From acclaimed biographer Paula Byrne; the sensational true tale that inspired the major motion picture Belle (May 2014) starring Tom Wilkinson; Miranda Richardson; Emily Watson; Penelope Wilton; and Matthew Goode—a stunning story of the first mixed-race girl introduced to high society England and raised as a lady. The illegitimate daughter of a captain in the Royal Navy and an enslaved African woman; Dido Belle was sent to live with her great-uncle; the Earl of Mansfield; one of the most powerful men of the time and a leading opponent of slavery. Growing up in his lavish estate; Dido was raised as a sister and companion to her white cousin; Elizabeth. When a joint portrait of the girls; commissioned by Mansfield; was unveiled; eighteenth-century England was shocked to see a black woman and white woman depicted as equals. Inspired by the painting; Belle vividly brings to life this extraordinary woman caught between two worlds; and illuminates the great civil rights question of her age: the fight to end slavery.Belle includes 20 pages of black-and-white photos.
#181220 in Books David Barrie 2015-05-05 2015-05-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .90 x 5.31l; .0 #File Name: 0062279351384 pagesSextant A Young Man s Daring Sea Voyage and the Men Who Mapped the World s Oceans
Review
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating Sailing Adventure and History of Navigation and Great Explorations.By Esteban EssThis book; "Sextant" was a highly enjoyable read. I have a few years of sailing experience; but never learned to use a sextant and did not appreciate how it originated and how to navigate by the stars; sun and moon using a sextant. Most sailors today use their GPS or other electronic equipment. This book takes the reader on a cross the Atlantic voyage with the author and his expert navigator-mentor in a small sailboat. As we travel on his cross-Atlantic voyage; the author takes us back to the days of the early ocean explorers and their navigational challenges in the years before the invention of the sextant. We learn about the evolution of navigational aids. We also are given very good history lessons on the accomplishments and lives of the early explorers like Vancouver; Cook; Magellan; Shackleton;and many more. There are very helpful maps and instrument design layouts in the book along with photographs of explorers and their vessels. Encounters with huge seas; vicious storms; capsizing; mutiny; shipwreck; and first encounters with indigent people on islands and remote coastlines all contribute to a book full of exciting stories. On top of that; we are introduced to some of the inner workings of maritime insurance firms; shipping investors; book publishers; and the intrigues that accompany the lives of ship captains and ship owners. I did not find a single thing in this book not to like.Weigh anchor me mateys and read on.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Really good stuff if this is your bagBy David A. CrossleyI love stuff about ancient astronomy and navigation; so I ate this up. The details on the use of the sextant were only vaguely known to me. Also in Sobel's wonderful LONGITUDE she makes the advocates of the lunar angle navigation method look like dummies; but Barrie makes it clear that this method was usable and widespread.The "Young man's daring sea voyage" used as the glue to hold all this material together could well have been edited out. It is irrelevant and bogs down the narrative; that cost him a star.9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Worth your time!By S. SmithAn excellently written narrative that combines the author's sea adventures with historical events of maritime accomplishments of truly outstanding heroics! Along the way; the sextant is a focal point described as it was used in the past and still used today. Well worth reading for those who love the sea or just vicariously travel it!
