The Knew York Times

by Iso Mutsu

Kamakura: Fact and Legend, has long been the definitive work on Kamakura. This classic book is the lifetime achievement of Countess Iso Mutsu (née Gertrude Ethel Passingham), a talented, inquisitive Englishwoman who against all odds married a Japanese diplomat at the turn of the century, and so came to live most of her life in this beautiful city. Iso Mutsu was one of the first to discover that much of the magic of Kamakura today lies in fascinating historical events of the past, among them: the brilliant conquests of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the defiant dance of Shizuka Gozen at Hachiman Shrine, and the amazing rescue of Nichiren at Katase. Her brilliantly crafted accounts of these events, interwoven with walking tours of Kamakura, introduce the city's most important historical sites and explain why they are so famous. Kamakura: Fact and Legend, the only book that Iso Mutsu wrote, is a testament to the devotion with which she succeeded in unlocking Kamakura's secrets for the outside world. The inspiration and reference for later works on Kamakura, this classic volume is both the original and the most in-depth guide to an ancient capital that continues to delight and amaze the traveler.

by Orhan Pamuk

The Museum of Innocence - set in Istanbul between 1975 and today - tells the story of Kemal, the son of one of Istanbul's richest families, and of his obsessive love for a poor and distant relation, the beautiful Fusun, who is a shop-girl in a small boutique. In his romantic pursuit of Füsun over the next eight years, Kemal compulsively amasses a collection of objects that chronicles his lovelorn progress-a museum that is both a map of a society and of his heart. The novel depicts a panoramic view of life in Istanbul as it chronicles this long, obsessive love affair; and Pamuk beautifully captures the identity crisis experienced by Istanbul's upper classes that find themselves caught between traditional and westernised ways of being. Orhan Pamuk's first novel since winning the Nobel Prize is a stirring love story and exploration of the nature of romance. Pamuk built The Museum of Innocence in the house in which his hero's fictional family lived, to display Kemal's strange collection of objects associated with Fusun and their relationship. The house opened to the public in 2012 in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul. 'Pamuk has created a work concerning romantic love worthy to stand in the company of Lolita, Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina.' --Financial Times

by Christopher Merrill

Merrill, a poet and journalist, spent much of the past decade traveling through the Balkans; here, in a powerful and enigmatic account, he chronicles those travels. Taking the title for his book from a piece by Slovenia's best-known living poet, Tomaz salamun, he tells a story of the war-torn region through the lives of its literary and cultural communities.

by Christian Habicht

A Greek who lived in Asia Minor during the second century A.D., Pausanias traveled through Greece and wrote an invaluable description of its classical sites that is a treasure trove of information on archaeology, religion, history, and art. Although ignored during his own time, Pausanias is increasingly important in ours--to historians, tourists, and archaeologists. Christian Habicht offers a wide-ranging study of Pausanias' work and personality. He investigates his background, chronology, and methods, and also discusses Pausanias' value as a guide for modern scholars and travellers, his attitude toward the Roman world he lived in, and his reception among critics in modern times. A new preface summarizes the most recent scholarship.

by William Edward Brown

The History of the Central Brooks Range uses rare primary sources in order to provide a chronological examination and history of the Koyukuk region--including anthropological descriptions of the Native groups that make the Central Brooks Range and its surroundings their home. The history of early exploration, mining, and the Klondike all overflow into the story of the Koyukuk region and its rich cultural heritage, and William E. Brown provides a fascinating history of the extraordinary ways of survival employed by pioneers in this rugged northern land. Supplemented with detailed descriptions by Robert Marshall, The History of the Central Brooks Range is further enhanced by over 150 beautiful full-color illustrations--from early exploration to the creation of the Gates of the Arctic National Park--making this an essential volume for anyone interested in Alaska Native studies.

by DK Travel

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Washington, DC, is your in-depth guide to the very best of the District of Columbia. Experience all that the United States' capital has to offer, from the Smithsonian museums to the historic district of Capitol Hill to the quaint streets of Georgetown-and everything in between. Additionally, this revised and updated travel guide for Washington, DC, covers areas outside the city for those looking to explore historic Civil War battlefields or hike the beautiful Shenandoah Mountains. Discover DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Washington, DC. + Detailed itineraries and "don't-miss" destination highlights at a glance. + Illustrated cutaway 3-D drawings of important sights. + Floor plans and guided visitor information for major museums. + Guided walking tours, local drink and dining specialties to try, things to do, and places to eat, drink, and shop by area. + Area maps marked with sights and restaurants. + Detailed city maps include street finder index for easy navigation. + Insights into history and culture to help you understand the stories behind the sights. + Suggested day-trips and itineraries to explore beyond the city. + Hotel and restaurant listings highlight DK Choice special recommendations. With hundreds of full-color photographs, hand-drawn illustrations, and custom maps that illuminate every page, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Washington, DC, truly shows you the nation's capital as no one else can.

by Madelon Powers

This study recreates the daily life of the bar room from 1870 to 1920, exploring what it was like to be a regular in the old-time saloon of pre-prohibition industrial America.

by Eamonn Gearon

The Sahara is the quintessence of isolation, epitomizing both remoteness and severity of environment unlike any other place on the face of the earth. Replete with myths and fictions, it is a wild land, dotted with oases and camel trains trudging through sand dunes that roll like the waves on a sea, as far as the distant horizon. But this is just part of the picture. The largest desert in the world, the Sahara ranges from the river Nile running through Egypt and Sudan in the east, to the Atlantic coast from Morocco to Mauritania in the west; stretching from the Atlas Mountains and the shores of the Mediterranean in the north, to the fluid Sahelian fringe that delineates the desert in the south. Invaders and traders have come and gone for millennia, but the Sahara is also the place that some people call home. While larger than the United States, this vast area contains only three million people. Africans and Arabs, Berber and Bedu, Tuareg and Tebu. Eamonn Gearon explores the history, culture and terrain of a place whose name is familiar to all, but known to few.

by Osamu Dazai

Recipient of the 2018 William F. Sibley Memorial Subvention Award for Japanese Translation A new, definitive translation of the postwar classic known to the west as No Longer Human—a tortured vision inspiring the likes of Junji Ito and Bungo Stray Dogs Osamu Dazai is one of the most famous—and infamous—writers of 20th-century Japan. A Shameful Life (Ningen Shikkaku) is his final published work and has become a bestselling classic for its depiction of the tortured struggle of a young man to survive in a world that he cannot comprehend. Paralleling the life and death of Dazai himself, the delicate weaving of fact and fiction remorselessly documents via journals the life of Yozo, a university student who spends his time in increasing isolation and debauchery. His doomed love affairs, suicide attempts, and constant fear of revealing his true self haunt the pages of the book and reveal a slow descent into madness. This dark tale nevertheless conveys something authentic about the human heart and its inability to find its true bearing. Gibeau's translation cements A Shameful Life's place in the existentialist literary canon from Dostoevsky to Camus. Fans of Bungo Stray Dogs will recognize Osamu Dazai as one of the characters named after the giants of Japanese literature. Those familiar with the numerous adaptations in graphic novels and animation can experience the source material in faithful, modern prose.

by Gustave Flaubert

Flaubert's unforgettable memoirs of travels abroad At once a classic of travel literature and a penetrating portrait of a “sensibility on tour,” Flaubert in Egypt wonderfully captures the young writer’s impressions during his 1849 voyages. Using diaries, letters, travel notes, and the evidence of Flaubert’s traveling companion, Maxime Du Camp, Francis Steegmuller reconstructs his journey through the bazaars and brothels of Cairo and down the Nile to the Red Sea. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

by Gilbert M. Joseph

The Mexico Reader is a vivid and comprehensive guide to muchos Méxicos—the many varied histories and cultures of Mexico. Unparalleled in scope, it covers pre-Columbian times to the present, from the extraordinary power and influence of the Roman Catholic Church to Mexico’s uneven postrevolutionary modernization, from chronic economic and political instability to its rich cultural heritage. Bringing together over eighty selections that include poetry, folklore, photo essays, songs, political cartoons, memoirs, journalism, and scholarly writing, this volume highlights the voices of everyday Mexicans—indigenous peoples, artists, soldiers, priests, peasants, and workers. It also includes pieces by politicians and foreign diplomats; by literary giants Octavio Paz, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Carlos Fuentes; and by and about revolutionary leaders Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. This revised and updated edition features new selections that address twenty-first-century developments, including the rise of narcopolitics, the economic and personal costs of the United States’ mass deportation programs, the political activism of indigenous healers and manufacturing workers, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mexico Reader is an essential resource for travelers, students, and experts alike.

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Collection of the writings of Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) on the Pacific region. Pieces cover travel writing, autobiography, history, poetry, fables, letters, speeches, prayers, and fiction incorporating romance, violence and magic. Includes illustrations. Editor is a literary commentator and scholar who has written on Pacific literature since 1981. Previous titles include 'Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature' and 'Running in Literature'.

by James A. Connor

Set against the backdrop of the witchcraft trial of his mother, this fascinating biography of Johannes Kepler, "the Protestant Galileo" and 16th-century mathematician and astronomer, reveals the surprisingly spiritual nature of the quest of early modern science.

by Philip Nobel

A behind-the-scenes look at the redevelopment plans for the World Trade Center site examines the deceptions and betrayals as factions and institutions converge to create a new culture at Ground Zero.