Middle World

From the fall of Constantinople in 1453 until the 18th century, many Western European writers viewed the Ottoman Empire with almost obsessive interest. In this path-breaking audiobook, Noel Malcolm ranges through these vital centuries of East-West interaction, studying all the ways in which thinkers in the West interpreted the Ottoman Empire as a political phenomenon - and Islam as a political religion.

Based on more than five years of clandestine reporting on the front lines, No Turning Back is an utterly engrossing human drama full of vivid, indelible characters that shows how hope can flourish even amid one of the 21st century's greatest humanitarian disasters.

Mesopotamia, the "land between two rivers," was the cradle of civilization. In present-day Iraq and parts of Iran, Syria, and Turkey, this region birthed the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians.

Steven A. Cook charts the course of the United States' encounter with the Middle East from the mid-twentieth century through the present day. Looking back, Cook makes a bold claim: the US was—despite setbacks and moral costs—successful. That record of achievement began to unravel in the early 1990s when policymakers embarked upon a set of overly ambitious policies to remake the Middle East. Cook highlights that calls to withdraw from the region are rash given the important interests the US maintains in the region.

Growing up together in the Surra section of central Kuwait, Katkout, Fahd, and Sadiq share neither ethnic origin nor religious denomination - only friendship and a rage against the unconscionable sectarian divide turning their lives into war-zone rubble. To lay bare the ugly truths, they form the protest group Fuada’s Kids. Their righteous transgressions have made them targets of both Sunni and Shi’a extremists. They’ve also elicited the concern of Fahd’s grandmother, Mama Hissa, who cautions them that should they anger God, the sky will surely fall.

The death of Colonel Muammar Qadhafi freed Libya from 42 years of despotic rule, raising hopes for a new era. But in the aftermath, the country descended into bitter rivalries and civil war, paving the way for the Islamic State and a catastrophic migrant crisis. In a fast-paced narrative that blends frontline reporting, analysis, and history, Frederic Wehrey tells the story of what went wrong.

The capture of SS Lieutenant Colonel Adolf Eichmann by Israeli agents in Argentina in May of 1960 and his subsequent trial in Jerusalem by an Israeli court electrified the world. The public debate it sparked on where, how, and by whom Nazi war criminals should be brought to justice, and the international media coverage of the trial itself, was a watershed moment in how the civilized world in general and Holocaust survivors in particular found the means to deal with the legacy of genocide on a scale that had never been seen before.

In The Race for Paradise, Paul M. Cobb offers a new history of the confrontations between Muslims and Franks we now call the "Crusades", one that emphasizes the diversity of Muslim experiences of the European holy war. There is more to the story than Jerusalem, the Templars, Saladin, and the Assassins. Cobb considers the Arab perspective on all shores of the Muslim Mediterranean, from Spain to Syria.

When Maziar Bahari left London in June 2009 to cover Iran's presidential election, he assured his pregnant fiancée, Paola, that he'd be back in just a few days, a week at most. Little did he know, as he kissed her good-bye, that he would spend the next three months in Iran’s most notorious prison, enduring brutal interrogation sessions at the hands of a man he knew only by his smell: Rosewater.

The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon is an exciting story of detection involving legends, expert decipherment of ancient texts, and a vivid description of a little-known civilization. Recognized in ancient times as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the legendary Hanging Garden of Babylon and its location still remains a mystery steeped in shadow and puzzling myths. In this remarkable volume Stephanie Dalley, a world expert on ancient Babylonian language, gathers for the first time all the material on this enigmatic World Wonder.

عالم المازني الساحر الذي ينفتح للقارئ كنافذة تطل على الحياة بألوانها المختلفة، فيه يسرد الكاتب حكاياته وتأملاته بأسلوب ساخر لا يخلو من الحكمة. يجمع بين الطرفة والنقد، بين الذكرى والحلم، كأنما يريد أن يجعل من هذه الصفحات مرآة تعكس عبث الدنيا وجديتها معًا.

Naguib El-Samadouni has a significant advantage: he's boring. Boring people are everywhere around us; finding one is as easy as looking in the bathroom mirror or opening the window and looking out at the street. But Naguib is boring to an exciting degree... to a fascinating, ever-renewing degree.

"مرحبًا بكم .. أنغام ( شوبرت ) تنبعث من جهاز الكاسيت العملاق .. قدح من الشيكولاتـة الساخنة .. هدوء تام هذه الليلة كأن الصاخبين قد ماتوا كما تمنيت .. لا سعال .. لا صـداع .. رائحة عطرة تنبعث من عـود بخور رفيـع تنقل لـك أجـواء المعابـد البوذية فى ( التبت ) .. الرائحة تمتزج بأنغام ( شوبرت ) صانعة مزيجًا شميًّا ــ سمعيًّا فريدًا .. أى أنك قد تصغى لرائحة البخور أو تشم الموسيقا ..".

ثمة تراثٌ أثري فريد من نوعه يلخّص فترات الحضارات المتعاقبة على الإمارات، وكيف امتلك الإنسان القديم فنّاً راقياً في التواصل مع الطبيعة وثقافة مهيبة ربما استفادها من حضارات أخرى بحكم التنقل والترحال، ولا شك أن النقوش الصخرية كشفت عن نبوغ ذلك الإنسان، كما امتلكت الجبال المنعزلة كجبل حفيت والبحايص والفاية وجبل مليحة مقومات الحياة كاملة قبل آلاف السنين. هذا الكتاب نتاج تأمّل داخل أفلاك الحجر والصحراء والماء والذات، يأخذك في رحلة بحث سرد حكائي أنثروبولوجي استقصائي إلى جماليات المكان الإماراتي منذ أزمنة التكوين البيئي، وإلى خيال الإنسان القديم الذي أصغى وانغمس في جوهر المخلوقات، وخلق تفاهماً ضمنياً فنياً مع طبيعتها وأجسادها.

Les traumatismes du nationalisme arabe – Pour comprendre la situation complexe du Moyen Orient aujourd'hui il faut revenir à l'histoire et aux traumatismes successifs du nationalisme arabe qu'ont été le colonialisme européen, les défaites successives contre l'État d'Israël et plus récemment l'invasion américaine de l'Irak. L'islamisme radical relais du nationalisme - Cet enregistrement offre le recul et les clés pour déchiffrer le présent et comprendre l'émergence de l'islamisme religieux supranational et radical d'aujourd'hui qui a en grande partie pris le relais du nationalisme arabe laïc.

Leah Broad's magnificent group biography resurrects these four forgotten voices, recounting lives of rebellion, heartbreak and ambition, and celebrating their musical masterpieces. Lighting up a panoramic sweep of British history over two World Wars, Quartet revolutionises the canon forever.

A standalone story set in the New York Times-bestselling Greenwild universe! It's been ten years since the events of the original trilogy, and a new magical threat brings eleven-year-old Annika Marina to the far reaches of the frozen world as she fights for the future of blue magic...

Dating back to around 2400 BCE, this profound collection of teachings from the vizier Ptahhotep offers invaluable insights on ethics, leadership, family life, and personal conduct. Often hailed as one of the earliest surviving works of literature, these maxims provide a blueprint for living a balanced, honorable life—lessons that resonate just as powerfully today as they did in the courts of the pharaohs. From advice on humility and justice to the art of wise speech and self-control, Ptahhotep’s words guide listeners toward moral excellence and practical success.

Skylar, Angela, Travis, and Sophie all received superpowers from enamel pins. But now they must track down the elusive pinmaker in this epic adventure, the sequel to In Search of Superpowers: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure. But friendships are put to the test in the wake of the mysterious...

A Medieval Life offers a biography of one woman, a portrait of her world, and an introduction to historical method. Written in a clear and accessible style, it reworks a well-loved book to provide an entirely new resource for students, teachers, and general listeners. Like Cecilia Penifader, most people in the Middle Ages were peasants, humble people living socially below the knights, bishops, and kings who figure so large in history books. Judith M. Bennett shows that peasants, too, made history.