In the late 1870s, Jefferson County, Alabama, and the town of Elyton (near the future Birmingham) became the focus of a remarkable industrial and mining revolution. Together with the surrounding counties, the area was penetrated by railroads. Surprisingly large deposits of bituminous coal, limestone, and iron ore—the exact ingredients for the manufacture of iron and, later, steel—began to be exploited. Now, with transportation, modern extractive techniques, and capital, the region’s geolog...

A definitive bicentennial history of Alabama and its place in the American South.Alabama: The History of a Deep South State, Bicentennial Edition is a comprehensive narrative account of the state from its earliest days to the present. This edition, updated to celebrate the state’s bicentennial year, offers a detailed survey of the colorful, dramatic, and often controversial turns in Alabama’s evolution. Organized chronologically and divided into t...

To build a sustainable, diversified business requires continuous search for ways to parlay available scarce resources into new opportunities for profit. This book describes a framework to identify new business opportunities. Leveraging scarce resources into new business angles can increase profit, improve the sustainability of profits, and diversify the contributors of profit, and thereby increase business value. The scarce resources considered are core competencies, brand, and mul...

His two companions were dead, his food and supplies had vanished in a crevasse, and Douglas Mawson was still one hundred miles from camp.On January 17, 1913, alone and near starvation, Mawson, leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, was hauling a sledge to get back to base camp. The dogs were gone. Now Mawson himself plunged through a snow bridge, dangling over an abyss by the sledge harness. A line of poetry gave him the will to haul himself back to the surface.Ma...

A late middle aged Roger Carrington is nearing the end of a dull career in a government office. One evening, about to cross the Victoria Bridge to his apartment, he encounters a woman emerging from the mist. Stylish in a trench coat and fedora, she hesitantly asks him to accompany her across the bridge, after which she fades into the night. It happens again. With her arm through his they seem a romantic couple. But why is she so anxious about crossing? And where does she go, trailing music...

Stephen Stills is one of the last remaining music legends from the rock era without a biography. During his six-decade career, he has played with all the greats. His career sky-rocketed when Crosby, Stills & Nash played only their second gig together at Woodstock in 1969. With the addition of Neil Young, the band would go on to play the first rock stadium tour in 1974.Stephen Stills is the only person to have been inducted twice in one night into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The publication of The Mountain of My Fear in 1968 and Deborah in 1970 changed the face of the mountaineering narrative. Now these two classic expedition narratives by acclaimed writer David Roberts are together again in one volume for a new generation of readers.Deborah is the story of Roberts's 1964 expedition with fellow Harvard Mountaineering Club member Don Jensen to the eastern side of Mount Deborah in Alaska. Their two-man attempt ...

What compels mountain climbers to take the risks that they do? Is it the thrill in the physical accomplishment, in managing to defy the odds, or both -- and why do they continue to do what they do in the face of such great danger? In On the Ridge Between Life and Death, David Roberts confronts these questions head-on as he recounts the exhilarating highs and desperate lows of his climbing career. By the time he was twenty-two, Roberts had already been involved in three fatal mount...

Human Insecurity is concerned with our refusal to confront the millions of avoidable deaths of women and children each year. Those missing millions are rarely the subject of conventional security studies, yet such avoidable deaths are a vital part of the notion of 'security' more broadly understood. The book argues that such deaths are caused by the man-made structures of neoliberalism and 'andrarchy' and argues that the debate on human security can be reinvigorated by looking at the unarm...

"Sharing the Sunshine on a Cloudy Day" is a heartwarming story that follows Veil, a young girl who learns to spread kindness, patience, and positivity even when the world seems gray. Set in a vibrant town where sunshine seems elusive, Veil discovers that small acts of compassion can transform the gloomiest of days. From planting seeds of hope to offering kind words, Veil’s journey shows children the power of generosity, listening, and friendship. Each chapter is a unique adventure, teachin...

In an increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) business world, it is more important than ever for organizations to build resilience into their everyday practice.Business Resilience is a practical guide to making organizations more resilient and improving current practices by building on what the organization does well. It explains how managers should constantly monitor their business environment and adapt their priori...

“Stick it, Canada! Buy more Victory Bonds.” The First World War demanded deep personal sacrifice on the battlefield and on the home front – and it also made unrelenting financial demands. Boosters and Barkers is a highly original examination of the drive to finance Canadian participation in the conflict. David Roberts examines Ottawa’s calls for direct public contributions in the form of war bonds; the intersections with imperial funding, taxation, and conventional revenue; and th...