In 476 AD the last of Rome`s emperors was deposed by a barbarian general, the son of one of Attila the Hun`s henchmen, & the imperial vestments were despatched to Constantinople. The curtain fell on the Roman Empire in Western Europe, its territories divided between successor kingdoms constructed around barbarian military manpower. But if the Roman Empire was dead, the dream of restoring it refused to die. In many parts of the old Empire, real Romans still lived, holding on to their lands, the values of their civilisation, its institutions; the barbarians were ready to reignite the imperial flame & to enjoy the benefits of Roman civilization, the three greatest contenders being Theoderic, Justinian & Charlemagne. But, ultimately, they would fail & it was not until the reinvention of the papacy in the eleventh century that Europe`s barbarians found the means to generate a new Roman Empire, an empire which has lasted a thousand years. ...

In 476 AD the last of Rome`s emperors was deposed by a barbarian general, the son of one of Attila the Hun`s henchmen, & the imperial vestments were despatched to Constantinople. The curtain fell on the Roman Empire in Western Europe, its territories divided between successor kingdoms constructed around barbarian military manpower. But if the Roman Empire was dead, the dream of restoring it refused to die. In many parts of the old Empire, real Romans still lived, holding on to their lands, the values of their civilisation, its institutions; the barbarians were ready to reignite the imperial flame & to enjoy the benefits of Roman civilization, the three greatest contenders being Theoderic, Justinian & Charlemagne. But, ultimately, they would fail & it was not until the reinvention of the papacy in the eleventh century that Europe`s barbarians found the means to generate a new Roman Empire, an empire which has lasted a thousand years. ...

Haunting & unforgettable, The Restorer explores the insufficiency of love, the way trauma shapes identity & the power parents have over the lives of their children. After a year apart, Maryanne returns to her husb&, Roy, bringing their eight-year-old son Daniel & his teenage sister Freya with her. The family move from Sydney to Newcastle, where Roy has bought a derelict house on the coast. As Roy painstakingly patches the holes in the floorboards & plasters over cracks in the walls, Maryanne believes, for a while, that they can rebuild a life together. But Freya doesn`t want a fresh start
- she just wants out
- & Daniel drifts around the sprawling, run-down house in a dream, infuriating his father, who soon forgets the promises he has made. Some cracks can never be smoothed over, & tension grows between Roy & Maryanne until their uneasy peace is ruptured
- with devastating consequences.


...

This landmark book--the first environmental history of China--is based on a wealth of literary, political aesthetic, scientific, & religious sources that reveal the views of the Chinese people toward their environment & landscape. ” Masterly & engaging.... Essential for those who want to understand the long sweep of Chinese history, & it will enhance the perspective of those who think they already understand it. A scholarly tour de force.”--J. R. Mc Neill, ” Wilson Quarterly (Note to DMB: check print review--also in Science?)” ” Elvin combines an illuminating account of the 4, 000 year-long collision of humans & nature with delightful tidbits about everything under the Chinese sun.... A magisterial work.”--Nicholas D. Kristof, ” Scientific American” ...

Published to mark the final retreat of Western troops from Afghanistan, this book asks just how the might of NATO, with 48 countries & 140, 000 troops on the ground, not managed to defeat a group of religious students & farmers? How did it go so wrong? ` The Retreat` tells how the West turned success into defeat in the longest war fought by the United States in its history & by Britain since the Hundred Years War. It is the story of well-intentioned men & women going into a place they did not understand at all. & how, what had once been the right thing to do had become a conflict that everyone wanted to exit. It has been a fiasco which has left Afghanistan still one of the poorest & most dangerous nations on earth. The leading journalist on the region with unparalleled access to all key decision makers, Christina Lamb is the best-selling author of ` The Africa House` & `I Am Malala`, co-authored with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. This revelatory & personal account is her final analysis of the realities of Afghanistan, told unlike anyone before. ...

Beneath the majestic towers of the Alhambra, Granada`s cobbled streets resonate with music & secrets. Sonia Cameron knows nothing of the city`s shocking past; she is here to dance. But in a quiet cafe, a chance conversation & an intriguing collection of old photographs draw her into the extraordinary tale of Spain`s devastating civil war. Seventy years earlier, the cafe is home to the close-knit Ramirez family. In 1936, an army coup led by Franco shatters the country`s fragile peace, & in the heart of Granada the family witnesses the worst atrocities of conflict. Divided by politics & tragedy, everyone must take a side, fighting a personal battle as Spain rips itself apart. ...

An atmospheric, vibrant & moving tale of pain & passion at the heart of war-torn Spain, from Victoria Hislop, the million-copy bestselling author of THE ISL&. Beneath the majestic towers of the Alhambra, Granada`s cobbled streets resonate with music & secrets. Sonia Cameron knows nothing of the city`s shocking past; she is here to dance. But in a quiet café, a chance conversation & an intriguing collection of old photographs draw her into the extraordinary tale of Spain`s devastating civil war. Seventy years earlier, the café is home to the close-knit Ramírez family. In 1936, an army coup led by Franco shatters the country`s fragile peace, & in the heart of Granada the family witnesses the worst atrocities of conflict. Divided by politics & tragedy, everyone must take a side, fighting a personal battle as Spain rips itself apart. ...

A bracing assessment of U.S. foreign policy & world disorder over the past two decades, anchored by a major new Pentagon-commissioned essay about changing power dynamics among China, Eurasia, & America--from the renowned geopolitical analyst & bestselling author of The Revenge of Geography & The Coming Anarchy. In the late thirteenth century, Marco Polo began a decades-long trek from Venice to China. The strength of that Silk Road--the trade route between Europe & Asia--was a foundation of Kublai Khan`s sprawling empire. Now, in the early twenty-first century, the Chinese regime has proposed a l&-&-maritime Silk Road that duplicates exactly the route Marco Polo traveled. In the major lead essay, recently released by the Pentagon`s Office of Net Assessment, Robert D. Kaplan lays out a blueprint of the world`s changing power politics that recalls the late thirteenth century. As Europe fractures from changes in culture & migration, Eurasia coheres into a single conflict system. China is constructing a land bridge to Europe. Iran & India are trying to link the oil fields of Central Asia to the Indian Ocean. America`s ability to influence the power balance in Eurasia is declining. This is Kaplan`s first collection of essays since his classic The Coming Anarchy was published in 2000. Drawing on decades of firsthand experience as a foreign correspondent & military embed for The Atlantic, as well as encounters with preeminent realist thinkers, Kaplan outlines the timeless principles that should shape America`s role in a turbulent world: a respect for the limits of Western-style democracy; a delineation between American interests & American values; an awareness of the psychological toll of warfare; a projection of power via a strong navy; & more. From Kaplan`s immediate thoughts on President Trump (” On Foreign Policy, Donald Trump Is No Realist, ” 2016) to a frank examination of what will happen in the event of war with North Korea (” When North Korea Falls, ” 2006), The Return of Marco Polo`s World is a vigorous & honest reckoning with the difficult choices the United States will face in the years ahead. ...