Monthly Archives: November 2017

Leonard da Vinci’s  ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences,  made him history’s most creative genius.  In this new biography, Walter Isaacson (Einstein, Steve Jobs) probes the roots of his genius.   Focusing on Leonardo’s notebooks, author … Continue reading →

In “Inventing the Individual”, Larry Siedentop shows how the concept of individualism broke through from the ancient world’s emphasis on family.  He argues that the underlying assumptions of liberal thought were the offspring of the Church, where notions about equality … Continue reading →

Hiram Ulysses Grant was described by poet Walt Whitman as “nothing heroic… and yet the greatest hero.”  Undistinguished before the Civil War, he emerged as one of the Union’s most effective generals.  Self-effacing, he went about his business with quiet … Continue reading →

Over a hundred and fifty years have gone by since the Civil War was fought, but it generates headlines and controversy to this day.  “The War That Forged a Nation:  why the Civil War Still Matters” by James McPherson explores … Continue reading →

The Battle of New Orleans, where Andrew Jackson’s misfit army of frontiersman, regulars, militiamen and pirates defeated a crack British force, has always held a place in the American imagination.   Although it was fought after the peace had been made, … Continue reading →

 Genealogical researchers can use the web to browse records of Center Harbor marriages, births and deaths.  Data from our index card file was entered on a spread sheet and uploaded into a searchable database, with the help of the NH … Continue reading →

“The Midnight Line” by Lee Child. Jack Reacher spots a West Point ring is a pawn shop window, the first step of a journey from the wars in Afghanistan to the opioid crisis in America. “In the Midst of Winter” … Continue reading →

The man in the little brown truck with by with a boxload of books today. Among the goodies:  new fiction by Lee Child, Janet Evanovich, John Grisham and Isabel Allende; popular history by Bill O’Reilly, Brian Kilmeade and James McPherson; … Continue reading →

The Nichols Library will be open it’s regular hours on Friday November 10 and Saturday, November 11.

“Queen of the Desert”  is based on the life of Gertrude Bell, the English adventuress whose travels in the middle east were  the stuff of legend.   In “Beatriz at Dinner”, opposites collide at an LA dinner party.  In “The Dinner”, … Continue reading →