” 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. ...

Twenty year-old ” Melodie”, a recent convert to Islam, meets the leader of an ISIS brigade on Facebook. In 48 hours he has `fallen in love` with her, calls her every hour, urges her to marry him, join him in Syria in a life of paradise
- & join his jihad. She discovers how ISIS entraps ordinary people, like teenage girls from Bethnal Green. Anna Erelle is the undercover journalist behind ” Melodie”. Created to investigate the powerful propaganda weapons of Islamic State, ” Melodie” is soon sucked in by Bilel, right-hand man of the infamous Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. An Iraqi for whose capture the US government has promised $10 million, al-Baghdadi is described by Time Magazine as the most dangerous man in the world & by himself as the caliph of Islamic State. Bilel shows off his jeep, his guns, his expensive watch. He boasts about the people he has just killed. With Bilel impatient for his future wife, ” Melodie” embarks on her highly dangerous mission, which
- at its ultimate stage
- will go very wrong.. . Enticed into this lethal online world like hundreds of other young people, including many young British girls & boys, Erelle`s harrowing & gripping investigation helps us to understand the true face of terrorism.


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Erased by bombing during the Korean War, North Korea`s trophy capital of Pyongyang was entirely rebuilt from scratch from 1953, in line with the vision of the nation`s founder, Kim Il-sung. Designed as an imposing stage set, it is a place of grand axial boulevards linking gargantuan monuments, lined with stately piles of distinctly Korean flavor, to be ”national in form & socialist in content.” Under the present leader, Kim Jong-un, construction has ramped up apace-” Let us turn the whole country into a socialist fairyl&, ” declares one of his official patriotic slogans. He is rapidly transforming Pyongyang into a playground, conjuring a flimsy fantasy of prosperity & using architecture as a powerful anesthetic, numbing the population from the stark reality of his authoritarian regime. Guardian journalist & photographer Oliver Wainwright takes us on an eye-opening tour behind closed doors in the most secretive country in the world, revealing that past the grand stone facades lie lavish wonder-worlds of marble & mosaic, coffered ceilings, & crystal chandeliers, along with new interiors in dazzling color palettes. Discover the palatial reading rooms of the Grand People`s Study House, & peer inside the locker rooms of the recently renovated Rungrado May Day Stadium, ready to host a FIFA World Cup that will never come. This collection features about 300 photographs with insightful captions, as well as an introductory essay where Wainwright charts the history & development of Pyongyang, explaining how the architecture & interiors embody the national ” Juche” ideology & questioning what the future holds for the architectural ambitions of this enigmatic country. ...

” Inside Pepys` London” reveals a vivid picture of London at a critical point in history
- poised to become a major centre of international
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Rome is a city built for display & grandeur. For centuries it has been a place of pilgrimage for artists & art-lovers, yet many of its greatest treasures remain unseen by the public. This book sets out to penetrate the hidden world of Rome`s historic interiors, & to reveal a side to the city which has been previously unexplored, while aiming to offer fresh perspectives on the less-familiar side of famous buildings. The span of styles presented ranges from the High Renaissance reception rooms of the Palazzo Farnese, to the Art Deco mosaics of Mussolini`s Foro Italico. It surveys Vatican apartments, palaces & villas, embassies, clubs & private institutions. Comprehensive information on buildings open to the public is included. ...

Is there more to Russian politics than Putin? Inside Russian Politics is an intelligent, critical & engaging account of the realities of contemporary Russian politics. It is distinctive in widening our view of Russia beyond the standard account of global power plays & resurgent authoritarian menace. Putin matters, but he is not Russia. Russian military adventurism has had a major effect on contemporary international affairs, but assessing its aims & projecting future intentions & impacts requires analysis within a context deeper than the stock ` Cold War renewed` story. The holistic approach of this book facilitates our understanding of power politics in & beyond the Kremlin & of Russian policy on the international stage. Revealing the Russia beyond Moscow & the central figures around Putin, Edwin Bacon focuses on Russia`s political present, not to ignore the past but to move beyond cliche & misleading historical analogy to reveal the contemporary
- & future
- concerns of Russia`s current generation of politicians.

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Although this is an academic work, it is aimed at both interested lay people & specialists alike. It looks at how the people of the region view & organise their society. The author compares how they live with their religious representations & with the (rapidly changing) environment. ...