This new edition of Burton Stein's classic A History of India builds on the success of the original to provide an updated narrative of the development... of Indian society, culture, and politics from 7000 BC to the present.New edition of Burton Stein’s classic text provides a narrative from 7000 BC up to the twenty-first centuryIncludes updated and extended coverage of the modern period, with a new chapter covering the death of Nehru in 1964 to the presentExpands coverage of India's internal political and economic development, and its wider diplomatic role in the regionFeatures a new introduction, updated glossary and further reading sections, and numerous figures, photographs and fully revised maps

This fresh and up-to-date interpretation of India's rich and extraordinary history, written by a leading authority in the field, explores themes in... ancient, medieval and especially modern India. Peter Robb's accessible study analyzes India's civilizations, empires and regions through the ages, and now also evaluates present-day developments and opportunities. This second edition of A History of India: * Examines the relationships between politics, religious belief, social order, environment and economic change* Assesses, from c. 1860, British colonialism, Indian nationalism and nation-building, popular protest movements, religious revivals, and reinventions of caste, community and gender* Discusses long-term economic development, the impact of global trade, and the origins of rural poverty* Has been revised in the light of the latest scholarship, and now features a Chronology as well as a fully reworked final chapter which brings the story up to the present day and carefully considers India's prospects and new roles in the world. Centered around clearly expressed and well argued topics, issues and explanations, A History of India remains the ideal introduction for all those who wish to understand the drama and vitality of India's past, its present situation and its future challenges.

This accessible introduction to Inner Asia traces its history from the arrival of Islam, through the various dynasties to the Russian conquest. The... contemporary focus rests on the seven countries that make up present-day Eurasia: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Sinkiang and Mongolia. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, renewed interest in these countries has prompted considerable debate. While a divergent literature has evolved, no comprehensive survey of the region exists. This book will fill the gap and become indispensable for anyone studying or visiting the area.

The first edition of this major survey on interior design by John Pile won the 2001 ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Educational... Foundation/Joel Polsky Prize. Now this standard history has been updated to reflect greater coverage of non-Western design, as well as vernacular and residential interiors. A deeper exploration of sustainable design and a CD-ROM with an interactive presentation of periods and styles makes this the most relevant text available. Includes more than 500 photographs and drawings in color and black and white.

Although frequently vilified, Iran is a nation of great intellectual variety and depth, and one of the oldest continuing civilizations in the world. Its... political impact has been tremendous, not only on its neighbors in the Middle East but also throughout the world. From the time of the prophet Zoroaster, to the powerful ancient Persian Empires, to the revolution of 1979, the hostage crisis, and the current standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Michael Axworthy vividly narrates the nation’s rich history. He explains clearly and carefully both the complex succession of dynasties that ruled ancient Iran and the surprising ethnic diversity of the modern country, held together by a common culture. With Iran again the focus of the world’s attention, A History of Iran is an essential guide to understanding this volatile nation.

To understand Iraq, Charles Tripp's history is the book to read. Since its first appearance in 2000, it has become a classic in the field of Middle East... studies, read and admired by students, soldiers, policymakers and journalists. The book is now updated to include the recent American invasion, the fall and capture of Saddam Hussein and the subsequent descent into civil strife. What is clear is that much that has happened since 2003 was foreshadowed in the account found in this book. Tripp's thesis is that the history of Iraq throughout the twentieth-century has made it what it is today, but also provides alternative futures. Unless this is properly understood, many of the themes explored in this book - patron-client relations, organized violence, sectarian, ethnic and tribal difference - will continue to exert a hold over the future of Iraq as they did over its past.

A tiny island in the North Atlantic, Ireland has had an astonishingly powerful impact on the wider world, both at the height of its independent power in... the early middle ages, as the key exporter of Christianity to much of Europe, and at the depth of its colonial subjugation by Britain, as the primary source of millions of settlers to North America and Australia. A History of Ireland explores the story of Ireland from the 12th century to the end of the 20th century. Written chronologically, it explores the period of the English invasion of Ireland, the emergence of a Gaelic culture, the religious conflicts across the centuries, the struggle over Home Rule, and the complex nature of the modern troubles. Covering the main political narratives of the country, A History of Ireland also delves into major economic, social, and cultural events, and offers a fascinating glimpse into Ireland’s past.

The first comprehensive survey of Islamic philosophy from the seventh century to the present, this classic discusses Islamic thought and its effect on... the cultural aspects of Muslim life. Fakhry shows how Islamic philosophy has followed from the earliest times a distinctive line of development, which gives it the unity and continuity that are the marks of the great intellectual movements of history.

Long considered a classic, A History of Islamic Societies is now that much more useful a reference for general readers and scholars alike. Widely... praised for its balanced and comprehensive account, Ira Lapidus' work has been fully revised in its coverage of each country and region of the Muslim world through 2001. It incorporates the origins and evolution of Islamic societies and brings into focus the historical processes that gave shape to the manifold varieties of contemporary Islam. The concluding chapters survey the growing influence of the Islamist movements within national states and in their transnational or global dimensions, including the Islamic revival, Islamist politics and terrorism. An updated discussion of the roles of women in Islamic societies is added, with new sections about Afghanistan and Muslims in Europe, America, and the Philippines. Ira M. Lapidus is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California at Berkeley. His many books and articles include Islam, Politics and Social Movements (University of California Press, 1988) and Muslim Cities in the Later Middle Ages (Cambridge, 1984).

The period of Muslim occupation in Spain represents the only significant contact Islam and Europe was ever to have on European soil. In this important... as well as fascinating study, Watt traces Islam's influence upon Spain and European civilization--from the collapse of the Visigoths in the eighth century to the fall of Granada in the fifteenth, and considers Spain's importance as a part of the Islamic empire. Particular attention is given to the golden period of economic and political stability achieved under the Umayyads. Without losing themselves in detail and without sacrificing complexity, the authors discuss the political, social, and economic continuity in Islamic Spain, or al-Andalus, in light of its cultural and intellectual effects upon the rest of Europe. Medieval Christianity, Watt points out, found models of scholarship in the Islamic philosophers and adapted the idea of holy war to its own purposes while the final reunification of Spain under the aegis of the Reconquista played a significant role in bringing Europe out of the Middle Ages. A survey essential to anyone seeking a more complete knowledge of European or Islamic history, the volume also includes sections on literature and philology by Pierre Cachia. This series of "Islamic surveys" is designed to give the educated reader something more than can be found in the usual popular books. Each work undertakes to survey a special part of the field, and to show the present stage of scholarship here. Where there is a clear picture this will be given; but where there are gaps, obscurities and differences of opinion, these will also be indicated. Full and annotated bibliographies will afford guidance to those who want to pursue their studies further. There will also be some account of the nature and extent of the source material. The series is addressed in the first place to the educated reader, with little or no previous knowledge of the subject; its character is such that it should be of value also to university students and others whose interest is of a more professional kind.

Muslims began arriving in the New World long before the rise of the Atlantic slave trade. The first arrivals date to the turn of the sixteenth century... when European explorers and colonists crossed the Atlantic in search of new horizons and trading routes. Kambiz GhaneaBassiri's fascinating book traces the history of Muslims in the United States and their different waves of immigration and conversion across five centuries, through colonial and antebellum America, through world wars and civil rights struggles, to the contemporary era. The book tells the often deeply moving stories of individual Muslims and their lives as immigrants and citizens within the broad context of the American religious experience, showing how that experience has been integral to the evolution of American Muslim institutions and practices. This is a unique and intelligent portrayal of a diverse religious community and its relationship with America. It will serve as a strong antidote to the current politicized dichotomy between Islam and the West, which has come to dominate the study of Muslims in America and further afield.

Unsurpassed for nearly half a century, and now with a new introduction and appendix by William P. Brown, John Bright's A History of Israel will continue... to be a standard for a new generation of students of the Old Testament. This book remains a classic in the literature of theological education.

<span style="font-weight: bold;">An unprecedented survey of Italian film from the leading expert in the... field</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A History of Italian Cinema</span> is a major new study from the author of the bestselling <span style="font-style: italic;">Italian Cinema</span> - which has been published in three landmark editions and celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2008. Building upon his decades of research, Peter Bondanella has now written the definitive history of the subject, from the birth of cinema to the present day. He has rethought, reorganized, and completely rewritten his previous work, which focused on postwar cinema, and has broadened his coverage of the spaghetti western and comedy genres. Bondanella also now covers a huge range of work that was not previously considered, particularly both popular and ‘B' genres, including: the sword and sandal epic or "peplum" film of the 1950s; the Italian horror film, the so-called spaghetti nightmare films (including the subcategories of horror, the Italian zombie and cannibal films), that began in the 1950s and continue through the present; the giallo or Italian mystery thriller; and the poliziesco or Italian crime film from the 1970s to the present. This new book also examines the emergence of a "third wave" of new auteurs born in the 1950s as well as an even younger group of important directors born in the 1960s who have already made their mark on the direction of the Italian cinema in the third millennium. <br /><br />Finally, <span style="font-style: italic;">A History of Italian Cinema</span> now includes the most comprehensive bibliography of the subject ever to be assembled in an English-language publication. Erudite, comprehensive, and heavily illustrated throughout, this is an essential purchase for any fan of Italian film.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Praise for Bondanella's previous work in the field:<br /></div><span><i><o:p /></i></span><br/><p class="MsoNormal"><span>"Extremely interesting and stimulating."</span><span>—<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bernardo Bertolucci</span><o:p /></span></p><br/><p class="MsoNormal"><span>"A very good book and a very accurate one."</span><span>—<span style="font-weight: bold;">Federico Fellini</span><o:p /></span></p><br/><p class="MsoNormal"><span>"The librarian who does not get Bondanella immediately must be petitioned, picketed, importuned."</span><span>—<i style="font-weight: bold;">Choice<o:p /></i></span></p><br/><span>"To measure the progress<br/>and development of Anglo-American studies on Italian cinema, one needs<br/>only to consider Peter Bondanella's pioneering and seminal <i>Italian Cinema</i>...Bondanella's<br/>work carries the crucial merit of having opened up a panoramic view of<br/>Italian national cinema to Anglo-American film scholars who in general<br/>were mostly familiar with only a few masterpieces. Over the years,<br/>Bondanella's systematic approach has enabled and inspired countless<br/>studies."</span><span>—<span style="font-weight: bold;">Gian Piero Brunetta, Professor of History and Film Criticism, University of Padua, Italy</span></span><br /><br /> >