Helen Plum Library

The Buddhist Caves of Ajanta, located in Maharashtra, were built from 200BC to 600AD, almost 300 years after the death of The Buddha. These caves and sculptures, carved out of solid rock were beautifully sculpted and painted over a period of 800 years. For almost 1200 years however lay abandoned and forgotten. Though initially conceptualized to house monks, they developed over time to display some of the finest examples of rock-cut temples in the...

William Cecil, Queen Elizabeth I's spy master, intercepts a conspiracy to assassinate the Queen. When he discovers that Elizabeth's own cousin, Mary Queen of Scots is behind the plot, he lays a trap to capture and execute her.

How did the relationship between Science and Religion change during The Middle Ages, and what effect did the work of Bacon, Hobbs, Descartes, de Spinozza, Locke, Kant, Rousseau, and Hume have on shaping a new school of Philosophy?

This installment concerns the lessons we learned from the war - military, diplomatic, and psychological.

Henry Louis Gates helps actors Pamela Adlon and Kathryn Hahn decode scandals and secrets hidden within their roots, traveling from small-town England to the American frontier, revealing stories that their ancestors went to great lengths to conceal-and celebrating the virtues of accepting one's family members, whoever they may be.

During the 1920's and 30's, designers believed that bigger is better. Airline companies were formed, requiring larger, more comfortable airplanes. With the limitations of early airfields for large planes, the flying boat became the queen of the sky.

An icon is a religious image from the fourth century, usually depicting Jesus, Mary or angels The Hollywood star system conveyed the power of their stars in much the same way. Striking portraits for maximum attention Marilyn Monroe was a natural at this from the start. Even in her earlier shots, Marilyn maximises the possibilities of being iconic in the classical sense of the word

Romeo & Juliet - The Tragic Lovers, offers insight, commentary and staged performances of Shakespeare's famous tragedy of star-crossed lovers. As a companion to the literary interpretation, actual dramatic scenes filmed in Verona, Italy are used as Shakespeare had intended in his original play. Scholar and host, James Bride, introduces factual information about Shakespeare's play by referencing a digitally enhanced version of the Prologue. Gary Taylor,...

THE WAR, a new seven-part documentary series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, explores the history and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective by following the fortunes of so-called ordinary men and women who become caught up in one of the greatest cataclysms in human history.Six years in the making, this epic 14-hour film focuses on the stories of citizens from four geographically distributed American towns...

Henry Louis Gates explores the poignant roots of chef David Chang and actor Raúl Esparza-two men whose families fled their homelands to live in exile, never to return. From war-torn cities in North Korea to shark-infested waters off the shores of Cuba, Gates sets off to recover the stories of individuals who came to America against all odds and built a better life for themselves.