Bøger udgivet af University of California Press

"Brilliantly written, expertly researched, Seek Higher Ground examines in pathbreaking ways our ongoing cataclysm in the age of climate change. With first-rate reporting about history, ecology, and hydrology, Tim Palmer is the ideal author to reveal practical solutions to America's chronic vulnerability to flooding. His heartfelt narrative is an urgent wake-up call for action. I highly recommend this important book!"--Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History at Rice University and author of Silent Spring Revolution "Seek Higher Ground is the most comprehensive and compelling book written on the history and challenges of floodplain management--a must-read for anyone concerned about flooding. Anchored in fact and science, Tim Palmer's engaging narrative boldly and correctly proclaims that the age of increased flooding is here. His account tells us what we've done wrong--and right--and it tells us what we must now do to prepare for the floods of the future."--Chad Berginnis, Executive Director, Association of State Floodplain Managers "Beautifully written, seamlessly presented, Tim Palmer's book brings crucial issues of flooding together as no one has done before. His narrative--thoroughly supported by history, science, and economics--delivers an incisive critique of flood management in the past and a profoundly realistic proposal to solve problems that can no longer be ignored. This account is gripping to read and essential to understand as we face a world altered by a warming climate."--Philip Garone, Professor of History at California State University, Stanislaus, and author of The Fall and Rise of the Wetlands of California's Great Central Valley "Warm air holds more water vapor than cold--so we can expect flooding to keep increasing, which means we should pay close attention to the lessons in this book. Too much water is going to be as big a challenge for our earth as too little; now is the time to act."--Bill McKibben, author of Falter and The End of Nature "Charting new waters, Tim Palmer's compelling account of flooding and of what we must do about it is a story I could not put down. I recommend it to all who are affected when streams and rivers rise, to all who work in this challenging field, and to all who end up paying for the floods that are destined to increase as the climate crisis unfolds, and that includes every one of us."--Brian Richter, cofounder of The Nature Conservancy's Global Water Program, President of Sustainable Waters, and author of Chasing Water

"A poignant, powerful look at the twenty-first century and the crusades against Muslims created in the wake of the facile global war on terror. Khaled Beydoun's prose evokes James Baldwin and Edward Said, as does his moral imperative. The New Crusades is an intellectually rigorous history of global affairs, but it is also a series of moving narratives about what it is like to be human, Muslim, and betrayed."--Sarah Kendzior, author of The View from Flyover Country "The New Crusades is an intellectual and creative tour de force. With political clarity and writerly aplomb, Beydoun offers a brilliant examination of the global war on Islam. Drawing on a stunning range of disciplines, traditions, and contexts, this text offers the most nuanced and subtle treatment on the subject to date. Beydoun has the mind of a scholar, the soul of a freedom fighter, and the pen of a poet."--Marc Lamont Hill, coauthor of Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice "In The New Crusades, Beydoun provides a trenchant analysis connecting the American war on terror with Islamophobia as a global phenomenon. Though compelling cases studies and real human vignettes, Beydoun harmonizes his breadth of legal expertise with his rich personal insights and experience, piecing together a foundational text on the faces of global Islamophobia plaguing Muslims near and far. This book is a must-read for Muslims all over the world, but even more so for non-Muslims."--Imam Dr. Omar Suleiman, Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research "Beydoun in The New Crusades offers a grand narrative of global Islamophobia. In contrast to most studies, it is informed not only by existing scholarship but also by his on-site experiences and interviews, which enhance the authority of the narrative and make for an accessible and compelling read for scholars, students, and the general public."--John L. Esposito, Professor and Founding Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University "With The New Crusades, Beydoun formally announces himself as a leading intellectual on a global stage. By dissecting the anatomy of Islamophobia in my home country, France--which stands as the vanguard of anti-Muslim bigotry--Beydoun connects siloed national cases to an intricate network of global Islamophobias. In this vein, The New Crusades trailblazes vivid academic ground and makes the book nothing short of a triumph. With it, Beydoun courageously places himself in the thick of a global struggle as a Muslim, as a scholar, and most importantly as a thinker who writes beyond borders."--Rokhaya Diallo, journalist, writer, director "The New Crusades comprehensively covers how Beijing uses America's war on terror to justify its genocide of Uyghurs. It brilliantly describes China's war on Islam. The book delves into the inhumane practices carried out in concentration camps where Uyghurs are subjected to indoctrination, torture, and sexual abuse and it exposes modern slavery. It also examines the hypocrisy of some of the powers that be, standing alongside Ukrainians rightfully, but silent on China's active genocide of Uyghurs."--Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director, Campaign for Uyghurs "After theorizing Islamophobia in the American context, Beydoun now turns a global lens on Islamophobia, showing us how the US wars on terror licensed and amplified 'new crusades' in countries around the world. In this rich and moving account, Beydoun deftly weaves together social science, law, and compelling narratives to reveal how Islamophobia shapes the lives of Muslims the world over."--Shirin Sinnar, Professor of Law and John A. Wilson Faculty Scholar, Stanford Law School "This work is a comprehensive tour de force of a present two decades in the making, from New York to New Zealand, Delhi to the Kenyan coast, where seeing Islam and Muslims as the problem, security and civilizational, is as much an inescapable mood as a pervasive policy. The New Crusades is a book for the present and those interested in learning about its making, through the author's analysis of law, culture, and policy but most of all through all the intimate narratives of individual human beings."--Jonathan A. C. Brown, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University "Beydoun delivers a missing analysis of the global war on terror, revealing how Islamophobic tropes and stereotypes have fueled a global crusade against Muslim populations across the world. From India to China and beyond, Beydoun unveils--through legal and human accounts--how Islamophobia ranks among the greatest challenges of our time. With The New Crusades, Beydoun has affirmed himself as a leading intellectual on reckoning with Islamophobia in the world."--CJ Werleman, journalist "In The New Crusades, Beydoun brilliantly connects distinct dimensions of the industry of Islamophobia and how right-wing leaders are weaponizing hate, fear, and prejudice. Across the globe, Beydoun pieces together critical steps to confront and take down global Islamophobia."--Rula Jebreal, award-winning journalist, novelist, and screenwriter "Beydoun has given us a vivid and poignant book on a subject of crucial importance, surveying movements and policies of hate directed against hapless Muslims throughout the world, centering the intimate stories of its victims. The New Crusades is essential reading for all who care about basic human rights and the global impact of Islamophobia eroding religious freedom for Muslim minorities in nations around the world."--Juan Cole, Director of Arab and Muslim American Studies, University of Michigan

What made the Romans laugh? Was ancient Rome a carnival, filled with practical jokes and hearty chuckles? Or was it a carefully regulated culture in which the uncontrollable excess of laughter was a force to fear-a world of wit, irony, and knowing smiles? How did Romans make sense of laughter? What role did it play in the world of the law courts, the imperial palace, or the spectacles of the arena? Laughter in Ancient Rome explores one of the most intriguing, but also trickiest, of historical subjects. Drawing on a wide range of Roman writing-from essays on rhetoric to a surviving Roman joke book-Mary Beard tracks down the giggles, smirks, and guffaws of the ancient Romans themselves. From ancient "e;monkey business"e; to the role of a chuckle in a culture of tyranny, she explores Roman humor from the hilarious, to the momentous, to the surprising. But she also reflects on even bigger historical questions. What kind of history of laughter can we possibly tell? Can we ever really "e;get"e; the Romans' jokes?

"The authors put language to many of the ways students and educators are traversing this moment in planetary history. The perspectives presented in these chapters will help educators across multiple disciplines build a meaningful curriculum for navigating climate uncertainty and anxiety."--Jessica L. Thompson, Professor at the College of Business, Northern Michigan University "The Existential Toolkit provides a necessary framework for environmental educators to understand and respond to our students' (and our own) environmental distress. From new research to pedagogical tools and skill-building, this book will be an invaluable resource for environmental studies teachers for a long time to come." - Jade Sasser, author of Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question: Deciding Whether to Have Children in an Uncertain Future

"The never-ending fight to protect the human right to abortion has not previously been covered by such a wide-ranging and inclusive perspective as in this outstanding anthology. Fighting Mad should be required reading for everyone who cares about the health of our democracy and reproductive justice."--Loretta Ross, 2022 MacArthur Fellow and coauthor of Reproductive Justice: An Introduction "Fighting Mad compiles the voices of those who emphatically deny that the state legislators who rushed to criminalize abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision will have the last word on whether people will be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. In this way, the book is incredibly hopeful, assembling and displaying the work of people who are using their hands and hearts to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice."--Khiara M. Bridges, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley "Fighting Mad is a much-needed antidote to apathy. Its short and engaging stories of leadership, activism, and creativity provide proof that Dobbs will not be the last word on abortion in the United States."--Lynn M. Paltrow, Founder and Executive Director, Pregnancy Justice "The essays in this extraordinary collection illuminate both the barriers to reproductive autonomy and the expansive reimagining required to move us toward justice. This work lifts up so many perspectives that have not been central to the public discussion on abortion access, but should be."--Mia Kim Sullivan, Executive Director, Collective Power for Reproductive Justice

"The never-ending fight to protect the human right to abortion has not previously been covered by such a wide-ranging and inclusive perspective as in this outstanding anthology. Fighting Mad should be required reading for everyone who cares about the health of our democracy and reproductive justice."--Loretta Ross, 2022 MacArthur Fellow and coauthor of Reproductive Justice: An Introduction "Fighting Mad compiles the voices of those who emphatically deny that the state legislators who rushed to criminalize abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision will have the last word on whether people will be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. In this way, the book is incredibly hopeful, assembling and displaying the work of people who are using their hands and hearts to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice."--Khiara M. Bridges, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley "Fighting Mad is a much-needed antidote to apathy. Its short and engaging stories of leadership, activism, and creativity provide proof that Dobbs will not be the last word on abortion in the United States."--Lynn M. Paltrow, Founder and Executive Director, Pregnancy Justice "The essays in this extraordinary collection illuminate both the barriers to reproductive autonomy and the expansive reimagining required to move us toward justice. This work lifts up so many perspectives that have not been central to the public discussion on abortion access, but should be."--Mia Kim Sullivan, Executive Director, Collective Power for Reproductive Justice

"In this inspiring work, Michael Mascarenhas issues a clarion call to environmental justice scholars and activists to use bolder, more accurate language to confront environmental racism as intentional actions perpetrated by elites in the service of white supremacy, vulture capitalism, and genocide. That's what I call tellin' it like it is!"--David Pellow, Univerrsity of California, Santa Barbara and author of What is Critical Environmental Justice? "Toxic Water, Toxic System is the most thorough study yet of the one the most iconic environmental justice disasters of recent times. Theoretically rigorous and empirically rich, this book is a compelling read for anyone interested in the roots of inequality in the United States."--S. Ravi Rajan, Olga T. Griswold Chair and Professor of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz "Mascarenhas and We the People of Detroit make an incredible team, crafting a book that is community based, historically and empirically rich, and clear in its vision and recommendations for the future of water."--Kyle Whyte, University of Michigan

"Israel's Black Panthers tells a story not so much forgotten as willfully repressed--the tale of the profound racism toward non-European Jews that goes back to the earliest years of the Israeli state and of a political awakening that challenges the most cherished liberal Zionist origin stories. Compellingly and sensitively told, Asaf Elia-Shalev's work is an antidote to the triumphalist myths that still dominate the political discourse and essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the divisions that continue to cleave Israeli society."--Ben Ehrenreich, author of The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine "A beautifully told story about one of the most fascinating episodes in Israeli history, one with powerful lessons for the struggle for equality today."--Peter Beinart, author of The Crisis of Zionism "A meticulous, intimate study that serves as a history of Israel's civil rights movement and a reminder that every struggle for equality begins with a few people who are willing to pay the cost. Timely and essential."--Joshua Hunt, author of University of Nike "With this incisive and compelling book, Elia-Shalev has achieved two important feats. He has filled a vast gap in the standard history of Israel by centering the experiences of Mizrahi immigrants and their descendants. And he has traced the arc of Mizrahi populism from left-wing agitation in the 1960s to the right-wing extremism that has infused the current Israeli government to devastating effect."--Samuel G. Freedman, author of Into the Bright Sunshine

The scriptures revered by Hindus are enormously varied, and R. C. Zaehner's anthology has long been considered invaluable for its breadth and diversity. Now Dominic Goodall expands Zaehner's work with three fresh translations, including one work that appears for the first time in English. Spanning more than two thousand years, the range of selections in this book include arcane hymns of the ancient Aryans, prescriptions governing every aspect of the daily life of the orthodox, and sensual poetry.

In this highly original history of the world's most famous bicycle race, Christopher S. Thompson, mining previously neglected sources and writing with infectious enthusiasm for his subject, tells the compelling story of the Tour de France from its creation in 1903 to the present. Weaving the words of racers, politicians, Tour organizers, and a host of other commentators together with a wide-ranging analysis of the culture surrounding the event--including posters, songs, novels, films, and media coverage--Thompson links the history of the Tour to key moments and themes in French history. He argues persuasively that this hugely popular sporting event has been instrumental in French attempts to grapple with the great challenges they have confronted during their tumultuous twentieth century--from World Wars, political divisions, and class conflict to economic modernization, women's emancipation, and threats to public health. Examining the enduring popularity of Tour racers, Thompson explores how their public images have changed over the past century. He concludes with a discussion of the longstanding practice of doping and considers the complex case of the seven-time champion Lance Armstrong.

Mahmoud Darwish is a literary rarity: at once critically acclaimed as one of the most important poets in the Arabic language, and beloved as the voice of his people. A legend in Palestine, his lyrics are sung by fieldworkers and schoolchildren. He has assimilated some of the world's oldest literary traditions while simultaneously struggling to open new possibilities for poetry. This collection spans Darwish's entire career, nearly four decades, revealing an impressive range of expression and form. A splendid team of translators has collaborated with the poet on these new translations, which capture Darwish's distinctive voice and spirit. Fady Joudah's foreword, new to this edition, addresses Darwish's enduring legacy following his death in 2008.

Social geographer John Western analyzes the urban spatial planning of the 1950 Group Areas Act that achieved, in the built environment of Cape Town, the racial separatism of apartheid. His new prologue for the paperback edition assesses the changes to be expected from the new government and the obstacles to significant change.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1972.

This thorough and meticulous study, the result of nearly a quarter-century of research, examines the island biogeography of plants on continental islands in Barkley Sound, British Columbia. Invaluable both because of its geographical setting and because of the duration of the study, Plants on Islands summarizes the diversity, dynamics, and distribution of the approximately three hundred species of plants on more than two hundred islands. Martin Cody uses his extensive data set to test various aspects of island biogeographic theory. His thoughtful analysis, constrained by taxon and region, elucidates and enhances the understanding of the biogeographic patterns and dynamics. He provides an overview of the basic theory, concepts, and analytical tools of island biogeography. Also discussed are island relaxation to lower equilibrium species numbers post-isolation, plant distributions variously limited by island area, isolation and climatic differences, adaptation to local abiotic and biotic environments within islands, and the evolution of different island phenotypes. The book concludes with a valuable consideration of equilibrium concepts and of the interplay of coexistence and competition. Certain to challenge, Plants on Islands is among the first books to critically analyze the central tenets of the theory of island biogeography.

Condensing centuries of history into one volume, Cities of the World traces the historic form and special character of the world's greatest cities through a breathtaking collection of maps and panoramic views. Peter Whitfield focuses on more than sixty cities--from Athens to Brasilia, Washington to Moscow, San Francisco to Saigon, and Venice to Lhasa. He presents an extremely wide range of maps, historic prints, and photographs from many periods that show how the architectural form and the social life of our cities have been shaped--not only by their geographical setting, but also by religion, royal power, commerce, social ideals, and occasionally artistic vision. These images illustrate the historic heart of the cities: the ancient harbors, the hilltop fortresses, the encircling walls, and the houses, churches, and palaces that have been added over the centuries. For the armchair traveler or anyone passionate about the history of human civilization, this beautiful, unique book captures the richness of the urban fabric and reflects the collective memory of each metropolis. Cities of the World demonstrates how the city was linked to the birth and progress of civilization itself, how it has acted as a focus for ideas and technologies, arts and sciences, and even religious devotion. It shows the ways that some cities grew slowly into haphazard, unplanned beauties, while others were shaped by the will of masterful individuals. Whitfield chose the cities featured here not only because they are richly and beautifully illustrated, but also because they demonstrate a notion of spirit--an outward and inward uniqueness. Many of these historic maps have a pictorial quality that vanished long ago from the functional town-plan. Depicting the classical city-state, the medieval fortress, the baroque capital, and the industrial metropolis, the sumptuous illustrations in this book chronicle how simple outlines found on Babylonian clay tablets evolved into the stylized pictures of medieval times and spectacular bird's-eye panoramic views, finally culminating in the highly functional mass-produced maps of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Wonderfully evocative of the places they depict and the artistic tastes of their time, these maps shed new light on civilization itself, with all of its contradictions, shortcomings, energy, and aspirations.Copub: British Library

Volume VII of this acclaimed series is now available in an abridged paperback edition. The result of years of work by scholars from all over the world, The UNESCO General History of Africa reflects how the different peoples of Africa view their civilizations and shows the historical relationships between the various parts of the continent. Historical connections with other continents demonstrate Africa's contribution to the development of human civilization. Each volume is lavishly illustrated and contains a comprehensive bibliography.

Samuel Pepys is as much a paragon of literature as Chaucer and Shakespeare. His Diary is one of the principal sources for many aspects of the history of its period. In spite of its significance, all previous editions were inadequately edited and suffered from a number of omissions-until Robert Latham and William Matthews went back to the 300-year-old original manuscript and deciphered each passage and phrase, no matter how obscure or indiscreet. The Diary deals with some of the most dramatic events in English history. Pepys witnessed the London Fire, the Great Plague, the Restoration of Charles II, and the Dutch Wars. He was a patron of the arts, having himself composed many delightful songs and participated in the artistic life of London. His flair for gossip and detail reveals a portrait of the times that rivals the most swashbuckling and romantic historical novels. In none of the earlier versions was there a reliable, full text, with commentary and notation with any claim to completeness. This edition, first published in 1970, is the first in which the entire diary is printed with systematic comment. This is the only complete edition available; it is as close to Pepys's original as possible.

Volume VI of this acclaimed series is now available in an abridged paperback edition. The result of years of work by scholars from all over the world, The UNESCO General History of Africa reflects how the different peoples of Africa view their civilizations and shows the historical relationships between the various parts of the continent. Historical connections with other continents demonstrate Africa's contribution to the development of human civilization. Each volume is lavishly illustrated and contains a comprehensive bibliography.Volume VI covers the period from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the onset of the European "scramble" for colonial territory in the 1880s.In spite of a growing European commercial, religious, and political presence during the first three quarters of the century, outside influences were felt indirectly by most African societies, and they made a number of culturally distinctive attempts to modernize, expand, and develop. These are detailed in four thematic chapters, twenty-three chapters detailing developments in specific areas, and two concluding chapters tracing the African diaspora and assessing the state of the Continent's political, economic, and cultural development on the eve of the European conquest.

This engrossing memoir brings to vivid life the behind-the-scenes struggles of Marcia Tucker, the first woman to be hired as a curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the founder of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City. Tucker came of age in the 1960s, and this spirited account of her life draws the reader directly into the burgeoning feminist movement and the excitement of the New York art world during that time. Her own new ways of thinking led her to take principled stands that have changed the way art museums consider contemporary art. As curator of painting and sculpture at the Whitney, she organized major exhibitions of the work of Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Robert Morris, Bruce Nauman, and Richard Tuttle, among others. As founder of the New Museum of Contemporary Art, she organized and curated groundbreaking exhibitions that often focused on the nexus of art and politics. The book highlights Tucker's commitment to forging a new system when the prevailing one proved too narrow for her expansive vision.

Samuel Pepys is as much a paragon of literature as Chaucer and Shakespeare. His Diary is one of the principal sources for many aspects of the history of its period. In spite of its significance, all previous editions were inadequately edited and suffered from a number of omissions-until Robert Latham and William Matthews went back to the 300-year-old original manuscript and deciphered each passage and phrase, no matter how obscure or indiscreet. The Diary deals with some of the most dramatic events in English history. Pepys witnessed the London Fire, the Great Plague, the Restoration of Charles II, and the Dutch Wars. He was a patron of the arts, having himself composed many delightful songs and participated in the artistic life of London. His flair for gossip and detail reveals a portrait of the times that rivals the most swashbuckling and romantic historical novels. In none of the earlier versions was there a reliable, full text, with commentary and notation with any claim to completeness. This edition, first published in 1970, is the first in which the entire diary is printed with systematic comment. This is the only complete edition available; it is as close to Pepys's original as possible.

An essential reference that provides new understanding of the thought processes of one of the most radical artists of the late twentieth century. Gordon Matta-Clark (1943-1978) has never been an easy artist to categorize or to explain. Although trained as an architect, he has been described as a sculptor, a photographer, an organizer of performances, and a writer of manifestos, but he is best known for un-building abandoned structures. In the brief span of his career, from 1968 to his early death in 1978, he created an oeuvre that has made him an enduring cult figure. In 2002, when Gordon Matta-Clark's widow, Jane Crawford, put his archive on deposit at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, it revealed a new voice in the ongoing discussion of artist/architect Matta-Clark's work: his own. Gwendolyn Owens and Philip Ursprung's careful selection and ordering of letters, interviews, statements, and the now-famous art cards from the CCA as well as other sources deepens our understanding of one of the most original thinkers of his generation. Gordon Matta-Clark: An Archival Sourcebook creates a multidimensional portrait that provides an opportunity for readers to explore and enjoy the complexity and contradiction that was Gordon Matta-Clark.

Preaching Islamic Renewal examines the life and work of Muhammad Mitwalli Sha'rawi, one of Egypt's most beloved and successful Islamic preachers. His wildly popular TV program aired every Friday for years until his death in 1998. At the height of his career, it was estimated that up to 30 million people tuned in to his show each week. Yet despite his pervasive and continued influence in Egypt and the wider Muslim world, Sha'rawi was for a long time neglected by academics. While much of the academic literature that focuses on Islam in modern Egypt repeats the claim that traditionally trained Muslim scholars suffered the loss of religious authority, Sha'rawi is instead an example of a well-trained Sunni scholar who became a national media sensation. As an advisor to the rulers of Egypt as well as the first Arab television preacher, he was one of the most important and controversial religious figures in late-twentieth-century Egypt. Thanks to the repurposing of his videos on television and on the Internet, Sha'rawi's performances are still regularly viewed. Jacquelene Brinton uses Sha'rawi and his work as a lens to explore how traditional Muslim authorities have used various media to put forth a unique vision of how Islam can be renewed and revived in the contemporary world. Through his weekly television appearances he popularized long held theological and ethical beliefs and became a scholar-celebrity who impacted social and political life in Egypt.

Volume IV of this acclaimed series is now available in an abridged paperback edition. The result of years of work by scholars from all over the world, The UNESCO General History of Africa reflects how the different peoples of Africa view their civilizations and shows the historical relationships between the various parts of the continent. Historical connections with other continents demonstrate Africa's contribution to the development of human civilization. Each volume is lavishly illustrated and contains a comprehensive bibliography.The period covered in Volume IV constitutes a crucial phase in the continent's history, in which Africa developed its own culture and written records became more common. Major themes include the triumph of Islam; the extension of trading relations, cultural exchanges, and human contacts; and the development of kingdoms and empires.

Volume III of this acclaimed series is now available in an abridged paperback edition. The result of years of work by scholars from all over the world, The UNESCO General History of Africa reflects how the different peoples of Africa view their civilizations and shows the historical relationships between the various parts of the continent. Historical connections with other continents demonstrate Africa's contribution to the development of human civilization. Each volume is lavishly illustrated and contains a comprehensive bibliography.Volume III documents the increasing influence of Islam and its dissemination and interaction with traditional African culture in northern and western regions. The essays place Africa in the context of world history at the opening of the seventh century and examine the impact of Islamic penetration, expansion of the Bantu-speaking peoples, and the growth of civilizations in West Africa.

Samuel Pepys is as much a paragon of literature as Chaucer and Shakespeare. His Diary is one of the principal sources for many aspects of the history of its period. In spite of its significance, all previous editions were inadequately edited and suffered from a number of omissions-until Robert Latham and William Matthews went back to the 300-year-old original manuscript and deciphered each passage and phrase, no matter how obscure or indiscreet. The Diary deals with some of the most dramatic events in English history. Pepys witnessed the London Fire, the Great Plague, the Restoration of Charles II, and the Dutch Wars. He was a patron of the arts, having himself composed many delightful songs and participated in the artistic life of London. His flair for gossip and detail reveals a portrait of the times that rivals the most swashbuckling and romantic historical novels. In none of the earlier versions was there a reliable, full text, with commentary and notation with any claim to completeness. This edition, first published in 1970, is the first in which the entire diary is printed with systematic comment. This is the only complete edition available; it is as close to Pepys's original as possible.

Volume II of this acclaimed series is now available in an abridged paperback edition. The result of years of work by scholars from all over the world, The UNESCO General History of Africa reflects how the different peoples of Africa view their civilizations and shows the historical relationships between the various parts of the continent. Historical connections with other continents demonstrate Africa's contribution to the development of human civilization. Each volume is lavishly illustrated and contains a comprehensive bibliography.