Cuba: A History


Sergio Guerra-Vilaboy - 2010
    He is the author of numerous books on Latin American history and is currently the executive secretary of the Association of Latin American and Caribbean Historians.Oscar Loyola-Vega is a professor of history at the University of Havana.

Women of the Twelfth Century, Vol 1: Eleanor of Aquitaine and Six Others


Georges Duby - 1995
    Focusing on medieval notions of women and love, Duby looks for the ideological motivations for the representation of the female sex. He analyzes the ways in which women's biographies were written and how female characters were treated in fable and legend, pointing to the social and political forces at work in these representations. The historical personages include Eleanor of Aquitaine whose several marriages brought her wealth and autonomy; the virtuous Héloïse; and the visionary recluse Juette. Duby also studies the literary figures of St. Marie-Madeleine, a composite figure who personified the essential female traits of frailty, ardent love, and evangelicalism; Iseut, literary beloved of Tristan; and two other emblematic figures, Dorée d'Amour and Phénix—women who became ladies through chivalrous love.Provocative, informative, and entertaining, this book offers new insight on courtly love and the representations of women under medieval patriarchy.

The Silences of Hammerstein


Hans Magnus Enzensberger - 2008
    The gripping plot revolves around the experiences of real-life German General Kurt von Hammerstein and his wife and children. A member of an old military family, a brilliant staff officer, and the last commander of the German army before Hitler seized power, Hammerstein, who died in 1943 before Hitler’s defeat, was nevertheless an idiosyncratic character. Too old to be a resister, he retained an independence of mind that was shared by his children: three of his daughters joined the Communist Party, and two of his sons risked their lives in the July 1944 Plot against Hitler and were subsequently on the run till the end of the war. Hammerstein never criticized his children for their activities, and he maintained contacts with the Communists himself and foresaw the disastrous end of Hitler’s dictatorship.In The Silences of Hammerstein, Hans Magnus Enzensberger offers a brilliant and unorthodox account of the military milieu whose acquiescence to Nazism consolidated Hitler’s power and of the heroic few who refused to share in the spoils.

The Ancient City: A Study of the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome


Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges - 2006
    Fustel de Coulanges' 1864 masterpiece, La Cité antique, drew upon physical evidence as well as ancient documents rather than the usual post-Classical histories. The result is a fresh, accurate, and detailed portrait of the religious, family, and civic life of Periclean Athens and Rome during the time of Cicero.This fascinating sociological account reveals the significance of kinship and the cult of the family hearth and ancestors to ancient Hellenic and Latin urban culture. It chronicles the rise of family-centered pagan belief systems, tracing their gradual decline to the spread of Christianity. Fustel cites ancient Indian and Hebrew texts as well as Greek and Roman sources. The ingenuity of his interpretations, along with his striking prose style, offer readers a vital and enduring historic survey.

The Cruel Way: Switzerland to Afghanistan in a Ford, 1939


Ella Maillart - 1947
    But Schwarzenbach was also fighting a losing battle with morphine addiction, and the women's close but often troubled relationship takes centre stage in the narrative as the journey progresses through Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan.Encountering breathtaking landscapes, ancient ruins and nomadic peoples, The Cruel Way is a gripping, lyrical and deeply empathetic portrait of places, people and friendship.Brought together for the first time with excerpts from All the Roads are Open, Annemarie Schwarzenbach's parallel account of the journey.

Into the Land of Bones: Alexander the Great in Afghanistan


Frank L. Holt - 2005
    Bush called the "first war of the twenty-first century" actually began more than 2,300 years ago when Alexander the Great led his army into what is now a sprawling ruin in northern Afghanistan. Accounts of Alexander's invasion of ancient Bactria read eerily like news from our own day. In this vivid, meticulously researched, and elegantly narrated book, Frank L. Holt follows Alexander's historical, archaeological, and numismatic legacy back and forth between ancient Bactria and modern Afghanistan. Recounting the plight of the most powerful leader of the time as he led the most sophisticated army of its day into the treacherous world of tribal warlords, Holt describes those grueling campaigns and the impact they had on Alexander, his generals, their troops, and the world. Into the Land of Bones also examines the conflict from the point of view of the local warlords who pushed the invading Greeks to the limits of their endurance—and sometimes beyond, into mania and mutiny. The lively narrative situates the current war in Afghanistan in a broader historical perspective. Holt explains how the three modern superpowers that have invaded Afghanistan—Britain in the nineteenth century, the Soviets in the twentieth, and the United States in the twenty-first—are continuing the struggle that Alexander began centuries ago. That this legacy continues to play itself out today is a testament to the timeliness of Holt's fascinating and original account.

All the Time in the World


Liz Nickles - 1999
    Her future will be measured not in years, but in months. Nicki makes a decision: in the time she has left, she is determined to live. Accompanied by friends, Nicki embarcks on a last-fling cruise to the Greek Islands--she wants to fill her days with as much beauty and pleasure as she can. But when she meets Michael Schuster, a handsome British photographer, she realizes she's found the last thing she'd ever thought she'd find--true love. Deciding to hide her illness, Nicki hopes to spare the man she loves the truth she cannot avoid. Can a life time of love be had in only a few weeks? And is love strong enough to overcome everything--even death? Nicki is about to find out....Twenty years old, smart, gorgeous and hip, college valedictorian Nicki McBain is on the fast track, poised to begin a high-powered law carreer when she hears devastating news: Her future will be measured not in years, but in months. Her body has dealt her a death sentance, but in the time she has left, Nicki has decided to live. Accompanied by friends, Nicki embarks on a last-fling cruise to the Greek islands, determined to fill her last days with as much beauty and pleasure as she can grab. But when she meets Michael Schuster, a handsome British photographer, she realizes she's found the last thing she was looking for: true love. By hiding her illness, Nicki hopes to spare the man she loves the truth she cannot avoid, and to experience a lifetime of love, if only for a few weeks.Twenty years old, smart, gorgeous and hip, college valedictorian Nicki McBain is on the fast track, poised to begin a high-powered law carreer when she hears devastating news: Her future will be measured not in years, but in months. Her body has dealt her a death sentance, but in the time she has left, Nicki has decided to live.Accompanied by friends, Nicki embarks on a last-fling cruise to the Greek islands, determined to fill her last days with as much beauty and pleasure as she can grab. But when she meets Michael Schuster, a handsome British photographer, she realizes she's found the last thing she was looking for: true love. By hiding her illness, Nicki hopes to spare the man she loves the truth she cannot avoid, and to experience a lifetime of love, if only for a few weeks.

The Eagle of Spinalonga


Nike Azoros - 2012
    He is sent into exile to Spinalonga, a rock island of Crete where there is no food, no electricity, no medical help, no supplies, nothing. He catches an eagle as a unique way to source food then, armed with his education and natural instincts he decides to create a life of dignity for the inhabitants of Spinalonga in the style of the city state system of Ancient Greece. Pavlos a thug criminal sent there by the state from prison does everything in his power to maintain chaos and terror so as to keep control of the island. World War 2 breaks out and the Nazis invade and inflict horrors upon the Greek people. Nikos and the people of Spinalonga outsmart the Nazis and play a major role in the resistance.

Spring in Skiathos


Holly Greene - 2016
     Grab a cocktail, sit back, relax and Escape to the Islands... Life is sweet for Joanna Nelson until the day she gets a call from a lawyer in Greece that knocks her for six. Her father, whom Joanna has never met, has died. Her mum was always reticent to discuss her brief holiday romance many years before on a tiny Greek Island called Skiathos, and all her life Joanna’s tried to fill in the blanks. It seems her dad ran a small hotel on the island, and according to the lawyer, has left the property to her. Her boyfriend immediately advises Joanna to sell the place but it seems things aren't so simple. The persuasive lawyer tells her that though now worn and run-down, the hotel is the heart and soul of a small seaside community in Skiathos and it would break her father's heart to see it sold. Could Joanna perhaps come and see for herself? Intrigued by the idea of visiting the Greek island and discovering more about her heritage and her parents’ romance, Joanna agrees to visit Skiathos in early spring. Upon arrival she is very quickly seduced by the soft sand, blue skies and tumbling bougainvillaea, as well as the welcoming Greek community, who are only too happy to impart information about the father she never knew, teach her all about their beloved island and most importantly, reveal the truth about her parents' romance. And all too soon, Joanna begins to wonder if her mother made a huge mistake in leaving beautiful Skiathos so many years before… Escape to the Islands SPRING IN SKIATHOS SUMMER IN SANTORINI AUTUMN IN CRETE WINTER IN RHODES

Ari: The Life and Times of Aristotle Onassis


Peter Evans - 1986
    After months of exclusive conversations, years of extensive research, and in-depth interviews with Onassis's friends, lovers and rivals, Evans produced the only true, full account of the charismatic and ruthless Aristotle Onassis. To be a major ABC miniseries in February. 32 pages of photos.

A History of the Byzantine State and Society


Warren Treadgold - 1997
    It begins in a.d. 285, when the emperor Diocletian separated what became Byzantium from the western Roman Empire, and ends in 1461, when the last Byzantine outposts fell to the Ottoman Turks.Spanning twelve centuries and three continents, the Byzantine Empire linked the ancient and modern worlds, shaping and transmitting Greek, Roman, and Christian traditionsthat remain vigorous today, not only in Eastern Europe and the Middle East but throughout Western civilization. Though in its politics Byzantium often resembled a third-world dictatorship, it has never yet been matched in maintaining a single state for so long, over a wide area inhabited by heterogeneous peoples.Drawing on a wealth of original sources and modern works, the author treats political and social developments as a single vivid story, told partly in detailed narrative and partly in essays that clarify long-term changes. He avoids stereotypes and rejects such old and new historical orthodoxies as the persistent weakness of the Byzantine economy and the pervasive importance of holy men in Late Antiquity.Without neglecting underlying social, cultural, and economic trends, the author shows the often crucial impact of nearly a hundred Byzantine emperors and empresses. What the emperor or empress did, or did not do, could rapidly confront ordinary Byzantines with economic ruin, new religious doctrines, or conquest by a foreign power. Much attention is paid to the complex life of the court and bureaucracy that has given us the adjective "byzantine." The major personalities include such famous names as Constantine, Justinian, Theodora, and Heraclius, along with lesser-known figures like Constans II, Irene, Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer, and Michael VIII Palaeologus.Byzantine civilization emerges as durable, creative, and realistic, overcoming repeated setbacks to remain prosperous almost to the end. With 221 illustrations and 18 maps that complement the text, A History of the Byzantine State and Society should long remain the standard history of Byzantium not just for students and scholars but for all readers.

Writer Dad


Sean Platt - 2013
    She bought him a Macbook, and told him to get started doing what she knew he was supposed to do.Cindy gave Sean the unparalleled gift of her unflagging support, fueled by the unflinching belief that he was born to tell stories.Writer Dad is a love letter to Cindy and Sean's family, but also to the craft of writing. It chronicles his first painful but necessary years, through his eventual successful as a bestselling indie author.Writer Dad is for fans of Sean's work, those curious about the everyday reality of a growing writer's life, and those seeking inspiration for their own journeys forward.

An Octopus in My Ouzo: Loving Life on a Greek Island


Jennifer Barclay - 2016
    From the joy of gardening her own little piece of paradise to the thrill of joining in with the Greek dancing at local festivals, Jennifer learns something new every day – and discovers love again along the way.Dive into this exquisite, honest and deeply moving tale and taste the sweetness of living life to the full on a small island.

Sailing Solo


Emily Harvale - 2013
     Willa Daventry knows what she wants. She’s thirty-two, single and determined to make her singles sailing holidays a successful part of her family’s travel business. She doesn’t usually mix business with pleasure but the attentions of three handsome men under the blazing Greek sun are enough to turn any girl’s head. Should she keep things professional, or risk a little flirting and get what she wants into the bargain? She needs to negotiate a new deal with Greek hotel owner, Aristaios Nikolades. Advertising executive, Harry ‘Banner’ Bullen’s skills could prove useful, and a five-star review from award-winning, travel writer, Mark Thornton would be a dream come true. Unbeknown to Willa, the three men make a drunken wager to see which of them can get a date with her. Aristaios and Harry don’t play fair but Mark is determined to win. He’ll have to keep sex-mad Pilates instructor, Blossom Appleyard and divorcée, Suki Thane at bay though, if he is to stand a chance of sailing off into the sunset with Willa. When Willa learns of the bet will she decide to play the men at their own game and teach them a lesson they won’t forget, or … will she just feel she’s better off sailing solo?

Discovery of the Yosemite, and the Indian War of 1851


Lafayette Houghton Bunnell - 1977
    In the distance an immense cliff loomed, apparently to the summit of the mountains. Written by the medical officer of the Mariposa Battalion (the first group of Euro-Americans to enter the valley), Discovery of the Yosemite, and the Indian war of 1851 is perhaps the single most important original source we have that focuses on the early history of Yosemite Valley. Out of print for many years, this wonderful source chronicles key historical events surrounding the discovery of Yosemite, including the 1851 conflict with the Yosemite native population, and the naming of various landmarks. What makes this source particularly valuable and rich is the first person perspective provided by Dr Bunnel’s narrative. Lafayette Houghton Bunnell, born in 1824 in Rochester, New York, was an American author, explorer, and physician. Inspired by the males in his family, Bunnell desired adventure in ‘the West’ from a young age. He is perhaps most well-known for his involvement in the Mariposa Battalion, and is often credited as the person who named Yosemite. He was also a soldier and surgeon I the American Civil War. Albion Press is an imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.