Kirjahaku

The Ottoman Empire ruled the near East, dominated the Mediterranean, and terrorized Europe for centuries. However, its origins are obscure. The Beginnings of the Ottoman Empire illuminates the founding of the Empire, drawing on Turkish, Greek, Arabic, and Latin sources as well as coins, buildings, and topographic evidence. Clive Foss takes the reader through the rugged homeland of Osman, the founder of the Ottomans, placing his achievement in the context of his more powerful neighbours, most notably the once mighty Byzantine Empire, then in the terminal stages of its decline. Foss then charts the progress of Osman's son Orhan, until the fateful moment in 1354 when his forces crossed into Europe and began their spectacular conquests.

Ephesus has had a fascinating and eventful history. Famous for its connections with Artemis, Heraclitus and St Paul, it is also one of the richest archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. Founded in the tenth century BC, it became, in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the largest city and most important commercial centre in Asia Minor and continued in this role into Late Antiquity, where Professor Foss takes up its story. Professor Foss charts the fluctuations of Ephesus in all their aspects, religious, social, political and geographical, with extensive reference to many sources - historians, hagiographers, and travellers, as well as the rich archaeological evidence. The author's ability to visualise and convey what the city must have looked like at each stage, coupled with his strong narrative sense and varied choice of illustrations, will appeal to the general reader interested in Ephesus and to archaeologists, historians and those interested in church history.

Fidel Castro was a dynamic and charismatic leader, who led Cuba through success and failures from 1959. Son of a rich landowner, he became a radical revolutionary who attempted to overthrow the government in 1956 with a tiny band of followers. Using propaganda and subversion as much as sudden attacks from his mountain hideout, he gained victory in 1959. He liberated his country from one dictator and the overwhelming influence of the United States, only to turn it into another dictatorship firmly under the control and patronage of the Soviet Union. The failure of the American attack at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 added to his reputation, while the missile crisis of 1962 put Cuba right at the centre of the Cold War. Later, by sending his army to Africa and supporting guerrilla movements in Latin America, he made Cuba a signficant player on the world stage. Despite many attempts to remove him and the economic collapse of the USSR, Castro survived and in 1999, celebrated 40 years of his regime.

This biography of Fidel Castro by Clive Foss vividly portrays the life and times of this legendary figure.

Juan and Eva Peron formed a charismatic partnership, arousing passionate emotions in Argentina during the 1940s and '50s. Juan Peron's rise to power began in 1943 when he helped organise the successful coup of pro-Axis army officers. Eva, a former actress and subject of scandal, became increasingly influential, securing the vote for women.

This illustrated handbook presents a concise history of the development of the coinage of the early Arab caliphate in the seventh century, tracing its transition from coins that closely resembled Byzantine issues with imperial images to purely aniconic specimens with inscriptions in Arabic. This so-called "Arab-Byzantine series" sheds light on a pivotal period in the history of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, as formerly Byzantine provinces were slowly Arabicized and Islamicized following the Arab conquests of the 630s and 640s. The historical introduction, which includes descriptions of all the basic types, is followed by a summary catalogue of the recently acquired collection of Arab-Byzantine coins at Dumbarton Oaks.

Fidel Castro er en av verdens mest dynamiske ledere. Han ble en radikal revolujonær i 1956, og beseiret den sittende makten i 1959. Han befridde Cuba fra en diktator under innflytelse fra USA, og utformet straks sin egen diktatur, under kontroll fra Sovjet Union. Han har senere støttet mange geriljabevegelser rundt i verden. I 1999 feiret han sitt regimes 40. jubileum.