the greatest Moroccan travel book of all time:vital reading for the new upmarket Marrakesh tourism
- one of the bibles of British
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`A masterful account of Anglo-American rivalries that shaped the modern Middle East after WWII-brilliant storytelling with a rich cast of characters, Lords of the Desert is irresistible reading.`-Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of the Ottomans ` With its oil & its waterways, the Middle East was & remains a first step for any rising world power, & also the final trap for empires on the decline. In this lively page-turner, Barr unearths the obscure history of our disastrous engagement with the Middle East today-and of our own imperial decline.` -Elizabeth F. Thompson, Mohamed S. Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace, American University ` Many of the events in this book will be familiar, but instead of presenting them from the more usual perspectives of the Cold war confrontation between the US & Russia, or Imperial withdrawal, James Barr considers them instead from the angle of US-British rivalry. This is refreshing, but it is perhaps also closer to the angle from which many contemporaries would have considered the Suez canal crisis of 1956 or the coup that removed Mohammad Mosaddeq in 1953, for example. This book is therefore not just an excellent, lively account of salient events in this period in the history of the Middle East; it also opens up some new ways to think about them.`-Michael Axworthy, author of A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind ` In this compelling new book, James Barr recalls a now forgotten story of British-American competition for power in the Middle East during & after their victory in the Second World War. This is essential, gripping history with major relevance for those who wish to understand that tortured region today.`-Nicholas Burns, Professor, Harvard University & former Under Secretary of State ` High adventure & covert action meet in this account of a momentous power shift that decisively shaped today`s world. Lords of the Desert reshapes our understanding of the modern Middle East-and also helps explain how the United States became a global power.`-Stephen Kinzer, author of All the Shah`s Men & Overthrow ` James Barr lifts the curtain on British plotting & intrigue in the Middle East. A wonderful raconteur, Barr brings to life the characters whose schemes & miscalculations brought an end to Britain as a great power. Meticulously researched, Lords of the Desert provides ample evidence as to why people in Middle Eastern countries remain so suspicious of Western intentions. A superb book.`-Emma Sky, author of The Unraveling ` An essential book for understanding the modern Middle East-and a thrilling read to boot.`-Alex von Tunzelmann, author of Blood & Sand ` The middle decades of the twentieth century were ground zero for U.S. involvement in the modern Middle East. In this deeply researched & marvelously readable account, James Barr explains how Americans` entry into the region was achieved at the expense of the main previous western power there, Great Britain. By illuminating this crucial moment of imperial transition, Barr provides vital background for understanding the turbulent Middle East-U.S. relationship that has evolved since.`-Hugh Wilford, author of America`s Great Game: The CIA`s Secret Arabists & the Shaping of the Modern Middle East ` Masterful`
- The Spectator (A Line in the Sand) Upon victory in 1945, Britain still dominated the Middle East. She directly ruled Palestine & Aden, was the kingmaker in Iran, the power behind the thrones of Egypt, Iraq & Jordan, & protected the sultan of Oman & the Gulf sheikhs. But her motives for wanting to dominate this crossroads between Europe, Asia & Africa were changing. Where `imperial security`
- control of the route to India
- had once been paramount, now oil was an increasingly important factor. So, too, was prestige. Ironically, the very end of empire made control of the Middle East precious in itself: on it hung Britain`s claim to be a great power. Unable to withstand Arab & Jewis


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Lords of the Horizons is a history of the Ottoman Empire by accessible & engaging writer Jason Goodwin. For over six hundred years the Empire swelled & declined, weaving a dazzling Turkish carpet of barbarism & civilisation, & its strong pull on Western hearts & minds continues to this day. Lords of the Horizons charts the dramatic Ottoman history in a detailed & alive way, taking us on a journey through the life & times of the richest court in Europe, from its far reaching glory days to it prodigious, protracted & total decline. ...

`I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great.` Themistocles After almost three thousand years, the brilliant achievements of ancient Athens
- the philosophy of Plato, the birth of modern democracy, architecture & theatre
- continue to tower over modern culture. Lords of the Sea seeks to write the first modern biography of this extraordinary ancient city from a dramatic new angle
- the sea. How did a humble, unremarkable fishing village turn itself into a dazzling democratic empire fuelled by silver, intellect, sheer cunning, sophisticated rowing power, & blood shed during heroic battles, to become the most intrepid free superpower the world has ever known? Lords of the Sea brings together the impressive modern scholarly knowledge of ancient Athens. Its narrative relies on ancient literature (the histories, plays, speeches, poetry, inscriptions), the latest archaeological discoveries (bronze rams, ship houses & docks, naval monuments), first-hand study of every important theatre of war, & insight into a society that was one of the few in history to grant extreme sexual license to free adult males. Famous names, such as Themistocles, Pericles, Socrates, the treacherous Alcibiades, Thucydides, Sophocles, Euripides, Plato & Aristotle, appear in vividly-drawn portraits as the Athenians themselves would have seen & judged them at the time. The dramatic rise, decline & fall of ancient Athens is much more than a gripping historical tale. Lords of the Sea shows that it is one of the first struggles of everything that makes the human race potentially great.


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One of the titles in a series of maps of the administrative departments of Peru, with topography shown by altitude colouring & spot heights. Most maps also indicate cultivated areas. Scales vary considerably, given different sizes of the departments. Railways & four different types of roads & dirt tracks are shown, as well as local airports & aerodromes. The maps also show the subdivisions of the departments into provinces & districts, indicating administrative capital of each unit. Most sheets also include a panel with general information about the state (e.g. population distribution, climate, etc.). Latitude & longitude grid is drawn at 1º intervals, making this series very useful for identifying the locations of small places on the 1:100, 000 topographic survey of the country. Map legend is in Spanish only. Publication dates vary from mid-1980s to mid-1990s, with a handful of titles revised later. Each map shows one department only & no detail of any kind is given for the adjacent departments, beyond their names. ...

Street plan of the Lorient
- Lanester
- Larmor-Plage area, part of an extensive series covering French cities & towns from

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Topographic survey of France at 1:25, 000 in IGN`s excellent TOP25 / Série Bleue series. All the maps are GPS compatible, with a 1km UTM grid plus latitude & longitude lines at 5’ intervals. Contours are at 5m intervals except for mountainous areas where the maps have contours at 10m intervals, vividly enhanced by hill shading & graphics for rocky terrain. Colouring with graphics indicates different types of vegetation or land use (deciduous or coniferous forests, moors, orchards, vineyards, etc). MAPS WITH FULL TOURIST OVERPRINT & AN ENGLISH MAP LEGEND: all TOP25 maps & the SB editions of Série Bleue have an overprint highlighting waymarked walking trails including long-distance GR routes &, where appropriate, ski routes. Symbols indicate campsites, gîtes d’etape, refuges, equestrian centres & other recreational facilities or sites, tourist information centres, cultural heritage, etc. Towns & locations of particular interest are highlighted.- ET or OT = single-sided TOP25 map covering approx. 29x 21 km / 18x 13 miles.- ETR or OTR = waterproof & tear resistant TOP25 map covering the same area as the corresponding ET or OT number, but double-sided, printed on a smaller size sheet with a good overlap between the sides.- SB = Série Bleue map with full tourist overprint; these maps, first introduced in summer 2014, each cover approx. 29x 24km / 18x 15 miles.SÉRIE BLEUE maps with numbers ending in E (Est) or O (Ouest): most editions now indicate the GR routes, but do not show any other tourist information. Map legend is in French only. Each map covers approx. 14x 20km / 9x 12 miles. ...

Lorna Doone, a Romance of Exmoor is an historical novel of high adventure set in the South West of England during the turbulent time of Monmouth`s rebellion (1685). It is also a moving love story told through the life of the young farmer John Ridd, as he grows to manhood determined to right the wrongs in his l&, & to win the heart & hand of the beautiful Lorna Doone. ...

Topographic survey of France at 1:25, 000 in IGN`s excellent TOP25 / Série Bleue series. All the maps are GPS compatible, with a 1km UTM grid plus latitude & longitude lines at 5’ intervals. Contours are at 5m intervals except for mountainous areas where the maps have contours at 10m intervals, vividly enhanced by hill shading & graphics for rocky terrain. Colouring with graphics indicates different types of vegetation or land use (deciduous or coniferous forests, moors, orchards, vineyards, etc). PLEASE NOTE: coverage of France at this scale is currently being revised – the format & the presentation of each title are indicated by the letters at the end of its Sheet Reference number (e.g. 0416ET, 3531ETR, 1923SB, etc.)MAPS WITH FULL TOURIST OVERPRINT & AN ENGLISH MAP LEGEND: all TOP25 maps & the SB editions of Série Bleue have an overprint highlighting waymarked walking trails including long-distance GR routes &, where appropriate, ski routes. Symbols indicate campsites, gîtes d’etape, refuges, equestrian centres & other recreational facilities or sites, tourist information centres, cultural heritage, etc. Towns & locations of particular interest are highlighted.- ET or OT = single-sided TOP25 map covering approx. 29x 21 km / 18x 13 miles.- ETR or OTR = waterproof & tear resistant TOP25 map covering the same area as the corresponding ET or OT number, but double-sided, printed on a smaller size sheet with a good overlap between the sides.- SB = Série Bleue map with full tourist overprint; these maps, first introduced in summer 2014, each cover approx. 29x 24km / 18x 15 miles.SÉRIE BLEUE maps with numbers ending in E (Est) or O (Ouest): most editions now indicate the GR routes, but do not show any other tourist information. Map legend is in French only. Each map covers approx. 14x 20km / 9x 12 miles. ...

From childhood family day trips to Loch Lomond, to her days as TVam`s roving correspondent, Lorraine Kelly has covered the length & breadth of Scotl&. But certain special places tug at her heartstrings & lure her back time & time again. Travelling to the highlands & islands & all her favourite places in between, this is Lorraine`s personal journey around her beautiful & beguiling country. Each & every stop gives rise to fascinating stories & memories along the way, from her adopted home of Dundee to the wild & remote islands of St Kilda. She revisits childhood haunts in Glasgow, indulges in a spot of whisky-tasting on the island of Islay & reveals what led her to once arrive in Edinburgh pushing a pram & wearing a pair of rollerskates. She rediscovers the joys of the natural wilderness in the Highlands, visits a dramatic Viking fire festival in Shetland & recalls the week she & her family spent hunting the Loch Ness monster... Beautifully illustrated with stunning original photographs, Lorraine Kelly`s Scotland is a celebration of a gloriously diverse country with a deep & rich heritage, told with all Lorraine`s characteristic warmth & humour. ...