At eighteen Alexander had conquered mainland Greece was crowned King of Macedonia at twenty & by twenty-six he had made himself master of the once mighty Persian Empire. By the time of his death aged only thirty-three in 323BCE he was ruler of the known world & was being worshipped as a god by the Greeks both at Babylon where he died & further west among the Greek cities of the Asiatic seaboard. The fruit of a lifetime's scholarship & meticulous research this is an outstanding biography of one of the most remarkable rulers in history. 'A hugely impressive portrait of a towering but enigmatic figure' Saul David Sunday Telegraph 'A revealing often enthralling search.. .[a] restless exhilarating book' Observer ' Fascinating...blends all the pleasures of Hollywood epic with those of a subtle & deeply intriguing detective tale' Tom Holland author of Rubicon ' Alexander the Great provides an endless fount both of amazement & of speculation. This gripping book examines the legends as well as the life. Most interestingly it invites the reader to participate in the difficult task of separating the fact from the fiction' Norman Davies ...

This comprehensive & richly illustrated book explores the archaeological record of the land of the Bible from its conquest by Alexander the Great in the fourth century B.C.E. until the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine in the fourth century C.E. Unique in its focus on the regions archaeology during the crucial Greco-Roman era the book offers an excellent overview of a tumultuous period in world history. It also presents new insights into the evolution of Judaism & Christianity drawing on the most recently uncovered archaeological evidence & ancient literary sources. Eric M. Meyers & Mark A. Chancey describe Hellenism as the main vehicle for the transformation of early Judaism & early Christianity in material culture & sacred traditions. The authors provide detailed discussions of the emergence of the two as sister religions undistinguishable in many ways for centuries then discuss how Judaism & Christianity developed in separate ways especially after the rise of imperial Christianity with Emperor Constantine. A treasury of information coupled with brilliant insights this book has much to offer scholar student & general reader alike. ...

Audubon was not the father of American ornithology. That honorific belongs to Alexander Wilson whose encyclopedic American Ornithology established a distinctive approach that emphasized the observation of live birds. In the first full-length study to reproduce all of Wilson's unpublished drawings for the nine-volume Ornithology Edward Burtt & William Davis illustrate Wilson's pioneering & today underappreciated achievement as the first ornithologist to describe the birds of the North American wilderness. Abandoning early ambitions to become a poet in the mold of his countryman Robert Burns Wilson emigrated from Scotland to settle near Philadelphia where the botanist William Bartram encouraged his proclivity for art & natural history. Wilson traveled 12 000 miles on foot on horseback in a rowboat & by stage & ship establishing a network of observers along the way. He wrote hundreds of accounts of indigenous birds discovered many new species & sketched the behavior & ecology of each species he encountered. Drawing on their expertise in both science & art Burtt & Davis show how Wilson defied eighteenth-century conventions of biological illustration by striving for realistic depiction of birds in their native habitats. He drew them in poses meant to facilitate identification making his work the model for modern field guides & an inspiration for Audubon Spencer Fullerton Baird & other naturalists who followed. On the bicentennial of his death this beautifully illustrated volume is a fitting tribute to Alexander Wilson & his unique contributions to ornithology ecology & the study of animal behavior. ...

The whole of Fairyland is very excited
- there's going to be a new royal baby! But when Foster the stork fails to deliver the new
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For Marcus Didius Falco agent to the Emperor Vespasian Alexandria holds fascination & a hint of fear. Beautiful historic & famously unruly the great cosmopolitan city wears Roman rule lightly. While his wife Helena Justina wants to see the Lighthouse & the Pyramids Falco has a mission at the Great Library that soon turns out to involve much more than stock-taking its innumerable scrolls. A mysterious death in the world-famous library bring him into immediate conflict with the darker side of academic life. With forensic science in its infancy even an illegal autopsy fails to find real answers. To solve the crime for the Roman Prefect
- if indeed it is a crime
- Falco will have to draw on his own doggedness & intuition at first supported only by Helenas commonsense & the loyal backup of her brother Aulus who goes under cover as a student among the in-fighting academics. The philosophers lust after fame & fortune so ruthlessly there is soon another terrifying death this time at the royal zoo. At the same time his original innocent mission is overshadowed by the machinations of his Uncle Fulvius who is living in Alexandria with his partner Cassius for obscure reasons. Their involvement in local affairs already seems shady when they are joined by their crony Falcos father Geminus a man well known for disreputable business practices. If the irrepressible Pa has had any hand in what has gone wrong at the Library Falco knows he stands no chance...

...

Lawrence Durrell was one of the best-selling most celebrated English novelists of the late 20th century. The Alexandria Quartet" is unquestionably his most admired work at heart a sensuous & brilliant evocation of wartime Alexandria. In this world of corrupt glamour L.G. Darley attempts to reconcile himself to the end of his affair with the dark passionate Justine Hosnani
- setting alight a beguiling exploration of sexual & political intrigue that the author himself described as an investigation of modern love."
...

Book four of our fun & delicious tween series about friendship is told through the perspective of Alexis. Alexis Becker is by far the most prepared very exact & super organised Cupcake Club member. But theres more to Alexis than meets the eye
- she has a crush & its on her friend Emmas older brother Matt! & with her sisters sweet sixteen party coming up & both Matt & the Cupcake Club attending will she be able to stand the heat? Because theres no way to prepare for falling in love!
...

Alexis is the clear leader of the group. She's organized punctual & happy to take on the stuff like scheduling budgets invoicing & the things that the other girls in the CC don't really want to do. In other words the unfun" things. One day in a burst of feeling unappreciated Alexis informs the Cupcake Club that she is no longer "in charge." But when deadlines get missed & supplies aren't bought the girls realizes somebody definitely needs to be the leader. & Alexis realizes being the leader is kind of cool; as long as you know when to ask for help when you need it!" ...

If Alfa fans ever needed confirmation that the Fiat takeover was a lot more than mere badge engineering then here is the proof. The second edition of this well-recieved book chronicles the wealth of new models launched by the marque since 1986 & the ground-breaking power units that drive them. David Owen provides an authoritative insight into post-war Alfa Romeos from the 1900 through to the sleek GT coupe available since the end of 2003. The lavishly illustrated text

Includes:: driving impressions buying hints & specifications together with marque information.

...

Exactly 100 years ago in 1910 at Portello on the outskirts of Milan a new company was established in the still young world of motoring of the period: Alfa Romeo. A name which in those 100 years has become synonymous with cars so important has its presence been both on the industrial & sports fronts as well as culturally. In this long period of time the celebrated Italian marque brought to life cars that have entered by right into the history of the automobile & not only that of Italy like the 1900 the Giulietta & the Giulia. Yet at the same time the company was able to write its own unrepeatable pages in the annuals of motor sport winning all the most important races: from the Mille Miglia to Le Mans from the Tourist Trophy to the World Sports Car Championship. An epic about which just almost everything has been written; but this volume by a great authority on the subject in Maurizio Tabucchi aims to be a tribute to this tremendous story told above all by pictures many of them previously unpublished & supported by brief but exhaustive texts. ...