In 1880, Isabella Bird visited the Malay Peninsula - romantically dubbed "The Golden Chersonese" - and was still able to refer to it as an almost unknown land. The world's most famous female travel writer of the nineteenth century set sail from Japan and called at Hong Kong, Canton and Saigon before reaching Singapore. Bearing letters of introduction to the elite of Malacca and Penang, Bird was able to observe life on the west coast of the peninsula before steaming upriver through mangrove swamps to explore the interior of the land. From courtroom to elephant back, from the grandeur of Malacca's Stadthuys to the jungle calm of a picturesque Malay village on stilts, this indefatigable Victorian explorer offers invaluable descriptions and delightful hand-drawn sketches of life in late nineteenth-century Singapore and the Malay Peninsula.
A vivid, novelistic history of the rise of Athens from relative obscurity to the edge of its golden age, told through the lives of Miltiades and Cimon, the father and son whose defiance of Persia vaulted Athens to a leading place in the Greek world. When we think of ancient Greece we think first of Athens: its power, prestige, and revolutionary impact on art, philosophy, and politics. But on the verge of the fifth century BCE, only fifty years before its zenith, Athens was just another Greek city-state in the shadow of Sparta. It would take a catastrophe, the Persian invasions, to push Athens to the fore. In Phoenix, David Stuttard traces Athens’s rise through the lives of two men who spearheaded resistance to Persia: Miltiades, hero of the Battle of Marathon, and his son Cimon, Athens’s dominant leader before Pericles. Miltiades’s career was checkered. An Athenian provincial overlord forced into Persian vassalage, he joined a rebellion against the Persians then fled Great King Darius’s retaliation. Miltiades would later die in prison. But before that, he led Athens to victory over the invading Persians at Marathon. Cimon entered history when the Persians returned; he responded by encouraging a tactical evacuation of Athens as a prelude to decisive victory at sea. Over the next decades, while Greek city-states squabbled, Athens revitalized under Cimon’s inspired leadership. The city vaulted to the head of a powerful empire and the threshold of a golden age. Cimon proved not only an able strategist and administrator but also a peacemaker, whose policies stabilized Athens’s relationship with Sparta. The period preceding Athens’s golden age is rarely described in detail. Stuttard tells the tale with narrative power and historical acumen, recreating vividly the turbulent world of the Eastern Mediterranean in one of its most decisive periods.
Tales of the Malayan Coast is a well-written and vivid depiction of Consul General Rounsevelle Wildman's travels through the Malay peninsula. Contents: "Baboo's Good Tiger9 Baboo's Pirates28 How we Played Robinson Crusoe47 The Sarong66 The Kris74 The White Rajah of Borneo81 Amok!101 Lepas's Revenge130 King Solomon's Mines147 Busuk181 A Crocodile Hunt200 A New Year's Day in Malaya219 In the Burst of the Southwest Monsoon230 A Pig Hunt on Mount Ophir254 In the Court of Johore270 In the Golden Chersonese293 A Fight with Illanum Pirates."
Adultery with its pleasure, pain and outrage! No one writes the poetry of adultery as does Nancy Holmes. For her guide, she takes the poet Ovid who schools her in his tender cynicism and teaches her the art of love.
Poul Anderson's 'The Golden Slave' is a captivating tale set in the backdrop of ancient Rome, blending historical accuracy with elements of fantasy. The novel follows the journey of a young slave, Elva, who discovers her mysterious origins and embarks on a quest for freedom. Andersons narrative style is characterized by vivid descriptions and engaging dialogue, transporting readers to a vividly rendered ancient world where magic and political intrigue collide. The seamless integration of fantastical elements with historical detail makes 'The Golden Slave' a unique and compelling read for fans of historical fiction and fantasy alike. As Elva navigates the complex social hierarchy of Rome, readers are drawn into a mesmerizing tale of courage, betrayal, and self-discovery. Poul Anderson's expertise in crafting immersive worlds and compelling characters shines through in this masterfully woven story, making 'The Golden Slave' a must-read for anyone seeking a blend of history and fantasy.
Geography of Claudius Ptolemy, originally titled Geographia and written in the second century, is a depiction of the geography of the Roman Empire at the time. Though inaccurate due to Ptolemy's varying methods of measurement and use of outdated data, Geography of Claudius Ptolemy is nonetheless an excellent example of ancient geographical study and scientific method. This edition contains more than 40 maps and illustrations, reproduced based on Ptolemy's original manuscript. It remains a fascinating read for students of scientific history and Greek influence. CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY (A.D. 90- A.D. 168) was a poet, mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, and geographer who wrote in Greek, though he was a Roman citizen. He is most well-known for three scientific treatises he wrote on astronomy, astrology, and geography, respectively titled Almagest, Apotelesmatika, and Geographia. His work influenced early Islamic and European studies, which in turn influenced much of the modern world. Ptolemy died in Alexandria as a member of Greek society.
After thousands of years, so many of us still search for the answer to the mystery of Atlantis. From time to time, archaeologists and historians locate evidence. There have been many locations proposed for the location of Atlantis. Ever since the first recorded history of Atlantis, written by the Greek philosopher Plato over 2,300 years ago, debate has raged as to whether or not Atlantis ever really existed. The existence of Atlantis is supported by the fact that it is described in great details by Plato. In additions, various conditions, events and goods unknown to Plato are also described in detailed and lengthy words. The recent knowledge of late glacial and postglacial sea level rise and land subsidence that occurred almost precisely at the time described by Plato also becomes strong evidence to the truth of the story. Plato describes the Atlantis from point of views of geography, climate, plain layout, city layout, river and channel hydraulics, produces, social structure, customs, mythology and its destruction in details including their dimensions and orientations. These become the subjects of the author to hypothesize that the lost city of Atlantis is in Java Sea. The works include over 5-year research and analysis of textbooks, papers, internet sites and digital data collected by the author as well as some site observations. These resulted in accurate evidence to the hypothesis that the story fits the location in question. The book discusses the existence of Atlantis in specific details that have never been written by others.
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who lived in the fifth century BC (c.484 - 425 BC). He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a well-constructed and vivid narrative. The Histories-his masterpiece and the only work he is known to have produced-is a record of his "inquiry", being an investigation of the origins of the Greco-Persian Wars and including a wealth of geographical and ethnographical information. The Histories, were divided into nine books, named after the nine Muses: the "Muse of History", Clio, representing the first book, then Euterpe, Thaleia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, Ourania and Calliope for books 2 to 9, respectively.
