SHORTLISTED FOR THE ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE EDWARD STANFORD TRAVEL WRITING AWARDS. There are many reasons why it might seem unwise to walk, mostly alone, through the Middle East. That, in part, is exactly why Leon McCarron did it. From Jerusalem, McCarron followed a series of wild hiking trails that trace ancient trading and pilgrimage routes and traverse some of the most contested landscapes in the world. In the West Bank, he met families struggling to lead normal lives amidst political turmoil and had a surreal encounter with the world's oldest and smallest religious sect. In Jordan, he visited the ruins of Hellenic citadels and trekked through the legendary Wadi Rum. His journey culminated in the vast deserts of the Sinai, home to Bedouin tribes and haunted by the ghosts of Biblical history. The Land Beyond is a journey through time, from the quagmire of current geopolitics to the original ideals of the faithful, through the layers of history, culture and religion that have shaped the Holy Land. But at its heart, it is the story of people, not politics and of the connections that can bridge seemingly insurmountable barriers.
From the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Sharon Kay Penman comes the story of the reign of King Baldwin IV and the Kingdom of Jerusalem's defense against Saladin's famous army. The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as Outremer, is the land far beyond the sea. Baptized in blood when the men of the First Crusade captured Jerusalem from the Saracens in the early twelfth century, the kingdom defined an utterly new world, a land of blazing heat and a medley of cultures, a place where enemies were neighbors and neighbors became enemies. At the helm of this growing kingdom sits young Baldwin IV, an intelligent and courageous boy committed to the welfare and protection of his people. But despite Baldwin's dedication to his land, he is afflicted with leprosy at an early age and the threats against his power and his health nearly outweigh the risk of battle. As political deception scours the halls of the royal court, the Muslim army--led by the first sultan of Egypt and Syria, Saladin--is never far from the kingdom's doorstep, and there are only a handful Baldwin can trust, including the archbishop William of Tyre and Lord Balian d'Ibelin, a charismatic leader who has been one of the few able to maintain the peace. Filled with drama and battle, tragedy and romance, Sharon Kay Penman's latest novel brings a definitive period of history vividly alive with a tale of power and glory that will resonate with readers today.
Based on three case studies from the Middle East, The Land beyond the Border advances an innovative theoretical framework for the study of state expansions and state contractions. Johannes Becke argues that state expansion can be theorized according to four basic ideal types—a form of patronage (patronization), the imposition of a satellite regime (satellization), the establishment of territorial exclaves (exclavization), or a full-fledged takeover (incorporation). Becke discusses how both irredentist ideologies and political realities have shaped the dynamics of state expansion and state contraction in the recent history of each state. By studying Israel comparatively with other Middle Eastern regimes, this book forms part of an emerging research agenda seeking to bring the research fields of Israel Studies and Middle East Studies closer together. Instead of treating Israel's rule over the occupied territories as an isolated case, Becke offers students the chance to understand Israel's settlement project within the broader framework of postcolonial state formation.
Along the banks of the river once called Oxus lie the heartlands of Central Asia: Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Catapulted into the news by events in Afghanistan, just across the water, these strategically important, intriguing and beautiful countries remain almost completely unknown to the outside world. In this book, Monica Whitlock goes far beyond the headlines. Using eyewitness accounts, unpublished letters and firsthand reporting, she enters into the lives of the Central Asians and reveals a dramatic and moving human story unfolding over three generations. There is Muhammadjan, called 'Hindustani', a diligent seminary student in the holy city of Bukhara until the 1917 revolution tore up the old order. Exiled to Siberia as a shepherd and then conscripted into the Red Army, he survived to become the inspiration for a new generation of clerics. Henrika was one of tens of thousands of Poles who walked and rode through Central Asia on their way to a new life in Iran, where she lives to this day. Then there were the proud Pioneer children who grew up in the certainty that the Soviet Union would last forever, only to find themselves in a new world that they had never imagined. In Central Asia, the extraordinary is commonplace and there is not a family without a remarkable story to tell. Land Beyond the River is both a chronicle of a century and a clear-eyed, authoritative view of contemporary events.
In fifth century Britain, spy and master of disguise Marcus ap Iorwerth, while being squeezed between the politics of two powerful kings, accidentally sparks off what will become the quest for the holy grail. Book 4 of the Macsen's Treasure Series. Winner of the Colorado Book Award and National Indie Excellence Award!
"Whether it came from outer space, beneath the sea, or across the eons from prehistoric time, you can be sure of one thing: it came from the vivid imagination and technical expertise of a special effects genius. An more often than not, it was Willis O'Brien or Ray Harryhausen. Now from the archives of cinematic history comes the story of their work and others' in a fascinating, revealing look at how 150 of the most fantastic fantasy films were made. The silent era and the origin of special effects; the history and techniques of 3-D stop motion animation; the equipment used in the studios; how such overwhelming realism was achieved; solving the 'unsolvable' problems; dealing with production costs; and much, much more ... including scene-by-scene discussions of the major films!"--Cover.
The second dazzling installment in Patrick Carman's masterful Land of Elyon trilogy!Alexa thought her troubles were over when she defeated the man who had threatened to bring down Bridewell from within. But now that the walls around her land have fallen, a new, unexpected threat has risen from outside. Suddenly, Alexa is involved in a battle much, much larger than her own life . . . a battle in which she is destined to play a key role. In order to help good defeat evil, Alexa and her friends must venture farther than they've ever gone before -- confronting giants, bats, ravenous dogs, and a particularly ghoulish mastermind in order to bring back peace.
Land Beyond Maps wonFinalist, 2010 Lambda Literary Foundation, Lesbian Debut FictionWinner, 2009 New Mexico Book Award, Gay/LesbianFinalist, 2009 New Mexico Book Award, Historical FictionWinner, 2010 Arizona Book Publishing Award, Gay/LesbianFinalist, 2010 Arizona Book Publishing Award, MulticulturalFinalist, 2010 Golden Crown Literary Society, Dramatic/General FictionWinner, 2000 Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation Full-Length Lesbian/Gay Historical Fiction CompetitionMaida Tilchen won Honorable Mention, 2007 Astraea Foundation Lesbian Writers Award, Fiction."Crafts a mosaic of women's journeys to achieve their dreams as artists, naturalists, and entrepreneurs ... quickly moving... creates a vivid, realistic picture of life in Santa Fe and on the reservation." --New Mexico Magazine, April, 2009"Readers interested in American history, Southwest and Native American cultures, and women's history will find much to enjoy while reading Land beyond Maps." --Reading New Mexico, by Victoria Erhart, 02/09"Deserves to be a Finalist for the Debut Fiction Lammy...every person we meet is interesting...offers relief from the fears about money and survival that are not unlike those most of us feel today." --Lesbian News, Los Angeles, May, 2010Land Beyond Maps tells of midlife lesbians and their friends in Santa Fe and the Navajolands through the boom and bust of 1929, closely based on the true story of a landscape photographer Laura Gilpin (1891-1979), who is considered America's most distinguished woman landscape photographer. Ambitious archaeologists, zealous missionaries, quietly forceful Navajo women, and overeager tourists intensify this fast-paced story.Based on extensive research, Land Beyond Maps is a novel of women's history, travel, biography, and adventure, drawing the reader into the lives of women who find new adventures, new careers, and new passions later in life. It depicts a romantic era not previously portrayed in contemporary fiction, despite the current interest in books about the Southwest and women's history.As one reader described it, "Instead of frolicking about adobe mansions, we sleep in the straw of a stable loft and work in a modest photographer's studio. We see the tourist trade from behind the wheel of a tourbus, and we labor in the dirt in a low status vis-à-vis archaeologists from the Eastern Ivy schools."Ann Bannon, author of The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, described Land Beyond Maps: "A time-the early 20th Century; and a place-the American Southwest-cast a net of enchantment around an intriguing cast. Here is fiercely shielded Navajo treasure, the interweaving of distant cultures, religious hellfire, and all the delicate and explosive power of forbidden love. Historical characters move through the rooms of story to mingle with the singular humans whom Maida Tilchen infuses with vivid life. Spellbinding people, enmeshed in the stark beauty of a Land Beyond Maps.""Maida Tilchen's wonderful debut novel reads like an exciting adventure story of the early twentieth century West, but has at its core a moving and vital reclamation of an all but forgotten feminist past that startles us with its emotional vibrancy and deeply felt commitment to historical truth. The women characters live and breathe on every page. This is the heart of Tilchen's vision: the uncovering and documentation of a forgotten woman's world of love and bonding that exists within and far beyond this historical moment." -- Michael Bronski, author of Pulp Friction: Uncovering the Golden Age of Gay Male Pulps"Land Beyond Maps joins a deep knowledge of New Mexico's landscape and history with the story of women who act against the cultural restraints of their time" -Summer Wood, author of "Arroyo""Knows and lovingly portrays the locales. With some homage to Willa Cather, this book takes its place in the literature of the Southwest." -- Miriam Sagan, author of "Map of the Lost"
A beautiful cloth-bound gift edition of Enid Blyton's The Land of Far Beyond - a retelling of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. A classic adventure of good versus evil, this book will never be forgotten by the children who read it. Peter, Anna and Patience live in the City of Turmoil, a noisy, dirty place where children can do whatever they like. It's all fun and games until they discover the heavy burdens they carry in their hearts from behaving so badly. The only way they can get rid of their burdens is by travelling to the Land of Far Beyond, a distant land that is found by taking a long, difficult path full of people who tempt them to lose their way. This beautiful cloth-bound hardback contains the original text first published in 1942.
