Mongols in Western/American consciousness

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James Lasdun and Pia Davis

Fully updated for 2005—The classic guide to the dazzling landscapes and hidden delights of two of Italy's most tantalizing provincesJames Lasdun and Pia Davis offer forty walks through the spectacular countryside of Tuscany and Umbria. Arranged for the utmost flexibility—from half-day outings easily accessible from a city base to day walks that can be linked together in a series—the itineraries combine the pleasures of walking and eating with one of the most enchanting landscapes in the world. Calling at medieval hill towns, secluded Benedictine abbeys, spring-fed pools, and Etruscan ruins, Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria enables travelers to discover Italy’s finest delights in a singularly rewarding way.Featuring:• New and revised walks• Clear, easy-to-follow maps• Suggestions for local food and wine and the best restaurants, hotels, and family- run accommodations• Half-day, full-day, or overnight itineraries• Practical tips, including information on climate, what to take, what to wear, and much more

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edited and translated by Jürgen Buchenau

"This rich anthology provides a glimpse of modern Mexico through the eyes of foreign observers. Some of these selections are by well-known authors (Alexander von Humboldt, John Reed, B. Traven, Evelyn Waugh). Some are unpublished pieces by little-known writers, and six are available here for the first time in English." "The writings fall into four periods: the transitions to independence and Mexico's first decades as a sovereign country (1800-1867), the era of Liberal modernization (1867-1910), the Mexican Revolution (1910-1940), and the post-World War II era. Four major topics show up repeatedly: ethnicity, gender, and race; cultural differences between Mexicans and foreigners; political stability and instability; and the economy and its impact on Mexicans. Although observers expressed a wide range of view-points on these issues, they agreed in finding a stunning degree of ethnic and regional diversity as well as what they saw as stark contrasts between urban and rural, rich and poor, modernity and tradition." "In addition to Anglo-American authors, the anthology includes selections by German, French, Norwegian, and Spanish authors. Just over a third of the pieces are by women, who offer glimpses of private worlds closed to men, such as convent life, relations between women and their servants, and household affairs"--Page 4 of cover.

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Marco Polo

Join the 13th century merchants Marco, Niccolo and Maffeo Polo as they journey from their native city of Venice to the faraway land of Cathay, or China. There, young Marco will meet Kublai Khan, the ruler of the vast Mongolian empire. Read about his many adventures serving the Khan in the lands East of Europe, and his adventures coming back home to Venice. This medieval book, dictated by Marco while imprisoned in Genoa, was one of the inspirations of the Age of Exploration during the Renaissance, and it still intrigues readers today to learn of the Polo's adventures in the far East.

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Robert Smith Bader

An interpretative study of the image of Kansas, focusing primarily on the twentieth-century, and looking at how the national reputation of the state has wavered from being renowned for cultural aggressiveness and societal confidence to being perceived as drab and backward.