New Releases by Michael C. Harris

The weeks of bloody maneuvering and fighting along the Delaware River at Fort Mercer, Fort Mifflin, and Gloucester receive but scant attention in the literature of the American Revolution. The same is true for the five-day Whitemarsh operation and other important events in December 1777. Award-winning author Michael C. Harris’s impressive Fighting for Philadelphia: Forts Mercer and Mifflin, the Battle of Whitemarsh, and the Road to Valley Forge, October 5–December 19, 1777 rescues these important actions from obscurity, puts them in context with the Saratoga Campaign, and closes his magnificent trilogy that began with the battle of Brandywine and left off with the slugfest at Germantown. This period of the war started when General Sir William Howe’s army of 16,500 British and Hessian soldiers set out aboard a 265-ship armada from New York to capture Philadelphia in late July 1777. Six difficult weeks later, Howe landed near Elkton, Maryland, moved north into Pennsylvania, and defeated Washington’s army at Brandywine on September 11. Philadelphia fell to the British. Obscured by darkness and a heavy morning fog, Washington launched a successful surprise attack against the British garrison at Germantown on October 4. The recapture of the colonial capital seemed within Washington’s grasp until poor battlefield decisions brought about a reversal of fortune and a clear British victory. Like Brandywine, the bloody Germantown scrap proved Continental soldiers could stand toe-to-toe with British Regulars. A protracted and complex quasi-siege of the British garrison followed. This fascinating and little-studied chess game had Washington trying to close the Delaware River and harass enemy foraging parties to starve out Howe’s command, while the British tried to capture or neutralize the key American bastions of Forts Mercer and Mifflin and keep the river open. Harris’s Fighting for Philadelphia is the first complete study to merge the strategic, political, and tactical history of the complex operations sandwiched between Germantown and the arrival of the Continental Army at Valley Forge. His sweeping prose relies almost exclusively on original archival research and a deep personal knowledge of the terrain, highlighted by 21 original maps, illustrations, and modern photos. Told largely through the words of those who fought there, Fighting for Philadelphia is sure to please the most discriminating reader and assume its place as one of the finest military studies of its kind.

Detailed and fully illustrated account of the Philadelphia campaign 1777, with over 150 photographs, maps and contemporary artwork. The British Army in North America conducted two campaigns in 1777. John Burgoyne led one army south from Canada to seize control of the Lake Champlain-Hudson River corridor resulting in the battle of Saratoga. Burgoyne's defeat led to that army's capture. Rather than assist Burgoyne's campaign, William Howe led his army from New York City on the Philadelphia campaign. Although Howe captured Philadelphia, the events of 1777 led to the French Alliance and ultimately American victory in American Revolution. This fully illustrated account of the Philadelphia campaign puts the battles into context and explains the importance of the campaign to the outcome of the war.

Step back in time to the birth of the United States and meet the real-life rebels who made this country free in this Spanish entry in the WHO HQ series! Retroceda en el tiempo al nacimiento de Estados Unidos en esta obra en español de la serie WHO HQ, y conozca a los rebeldes de la vida real que hicieron libre a este país. On a hot summer day near Philadelphia in 1776, Thomas Jefferson sat at his desk and wrote furiously until early the next morning. He was drafting the Declaration of Independence, a document that would sever this country's ties with Britain and announce a new nation - The United States of America. Colonists were willing to risk their lives for freedom, and the Declaration of Independence made that official. Discover the true story of one of the most radical and uplifting documents in history and follow the action that fueled the Revolutionary War. En un caluroso día de verano de 1776, cerca de Filadelfia, Thomas Jefferson se sentó en su escritorio y escribió intensamente hasta la mañana siguiente. Estaba redactando la Declaración de Independencia, un documento que rompería los lazos de este país con Gran Bretaña y anunciaría una nueva nación: los Estados Unidos de América. Los colonos estaban dispuestos a arriesgar sus vidas por la libertad, y la Declaración de Independencia lo hizo oficial. Descubra la verdadera historia de uno de los documentos más radicales y edificantes de la historia y siga la acción que impulsó la Guerra de la Independencia.

"Step back in time to the birth of the United States and meet the real-life rebels who made this country free in this Spanish entry in the Who HQ series!"--

The award–winning author of Brandywine examines a pivotal but overlooked battle of the American Revolution's Philadelphia Campaign. Today, Germantown is a busy Philadelphia neighborhood. On October 4, 1777, it was a small village on the outskirts of the colonial capital—and the site of one of the American Revolution's largest battles. Now Michael C. Harris sheds new light on this important action with a captivating historical study. After defeating Washington's rebel army in the Battle of Brandywine, General Sir William Howe took Philadelphia. But Washington soon returned, launching a surprise attack on the British garrison at Germantown. The recapture of the colonial capital seemed within Washington's grasp until poor decisions by the American high command led to a clear British victory. With original archival research and a deep knowledge of the terrain, Harris merges the strategic, political, and tactical history of this complex operation into a single compelling account. Complete with original maps, illustrations, and modern photos, and told largely through the words of those who fought there, Germantown is a major contribution to American Revolutionary studies.

Step back in time to the birth of the United States of America and meet the real-life rebels who made this country free! On a hot summer day near Philadelphia in 1776, Thomas Jefferson sat at his desk and wrote furiously until early the next morning. He was drafting the Declaration of Independence, a document that would sever this country's ties with Britain and announce a new nation—The United States of America. Colonists were willing to risk their lives for freedom, and the Declaration of Independence made that official. Discover the true story of one of the most radical and uplifting documents in history and follow the action that fueled the Revolutionary War.

Winner of the American Revolution Round Table of Richmond Book Award—"An impressive interpretation of the battle" (Arthur S. Lefkowitz, author of Benedict Arnold's Army). Long overshadowed by the stunning American victory at Saratoga, the complex British campaign that defeated George Washington's colonial army and led to the capture of the capital city of Philadelphia was one of the most important military events of the war. Michael C. Harris's impressive Brandywine is the first full-length study of this pivotal engagement in many years. Though the bitter fighting around Brandywine Creek drove the Americans from the field, their heroic defensive stand saved Washington's army from destruction and proved that the nascent Continental foot soldiers could stand toe-to-toe with their foe. Although more combat would follow, Philadelphia fell to Gen. Sir William Howe's British legions on September 26, 1777. Harris's Brandywine is the first complete study to merge the strategic, political, and tactical history of this complex operation and important set-piece battle into a single compelling account. More than a decade in the making, his sweeping prose relies almost exclusively upon original archival research and his personal knowledge of the terrain. Enhanced with original maps, illustrations, and modern photos, and told largely through the words of those who fought there, Brandywine will take its place as one of the most important military studies of the American Revolution ever written. "Take[s] the reader into the fields and along the front-lines . . . A first-rate military history that has a deserving spot on any student's bookshelf of the American Revolution." — Emerging Revolutionary War Era

Explores the amazing advances science has made in artificial intelligence.

Plagues, pandemics, bacteria that destroy flesh-germs seem to wage a never-ending war on human beings. Learn about some of the most deadly diseases known to humankind: the bubonic plague, cholera, smallpox, the Ebola virus, and more. Also read about diseases are so strange that you may not have ever heard of them, like the aging disease progeria, or elephantiasis, which causes skin to grow thick and saggy like an elephant's. Wash your hands, grip this book tightly, and prepare to learn about the viruses and bacteria that can creep into our bodies-and just what they can do to us! Book jacket.

Legs, hands, hearts, eyeballs-today we can replace all kinds of human body parts! Learn how doctors can take an organ from a healthy person and put it in the body of a sick person. Or how they can give bionic legs and arms to people who have lost their limbs. Or how a miniature telescope can help a blind person see. You'll be amazed at some of the inventions science and medicine have come up with, from synthetic blood to artificial hearts! Book jacket.

Many potential applications exist for an improved NAH measurement method in the automobile and aerospace industries. These industries provide numerous large-scale applications where employing time-consuming scanning methods is not cost-effective. This is especially the case for airplane in-flight passenger noise tests, where the expense of operating the airplane is extremely high. Therefore, even a small savings in data acquisition time would be very beneficial.

Harris has crammed a lifetime of thought and research on the subjects of quality and leadership into one incredible volume. His treatment of metrics and measurements is the most complete and practical I have encountered.- Jack Zenger Retired Chairman of the Times Mirror Training Group, Co-founder of Zenger Miller. Written by a Chief Quality Officer, this is the first book to lead the quality movement forward using an integrated system to achieve the delivery of high value to all stakeholders in the information age. Harris says that high value in the 21st Century will be achieved only by those organizations whose systems and leadership endeavors utilize the voice of the customer as its highest dependent variable. Defining value in customer terms permits everyone at all organizational levels to link business decisions with customer needs and wants in a measurable and observable manner. This can be done utilizing a major leadership tool called a control panel. By establishing a control panel at all levels, Harris conveys that the organization is able to integrate the massive amounts of data available with the human factors that motivate customers, shareholders, and employees. Through the control panel, information age leaders are then provided with the metrics needed to continuously adjust their strategy in order to focus on the most important needs and emerging trends for winning the competitive advantage. Harris contends that the key to success is integrated leadership, and value is quickly becoming the most important measure of success. No other book has come close to offering acceptable techniques that measure the effectiveness of integrated quality systems.