The rise of the automobile as told through its Rubicon moment--a sensational, high-risk race across two continents on the verge of revolution.

The rise of the automobile as told through its Rubicon moment—a sensational, high-risk race across two continents on the verge of revolution. The racers—an Italian prince and his chauffeur, a French racing driver, a con man, and several rival journalists—battle over steep inclines, through narrow mountain passages, and across the arid Gobi Desert. Competitors endure torrential rain and choking dust. There are barely any roads, and petrol is almost impossible to find. A global audience of millions follows each twist and turn, devouring reports telegraphed from the course. More than its many adventures, the Peking-to-Paris Motor Challenge took place on the precipice of a new world. As the twentieth century dawned, imperial regimes in China and Russia were crumbling, paving the way for the rise of communist ones. The electric telegraph was rapidly transforming modern communication, and with it, the news media, commerce, and politics. Suspended between the old and the new, the Peking-to-Paris, as best-selling historian Kassia St. Clair writes, became a critical tipping point. A gripping, immersive narrative of the race, The Race to the Future sets the drivers’ derring-do (and occasional cheating) against the backdrop of a larger geopolitical and technological race to the future. Interweaving events from the fall of the Qing dynasty to the departure of the horse economy and the rise of gendered marketing, St. Clair shows how the Peking-to-Paris provided an impetus for profound social, cultural, and industrial change, while masterfully capturing the mounting tensions between nations and empires—all building up to the cataclysmic event that changed everything: the First World War. “Consistently mind-boggling, often funny, and occasionally hair-raising” (Philip Ball), The Race to the Future is the incredible true story of the quest against the odds that propelled us along the road to modernity.

No sporting event has had its past and present, its highs and lows so intricately entwined with those of a country like the Tour has with France.

‘This new generation of Latin American writers has exchanged history for memory, dictators for narcos and political engagement for gender and class consciousness.’ El País Ten years on from the first Bogotá 39 selection, which brought writers such as Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Alejandro Zambra and Junot Díaz to fame, comes this story collection showcasing thirty-nine exceptional new talents. Chosen by some of the biggest names in Latin American literature, together with publishers, writers and literary critics and a panel of expert judges, this exciting anthology paves the way for a new generation of household names. These stories have been brought into English by some of the finest translators around, including familiar names such as Daniel Hahn, Christina MacSweeney and Megan McDowell, as well as many new and exciting translators who are just launching their careers. With authors from fifteen different countries, this diverse collection of stories transports readers to a host of new worlds, and represents the very best writing coming out of Latin America today.

Defiant Geographies examines the destruction of a poor community in the center of Rio de Janeiro to make way for Brazil’s first international mega-event. As the country celebrated the centenary of its independence, its postabolition whitening ideology took on material form in the urban development project that staged Latin America’s first World’s Fair. The book explores official efforts to reorganize space that equated modernization with racial progress. It also considers the ways in which black and blackened subjects mobilized their own spatial logics to introduce alternative ways of occupying the city. Leu unpacks how the spaces of the urban poor are racialized, and the impact of this process for those who do not fit the ideal models of urbanity that come to define the national project. Defiant Geographies puts the mutual production of race and space at the heart of scholarship on Brazil’s urban development and understands urban reform as a monumental act of forgetting the country’s racial past.

The United States is possibly the last Western empire that has tried to impose the global predominance of the West. It was assumed in the beginning of the war in the Middle East that American success was predestined and that this encounter would be similar to the first Greek and Persian War in 5 B.C. It is from this prospective that historians have approached the event. This book challenges this assumption. The great Persians had a much greater chance for victory than the Greeks. It was just luck and the genius of a few Greek politicians that saved the West.

"Time to Leave Law-Law Land ... and Head Back Into the Jungle" Fuelled by advancing technology, new business models, and altered client expectations, the legal industry faces unprecedented change across its entire value chain. Unfortunately, many legal professionals fear the technology train and the convergence of other fields with law. They see legaltech, AI, and bots like "lions and tigers and bears oh my." We (the curators and authors of this book) see opportunity. Although the future may require us to put on "new suits"—it represents an enormous opportunity for lawyers to reinvent ourselves for our own and our clients' benefit. Filled with chapters written by experts in the intersection of law, innovation, and technology, this book provides a global perspective on the diverse legal service delivery ecosystem that will be our future. It provides chapter upon chapter (reason upon reason) explaining why lawyers can and should increase their appetite for disruption in the legal world. So welcome to the jungle and enjoy the ride as we attempt to systematically map the uncharted waters of the future legal realm and simultaneously inspire you to build a new future in law. Endorsements "The 'Artist Formerly Known as the Legal Profession' isn't what it used to be. You think that you know law firms and the challenges that confront lawyers, but you don't. Legal services providers have spent years resisting change, and now seem determined to pack fifty- or sixty-years of evolution into five. The entire legal services market has been transformed by LegalTech, globalization, and new delivery models – and until now there has been no guide to the way that consumers can benefit and providers can profit from the changes. Guenther and Michele have gathered a Who's Who of thinkers to provide a marvellous range of visions of the way that law is changing. They provide a roadmap for the future of law – if only you'll follow it." Professor Dan Hunter PhD FAAL, Foundation Dean, Swinburne Law School "'Nomen est omen' if you read the book title of 'New Suits'. It encourages, allows and requests lawyers at all levels to rethink their former and existing ways of doing business in many areas of law. In the same, it outlines great opportunities to a new breed of experts in our profession. Thanks to the various authors, one gets a good understanding of how massive the impact of technology has become – and is going to be - to the legal services market. And the authors provide a distinct view of how a rather traditional profession will have to transform their business models to comply with the fast changes in the marketplace." Jürg Birri, Partner / Global Head of KPMG's Legal "For a while now, we have been hearing about digitization, disruption and new delivery models in the world of Big Law. "New Suits" both reassures and gives a wake-up call to all of us in the business of providing legal services. Setting out both the opportunities and the threats engendered by the dynamic change in our industry, the book is an invaluable guide to all lawyers and legal business professionals wanting some insight on the challenges facing them in a globalized and accelerating world." Dr Mattias Lichtblau, CMS "This book comes at a time where we see just the beginning of a transformational change on the legal market. While such transformation is seen as a great opportunity for those participants who endorse change and innovations, others seem to be more frightened by potential disruption of their well-established business models. The structure and comprehensive contributor listing for this book encapsulates many disparate challenges faced by almost all players on the market. The lecture of the book should give good guidance to anyone who is interested in how the legal profession is (finally) modernizing, capitalizing on technology trends and becoming more client-centric.

The Triumph of Democracy in Spain tells a gripping story of the tortuous creation of Spain's constitutional monarchy. The book provides an authoritative account of the tribulations of the forces of progress, beginning in 1969 with the disintegration of Franco's dictatorship and ending with the remarkable Socialist election victory in 1982.

"This endlessly fun and hugely entertaining romp through Europe had me laughing out loud and reaching for my passport.” —Jennifer E. Smith, author of Windfall A POPSUGAR Best Young Adult Novel of 2017! Nineteen-year-old Sydney has the perfect summer mapped out. She’s spending the next four and a half weeks travelling through Europe with her childhood best friend Leela. Their plans include Eiffel Tower selfies, eating cocco gelato, and making out with très hot strangers. Her plans do not include Leela’s cheating ex-boyfriend showing up on the flight to London, falling for the cheating ex-boyfriend’s très hot friend, monitoring her mother’s spiraling mental health via texts, or feeling like the rope in a friendship tug of war. In this hilarious and unforgettable adventure, New York Times bestselling author Sarah Mlynowski tells the story of a girl learning to navigate secret romances, thorny relationships, and the London Tube. As Sydney zigzags through Amsterdam, Switzerland, Italy, and France, she must learn when to hold on, when to keep moving, and when to jump into the Riviera...wearing only her polka dot underpants.