Edmund White was forty-three years old when he moved to Paris in 1983. He spoke no French & knew just two people in the entire city, but soon discovered the anxieties & pleasures of mastering a new culture. White fell passionately in love with Paris, its beauty in the half-light & eternal mists; its serenity compared with the New York he had known. Intoxicated & intellectually stimulated by its culture, he became the definitive biographer of Jean Genet, wrote lives of Marcel Proust & Arthur Rimbaud. Frequent trips across the Channel to literary parties in London begot friendships with Julian Barnes, Alan Hollinghurst, Martin Amis & many others. When he left, fifteen years later, to return to the US, he was fluent enough to broadcast on French radio & TV, & as a journalist had made the acquaintance of everyone from Yves St Laurent to Catherine Deneuve to Michel Foucault. He`d also developed a close friendship with an older woman, Marie-Claude, through whom he`d come to a deeper understanding of French life. Inside a Pearl vividly recalls those fertile years, & offers a brilliant examination of a city & a culture eternally imbued with an aura of enchantment. ...

The book looks at all aspects of life in Ancient Athens, including the emergence of the Greek city-states; the wars fought against rival Greek states & foreign enemies; the introduction of democracy & law; Greek gods & goddesses; art & architecture; everyday life; Greek theatre & athletics; & the legacy the ancient Greeks have left behind. The book features cutaway diagrams, illustrations of Ancient Greek life, maps & impressive photographs of Ancient Greek artefacts. Informative captions, a complete glossary, time lines & an index make this title an ideal educational text. It fits into KS2 & the QCA Scheme of Work. It is an ideal text for shared & guided reading for KS2 pupils within the framework of the National Literacy Strategy. It helps to achieve the goals of the Scottish Standard Curriculum 5-14. ...

The book looks at the foundation of the city of Rome & the growth of the Roman Empire; how Rome became a Republic; Roman gods & goddesses; & art & architecture. It also explores what life was like for the people of Ancient Rome, including Roman homes, the public baths, trade & commerce, clothes, & food & entertainment. The book features cutaway diagrams, picture strips, illustrations & photographs of Ancient Rome artefacts. Informative captions, a complete glossary, time lines & an index make this an ideal educational read. It is an ideal text for shared & guided reading for KS2 pupils within the framework of the National Literacy Strategy. It fits into KS2 History, providing an insight into 'significant people, events & places in the past'. It helps to achieve the goals of the Scottish Standard Curriculum 5-14. ...

” Inside Austria” is a gripping, in-depth personal report on postwar Austria`s economic & social success story but also on its turbulent political history. How has this small l&-locked country emerged as the European Union`s fourth richest member state? Who are the Austrians, one of Europe`s oldest people whose nation-state came into being only after the collapse of the Austro- Hungarian empire in 1918? To what extent have they come to terms with the demons of their recent past: Hitler`s Anschluss, the Waldheim affair & then later Jorg Haider`s disturbing radical right-wing ascendancy in Carinthia? This book is a unique study of the Austrian odyssey, based on a blend of academic research & half a century of personal observation by the Hungarian-born author who as a foreign correspondent & later as a political analyst obtained first-hand information from the politicians who played or are still playing a leading part in the march of events he has described. ...

Barcelona is the gem of Catalonia, abundant in rich & colourful architecture & design. This book reveals the historic interiors of a wide & varied range of the most interesting historic interiors. Specially commissioned photographs capture the essence of the buildings, from those of Antonio Gaudi & Josep Cadalfach, to the grandeur of the Opera House & the intimacy of an old candle shop. The city`s hotels, restaurants, cinemas & civic buildings are also featured. Each photograph is accompanied by a short text which reveals historical anecdotes attached to the interior & points out all the original features & aspects of architectural & design interest. Comprehensive information on buildings open to the public is included. ...

Ours is the era of the celebrity chef. Like never before, we`re fascinated by fine food & the personalities who create it. Newspapers follow the antics of our favorite cooks in & out of the kitchen, bake-offs become hit TV shows, & chef-owned restaurants have queues trailing round the block. Amid the frenzy, the world of creative dining can feel far removed from hungry, weary evenings after work, or a gaggle of grouchy kids wanting a snack after soccer. Inside Chefs` Fridges brings the heavenly cuisine back down to earth. Touring the continent, it profiles 40 of Europe`s top chefs alongside their personal home fridges. The result is a unique insight into the inner sanctum of culinary creativity, with each chef revealing their dependable fridge contents, their favorite local ingredients, as well as two of their most treasured home recipes. Stars of this European edition include Yotam Ottolenghi, Marco Pierre White, Helene Darroze, Inaki Aizpitarte, Mauro Colagreco, Thierry Marx, Joan Roca, Massimo, Fergus Henderson, Magnus Nilsson, & Christian Puglisi. Eschewing the media dazzle for some cookery home truths, this book is instead an inspiring & accessible collection in which culinary genius meets domestic reality. ...

” National Geographic`s” new book ” Inside China”, tells that story with the best pictures ever taken of China, both past & present. Exotic China has always attracted great photographers -and China`s history has yielded unforgettble images. ” Inside China” brings you historic photographs you haven`t seen before: Photographic luminaries such as Henri Cartier-Bresson (who photographed Beijing & Shanghai in the 1940s) & Margaret Bourke-White (photographing Chiang Kai-Shek) portray the old China & the ascendancy of Chairman Mao; photographs by Chinese news photographer Li Zhensheng cover the Cultural Revolution to give startling new insights into this harsh mysterious era. Today`s China, filled with excitement & fraught with challenge, is vividly shown by contemporary photographers such as Mark Leong, Paolo Pellegrin, & Mark Henley, who, with privileged access, present China`s fashionable youth & glamour, the development of breathtaking mega-industry, & new materialism alongside traditional religion & rural life, revealing the rapidly changing scene in China in all its complexity. Like the contributing photographers, the contributing writers are all world-famous experts on China, with extensive knowledge of China today & its recent history. Inside China is organised thematically into five chapters: Geography
- the introductory chapter presents a sweeping portrait of the vast country`s diverse landscape & geography
- a thrilling journey across time zones, climatic regions, mountains, deserts, & urban & rural vistas; History
- the introduction to China`s geography is followed by an intriguing glimpse into China`s history, with archival photographs that recall pivotal moments in the country`s fascinating & tumultuous past; Tradition
- the next chapter looks at the traditional China, where traditional cultural habits & religions still endure in the face of jolting change; & Economic emergence
- the theme of the next chapter is China`s emergence as an economic superpower, with a look at the factories, industry, production & work ethic that have spawned huge mega-cities & industrial pollution. It also

Includes:: Modernization
- the final chapter takes an up-close look at the country`s modernization with all the exhilaration & upheaval it has generated, as seen in the clash between rural & urban, peasant & middle-class, young & old, rich & poor.







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This title is a fascinating, evocative account of 19th-century London, so well known from Charles Dickens` much-loved novels. It draws on descriptions of life in the capital from original letters, diaries & newspapers, as well as Dickens` own social commentary, to paint a vivid portrait of a city undergoing massive social changes. A unique gazetteer section with a modern-day map allows the reader to discover where places & attractions mentioned in the text can be seen in today`s London. ...

Five decades after Nasser & the Free Officers overthrew the British-backed monarchy in a dramatic coup d`etat, the future of Egypt grows more uncertain by the day. John Bradley examines the junctions of Egyptian politics & society as they slowly disintegrate under the twin pressures of a ruthless military dictatorship at home & a flawed Middle East policy in Washington. Inside Egypt is a tour-de-force of the most brutal Arab state where torture & corruption are endemic
- but one that is also a key U.S. all & a historic regional trendsetter. This uniquely insightful book brings to vivid life Egypt`s competing identities & political trends, as the Mubarak dynasty struggles to resolve a succession crisis & the disciplined Islamists wait patiently in the wings for a chance to seize power.
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This gripping & richly illustrated account of wartime Greece explores the impact of the Nazi Occupation upon the lives & values of ordinary people. The first full account of the experience of occupation, it offers a vividly human picture of resistance fighters & black marketeers, teenage German conscripts & Gestapo officers, Jews & starving villagers. ...