UNITED STATES AUTHOR · PICTORIAL WORKS · DESCRIPTION AND TRAVEL
John L. Stoddard
Also known as: John Lawson Stoddard, Stoddard, John L. (John Lawson), 1850-1931
This is a map of Japan.
— from Japan
Most acclaimed
China
"Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of people with his grand, sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of an iconic place over multiple generations. Now, in China: The Novel, Rutherfurd takes readers into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom. The story begins in 1839, at the dawn of the first Opium War. An English merchant arrives in the restricted port of Canton (Guangzhou), seeking to make his fortune trading opium. But the tide of addiction is decimating the Chinese population--a young scholar accompanies his Mandarin master on a mission from the emperor to shut down the trade. Thus begins an epic tale chronicling China's struggle to regain their ancient land and culture from the domination of the Western powers, which culminates in the revolution of 1911, and the ultimate rise of the Communist regime. We meet a young village wife struggling with the rigid traditions of her people, Manchu empresses and warriors, the powerful eunuchs of the Forbidden City, rapacious English opium dealers and savvy Chinese pirates, artists, concubines, scoundrel's and heroes. Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese, British, and American families, as they negotiate the tides of history. Along the way, in his signature style, Rutherfurd provides a deeply researched portrait of Chinese history and society, its ancient traditions and great upheavals, and China's emergence as a rising global power. We are treated to romance and adventure, battles and intrigues, grinding struggle and incredible fortune. China: The Novel brings to life the rich terrain of this vast and constantly evolving country. From Shanghai to Beijing to the Great Wall, Rutherfurd chronicles the turbulent rise and fall of empires as the colonial West meets the opulent and complex East in a dramatic struggle between cultures and people. Extraordinarily researched and majestically told, Rutherfurd paints a thrilling portrait of one of the most singular and remarkable countries in the world"-- 1839, at the dawn of the first Opium War. An English merchant arrives in the restricted port of Canton (seeking to make his fortune trading opium. But the tide of addiction is decimating the Chinese population, and a young scholar accompanies his Mandarin master on a mission from the emperor to shut down the trade. Over the centuries China struggles to regain their ancient land and culture from the domination of the Western powers; the fortunes of members of Chinese, British, and American families rise and fall, and the tides of history bring to life the rich terrain of this vast and constantly evolving country. -- condensed from publisher info
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is the universal city, the capital of two peoples, the shrine of three faiths; it is the prize of empires, the site of Judgement Day and the battlefield of today's clash of civilizations. From King David to Barack Obama, from the birth of Judaism, Christianity and Islam to the Israel-Palestine conflict, this is the epic history of three thousand years of faith, slaughter, fanaticism and coexistence. How did this small, remote town become the Holy City, the "center of the world" and now the key to peace in the Middle East? In a gripping narrative, Simon Sebag Montefiore reveals this ever-changing city in its many incarnations, bringing every epoch and character blazingly to life. Jerusalem's biography is told through the wars, love affairs and revelations of the men and women -- kings, empresses, prophets, poets, saints, conquerors and whores -- who created, destroyed, chronicled and believed in Jerusalem. As well as the many ordinary Jerusalemites who have left their mark on the city, its cast varies from Solomon, Saladin and Suleiman the Magnificent to Cleopatra, Caligula and Churchill; from Abraham to Jesus and Muhammad; from the ancient world of Jezebel, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod and Nero to the modern times of the Kaiser, Disraeli, Mark Twain, Lincoln, Rasputin, Lawrence of Arabia and Moshe Dayan. Drawing on new archives, current scholarship, his own family papers and a lifetime's study, Montefiore illuminates the essence of sanctity and mysticism, identity and empire in a unique chronicle of the city that many believe will be the setting for the Apocalypse. This is how Jerusalem became Jerusalem, and the only city that exists twice -- in heaven and on earth. - Publisher.
Japan
"This book will explore the history, geography, wildlife, government, economy, religion, culture, and people of Japan. Also, students will have at their fingertips the most current facts and statistics that relate to Japan"--Provided by Publisher.