Pray tell, are you addicted to Sherlock Holmes stories? Read the entire Canon? But you need MORE SHERLOCK? You came to the singularly correct place. Sixty new "canonical" Sherlock Holmes stories; each one a tribute to one of the original stories in the Canon. Enjoy. STUDYING SCARLET. A strikingly beautiful mature woman from The South has come to London in search of her estranged husband. She makes contact with three of his associates and a few days later all three are dead, garroted by a shadowy group of anarchists. In need of help she enters 221B Baker Street and hires the world's greatest detective. She is accompanied by an elderly, not-petite African American woman who hires Holmes and lets him know who is in charge. A younger generation joins in the adventure. Like their parents, they are physically gorgeous, athletic, courageous, excellent horse riders, and, fortunately, strong swimmers. Together with Holmes and Watson, they ride madly across southern England trying to prevent a disastrous assassination and save the Empire. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy a new adventure that closely follows the narratives, characters, setting, and language of the Canon. Fans of Gone with the Wind will love this new parody/pastiche and the many tributes to the great saga of the antebellum age. Buy it now, read it, and enjoy your much-loved characters yet again.

Antoine Fabre d'Olivet (December 8, 1767-March 25, 1825) was a French author, poet, and composer whose biblical and philosophical hermeneutics in?uenced many occultists, such as Eliphas Lévi and Gerard Encausse (Papus), and René Guénon. D'Olivet spent his life pursuing the esoteric wisdom concealed in the Hebrew scriptures, Greek philosophy, and the symbolism of many ancient cultures as far back as ancient India, Persia, and Egypt. His writings are considered classics of the Hermetic tradition. His best known works today are his research on the Hebrew language (The Hebraic Tongue Restored), his translation and interpretation of the writings of Pythagoras (The Golden Verses of Pythagoras), and his writings on the sacred art of music. In addition to the above two books and the present one, Hermetica has also published in consistent facsimile format for its Collected Works of Fabre d'Olivet series Cain and The Healing of Rodolphe Grivel. D'Olivet's interest in Pythagoras started a revival of Neo-Pythagoreanism that would later in?uence many occultists and new age esotericists. His mastery of many ancient languages and their literatures enabled him to write (in the time of Napoleon) his Hermeneutic Interpretation of the Origin of the Social State of Man and the Destiny of the Adamic Race, which remains a landmark investigation of the deeper esoteric undercurrents at work in the history of culture. A selection of chapter titles indicates the scope of this extraordinary text: Intellectual, Metaphysical Constitution of Man; Man is One of Three Great Powers of the Universe; Division of Mankind; Love, Principle of Sociability; Man is First Mute-First Language Consists of Signs; Digression on the Four Ages of the World; Deplorable Lot of Woman; Origin of Music and Poetry; Deviation of the Cult, Superstition; Establishment of Theocracy; Divine Messenger; Who Rama Was; Digression upon the Celts; Divine Unity Admitted into the Universal Empire; Origin of the Phoenician Shepherds; Foundation of the Assyrian Empire; New Developments of the Intellectual Sphere; Orpheus, Moses, and Fo-Hi; Struggle between Asia and Europe; Greece Loses her Political Existence; Beginning of Rome; Mission of Jesus; Conquest of Odin; Mission of Mohammed; Reign of Charlemagne; Utility of Feudalism and of Christianity; Movement of the European Will towards America; Principle of Monarchical Government; Causes which Are Opposed to the Establishment of Pure Despotism and Democracy.

An illustrated biography of Gustave Caillebotte, with previously unpublished archive material and photographs. The life of Gustave Caillebotte is shrouded in legend - untimely death, hidden genius, generous patron of Monet, Pissaro, Sisley and Degas - making him one of the most appreciated and mysterious painters of the Impressionist movement. This biography, written by a descendant of the painter, journalist and producer of programs on France Culture, is illustrated with numerous previously unpublished photographic documents. It takes a detailed look at Gustave Caillebotte's history and career, placing his pictorial work in the context of his family, social and economic environment, for the life of Gustave Caillebotte is above all a lesson in history and geography, that of the Parisian bourgeoisie under the Second Empire and the blossoming of the Impressionist movement in the Ile-de-France region. The biography describes Gustave's father Martial Caillebotte's meteoric rise in the textile industry, his education and pictorial training in Bonnat's studio and at the Beaux-Arts in Paris, his participation in the 1870 war at the age of 22, and his decisive encounter with the Impressionist group, led by Renoir, Monet and Degas. Thanks in particular to family archives, the book revisits Caillebotte's decisive role in the diffusion of the movement, including the organization of the group's third exhibition, as well as the genesis and presentation of his own works, including the famous Raboteur.

Pray tell, are you addicted to Sherlock Holmes stories? Read the entire Canon? But you need MORE SHERLOCK? You came to the singularly correct place. Sixty new "canonical" Sherlock Holmes stories; each one a tribute to one of the original stories in the Canon. Enjoy. STUDYING SCARLET. A strikingly beautiful mature woman from The South has come to London in search of her estranged husband. She makes contact with three of his associates and a few days later all three are dead, garroted by a shadowy group of anarchists. In need of help she enters 221B Baker Street and hires the world's greatest detective. She is accompanied by an elderly, not-petite African American woman who hires Holmes and lets him know who is in charge. A younger generation joins in the adventure. Like their parents, they are physically gorgeous, athletic, courageous, excellent horse riders, and, fortunately, strong swimmers. Together with Holmes and Watson, they ride madly across southern England trying to prevent a disastrous assassination and save the Empire. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy a new adventure that closely follows the narratives, characters, setting, and language of the Canon. Fans of Gone with the Wind will love this new parody/pastiche and the many tributes to the great saga of the antebellum age. Buy it now, read it, and enjoy your much-loved characters yet again.

A DOOR OPENS. AN ARMY OF DRAGONS ADVANCES. AND THE FATE OF THE LIVING RESTS WITH THE DEAD. After obtaining the secret to creating dragons, the leader of the Fhrey has turned the tide of war once more-but gaining the advantage has come at a terrible price. While Imaly plots to overthrow the fane for transgressions against his people, a mystic and a Keeper are the only hope for the Rhunes. Time is short, and the future of both races hangs in the balance. In this exciting conclusion to the Legends of the First Empire series, the Great War finally comes to a climactic end, and with it dawns a new era-The Age of Empyre From Michael J. Sullivan, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author comes the concluding installment of his six-book epic fantasy. This series chronicles a pivotal point in Elan's history when humans and those they once saw as gods warred until a new world order was born. Set three thousand years before the Riyria tales, Legends is a stand-alone fantasy series that is independent of the Riyria novels. But for those who do follow both series, Legends will unmask lies and reveal the truth about Elan's history and the men and women who shaped what the world became.

A DOOR OPENS. AN ARMY OF DRAGONS ADVANCES. AND THE FATE OF THE LIVING RESTS WITH THE DEAD. After obtaining the secret to creating dragons, the leader of the Fhrey has turned the tide of war once more-but gaining the advantage has come at a terrible price. While Imaly plots to overthrow the fane for transgressions against his people, a mystic and a Keeper are the only hope for the Rhunes. Time is short, and the future of both races hangs in the balance. In this exciting conclusion to the Legends of the First Empire series, the Great War finally comes to a climactic end, and with it dawns a new era-The Age of Empyre From Michael J. Sullivan, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author comes the concluding installment of his six-book epic fantasy. This series chronicles a pivotal point in Elan's history when humans and those they once saw as gods warred until a new world order was born. Set three thousand years before the Riyria tales, Legends is a stand-alone fantasy series that is independent of the Riyria novels. But for those who do follow both series, Legends will unmask lies and reveal the truth about Elan's history and the men and women who shaped what the world became.

Deliver an ambitious, knowledge-rich and global KS3 History curriculum to develop pupils' knowledge of the past, build their skills and equip them to progress through to GCSE 9-1 History. Provide a coherent chronological KS3 history curriculum with 50 knowledge-rich lessons on modern world history. Spark pupils' curiosity, develop their understanding of the past and equip them to investigate the past as a historian. Ignite an interest in modern history through memorable and compelling narratives, rich contextual detail and extraordinary people Help all students to think critically about the past by focusing on the knowledge they need and then checking their understanding Build secure positive identities and cultural capital with culturally and geographically diverse coverage including five new global history units for the 2nd edition Support pupils' long-term learning with knowledge organisers on key vocabulary, people, places, and dates Put knowledge into context with a full timeline covering the broad geographical scope of the period studied Easy to implement in your school with the 10 unit/ 5 chapter structure and overarching enquiry question per unit Deliver excellent lessons and save time on your planning with the supportive Teacher Guide available free on collins.co.uk, including suggested activities and sources, quick quizzes, answers and essay ideas Unit 1: The British Empire Unit 2: The Transatlantic trade of enslaved people Unit 3: The Industrial Revolution Unit 4: The Age of Reform Unit 5: The Victorian Empire Unit 6: Birth of the USA Unit 7: The French Revolution Unit 8: Nineteenth-century Europe Unit 9: Qing China Unit 10: Global Imperialism

PREORDER MATTHEW HARFFY'S THRILLING NEW NOVEL BANE OF BERNICIA NOW! Hunlaf risks the wrath of the mighty Byzantine Empire on a dangerous voyage to the Holy Land. A rip-roaring Viking-era adventure from the author of the Bernicia Chronicles. 'Extremely satisfying and rewarding, Dominion of Dust rampages across the page with slicing action' LoveReading AD 797, Cyprus. Warrior-monk Hunlaf and his crew are on a voyage to acquire an important Christian relic before it falls into the hands of Byzantium's scheming Empress Eirene. Hunlaf's crew receive unexpected help as they seek their treasure, but soon find themselves betrayed. About to leave for home empty-handed, the adventurers instead sail further east: to Jerusalem, the Holy Land, abundant in relics. And dangerous intrigues. Hunlaf and his friends will face a deadly race against time as they attempt to secure a holy treasure, outwit Byzantium's zealous agents, and avoid grisly deaths at the hands of the local rulers. From bestselling author MATTHEW HARFFY, A Time for Swords is an epic historical action-adventure series set during the dramatic Viking Age. The thrilling tale of Hunlaf, a monk who becomes a warrior following a devastating Viking attack, the series chronicles his daring quests through Early Medieval Europe. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Giles Kristian. READ ALL OF MATTHEW HARFFY'S TERRIFIC A TIME FOR SWORDS SERIES: #1 A Time for Swords #2 A Night of Flames #3 A Day of Reckoning #4 Dominion of Dust

PREORDER MATTHEW HARFFY'S THRILLING NEW NOVEL BANE OF BERNICIA NOW! Hunlaf risks the wrath of the mighty Byzantine Empire on a dangerous voyage to the Holy Land. A rip-roaring Viking-era adventure from the author of the Bernicia Chronicles. 'Extremely satisfying and rewarding, Dominion of Dust rampages across the page with slicing action' LoveReading AD 797, Cyprus. Warrior-monk Hunlaf and his crew are on a voyage to acquire an important Christian relic before it falls into the hands of Byzantium's scheming Empress Eirene. Hunlaf's crew receive unexpected help as they seek their treasure, but soon find themselves betrayed. About to leave for home empty-handed, the adventurers instead sail further east: to Jerusalem, the Holy Land, abundant in relics. And dangerous intrigues. Hunlaf and his friends will face a deadly race against time as they attempt to secure a holy treasure, outwit Byzantium's zealous agents, and avoid grisly deaths at the hands of the local rulers. From bestselling author MATTHEW HARFFY, A Time for Swords is an epic historical action-adventure series set during the dramatic Viking Age. The thrilling tale of Hunlaf, a monk who becomes a warrior following a devastating Viking attack, the series chronicles his daring quests through Early Medieval Europe. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Giles Kristian. READ ALL OF MATTHEW HARFFY'S TERRIFIC A TIME FOR SWORDS SERIES: #1 A Time for Swords #2 A Night of Flames #3 A Day of Reckoning #4 Dominion of Dust

In this book, The Ego and the Id, Sigmund Freud delves deeper into the concepts of the human mind and the results of the conflicts and workings between them. All human behaviors and traits, according to this 1923 study, derive from the complicated interactions of three elements of the psyche: the id, the ego, and the superego. Freud claimed these components of the human psyche controlled all processes of personality, behaviors, and traits in a person. The Id was a person's most basic and impulsive instincts-the ones that feed into our deepest desires and physical needs. The Super-Ego was the opposite of the id. This component controlled our highest morals and standards, operating through our conscience and making us desire to be our most ideal-selves. The piece in the middle is the Ego. The ego mediates between the id and realities of the world around us, while being supervised (and guilted) by the super-ego. About the Author: Sigmund Freud, (born May 6, 1856, Freiberg, Moravia, Austrian Empire [now Príbor, Czech Republic] - died September 23, 1939, London, England ), Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. Freud may justly be called the most influential intellectual legislator of his age. His creation of psychoanalysis was at once a theory of the human psyche, a therapy for the relief of its ills, and an optic for the interpretation of culture and society. Despite repeated criticisms, attempted refutations, and qualifications of Freud's work, its spell remained powerful well after his death and in fields far removed from psychology as it is narrowly defined.

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,8, University of Hannover, language: English, abstract: The Victorian period (1835-1903) describes an important time span in English history in social, political and cultural matters. Terms like ¿splendid isolation¿ (in the field of foreign-policy) or ¿laissez-faire¿ (in the field of economy) and the philosophical theories of Utilitarianism and Intuitivism were fundamental concepts to influence life in the ¿Empire¿ in the second half of the 19th Century. During that time, the Industrial Revolution took place and the parliament was reformed three times (1830s ¿1880s). The Victorian period can be seen as the most glorious time of colonial England (if one thinks of colonialism and imperialism as glorious) but ironically also marks the decay of the ¿Empire¿, which many Englishmen had been so proud of. In the literary world, English Romanticism dominated the early Victorian decades. Later on, Realism and Naturalism became more and more influential and in the 1890s, the New Realism and Aestheticism (including Decadence and Symbolism) took over. One important author of Victorian literature was Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). He achieved tremendous fame and his literary field stretched from newspaper-publications and essay-writing to novel writing and poetry. But the increasingly popular short story was the kind of literature he indulged in the most. It is interesting to see that he went through quite an unusual educational career before he rose to fame: Kipling lived in India (a British Colony until 1950, when it became a federal state of the Commonwealth) and wrote newspaper-stories (so-called ¿turn overs¿). This is unusual, because most of the popular authors of the Victorian Age who came from the bourgeois middle-class, which was very powerful at that time, started out directly in their writing-career in England.. Some of those were Dickens, Stevenson, Thackeray, George Eliot, H. G. Wells, Arnold Bennett and Thomas Hardy, who was an architect at first, though. Thus, Kipling¿s seven years of short story writing is comparatively exceptional. As a consequence of this Asian background, Kipling developed a special kind of literature, called Anglo-Indian prose. Of his output of short stories, ¿A Matter of Fact¿ is not the most famous, and in secondary literature about Kipling the story plays a minor role, but it nonetheless explicitly portrays various features of Late-Victorian fiction. It is especially useful for discussing different conceptions of writing in that period.

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,8, University of Hannover, language: English, abstract: The Victorian period (1835-1903) describes an important time span in English history in social, political and cultural matters. Terms like ¿splendid isolation¿ (in the field of foreign-policy) or ¿laissez-faire¿ (in the field of economy) and the philosophical theories of Utilitarianism and Intuitivism were fundamental concepts to influence life in the ¿Empire¿ in the second half of the 19th Century. During that time, the Industrial Revolution took place and the parliament was reformed three times (1830s ¿1880s). The Victorian period can be seen as the most glorious time of colonial England (if one thinks of colonialism and imperialism as glorious) but ironically also marks the decay of the ¿Empire¿, which many Englishmen had been so proud of. In the literary world, English Romanticism dominated the early Victorian decades. Later on, Realism and Naturalism became more and more influential and in the 1890s, the New Realism and Aestheticism (including Decadence and Symbolism) took over. One important author of Victorian literature was Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). He achieved tremendous fame and his literary field stretched from newspaper-publications and essay-writing to novel writing and poetry. But the increasingly popular short story was the kind of literature he indulged in the most. It is interesting to see that he went through quite an unusual educational career before he rose to fame: Kipling lived in India (a British Colony until 1950, when it became a federal state of the Commonwealth) and wrote newspaper-stories (so-called ¿turn overs¿). This is unusual, because most of the popular authors of the Victorian Age who came from the bourgeois middle-class, which was very powerful at that time, started out directly in their writing-career in England.. Some of those were Dickens, Stevenson, Thackeray, George Eliot, H. G. Wells, Arnold Bennett and Thomas Hardy, who was an architect at first, though. Thus, Kipling¿s seven years of short story writing is comparatively exceptional. As a consequence of this Asian background, Kipling developed a special kind of literature, called Anglo-Indian prose. Of his output of short stories, ¿A Matter of Fact¿ is not the most famous, and in secondary literature about Kipling the story plays a minor role, but it nonetheless explicitly portrays various features of Late-Victorian fiction. It is especially useful for discussing different conceptions of writing in that period.

Chosen by John Irving in the New York Times as One of the Best Books of the 21st Century "Paul Theroux has exploited this biographical lacuna with great shrewdness and gusto… his fictional account of Blair’s life there [Burma] is a valid and entirely credible attempt to add flesh to the skeletal facts we have of this time. […]this novel is one of his finest, in a long and redoubtable oeuvre." —New York Times Book Review From the acclaimed author of The Mosquito Coast and The Bad Angel Brothers comes a riveting new novel of literary historical fiction exploring one of English literature’s most beloved and controversial figures—George Orwell—and the early years as an officer in colonial Burma that transformed him from Eric Blair, the British Raj policeman, into Orwell the anticolonial writer. At age nineteen, young Eton graduate Eric Blair set sail for India, dreading the assignment ahead. Along with several other young conscripts, he would be trained for three years as a servant of the British Empire, overseeing the local policemen in Burma. Navigating the social, racial, and class politics of his fellow British at the same time as he learned the local languages and struggled to control his men would prove difficult enough. But doing all of this while grappling with his own self-worth, his sense that he was not cut out for this, is soon overwhelming for the young Blair. Eventually, his clashes with his superiors, and the drama that unfolds in this evocative biographical novel, will change him forever.

Chosen by John Irving in the New York Times as One of the Best Books of the 21st Century "Paul Theroux has exploited this biographical lacuna with great shrewdness and gusto… his fictional account of Blair’s life there [Burma] is a valid and entirely credible attempt to add flesh to the skeletal facts we have of this time. […]this novel is one of his finest, in a long and redoubtable oeuvre." —New York Times Book Review From the acclaimed author of The Mosquito Coast and The Bad Angel Brothers comes a riveting new novel of literary historical fiction exploring one of English literature’s most beloved and controversial figures—George Orwell—and the early years as an officer in colonial Burma that transformed him from Eric Blair, the British Raj policeman, into Orwell the anticolonial writer. At age nineteen, young Eton graduate Eric Blair set sail for India, dreading the assignment ahead. Along with several other young conscripts, he would be trained for three years as a servant of the British Empire, overseeing the local policemen in Burma. Navigating the social, racial, and class politics of his fellow British at the same time as he learned the local languages and struggled to control his men would prove difficult enough. But doing all of this while grappling with his own self-worth, his sense that he was not cut out for this, is soon overwhelming for the young Blair. Eventually, his clashes with his superiors, and the drama that unfolds in this evocative biographical novel, will change him forever.

In the Shadow of Great Powers is the second volume of Christoph Baumer's History of the Caucasus. It covers the period from the Seljuk domination of the Southern Caucasus around 1050 CE to the present day. After the Kingdom of Georgia's golden age of independent power and cultural blossoming in the 12th and early 13th centuries, the Caucasus was overrun by the Mongols and soon disintegrated into innumerable smaller kingdoms, principalities and khanates. At the same time, an Armenian kingdom in exile maintained a precarious independence in Cilicia, today's southern Turkey, by applying a three-way diplomatic policy balanced between the Mongol Il-Khanate, the Crusader states and, to a lesser degree, the Mameluke Empire. Then followed four centuries during which the highly fragmented polities of the North and South Caucasus became political pawns of the regional great powers, above all the Ottomans, Iran and Russia. In the wake of World War I the South Caucasus enjoyed a short-lived independence whereas its northern neighbours were engulfed by the Russian civil wars. But by 1921 the Soviet Union had re-established Russian dominance over the whole region and, from a Western perspective, the region 'disappeared' behind the Iron Curtain. Nevertheless, the Caucasian nations kept their pronounced identities even under Soviet rule, giving rise at the dissolution of the Soviet Union to a number of internecine conflicts. Whereas the Russian Federation managed to maintain its supremacy over the North Caucasus - albeit at the cost of bloody wars and insurrections - Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia succeeded in more or less gaining control over their destiny. Of these three republics, only Azerbaijan secured a wide-ranging independence thanks to its fossil fuel resources. Following Russian interference, Georgia lost control over two of its provinces while Armenia remains dependent on Russian support in the face of its notoriously antagonistic relations with neighbouring Azerbaijan and Turkey over the unresolved issue of Karabakh. In the Shadow of Great Powers includes some 200 full-colour images and maps which further bring the turbulent history of this region to light.

The Han Dynasty (¿¿, 206 BCE-220 CE) was the second great imperial unification dynasty of China. The dynasty, with 24 recognized emperors, ruled China for over 400 years. The reign of the Han Dynasty is broadly divided into the Western Han Dynasty (¿¿) and the Eastern Han Dynasty (¿¿). The period of the Han Dynasty is termed as the golden age in Chinese history. As such, the dynasty contributed in several socio-economic fields, such as the opening of the Silk Road (¿¿), the invention of paper, adoption of Confucianism as the state religion, developing first Chinese dictionary, etc. In fact, it was during the Han Dynasty that Sima Qian (¿¿¿), the great Chinese historian, wrote the treatise ¿¿¿¿: Shiji ("Records of the Grand Historian"). No wonder, since the Han Dynasty, the Huaxia ethnic group has been gradually known as the Han ethnic group (¿¿/¿¿), or Han nationality, the main ethnic group in China. The book, Chinese History 5, a Chinese reading practice book, presents a broad and simple overview of China's second and longest imperial dynasty: the Han Dynasty. The volume, 15th in the Mandarin Chinese Reading Series, includes both the Chinese text (simplified characters) and pinyin. With about 900 unique Chinese characters, the volume would be suitable for the beginners, lower intermediate and advanced level Chinese language learners (HSK 1-6). Overall, the Mandarin Chinese Reading Series offers you a variety of elementary level books (Level 1/2/3) to learn Chinese culture as well as practice Chinese reading fast. The book has 10 chapters in the following order: Chapter 1: Overview of the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 2: Basic Facts about the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 3: Timeline of the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 4: The Beginning of the Han Empire (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 5: Chang'an (¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 6: Empress Lü Zhi (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 7: Achievements of the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 8: The New Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 9: The Last Days of the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 10: The Legacy of the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿)

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • A bracingly immediate memoir by a young man coming of age during the Syrian war, an intimate lens on the century’s bloodiest conflict, and a profound meditation on kinship, home, and freedom. “This powerful memoir, illuminated with Molly Crabapple’s extraordinary art, provides a rare lens through which we can see a region in deadly conflict.”—Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy In 2011, Marwan Hisham and his two friends—fellow working-class college students Nael and Tareq—joined the first protests of the Arab Spring in Syria, in response to a recent massacre. Arm-in-arm they marched, poured Coca-Cola into one another’s eyes to blunt the effects of tear gas, ran from the security forces, and cursed the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad. It was ecstasy. A long-bottled revolution was finally erupting, and freedom from a brutal dictator seemed, at last, imminent. Five years later, the three young friends were scattered: one now an Islamist revolutionary, another dead at the hands of government soldiers, and the last, Marwan, now a journalist in Turkish exile, trying to find a way back to a homeland reduced to rubble. Marwan was there to witness and document firsthand the Syrian war, from its inception to the present. He watched from the rooftops as regime warplanes bombed soldiers; as revolutionary activist groups, for a few dreamy days, spray-painted hope on Raqqa; as his friends died or threw in their lot with Islamist fighters. He became a journalist by courageously tweeting out news from a city under siege by ISIS, the Russians, and the Americans all at once. He saw the country that ran through his veins—the country that held his hopes, dreams, and fears—be destroyed in front of him, and eventually joined the relentless stream of refugees risking their lives to escape. Illustrated with more than eighty ink drawings by Molly Crabapple that bring to life the beauty and chaos, Brothers of the Gun offers a ground-level reflection on the Syrian revolution—and how it bled into international catastrophe and global war. This is a story of pragmatism and idealism, impossible violence and repression, and, even in the midst of war, profound acts of courage, creativity, and hope. “A book of startling emotional power and intellectual depth.”—Pankaj Mishra, author of Age of Anger and From the Ruins of Empire “A revelatory and necessary read on one of the most destructive wars of our time.”—Angela Davis

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD A bracingly immediate memoir by a young man coming of age during the Syrian war, an intimate lens on the century’s bloodiest conflict, and a profound meditation on kinship, home, and freedom. “This powerful memoir, illuminated with Molly Crabapple’s extraordinary art, provides a rare lens through which we can see a region in deadly conflict.”—Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy In 2011, Marwan Hisham and his two friends—fellow working-class college students Nael and Tareq—joined the first protests of the Arab Spring in Syria, in response to a recent massacre. Arm-in-arm they marched, poured Coca-Cola into one another’s eyes to blunt the effects of tear gas, ran from the security forces, and cursed the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad. It was ecstasy. A long-bottled revolution was finally erupting, and freedom from a brutal dictator seemed, at last, imminent. Five years later, the three young friends were scattered: one now an Islamist revolutionary, another dead at the hands of government soldiers, and the last, Marwan, now a journalist in Turkish exile, trying to find a way back to a homeland reduced to rubble. Marwan was there to witness and document firsthand the Syrian war, from its inception to the present. He watched from the rooftops as regime warplanes bombed soldiers; as revolutionary activist groups, for a few dreamy days, spray-painted hope on Raqqa; as his friends died or threw in their lot with Islamist fighters. He became a journalist by courageously tweeting out news from a city under siege by ISIS, the Russians, and the Americans all at once. He saw the country that ran through his veins—the country that held his hopes, dreams, and fears—be destroyed in front of him, and eventually joined the relentless stream of refugees risking their lives to escape. Illustrated with more than eighty ink drawings by Molly Crabapple that bring to life the beauty and chaos, Brothers of the Gun offers a ground-level reflection on the Syrian revolution—and how it bled into international catastrophe and global war. This is a story of pragmatism and idealism, impossible violence and repression, and, even in the midst of war, profound acts of courage, creativity, and hope. “A book of startling emotional power and intellectual depth.”—Pankaj Mishra, author of Age of Anger and From the Ruins of Empire “A revelatory and necessary read on one of the most destructive wars of our time.”—Angela Davis

The Han Dynasty (¿¿, 206 BCE-220 CE) was the second great imperial unification dynasty of China. The dynasty, with 24 recognized emperors, ruled China for over 400 years. The reign of the Han Dynasty is broadly divided into the Western Han Dynasty (¿¿) and the Eastern Han Dynasty (¿¿). The period of the Han Dynasty is termed as the golden age in Chinese history. As such, the dynasty contributed in several socio-economic fields, such as the opening of the Silk Road (¿¿), the invention of paper, adoption of Confucianism as the state religion, developing first Chinese dictionary, etc. In fact, it was during the Han Dynasty that Sima Qian (¿¿¿), the great Chinese historian, wrote the treatise ¿¿¿¿: Shiji ("Records of the Grand Historian"). No wonder, since the Han Dynasty, the Huaxia ethnic group has been gradually known as the Han ethnic group (¿¿/¿¿), or Han nationality, the main ethnic group in China. The book, Chinese History 5, a Chinese reading practice book, presents a broad and simple overview of China's second and longest imperial dynasty: the Han Dynasty. The volume, 15th in the Mandarin Chinese Reading Series, includes both the Chinese text (simplified characters) and pinyin. With about 900 unique Chinese characters, the volume would be suitable for the beginners, lower intermediate and advanced level Chinese language learners (HSK 1-6). Overall, the Mandarin Chinese Reading Series offers you a variety of elementary level books (Level 1/2/3) to learn Chinese culture as well as practice Chinese reading fast. The book has 10 chapters in the following order: Chapter 1: Overview of the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 2: Basic Facts about the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 3: Timeline of the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 4: The Beginning of the Han Empire (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 5: Chang'an (¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 6: Empress Lü Zhi (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 7: Achievements of the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 8: The New Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 9: The Last Days of the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) Chapter 10: The Legacy of the Han Dynasty (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿)

Franz Kafka (1883–1924) was a German-language writer from Prague whose works became some of the most influential in modern literature. Born on July 3, 1883, in Prague—then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire—Kafka grew up in a middle-class Jewish family. His father, Hermann Kafka, was a successful but domineering businessman, and their strained relationship deeply affected Kafka's emotional life and later writing. Kafka studied law at the German University in Prague and earned a doctorate in 1906. After completing his studies, he worked for an insurance company, a job he found exhausting but stable. Much of his writing was done late at night, often in isolation. Despite his talent, Kafka published only a small number of works during his lifetime and remained relatively unknown to the broader public. His fiction is characterized by surreal situations, oppressive bureaucracies, and feelings of alienation, guilt, and anxiety—elements that later gave rise to the term "Kafkaesque." Among his most famous works are The Metamorphosis (1915), in which a man wakes up transformed into a giant insect; The Trial, a novel about a man arrested and prosecuted by a mysterious authority; and The Castle, which depicts a protagonist struggling to access an unreachable system of power. These works explore themes of powerlessness, identity, and the absurdity of modern life. Kafka suffered from poor health for much of his adult life and was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1917. As the disease worsened, he spent time in sanatoriums across Europe. He died on June 3, 1924, at the age of 40 in Kierling, near Vienna. Before his death, Kafka asked his close friend and literary executor, Max Brod, to destroy his unpublished manuscripts. Brod famously ignored this request and instead edited and published many of Kafka's works after his death, including The Trial, The Castle, and Amerika. Thanks to Brod's decision, Kafka's writings reached a global audience and became central to twentieth-century literature. Today, Franz Kafka is regarded as one of the most important writers of modernism. His exploration of alienation, authority, and existential uncertainty continues to influence literature, philosophy, and culture worldwide.