Travel Europe on the cheap with this updated guide, the ideal companion whether you're on a city break, beach vacation, or road trip. The locally based Rough Guides author team introduces the best places to stop and explore, and provides reliable insider tips on topics such as driving on European roads, how to find the best local shops, or where to find safe hostels. You'll find special coverage of European history, art, architecture, and literature,...

The epic saga of the Spinoza family that spans a thousand years of European and Jewish history and revolves around a secret manuscript containing the recipe for immortality.

Very few books have resulted in the controversy that "The Diary of a Drug Fiend" has caused since its original publication in 1922. While much of the debate is centered on the novel's author Aleister Crowley, the story itself has both enchanted and enraged audiences for nearly a century. Despite being a fictional work, Crowley drew from his own experiences as a heavy drug user for the context of the plot. Peter Pendragon and Louise Laleham, in a drug-induced...

"Unlike World War I, when the horrors of battle were largely confined to the front, World War II reached into the lives of ordinary people in an unprecedented way. Entire countries were occupied, millions were mobilized for the war effort, and in the end, the vast majority of the war's dead were non-combatant men, women, and children. Inhabitants of German-occupied Europe--the war's deadliest killing ground--experienced forced labor, deportation,...

From the voyages of Christopher Columbus to those of Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin, the depiction of the natural world played a central role in shaping how people on both sides of the Atlantic understood and imaged the region we now know as Latin America. Nature provided incentives for exploration, commodities for trade, specimens for scientific investigation, and manifestations of divine forces. It also yielded a rich trove of representations,...

"In Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe, Sheri Berman traces the long history of democracy in its cradle, Europe. She explains that in fact, just about every democratic wave in Europe initially failed, either collapsing in upon itself or succumbing to the forces of reaction. Yet even when democratic waves failed, there were always some achievements that lasted. Even the most virulently reactionary regimes could not suppress every element of democratic...

"Karin Bojs grew up in a small, broken family. At her mother's funeral she felt this more keenly than ever. As a science journalist, she was eager to learn more about herself, her family and the interconnectedness of society using DNA research. After all, we're all related. And in a sense, we are all family. My European Family tells the story of Europe and its people through its genetic legacy, from the first wave of immigration to the present day,...

"You can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling through Europe. With Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door, you'll learn how to: Plan your itinerary and maximize your time ; Pack light and right ; Find good-value hotels and restaurants ; Travel smoothly by train, bus, car, and plane ; Avoid crowds and tourist scams ; Hurdle the language barrier ; Understand cultural differences and connect with locals ; Save...