But Portugal's navigators cracked the code of the Atlantic winds, launched the expedition of Vasco da Gama to India and beat the Spanish to the spice kingdoms of the East - then set about creating the first long-range maritime empire. In an astonishing blitz of thirty years, a handful of visionary and utterly ruthless empire builders, with few resources but breathtaking ambition, attempted to seize the Indian Ocean, destroy Islam and take control of world trade.Told with Roger Crowley's customary skill and verve, this is narrative history at its most vivid - an epic tale of navigation, trade and technology, money and religious zealotry, political diplomacy and espionage, sea battles and shipwrecks, endurance, courage and terrifying brutality. Drawing on extensive first-hand accounts, it brings to life the exploits of an extraordinary band of conquerors - men such as Afonso de Albuquerque, the first European since Alexander the Great to found an Asian empire - who set in motion five hundred years of European colonisation and unleashed the forces of globalisation.

    But if he can only find a way to buy a small house, maybe he can win her back . . . These are the obsessive thoughts that pervade the Translator's mind as he walks around an unnamed city in 1920, trying to figure out how to put his life back together. His employers aren't paying him, he's trying to survive a woman's unwanted advances, and he's trying to make the best of his desperate living conditions. All while he struggles with his own mind and angry and psychotic ideas, filled with longing and melancholy. Darkly funny, filled with acidic observations and told with a frenetic pace, "The Translator's Bride" is an incredible ride – whether you're a translator or not!This edition was translated from Portuguese by the author.

    Among the poets included are Alberto Caeiro, Ricardo Reis, Álvaro de Campos, Fernando Pessoa, Florbela Espanca, Jorge de Sena, Sophia de Mello Breyner, Carlos de Oliveira, Eugénio de Andrade, Mário Cesariny Alexandre O’Neill, António Ramos Rosa, Herberto Helder, Ruy Belo, Fiama Hasse Pais Brandão, Luiza Neto Jorge, Vasco Graça Moura, António Franco Alexandre, Al Berto, Nuno Júdice, Ana Luísa Amaral, Adília Lopes, Paulo Teixeira, José Tolentino Mendonça, Luís Quintais, Daniel Faria, Margarida Vale de Gato and Daniel Jonas. - See more at: http://www.dedaluspress.com/p/28_port...

    A cluster of white and blue cottages huddle under the cliffs overshadowed by the great manor of Herdade Albatroz whose family has ruled the village since the days of Napoleon. Far off the tourist route, nobody visits Luminosa by chance.When a ruthless American racketeer turns up, the peaceful village's way of life could be ruined forever. But will other visitors--Piper Pines, seeking news of her long dead Portuguese mother, and Leo Shine, bereft of a father and brother accused of terrible crimes--help or hinder his objective to drag Luminosa into the twenty-first century?

    Whether you're looking for the things not to miss at the Top 10 sights, or want to find the best nightspots; this guide is the perfect companion.Rely on dozens of Top 10 lists - from the Top 10 gorgeous churches and museums to the Top 10 unmissable sights in Funchai - there's even a list of the Top 10 things to avoid. The guide is divided by area with restaurant reviews for each, as well as recommendations for hotels, bars and places to shop. You'll find the insider knowledge every visitor needs and explore every corner effortlessly with DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide: Madeira.DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide: Madeira - showing you what others only tell you.