Each volume offers a complete and authoritative history of the country from the earliest times up to the present. A Gazetteer cross-referenced to the main text pin-points the historical importance of sights and towns.Illustrated with maps and line drawings, this literate and lively series makes ideal before-you-go reading, and is just as handy tucked into suitcase or backpack.A Traveller's History of China provides a concise but fascinating journey from the country's earliest beginnings right up to the creation of the economic powerhouse that is today's China.

    Yet, in the Sino-Dutch War--Europe's first war with China--the Dutch met their match in a colorful Chinese warlord named Koxinga. Part samurai, part pirate, he led his generals to victory over the Dutch and captured one of their largest and richest colonies--Taiwan. How did he do it? Examining the strengths and weaknesses of European and Chinese military techniques during the period, Lost Colony provides a balanced new perspective on long-held assumptions about Western power, Chinese might, and the nature of war.It has traditionally been asserted that Europeans of the era possessed more advanced science, technology, and political structures than their Eastern counterparts, but historians have recently contested this view, arguing that many parts of Asia developed on pace with Europe until 1800. While Lost Colony shows that the Dutch did indeed possess a technological edge thanks to the Renaissance fort and the broadside sailing ship, that edge was neutralized by the formidable Chinese military leadership. Thanks to a rich heritage of ancient war wisdom, Koxinga and his generals outfoxed the Dutch at every turn.Exploring a period when the military balance between Europe and China was closer than at any other point in modern history, Lost Colony reassesses an important chapter in world history and offers valuable and surprising lessons for contemporary times.-- "Library Journal"

    “If leaving me in the mental institution will further the gospel, then leave me there!” The first time Doris, an orthodox Buddhist, heard about Jesus, she whispered to Grace, “Don’t tell anyone that Jesus died for us. This will be our secret!” The police were interrogating 19-year-old Hope every few days—pressuring her to disclose Grace and Justin’s ministry to university students. With tears in her eyes, she told Grace and Justin, “I’ll never betray you two, no matter what they do to me!” Leah, an idol-worshipper, longed to become a Christian, but she was afraid. “If I believe in Jesus, the gods I worship are going to retaliate. They’ll hurt me really bad. Is Jesus powerful enough to protect me from them?” In the kick-off meeting of a discussion group Grace was leading for atheist university students, Carol burst out laughing. “Grace, you can’t be serious! You actually believe God exists?” In Dragon Ride, the beauty of the Lord is seen through the eyes of Buddhists, atheists, idol-worshippers, Muslims, and an animist as they encounter Jesus. Dragon Ride records the actual conversations Grace had with her friends, and many of them embraced Christ as the answer to their deepest longings. Grace writes about persecution, evading the police, saving lives, helping the homeless and disabled, and she even writes about the murder of a friend. But more importantly, she writes of a God who acts on behalf of His children, of a faith that grew in the crucible of China, and of learning how to effectively share the gospel. Grace’s stories are raw, personal, and humorous, and she openly shares about her own spiritual struggles and growth.

    One of those bad decisions was homicide detective, Ben. He is sexy, stern, and everything she could ever want, but her past forces her out of his bed and from his life. That is, until she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, she has no choice but to submit to his presence in her life. Will she accept Ben’s protection and open herself up to his love, or will she allow the walls she has built around her heart to force Ben out of her life – for good, this time? Publisher's Note: This steamy, action-packed romance includes elements of domestic discipline and is intended for mature readers.

    In just three decades it evolved into the world's second-largest economy and is today guided by highly entrepreneurial bureaucrats. In How China Escaped the Poverty Trap, Yuen Yuen Ang explains this astonishing metamorphosis. Rather than insist that either strong institutions of good governance foster markets or that growth enables good governance, Ang lays out a new, dynamic framework for understanding development broadly. Successful development, she contends, is a coevolutionary process in which markets and governments mutually adapt.By mapping this coevolution, Ang reveals a startling conclusion: poor and weak countries can escape the poverty trap by first harnessing weak institutions—features that defy norms of good governance—to build markets. Further, she stresses that adaptive processes, though essential for development, do not automatically occur. Highlighting three universal roadblocks to adaptation, Ang identifies how Chinese reformers crafted enabling conditions for effective improvisation.How China Escaped the Poverty Trap offers the most complete synthesis to date of the numerous interacting forces that have shaped China’s dramatic makeover and the problems it faces today. Looking beyond China, Ang also traces the coevolutionary sequence of development in late medieval Europe, antebellum United States, and contemporary Nigeria, and finds surprising parallels among these otherwise disparate cases. Indispensable to all who care about development, this groundbreaking book challenges the convention of linear thinking and points to an alternative path out of poverty traps.

     So many times in the career of law enforcement officers, you end up saying "You just can't make this stuff up!" So, here are some insights as to the sorts of things that we have laid eyes on or experienced that we hope you'll enjoy! Please be aware that the stories in this book are REAL and some involve recounting nudity or other PG-16+ situations that you may want to consider if you find such real situations (that cops see and have to learn to laugh at) offensive.

    China Falun Gong is an interim text in the form of qigong, summarizing the cultivation and practice of Falun Gong, the most powerful cultivation system based on the supreme truth of the cosmos: truthfulness, compassion, forbearance.

    Traditional morals and behavior are being turned on their head as the country’s climb towards economic prosperity brings sex into the open. But it is a revolution distinctly different from the one experienced in the West and has taken unexpected twists and turns.Written in a highly engaging and readable style, Behind the Red Door: Sex in China takes the reader on a journey from ancient days, when China’s rulers relied on shockingly vivid Daoist sex manuals, to the present, where China is torn between sexual orthodoxy and Western-style openness.

    But that peacefulness is suddenly interrupted when his new next-door neighbor becomes a target for someone with nefarious intentions. Canine rescuer Concetta "Chet" Suarez brings all his protective instincts to the surface, along with feelings he's never experienced with any other woman. Will he lose her before he ever gets a chance to make her his?Trident Security Field ManualThe Trident Security Field Manual: Standard Operating Procedures for FNGs (f*cking new guys—and anyone else who wants to read it) is a fun compilation of extras for fans of the TS series and its spinoffs. Fans will get Character Profiles from the original TS series and the Doms of The Covenant series, a Q&A session with characters from the TS series, the TS Omega Team series, and the Doms of The Convenant series, and Exclusive Short Stories--four of which had been previously published, but are no longer available, on Samantha A. Cole's website, plus a short story featuring fan-favorites Jenn Mullins and Doug Henderson! To wrap things up, family trees for the Sexy Six-Pack are included!Forty Days & One Knight: TS Omega Team Book 2Princess Tahira had grown up not worrying about being pushed into an arranged marriage, but after her mother's near-death illness, King Rajeemh orders his only daughter to choose a husband within forty days or have one chosen for her. While the deadline looms, Tahira and her cousin are kidnapped during a trip to Jamaica.Trident Security operative, Darius Knight, has been working undercover for several months, infiltrating a human-trafficking cartel. Just when he's almost in the position to take them down, a huge wrench is thrown into the mission. If he saves the woman whose body he's guarded in the past, his cover will be blown. But if he doesn't, he'll never be able to live with the results.When the rescue doesn't go as planned, Darius makes a rash decision that will affect both their lives. To keep their secret means he'll probably lose his dream job. To reveal it will destroy the woman who is inching her way into his heart.*If you prefer trigger warnings, please scroll down to the bottom. If you don't want to read the trigger warning, this is your chance to avoid it.Torn in Half: Trident Security BookRetired Navy SEAL and current private-security operative Ian Sawyer had never expected to have a child, much less a wife, but his beautiful Angie has changed all that. Her due date is only days away, and his anticipation outweighs his anxiety, thinking about holding his firstborn.But as he’s learned the hard way, life throws curveballs at the worst possible moment. A frantic phone call in the middle of the night is the beginning of Ian’s nightmare. He has to wake his brothers and teammates, leave his wife’s side, and fly halfway around the world to save the only other woman who could bring him to his knees—his mother......***Trigger warning for Forty Days & One Knight - Elements of rape but with a fade to black effect eliminating the graphic details.

    Fishing – alone - on a serene and sunny afternoon is one of his favorite things to do. So is coming home to a place that isn’t littered with cosmetics, clothes, and panties. Jazz Oliver wants to be a star. Down and out and deep in debt, she’s desperate for money and a big break. It’s the only reason she’s allowed herself to be signed up as a contestant on a reality show in some backwater town in Montana. From their first meeting, the attraction simmers between the sheriff and the Hollywood starlet. But when casual, naughty fun turns into something more, Griffin is stumped as to what to do. Having spent most of his adult life keeping women at arm’s length, he doesn’t know how to get one to stay. He needs to find a way to convince her – and himself – that he’s finally ready to share everything. Even the remote control. Cowboy Cool:Sheriff Reed Mitchell is a workaholic on a forced vacation. He just has one quick stop on the way. He promised Logan Wright he’d check on Kaylee Blue who has been receiving creepy emails from a stalker. Kaylee thinks Ava and Logan are worried over nothing. As the writer of erotic romance, she gets strange mail every now and then. But nothing goes as planned… Kaylee’s stalker raises the stakes and Reed is forced to put his vacation on hold. Despite Kaylee’s protests that she can handle things on her own, she’s relieved Reed is determined to protect her. But living together is rapidly turning into something else. Something real. Reed hasn’t cared about a blessed thing in the last fifteen years except work and he’s not planning to change. Will he be able to turn and leave this woman when it’s time to go? Imperfect Justice:Born into a prominent ranching family and brought up in a disciplined household, Sheriff Jared Monroe has high standards of how to live his life and he doesn’t hesitate to hold the people around him to the same accountability. Misty Foster is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Her mother slept her way through the men in town and everyone thinks Misty has followed in her mother’s footsteps. If they knew the truth they’d be more than shocked. One blustery, snowy night Jared and Misty do something completely uncharacteristic—they throw caution to the wind and fan the flames of their passion. Now there’s a third person to consider. An innocent baby is on the way and when Jared finds out, he instantly steps forward to do the right thing. Unfortunately, Misty doesn’t agree with his future plans. What’s a no nonsense sheriff to do now that he’s met his match?

     If you love cozies, give this delicious set a taste. The ten books included in this bundle are: * Fishing For A Murderer * Murder of a Yoga Instructor * Drowning In Deceit * A Not So Merry Christmas Murder * Killer Injustice * Murder of a Restaurant Critic * Murder of a Movie Producer * The Killer Holiday Office Party * Murder Hits Close To Home * Murder and Chocolate Brownies When Benjamin Norton's body is found face down in his swimming pool, there initially doesn't appear to be anyone who wanted him dead. As amateur sleuth Hope Hadley digs deeper, she uncovers a web of burglary, adultery, and deceit that stretches her investigative skills to the limit.

    In fact, he isn’t a boy at all. Created in a laboratory by a mad scientist who calls herself Frankenstein as a lark, he is brought into a world of trouble, strife and pain. Things are different than they seem though, and as the forces of darkness try to fall on young Liam, they might find that they are overmatched. After all, he isn’t just a Promethean, he’s the child of Frankenstein. A being that no one ever expected to see at all. *This work takes place in the Mary Shelley Frankenstein universe, in a modern time frame. Bringing new life to a classic favorite.

    No matter how you look at it, fishing in Alaska is a deadly way to make a living.

     WHAT AMAZON CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING: "Each time I have been sorry when I finished the book."- phc "The collection of Det. Jason Strong are well worth reading; you will not be disappointed."-RevBobH "Love this series."-DebraF. "These stories are fast moving and clean; no extraneous material. Just what you need to keep your interest. Then you don't want to put the book down until you find the solution."-MarieAJ