Modena at 1: 12, 000 on indexed street plans from Litografia Artistica Cartografica, with a detailed enlargement of the city’s historic centre at 1:6, 500. 45 monuments including historic buildings & churches, cultural or educational institutions, & important municipal buildings or facilities are numbered & listed next to the plan. Litografia Artistica Cartografica (LAC) are Italy’s leading publishers of street plans with an extensive range of titles. Where appropriate, the plans include an enlargement showing the historic centre in greater detail. On each plan monuments including historic buildings & churches, archaeological sites, cultural or educational institutions, & important municipal buildings or facilities are numbered & listed next to the plan. Unless indicated to the contrary in the individual description, one way streets are not marked. Street index is on the reverse. ...

Modena Province at 1:150, 000 in a series of handy size provincial road maps from Litografia Artistica Cartografica (LAC) with more minor local roads & country tracks than can be found on most regional maps from other publishers. This title is published with the traditional style LAC cartography.LAC’s provincial series is gradually being changed to a new style of digitally derived cartography, so presentation of adjoining titles may vary. All the maps have hill shading to represent the general relief with spot heights for selected peaks, & show a few more local roads & rough tracks than the other road map series. Intermediate road distances are indicated. Regional, provincial & communal borders are marked, & railways, funiculars, airports, sea ferry links & campsites are shown. The legend is in Italian only. The new, digitally produced editions are indexed & have enhanced, more finely drawn cartography: the hill-shading is less bold, motorway service areas are marked, natural parks are highlighted & an expanded range of symbols indicates various landmarks & sites, e.g. antiquities, churches, etc. Two styles of the new cartography are produced, differing only in the colour of the predominant background shading: grey or yellow/green. Some of the new editions include geographical coordinates for the map corners. The index of localities is on the reverse. To see all the titles in this series please click on the series link. ...

The treacherous mountain passes & blasted desert plains of Afghanistan have been the graveyard of every would-be conquering army since the days of Alexander the Great. With America, Britain & NATO committed to a long-term political & military engagement there, it is imperative to understand the country`s complex & bloody history. Afghanistan emerged in the mid-eighteenth century from the collapse of the Persian Safavid Empire & the decline of the Mughal dynasty in India. The nineteenth century saw the country ravaged by the rivalry of warring elites, & their great power supporters. In recent times, Afghanistan has experienced the Soviet invasion of 1979, the Pakistan-backed internal conflict of the 1990s, the Taliban regime & then the US invasion after the catastrophe of 9/11. Today, whilst the US-backed government is struggling to expand its control beyond Kabul, narco-warlords, jihadists & Western troops fight out the battle for control of this strategically vital country. Why has Afghanistan`s course of development been so turbulent? Why does it remain so vulnerable to domestic instability, foreign intervention & ideological extremism? In reconstructing the tempestuous narrative of modern Afghanistan, Amin Saikal provides a sweeping new understanding of its troubled past. He identifies the country`s inability to develop stable political structures as stemming from the inter-dynastic rivalry (exacerbated by polygamy) that scarred successive royal families from the end of the eighteenth century until the pro-Communist coup of April 1978. Outside interventions further weakened the country internally, preventing socio-economic development & leaving the country ripe for the politics of ideological extremism. ” Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle & Survival” is the definitive study of Afghanistan & its troubles. It will be vital reading for all those who are interested in the changing politics of the Middle East & Central Asia. ...

Afghanistan`s recent history is a sad one: Soviet invasion in 1979; Pakistan-backed internal conflict in the 1980s; the Taliban regime; & then the US invasion & the multi-national occupation after the events of 11 September 2001. Why does Afghanistan remain so vulnerable to domestic instability, foreign intervention & ideological extremism? In reconstructing the tempestuous narrative of modern Afghanistan, Amin Saikal provides a sweeping new understanding of its troubled past & present. He identifies the country`s inability to develop stable political structures as stemming from the inter-dynastic rivalry (complicated by polygamy) that scarred successive royal families from the end of the eighteenth century until the pro-Soviet Communist coup of April 1978, all exacerbated by foreign interventions
- feeding on fragile domestic structures
- & the rise & fall of different ideological streams. Here, for the first time, is an up-to-date analysis of the era of the Taliban`s rule, the effects of US domination in the country & attempts to negotiate a US withdrawal
- including talks about talks with the Taliban themselves. This book, which sets the crisis of Afghanistan in the context of the country`s modern history & social structures, makes a major & highly original contribution towards a better & more nuanced understanding of this ill-fated l&. It is the definitive study of Afghanistan & its troubles in national, regional & international contexts from 1747 to the present day.


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In the early 1990s, Albania, arguably Europe`s most closed & repressive state, began a startling transition out of forty years of self-imposed Communist isolation. Albanians who were not allowed to practice religion, travel abroad, wear jeans, or read ”decadent” Western literature began to devour the outside world. They opened cafes, companies, & newspapers. Previously banned rock music blared in the streets. Modern Albania offers a vivid history of the Albanian Communist regime`s fall & the trials & tribulations that led the country to become the state it is today. The book provides an in-depth look at the Communists` last Politburo meetings & the first student revolts, the fall of the Stalinist regime, the outflows of refugees, the crash of the massive pyramid-loan schemes, the war in neighboring Kosovo, & Albania`s relationship with the United States. Fred Abrahams weaves together personal experience from more than twenty years of work in Albania, interviews with key Albanians & foreigners who played a role in the country`s politics since 1990-including former Politburo members, opposition leaders, intelligence agents, diplomats, & founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army-and a close examination of hundreds of previously secret government records from Albania & the United States. A rich, narratively-driven account, Modern Albania gives readers a front-row seat to the dramatic events of the last battle of Cold War Europe. ...

` Deeply impressive! ancient history: the new rock `n` roll.` The Times Julian Cope`s bestselling modern classic, The Modern Aniquarian, is now released in a beautiful new hardback package. Having sold over 50, 000 copies in two highly successful editions. Julian Cope is one of Britain`s best known & most-celebrated post-punk visionaries. In this historical masterpiece, he takes us on an unforgettable journey across the British Isles, uncovering the first temples ever built & their myriad descendants, the relics of which can still be seen today. The Modern Antiquarian is the result of an eight-year odyssey in search of the roots of British cultural identity. Of the countless sites visited, Cope has selected over 300 of the very best; photographing their remains & explaining fully their relationships with the landscape. This book shines a powerful light onto the past of a nation hoodwinked into believing that its history began with the Roman conquest. Cope`s deft prose examines our prehistoric beginnings through the evidence of megalithic remains & their surroundings, allowing us for the first time to reconcile the tapestry of our past with modern life. ...

This work features twelve stories by contemporary masters from Morocco to Iraq. The twelve stories collected here are by leading authors of the short story form in the Middle East today. In addition to works by writers already well-known in the West such as ” Idwar al-Kharrat”, ” Fuad al-Takarli” & Nobel Prize-winning ” Naguib Mahfouz”, key authors whose fame has hitherto been restricted to the Middle East are also included. This bilingual reader is ideal for students of Arabic as well as lovers of literature who wish to broaden their appreciation of the work of Middle Eastern writers. The collection features stories in both English & Arabic, prefaced by a brief author biography plus notes on context & background. Each story is followed by a glossary & discussion of problematic language points. ...

Discover London’s leading examples of Art Deco from fanciful facades to stylish tube stations with this two-sided guide.
Includes:
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With his infectious humour & brilliant writing style, Jesse Dunford Wood presents a delightfully wacky, delicious & irresistible collection of British classics with a twist & a turn, based around the premise that food should be fun & that flavour is key. Cow Pie sits alongside retro favourites such as Chicken Kyiv & a wealth of wittily conceived, much-loved British dishes, beautifully realised through imaginative photography. Modern British Food is intended to be the ultimate fun cookery book, great to give & great to receive; a cookery book to make you smile & to make you hungry. ...

In 2008, as Beijing hosts the Olympic Games, the world`s attention is focused on China
- yet the most populous nation on the
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