FREEDOM..AT LAST chronicles the journey of an ordinary family of immigrants arriving to United States from Communist Romania. Held captive for than twenty-years by a dictatorship regime, the author discovered the benefits of freedom in his country of adoption, and walks boldly through plenty of experiences. The author wrote this book with the belief that the reader would voyage with him from the first day when he left his native country, sharing impressions compiled over the years of adven...

Now acknowledged as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age, Johannes Vermeer specialised in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life in his home city of Delft. The artist’s reputation fell into obscurity after his death and it was not until the 19th century that his work was rediscovered by Gustav Friedrich Waagen and Théophile Thoré-Bürger, who published an essay attributing 66 pictures to him. Since that time, Vermeer’s reputation has continued to grow, recogni...

After critiquing―and infuriating―the art world with The Painted Word, the award-winning author Tom Wolfe shares his less-than-favorable thoughts about modern architecture in From Bauhaus to Our House.In this examination of the strange saga of twentieth-century architecture, Wolfe takes such European architects as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Bauhaus art school founder Walter Gropius to task for their glass-and-steel-box buildings th...

An essential collection of career-spanning writings by the political satirist and #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Parliament of Whores.From his early pieces for the National Lampoon, through his classic reporting as Rolling Stone's International Affairs editor in the 1980s and 1990s, and his brilliant, inimitable political journalism and analysis, P. J. O'Rourke has been entertaining and provoking readers with high octane...

The Best American Series®First, Best, and Best-SellingThe Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected — and most popular — of its ki...

The story begins, as stories do in all good thrillers, with a botched robbery and a police chase. Eight Apuleian vases of the fourth century B.C. are discovered in the swimming pool of a German-based art smuggler. More valuable than the recovery of the vases, however, is the discovery of the smuggler's card index detailing his deals and dealers. It reveals the existence of a web of tombaroli -- tomb raiders -- who steal classical artifacts, and a network of dealers and smugglers w...

They used to call it the English disease. Football Hooliganism was rampant on the terraces of English clubs through the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s and is still very much alive today but on a different level. Over the last decade Europe's football clubs have took on the mantle and brought new levels of violence to the terraces. Knifes, hatchets and even guns have been used on some of Europe's football battlegrounds. this book is a shocking A - Z of Europe's most feared Hooligans and Ultras.

Our illustrated travel guide will take you to Odessa, Ukraine.Odessa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast (province) located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine.The most interesting thing to see in Odessa is the old town itself. The city was once the center for trade for the Russian Empire as well as an intellectual and artistic centre prior to the revolution and during th...

Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and suc...

During my last year before retirement as an agricultural engineer, the idea to travel Europe popped into my mind. The more I thought about it, the bigger the plan grew and in more detail. One month after retirement, I was in London, looking around for an adventure bike to buy, and did just that within a week. The same day I left for France and this wonderful adventure started.----I had a rough plan with only the different countries in sequence, with no bookings in advance except a visa for...

Having been promoted to a top management position in the space R&D field, Colonel Ralph Monfort finds himself too far from the action and decides to give himself a fiftieth birthday gift-his own retirement from the U.S. Air Force. It didn't take him long to find his dream vacation-a yearlong, forty-one country, fully supported bicycle odyssey.After a short description on how one prepares for such a trip, Monfort plunges into this unique travel experience with energy, wit, and the e...

The U.S. State Departments prestigious Fulbright Scholar Program places American professors in other countries for an extended period to teach and experience other cultures. Never has anyone enjoyed it more or provided such an entertaining insight into the program. Paul Dishman provides a revealing view into Montenegro, the tiny former Communist country struggling to join the world stage. The experience turns into a personal journey as he travels to the land of his grandfather and discover...