Category Archives: Travel Guides
The Silk Road: A New History
The Silk Road is as iconic in world history as the Colossus of Rhodes or the Suez Canal. But what was it, exactly? It conjures up a hazy image of a caravan of camels laden with silk on a dusty desert track, reaching from China to Rome. The reality was different-and far more interesting-as revealed
The Penguin Book of Migration Literature: Departures, Arrivals, Generations, Returns
Spanning a period of over three hundred years and twenty-five countries, `The Penguin Book of Migration Literature` is a wide-ranging anthology that brings together well-known authors such as Mohsin Hamid, Zadie Smith and Salman Rushdie alongside emerging writers like Deepak Unnikrishnan, Warsan Shire and Abdullah Al-Baradouni.A compelling and original collection of migration writings, this is
Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing
Almost everyone swears, or worries about not swearing, from the two year-old who has just discovered the power of potty mouth to the grandma who wonders why every other word she hears is obscene. Whether they express anger or exhilaration, are meant to insult or to commend, swear words perform a crucial role in language.
Tales Of Two Planets: Stories of Climate Change and Inequality in a Divided World
In the past five years, John Freeman, previously editor of Granta, has launched a celebrated international literary magazine, Freeman`s, and compiled two acclaimed anthologies that deal with income inequality as it is experienced, first in New York and then throughout the United States. In the course of this work, one major theme has come up
A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities: Strange Tales and Surprising Facts from History`s Most Orthodox Empire
Description: Weird, decadent, degenerate, racially mixed, superstitious, theocratic, effeminate, and even hyper-literate, Byzantium has long been regarded by many as one big curiosity. According to Voltaire, it represented “a worthless collection of miracles, a disgrace for the human mind” for Hegel it was “a disgusting picture of imbecility.” A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities will reinforce
Return of the Spirit
First published in Arabic in 1933, `Return of the Spirit` follows a patriotic young Egyptian and his extended family as they grapple with the events leading up to the 1919 Egyptian revolution. This is a trail-blazing political novel that illustrates the way one man`s spiritual awakening ties in with the political awakening of a nation.
The Caucasus: An Introduction
In this new updated version of `The Caucasus`, Thomas de Waal introduces readers to this complex region. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and the breakaway territories that have tried to split away from them constitute one of the most diverse and challenging regions on earth, impressing the visitor with their multi-layered history, ethnic complexity, and seemingly intractable
The Hanging on Union Square
In Depression-era New York, Mr Nut is an oblivious American everyman, who wants to strike it rich. Over the course of a single night he meets a cast of strange characters – disgruntled workers at a Communist cafeteria, lecherous old men, sexually exploited women and pesky authors – all of whom eventually convince him to
The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman: The Arabic Epic of Dhat al-Himma
`The Tale of Princess Fatima` – the only Arabic epic named for a woman – recounts the thrilling adventures of a legendary warrior known throughout the Middle East. After being abandoned at birth, Princess Fatima, otherwise known as Dhat al-Himma, must rely on strength and cunning to take her to the head of a powerful
Short Stories in Chinese and English – Parallel Text
Here is the perfect introduction to contemporary fiction from the world`s most spoken language. These eight short stories, with parallel translations, offer students at all levels the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of contemporary literature without having constantly to refer to a dictionary. Richly diverse in themes and styles, the stories are by both
Paris Versus New York
When Vahram Muratyan began his online travel journal, “Paris versus New York”, he had no idea how quickly it would become one of the most buzzed-about sites on the Internet – it garnered more than a million and a half page views in just a few months, and the attention of savvy online critics. Now
Columbus: The Four Voyages
He knew nothing of celestial navigation or of the existence of the Pacific Ocean. He was a self-promoting and ambitious entrepreneur. His maps were a hybrid of fantasy and delusion. When he did make land, he enslaved the populace he found, encouraged genocide, and polluted relations between people. He ended his career in near lunacy.
A Merry Christmas: And Other Christmas Stories
Louisa May Alcott`s enchanting Christmas stories, presented in a beautiful hardcover edition perfect for giving as a gift. A Merry Christmas collects the best holiday stories of Louisa May Alcott, from the yuletide festivities of Marmee and her `little women` to the moving `What Love Can Do`. Deeply influenced by real-life events, including characters based
Christmas at Thompson Hall: And Other Christmas Stories
Anthony Trollope`s heartwarming tales of Christmas, presented in a beautiful hardcover edition perfect for giving as a gift. Christmas at Thompson Hall collects the best Christmas tales of Anthony Trollope, the enormously popular author of the Chronicles of Barsetshire and Palliser series of novels. Mostly set in Trollope`s imaginary county of Barsetshire, the stories depict
The Penguin Book Of Outer Space Exploration
The fascinating story of how NASA sent humans to explore outer space, told through a treasure trove of historical documents–publishing in celebration of NASA`s 60th anniversary and with a foreword by Bill Nye”An extremely useful and thought provoking documentary journey through the maze of space history. There is no wiser or more experienced navigator through
The Secrets Of The Bastide Blanch
One hot summer night, Aix-en-Provence is aflutter with news that controversial author Valere Barbier, who once shared dinners with French presidents and all-night drinking bouts with rock stars, has moved into La Bastide Blanche, a grand house left empty for decades. But Valere`s ideas of a peaceful retirement are quickly dashed. Rambunctious neighbourhood children, a
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
The first, shortest, and most approachable of James Joyce`s novels, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man portrays the Dublin upbringing of Stephen Dedalus, from his youthful days at Clongowes Wood College to his radical questioning of all convention. In doing so, it provides an oblique self-portrait of the young Joyce himself. Exuberantly
The Turnip Princess: And Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales
This is a rare discovery in the world of fairy tales – now for the first time in English. With this volume, the holy trinity of fairy tales – the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, and Hans Christian Andersen – becomes a quartet. In the 1850s, Franz Xaver von Schonwerth traversed the forests, lowlands, and mountains
A Sister In My House
Maria and Emma have not seen each other since their mother`s funeral two years before. Now, Emma has come to visit Maria at her house in Spain, and her presence is an unsettling intrusion on Maria`s quiet and solitary life. Over six days in the seaside town together, the sisters cautiously sink into conversations recounting
