In an engrossing anecdotal format, historian and bestselling author Alan Axelrod turns to the dark side of audacious decision-making, and explores history's most tragic errors, the people who made them, and why they happened. While Axelrod looks at the hopelessly dumb and the overtly evil, the main focus is on smart people who had the best of intentions, but whose plans went disastrously wrong. The 35 compelling stories include the sailing of the...

Examines the history of America's west and its people in paintings and sculptures produced from the sixteenth century to the present.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the Civil War, from the succession of the Southern States and the first shots at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, April 12, 1861 to Lee's surrender at Appomattox in Virginia, April 9, 1865, discussing all of the key battles and major skirmishes, and offering impressions and anecdotes from generals, soldiers, and civilians.

"Examines the history of Vietnam leading up to the war, investigates the reasons for the conflict, looks at the war's escalation and progression (or lack thereof), and explores its repercussions then and now"--Provided by publisher.

Alan Axelrod recounts the key events of World War II with unflagging humanity, drama, and straightforward explanations of their significance, weaving a story as engrossing and multifaceted as a great novel. It's a unique approach that makes this enormous saga understandable to every reader, and favors gripping storytelling over a strictly dry and plodding chronological account. Axelrod brings you right into every theater of the war, one by one, capturing...