Established in 1680 near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Norfolk is a maritime jewel of the East Coast. During the American Revolution, British ships shelled the city on New Year's Day 1776. The first battle of the ironclads--Monitor versus Merrimack--took place off Norfolk's shore in 1862. Walter P. Chrysler moved his art collection to the city in 1971 and catapulted the former Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences into the renowned Chrysler Museum. Author, historian and Norfolk native Sarah Downing offers a daily look at the fascinating and sometimes offbeat history of the city's storied past. Navigate the waters of history one day or month at a time with this celebration of Norfolk's heritage.
Nags Head boasts a plethora of natural wonders. From an ecologically unique maritime forest to breathtaking coastal dunes, the dynamics of the area corroborate the sentiment Thomas Nixon expressed in his 1964 classic. Indeed, as early as the 1830s, merchants and planters from the Albemarle region of North Carolina and Southside Virginia brought their families to Nags Head via boat to exchange the oppressive inland summer heat for cool ocean breezes. In this striking photographic collection, Downing illustrates why this scenic spot on the Outer Banks has been beloved for generations by sun-seekers, sightseers and surfers alike.
The Outer Banks is much more than an idyllic vacation destination. A day at a time through history, it has claimed its place as a colorful region of the Old North State. Author and historian Sarah Downing offers a daily look at the quirky and fascinating stories from the region's four-hundred-year history. During a fierce hand-to-hand battle off Ocracoke Island on November 22, 1718, Lieutenant Robert Maynard killed the infamous pirate Blackbeard with five pistol shots and twenty sword cuts and slashes. On February 14, 1992, a sick seal caught a ride to safety on a Coast Guard patrol boat. Add a salty slice of history a day or a month at time with this celebration of Outer Banks heritage.
Little-known stories of North Carolina’s celebrated barrier islands, with photos included. The history of North Carolina's Outer Banks is as ancient and mesmerizing as its beaches. Much has been documented, but many stories were lost—until now. Join local historian Sarah Downing as she reveals a past of the Outer Banks eroded by time and tides. Revel in the nostalgic days of the Carolina Beach Pavilion, stand in the shadows of windmills that once lined the coast, and learn how native islanders honor those aviation giants, the Wright brothers. Downing’s vignettes venture through windswept dunes, dive deep in search of the lost ironclad the Monitor, and lament the decline of the diamondback terrapin. Break out the beach chair and let your mind soak in the salty bygone days of these famed coastal extremities.
In this never-before-assembled collection of lost landmarks, historian Sarah Downing evokes the Outer Banks of yesteryear. Drawn from the vast collections of the Outer Banks History Center and from locals mourning the forever changed character of the area, these vintage images reflect the hotels, stores, restaurants and bandstands that appeared in the boom time following World War II but have since been lost to progress. An honorary native, Downing has preserved the Pirate's Ball at Nags Head Casino, Doc Watson playing at the Sound Side on Kitty Hawk Bay and grits at the El Gay in this collection of hangouts and haunts of yesterday's summer.
Did you know that escapees from an escargot farm keep the snail police on their toes? The Outer Banks has a long history of unconventional characters and curious occurrences. A larger-than-life likeness of Sir Walter Raleigh was once beheaded in Manteo, and the town gave itself a royal makeover in honor of a visit from a princess. The village of Corolla was integral to the early years of the Space Race. Local author Sarah Downing shares these and many more offbeat tales.
The source of tremendous power and the focus of incredible devotion, throughout history notions of beauty have been integral to social life and culture. Each age has had its own standards: a gleaming white brow during the Renaissance, the black eyebrows considered charming in the early eighteenth century, and the thin lips thought desirable by Victorians. Beauty has ensured good marriages, enabled social mobility and offered fame and notoriety, and has led women – and some men – to remarkable lengths in cultivating it, from the dangerous quantities of lead applied by Elizabeth I, to the women of the 1940s and '50s, who employed face powder, lipstick and mascara to look their best during the privations of war and austerity, creating a chic appearance to which many still aspire.
The source of tremendous power and the focus of incredible devotion, throughout history notions of beauty have been integral to social life and culture. Each age has had its own standards: a gleaming white brow during the Renaissance, the black eyebrows considered charming in the early eighteenth century, and the thin lips thought desirable by Victorians. Beauty has ensured good marriages, enabled social mobility and offered fame and notoriety, and has led women – and some men – to remarkable lengths in cultivating it, from the dangerous quantities of lead applied by Elizabeth I, to the women of the 1940s and '50s, who employed face powder, lipstick and mascara to look their best during the privations of war and austerity, creating a chic appearance to which many still aspire.
Garments and accessories are prominent in almost all of William Shakespeare's plays, from Hamlet and Othello to A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night. The statement 'Clothes maketh the man' was one that would have resonated with their audiences: the rise of England's merchant class had made issues of rank central to Elizabethan debate, and a rigid table of sumptuary laws carefully regulated the sorts of fabric and garment worn by the different classes. From the etiquette of courtly dress to the evolution of the Elizabethan ruff, in this vibrant introduction Sarah Jane Downing explores the sartorial world of the late-16th century, why people wore the clothes they did, and how the dizzyingly eclectic range of fashions (including ruffs, rebatos and French farthingales) transformed over time.
The broader Regency period 1795 to 1820, stands alone as an incredible moment in fashion history, unlike anything that went before it. For the first time England became a fashion influence, especially for menswear, and became the toast of Paris, as court dress became secondary to the season-by-season flux of fashion as we know it today. Sarah Jane Downing explores the fashion revolution and the innovation that inspired a flood of fashions taking influence from far afield. It was an era of contradiction immortalised by Jane Austen, who adeptly used the new-found diversity of fashion to enliven her characters: Wickham's military splendour; Mr Darcy's understated elegance; and Miss Tilney's romantic fixation with white muslin.
Salem, 1692 The moment he steps off the boat and into his hometown of Salem, Nathanial Abbot knows the rumors about Salem are indeed true. For in the two years since he's left Salem—disowned by his family and seeking a fortune of his own—the town has changed. It is dark with discord and suspicion... and accusations of witchcraft. Now all that remains for him is the woman he's never forgotten. But Faith Downing isn't happy to see Nathanial. In his absence, his younger sisters have ignited the chain of hysteria that resulted in twenty deaths—including Faith's aunt, to whom Nathanial owed his life. Yet through her acrimony, Faith can't prevent herself from responding to the man Nathanial has become, handsome and kind. A man who kindles something in her that speaks of sin. Each book in the Sins of Salem series is STANDALONE: * Her Wicked Sin * An Unexpected Sin * The Sins of a Few
In this personal memoir about life at 10 Downing Street, Sarah Brown shares the secrets of living behind the most famous front door in the world. Sarah gave up a successful career in business to serve the country. A passionate campaigner for women and children, she mobilised over a million people through her early adoption of Twitter. If you've ever wondered what it's like to pack for a photo call with supermodels or pause a speech in front of hundreds when the autocue fails, it's all here - from what to do when the school play clashes with a visit to the White House to what it feels like to support the man you love as he takes tough decisions to stave off global financial meltdown... Intimate, reflective, surprising and funny, Behind the Black Door takes us backstage to reveal what it's like to be an ordinary woman, wife and mother in extraordinary circumstances.
It is the summer of 1944. The Second World War is in full swing and George's workload is larger than ever. He tries to ignore the warning signs but one day he is suddenly taken seriously ill. Although sixty-eight years old, George is not prepared for this and it's a shock to him that he must stop working. Left most days with only his thoughts for company, he takes pleasure in looking back over all the things he's done in his life. From a childhood growing up in Cheltenham, where he discovered the truth about his father's tragic death, George went on to join the army and play a role during the Boer War. Decades later he reminisces about his army canteen career, his time in the military police and how fate brought him to Farnham, where he married and raised a large family. His only desire now is to get back to his job of NAAFI inspector, which he has enjoyed for the past thirty years. But will he ever be well again? And will he get to see the end of this war? Or will time simply run out for George?
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