Combining thematic with country-by-country analysis, this new book gives an overview of Middle Eastern history, religion, political economy & politics. Providing an accessible introduction to the politics of the Middle East, including the countries of the Persian Gulf, the eastern Mediterranean & North Africa, this text combines essential themes in the discipline of comparative politics with a country-by-country analysis of the Modern Middle East. While emphasizing politics, separate chapters also specifically address the history, religions & political economy of the region. Those introductory chapters together constitute a thematic overview essential to orienting students as they read each of the book's individual country chapters (including a chapter devoted to Palestine). In each country chapter, a brief political history is followed by discussions of democratization, religious politics, women's issues, civil society, economic development, privatization & foreign relations. Throughout the book, short vignettes based on the author's personal observations during his extensive travels in the Middle East offer students a chance for personal reflection on the topics discussed in each chapter. Each chapter concludes with a set of Suggested Readings, & terms are defined in a glossary. ...

Compiled by a team of experts, this textbook has been designed for introductory university courses in planetary science. It starts with a tour of the Solar System & an overview of its formation. The composition, internal structure, surface morphology & atmospheres of the terrestrial planets are then described. This leads naturally to a discussion of the giant planets & why they are compositionally different. Minor bodies are reviewed & the book concludes with a discussion of the origin of the Solar System & the evidence from meteorites. Written in an accessible style that avoids complex mathematics, & illustrated in colour throughout, this book is suitable for self-study & will appeal to amateur enthusiasts as well as undergraduate students. It contains numerous helpful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, & a glossary of terms. The book is also supported by a website hosting further teaching materials. ...

Compiled by a team of experts, this textbook has been designed for elementary university courses in astronomy & astrophysics. It starts with a detailed discussion of our nearest star, the Sun, & describes how solar physicists have come to understand its internal workings. It then considers how astronomers go about studying the basic physical properties & life-cycles of more distant stars, & culminates with a discussion of the formation of exotic objects such as neutron stars & black holes. Written in an accessible style that avoids complex mathematics, & illustrated in colour throughout, this book is suitable for self-study & will appeal to amateur astronomers as well as undergraduate students. It contains numerous helpful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, & a glossary of terms. The book is also supported by a website hosting further teaching materials. ...

A young Iraqi writer sets out to become a Hollywood film-maker, only to end up as a refugee on the streets of Paris, where he beds down in a metro station. Although his dream of making a film about his deaf mute father is never realised, the extraordinary encounters he has with the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Samuel Beckett & a ghost from Pere Lachaise Cemetery transform his own story into a captivating drama more compelling than anything on the big screen. ...

World War II reached into the homes & lives of ordinary people in an unprecedented way. Civilian men, women, & children made up the vast majority of those killed by the war, & the conflict displaced millions more. On Europe`s home fronts, the war brought the German blitzkrieg, followed by long occupations & the racial genocide of the Holocaust. In An Iron Wind, historian Peter Fritzsche draws on diaries, letters, & other first-person accounts to show how civilians in occupied Europe struggled to understand this terrifying chaos. As the Third Reich targeted Europe`s Jews for deportation & death, confusion & mistrust reigned. What were Hitler`s aims? Did Germany`s rapid early victories mark the start of an enduring new era? Was collaboration or resistance the wisest response to occupation? How far should solidarity & empathy extend? & where was God? People tried desperately to answer such questions & make sense of the horrors around them, but the stories they told themselves often justified a selfish indifference to their neighbors` fates. Piecing together the broken words of World War II`s witnesses & victims--probing what they saw & what they failed to see--Fritzsche offers a haunting picture of the most violent conflict in modern history. ...

In this book Geert Mak returns to the small Frisian village of his childhood, Jorwert (pop. 330 & falling). It`s a typical European village where the shops are closing down, the few children left will escape to a less arduous life in the city & it`s becoming increasingly isolated. Jowert has more in common with an English village than with Amsterdam, & it`s moving story of neighbours & their efforts to preserve their long established way of life is relevant to the changing face of the countryside everywhere in Europe. ...

In An Island Odyssey, Hamish Haswell-Smith casts off in his forty-one-foot sloop Jandara, armed with his sketch pad & a route map of a journey first taken by Martin Martin in 1703. Haswell-Smith sets sail on a voyage that will take him to fifty-two different islands around the Scottish Coast, from Ailsa Craig in the Firth of Clyde to St. Kilda, Fair Isle & Bass Rock. Filled with natural history, local legend & landscapes & accompanied by the author`s own distinctive sketches & watercolours An Island Odyssey is a delightful way to discover or rediscover the romance, beauty & inescapable magnetism of the Scottish Islands. ...

The eruption of Laki is one of history`s great untold natural disasters. The eruption, spewing out a poisionous fog, lasted for eight months, but its effects lingered across Europe for years, causing the death of people as far away as the Nile, & creating famine that may have triggered the French revolution. Island on Fire is the story not only of a volcano but also of the people whose lives it changed, such as the pastor Jon Steingrimsson, who witnessed & recorded the events in Icel&. It is the story, too, of modern volcanology, & looks at how events might work out should Laki erupt again in our time. ...

The Scilly Isles, one of the most remote parts of Engl&, are in crisis. With the small population constantly leaving the islands for the mainl&, those left behind are having to work harder & harder to make a living, & this summer is crunch time for many of them. Nigel Farrell is our guide through a community he has grown to know & love, filming the islanders over the last two years for the popular BBC2 series ` An Island Parish`. He introduces us to Father Guy, the new priest; another newcomer, Heike, the islands` German vet & Plymouth policewoman Nikki, who set some hearts aflutter on her summer placement last year. With a cast of fascinating characters & a beautiful setting, this is the story of the events of summer in an idiosyncratic world that is slipping away. Come August Bank Holiday, how will the islanders have fared? ...

With vivid colors, bold simplicity, & the use of stone, stucco, & tile, the Patmos house of renowned interior designer John Stefanidis is a source of inspiration for homeowners & decorators worldwide. John Stefanidis has created a quintessential island house in Patmos, Greece. Its bold use of Mediterranean colors, natural materials, & crisp, clean lines epitomize this comfortable yet sophisticated style, which is surprisingly easy to evoke at home. Sun-drenched rooms make use of such materials as tile, stone, & stucco. One of the hallmarks of the house is its emphasis on indoor/outdoor living: spaces such as the ”garden rooms” & the ”breakfast terrace” are outside, yet are thought of as parts of the house. The exquisite gardens are further evidence of a style that easily flows from the inside to the outside of this beautiful & inspiring home. In his own words, Stefanidis explains how the house has evolved over many years, reflecting the designer`s love for the isl&, his original use of vibrant color, his eclectic & cosmopolitan aesthetic, & a desire to combine comfort with style. With two hundred vibrant photographs, the book demonstrates how the picturesque scenery of an island retreat & its rich history & culture provide inspiration for present-day living. ...