Western Europe

With travel tips and culture in our guidebooks written by a local, it is never too late to visit Wicklow Ireland. Most travel books tell you how to travel like a tourist. Although there is nothing wrong with that, as part of the ‘Greater Than a Tourist’ series, this book will give you candid travel tips from someone who has lived at your next travel destination. This guide book will not tell you exact addresses or store hours but instead gives you knowledge that you may not find in other smaller print travel books.

From the inimitable bestselling author Thomas Cahill, another popular history - this one focusing on how the innovations of the Renaissance and the Reformation changed the Western world. A truly revolutionary audiobook. In Volume VI of his acclaimed Hinges of History series, Thomas Cahill guides us through the thrilling period of the Renaissance and the Reformation (the late fourteenth to the early seventeenth century), so full of innovation and cultural change that the Western world would not experience its like again until the twentieth century.

Military historian Richard Holmes turns his attention to the infamous First World War trench line, the Western Front. Of the nine million British and Dominion soldiers who were killed in action in the Great War, most died here. In this thorough examination of the role the Front played in the war, the eminent historian Richard Holmes considers its initial creation, the rapid expansion of the British army (which led to problems with the supply of men and munitions), the challenge of coping with life and death at the Front, and the regular attempts by soldiers to "break the trench". He also examines two major battles in detail.

In Volume VI (Chapters LVII - LXXI), Gibbon ends his masterful history by charting the rise of the Turkish nation and the birth of the Ottoman Empire, which becomes an unstoppable force as it eventually captures the remains of the Eastern Empire. Weakened under the continuing schism of the Greek and Latin Christians, the strategically important site of Constantinople becomes an easy target for Sultan Mohammed II much to the consternation and apathy of the West.

Accompany us on our audio journey through Sicily. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and at the same time the most diverse region in Italy, the land of gods and legends. You will discover Palermo, the Madonie also called “Sicilian Alps”, take the cable car up Mount Etna and travel along the “Via Del Sale” (Salt Road).

Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, is one of the most famous events of Western history. It inaugurated the Protestant Reformation and has for centuries been a powerful and enduring symbol of religious freedom of conscience and of righteous protest against the abuse of power. But did it actually really happen? In this engagingly written, wide-ranging, and insightful work of cultural history, leading Reformation historian Peter Marshall reviews the available evidence and concludes that very probably, it did not.

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of "Italian Hours" by Henry James. This audiobook transports you to the picturesque landscapes and vibrant cities of Italy. With James' evocative prose and keen observations, you'll embark on a sensory journey through the art, culture, and history of this captivating country. The narrative offers a rich exploration of the intersection between travel, literature, and personal reflection.

Santorini is a combination of stunning beauty and fun historical. You can experience the best of Santorini on foot or bicycle and experience cobblestone streets and amazing scenery. The quality of life in Santorini is very high and a weekend in this fantastic city will leave you refreshed and excited. If you are looking for a lengthy academic text describing everything in Santorini, then don't buy this book. This audiobook is for the short stay traveler looking for the best in Santorini. This travel guide has put together the best Santorini has to offer for a short trip.

Only two years after Pope Pius IX’s election in 1846 had triggered great popular enthusiasm across Italy, the pope found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. The revolutions that swept through Europe and shook Rome threatened to end the popes’ thousand-year reign over the Papal States, if not the papacy itself. The resulting drama was rife with treachery, tragedy, and international power politics. David Kertzer, one of the world’s foremost experts on the history of Italy and the Vatican, brings this pivotal moment vividly to life.

From the fall of Constantinople in 1453 until the 18th century, many Western European writers viewed the Ottoman Empire with almost obsessive interest. In this path-breaking audiobook, Noel Malcolm ranges through these vital centuries of East-West interaction, studying all the ways in which thinkers in the West interpreted the Ottoman Empire as a political phenomenon - and Islam as a political religion.

In the great wars of modern history, maritime powers have always prevailed over land-based empires, whether Habsburg, Napoleonic, Nazi, or Soviet. In contrast to the rigid hierarchies and centralization of land-based empires, those nations attaining mastery at sea have been distinguished by liberty, flexibility, and enterprise. The 17th-century Dutch were the first to achieve naval and trading dominance.

This engrossing and meticulously researched volume reexamines the decisions made by Dwight D. Eisenhower and his staff in the crucial months leading up to the Battle of the Bulge. In late August 1944, defeat of the Wehrmacht seemed assured. On December 16, however, the Germans counterattacked. Received wisdom says that Eisenhower's Broad Front strategy caused his armies to stall in early September, and his subsequent failure to concentrate his forces brought about deadlock.

The Moment of Liberation in Western Europe: Power Struggles & Rebellions, 1943-1948, regards the final two years of World War II and the immediate post-liberation period as a moment in 20th century history when the shape and contours of postwar Western Europe appeared highly uncertain and various alternatives and conflicting visions were up for grabs. After close to six years of total war, Nazi terror, and brutal occupation policies, a growing number of Europeans were no longer content solely to fight for national liberation from fascist control.

This audiobook shows how much city of Warsaw and its residents suffered under German Nazi occupation. It also shows that all of the destruction was planned before the war and that there were no accidents. The city of Warsaw was to disappear to be later reborn as a small German city of Warschau. You will see how the plan was being implemented from the first days of the war, through brutal occupation, Ghetto uprising, Warsaw uprising, and final and total destruction. You will see how rapidly the city's population shrunk from 1.3 million to 1,000.

The Austro-Hungarian army that marched east and south to confront the Russians and Serbs in the opening campaigns of World War I had a glorious past but a pitiful present. Speaking a mystifying array of languages and lugging outdated weapons, the Austrian troops were hopelessly unprepared for the industrialized warfare that would shortly consume Europe.

With travel tips and culture in our guidebooks written by a local, it is never too late to visit Dubrovnik. Greater Than a Tourist - Dubrovnik, Croatia, by author Lana Tessari, offers the inside scoop on Dubrovnik, the Pearl of Adriatic. Greater Than a Tourist - Dubrovnik, Croatia is a book where you will find tips, suggestions, etc., from someone who had lived there, occasionally is revisiting the city, and still has a strong passion for the place.

In The Victory of Reason, Rodney Stark advances a revolutionary, controversial, and long overdue idea: that Christianity and its related institutions are, in fact, directly responsible for the most significant intellectual, political, scientific, and economic breakthroughs of the past millennium. In Stark's view, what has propelled the West is not the tension between secular and non-secular society, nor the pitting of science and the humanities against religious belief. Christian theology, Stark asserts, is the very font of reason.

Embark on an unforgettable journey through Portugal with our comprehensive travel guide, meticulously crafted to enhance every step of your adventure. Whether you're drawn to the historic charm of Lisbon, the sun-kissed beaches of the Algarve, or the picturesque vineyards of the Douro Valley, our guide is your trusted companion, offering invaluable insights and expert recommendations to help you make the most of your visit.

Donna Leon’s wildly popular novels starring Venetian Commissario Guido Brunetti have often been praised for their insight into culture, politics, family life, and the history of Venice, one of the world’s most treasured cities and her home for over thirty years. My Venice and Other Essays collects over fifty of Leon’s funny, charming, and passionate essays on subjects that range from battles over garbage in the canals to troubles with rehabbing Venetian real estate.

Throughout much of the 19th century, both secular and Catholic leaders assumed that the Church and the modern world were locked in a battle to the death. The triumph of modernity would not only finish the Church as a consequential player in world history; it would also lead to the death of religious conviction. But today, the Catholic Church is far more vital and consequential than it was 150 years ago.