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Often described as the greatest city in the world, New York is one
of the iconic cities of the world. Yet much of its architecture and
culture which so defines the city we know today only came into
being in the 1930s, in what was perhaps the most significant decade
in the city's 400 year history. Jules Stewart shows how, after the
roaring twenties, the catastrophic Wall Street Crash and ensuing
Depression, New York rose from the ashes and underwent an
architectural, economic, social and creative renaissance under the
leadership of Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. After seizing power, he
declared war on the mafia mobs running vast swathes of the city,
attacked political corruption and kick-started the economy through
a variety of construction and infrastructure projects. At the same
time, a cultural revolution was underway as the jazz age and the
Harlem Renaissance took hold. From the Empire State Building to the
Pastrami Sandwich and the Cotton Club, Gotham Rising tells the
story of when the city we know today came of age.
Albert: Prince Consort to Queen Victoria, social and cultural
visionary in his own right, was born in the Saxon duchy of
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld but defined the culture and direction of 19th
century Britain - a superpower at the zenith of its influence -
more than any other British royal or politician. Although he
pleaded with his wife that no monument to his memory should be left
(a plea that was to go unheeded by his grieving widow) the role he
played in shaping Victorian culture stands today as indisputable
proof of the enduring legacy of a man who spent just two decades of
his short life in England. Though overshadowed in history by his
adoring wife, and at times even mocked by her subjects, it was
arguably Albert that gave form and substance to the Victorian Age.
From the outset, he strove to win 'the respect, the love and the
confidence of the Queen and of the nation', pursuing an
extraordinary social and cultural crusade that has become his
greatest legacy. From the Great Exhibition and the construction of
many of London's great museums to his social campaigns against
slavery and the Corn Laws, Albert's achievements were truly
remarkable - in fact, very few have made such a permanent mark on
British society. This is the life story of Albert of Saxe-Coburg:
Prince Consort and beloved husband of Queen Victoria - and one of
the most influential figures of modern Europe.
Spain's top city for tourism, Madrid attracts more than six million
visitors a year. Helen Crisp and Jules Stewart relate the story of
a city and its people through the centuries, while their carefully
curated listings give a nod to well-known attractions and sights,
as well as hidden gems. Spain's art capital, with its `Golden
Triangle' of museums and myriad art galleries, Madrid is also a
city of dazzling nightlife, with a profusion of cafes and bars.
This is the story of a vibrant, energetic city, one that remains an
enigma to many outsiders.
In 1915, at the height of World War I, the Central Powers sent a
secret mission, led by Oskar Ritter von Niedermayer and Werner Otto
von Hentig, to the court of the emir of Afghanistan, Habibullah
Khan. Jointly operated by the governments of Germany and Turkey,
the aim of the mission was to persuade the emir to declare full
independence from the British Empire, enter the war on the side of
the Central Powers and attack British India. Britain saw this
mission as a serious and credible threat - so much so that they
tried to intercept the travellers in Persia en route to Kabul and
subsequently implemented their own intelligence mission to ensure
that Afghanistan would retain its neutral position. Jules Stewart
provides a gripping account of the expedition, highlighting a
previously little-known aspect of World War I.
Britain's military involvement in Afghanistan is a contentious
subject, yet it is often forgotten that the current conflict is in
fact the fourth in a string of such wars dating back more than 170
years. Aiming to protect British India from the expanding Russian
empire, the British fought a series of conflicts on Afghan
territory between 1838 and 1919. The Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th
and early 20th centuries were ill-conceived and led to some of the
worst military disasters ever sustained by British forces in this
part of the world, with poor strategy in the First Afghan War
resulting in the annihilation of 16,000 soldiers and civilians in a
single week. In his new book, Jules Stewart explores the potential
danger of replaying Britain's military catastrophes and considers
what can be learnt from revisiting the story of these earlier
Afghan wars.
In 1915, at the height of World War I, the Central Powers sent a
secret mission, led by Oskar Ritter von Niedermayer and Werner Otto
von Hentig, to the court of the emir of Afghanistan, Habibullah
Khan. Jointly operated by the governments of Germany and Turkey,
the purpose of the mission was to persuade the emir to declare full
independence from the British Empire, enter the war on the side of
the Central Powers and attack British India. The ultimate aim was
part of Hindu-German conspiracy to provoke a nationalist revolution
in India which would undermine British power in the region. Britain
saw this mission as a serious and credible threat - so much so that
they tried to intercept the travellers in Persia, en route from
Istanbul to Kabul and subsequently deployed their own intelligence
and diplomatic strategies to ensure that Afghanistan would retain
its neutral position. Although the Hentig-Niedermayer expedition
was ultimately unsuccessful, it had lasting consequences and served
as a sign of the continuing German infatuation with the Middle East
and Central Asia, which had begun under Bismarck and continued
through the interwar period, until World War II. Written in a
narrative style, this book provides a gripping account of the
expedition, highlighting a previously little-known aspect of World
War I.
For centuries, Pakistan's North West Frontier has been seen as a
lawless wilderness, which more recently has given sanctuary to
Osama Bin Laden and other fundamentalist Muslim leaders. This, the
first significant book on the territory for 40 years, includes
first hand accounts of life and soldiering on the Frontier since
the Second World War. It also tells how the British and invaders
before and after the Raj, attempted to deal with this unpredictable
land of the Pathans. "The Savage Border" provides an in-depth,
highly accessible account of life and conflict on the North West
Frontier, covering not only the century of British rule since 1849,
but also events since the creation of Pakistan in 1947. The author
addresses key questions including 'What makes the Pathan so warlike
and belligerent to outsiders, from Darius the Great in the 6th
century BC to the US Marines in the 21st century AD?' and 'Can
these tribesmen ever be brought into society's fold and persuaded
to give up their terrorist comrades? The author is a specialist in
North West Frontier affairs, who has travelled extensively in
Pakistan.
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Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
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