Kurdistan is what America wanted Iraq to be. It's America's reward.Hundreds of thousands of Kurds were murdered under the tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein. Some four thousand Kurdish villages were destroyed. Betrayed again and again by the nations of the world, the Kurds were as decimated as any [...]

More and more American tourists to Italy are confining their stays to the ultra-popular province of Tuscany, with its "capitals" of Florence and Siena, its astonishing Pisa and Lucca, its Grevi (chianti and montepulciano wines) and San Gimignano. Donald Strachan, author of our broader Easy Guide to[...]

A fun and informative compendium for Stephen King fans--interviews, essays, and loads of facts and details about all of his work. Fascinating facts, trivia, and little-known details about the Master of the Macabre's life and work, plus interviews, essays, and insights for King fans, from the casual [...]

Innovation is a core issue for public services and is a key element of public services reform - particularly in this age of austerity where policymakers urge the need to 'innovate to do more with less'. This comprehensive and accessible Handbook explores the potential for creating efficient and ef[...]

The Latvian capital of Riga is rapidly increasing in popularity with travellers touring the new map of Europe. Visitors will be impressed with Riga's variety of inviting cafes, restaurants and bars, plus diverse entertainment including opera, casinos and jazz - the pick of which are listed in this h[...]

The ashigaru were the foot soldiers of old Japan. Although recruited first to swell an army's numbers and paid only by loot, the samurai began to realise their worth, particularly with arquebuses and spears, until well-trained ashigaru made up a vital part of any samurai army. This book tells the st[...]

Increasingly from the 11th century AD, East Asian armies used exploding missiles and siege cannon to reduce the fortifications of their enemies. These ranged from heavy siege cannon such as those used during the sige of P'yongyang during the Japanese invasion of the late 16th century, a weapon that [...]

This second volume about Japan's samurai commanders covers the generals of the later years of the Age of the Warring States, a period when only the most able leaders survived. This was a time when the prowess of a commander was measured as much by his strategic and organizational abilities as by hi[...]

From the 10th century onwards the great monastic foundations of Nara and Mount Hiei maintained large armies of warlike monks, a practice that was later followed by other institutions. The tempestuous political rivalries that developed between the different orders of monks, and even factions within t[...]

The first volume to appear in the "Crown House Classics Series", "The Answer Within" fits the bill perfectly as it is both 'classic' and completely contemporary. With new introductions by the authors, "The Answer Within" illuminates the genius of Milton H. Erickson as a psychotherapist and demonstra[...]

The Japanese invasion and occupation of Korea, which lasted from 1592 to 1598, was the only occasion in Japanese history when samurai aggression was turned against a foreign country. During the occupation of Korea the Japanese built 25 wajo or castles. Unlike the castles built in Japan, these fortif[...]