Few documents in world history can match the inspirational impact of the New Testament. For all its variety - gospels, letters and visions - this first-century collection of texts keeps always at its centre the enigmatic figure of Joshua/Jesus: the Jewish prophet who gathered a group around him, proclaimed the imminent end of the world, but was made captive by the authorities of Rome only to suffer a shameful criminal's death on a cross. When his followers (including former persecutor Saul/Paul) became convinced that Jesus had defeated extinction, and had risen again to fresh life, the...

The 1917 Revolution sent shockwaves throughout the globe, setting a chain of events in motion that would change the entire course of the 20th century. With the overthrow of the Romanov Dynasty, Russia was plunged into the political unknown and, from the crucible of social unrest, ideological conflict and violent civil war, the world’s first communist state was forged. In this revised edition, Geoffrey Swain provides an incisive overview of one of the most complex and turbulent periods in modern history, tracing key moments from the abdication of Tsar Nicolas II to the Bolshevik seizure of...

Maine's largest city is celebrated in this concise narrative history, abundantly illustrated, with a lengthy and informative timeline of key events, and featuring two dozen biographical profiles of important Portland people. "Who knew so many surprises could await a reader? Destroyed by four nations, birthplace to both national heroes and villains, burned, reborn, and still building anew in the twenty-first century, one of America's most surprising small cities comes to life in this bright, brisk history." -Rep. Herb Adams, historian and Maine State Legislator