This compact guide to Britain`s churches brings out the richness & diversity of over 1500 years of Christian heritage; it also places the parish church at the core of our social & cultural history. The author explains the importance of place in the siting of a church, the various architectural styles, the layout of the interior in relation to religious practice, the purpose & meaning of stained glass & wall paintings, & much else. In short, the perfect companion for the church visitor. ...

This is the most up-to-date & comprehensive study of French history available ranging from the early middle ages to the present. Amongst its central themes are the relationships between state & society, the impact of war, competition for power, & the ways in which power has been used. Whilst taking full account of major figures such as Philip Augustus, Henri IV, Louis XIV, Napoleon & de Gaulle, it sets their activities within the broader context of changing economic & social structures & beliefs, & offers rich insights into the lives of ordinary men & women. This third edition has been substantially revised &

Includes:: a new chapter on contemporary France
- a society & political system in crisis as a result of globalisation, rising unemployment, a failing educational system, growing social & racial tensions, corruption, the rise of the extreme right, & a widespread loss of confidence in political leaders.


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Spanning a period of 2000 years from the Roman conquest of Dacia to the present day, A Concise History of Romania traces the development of a unique nation situated on the border between East & West. In this illuminating new history, Keith Hitchins explores Romania`s struggle to find its place amidst two diverse societies: one governed by Eastern orthodox tradition, spirituality & agriculture & the other by Western rationalism, experimentation & capitalism. The book charts Romania`s advancement through five significant phases of its history: medieval, early modern, modern & finally the nation`s `return to Europe`; evaluating all the while Romania`s part in European politics, economic & social change, intellectual & cultural renewals & international entanglements. This is a fascinating history of an East European nation; one which sheds new light on the complex evolution of the Romanians & the identity they have successfully crafted from a unique synthesis of traditions. ...

Definitive & insightful, in this richly layered & engrossing account, John Mc Hugo reveals how the great divide in Islam occurred. Charting the story of Islam from the death of the Prophet Muhammad to the present day, he describes the conflicts that raged over the succession to the Prophet, how Sunnism & Shi`ism evolved as different sects during the Abbasid caliphate, & how the rivalry between the empires of the Sunni Ottomans & Shi`i Safavids contrived to ensure that the split would continue into modern times. Now its full, destructive force has been brought out by the struggle between Saudi Arabia & Iran for the soul of the Muslim world. ...

The key to understanding the Arab world today
- & in the future
- is unlocking its past. John Mc Hugo takes the reader on

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Featuring a stunning gallery of portraits by the world`s finest poets, essayists, & fiction writers -- including Walt Whitman, ...

John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces is a bittersweet classic- although bitingly funny, it is bittersweet as it’s one of those novels that has always been in danger of being overshadowed by the events surrounding it’s publication, rather than the masterful text itself being celebrated first & foremost. Although believing his manuscript to be a masterpiece, the novel was never published & Toole sank into depression, eventually committing suicide in 1969. The work was published posthumously in 1980, after Toole’s mother found the manuscript. The text itself is truly wonderful, full of slapstick, satire & an unmistakable wit. The story centres on Ignatius J. Reilly: flatulent eloquent & pretty much unemployable… the ordinary folk of New Orleans seem to think he is unhinged as well. Ignatius ignores them as he heaves his vast bulk through the city’s fleshspots in a noble crusade against vice, modernity & ignorance. But ‘his momma’ has a nasty surprise in store for him. Ignatius must get a job. Undaunted, he uses his new-found employment to further his mission
- & now he has a pirate costume & a hot-dog cart to do it with. Largely biographical & painfully funny, A Confederacy of Dunces is a book that will stay with you forever.
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` This city is famous for its gamblers, prostitutes, exhibitionists, anti-Christs, alcoholics, sodomites, drug addicts, fetishists, onanists, pornographers, frauds, jades, litterbugs, & lesbians.. .don`t make the mistake of bothering me`. Ignatius J. Reilly: fat, flatulent, eloquent & almost unemployable. By the standards of ordinary folk he is pretty much unhinged, too. But is he bothered by this? No. For this misanthropic crusader against an America fallen into vice & ignorance has a mission: to rescue a naked female philosopher in distress. & he has a pirate costume & hot-dog cart to do it with... ...

Jesse & Lee share a house owned by a very nice Chinese dentist, where it rains in the hall. They move to cabins on the cliffs at Big Sur where the deafening croaks of frogs can be temporarily silenced by the cry, ` Campbell`s Soup`. Ultimately, we learn how the frogs are permanently silenced.. .and dreams disperse around a fire into 186, 000 endings per second. In anticipating flower power & the ideals of the Sixties, Brautigan`s debut novel was at least a decade before its time & remains a weird & brilliant classic. ...

London, 1902. The old queen is dead & her son Edward rules: twinkly, genial, outgoing
- a time of great confidence & optimism
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