Propelled by the discovery of an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters, a young woman plunges into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an inconceivable evil: the dark reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages. The search for the the truth becomes an adventure of monumental propportions, taking us from monasteries and dusty libraries to the captitals of Eastern Europe - in a feat of storytelling so rich, so exciting, so suspenseful that it has enthralled readers around he world.
Gerald of Wales was among the most dynamic andfascinating churchmen of the twelfth century. A member of one ofthe leading Norman families involved in the invasion of Ireland, hefirst visited there in 1183 and later returned in the entourage ofHenry II. The resulting "Topographia Hiberniae" is an extraordinaryaccount of his travels. Here he describes landscapes, fish, birdsand animals; recounts the history of Ireland's rulers; and tellsfantastical stories of magic wells and deadly whirlpools, strangecreatures and evil spirits. Written from the point of view of aninvader and reformer, this work has been rightly criticized for itsportrait of a primitive land, yet it is also one of the mostimportant sources for what is known of Ireland during the MiddleAges.
A completechronicle of the literature of the British Isles, from Beowulf to the beginning of the third millennium. Thisclassic work of literary history not only provides an encyclopedicsurvey, but also a personal, chronological interpretation of theEnglish tradition with an emphasis on the continuity of majorliterary forms and on the ways in which important figures transformthe art. The many literary genres, themes, and authors that receivea fascinating analysis include The Epic; Chaucer; Two Versions ofthe Pastoral; The Sonnet; Spenser's Garden; Shakespeare; RevengeTragedy; Restoration Comedy; Inventing the Novel; Gothic Follies;Wordsworth and Coleridge; and Imagination and Fiction.
This celebration of the English countryside does not only focus on the rolling green landscapes and magnificent monuments that set England apart from the rest of the world. Many of the contributors bring their own special touch, presenting a refreshingly eclectic variety of personal icons, from pub signs to seaside piers, from cattle grids to canal boats, and from village cricket to nimbies. First published as a lavish colour coffeetable book, this new expanded paperback edition has double the original number of contributions from many celebrities including Bill Bryson, Michael Palin, Eric Clapton, Bryan Ferry, Sebastian Faulks, Kate Adie, Kevin Spacey, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, Richard Mabey , Simon Jenkins, John Sergeant, Benjamin Zephaniah, Joan Bakewell, Antony Beevor, Libby Purves, Jonathan Dimbleby, and many more: and a new preface by HRH Prince Charles.
The Histories, by Herodotus, is part of the Barnes NobleClassics series, which offers quality editions at affordableprices to the student and the general reader, including newscholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully craftedextras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes Noble Classics: New introductions commissioned from today s topwriters and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies ofcontemporary historical, biographical, and cultural eventsFootnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations,parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, andfilms inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Studyquestions to challenge the reader s viewpoints and expectationsBibliographies for further reading Indices Glossaries, whenappropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed tosuperior specifications; some include illustrations of historicalinterest. Barnes Noble Classics pulls together aconstellation of influences—biographical, his
A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year A Washington Post Best Book of the Year A Businessweek Best Business Book of the Year A Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year In this brilliant, essential book, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas L. Friedman speaks to America's urgent need for national renewal and explains how a green revolution can bring about both a sustainable environment and a sustainable America. Friedman explains how global warming, rapidly growing populations, and the expansion of the world’s middle class through globalization have produced a dangerously unstable planet--one that is "hot, flat, and crowded." In this Release 2.0 edition, he also shows how the very habits that led us to ravage the natural world led to the meltdown of the financial markets and the Great Recession. The challenge of a sustainable way of life presents the United States with an opportunity not only to rebuild its economy, but to lead the world in radically innovating toward cleaner energy.
Communication is essential to our lives, but how often do we stop to think about where the words we use have come from? Have you ever thought about which words in English have been borrowed from Arabic, French or Dutch? Try admiral, landscape and marmalade just for starters. The Secret Life of Words is a wide-ranging account not only of the history of English, but also of how words witness history, reflect social change and remind us of our turbulent past. Henry Hitchings delves into our promiscuous language and reveals how and why it has absorbed words from more than 350 other languages many originating from the most unlikely of places, such as shampoo from Hindi and kiosk from Turkish. From the Norman Conquest to the present day, Hitchings narrates the story of English as an archive of our human experience and uncovers the secrets behind everyday words. This is a celebration of our language; after reading it, you will never again take the words we use for granted.
The inspiring true story of General Lucian Truscott, one ofthe greatest combat commanders of World War II. General Lucian K. Truscott was an American military giant: tough,resourceful, and devoted to the men under his command. Unlike themore flamboyant high-ranking European field commanders of the time,he was neither arrogant nor in pursuit of personal glory-but rathera loyal, humble man who led his troops from the front and foughtevery enemy with a tenacity that made him one of the most respectedand revered commanders in the U.S. Army. In Command of Honor, author H. Paul Jeffers chronicles the lifeof this American hero. For the first time, the life of Truscott isrevealed: his ramshackle childhood in Texas and Oklahoma, hisextraordinary combat service, and his peacetime duties. But aboveall, this is a story of leadership and sacrifice by a man who livedfor duty, honor, and courage-a man who would become a legend in theannals of U.S. Army history.
An entertaining, anecdotal look at the origins of language and ideas in the USA. Bryson explains why two bicycle repairmen from Ohio succeeded in mastering manned flight, why the assassination of President Garfield led to the invention of air conditioning, and many other improbable but true facts.
Josephus' account of a war marked by treachery and atrocity isa superbly detailed and evocative record of the Jewish rebellionagainst Rome between AD 66 and 70. Originally a rebel leader,Josephus changed sides after he was captured to become aRome-appointed negotiator, and so was uniquely placed to observethese turbulent events, from the siege of Jerusalem to the finalheroic resistance and mass suicides at Masada. His account providesmuch of what we know about the history of the Jews under Romanrule, with vivid portraits of such key figures as the EmperorVespasian and Herod the Great. Often self-justifying and divided inits loyalties, "The Jewish War" nevertheless remains one of themost immediate accounts of war, its heroism and its horrors, everwritten.
Tanks and armored fighting vehicles have dominated the battlefield in all conflicts all over the world. Their amazing firepower, armor, and mobility has lead to most countries maintaining a fleet of these versatile and fearsome machines. Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles features the best of these vehicles.Entries are listed chronologically from 1915 to the present day. Each entry is accompanied by a de*ion of its development and service record, and a full specification table is included, detailing all the essential data:armament, crew, dimensions, speed,range, engine types, and power utput. Specifications are given with both imperial and metric measures listed. Among the vehicles featured in the volume are the British Mk I tank of World War I, the German Panther, and the American M4 Sherman of World War II, and the MI Abrams seen in battle today. All of the major manufacturers in the US, UK, Germany, France, and Russia are covered, alongside the smaller nations to present a global commentary on the
Qian Qichen played a direct role in some of the most dramatic moments in recent Chinese history -- including standoffs, efforts to build alliances, and historic summits -- and here he recounts these episodes from behind the scenes. Having witnessed and influenced high-powered political crossroads, he shows just how global relationships are delicately maintained through rarely seen negotiations. Qichen's remembrance covers world-changing events, including the thawing of China's relationship with the Soviet Union; Nelson Mandela's visit to China after his release from prison; the normalization of Sino-Indonesian relations; and the transfer of Hong Kong. As China continues to rise on the world stage, Qichen offers an inside look at its politics and relationships to other countries, helping us understand the past, present, and future of one of the world's greatest powers. 作者简介： Qian Qichen was born in 1928 in Tianjin, China. In 1982 he was appointed as China's vice minister of foreign
In the greatest work of history in the English language,Edward Gibbon compresses thirteen turbulent centuries into agripping epic narrative. It is history in the grandeighteenth-century manner, a well-researched drama charged withinsight, irony, and incisive character analysis. In elegant prose,Gibbon presents both the broad pattern of events and thesignificant revealing detail. He delves into religion, politics,sexuality, and social mores with equal authority and aplomb. Whilesubsequent research revealed minor factual errors about the earlyEmpire, Gibbon's bold vision, witty de*ions of a vast cast ofcharacters, and readiness to display his own beliefs and prejudicesresult in an astonishing work of history and literature, at oncepowerfully intelligent and enormously entertaining. Based on David Womersley's definitive three-volume PenguinClassics edition of The Decline and Fall of the RomanEmpire , this abridgement contains complete chapters from allthree volumes, linked by extended bridging pass
A remarkable and engrossing account of medieval England's epicconflict with France. From 1337 to 1453 England repeatedly invaded France on thepretext that her kings had a right to the French throne. Though itwas a small, poor country, England for most of those "hundredyears" won the battles, sacked the towns and castles, and dominatedthe war. The protagonists of the Hundred Years War are among themost colorful in European history: Edward III, the Black Prince;Henry V, who was later immortalized by Shakespeare; the splendidbut inept John II, who died a prisoner in London; Charles V, whovery nearly overcame England; and the enigmatic Charles VII, who atlast drove the English out. Desmond Seward's critically-acclaimedaccount of the Hundred Years War brings to life all of theintrigue, beauty, and royal to-the-death-fighting of that legendarycentury-long conflict. "Mr. Seward shows us all the famous sights of those roaring times. . . and illuminates them with an easy scholarship, a nice senseof
China’s Great Wall north of Beijing is one of the world’s most famous sights. Millions every year climb the line of stone snaking over mountains. We all feel we know the Wall. But we are wrong. It is too big, too varied, too complex to be captured by a few images or a day-trip. Myths surround it. Many believe that the stone barrier marches across all China, that it has been in existence for over 2,000 years, and that it is the only man-made structure visible from the Moon. In fact, most of it is made of earth, and much of it is not there at all. It cannot even be seen from earth orbit, let alone the Moon. Estimates of its length vary from 1,500 to 5,000 miles. Even its name is deceptive: it is not an it, a single entity, but many walls (hence the uncertain length), built at different times. Yet behind the confusion are great simplicities. The many walls are united by two ideas — self-protection and unity — which go back to the First Emperor, who founded the nation in 221 BC. For 2,000 years, the Wal
Book De*ion Nathaniel Philbrick became an internationally renowned authorwith his National Book Award– winning In the Heart of the Sea,hailed as “spellbinding” by Time magazine. In Mayflower, Philbrickcasts his spell once again, giving us a fresh and extraordinarilyvivid account of our most sacred national myth: the voyage of theMayflower and the settlement of Plymouth Colony. From theMayflower’s arduous Atlantic crossing to the eruption of KingPhilip’s War between colonists and natives decades later, Philbrickreveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims afifty-five-year epic, at once tragic and heroic, that stillresonates with us today. From Publishers Weekly In this remarkable effort, National Book Award–winner Philbrick(In the Heart of the Sea) examines the history of Plymouth Colony.In the early 17th century, a small group of devout EnglishChristians fled their villages to escape persecution, going firstto Holland, then making the now infamous 10-week voyage to
Product De*ion Terrorism and violence from Beirut to Belfast, from Cyprus to Soweto, from Munich to Mogadishu. The Ayatollah Khomeini, Tricky Dicky Nixon, General Amin, Pol Pot, - young Michael Jackson and ageing Elvis - explosively revealed by the Camera's silent witness.
Able, bored and just down from Cambridge in the summer of 1937, Sally Marsden contemplates her future without enthusiasm. So many have assumed she will marry Hugh Jerrold it is, practically, an engagement. When Hugh returns from his diplomatic posting to China there will be a wedding and a thoroughly respectable settling down. One afternoon Sally's father, impelled by a mixture of his own dissastisfactions, compassion for his daughter's predicament, a newspaper advertisement in The Times and a passing desire to spite his wife, suggests that she travel to China herself. Sally can spend a winter in China and she and Hugh can return together the next spring. Sally accepts a last adventure before submitting to the strictures of upper-middle-class English female life. By the time she arrives in the East it is not long before the Sino-Japanese war begins to lap around the edges of the isolated and complacent western settlements. A move inland to Nanking restores the peace. But only a few weeks pas
This series depicts worldwide events of the twentieth century in a novel way. Fascinating black-and-white photographs from the Getty Images collection put images of the power of an event or the zaniness of new trends right before the viewersa?? eyes. The force of wars and political conflicts is just as important a theme in these comprehensive volumes as world-shaking innovations in science and technology. These are accompanied by portraits of great personalities in art, politics, and society. The lives of everyday people with their (at the time) common and not-so-common curiosities also comprise an extensive part of each book: sailing on roller skates in 1929, painted-on nylon stockings in 1947, or a dry cleanera??s where the charge for miniskirts varies according to their length.
he day began with the killing of a ten-year-old Native American boy by U.S. cavalry troopers. Before it ended, all of those troopers and their commander, George Armstrong Custer, lay dead on the battlefield of the Little Big Horn the worst defeat ever inflicted by Native Americans on the U.S. military. Now, the full story of that dramatic day, the events leading up to it, and its aftermath are told by the only ones who survived to recount it the Native Americans. Based on the author s twenty-two years of research, and on the oral testimony of seventy-two Native American eyewitnesses, Custer s Fall is both a superbly skillful weaving of many voices into a gripping narrative fabric, and a revelatory reconstruction that stands as the definitive version of the battle that became a legend and only now emerges as it really was.
In October 1942, a panzer officer wrote Stalingrad is no longer a town... Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure . The battle for Stalingrad became the focus of Hitler and Stalin's determination to win the gruesome, vicious war on the eastern front. The citizens of Stalingrad endured unimaginable hardship; the battle, with fierce hand-to-hand fighting in each room of each building, was brutally destructive to both armies. But the eventual victory of the Red Army, and the failure of Hitler's Operation Barbarossa, was the first defeat of Hitler's territorial ambitions in Europe, and the start of his decline. An extraordinary story of tactical genius, civilian bravery, obsession, carnage and the nature of war itself, Stalingrad will act as a testament to the vital role of the soviet war effort.
"Thought-provoking and illuminating...Overy's study ofBritish culture between the wars is absorbing and unexpectedlymoving." - The New York Times Book Review Original,entertaining, and ever-surprising, The Twilight Years tellsthe story of how an abiding fear of war influenced English life inthe aftermath of World War I. Britain had become a laboratory formodern thought and experimentations, from eugenics to Freud'sunconscious. And drawing upon these innovative ideas and concepts,intellectuals, politicians, scientists, and artists-among themArnold Toynbee, Aldous Huxley, and H.G. Wells-grappled with acreeping fear that the West was staring down the end ofcivilization. The Twilight Years speaks to the frighteningpower of ideas in a rapidly changing world.
Provides an accessible introduction to 28 0f the most important actions of World War ll,including Dunkirk，the Battle of Britain，Operation Barbarossa，Pear Harbor,El Atamein．the siege of Leningrad，Kursk，Monte Cassino，the D-Day landings，Battle of the Bulge，lwo Jima，the Battle for Berlin，and many，many more. Includes full-color tactical maps that allow the reader to grasp at a glance the decisivemoves of the battle. Features rnore than 250 color and black,and—white photographs and artworks illustrating the soldiers,uniforms,and military technology of the era.
