Search results for ""medina publishing ltd""
Medina Publishing Ltd You can't get blood out of a turnip
Whether fashionable or unfashionable, which of us don't use proverbs all the time? They are an indispensable vehicle of popular wisdom and a lively contributor to educated speech. Proverbs are forever evolving. This gathering of Italian proverbs is intended to bring a smile of recognition to it's readers.
£11.21
Medina Publishing Ltd The Call of Shaykh Muhammad Bin 'abdal-wahhab and the Three Saudi States (1157H/1744 - 1343H/1925): The Emergence of Modern Saudi Arabia
The importance of the region that is recognised today as Saudi Arabia (with its neighbours) can hardly be underestimated, let alone overlooked by the rest of the world, not merely because of its geographical location and religious significance to a large segment of the world's population due to the location of Islam's two holiest shrines in Makkah and al-Madinah, and for economic and political reasons too, for it has the world's largest known reserves of energy. This book attempts to trace and explain the rise, fall - then rise and fall again - and rise of the Saudi polity in the Arabian Peninsula, and explores the role played throughout these evengts by Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdal-Wahhab and his 'Call' for religious and social reform. Not since the writings of Philby five decades ago has a book exploring the history of such a politically important and sensitive region, and in such a comprehensive and academic manner, appeared on the scene. Supported by maps and illustrations, and written by an insider who has resided in the Kingdom for over four decades, the book is a fascinating eye-opener and historical reference, bringing almost all the known original indigenous Arabic and other source material into full purview.
£40.00
Medina Publishing Ltd Bye-Bye Germs: Be a Handwashing Superhero!
Jess and her brother Joe were playing with their toys when Jess felt a tickle in her throat. The little tickle turned into a bigger tickle. And the bigger tickle turned into a giant cough and sneeze! Can they stop the germs from spreading? Join them on their journey and learn how to become a handwashing superhero! Bye-Bye Germs includes fact boxes to inform both children and parents/carers of the science behind the story. De Montfort University's Dr Katie Laird (Microbiologist) and Professor Sarah Younie (Educationalist) have teamed up with author/illustrator Jules Marriner, and put together a brand new entertaining, educational book to help keep everyone safe, including: * Top tips for parents on how to prevent spreading viruses at home * A picture guide on how to wash your hands properly * A 'Spot the Germs' illustration to help children identify where viruses can be contracted Bye-Bye Germs is part of a 'A Germ's Journey' series. More activities and information can be found on www.germsjourney.com.
£8.88
Medina Publishing Ltd Diana: I'm Going to be Me: The People's Princess Revealed in Her Own Words
The book takes us from Diana's troubled childhood, through her rushed and ultimately unhappy marriage to Prince Charles and the uneasy relationship with the Royal Family, to her last years of failed flings and untimely death. But it also highlights the depths of her care and compassion, her unshakeable love of family, her groundbreaking campaigns on AIDS and land mines and her cheeky, sometimes risque, sense of humour. Beautiful and vulnerable, and one of the most popular and most photographed public figures, she lived the whole of her adult life in the glare of an intense media spotlight yet managed to retain herdignity and identity. In this first ever comprehensive collection of Diana's most memorable quotes, veteran royal reporter Phil Dampier reveals the heart and soul of an incredible woman who is missed by millions around the world. Her powerful legacy lives on through her sons, Princes William and Harry, and a new generation is becoming aware her extraordinary life for the first time.
£8.95
Medina Publishing Ltd Dubai Is My Home
Dubai Is My Home is a fascinating exploration of the diverse spectrum of foreign and local residents of Dubai. Through intimate personal stories and engaging photography, you will meet the people that make the city tick and who comprise its multicultural patchwork. From the Palestinian-Colombian deputy director of an independent cinema to a European falconer to a local Emirati dedicated to preserving the country’s natural environment, the book demonstrates that Dubai residents do not fit one mold but form a microcosm of the global community. This collection of voices and faces is an insight into what makes Dubai a functioning melting pot, where concepts of diversity, collaboration and harmony are not artificially enforced but lived. For a global audience all-too accustomed to clichés and superficial stereotypes about the city, Dubai Is My Home introduces readers the soul of the city, highlighting the deep social connections that make it one of the most liveable and alluring cities in the world.
£46.57
Medina Publishing Ltd The Last Adventurer: Message in a Bottle
Join Fons Oerlemans and Kee Arens on a journey of courage, resilience and high adventure as they push the boundaries of possibility on six heroic transatlantic voyages aboard their extraordinary self- built vessels. From a humble life raft to daring designs using unconventional materials such as an old steam boiler, a nine-ton truck and even a colossal bottle, Oerlemans fearlessly sails his creations across the Atlantic to forge a legacy of innovation and determination. With his wife, Kee, he navigates treacherous waters, tempestuous storms and harrowing challenges to conquer not only the ocean’s depths but also their own doubts and fears. From their first expedition in 1974 to their latest voyage, their story celebrates the indomitable spirit of true adventurers.
£20.00
Medina Publishing Ltd Sea of Pearls: The History of Pearl Fishing in Bahrain and the Gulf
The history of pearling is inextricably linked to the history of Bahrain, the strategically-located Gulf archipelago set amidst one of the richest and most plentiful pearl fisheries in the world. Sea of Pearls tells the story of pearl fishing in the Gulf, and the role that this timeless industry played in global commerce, fashion, urban development, political struggles and the earliest ever long-distance maritime trade. From the 18th to 20th centuries, the industry boomed, as pearls were fished by ever-increasing numbers of tribesmen and townspeople to feed an expanding international market. Bahrain was at the centre of this activity before the industry's collapse in the early 20th century with the introduction of cultured pearls from Japan. The influx of traders, migrants, merchants and political advisors - each seeking to partake in the booming trade - left an indelible mark on the Gulf, germinating new city-states with cosmopolitan communities, which are now the global metropolises that we know today. Launching with the generous support of the Bahrain Authority of Culture and Antiquities (BACA), Sea of Pearls spotlights Bahrain's UNESCO-listed 'Pearling Path', a 3.5 km pathway taking visitors on a journey from the oyster beds of Muharraq to the historical merchant homes and other structures involved in the pearling economy. Lavishly illustrated, this book covers in unprecedented detail the history, development, impact and florescence of this ancient industry before it died out and was eclipsed in the age of oil. It is essential reading, not only for those wishing to understand the historical growth and geopolitical dynamics of pearl fishing, but also for those interested in the history and origins of the Gulf states. It is the fascinating, seldom-told story behind the world's enduring desire for one of humankind's most prized precious stones.
£45.00
Medina Publishing Ltd A Germ's Journey: A Fight Against Resistance
The team behind Bye-Bye Germs! and A Germ’s Journey presents this brilliant new graphic novel. A Germ’s Journey - A Fight Against Resistance offers the chance to be part of the Anti-Bio Squad, a team combatting antibiotic resistance. When a boy comes down with some mysterious symptoms, it's up to you to find the clues, catch the right criminal, fend off the bacteria, and prevent them from becoming resistant to all of your weapons (antibiotics). Along the way you will be helped by friends: Agent Max, his dynamic dog, team-mate Georgie, and The Doc However, it's you who decides what path this investigation follows. Do you have what it takes to succeed in the Fight Against Resistance and become a member of the Anti-Bio Squad? Dive into the microscopic world of germs and join Max and Georgie in the Anti-Bio Squad to help them take down the evil bacteria making people sick. In this pathfinder graphic novel, you control the story, you choose how to solve the case, and you help the team fight off the germs and save the day!
£10.45
Medina Publishing Ltd Beyond that Last Blue Mountain
Harriet's parents hoped that, after leaving boarding school and doing `the Season', she would meet and marry a suitable young man. But she was to disappoint them. Just after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, she set off for Peshawar to see for herself the plight of thousands of displaced Afghan refugees. Determined to do something about their dire situation, Harriet set up a small silk weaving project for illiterate Turkmen refugees, and was sent by UNESCO to Mazar-i-sharif to work with Afghanistan's last remaining silk ikat weavers. During those years she was arrested by the KHAD, narrowly missed being blown up, survived acute bacterial meningitis in a Kabul hospital, and rescued an abandoned pi-dog puppy who became her devoted companion. At the end of the first Gulf War she travelled with the Peshmerga in the newly-liberated Iraqi Kurdistan. Then in 1994 she joined a group of unemployed builders and decorators driving convoys of food and aid from Croydon to the Muslim enclaves in Bosnia Herzegovina. Much has been written about conflicts in these countries, by war correspondents, diplomats and military personnel, but this is a different story. It is about young woman from a sheltered and privileged background travelling and working alone, in and around war zones, frequently with no financial or practical support, at a time of increasing Islamic fundamentalism. Harriet left her traditional, comfortable home and chose to live a life of adventure and danger helping refugees who had nowhere else to turn. She continues to raise money for charity through her business selling oriental textiles and remains friends with the refugees she helped in Afghanistan. However, she is now married, to just the sort of husband her parents always hoped for.
£20.00
Medina Publishing Ltd Deeper Than Indigo
This intriguing odyssey, set on the edges of time, encompasses biography, memoir, detective story, travelogue and history to tell a remarkable tale of East-West connections and a mysterious love. The author's quest begins when the word 'indigo' draws her to the illustrated journals, now in the British Library, of Victorian traveller Thomas Machell. She finds her life to have striking echoes of his, not least travels to and within India, a career in indigo, and a passion for journal writing. She is also intrigued by his aspiration to write 'a novel in the form of an autobiography' and by his quirky watercolour sketches. Retracing his footsteps - overland and by sea - from his ancestral home in the hills and dales of northern England to remote parts of the Middle East and Asia, she is often in her own footsteps too. Machell of Crackenthorpe, born in 1824, first demonstrated his yearning for adventure when only twelve, and at sixteen left the family rectory to fulfil his childhood dream of travelling to the East.By chance, he witnessed many important historical events, including the infamous First Opium War and the Indian Mutiny that profoundly affected British-Indian relationships. Machell spent most of his adult life in India, 'the land of my destiny' as he calls it; the author tracks him to the indigo and coffee plantations of rural Bengal and Kerala's Malabar Hills, to little known regions of central India; to the China Seas and remote islands of Polynesia and through the deserts of Arabia. This spellbinding book brings to life Machell's untold story, that of a spirited outsider at the time of the British Raj reaching into the future. Serendipity, intuition and an enchanting relationship, as well as the author's quest to uncover the missing years of Machell's life, give this book its magical extra dimension.
£18.99
Medina Publishing Ltd Aintree: The History of the Racecourse
Each year, for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon in April, Aintree Racecourse becomes the focus of the sporting world and the stage of the world's greatest steeplechase, the Grand National. More than 70,000 spectators at the course along with a global live broadcast audience of millions thrill to the spectacle of 40 horses and their riders racing over the world's most famous steeplechase course.There have been many accounts of the Grand National, but this book, Aintree, tells the story of the iconic racecourse from its early days as a flat racing venue, through William Lynn's inspired inauguration of the first Liverpool Grand Steeple-Chase in 1836, the redesign of fences in the 1880s, and subsequently the impact of wartime occupations, followed by dramatic postwar decline to the more recent and welcome renaissance as a three-day festival of jumping. Aintree also reveals previously unexplored aspects of the racecourse's colourful history: its spectators, buildings, animal welfare issues, and some unexpected, remarkable stories such as the early history of women's football and development of powered flight.After years of dedicated research, John Pinfold, a leading historian of the Grand National, exposes some of Aintree's tales as myths, while adding many a new one to the rich tapestry of the annals. Aintree, The History of the Racecourse is lavishly illustrated with numerous pictures never before reproduced. The author draws on previously untapped sources, including the Topham family archives, to weave a fascinating story that spans three centuries.This book will appeal to both the horse racing enthusiast and the general reader.
£30.00
Medina Publishing Ltd Discovering Qatar
£19.95
Medina Publishing Ltd Through the Palace Keyhole
From the Arab world comes a love story between an Arab man and an American woman that lasted more than half a century. Their lives spanned both sides of the Jordan River, and their love was tested by the traditions of an ancient and proud Christian tribe and the contrasts between their cultures. Although surrounded by conflicts in the Middle East, they built family hotels that survive as a tribute to his dreams and strength and her unwavering determination to support him.
£14.36
Medina Publishing Ltd The Caravan Goes on: How Aramco and Saudi Arabia Grew Up Together
The remarkable story of one man's journey to leadership of the world's largest energy company, The Caravan Goes On is the first published inside account of the workings of the corporation by a CEO and represents a significant addition to the literature on the turbulent development of the world's oil industry. Frank Jungers, former President, Chairman and CEO of the petroleum giant Aramco, tells the inside story of his three decades in Saudi Arabia (1947-1978) with the world's largest oil producing company. A North Dakota farm boy Jungers rose to the top of one of the most important hydrocarbon enterprises ever, a company that eventually found itself responsible for nearly one-quarter of the world's oil resources. He writes of his face-to-face encounters with King Faisal and other Saudi leaders, and his role in steering the company through major international crises that included the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the dramatic oil price increases of the 1970s, the Arab oil embargo and the OPEC hostage incident of 1975. Central to Jungers' story is his role in helping to develop Aramco's Saudi workforce in preparation for the eventual transfer of company ownership from four American oil majors to the Government of Saudi Arabia. He explains the unique nature of the ownership transfer, which was remarkably different from the bitter nationalization process seen in Iraq, Libya, Iran and Venezuela. Jungers describes how Aramco and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in an important sense grew up together, and he highlights the crucial role played by Aramco in the development of the young nation's infrastructure and economy. The Caravan Goes On describes the origins of the petroleum industry in Saudi Arabia, with the granting of a concession in 1933 to a subsidiary of Standard Oil of California, the first of Aramco's four oil-company parents. Jungers talks of his own origins as the son of farmer in North Dakota, the family's migration westward due to drought and depression, and his engineering studies at the University of Washington. Jungers began his career in Saudi Arabia working at Ras Tanura, site of Aramco's first oil refinery and oil tanker terminal. He describes how Aramco built its initial workforce, consisting of Americans, Italians, Saudis and other nationalities; he explains how it soon became clear that the future of the Saudi oil industry belonged not with foreign oil interest but to the people of Saudi Arabia; and he relates how he and others worked to give Saudis the training and incentives needed to take over and successfully operate what would become the world's premier oil producing and exporting company. At the same time, Aramco, with its technological expertise and its access to international specialists, began playing a central role in the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company, with support and encouragement of the Saudi Kings, took a lead role in building healthcare, agriculture, the railroads, the electric grid and other sectors of the Saudi economy. The story of the "King Faisal Era" (including the monarch's role in the oil price issue, the Arab oil embargo and his closed-door meetings with the King and his key advisers, including Oil Minister Shaikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani) are vividly described, as well as the shock of King Faisal's tragic death and the tense moments of the OPEC hostage incident that began in Vienna and ended in North Africa. Jungers speaks of his involvement in launching Saudi Arabia's Master Gas System, now a central part of the national economy and his pivotal role in the consolidation of Saudi Arabia's electrical power grid in the Eastern Province. When he returned to Saudi Arabia in 2008 to attend the celebrations of the company's 75th anniversary he fully realized the success of the Aramco venture - how it had indeed prepared large numbers of Saudis for the responsibilities of leading their country's oil industry into a new and exciting economic era. This personal, colorful and up-close view is required reading for oil-industry watchers as well as those interested in big business, geopolitics, America's role in the Middle East and the extraordinary transformation and emergence of modern Saudi Arabia since oil was discovered in its Eastern Province.
£24.95
Medina Publishing Ltd SeaWAR: Book 2 of the seaBEAN Trilogy: Book 2 of the SeaBEAN Trilogy
The mysterious black C-Bean is a remarkable device which, as Alice and her classmates discovered in SeaBEAN (the first book in The SeaBEAN Trilogy), knows just about everything and can take them anywhere in the world. But now it's broken and stranded on the rocks on the remote Scottish island of St Kilda. When Karla Ingermann, the C-Bean's designer, turns up from Germany to try to fix it, they perform a factory reset, which accidentally sends it back in time, and Alice's world is thrown into disarray. Chased by Victorian police, attacked by an enemy submarine, imprisoned with a madwoman, summoned to rescue a dying pilot and fired at by government agents, Alice, together with her parrot, her dog and her new wartime companions, embarks on a journey through time, uncovering dark secrets from St Kilda's past and safeguarding the future before it's too late.
£11.21
Medina Publishing Ltd Across Arabia: Three Weeks in 1937
At the end of March 1937, Geraldine Rendel found she had achieved a trio of unintended distinctions. As the first Western woman to travel openly across Saudi Arabia as a non-Muslim, the first to be received in public by King 'Abd al-'Aziz, and the first to be received at dinner in the royal palace in Riyadh, she had joined a tiny coterie of pioneering British woman travelers in Arabia. Until the 1930s, a journey by any foreigner, male or female, across Arabia was a rare event. But when in 1932 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was proclaimed, increasing numbers of diplomats and oil company representatives began to make their way to its remote desert capital, Riyadh, aided by the arrival of the motorcar. With the car came the camera, and the pictures by the Rendels, both of them keen photographers, rank among the finest from the period. Geraldine's husband George, head of the Eastern Department of the Foreign Office, had been responsible for Britain's relations with Saudi Arabia since 1930. When he and his wife were invited to the Kingdom by King 'Abd al-'Aziz for a visit combining diplomacy with travel, he accepted with alacrity. The couple kept a detailed diary, on which Geraldine drew to write a lively account that she intended for publication. In contrast to her husband, who had serious political business to conduct, she treats their journey as a holiday. In the event her narrative, full of vivid social encounters, humor and insights into the women's side of life, failed to appear in print, and is published here for the first time. Combined with the couple's striking images, this book presents a unique picture of Saudi Arabia on the verge of modernization. William Facey's biographical introduction interweaves the story of Geraldine's adventurous life with the evolution of Anglo-Saudi relations in the 1920s and '30s, so placing the Rendels' trans-Arabian journey in its political context.
£25.00
Medina Publishing Ltd The Afghanistan File
The Afghanistan File, written by the former head of Saudi Arabian Intelligence, tells the story of his Department's involvement in Afghanistan from the time of the Soviet invasion in 1979 to Nine Eleven 2001. It begins with the backing given by Saudi Arabia to the Mujahideen in their fight against the Soviet occupation, and moves on to the fruitless initiatives to broker peace among the Mujahideen factions after the Soviet withdrawal, the rise to power of the Taleban and the shelter the Taleban gave to Osama Bin Laden. A theme that runs through the book is the extraordinary difficulties Saudi Arabia and its allies had in dealing with the Mujahideen. Prince Turki found them magnificently brave, but exasperating. On one occasion in trying to arrange peace among them, he got permission from the King to open the Kaaba in Mecca, and had the leaders go inside, where they were overcome with emotion and swore never to fight each other again . A few hours later on their way to Medina they almost came to blows on the bus. Turki's account gives details of the Saudi attempts in the 1990s to bring its volunteers out of Afghanistan - with chequered success - and his negotiations with the Taleban for the surrender of Osama Bin Laden. The book includes a number of declassified Intelligence Department documents. Prince Turki explains that the nihilistic, apparently pointless terrorism that has been seen in the Middle East in the last twenty years had its origins in Afghanistan with Osama's deluded belief that he had helped defeat the Russians. There is no evidence that he ever fought them at all. Soon after Nine Eleven Saudi Arabia discovered that it had a home grown terrorist problem involving some of the returnees from Afghanistan. Much of the huge change that has taken place in the Kingdom since has stemmed from the campaign to tackle this.
£20.00
Medina Publishing Ltd The Writing in the Stone
In the capital, Nineveh, resides a deep and complex man, the power behind the King of the World. Faced with unforeseen disaster that threatens his authority, he emerges as a psychopathic killer.The author uses his familiarity with ancient writings preserved in the world's museums to recreate a vanished world in which those who step from the shadows in ruthless violence to pursue ultimate control show themselves at the same time to be disconcertingly human.The tight prose and graphic illustrations make this a gripping and unusual tale not of this world, but at the same time weirdly familiar.
£20.00
Medina Publishing Ltd The Pearl Diver
The winning charm of Patricia Al-Fakhri's watercolours combine with Julia Johnson's narrative to make The Pearl Diver an outstanding book for children aged 8-12. Saeed is going to learn how to dive - his father has promised to teach him. It is the start of the pearling season and this is his first trip out on to the waters of the Arabian Gulf. Leaving the rest of his family behind on the shore, Saeed and his father join the crew of a pearling dhow and set out to spend the hot summer months on the high seas. He learns how the pearl divers hunt for the treasures of the seabed, and discovers the secrets and dangers story, carefully researched from oral and written sources - some dating from more than a hundred-and-fifty years ago - offers an insight into the way of life that sustained the Arabian Gulf right up until the discovery of oil.
£11.21
Medina Publishing Ltd Sicilian Shadows
Aged seven, Francesco Scannella's world turns upside down when he is uprooted from his English suburban home, and sent to the heartland of the Cosa Nostra. He quickly forgets that he ever spoke English and survives by the sharpness of his wit and the strength of his fists, adopting the machismo ways of his elders. Every day is a fight for survival, gang violence is the norm, and the Mafia rules. In this compelling memoir, Francesco Scannella throws open a window on the true nature of Sicilians, explains how and why they turn to the Mafia and how desperate life was at the time. In Francesco Scannella we are introduced to a strong new narrative voice, which tells with wry humour and brutal honesty of tragic young love; of how a school friend became an assassin; of politics and philosophy, cookery and cryptozoology. Frank Sinatra makes an appearance, as does the father of the modern Mafia, Don Calo Vizzini. Sicilian Shadows, Francesco Scannella's first book, is a compelling story of the loss of innocence, a homage to a homeland, and a history lesson about one of the most misunderstood societies in the world: light years away from cosmopolitan Palermo and the paparazzi glitz of 1960s Italy.
£12.02
Medina Publishing Ltd The Art of Falconry
The author's vast falconry experience, combined with that of his fellow contributors, make this volume knowledge-heavy yet light and entertaining in style. It covers all aspects of modern falconry, from the traditions that shaped the sport we know today to its underpinning ethics and philosophy as it continues to evolve in the 21st century. It takes the reader around the globe in search of ultimate quarry species, relating methods and motives through the hawking experiences of those who seek the most challenging flights in their art. Scottish red grouse and Belgian crows; houbara hawking with gyrfalcons and sakers; wood pigeon hawking with peregrines and goshawks; sand grouse, snipe and sage grouse with high-flying falcons: this book gives the falconer pride in the sport's traditions and enthusiasm for the future development and evolution of this living heritage.
£40.00
Medina Publishing Ltd Mokee Joe
Mokee Joe is back and he's stronger than ever. He's determined to finish what he's been programmed to do--destroy Hudson. As the nightmare returns, Hudson has to fight for his life in an epic battle of strength and skill.
£9.67
Medina Publishing Ltd Just Hugh: Hugh Raymond Leach Remembered
Just Hugh is a portrait of Hugh Leach, an end-of-era soldier, diplomat, traveller and, above all, charismatic enthusiast. The title reflects his passion for Just William books, one of his many and varied interests. To echo a phrase that Hugh used on the flyleaf of his Strolling About on the Roof of the World, the 'fons et origo' of these memories was an idea mooted at his memorial service in April 2016, five months after his death. The book combines anecdotes and recollections submitted after that service with others previously received for his RSAA obituary, together with Hugh's own reminiscences in his later years. Tales from twenty-five years of service between the Nile and the Euphrates and travels throughout Central Asia are interwoven with biographical details to create a 'memory book' of this unique, much missed, man of many parts.
£25.00
Medina Publishing Ltd Unbounded
Unbounded tells the story of Huda Al-Ghoson, the first high-ranking female executive in the history of Saudi Aramco, the largest oil company in the world. In an organisation once dominated by men, Al-Ghoson’s memoir tells a real-life tale of courage and empowerment, standing as a testament to the challenges faced by women in Saudi Arabia. Recalling traumatic memories of adversity and doubt, Al-Ghoson delves into a past that saw a short-lived arranged marriage, a restricted primary education, and a hunger for something greater. Driven by self-determination, she would go on to overcome the odds in a culture where women of her generation once lacked basic rights taken for granted in Western countries. Encouraged by her mother, she would answer an ad from Saudi Aramco, which would prove to alter the course of her life in ways she could never have anticipated. Starting as an entry-level employee, Huda Al-Ghoson led by example, furthering the cause of gender equality at Aramco. While progressing in her career, she would shatter glass ceilings, confront workplace harassment, and do the unthinkable – put men in their place. Spirited and rebellious, Unbounded embodies the progressive Saudi Arabia Huda Al-Ghoson envisioned from a young age, and which she can see emerging today.
£20.00
Medina Publishing Ltd Charles Huber: France's Greatest Arabian Explorer
The French-Alsatian geographer Charles Huber (1847–84) achieved fame as one of the 19th century’s great Arabian explorers. On his two heroic journeys between 1880 and 1884, he pioneered the scientific mapping of inland Arabia and made some of the earliest records of ancient North Arabian inscriptions and rock art. His tragic murder in 1884 meant that he published little, and the only connected narrative that he managed to write was of his first journey in 1880–81. This highly significant document of Arabian exploration has not been published since 1885, and is presented here for the first time in English translation. Despite Huber’s great posthumous reputation, almost nothing has been written about him. William Facey’s biographical. introduction fills this void, revealing much that was hitherto unknown about Huber’s complex and risk-taking personality, and about his colourful life as a fervent French patriot coming of age in Strasbourg during a time of Franco-German conflict. New light is shed on the dates and itinerary of Huber’s first Arabian journey, an epic quest of some 5,000 kilometres on camelback requiring immense fortitude. For this he used Ha’il as a base before travelling with the pilgrim caravan to Iraq and thence to Syria. The focus then shifts to his return to Arabia in 1883 with Julius Euting, the eminent German Semitist, and the twists and turns of their unsuccessful collaboration. Having parted company with Euting at the great Nabataean site of Mada’in Salih in the northern Hijaz, Huber went back into central Arabia before making a dangerous journey to Jiddah. He was murdered shortly after, on 29 July 1884, by his guides on the Red Sea coast. Finally, the affair of the Tayma Stele, the celebrated Aramaic inscription now in the Musée du Louvre, comes under the spotlight. In a new analysis of this notorious Franco-German imbroglio, the prevailing idea that Huber first saw it in 1880 is held up to scrutiny, and Euting at last given his due for its discovery in 1884.
£30.00
Medina Publishing Ltd Picasso's Revenge
In the early 1920's, immaculate gentleman, Jacques Doucet descends into the world of anarchist art, the occult and the dark turmoil of his past - involving the death of his beloved Madame R. A disastrous journey leads the couturier and patron of the arts to confront the celebrated bohemians of the city, including Max Jacob, Andre Breton and Picasso. When troubled Doucet acquires the world's most dangerous painting, it causes him to hack at the root of Picasso's darkest secrets, unveiling modern art's incredible genesis.
£17.95
Medina Publishing Ltd A Dark and Stormy Night
To that which we give the name of Love, be it of the flesh or of God, is it ever less than divine? In a space of mere hours, a life and faith in their entirety are to be re-lived by Simon Chance. One-time missionary and bishop, Chance had withdrawn in mid-life to research - and teach - his enduring mentor Dante, creator of The Divine Comedy. He is recently widowed, after the prolonged descent into dementia of his devoted wife Marigold, violinist and composer. To recuperate, he is invited by a life-long confidante, Clare, to her son's villa in the hills behind St Tropez in southern France, to join a house party of old friends from their university days, each now reaping the rewards of their worldly careers. The reunion coincides with the collapse of global banking confidence - and the playing-out of Clare's own loss of love. Such is one weave of this narrative. On a walk in the forest of the Massif des Maures surrounding the remote villa, in search of a church abandoned centuries ago, Chance loses his way - in a `dark wood', as once experienced by Dante. The night turns wild. Such is a second weave. Marigold has not been the only love of Simon Chance. The passionate liaison of his earlier life, pre-ordination, was with a student botanist. This very Evie, with her Parliamentarian spouse, is about to join the house party of Clare, her greatest friend. A vital element in that searing, abandoned youthful liaison is yet to be reconciled with this scholar-cleric Chance had come to be. Now it rises to confront him. Here is the binding and defining weave of this night, unraveling in dark and storm and dawn. The working-through of the nature of love, physical and spiritual, in love's innocence and purity, will redeem Simon Chance or destroy him. Or both.
£11.25
Medina Publishing Ltd Nammet: A Celebration of Isle of Wight Food and Drink
The Isle of Wight is nationally acclaimed as a producer of quality food and drink – known as Nammet to locals. Varied produce with an island provenance now finds its way to restaurants,food markets, delicatessens and shops all over the UK, all with a passion for quality and taste. Nammet is a celebration of the very best food and drink that originate from the beautiful,warm and sunblessed shores and waters of the Isle of Wight. Nammet vividly reveals the fascinating background to the dedicated and often eccentric Islanders behind the delectable produce. The book is produced for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice. This vital Isle of Wight charity raises funds through events such as Walk the Wight which every year attracts over 10,000 participants. The book is a perfect keepsake for Islanders, visitors and armchair travellers with taste. From the Island already famed for its scenery, Queen Victoria, Lord Tennyson, music festivals, dinosaurs, hovercraft, sailing and its very own curious dialect, here is a feast of brocks including dewbit, jipper and harlens. Put on yer yepper and get ready to get the finest island Nammet. Enjoy.
£19.95
Medina Publishing Ltd Surviving the Storm: The New Geopolitics of Energy
Surviving the Storm is an analysis, undertaken by the Windsor Energy Group over the past 12 years, focusing on the availability of an ample global energy supply over the next 35 to 50 years. It charts a way through the storm but warns of the many political conflicts and economic obstacles looming. With the effects of climate change and the growing damage to the Earth's atmosphere, catastrophe seems at first sight inevitable. The impact on international trade, economic growth and food supply could be critical. With a steadily rising global population and the ever-widening expectations of the billions who live in the non-OECD developing world, it is safe to assume that their global consumption of primary energy could come close to doubling within the coming years. Where is all this energy going to be found? Alternative energy is struggling hard to hang on to its tiny share of the global energy mix. Scientific research shows the dire consequences of doing nothing and the pressing need to accelerate the pace of developing much more efficient and energy-saving technology. The good news is that we have ample resources of oil, coal and gas to bridge the gap to these new technologies. However, we will have to maintain the current momentum of production of these fossil-based fuels and to invest heavily in expanding their capacity. The bad news is that we can only achieve this if we can simultaneously ensure that we can neutralise and curb their adverse impact on the atmosphere, agriculture, fisheries and urban air quality.
£15.18
MEDINA PUBLISHING LTD SUCCESS THROUGH COOPERATION
£11.25
Medina Publishing Ltd Hidden in the Sands: Uncovering Qatar's Past
The first book of its kind to be published for a general readership from youngsters upwards, Hidden in the Sands: Uncovering Qatar's Past is the fascinating, fun and educational story of Qatar's heritage and the exciting discoveries being made by archaeologists. This informative and delightful book is published through the generosity of Maersk Oil as part of its programme to support education and unlock Qatar's history and heritage. Hidden beneath the sand and sea and revealed on rocks are the clues which explain why this ancient land has been such a key region throughout history. Here you can follow the detective work of archaeologists and discover Qatar's rich past. In conjunction with a fully interactive website and also available in an Arabic edition, Hidden in the Sands describes in words and pictures the treasures uncovered by archaeologists, the methods they use, and the significance of their discoveries. Today, using state-of-the-art technology for excavation, dating and conservation, teams of experts are working all over Qatar to reconstruct its past. Hidden in the Sands is fully illustrated with photographs, maps and diagrams, and embellished by the vivid and evocative illustrations of the artist Norman MacDonald. Told simply and with in-depth and up-to-date detail, it leads readers through the fascinating world of archaeology. Like reconstructing an earthenware jar from a hundred little shards, this work pieces together the fragments of the past to produce a complete and beautiful whole.
£13.57
Medina Publishing Ltd The Cheetah's Tale
A heart wrenching children's story. A little girl comes across a malnourished cheetah cub caged at the back of a small shop in an Arab souq. Her mother agrees to buy the animal to save its life, and the little girl rears the cub at their house until it grows into a fine young cheetah. The cheetah and the girl are inseparable friends, but they know one day he will need to return to Africa where he can roam free. Beautiful illustrations flow throughout the narrative and bring this enchanting tale to life.
£13.21
Medina Publishing Ltd Out of the Desert: The Influence of the Arab Horse on the Light Horse and Native Pony Breeds of Britain
£35.00
Medina Publishing Ltd Windtower: The Merchant Houses of Dubai
Windtower offers a unique insight into a past way of life, exploring Dubai's rich and storied past and heritage. This new and extended edition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the formation of the United Arab Emirates, diving deeper into the merchant community's central role in Dubai's pre-oil economy and social life. This new edition also considers the lessons to be learned from Dubai's traditional windtowers at a time of global warming and climate crisis, and how this knowledge might benefit contemporary urban design. The title features a foreword from His Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales, who writes: "I do hope this book will enable other people to join in appreciating the unique nature of these buildings and that it will encourage an awareness of how relevant many of their distinctive features are to the modern challenges of building sustainable communities in a way that maximizes the use of renewable energy." With exclusive archival photography, custom maps, as well as original architectural plans and diagrams, Windtower is a must-have book for anyone interested in Dubai's architecture, culture and fascinating historical development.
£27.00