Shah Abbas I was one of Iran's most influential leaders. Combining his ruthless ambition with a desire for stability, he left a far-reaching mark on the society & artistic heritage of Iran, renovating the country's spectacular shrines & transforming its trading relations with the rest of the world. This richly illustrated book brings together an amazing array of treasures that were given to Iran's shrines during Shah Abbas' reign. It traces the story of the Safavid dynasty (1501-1722), a period of dynamic religious & political development in Iran. Art & architecture flourished & achieved new heights of beauty & brilliance with the creation of the magnificent shrines at Ardabil, Mashhad & Qum. During this so-called Golden Age of Persian art, Shah Abbas renovated these shrines & donated to them priceless works of art including sumptuous carpets, silks, porcelain & albums, many of which are illustrated here in glorious detail. He also created the new capital at Isfahan his crowning artistic achievement where he rebuilt his empire surrounded by an inner circle of great artists & thinkers. From here he encouraged foreigners to come to Iran & welcomed the opportunity to open up trading links with Europe. This fascinating book looks in detail at this turning-point in Iran's history. It investigates the context of Shah Abbas' gifts & renovations; it also explores how these shrines functioned in the early seventeenth century & the ways in which practices & beliefs initiated under the Safavids are reflected in the world-famous shrines at Mashhad & Qum of today. ...

Shah Abbas (1571-1629) was shah of Iran from 1588 (when he assumed power by deposing his father, whom he later murdered) until his death in 1629. He is of critical importance in the history of Iran, restoring the power of the Safavids through war & the strategic negotiation of peace. He is still acclaimed for his strong & decisive rule & the architectural achievements of his reign although he is also recognised as a tyrant, whose paranoia (probably justified) caused him to imprison & assassinate many of his own relatives including his own son, ultimately leaving the throne to his grandson. Remarkably, this is the first biography of Shah Abbas in English. ” On a Persian Throne” combines rigorous scholarship with a popular style to produce the definitive, accessible & objective biography of this seminal figure in Iranian history. ...

Shah Jahan by Fergus Nicoll is the story of an enlightened despot, a king who dispensed largesse to favoured courtiers but ignored plague in the countryside. Khurram Shah Jahan, a title meaning ` King of the World`, ruled the Mughal Empire from 1628 to 1659. His reign marked the cultural zenith of the Mughal dynasty: a period of multiculturalism, poetry, fine art & stupendous architecture. His legacy in stone embraces not only the Taj Mahal
- the tomb to his beloved second wife Mumtaz
- but also for the Pearl Mosque, the Red Fort, Jama Masid in Delhi, the Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir & the priceless Peacock Throne. But Shah Jahan was also a ruthless political operator, who only achieved power after ordering the murder of two brothers & at least six other relatives, one of them the legitimately crowned Emperor Dawar- Bakhsh. Fergus Nicoll travelled widely through India & Pakistan to follow in Shah Jahan`s footsteps & find new evidence of his passing. As a result, many aspects of the conventional wisdom have had to be re-examined.

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Shah of Shahs depicts the final years of the Shah in Iran, & is a compelling meditation on the nature of revolution & the devastating results of fear. In his truly unique voice Kapuscinski describes the tyrannical monarch, who, despite his cruel oppression of the Iranian people, sees himself as the father of a nation, who can turn a backward country into a great power
- a vain hope that proves a complete failure. Yet even as Iran becomes a `behemoth of riches` & as the Shah lives like a European billionaire, its people live in a climate of fear, terrorised by the secret police. Told with intense power & feeling, Kapuscinski portrays the inevitable build-up to revolution
- a cataclysmic upheaval that delivered Iran into the rule of the Ayatollah Khomeini.

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Originally composed for the Samanid princes of Khorasan in the 10th century, Shahnameh is one of the most important pieces of Persian literature. This prodigious narrative tells the story of pre-Islamic Iran, beginning in the mythic time of Creation & continuing forward to the Arab invasion in the seventh century. The sweep & psychological depth of the Shahnameh is nothing less than magnificent. Now one of the greast translators of Persian poetry, Dick Davis, presents Ferdowsi's masterpiece in an elegant combination of prose & verse. ...

Dick Davis, ”our pre-eminent translator from the Persian” (Washington Post) has revised & expanded his highly-praised translation of Ferdowsi`s masterpiece, including more than 100 pages of newly translated text. Davis`s elegant combination of prose & verse allows the poetry of the Shanameh to sing its own tales directly, interspersed sparingly with clearly-marked explanations to ease along modern readers. Among the greatest works of world literature, this prodigious narrative, composed by the poet Ferdowsi in the late tenth century, tells the story of pre-Islamic Iran, beginning in the mythic time of creation & continuing forward to the Arab invasion in the seventh century. ...

A few years ago Carli Davidson was just another young photographer. To make money she worked as a zookeeper; & because she is a fervent animal activist, she volunteered at animal rescues. In 2010 she purchased a high-speed shutter camera & had the idea of combining her two passions. She began photographing the rescue dogs in mid-motion, pausing them at a thirteen-thousandth of a second. She called the project Shake & posted a few pictures on Facebook. They quickly spread virally, reposted over & over. In 2011 a Shake photo was featured in Photo District News, the award-winning magazine for the professional photography industry, & won the prestigious ` Best Photo` award. Photographers were instantly impressed. By the third quarter of 2011, Carli`s website was getting 30, 000 hits a month. She only had a few Shake photos up, but everybody wanted to see them. Then the `big publications` began to write about her: Huffington Post, New York Times, Vanity Fair Italy, to name just a few. In a 90-day period her site spiked to 8.5 million views. People were visiting the site from all over the world & the fan letters came pouring in. Shake is the answer to the fan requests Carli received over & over again. Everybody wanted more Shake photos. One hundred dangerously adorable models posed for the book. Sixty-five of them, including the likes of Scooby the Rottweiler, Greta the Shi Tzu, Twinkie the Jack Russell Terrier, & the famous, mixed-breed Ramen Noodle were selected. Two photographs of each dogs are featured side-by-side in the book to caption the motion of their shakes. One photo shows the dog beginning to turn; the other shows its wild hair & fabulous facial expression mid-twist. Many of the dogs are shaking off water; that is captured in the photographs too. The New York Times said it well when they described Carli`s work as a ”hilarious portrayal of flying fur, flopping jowls, & bulging eyes.” Shake will feature an introduction by Carli explaining the inspiration behind the project & her experience shooting the dogs. This will be followed by her spectacular photography of each dog shaking. The back of the book will feature each dog in a non-shaking pose, with name, breed mixes, & personality traits from their owners & the rescues. National publications such as National Geographic, Rolling Stone, People, Discovery, & Huffington Post have already expressed interest in featuring the book. Nikon Camera is also a staunch supporter of Carli. They gave her the camera she used to shoot the photos in the book. She is a favorite of their European headquarters, particularly their UK office, & was asked to shoot the Olympics for them. Three of her Shake photos are in a press-kit they sent out about her that went to journalists at magazines in 33 countries. ...

When Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire received the call to serve as force commander of the UN mission to Rwanda, he thought he was heading off to Africa to help two warring parties achieve a peace both sides wanted. Instead, he & members of his small international force were caught up in a vortex of civil war & genocide. Dallaire left Rwanda a broken man; disillusioned, suicidal, & determined to tell his story. An award-winning international sensation, Shake Hands with the Devil is a landmark contribution to the literature of war: a remarkable tale of a soldier`s courage & an unforgettable portrait of modern warfare. It is also a stinging indictment of the petty bureaucrats who refused to give Dallaire the men & the operational freedom he needed to stop the killing. `I know there is a God, ` Dallaire writes, `because in Rwanda I shook hands with the devil. I have seen him, I have smelled him & I have touched him. I know the devil exists & therefore I know there is a God.` ...

This highly anticipated follow-up to the bestselling book Shake features more than 130 photographs of adorable puppies. This brilliant, brightly colored collection truly captures the squishy cuteness of a puppy--its tousled fur, floppy ears, & endearing expression--in the moment when our tiny, wide-eyed companion is mid-shake. In addition to its vibrant photographs, Shake Puppies

Includes:: a message of support for animal rescue & creating an environment in which all dogs, young or old, can succeed in their new homes. Training tips are included to help dog owners achieve this goal. There is also a roster listing the names & ages of all the dogs featured, as well as a peek into Carli Davidson`s studio.

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Long before he was one of America`s leading yachting writers, Nigel Calder was a novice cruiser with ambitions grander than his experience. Nigel & his partner Terrie were young & foolish, with a home-built boat that was new & untested, one child already & another on the way
- but they were determined to complete an adventurous 18-month voyage from New Orleans to Venezuela & back. It was the voyage that made Calder the yachtsman he is today, a marvellous romp through the West Indies, seeing an unspoilt Caribbean, while learning hard-won lessons from direct experience
- troubleshooting engines, kedging off shoals & reefs, & most importantly navigating Nada, a yacht that quickly became very much part of the burgeoning Calder family too. An adventure story & a colourful travelogue in one, Shakedown Cruise is a must-read for all who are curious about what it takes to become a cruising sailor or create an adventurous life, as well as those who are just looking to sail along with Nigel & his family.

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