Russell Roberts

What caused the Financial Crisis of 2008? While government mandates and private sector mistakes did contribute to the crisis and can be blamed at least in part for what happened, this book takes a different approach. Russ Roberts argues that the true underlying cause of the mess was the past bailouts of large financial institutions that allowed these institutions to gamble carelessly because they were effectively using other people's money. The author...

"The British Army-the best in the world-expected to easily win the war against the American colonies. It was a war that should have been a short footnote in the history of the British Empire. The Continental Army-made up of farmers, merchants, and craftsmen-scarcely fought with gunpowder, let alone guns. They could not possibly succeed in their quest to form a new nation. On the way to victory, the British met American Commander-in-Chief George Washington,...

Describes the events that occurred on the day Mt. Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the city of Pompeii in 79 A.D.

Reaching all the way back to Thomas Jefferson, the Democratic Party has been in existence almost as long as there has been a United States of America. It was born as a party of the people, according to Jefferson, a political party designed to appeal to the average American citizen. Throughout the years the party has risen and fallen with the political fortunes of the United States. Yet, as the twenty-first century enters its second decade, the party...

Discusses the political career of the North Korean Supreme Leader, including his similarities to his father, his international education, and the economic reforms he implemented.

A brief biography of seventeenth century Dutch painter Rembrandt that chronicles his life and selected works.

"Examines this great explorer and hunter who became friends with the Indians."--From source other than the Library of Congress

One of the thirteen original colonies, the state of New Jersey is a study in contrasts. It is both the Garden State, home to the Rutgers tomato, but also the birthplace of the nation's first industrial complex, Alexander Hamilton's Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures. The onetime industrial behemoths, from Paterson in the north to Camden in the south, give way to legendary resort towns along the coast like Ocean City and Cape May. Baby Parades...

Many theories have been put forth to explain the mysterious disappearance of the dinosaurs. Did they get too large to survive? Did the climate change too abruptly? Did an asteroid collide with Earth? This inviting book explains some of the theories and examines why they've been accepted or rejected.