In Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations Norman Davies suggests that nations wear out, fall apart, are ripped apart, or run head-first into a history that's bigger than they are. In a set of case studies covering such one-time but now almost forgotten major players as Byzantium, Aragon, and Poland-Lithuania who ruled huge territories, married into all the best royal houses, and were names to be feared. Or places like Montenegro, Saxe-Coburg, and Etruria that popped off as fast as they had popped up. And then there is poor Ruthenia which was proclaimed a state one morning and overrun before breakfast the next day. Besides giving the histories of the various vanished kingdoms, Davies analyzes the politics and economics that contributed to the collapses. He also reflects on how some modern countries may or may not be on the way out in time. If you're looking for lively, colorful histories of places that survive only in the more obscure corners of textbooks (if even there) this is the place to go.
System status
A new library system and online catalog will debut on May 30. Here's the current status of:
- Checkouts: May 24-29 you must have your physical library card in hand to check out materials.
- Due dates: All checkouts will have a due date of June 22, except DVDs and GRU watt meters, which still have 7-day limit.
- Holds and requests: New holds and purchase requests cannot be placed until May 30, but those placed previously will continue to be processed.
- Returns: Please "Babysit Our Books" — keep them until the new system is running smoothly (mid-June).
- Registration: Continues as usual today, but cannot be done May 24-29, as our entire system will be down.
- Interlibrary loan: Continues as usual throughout the transition.
- Digital checkouts: OverDrive checkouts and holds will work normally throughout the transition.
- My Discoveries: Will be retired with the AquaBrowser catalog on May 24. Please retrieve any saved book lists before then.
- Website: The Library District website (www.aclib.us) will be up as normal throughout the transition.
- My Account: Account info will be available through May 24. Your account will appear on the new system on May 30.
- Bill payment: All payments including PayPal are working today. No payments can be accepted May 24-29
- New catalog: Watch for its debut on May 30, with new features.
More about the transition.
More about the new online catalog.
Have any questions? Please Ask Us!
