling of the nation’s seafood supply—telling the surprising story of why Americans stopped eating from their own waters in American Catch...

There is nothing quite like a harvest of freshly caught crabs to set the tone for a perfect shoreline feast. Charlie White shows how beginners and veteran crabbers alike can benefit from his decades of experience—from finding and capturing crabs to storing, cleaning, and cooking your catch. Whether you use crab traps or the traditional shoreline, low-tide hunt to bag your quota, this book will aid your cause. This new edition of the classic crabber’s manual contains an up-to-date list of w...

"[A] tour de force examination of the history of ivory . . . and the demise of the elephant and human decency in the process of this unholy quest." — The Huffington PostPraised for the nuance and sensitivity with which it approaches one of the most fraught conservation issues we face today, John Frederick Walker's Ivory's Ghosts tells the astonishing story of the power of ivory through the ages, and its impact on elephants. Long before gold and ge...