Every recipe in this book is a winner. I have given it away to 2 great friends already. I highly recommend it!

The political and military situation in Africa's largest contry, Sudan, is not considered news in the West, and sothere is very little readily available information about it. In this book John Garang, Commander in Chief of the National Democratic Alliance, writes about his country, its past and its future. For anyone with an interest in African affairs, social justice or the politics of war, this book - written by a warlord - is highly recommended. The book includes many speeches given by Garang as events unfolded in Sudan, and letters exchanged between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the various other powers in the country over the past decade. Although not really a book for a Saturday afternoon, The Call for Democracy in Sudan is well worth the effort; a score of nine out of ten is well deserved.

Richard Bulliet's, Camel and the Wheel, is a seminal example of social history from the perspective of an animal. In the vein of the French Annales school of Marc Bloch and Ladurie, Bulliet traces the origin of the camel in North America (!), tracks how it got to the Middle East, how it came to be the favourite beast of the Arabs and how it helped to facilitate the lightening Muslim conquests in the 7th century that brought all of North Africa, Spain, the Levant, Iran, and Sind under Muslim control by 711 C.E. Bulliet lays out some surprising discoveries in the realm of camel saddles and explains why they carry the key to the Arab conquests. Significantly, Bulliet posits a brilliant counter-intuitive theory for the disappearance of the wheel from the Middle East for the better part of a millenium--a theory that is no longer even questioned. Readers will find intriguing and superbly documented responses to some of these crucial issues. A veritable historical "who-dunnit", Camel and the Wheel is an entertaining and enlightening read!

In 1995, a friend and I threw a tent in the back of my car, and armed with the Eastern States volume, started a four and a half month camping trip. Camp the US was such an invaluable resource that we searched the state of Arizona for the Western & Midwestern states. I only hope these books return to print!

The book begins with coverage of Canaanite beginnings in the Neolithic and Chalcolithic Periods (8500-3300 bce) and continues through the Late Iron Age (900-539 bce). It does conclude with a synopsis of Canaanite connections to Phoenicians subsequent Carthaginian ties concluding with the close of the third Punic War. The bulk of the detail of Canaanite culture, however, is provided for the periods between 8500 bce and 539 bce.

The author (Jonathan N. Tubb)has directed the British Museum's excavations at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh in present-day Jordan since 1985 and is curator of Syria-Palestine within the Western Asiatic Department of the British Museum.

Tubb provides easy-to-read details of ancient international trading systems between the Canaanites and other culture groups from the Egyptians and Mycenaeans to Indus River Valley peoples. Though based primarily on archeological evidence to infer Canaanite culture habits, the book also objectively takes into account many historically accurate aspects from written records both Biblical and secular.

Extra-cultural influences upon the Canaanites are inferred through changing burial techniques (particularly Canaanite shaft tombs), architecture, and to a lesser extent, pottery styles. Evidence from archeological sites in Persia and Egypt show how widespread trade was even at such an early time in ancient history.

Pieces of the archeological puzzle are fit together with historical written records to show when and where new culture groups began to settle in the region and what eventually became of the Canaanites. The power vacuum left after the fall of the Egyptian empire allowed for expansion of new groups such as the Sea Peoples from southwestern Anatolia and the Aegean that settled in the Gaza area (of whom included the Philistines), and the Hebrews who eventually established the Kingdom of Israel around the Jordan River in Judea and Samaria. The author posits that the Israelites were in fact a sub-set of Canaanite culture and many parallels are drawn in the book on this point.

I found the book to be very informative and easy to follow. There are both color and black and white photos of Canaanite artifacts and sites in the book that really help to bring about a better understanding of the text you read. A very informative and enjoyable book!

Having similar background & experienced "emigrating" experiences to Canada & US, I connected easily to the experiences of the immigrant. So little has been written about Guyana, its people & its trials thus far. This is insightful,informative,descriptive, humourous,& moving,tinged with exotic Indian flavor & romance.

Philip Brutton's A CAPTAIN'S MANDATE is a serious tome, written with flair and attention to detail worthy of Churchill. I ate it for lunch on a flight from Paris to New York, 2 days before the destruction of the World Trade Towers, amazed now at how relevant it was and how necessary it is now to evaluate our history of religious aggression in a forum ostensibly without bias, collusion or any undercurrent of abhorrence directed towards either camp. Brutton achieves this. A Captain's Mandate leaves room for discussion. It's one man's story. It's also the story we all have to consider. Philip Brutton's voice is clear and original. Read up on your WWII era history first though. This book is not for neophytes.

Thats the description most Americans use to describe the Welsh. With authors like Peter Gill, John Helmer and Kristina LLoyd the average American is opening its eyes to the reality of Britain, its people and what life is really like. Theres no bowler hats nor umbrellas in these witty thought provoking works of the finest young talent from a far away land. Join me and travel in your arm chair. I dare you.

An unusual, rather bold title; however, 'Mickey' Marcus was an unusual, incredibly bold man. The author keeps you turning each page with disbelief that this book is covering the shortened lifetime of ONE man! His list of accomplishments would look like a who's who list, only they were all accomplished by ONLY him. No matter how avid a reader, you will find yourself saying "How could one guy pull ALL this off and How come I've never heard of him before" I usually read a biography a day. This is by all means the most unforgettable and without a doubt my highest recommendation for anyone interested in the flame within man. And once you have heard of him (for this is not a book that you could put down without finishing) you will find there are thousands of web pages honoring multitudes of his individual achievements; but, this is THE book about ALL his achievements and his biographer is a GREAT writer allowing us an intimate look at an amazing person.

The reprint of L. and B. Langton's classic The Cat in Ancient Egypt is a welcome addition to the library of any professional or amateur Egyptologist, cat lover, or modern Pagan with a dedication to Bast. First published in 1940 (and now only available used at a spectacular price) this volume combines both the best of catalogue (no pun intended) studies and social and cultural analysis. It is never dry! While modern archeological techniques have added much to our general knowledge, the comprehensiveness and sheer love and dedication of this work represents the finest of the tradition of old fashioned diggers and collectors. The photographs in the 1940 edition are, unfortunately, grainy, but the number and variety of cats, cat goddesses, votive objects, and lions more than makes up for the lack. I anxiously await my own copy. (Review based on the 1940 edition)