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A Concise History of Spain
By Carla Rahn Phillips, William D. Phillips. 2009
The rich cultural and political life of Spain has emerged from its complex history, from the diversity of its peoples,…
and from continual contact with outside influences. This book traces that history from prehistoric times to the present, focusing particularly on culture, society, politics, and personalities. Written in an engaging style, it introduces readers to the key themes that have shaped Spain's history and culture. These include its varied landscapes and climates; the impact of waves of diverse human migrations; the importance of its location as a bridge between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and Europe and Africa; and religion, particularly militant Catholic Christianity and its centuries of conflict with Islam and Protestantism, as well as debates over the place of the Church in modern Spain. Illustrations, maps, and a guide to further reading, major cultural figures, and places to see, make the history of this fascinating country come alive.Vlad the Impaler: The Real Count Dracula
By Enid A. Goldberg, Norman Itzkowitz. 2007
Loyalty meant nothing to Vlad Dracula, a Transylvanian prince who'd sacrifice anything to stay in power. He ruled with a…
thirst for blood so terrible that the most famous vampire in literature was named after him.Grigory Rasputin
By Enid A. Goldberg, Norman Itzkowitz. 2007
Reading in the Byzantine Empire and Beyond
By Teresa Shawcross, Ida Toth. 2018
Offering a comprehensive introduction to the history of books readers and reading in the Byzantine Empire and its sphere…
of influence this volume addresses a paradox Advanced literacy was rare among imperial citizens being restricted by gender and class Yet the state s economic religious and political institutions insisted on the fundamental importance of the written record Starting from the materiality of codices documents and inscriptions the volume s contributors draw attention to the evidence for a range of interactions with texts They examine the role of authors compilers and scribes They look at practices such as the close perusal of texts in order to produce excerpts notes commentaries and editions But they also analyse the social implications of the constant intersection of writing with both image and speech Showcasing current methodological approaches this collection of essays aims to place a discussion of Byzantium within the mainstream of medieval textual studiesOur Man in Hibernia: Ireland, The Irish and Me
By Charlie Connelly. 2010
Each year on St Patrick's Day eighty million people around the world celebrate their Irish ancestry. Millions more don leprechaun…
hats and down pints of Guinness in the annual high-fiving of Ireland and the Irish. Charlie Connelly was one of them. He thought he had a good idea of what Ireland was all about. He was, after all, practically Irish. He had a bodhran and everything. Then, when he was least expecting it, he went to live there. Our Man in Hibernia follows Charlie's adventures among the Irish. Immersing himself in Ireland's language, music and literature, he learns how closely the rose-tinted image he'd grown up with matches the reality, and explores the land, from the small patch of Connemara bog that changed the world to the Holy Tree Stump of Rathkeale. From defining moments of the country's history - the Great Famine and the Easter Rising - to its quirkier phenomena, such as the National Ploughing Championships and the Rose of Tralee, in Our Man in Hibernia Charlie Connelly paints an evocative, entertaining and witty portrait of Ireland today.Francisco Pizarro: Destroyer of the Inca Empire
By John Diconsiglio. 2009
Mani: Travels In Southern Peloponnese (New York Review Books. Classics)
By Patrick Fermor. 2006
This is Patrick Leigh Fermor's spellbinding part-travelogue, part inspired evocation of a part of Greece's past. Joining him in the…
Mani, one of Europe's wildest and most isolated regions, cut off from the rest of Greece by the towering Taygettus mountainLost Kingdom: The Quest for Empire and the Making of the Russian Nation
By Serhii Plokhy. 2017
From a preeminent scholar of Eastern Europe, a new history of Russian imperialism In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimea and…
attempted to seize a portion of Ukraine. While the world watched in outrage, this blatant violation of national sovereignty was only the latest iteration of a centuries-long effort to expand Russian boundaries and create a pan-Russian nation. In Lost Kingdom, award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy argues that we can only understand the confluence of Russian imperialism and nationalism today by delving into the nation's history. Spanning over 500 years, from the end of the Mongol rule to the present day, Plokhy shows how leaders from Ivan the Terrible to Joseph Stalin to Vladimir Putin exploited existing forms of identity, warfare, and territorial expansion to achieve imperial supremacy. An authoritative and masterful account of Russian nationalism, Lost Kingdom chronicles the story behind Russia's belligerent empire-building quest.The Fall of France 1940
By Andrew Shennan. 2000
Offering a fresh critical perspective on this momentous event, Andrew Shennan examines both the continuities and discontinuities that resulted from…
the events of 1940. The main focus is on the French experience of the war, but this experience is framed within the larger context of France's - and Europe's - protracted mid-twentieth century crisis.Portrait of Orkney
By George Brown. 1989
Catherine the Great: Empress of Russia
By Zu Vincent. 2009
Roumeli: Travels In Northern Greece (John Murray Travel Classics)
By Patrick Leigh Fermor. 2003
Patrick Leigh Fermor's Mani compellingly revealed a hidden world of Southern Greece and its past. Its northern counterpart takes the…
reader among Sarakatsan shepherds, the monasteries of Meteora and the villages of Krakora, among itinerant pedlars and beggars, and even tracks down at Missolonghi a pair of Byron's slippers.Roumeli is not on modern maps: it is the ancient name for the lands from the Bosphorus to the Adriatic and from Macedonia to the Gulf of Corinth. But it is the perfect, evocative name for the Greece that Fermor captures in writing that carries throughout his trademark vividness of description. But what is more, the pictures of people, traditions and landscapes that he creates on the page are imbued with an intimate understanding of Greece and its history.Rebel Girls
By Jill Liddington. 2006
Rejecting the deadening conventions of their Victorian elders, the rebel girls demanded new freedoms and new rights. They took their…
suffrage message out to the remotest Yorkshire dales and fishing harbours, to win Edwardian hearts and minds. 16-year-old Huddersfield weaver Dora Thewlis on arrest was catapulted onto the tabloid front-pages as 'Baby Suffragette'. Her life was transformed. Dancer Lilian Lenton waited till her twenty-first birthday - then determined to burn two buildings a week until the Liberal government granted women the vote. Rebel Girls shows how this daring campaigning shifted from community suffragettes to militant mavericks.Rick Steves Best of England (Rick Steves)
By Rick Steves. 2016
Hit England's can't-miss art, sights, and bites in two weeks or less with Rick Steves Best of England!Rick's expert advice…
on what's worth your time and moneyShort itineraries covering the best of London, Bath, the Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon, Liverpool, the Lake District, and York, including Windsor Castle, Cambridge, Oxford, Stonehenge, and moreRick's tips for beating the crowds, skipping lines, and avoiding tourist trapsThe best of local culture, flavors, and haunts, including step-by-step walking tours of world-class museums and atmospheric neighborhoodsTrip planning strategies like how to link destinations and design your itinerary, what to pack, where to stay, and how to get aroundOver 400 full-color pages with detailed maps and vibrant photosSuggestions for side trips and excursionsExperience England's Old-World sophistication and modern-day excitement for yourself with Rick Steves Best of England!Planning a longer trip? Rick Steves England is the classic, in-depth guide to exploring the country.Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere
By Jan Morris. 2001
Every year more than 270,000 students from all around the world come to study in the UK - and the…
number is growing by 10 per cent a year. At present, most students coming to the UK have to rely on information from their friends, and brief leaflets and booklets supplied by universities. This indispensable guide tells students all they need to know about Britain's higher education system: the application process, funding, immigration controls, health service, accommodation, study methods and employment opportunities, as well as university life, British customs and habits, and lots of other information on day to day living in the UK.Napoleon in Love
By R. F. Delderfield. 1959
The Fall of the Berlin Wall (Turning Points)
By William F. Buckley. 2004
Venerable American political conservative, Buckley offers his account of why the Berlin Wall was built, how it ruined German lives…
for nearly three decades, and how it fell -- was pushed actually -- in 1989. He delights in such images as children of Nazis, the undeniable spirit of East German dissenters, and Communist overlords.Epicureans and Atheists in France, 1650–1729
By Alan Charles Kors. 2016
Atheism was the most foundational challenge to early-modern French certainties. Theologians and philosophers labelled such atheism as absurd, confident that…
neither the fact nor behaviour of nature was explicable without reference to God. The alternative was a categorical naturalism, whose most extreme form was Epicureanism. The dynamics of the Christian learned world, however, which this book explains, allowed the wide dissemination of the Epicurean argument. By the end of the seventeenth century, atheism achieved real voice and life. This book examines the Epicurean inheritance and explains what constituted actual atheistic thinking in early-modern France, distinguishing such categorical unbelief from other challenges to orthodox beliefs. Without understanding the actual context and convergence of the inheritance, scholarship, protocols, and polemical modes of orthodox culture, the early-modern generation and dissemination of atheism are inexplicable. This book brings to life both early-modern French Christian learned culture and the atheists who emerged from its intellectual vitality.Sacred Places Europe: 108 Destinations (Sacred Places: 108 Destinations series)
By Brad Olsen. 1925
Combining current trends, academic theories, and historical insights, this travel guide brings both lesser-known and famous European spiritual locales into…
perspective by explaining the significance of each sacred site. The cultural relevance, history, and spirituality of each site--including Stonehenge, the Acropolis, Mont Saint Michel, Pompeii, and Saint Peter's Basilica--are explained, creating a moving and artistic travel experience. Each destination--with selections spanning more than 15 countries throughout Europe--is accompanied by easy-to-follow maps and directions.