Books published by publisher Four Walls Eight Windows

London, the 1790s. Europe is in turmoil, and mysterious forces seem to be edging England into a disastrous war with France. Not quite at the center of the political maelstrom is James Tilly Matthews, a Welsh tea merchant and antiwar advocate who holds covert meetings with the leaders of both countries. But Matthews also believes his mind is being controlled by a gang of revolutionary "terrorists" and their diabolical secret machine called the Air Loom. The only man aware of the Air Loom's existence, Matthews is promptly declared mad and exiled to Bedlam, where he is held against his will for the rest of his life — by order of England's home secretary, Lord Liverpool. At Bedlam his "delusions" are celebrated as the most complex and bizarre ever recorded, but the truth of his case is even stranger than his doctors realize: many of the incredible political episodes in which he claims to have been involved are entirely real.

With the drama of detective fiction, How Wall Street Created a Nation illustrates how a combination of financial gain and arrogant American imperialism culminated in the building of the Panama Canal. Ovidio Diaz Espino has artfully pieced together the tale of a dark alliance of greed between the bankrupt French Panama Canal Company and a secret syndicate of Wall Street financiers. With the full force of Teddy Roosevelt’s Wall Street cabal and his gunboat diplomacy behind it, there was no stopping the canal project despite the objections of the American Congress and press. Espino brings a combination of financial acumen, historical expertise, and Latin American sensibility to this book.

In 1936, Quentin Young, a 22-year-old Chinese American, led American socialite Ruth Harkness on a 1,500-mile expedition into the remote mountains of Sichuan. Braving warlords and primitive tribes, the duo captured a giant panda and brought it back alive, the first time a live panda had been seen by the Western world. Hunters and scientists assumed the pair had stolen the animal. When it became clear the find was genuine, Ruth Harkness became a celebrity. But Quentin Young, together with his brother and fellow guide, Jack, was swept into the chaos of World War II and became a spy. A few years ago, Michael Kiefer discovered Quentin, now elderly and living in the United States. The resulting book sets the record straight.

The Great American Desert stretches from Oregon to central Mexico, encompassing some of the loneliest, loveliest spots on the planet. Desert Survivor tells readers how to get there, what to take, and the dangers and pleasures they can expect to encounter along the way. Out-of-the-way gems of the Sonoran Desert are described alongside such popular desert destinations as the Grand Canyon and Big Bend National Park. Desert Survivor is written for the daypacker as well as the more intense traveler who wants to spend a few nights or more under desert skies. The book includes maps, drawings, and photos. Features an overview of the 53 most heavily visited national parks and monuments in the western U.S., and includes guidelines for exploring the desert both by foot and by vehicle.

Carole Stuart and Arthur Robins want to teach children a simple lesson: the importance of saying thank you. Stuart and Robins show children and their parents how easy these words can be to say and when, during a typical day, it might be appropriate. In the company of a brother-and-sister team, readers go from breakfast through bedtime, learning all the thankyous along the way. Robins is the winner of the Nestle Smarties Book Prize, the English equivalent of the Caldecott Medal.