For over 600 years, Robert Bruce has occupied a unique place in Scottish history. Yet behind the legendary figure is a complex, & in many ways more intriguing, picture. Bruce was a man who not only led his nation to a famous victory over the English at Bannockburn, but also overcame powerful odds to win power in Scotland & fulfil his family`s long-held ambition for political power. This book, illustrated with superb colour & black & white photographs, takes the reader on a journey from Bruce`s birth in south-west Scotland to his kingship & triumph at Bannockburn & finally to his death as King of Scotland in 1329, covering in detail all of the principal characters & dramatic settings of the major political & military events of the period. ” In the Footsteps of Robert Bruce” is an essential companion for an adventure through the landscapes & places associated with Robert Bruce in Scotl&, Northern England & Irel&, & a fascinating exploration of the turbulent history surrounding Scotland`s hero king. Alan Young is a freelance lecturer & writer on British medieval history, formerly Principal Lecturer in History at University College of Ripon & York St John. He has written widely on Scottish & northern English history. Michael J. Stead has gained a reputation as one of Britain`s leading landscape photographers. Together they have also written ” In the Footsteps of William Wallace” (The History Press). ...

There have been many previous biographies of this elusive but vitally important Christian but none have so clearly emphasised the relevance of his experiences of conversion, strength of belief & faith to the contemporary political & social climate in such a fundamental way. The reader is taken in St Paul's footsteps from his birth in Tarsus in the first decade of the first century AD to his martyrdom in Rome more then 60 years later. Stourton's detailed research & lively, enthusiastic writing style provide insights into the experiences, education & background which helped shape this most pragmatic & inspirational of biblical figures. St Paul is developed from a shadowy New Testament figure to a truly flesh & blood personality. ...

Stamford Raffles was born into genteel poverty in the UK in 1781. He joined the East India Company at the age of fourteen & worked his way up to become Lieutenant Governor of Java when the British seized that island for some five years in 1811. There he fell in love with all things Javanese & vaunted it as a place of civilization as he discovered himself as a man of science as well as commerce. A humane & ever-curious figure, his administration was a period of energetic reform & boisterous research that culminated in his History of Java in 1817 & it remains the starting-point of all subsequent studies of Indonesian culture. Personal tragedy & ill-health stalked his final years in the East. Yet, though dying at the early age of 44 & dogged by the hostility of lesser men, he would still find time to found the city-state of Singapore & guide it through its first dangerous years. Here, mythologised by the British & demonised by the Dutch, he is more than a remote founding father & remains a charter for its independence & its enduring values. In this intriguing book, part history, part travelogue, Nigel Barley re-visits the places that were important in the life of Stamford Raffles & evaluates his heritage in an account that is both humorous & insightful. ...

Gladiators & goddesses, philosophers & poets, epic battles & romantic landscapes
- the classical world has for centuries captivated
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Derry Brabbs spent the best part of a decade taking the photographs for the large-format illustrated walking guides which A. Wainwright wrote from 1984 to 1992, when his legendary series of Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells was complete. This is a fascinating account of Derry`s training & adventures from his early days as a photographer, including his first meeting with Wainwright & the joys, trials & tribulations of working on projects with the great fell walker. This work provides insights into Wainwright`s unique approach to publishing, straight from the horse`s mouth. It features spectacular photographs of famous long-distance walking routes including the Coast to Coast Walk & the Pennine Way. It also gives a wealth of practical advice for the would-be outdoor photographer. ...

The Maroons (escaped slaves) of Jamaica are famous. Not so the Maroons of another Caribbean island
- Dominica, also a former British
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Jacobs is considered one of the leading Hispanists of his generation. This is his meditation on Andalusia, its Islamic heritage & the romantic allure it has exercised on generations of Western travellers. Full of references to ancient & modern day travel writers the book takes us from Granada south, through Morocco to Timbuktu. Jacobs's book is an extraordinary mixture of fact & imagination that spreads new light on this fascinating part of Spanish & European & African history. ...

Set between Normandy & Arizona, In the Gold of Time is a seductive tale of silences & dark, half-revealed secrets, & a haunting elegy for innocence lost in a lost world. A young father holidays by the sea near Dieppe with his reproachfully perfect wife & their twin daughters. Returning from the local shop, he meets an eccentric old lady, Alice Berthier, who lives with he mute sister, Clemence. Their mysterious house is full of old photographs & strange objects
- sacred ceremonial masks once belonging to the Hopi, a tribe of Native Americans from Arizona. Haunted by memories of a tragic past, Alice takes comfort in her new companion, & he, in turn, is drawn into her mysterious world. As his family recedes into the background, her stirring tales of the Hopi & the Arizona desert become the only salve to his despondent soul.
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Afghanistan expert Seth G. Jones watched as American optimism evaporated after the Taliban defeat in 2001; by 2005, a new ”war of a thousand cuts” had brought Afghanistan to its knees. With new research on insurgencies & declassified US government documents, Jones shows how the siphoning of resources to Iraq left NATO forces in Afghanistan ineffectual & without support. Through interviews with prominent figures, including ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad & commander Karl Eikenberry, Jones explains how a growing sanctuary for insurgents in Pakistan & a collapsing government in Kabul were a catalyst for the Taliban resurgence. Examining what has & has not worked so far, Jones argues that the US must take a radically new approach to the war if it is to avoid the disastrous fate that has befallen every world power to enter the region. With a new afterword. ...

By turns fascinating, funny, & horrifying, this is Nick Gordon`s account of more than 10 years spent in the Amazonian forests as a wildlife filmmaker, snorting ground-up seeds with the local shaman, building an artificial tarantula habitat to film the furry monsters mating, & killing & eating a two-foot snake. ...