In this extraordinary literary debut, Christie-Miller traces the history and present of Istanbul by walking along its crumbling defensive walls and talking to those he passes. Caught between two seas and two continents, with a contested past and an imperiled future, Istanbul represents the precipitous moment civilizations around the world are currently facing. To the City seamlessly blends two narratives: the fragile optimism of the present-day and its inhabitants, and the story of Mehmet’s siege and capture of the city in 1453. Those events still loom over the city, as Erdogan—a kind of latter-day sultan—invokes their memory as part of his effort to transform Turkey and resurrect its imperial past. Istanbul stands at the centre of the most pressing challenges of our time. Environmental decay, rapacious development and a refugee crisis are straining the city to breaking point, while its civil society gutters in the face of resurgent authoritarianism. Yet, Istanbul has endured despite centuries of instability. Christie-Miller introduces us to people who are experiencing the looming crisis and fighting back, sometimes triumphing despite the odds. This is a meditation on the soul of Istanbul, of its resilience and fortitude. In the defensive walls of Turkey’s largest and most fabled city, Christie-Miller finds a distillation of the country’s history and a mirror of its present. Walk with him and see the danger, beauty and hope.

Watermarks reflect the very stuff of the origin, date, distribution, composition, history and culture of paper-based items. Digital imaging of watermarks releases the research potential as widely as the internet itself. One example is the digital "fingerprinting" of paper in order to enhance the security of items, such as valuable and vulnerable maps. Revealing Watermarks, by means of the case study of one sixteenth century watermark-a crown from the arms of Danzig-illustrates how cultural influences spread and have endured across the centuries, in this case from Sweden to Russia.

Leading figures at the dawn of the sixteenth-century Reformation commonly faced the charge of "judaizing": 72 In His Name concerns the changing views of four such men starting with their kabbalistic treatment of the 72 divine names of angels. Johann Reuchlin, the first of the four men featured in this book, survived the charge; Martin Luther's increasingly anti-semitic stance is contrasted with the opposite movement of the French Franciscan Jean Thenaud whose kabbalistic manuscripts were devoted to Francis I; Philipp Wolff, the fourth, had been born into a Jewish family but his recorded views were decidedly anti-semitic. 72 In His Name also includes evidence that kabbalistic beliefs and practices, such as the service for exorcism recorded by Thenaud, were unwittingly recorded by Christians. Although the book concerns early modern Europe, the religious interactions, the shifting spiritual attitudes, and the shadows cast linger on.

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

Everyone wishes to achieve their best possible results. Everyone is unique. The Optimum You guides you through a series of actions, behaviours and thoughts which will help you to achieve your own, unique potential. The Optimum You presents you with short, readable chapters, each containing relevant nuggets of Duncan's hard won experience. Readers are presented with inspiring thoughts and actions which when applied as a whole will give each person their own path to personal happiness and fulfilment. Your mind, body and spirit will be uplifted by this book. You will become The Optimum You.