Kazakhstan is vast – the ninth-largest country in the world – yet there is relatively little information available in English about the attractions of this remarkable country. With the Kazakh government seeking to promote the development of tourism, publication of the Bradt guide is timely. Located between Russia and China, the state of Kazakhstan possesses an incredible diversity of natural beauty; this guide includes arrangements for visiting natural parks and reserves and special features such as singing sand dunes and the Sharyn Canyon - Asia’s equivalent of the Grand Canyon. Key historical and archaeological sites are also given due prominence, Kazakhstan having been inhabited since the Stone Age.

The first book to systematically demonstrate via case studies the importance of translation to the study of cosmopolitanism and social thought, and vice versa. Provides a wide range of theoretical and methodological insights on the relationship between cosmopolitanism and translation

Warned by a Hong Kong fortune-teller not to risk flying for a whole year, Tiziano Terzani — a vastly experienced Asia correspondent — took what he called “the first step into an unknown world. . . . It turned out to be one of the most extraordinary years I have ever spent: I was marked for death, and instead I was reborn.” Traveling by foot, boat, bus, car, and train, he visited Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Geography expanded under his feet. He consulted soothsayers, sorcerers, and shamans and received much advice — some wise, some otherwise — about his future. With time to think, he learned to understand, respect, and fear for older ways of life and beliefs now threatened by the crasser forms of Western modernity. He rediscovered a place he had been reporting on for decades. And it reinvigorated him. The result is an immensely engaging, insightful, and idiosyncratic journey, filled with unexpected delights and strange encounters. A bestseller and major prizewinner in Italy, A Fortune-Teller Told Me is a powerful warning against the new missionaries of materialism.

“For those who still get their ‘-stans’ mixed up, Hiro’s book provides a detailed and nuanced overview of the region.” —Financial Times (Best Books of the Year) The nations of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Iran—the majority of them former Soviet republics—remain little understood in the West even in the post-Cold War era. This book delves into these Central Asian countries: their histories, cultures, economics, politics, militaries, and relationships with regional neighbors, Russia in particular. Ultimately, Inside Central Asia is an outstanding, in-depth introduction to this part of the world, “full of dependable history-telling and analysis” (The Economist). Praise for the work of Dilip Hiro “The writing is clear and informative.” —The New York Times “Hiro’s mix of lively writing and serious detail should draw in readers.” —Choice “Intriguing analysis.” —Publishers Weekly “[An] eminent historian.” —Kirkus Reviews

This book tells the gripping stories of twelve men who were imprisoned in the death camps in Laos. It tells the truth about the hidden war in Laos. Together the stories of these men show how communism destroyed liberty, terrorised an entire nation, and tried to kill the essence of freedom itself. The author contends that the war in Vietnam was a just war and that the soldiers who risked and gave their lives in that prolonged conflict deserve our ultimate respect.

The first real explorer, for the English, was Anthony Jenkinson. He sailed to Russia and set out into the unknown to discover an overland route, right across Asia. His detailed reports and his map were a revelation for the Tudors. In 1557 Anthony Jenkinson was sent by the merchants of London to try to find an overland route right across Asia to Cathay and the riches of the Orient, setting off a year before Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne. His expedition to the east took place some twenty nine years earlier than the first English expedition to the west. As well as surviving storms, Jenkinson was faced with thieving, illness and several attacks by bandits, before eventually, by sheer persistence, reaching Bokhara, which is now in Uzbekistan. He had completed two thirds of the journey and had reached the ‘Silk Road’ that led to Cambaluc (Beijing), before finding that he could go no further because the route ahead was closed by continuous wars. In later expeditions, he travelled to Persia where he nearly had his head cut off and he also went to Moscow where he managed some extremely tense negotiations with Tsar Ivan the Terrible on behalf of the Muscovy Company. His reports back to the Company in London give us a great insight into what Russia was like at the time, and Tartary and Persia. ‘This book is a lively and carefully researched study of Anthony Jenkinson,’ – Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Bt, OBE ‘This important book fills an undoubted gap in the history of English travellers in the sixteenth century,’ – Professor David Loades, FSA, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Wales The First English Explorer will appeal to fans of history, particularly those with a strong interest in explorers and eastern travel.

An Introduction to Political Geographyprovides a broad-based introduction to how power interacts with space; how place influences political identities; and how policy creates and remoulds territory. By pushing back the boundaries of what we conventionally understand as political geography, the book emphasizes the interactions between power, politics and policy, space, place and territory in different geographical contexts. This is both an essential text for political geographers and also a valuable resource for students of related fields with an interest in politics and geography.

A selection of the best in travel writing, with both fiction and non-fiction presented together, this companion is for all those who like travelling, like to think about travelling, and who take an interest in their destination. It covers guidebooks as well as books about food, history, art and architecture, religion, outdoor activities, illustrated books, autobiographies, biographies and fiction and lists books both in and out of print. Anderson's Travel Companion is arranged first by continent, then alphabetically by country and then by subject, cross-referenced where necessary. There is a separate section for guidebooks and comprehensive indexes. Sarah Anderson founded the Travel Bookshop in 1979 and is also a journalist and writer on travel subjects. She is known by well-known travel writers such as Michael Palin and Colin Thubron. Michael Palin chose her bookshop as his favourite shop and Colin Thubron and Geoffrey Moorhouse, among others, made suggestions for titles to include in the Travel Companion.