Richard Kurin's Books

The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects

By: Richard Kurin

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The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects

By: Richard Kurin

The Smithsonian Institution is America's largest, most important, and most beloved repository for the objects that define our common heritage. Now Under Secretary for Art, History, and Culture Richard Kurin, aided by a team of top Smithsonian curators and scholars, has assembled a literary exhibition of 101 objects from across the Smithsonian's museums that together offer a marvelous new perspective on the history of the United States. Ranging from the earliest years of the pre-Columbian continent to the digital age, and from the American Revolution to Vietnam, each entry pairs the fascinating history surrounding each object with the story of its creation or discovery and the place it has come to occupy in our national memory. Kurin sheds remarkable new light on objects we think we know well, from Lincoln's hat to Dorothy's ruby slippers and Julia Child's kitchen, including the often astonishing tales of how each made its way into the collections of the Smithsonian. Other objects will be eye-opening new discoveries for many, but no less evocative of the most poignant and important moments of the American experience. Some objects, such as Harriet Tubman's hymnal, Sitting Bull's ledger, Cesar Chavez's union jacket, and the Enola Gay bomber, tell difficult stories from the nation's history, and inspire controversies when exhibited at the Smithsonian. Others, from George Washington's sword to the space shuttle Discovery, celebrate the richness and vitality of the American spirit. In Kurin's hands, each object comes to vivid life, providing a tactile connection to American history. Beautifully designed and illustrated with color photographs throughout, The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects is a rich and fascinating journey through America's collective memory, and a beautiful object in its own right.

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979

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

ISBN 10

110163877X

ISBN 13

9781101638774

Madcap May

Mistress of Myth, Men, and Hope

By: Richard Kurin

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Madcap May

Mistress of Myth, Men, and Hope

By: Richard Kurin

May Yohe was a popular entertainer from humble American origins who married and then abandoned a wealthy English Lord who owned the fabled Hope diamond--one of the most valuable objects in the world and now exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. May was a romantic who had numerous lovers and at least three husbands--though the tabloids rumored twelve. One included the playboy son of the Mayor of New York. May separated from him--twice--and cared for her next husband, a South African war hero and invalid whom she later shot. Crossing the paths of Ethel Barrymore, Boris Karloff, Oscar Hammerstein, Teddy Roosevelt, Consuelo Vanderbilt, and the Prince of Wales, May Yohe was a foul-mouthed, sweet-voiced showgirl who drew both the praise and rebuke of Nobel laureate George Bernard Shaw. Nicknamed "Madcap May," she was a favorite of the press. In later years she faced several maternity claims and a law suit which she won. She was hospitalized in an insane asylum and escaped. She ran a rubber plantation in Singapore, a hotel in New Hampshire, and a chicken farm in Los Angeles. When all else failed, she washed floors in a Seattle shipyard, and during the Depression held a job as a government clerk. Shortly before her death, she fought, successfully, to regain her lost U.S. citizenship. How was this woman, May Yohe, able to charm her way to international repute, live an impossible life, and also find the strength to persevere in light of the losses she suffered--in wealth, citizenship, love, and sanity? Madcap May, assembled from her writings and historical interviews, archival records, newspaper stories, scrapbooks, photographs, playbills, theatrical reviews, souvenirs, and silent film, tells her heretofore lost story.

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294

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Smithsonian Institution

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ISBN 10

1588343278

ISBN 13

9781588343277

Reflections of a Culture Broker

A View from the Smithsonian

By: Richard Kurin

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Reflections of a Culture Broker

A View from the Smithsonian

By: Richard Kurin

Is culture brokered like stocks, real estate, or marriage? In this engaging book, Richard Kurin shows that cultures are also mediated and indeed brokered by countries, organizations, communities, and individuals -- all with their own vision of the truth and varying abilities to impose it on others. Drawing on his diverse experiences in producing exhibitions and public programs, Kurin challenges culture brokers -- defined broadly to include museum professionals, film-makers, journalists, festival producers, and scholars of many disciplines -- to reveal more clearly the nature of their interpretations, to envision the ways in which their messages can "play" to different audiences, and to better understand the relationship between knowledge, art, politics, and entertainment. The book documents a variety of cases in which the Smithsonian has brokered culture for the American public: a planned exhibit on Jerusalem had to balance both Israeli and Palestinian agendas; debates over the 1996 Olympic Arts Festival presented differing visions of the American South; and the National Air and Space Museum's controversial display of the Enola Gay prompted the Smithsonian to re-examine the role of national museums. Arguing that cultural exhibits reflect a series of decisions about representing someone, someplace, and something, Reflections of a Culture Broker discusses the ethical and technical problems faced by not only those who practice in a museum setting but also anyone charged with representing culture in a public forum.

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338

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Smithsonian Institution

Published Date

ISBN 10

1935623656

ISBN 13

9781935623656

Reflections of a Culture Broker

A View from the Smithsonian

By: Richard Kurin

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Reflections of a Culture Broker

A View from the Smithsonian

By: Richard Kurin

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338

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Smithsonian Institution

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ISBN 10

156098757X

ISBN 13

9781560987574

The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects

By: Richard Kurin

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The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects

By: Richard Kurin

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786

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Penguin

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ISBN 10

0143128159

ISBN 13

9780143128151

Reflections of a Culture Broker

A View from the Smithsonian

By: Richard Kurin

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Reflections of a Culture Broker

A View from the Smithsonian

By: Richard Kurin

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338

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Smithsonian Institution

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ISBN 10

1935623656

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9781935623656

Madcap May

Mistress of Myth, Men, and Hope

By: Richard Kurin

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Madcap May

Mistress of Myth, Men, and Hope

By: Richard Kurin

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294

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Smithsonian Institution

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ISBN 10

158834326X

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9781588343260

On the Mall

Presenting Maroon Tradition-Bearers at the 1992 Festival of American Folklife

By: Richard Price,Sally Price

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On the Mall

Presenting Maroon Tradition-Bearers at the 1992 Festival of American Folklife

By: Richard Price,Sally Price

. . . engrossing, nuanced, productively and honestly critical in the best sense of the term." —Richard Bauman After recounting their experiences as cultural mediators between African American Maroons from the Suriname rain forest and U.S. festival-goers on the Washington Mall, the authors reflect on how folklorists, anthropologists, and museum curators represent others, as well as themselves.

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142

Publisher

Indiana University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1879407078

ISBN 13

9781879407077

Reflections on the Folklife Festival

An Ethnography of Participant Experience

By: Richard Bauman,Patricia Sawin,Inta Gale Carpenter

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Reflections on the Folklife Festival

An Ethnography of Participant Experience

By: Richard Bauman,Patricia Sawin,Inta Gale Carpenter

This first ethnographic study of a folklife festival focuses on festival participants--the dancers, musicians, storytellers, and artisans at a public display of folk culture. These essays investigate the contention by supporters of these events that this form of folkloric representation is as intellectually legitimate as scholarly research.

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Indiana University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1879407035

ISBN 13

9781879407039

The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites

By: Richard Stillwell

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The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites

By: Richard Stillwell

Here are over 1,000 pages of authoritative information on the archaeology of Greek and Roman civilization. The sites discussed in the more than 2,800 entries are scattered from Britain to India and from the shores of the Black Sea to the coast of North Africa and up the Nile. They are located on sixteen area maps, keyed to the entries. The entries were written by 375 scholars from sixteen nations, many of whom have worked at the sites they describe. Until now our knowledge of the Classical period has been scattered in hundreds of sources dating from antiquity to our own times. This volume provides essential information on work accomplished, in progress, and still to be undertaken. Originally published in 1976. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

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1068

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400886589

ISBN 13

9781400886586

Infections of the Central Nervous System

By: W. Michael Scheld,Richard J. Whitley,Christina M. Marra

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Infections of the Central Nervous System

By: W. Michael Scheld,Richard J. Whitley,Christina M. Marra

Tap into the gold standard on central nervous system infections: Infections of the Central Nervous System, 4e is now fully revised and updated to accommodate the wealth of new CNS information discovered over the past decade. More than 90 leading experts contribute chapters, providing comprehensive, up-to-date information. With a broad scope and thorough detail, the text addresses pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and therapy of various CNS infections and related conditions. Features: Every chapter has been extensively revised and updated, nearly half with new author teams NEW chapter on acute encephalitis NEW clinical information on treatment of tuberculosis, non-tubercular mycobacterial infections, brain abscess, and Lyme disease NEW color design and color images Numerous diagrams, figures, tables, illustrations and photographs demonstrate the content Evidence-based references

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928

Publisher

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Published Date

ISBN 10

146988366X

ISBN 13

9781469883663

Hope Diamond

The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem

By: Richard Kurin

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Hope Diamond

The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem

By: Richard Kurin

An entertaining and well-researched history of the Hope diamond Since its discovery in seventeenth-century India, the Hope diamond, a glimmering deep blue gem weighing over 45 carats, has been shrouded in mystery and steeped in intrigue. In this groundbreaking work, Dr. Richard Kurin goes beyond the speculation to reveal the truth behind a legendary stone. Kurin, a cultural anthropologist, spent more than a decade on the trail of the legendary gem. But the 'curse' that surrounds it, which Kurin puts to rest once and for all, is only one small piece of a long and lustrous story that moves between ancient religion and modern magic, royal power and class rivalry, revenge and greed. Richly illustrated, Hope Diamond works in a grand historical tradition: depicting the specific to reveal the universal.

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405

Publisher

Smithsonian Institution

Published Date

ISBN 10

1588344193

ISBN 13

9781588344199

Saving Haiti's Heritage

Cultural Recovery After the Earthquake

By: Richard Kurin

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Saving Haiti's Heritage

Cultural Recovery After the Earthquake

By: Richard Kurin

The aim of the Haiti Cultural Recovery Project was to rescue, recover, safeguard, and help restore Haitian cultural materials damaged and endangered by the January 12, 2010 earthquake and its aftermath, and train Haitians in conservation skills so they could carry on that work into the future. By October 2011, the project had treated more than 30,000 items and trained more than 100 Haitians. The Haiti Cultural Recovery Project was organized by the Smithsonian Institution with the Government of Haiti, Ministry of Culture and Communication, and the Presidential Commission for the Emergency and Reconstruction, in partnership with the U.S. President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. ... " -- P. [5]

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243

Published Date

ISBN 10

061555153X

ISBN 13

9780615551531

On the Mall

Presenting Maroon Tradition-Bearers at the 1992 Festival of American Folklife

By: Richard Price,Sally Price

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On the Mall

Presenting Maroon Tradition-Bearers at the 1992 Festival of American Folklife

By: Richard Price,Sally Price

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Page Count

142

Publisher

Indiana University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1879407078

ISBN 13

9781879407077

The Secret Of The Golden Flower

A Chinese Book of Life

By: Wilhelm, Richard

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The Secret Of The Golden Flower

A Chinese Book of Life

By: Wilhelm, Richard

First Published in 1999. This ancient Chinese manual of spiritual alchemy was brought to the West in translation by missionary and theologian Richard Wilhelm who is assisted in this book by Carl Jung. Averse to the blind aping of oriental ways, Jung suggests that Eastern treasures are best used to enrich our understanding of the work we have to do on ourselves and our culture.

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Page Count

180

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1136303510

ISBN 13

9781136303517

Robert Koch and American Bacteriology

By: Richard Adler

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Robert Koch and American Bacteriology

By: Richard Adler

In bacteriology's Golden Age (roughly 1870-1890) European physicians focused on bacteria as causal agents of disease. Advances in microscopy and laboratory methodology--including the ability to isolate and identify micro-organisms--played critical roles. Robert Koch, the most well known of the European researchers for his identification of the etiological agents of anthrax, tuberculosis and cholera, established in Germany the first teaching laboratory for training physicians in the new methods. Bacteriology was largely absent in early U.S. medical schools. Dozens of American physicians-in-training enrolled in Koch's course in Germany, and many established bacteriology courses upon their return. This book highlights those who became acknowledged leaders in the field and whose work remains influential.

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