Author: Leon McCarron Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 178673284X Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 288
Book Description
Shortlisted for the Adventure Travel Book of the Year at the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards. There are many reasons why it might seem unwise to walk, mostly alone, through the Middle East. That, in part, is exactly why Leon McCarron did it. From Jerusalem, McCarron followed a series of wild hiking trails that trace ancient trading and pilgrimage routes and traverse some of the most contested landscapes in the world. In the West Bank, he met families struggling to lead normal lives amidst political turmoil and had a surreal encounter with the world's oldest and smallest religious sect. In Jordan, he visited the ruins of Hellenic citadels and trekked through the legendary Wadi Rum. His journey culminated in the vast deserts of the Sinai, home to Bedouin tribes and haunted by the ghosts of Biblical history. The Land Beyond is a journey through time, from the quagmire of current geopolitics to the original ideals of the faithful, through the layers of history, culture and religion that have shaped the Holy Land. But at its heart, it is the story of people, not politics and of the connections that can bridge seemingly insurmountable barriers.
Author: Sharon Kay Penman Publisher: Penguin ISBN: 1101621753 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 688
Book Description
From the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Sharon Kay Penman comes the story of the reign of King Baldwin IV and the Kingdom of Jerusalem's defense against Saladin's famous army. The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as Outremer, is the land far beyond the sea. Baptized in blood when the men of the First Crusade captured Jerusalem from the Saracens in the early twelfth century, the kingdom defined an utterly new world, a land of blazing heat and a medley of cultures, a place where enemies were neighbors and neighbors became enemies. At the helm of this growing kingdom sits young Baldwin IV, an intelligent and courageous boy committed to the welfare and protection of his people. But despite Baldwin's dedication to his land, he is afflicted with leprosy at an early age and the threats against his power and his health nearly outweigh the risk of battle. As political deception scours the halls of the royal court, the Muslim army--led by the first sultan of Egypt and Syria, Saladin--is never far from the kingdom's doorstep, and there are only a handful Baldwin can trust, including the archbishop William of Tyre and Lord Balian d'Ibelin, a charismatic leader who has been one of the few able to maintain the peace. Filled with drama and battle, tragedy and romance, Sharon Kay Penman's latest novel brings a definitive period of history vividly alive with a tale of power and glory that will resonate with readers today.
Author: Monica Whitlock Publisher: Macmillan ISBN: 146687239X Category : Travel Languages : en Pages : 304
Book Description
Along the banks of the river once called Oxus lie the heartlands of Central Asia: Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Catapulted into the news by events in Afghanistan, just across the water, these strategically important, intriguing and beautiful countries remain almost completely unknown to the outside world. In this book, Monica Whitlock goes far beyond the headlines. Using eyewitness accounts, unpublished letters and firsthand reporting, she enters into the lives of the Central Asians and reveals a dramatic and moving human story unfolding over three generations. There is Muhammadjan, called 'Hindustani', a diligent seminary student in the holy city of Bukhara until the 1917 revolution tore up the old order. Exiled to Siberia as a shepherd and then conscripted into the Red Army, he survived to become the inspiration for a new generation of clerics. Henrika was one of tens of thousands of Poles who walked and rode through Central Asia on their way to a new life in Iran, where she lives to this day. Then there were the proud Pioneer children who grew up in the certainty that the Soviet Union would last forever, only to find themselves in a new world that they had never imagined. In Central Asia, the extraordinary is commonplace and there is not a family without a remarkable story to tell. Land Beyond the River is both a chronicle of a century and a clear-eyed, authoritative view of contemporary events.
Author: Johannes Becke Publisher: State University of New York Press ISBN: 1438482248 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 236
Book Description
Based on three case studies from the Middle East, The Land beyond the Border advances an innovative theoretical framework for the study of state expansions and state contractions. Johannes Becke argues that state expansion can be theorized according to four basic ideal types—a form of patronage (patronization), the imposition of a satellite regime (satellization), the establishment of territorial exclaves (exclavization), or a full-fledged takeover (incorporation). Becke discusses how both irredentist ideologies and political realities have shaped the dynamics of state expansion and state contraction in the recent history of each state. By studying Israel comparatively with other Middle Eastern regimes, this book forms part of an emerging research agenda seeking to bring the research fields of Israel Studies and Middle East Studies closer together. Instead of treating Israel's rule over the occupied territories as an isolated case, Becke offers students the chance to understand Israel's settlement project within the broader framework of postcolonial state formation.
Author: Jeff Rovin Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group ISBN: Category : Performing Arts Languages : en Pages : 304
Book Description
"Whether it came from outer space, beneath the sea, or across the eons from prehistoric time, you can be sure of one thing: it came from the vivid imagination and technical expertise of a special effects genius. An more often than not, it was Willis O'Brien or Ray Harryhausen. Now from the archives of cinematic history comes the story of their work and others' in a fascinating, revealing look at how 150 of the most fantastic fantasy films were made. The silent era and the origin of special effects; the history and techniques of 3-D stop motion animation; the equipment used in the studios; how such overwhelming realism was achieved; solving the 'unsolvable' problems; dealing with production costs; and much, much more ... including scene-by-scene discussions of the major films!"--Cover.
Author: Guler Kathleen (author) Publisher: Kathleen Guler ISBN: 1452396027 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 223
Book Description
In fifth century Britain, spy and master of disguise Marcus ap Iorwerth, while being squeezed between the politics of two powerful kings, accidentally sparks off what will become the quest for the holy grail. Book 4 of the Macsen's Treasure Series. Winner of the Colorado Book Award and National Indie Excellence Award!
Author: Janice Holt Giles Publisher: University Press of Kentucky ISBN: 9780813108483 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 324
Book Description
In her fourth novel of the Kentucky frontier, Giles combines her fascination for the past with her gift for storytelling. Had it not been for the loyalty of men like Giles's fictional hero, Major Cassius Cartwright, General James Wilkinson's 1783 attempt to create a Spanish empire in the West might have succeeded. Interwoven with the Spanish Conspiracy are tales of struggles with Indians, of the birth of a Green River Valley town, and of the two women Cass loves: Rachel, a gentle Quaker, and Tattie, a fiery waif he rescues from Philadelphia slums. Like Giles's earlier historical novels, The Land Beyond the Mountains is an engaging story of adventure and romance. First published in 1958, this reprint gives Giles fans another lively piece of Kentucky's frontier history. Janice Holt Giles (1905-1979), author of nineteen books, lived and wrote near Knifley, Kentucky, for thirty-four years. Her biography is told in Janice Holt Giles: A Writer's Life.
Author: Veronika Martenova Charles Publisher: ISBN: Category : Communist countries Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
Emma lives on the grey, cold side of the wall, the Iron Curtain, where people speak in whispers and no flowers grow. On the other side there is happiness and colour, but she can never go there. One day, Emma's neighbour betrays them to the police and her parents disappear. She is sent to live with her miserable Aunt Lily. She disapproves of Emma's drawing and dashes her niece's dream of becoming an artist. That is, until a strange boat arrives and Emma leaves her world behind forever.
Author: Leon McCarron
Author: Sharon Kay Penman
Author: Jesse Stuart
Author: Monica Whitlock
Author: Johannes Becke
Author: Emily Gerard
Author: Jeff Rovin
Author: Guler Kathleen (author)
Author: Janice Holt Giles
Author: Veronika Martenova Charles