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. ...

From one of the greatest political journalists of recent times, an insider`s account of four decades of covering the British political scene, packed with tales of the biggest political happenings of the last half century. Philip Webster covered politics for The Times newspaper for 43 years, including 18 years as its political editor. He has been at the centre of all the big stories of the past four decades
- the fall of Labour in 1979, the rise & fall of Margaret Thatcher, the emergence & fall of John Major, the rise & fall of Tony Blair & his wars with Gordon Brown, the aftermath of 9/11, the war in Iraq, the fall of Brown, the rise & rise of David Cameron, & the shock election of Jeremy Corbyn. Beautifully illustrated with Peter Brookes` cartoons, Webster offers fresh insight into the great stories of his time. He gives a frank & revelatory insider`s account of great political events since Michael Heseltine brandished the Mace, the night the Callaghan government fell, the day Sir Geoffrey Howe brought down Margaret Thatcher, the day Tony Blair said farewell, the night MPs voted for war in Iraq; & every Budget & autumn statement for 40 years. With the wit & geniality that has made him so many friends in politics, he reveals how stories came into his hands & how political journalism influences events as they unfolded. He has witnessed what he terms a golden age of political journalism & this book offers an intimate account of his trade. The essential handbook for anyone interested by the craft of journalism, ` Inside Story` reviews three decades of lead stories & the many politicians, great & small, that he has encountered.
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After the victory of Bradley Wiggins & Team Sky in the 2012 Tour de France, the pressure was on the team to repeat their success in 2013. When Wiggins had to pull out of the defence of his yellow jersey, attention moved to Chris Froome, who had finished as runner-up the year before. Could he bring about back-to-back victories for the UK & for Team Sky? With team principal Sir Dave Brailsford at the helm, the levels of expectation were high. Nothing less than a win would do. Embedded within the team was top sportswriter David Walsh, who had been covering the sport for four decades. As the man who had done more than any other journalist to reveal the lies of Lance Armstrong, he has the reputation for exposing the dark secrets that cycling would want to keep hidden. His inside story, from how Team Sky prepared for the Tour de France through to Froome`s emphatic victory, is supported by insights from all the key members of the team, & provides a definitive account of a dramatic race that gripped cycling fans around the world. ...

Nicholas Anderton is a highly respected neurosurgeon at the top of his field. But behind the successful facade all is not well. Tormented by a toxic marriage & haunted by past mistakes, Anderton has been eating to forget. His wife, meanwhile, has turned to drink. There are sniggers behind closed doors
- how can a surgeon be fat, they wisper; when mistakes are made & his old adversary Nash steps in to take advantage, Anderton knows that things are coming to a head...
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In the wilds of the most diverse nation on earth, while she copes with crocodiles under the blackboard & sorcery in the office, Trish Nicholson survives near-fatal malaria & mollifies irascible politicians & an ever-changing roster of bosses
- realities of life for a development worker. With a background in anthropology & a successful management career in Europe, five years on a development project in the remote West Sepik province of Papua New Guinea more than fulfils Trish Nicholson`s desire for a challenge. In extreme tropical conditions, with few only sometimes-passable roads, travel is by a balus
- an alarmingly tiny plane, landing on airstrips cut with grass knives & squeezed between mountains. Students build their own schools, babies` weights are recorded in rice bags & women walk for days, carrying their produce to market. Physically tested by dense jungle & swaying vine bridges, Trish`s patience is stretched by nothing ever being what it seems & with `yes` usually meaning `no`. Assignments in isolated outstations provide surreal moments, like the 80-year-old missionary in long friar`s robes revealing natty turquoise shorts as he tears away on an ancient motorbike. Adventures on nearby Pacific islands relieve the intensity of life in a close-knit community of nationals & a cosmopolitan mix of expat `characters`. Local women offer friendship, but their stories are often heart-breaking. More chaos arrives with Frisbee, the dog she inherits when the project manager leaves, along with other project expats. Tensions increase between local factions supporting the project & those who feel threatened by it
- & stuck in the middle is Trish. Her emotionally engaging memoir Inside the Crocodile is full of humour, adventure, iron determination &... Frisbee the dog. It is beautifully illustrated with colour photos of Trish`s time there.


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The Chelsea Hotel, since its founding by a visionary French architect in 1884, has been an icon of American invention: a cultural dynamo & haven for the counterculture, all in one astonishing building. Sherill Tippins, author of the acclaimed February House, delivers a masterful & endlessly entertaining history of the Chelsea & of the successive generations of artists who have cohabited & created there, among them Thomas Wolfe, Dylan Thomas, Arthur Miller, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Sam Shepard, Sid Vicious, & Dee Dee Ramone. Now as legendary as the artists it has housed & the countless creative collaborations it has sparked, the Chelsea has always stood as a mystery as well: why & how did this hotel become the largest & longest-lived artists` community in the known world? Inside the Dream Palace is the intimate & definitive story. ...

Saudi Arabia is a country defined by paradox: it sits atop some of the richest oil deposits in the world, & yet the country`s roiling disaffection produced sixteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers. It is a modern state, driven by contemporary technology, & yet its powerful religious establishment would have its customs & practices rolled back to match those of the Prophet Muhammed over a thousand years ago. In a world where events in the Middle East continue to have geopolitical consequences far beyond the region`s boundaries, an understanding of this complex nation is essential. With ” Inside the Kingdom”, British journalist & bestselling author Robert Lacey has given us one of the most penetrating & insightful looks at Saudi Arabia ever produced. More than twenty years after he first moved to the country to write about the Saudis at the end of the oil boom, Lacey has returned to find out how the consequences of the boom produced a society at war with itself. Filled with stories told by a broad range of Saudis, from high princes & ambassadors to men & women on the street, ” Inside the Kingdom” is in many ways the story of the Saudis in their own words. ...

Return to the wizarding world & discover how director David Yates & producer David Heyman brought J.K. Rowling`s all-new adventure, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them to the big screen. Discover how director David Yates, producer David Heyman & a talented team of No-Majs brought J.K. Rowling`s Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them to the screen. Meet Newt Scamander, Magizoologist, & explore such wonders as MACUSA, United States counterpart to the Ministry of Magic, the magical secrets of Newt`s case, & the fantastic beasts themselves. Let Inside the Magic: The Making of Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them take you on a filmmaking journey into 1920s New York. Learn about the film`s costumes, wands, & special effects, & find out which character`s wand is made from shell, which famous wizard is Newt`s friend, which witch is a Legilimens, & which beast ends up at the zoo! Packed with exciting photos & revealing, behind-the-scenes detail from J.K. Rowling, David Yates, production designer Stuart Craig, Eddie Redmayne & other cast members, this is the definitive companion to the film, & perfect introduction to Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them. ...