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Balzac's Paris: The City as Human Comedy
by Eric HazanExploring Paris arm in arm with Balzac, nineteenth-century France&’s most famous novelist and observerIn Balzac&’s vast Human Comedy, a body of ninety-one completed novels and stories, he endeavoured to create a complete picture of contemporary French society and manners. Within this work is a loving ode to Paris and an incomparable introduction to the first capital of the modern world.To this ageless city he makes a declaration of love in an accumulation of finely observed detail – the cafés, landmarks, avenues, parks – and captures the populace in countless meticulously drawn portraits: its lawyers, grisettes, journalists, concierges, usurers, salesmen, speculators.Balzac gathered the elements of this Paris by sauntering through it. &‘To saunter is a science,&’ he writes, &‘it is the gastronomy of the eye. To take a walk is to vegetate; to saunter is to live.&’ Eric Hazan follows in Balzac&’s footsteps, criss-crossing the city in the novelist&’s outsize boots, running between printers, publishers, coffee merchants, mistresses and friends, stopping for a moment, struck by a detail that would be fixed in Balzac&’s photographic memory.More than a tour of the city, Balzac&’s Paris is an attempt to measure the soul of a city as recovered in its finest literature.
Banbridge: The Star of County Down
by Doreen McBrideBanbridge gets its name from the bridge built across the River Bann in 1712. It’s a thriving modern town, rife with history and culture, surrounded by beautiful scenery that provided an iconic location for the internationally acclaimed television series Game of Thrones. It’s the setting of the well-known folk song ‘The Star of the County Down’, contains Europe's first flyover bridge and an ancient church founded by St Patrick himself. Travel from Ballievey along the Lower Bann, discover ancient Celtic sites, the remains of old linen mills and a Second World War aeroplane factory. Look, too, for the famous names attached to Banbridge, including Ernest Walton, the first person to see an artificially split atom; F.E. McWilliam, the renowned sculptor; and Captain Francis Crozier, the explorer who discovered the North West Passage.
Band on the Bus: Around the World in a Double-Decker
by Richard KingWhen nine friends set out from England in 1969 to travel the world in a double-decker bus called ‘Hairy Pillock’, little did they know that they would become honorary citizens of Texas, hold the keys to New York, release a record in Australia, perform for the Shah and Empress of Iran, and appear on countless television and radio shows around the world. Their epic three-year journey, which began as a bet with the landlord of their local pub, took them across perilous roads through Europe to Iran and Afghanistan, through the Khyber Pass to Pakistan and India, then to Australia and, finally, the United States and Canada. Initially planning on getting work as export salesmen, they soon had to supplement their meagre funds by performing the folk songs they sang in the pubs back home, after which they achieved minor stardom as The Philanderers throughout Australia and the US. This light-hearted account follows the group on their trip across deserts and mountains, as they undertook an incredible expedition that would be impossible today.
Bandelier National Monument (Images of America)
by Paul R. SecordBandelier National Monument is located about 60 miles west of Santa Fe, New Mexico, on the edge of the Valles Caldera, the center of a massive extinct volcano that forms the Jemez Mountains. The 50-plus-square-mile preserve was designated a national monument in 1916 and is named for anthropologist Adolph Bandelier, the first Euro-American to describe the area and encourage its preservation. Within its boundaries are some of the most important archaeological resources and the most striking scenery in the American Southwest. With deep canyons cutting through volcanic ash, the dramatic geology of the area alone would warrant national attention. However, this is also a place that shows evidence of nearly continuous human occupation for more than 10,000 years and still retains direct links between prehistoric and living Native Americans.
Bandera County (Images of America)
by Frontier Times MuseumLocated in the picturesque Texas Hill Country, Bandera County was named for nearby Bandera Pass, a naturally occurring passageway through the neighboring hills. Near the pass, the Medina River weaves its way through the county. In 1853, a group of settlers arrived and set up camp to make shingles from the huge cypress trees that grew along the river. Soon immigrant workers from Poland were recruited to work at a newly built sawmill. The beauty and abundance of resources also attracted an early group of Mormons, who established a nearby colony. The town of Bandera was designated the county seat at the formation of Bandera County in 1856. Bandera became a staging area for cattle drives up the Western Trail, and today the county still maintains its frontier character. The Western way of life prevails as visitors from around the world come to sample cowboy living on local dude ranches and enjoy honky-tonk music and dancehalls.
Bandit Roads: Into the Lawless Heart of Mexico
by Richard GrantThere are many ways to die in the Sierra Madre, a notorious nine-hundred-mile mountain range in northern Mexico where AK-47s are fetish objects, the law is almost non-existent and power lies in the hands of brutal drug mafias. Thousands of tons of opium and marijuana are produced there every year. Richard Grant thought it would be a good idea to travel the length of the Sierra Madre and write a book about it. He was warned before he left that he would be killed. But driven by what he calls 'an unfortunate fascination' for this mysterious region, Grant sets off anyway. In a remarkable piece of investigative writing, he evokes a sinister, surreal landscape of lonely mesas, canyons sometimes deeper than the Grand Canyon, hostile villages and an outlaw culture where homicide is the most common cause of death and grandmothers sell cocaine. Finally his luck runs out and he finds himself fleeing for his life, pursued by men who would murder a stranger in their territory 'to please the trigger finger'.
Bandit Roads: Into the Lawless Heart of Mexico
by Richard GrantThere are many ways to die in the Sierra Madre, a notorious nine-hundred-mile mountain range in northern Mexico where AK-47s are fetish objects, the law is almost non-existent and power lies in the hands of brutal drug mafias. Thousands of tons of opium and marijuana are produced there every year. Richard Grant thought it would be a good idea to travel the length of the Sierra Madre and write a book about it. He was warned before he left that he would be killed. But driven by what he calls 'an unfortunate fascination' for this mysterious region, Grant sets off anyway. In a remarkable piece of investigative writing, he evokes a sinister, surreal landscape of lonely mesas, canyons sometimes deeper than the Grand Canyon, hostile villages and an outlaw culture where homicide is the most common cause of death and grandmothers sell cocaine. Finally his luck runs out and he finds himself fleeing for his life, pursued by men who would murder a stranger in their territory 'to please the trigger finger'.
Bangkok: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Thailand
by Leela PunyaratabandhuFrom one of the most respected authorities on Thai cooking comes this beautiful and deeply personal ode to Bangkok, the top-ranked travel destination in the world.Every year, more than 16 million visitors flock to Thailand’s capital city, and leave transfixed by the vibrant culture and unforgettable food they encounter along the way. Thai cuisine is more popular today than ever, yet there is no book that chronicles the real food that Thai people eat every day—until now. In Bangkok, award-winning author Leela Punyaratabandhu offers 120 recipes that capture the true spirit of the city—from heirloom family dishes to restaurant classics to everyday street eats to modern cosmopolitan fare. Beautiful food and location photography will make this a must-have keepsake for any reader who has fallen under Bangkok’s spell.
Bangkok: City of Angels
by Bill Wassman Joe CummingsIn over 140 stunning color photographs, backed by the lucid and insightful writing of Joe Cummings, Bill Wassman brings us exquisite portraits and views of Bangkok's people, places, and a host of other delights. Wassman's work is an absolute joy to experience as it celebrates the beauty of this remarkable city. In allowing readers to enter the world of Bangkok, they show clearly why Thailand's heartbeat continues to enchant and beguile all who visit her.
Bangkok: City of Angels
by Bill Wassman Joe CummingsIn over 140 stunning color photographs, backed by the lucid and insightful writing of Joe Cummings, Bill Wassman brings us exquisite portraits and views of Bangkok's people, places, and a host of other delights. Wassman's work is an absolute joy to experience as it celebrates the beauty of this remarkable city. In allowing readers to enter the world of Bangkok, they show clearly why Thailand's heartbeat continues to enchant and beguile all who visit her.
Bangkok Babylon
by Jerry HopkinsIn the colorful tradition of Orwell and Hemingway, Maugham and Theroux, Jerry Hopkins recalls his first decade as a Bangkok expatriate by profiling twenty-five of the city's most unforgettable characters.Among them are the man thought to be the model for Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, an advertising executive who photographs Thai bargirls for Playboy, an Oscar-winning screenwriter who moved there to die, a Catholic priest who has lived and worked in the Bangkok slums for 35 years, a circus dwarf turned computer programmer turned restaurateur, three Vietnam war helicopter pilots who opened a go-go bar, a pianist at one of the world's best hotels who ended up on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list, a gem dealer who smuggles antiquities from Burma and Cambodia, a detective who tracks runaways who fake their deaths, and a documentary filmmaker who lives with elephants.All of them "escaped" to Thailand to re-invent themselves and live out their fantasies in one of the world's most notorious cities..
Bangkok Days: A Sojourn in the Capital of Pleasure
by Lawrence OsborneA PASSIONATE, AFFECTIONATE RECORD OF ADVENTURES AND MISADVENTURES IN THE WORLD'S HOTTEST METROPOLIS Tourists come to Bangkok for many reasons—a sex change operation, a night with two prostitutes dressed as nuns, a stay in a luxury hotel. Lawrence Osborne comes for the cheap dentistry. Broke (but no longer in pain), he finds that he can live in Bangkok on a few dollars a day. And so the restless exile stays. Osborne's is a visceral experience of Bangkok, whether he's wandering the canals that fill the old city; dining at the No Hands Restaurant, where his waitress feeds him like a baby; or launching his own notably unsuccessful career as a gigolo. A guide without inhibitions, Osborne takes us to a feverish place where a strange blend of ancient Buddhist practice and new sexual mores has created a version of modernity only superficially indebted to the West. Bangkok Days is a love letter to the city that revived Osborne's faith in adventure and the world.
Bangladesh
by C. GanesanThe book narrates the history, geography, people’s culture and economy of Bangladesh, a country in South Asia and contains details of tourist spots and a lot of useful tips for anyone intends to visit this country.
Bangladesh - Culture Smart!
by Urmi RahmanBangladesh is a lush, green country situated on the fertile Ganges delta, adjacent to the Indian state of West Bengal. Although there are hilly areas in the northeast, this densely populated country is mostly flat, and criss-crossed by many rivers. Much of its coastline forms part of the world's largest mangrove forests, the Sundarbans, home to the Royal Bengal tiger and many other flora and fauna. Bangladesh is young country with an ancient history. The province of Bengal was divided when India became independent in 1947, and its mainly Muslim eastern part became East Pakistan. This was followed by years of upheaval, and in 1971, after a freedom movement and a war, the east Bengali people finally gained independence as the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Most Bangladeshis live in rural areas, and the majority are Muslims. Historically they have lived in harmony with many other faiths. Bengali, or Bangla, is the lingua franca, and there are several regional dialects. Once the hub of the southern Silk Route, the Bengal delta region has a long and rich cultural tradition. Over the centuries it has been influenced by Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. It is a land of writers, saints, scientists, thinkers, composers, painters, and film-makers. It is famous for its music, dance, and drama; arts and crafts; folklore; languages and literature; philosophy and religion; festivals and celebrations; and its distinctive cuisine and culinary tradition. Bangladesh has been regularly hit by floods and cyclones, but, contrary to what the world usually hears about natural disasters and poverty, there is positive economic growth and the country is one of southeast Asia's largest exporters of garments to Western markets. Despite the hardships they endure the Bangladeshis are resilient, friendly, and hospitable, and welcome all visitors with a warm smile. This book introduces you to the people beyond the headlines, and offers invaluable advice on what to expect and how to behave in different situations, whether you are a tourist or traveling on business.
Banksy Locations & Tours Volume 2: A Collection of Graffiti Locations and Photographs from around the UK
by Martin BullFollowing the runaway success of the original edition, this unique book collects the rest of Banksy's graffiti from the last five years. With more than 100 different locations highlighted and color photographs of Banksy's street art, this is a thoroughly up-to-date catalog of his most recent work. Also included with the photographs are trivia regarding each location, a full walking tour of the remaining work in Banksy's native Bristol, and snippets of graffiti by several other artists.
Bannerman Castle
by Thom Johnson Barbara H. GottlockFor generations, boaters and train passengers have been mystified and intrigued by the sight of a castlelike structure looming in the Hudson River, near Fishkill. Bannerman Castle unveils the history of this site: an island arsenal, built to resemble a Scottish castle. The story begins in 1900, when Francis Bannerman VI purchased the island--officially Pollepel but later called Bannerman's Island--for storing used military goods purchased from the government. A native of Scotland, Bannerman designed his arsenal to resemble a Scottish castle.
Bar Menu: 100+ Drinking Food Recipes for Cocktail Hours at Home
by André DarlingtonCraft unforgettable happy hours at home with this globally inspired collection of 100+ crave-worthy bar bites and cocktail pairings from the bestselling author of Booze & Vinyl and The New Cocktail Hour.Bring the world&’s best drinking food home and into your kitchen with this stylish recipe book featuring more than 100 drool-worthy, easy-to-prepare dishes. Award-winning food-and-drink writer André Darlington serves up creative bites and reimagined classics from around the globe—everything from quick nosh to wowing party-pleasers—to make Bar Menu the ultimate guide to boozy eating and entertaining at home. Whether you are a cocktailer looking for food pairings, or an armchair traveler eager to recreate iconic bar bites from the comfort of your own kitchen, this is your bible for hosting memorable cocktail hours. Companion drink ideas for every dish, 30+ cocktail recipes, quick history lessons, plus tricks and tips on everything from curating menus to batching drinks for a crowd of family and friends make this a cocktail hour cookbook unlike anything you&’ve seen before.Recipes include Persian Saffron Pistachios, Piri Piri Shrimp Cocktail, Cacio e Pepe Frittata, Gin-Cured Gravlax, Cocktail Ramen Eggs, Italian Riviera Meatballs, Sticky Flanken Ribs, Jalapeño-Corn Sablés, Mezcal Pudding, African Ginger Cakes, and many more.
Baraboo
by Sauk County Historical SocietyBaraboo, a community as unique as its name, had the same beginnings as many other southern Wisconsin cities--but its development throughout the 19th century set it apart. Starting in 1839, several dams were built along the Baraboo River rapids and a typical mill town formed. Baraboo's population began to rise when it became the county seat in 1846. With the arrival of the railroad in 1871, the village doubled in size within a decade. The railroad also brought exposure to the nearby natural beauty of Devil's Lake, increasing tourism significantly. Baraboo's greatest claim to fame began when the Ringling Brothers established a circus there in 1884. America's largest circus enterprise, Ringling Brothers made Baraboo their winter home every year until 1918.
Baraboo (Postcard History Series)
by Sauk County Historical SocietyLike many small Midwestern cities, Baraboo has had the usual share of postcards printed featuring its buildings and landscapes. However, Baraboo’s unique place in Wisconsin history provided for a much richer array of subject matter. As the original winter quarters of the Ringling Brothers Circus, along with its proximity to Devil’s Lake and its place as a division headquarters for the Chicago & North Western railroad, Baraboo has always provided an interesting setting for postcard images.
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life
by William Finnegan<P>Barbarian Days is William Finnegan's memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Surfing only looks like a sport. To initiates, it is something else entirely: a beautiful addiction, a demanding course of study, a morally dangerous pastime, a way of life. <P>Raised in California and Hawaii, Finnegan started surfing as a child. He has chased waves all over the world, wandering for years through the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, Africa. A bookish boy, and then an excessively adventurous young man, he went on to become a distinguished writer and war reporter. Barbarian Days takes us deep into unfamiliar worlds, some of them right under our noses--off the coasts of New York and San Francisco. It immerses the reader in the edgy camaraderie of close male friendships annealed in challenging waves. <P>Finnegan shares stories of life in a whitesonly gang in a tough school in Honolulu even while his closest friend was a Hawaiian surfer. He shows us a world turned upside down for kids and adults alike by the social upheavals of the 1960s. He details the intricacies of famous waves and his own apprenticeships to them. Youthful folly--he drops LSD while riding huge Honolua Bay, on Maui--is served up with rueful humor. He and a buddy, their knapsacks crammed with reef charts, bushwhack through Polynesia. They discover, while camping on an uninhabited island in Fiji, one of the world's greatest waves. <P>As Finnegan's travels take him ever farther afield, he becomes an improbable anthropologist: unpicking the picturesque simplicity of a Samoan fishing village, dissecting the sexual politics of Tongan interactions with Americans and Japanese, navigating the Indonesian black market while nearly succumbing to malaria. Throughout, he surfs, carrying readers with him on rides of harrowing, unprecedented lucidity. <P>Barbarian Days is an old-school adventure story, an intellectual autobiography, a social history, a literary road movie, and an extraordinary exploration of the gradual mastering of an exacting, little understood art. Today, Finnegan's surfing life is undiminished. Frantically juggling work and family, he chases his enchantment through Long Island ice storms and obscure corners of Madagascar. <P><b>**Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography**</b>
A Barbarian in Asia
by Sylvia Beach Henri MichauxA wild journey to the East narrated by a writer who is “without equal in the literature of our time” (Jorge Luis Borges) Henri Michaux (1899–1984), the great French poet and painter, set out as a young man to see the Far East. Traveling from India to the Himalayas, and on to China and Japan, Michaux voices his vivid impressions, cutting opinions, and curious insights: he has no trouble speaking his mind. Part fanciful travelogue and part exploration of culture, A Barbarian in Asia is presented here in its original translation by Sylvia Beach, the famous American-born bookseller in Paris.
Bárbaros: Spaniards and Their Savages in the Age of Enlightenment
by David J. WeberTwo centuries after Cortés and Pizarro seized the Aztec and Inca empires, Spain’s conquest of America remained unfinished. Indians retained control over most of the lands in Spain’s American empire. Mounted on horseback, savvy about European ways, and often possessing firearms, independent Indians continued to find new ways to resist subjugation by Spanish soldiers and conversion by Spanish missionaries. In this panoramic study, David J. Weber explains how late eighteenth century Spanish administrators tried to fashion a more enlightened policy toward the people they called bárbaros, or “savages.” Even Spain’s most powerful monarchs failed, however, to enforce a consistent, well-reasoned policy toward Indians. At one extreme, powerful independent Indians forced Spaniards to seek peace, acknowledge autonomous tribal governments, and recognize the existence of tribal lands, fulfilling the Crown’s oft-stated wish to use “gentle” means in dealing with Indians. At the other extreme the Crown abandoned its principles, authorizing bloody wars on Indians when Spanish officers believed they could defeat them. Power, says Weber, more than the power of ideas, determined how Spaniards treated “savages” in the Age of Enlightenment.
Barbourville and Knox County
by Michael C. MillsKnox County was created in 1799, and the town of Barbourville sprang up on the banks of the Cumberland River, at the mouth of Richland Creek. The site of one of the first small battles of the Civil War, Barbourville grew from a sleepy little community into a center of trade and travel in Kentucky. Both the town and the county are celebrated and explored in this unique collection, one that showcases the pioneering spirit and achievements of the area's earliest settlers. History was made in Knox County even before the county was formed, as Daniel Boone blazed the trails known as the Wilderness Road; his legacy left an indelible mark on the community, present today in its most popular tourist attractions and annual festivals. Just as Boone altered the course of the county's history, so too did the advent of coal mining, the discovery of gas, the coming of the railroad, the devastation of floods, and the development of schools. These and many other fascinating elements of Knox County's heritage are brought to life in photographs culled from the collections of the Cumberland Gap Historical Park, The Knox County Historical Museum, The Filson Club, The Kentucky Historical Society, and numerous private collections.
Barcelona, Block by Block: An Illustrated Guide to the Heart of Catalonia (Block by Block)
by Cierra BlockFor anyone who loves Barcelona - whether you're a first-time tourist or a lifetime local - this is the book for you. From museums and markets to bakeries and boutiques, artist Cierra Block unlocks the secrets of the city in Barcelona Block by Block. Vibrantly illustrated and packed with insider-knowledge on the most notable places to eat, what to see, where to walk and what to do, this is a guide like no other. Discover the masterpieces of Gaudí, explore breathtaking beaches or indulge in churros con chocolate - the options are endless! Find out how to navigate the Gothic Quarter like a pro, immerse yourself in iconic architecture and track down the very best tapas in town with Barcelona Block by Block, a stunning guide to one of the most loved cities in the world.
Barcelona, Block by Block: An Illustrated Guide to the Heart of Catalonia (Block by Block)
by Cierra BlockFor anyone who loves Barcelona - whether you're a first-time tourist or a lifetime local - this is the book for you. From museums and markets to bakeries and boutiques, artist Cierra Block unlocks the secrets of the city in Barcelona Block by Block. Vibrantly illustrated and packed with insider-knowledge on the most notable places to eat, what to see, where to walk and what to do, this is a guide like no other. Discover the masterpieces of Gaudí, explore breathtaking beaches or indulge in churros con chocolate - the options are endless! Find out how to navigate the Gothic Quarter like a pro, immerse yourself in iconic architecture and track down the very best tapas in town with Barcelona Block by Block, a stunning guide to one of the most loved cities in the world.