Isobel & Lou moved to Montalcino & became Isabella & Luigi ten years ago & they have now been embraced by the locals & immersed in their antiquated customs & age-old feuds. In BEL VINO Isabella takes the reader on a winding journey to discover the true aristocratic orgins of the world-renowned wine Brunello di Montalcino on whose vintage the fortunes of many of the Montalcinesi depend. Taking us through the seasons of the wine harvest, Dusi weaves a path that brings in the local white-hooded monks who have lived in the Abbey of Sant` Antimo since at least 814; the last remaining local shoemaker; the harvesting of mushrooms, olives & truffles; an archery contest with a local village at which passions run high; & the fight to save a 1000-year-old church with no foundations. As an insider, Dusi is able to portray Tuscan life with all its idyllic charms whilst also giving an intriguing insight into the daily workings of the ancient village of Montalcino. ...

Guy de Maupassant`s scandalous tale of an opportunistic young man corrupted by the allure of power, ” Bel-Ami” is translated with an introduction by Douglas Parmee in ” Penguin Classics”. Young, attractive & very ambitious, George Duroy, known to his admirers as Bel-Ami, is offered a job as a journalist on La Vie francaise & soon makes a great success of his new career. But he also comes face to face with the realities of the corrupt society in which he lives
- the sleazy colleagues, the manipulative mistresses & wily financiers
- & swiftly learns to become an arch-seducer, blackmailer & social climber in a world where love is only a means to an end. Written when Maupassant was at the height of his powers, ” Bel-Ami” is a novel of great frankness & cynicism, but it is also infused with the sheer joy of life
- depicting the scenes & characters of Paris in the belle epoque with wit, sensitivity & humanity. Douglas Parmee`s translation captures all the vigour & vitality of Maupassant`s novel. His introduction explores the similarities between Bel-Ami & Maupassant himself & demonstrates the skill with which the author depicts his large cast of characters & the French society of the Third Republic. Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was born in Normandy. By the late 1870s, the first signs of syphilis had appeared, & Maupassant had become Flaubert`s pupil in the art of prose. He led a hectic social life, & in 1891, having tried to commit suicide, he was committed to an asylum in Paris, where he died two years later. If you enjoyed ” Bel-Ami”, you might like William Makepeace Thackeray`s ” Vanity Fair”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”.


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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). 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. ...

Double-sided road map of the country with hill shading & elevation tinting to represent the relief. Intermediate driving distances on many roads are marked & railways & navigable canals are shown. Symbols denote airports, border crossing points, churches, castles & selected sites of interest. Regional boundaries, national parks & swamp areas are marked. Latitude & longitude lines are drawn at 1 ...

Very detailed, indexed road map of Belarus with all names in Cyrillic alphabet only, but with map legend which

Includes::

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Very detailed, indexed road map of Belarus with all names in Cyrillic alphabet only, but with map legend which

Includes::

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This book is the first in English to explore both Belarus` complicated road to nationhood & to examine in detail its politics & economics since 1991, the nation`s first year of true independence. Andrew Wilson focuses particular attention on Aliaksandr Lukashenka`s surprising longevity as president, despite human rights abuses & involvement in yet another rigged election in December 2010. Wilson looks at Belarusian history as a series of false starts in the medieval & pre-modern periods, & at the many rival versions of Belarusian identity, culminating with the Soviet Belarusian project & the establishment of Belarus` current borders during World War II. He also addresses Belarus` on-off relationship with Russia, its simultaneous attempts to play a game of balance in the no-man`s-land between Russia & the West, & how, paradoxically, Belarus is at last becoming a true nation under the rule of Europe`s ”last dictator”. ...

Indexed road map of Belarus at 1:850, 000 from Belkartographia with street plans of Brest, Vitebsk, Homiel, Hrodna, Minsk & Mogilev. All text is Cyrillic alphabet. The main map shows the major road network with distances marked in kilometres. Local roads are marked, with colouring used to show which have pavements & which do not. Fuelling stations, both petrol & gas, are clearly marked; other local facilities including hotels, camping-sites & check-points are shown. Longitude & latitude lines are marked at 1 ...

Indexed road map of Belarus at 1:850, 000 from Belkartographia with street plans of Brest, Vitebsk, Homiel, Hrodna, Minsk & Mogilev. * All text is Cyrillic alphabet*. The main map shows the major road network with distances marked in kilometres. Local roads are marked, with colouring used to show which have pavements & which do not. Fuelling stations, both petrol & gas, are clearly marked; other local facilities including hotels, camping-sites & check-points are shown. Longitude & latitude lines are marked at 1° & 40’ intervals respectively. A handy table of driving distances is included with the main map for cities with a population of over 50, 000. The reverse of the map has street plans of Brest (1:69, 000), Vitebsk (1:69, 000), Homiel (1:86, 000), Hrodna (1:69, 000), Minsk (1:88, 000) & Mahiliou (1:86, 000). Major street names are marked, as are railway lines & stations, bus & coach staitions, & airports. Points of interest including hotels & restaurants are indicated. ...

Indexed road map of Belarus at 1:850, 000 from Belkartographia with all place names shown in Latin alphabet. Enlargements show main transit routes & streets in Brest, Vitebsk, Homiel, Hrodna, Minsk & Mogiliev. All place names The map shows the road network in detail, indicating driving distances on small local roads. Locations of fuel supplies & car repair services are marked. Border crossings symbols indicate those for all the vehicles, cars only, or cars & buses. Symbols also indicate locations with tourist accommodation. Railways are

Includes:: & local airports are marked. Longitude & latitude lines are marked at 1° & 40’ intervals respectively. A handy table of driving distances is included with the main map for cities with a population of over 50, 000. On the reverse are street maps of Brest (1:69, 000), Vitebsk (1:69, 000), Homiel (1:86, 000), Hrodna (1:69, 000), Minsk (1:88, 000) & Mahiliou/ Mogiliev (1:86, 000) highlighting main traffic arteries & naming a selection of streets. The maps show locations of fuel supplies, car repair facilities & car parks, as well as selected hotels & restaurants or cafes. Map legend & all the text is in English.

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