GUIDEBOOKS · DESCRIPTION AND TRAVEL
Christopher Kininmonth
Most acclaimed
Sicily
"'Sicily,' said Goethe, 'is the key to everything.' The birthplace of Archimedes, Georgio de Chirico, and Muhammad al-Idrisi, it is the largest island in the Mediterranean. The stepping-stone between Europe and Africa, the gateway between the East and the West, the link between the Latin world and the Greek, at once a stronghold, clearing-house and observation-point, it has been fought over and occupied in turn by all the great powers that have striven over the centuries to extend their dominion across the Middle Sea. John Julius Norwich offers a vivid, erudite, page-turning account of an island and the remarkable kings, queens, and tyrants who fought to rule it. From its beginnings as a feared Greek city-state to its rise as a wealthy, multicultural trading hub during the Crusades, to its rebellion against Italian unification and the rise of the Mafia, the story of Sicily is rich with extraordinary moments and dramatic characters. Norwich outlines the surprising influence Sicily has had on world history--the Roman fascination with Greek culture dates back to their sack of Sicily--and tells the story of one of the world's most kaleidoscopic cultures in a galvanizing, contemporary way"--
Morocco
1904
A cabaret singer arrives in Morocco and continues her wicked career by enslaving all the men in sight, until she finally falls in love. Blonde Venus: An aspiring young actress gives up the stage to marry a scientist who becomes afflicted with radium poisoning. She returns to cabaret life and meets a wealthy playboy who gives her the money for her husband's treatment. The devil is a woman: At the turn of the century, in the port town of Seville, it's carnival week, and the blood of enemies and the passions of lovers run hot. But, none so much as those of a young revolutionary, his old friend, and the new woman who comes between them both. The flame of New Orleans: An impoverished countess arrives in New Orleans with one thing in mind, to marry a wealthy man. Golden earrings: A Hungarian gypsy rescues a British intelligence officer and helps him to accomplish his mission