Most Popular Books by James Harpur

Impractical, technophobic, shy and a nervous traveller, James Harpur suspected he had the perfect qualities for not going to Australia when the Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize gave him the chance to visit the country in 2017. House-sitting in Melbourne, expecting to quietly write and research his putative ancestor, Charles Harpur, ''father of Australian poetry'', Harpur instead had one of the most intense months of his life. He met a cast of unforgettable characters, including a church group who asked him to read a poem about Origen''s self-castration; a young Dane whose dream it was to build a skateboarding park in Nepal; a teacher who had nearly been run down by Stephen Hawking in his power wheelchair; and a disturbed stranger who punctuated his conversation with the words ''I didn''t mean to kill her!'' He also came across the menagerie of Australia''s wildlife, but none more delightful than Sappho, the arthritic cat under his temporary care. Written in the haibun form (prose and haiku) of Harpur''s literary hero Matsu Basho, With Sappho in the Antipodes challenges prejudices and stereotypical thinking, gently unfolding a tender, poetic and witty homage to Australia.

This series of photographic histories, produced in conjunction with Getty Images, is a multi-faceted vision of Britain over the past century-and-a-half, a heritage shared by all who live within its shores.

5 August 2005. While conducting a secret mission thirty miles off the remote cost of Kamchatka, the Russian Navy submarine AS-28 became snared in the thick cables anchored to 60-tonne concrete blocks. Without power the stricken boat sunk to the seafloor. Trapped too deep to escape her crew now had just seventy two hours before the air onboard ran out. Twenty-four hours later - still haunted by the loss of the Kursk - the Russian Navy requested assistance. And on their side of the world, Commander Ian Riches, Boss of the Royal Navy''s Submarine rescue team got the call: there was a sub down. With their expertise and specialist equipment, he knew his team had a chance to save the men, but Kamchatka was at the very limit of their range. And the clock was ticking. After the failure of the Russian Navy''s own attempts to resucue them, the crew of the AS-28 shut down all of their boat''s non-essential systems, climbed into thick thermal suits to keep the freezing cold at bay and waited, desperate to eke out the stale, thin air inside the pressure hull of their submarine. But they knew their time was running out... 72 Hours tells the story of an extraordinary, edge-of-the-seat real-life drama. It''s the gripping, inside story of one of the most dramatic rescue attempts of recent years.

2000 Catholic Press Association Award Winner! The Collegeville atlas of the Bible offers those with an interest in their historical and religious heritage a guided tour through the Bible. It describes the stories and events of the Bible and places them in their historical and geographical context. Fabulous 3-D cutaways, maps, and ground plans, all based on the latest historical evidence, enhance the comprehensive text and bring the dramatic events of the Old and New Testaments to life in glorious detail. When the Bible says that Abraham migrated from Ur, Jacob fled to Haran, and Jesus healed and taught in Galilee, many people think of these places as merely names with a semi-legendary status. But with recent archaeology, sites such as Jericho, Hazor, Megiddo, and Masada are now living monuments to the dramatic action described in the Bible. The Collegeville atlas of the Bible illustrates the most important of these sites, while capturing the atmosphere of biblical times with graphic reconstructions, and photographs of archeological remains and biblical artifacts. The Collegeville atlas of the Bible begins with the events of Genesis and follows the sequence of the biblical books, ending with Revelation. The main text gives succinct outlines of biblical stories and explains points of theology. Special features, such as The making of the Psalms" and *Modern Bedouin Encampments, - shed fascinating light on a variety of topics. Central to The Collegeville atlas of the Bible is its use of 50 maps (route maps, ground plans, and locators) to detail biblical territories and routes, and to pinpoint the locations of important events. In the Old Testament, for example, a Mesopotamian ziggurat will show how the Tower of Babel might have looked, while Solomon''s Temple is shown in al its magnificence. In the New Testament, the city of Jerusalem and the siege of Masada are among the visual panoramas presented. In addition, feature map spreads show major journeys and empires, and location shots add their own authentic vistas. Specially-commissioned reconstructions and beautifully illustrated reflective page spreads build on this foundation to add contextual information to the discussion of biblical stories. Additionally, 300 superb full-color photographs take the reader to the Holy Land as it is today in order to better understand how it was in biblical times. The Collegeville atlas of the Bible is divided into two main sections corresponding to the Bible itself: The Old Testament In the Beginning The Patriarchs To the Promised Land From Judges to Kings Decline, Fall and Restoration The Hellenistic Age The New Testament Jesus''s Early Life The Ministry of Jesus Death and Resurrection The First Christians Revolution and Revelation Special features: Specially-commissioned 3-D artworks and ground plans based on the most up-to-date archaeological finds reconstruct the palaces, cities, and towns chronicled in the Bible. Expert text explains the stories of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, explaining the history and the theology related to each one. Carefully selected quotations are taken from the Bible, alongside quotations from other historical sources, for a new angle on these ancient stories. Detailed relief maps show the routes of individuals and the movements of peoples, from Abraham''s first journey in Mesopotamia to the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, to Paul''s last journey to Rome. Detailed descriptions and images of surviving artifacts prompt discussion of aspects of everyday life in the Holy Land. Fully illustrated reflective spreads add a thoughtful discussion of many biblical stories. Authoritative and comprehensive, its 50 maps, 18 major artworks, and 300 full-color photographs make this atlas of the Bible a visual feast. Will appeal to anyone interested in archaeology and ancient history, especially the cultures of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the splendid empires of the Middle East. Marcus Braybrooke is a Church of England vicar and co-president of the World Congress of Faiths. He has written several books about the Bible, Judaism, and interfaith relations. James Harpur has written and edited several books on religion and the Bible. His interest in the sacred is also shown in two volumes of poetry. "

The ultimate guide to extraordinary, enchanting, and sinster creatures. All over the world, from ancient legends to modern movies, stories about creatures have abounded and this atlas covers them all. Learn their stories and tips on how to survive an encounter of your own!

A study of the allocation of state and public financial resources in the Russian Federation. Among the problems documented are the very high differentiation of the regions in terms of level of development, public welfare and self-sufficiency; and inefficiencies in the taxation system.

This series of photographic histories, produced in conjunction with Getty Images, is a multi-faceted vision of Britain over the past century-and-a-half, a heritage shared by all who live within its shores.

This atlas charts a worldwide journey through varied territory, beginning where legend, myth and reality meet. These are the eternal realms, such as the Garden of Eden, Camelot and Avalon, which cannot now be seen, but which have for centuries motivated explorers, writers and artists. The natural settings are as varied as those of Hawaii''s Haleakala Crater, Japan''s Mount Fuji and India''s River Ganges, places where gods and heroes are believed to have walked on Earth. the Valley of the Kings; the Mayan city of Tikal in the heart of the Guatemalan jungle; and Ohio''s Serpent Mound, created by the ancestors of the Native Americans. Human-built beauty and monuments are the stuff of legends too, from the Taj Mahal to the Forbidden City and Elsinore. Legendary places can embody the triumph of human courage over adversity, as witnessed in the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral.

It is organized in five main chapters, and each chapter is enhanced by a stunning six-page gatefold that reveals a contruction of an historical place.

Préparez-vous à rencontrer des créatures merveilleuses et des monstres, sortis tout droit de vos rêves ou de vos cauchemars ! Entrez dans un monde où les Géants mangeurs d''hommes sillonnent la Terre, où des monstres marins se tapissent dans les profondeurs des océans, où des dragons crachent le feu, faisant régner la terreur. Découvrez les féroces Gorgones à chevelure de serpents ou Ammout, la déesse à tête de crocodile, mais aussi le féerique Phénix ou encore la gracieuse licorne. Suivez le héros grec Thésée à travers Le Labyrinthe pour vaincre le Minotaure ou assistez aux combats des chasseurs de dragons. Regardez voler dans le ciel l''éblouissant hippogriffe et prenez garde aux terribles monstres marins qui attirent les navigateurs vers une mort certaine. Dans ce livre résonnent les effroyables hurlements d''abominables créatures. Ouvrez-le, si vous l''osez !

Hauts lieux de prière, tombeaux de personnages célèbres à travers le monde: histoire et légendes entourant ces lieux, description, manifestations de cultes.