Throughout the second century B.C., the world of East Asia was divided between two great superpowers, the Han Chinese and the Hsiung-nu, facing off against each other sometimes peaceably and sometimes antagonistically. In Ancient China and Its Enemies, Nicola Di Cosmo provides a magisterial survey of the rise of the lesser known of these two powers, the nomadic Hsiung-nu. This book is invaluable not only for understanding the relations between ancient China and its major enemy, but also for understanding either of the powers individually.

China, a Macro History

Several good histories of China for general readers have been published in recent years, e.g., Witold Rodzinski's The Walled Kingdom (Free Pr., 1984). Cotterell's book, however, is too amateurish to be among them. It alternates between convention and error and often condenses history in a confusing way. Huang's macro history, on the other hand, is most welcome.

This edition is written in English. However, there is a running Spanish thesaurus at the bottom of each page for the more difficult English words highlighted in the text.

Pudd'nhead Wilson is an ironic novel by Mark Twain. It was serialized in The Century Magazine (1893-4), before being published as a novel in 1894.

The setting is the fictional Missouri frontier town of Dawson's Landing on the banks of the Mississippi River in the first half of the 1800s. David Wilson moves to town and a chance remark of his causes locals to brand him a "pudd'nhead" - a nitwit.

Reuploaded Thanks to Maria

Few writers have captured the essence of 19th-century London the way Charles Dickens has. A master of extreme situations, Dickens is known for his colorful and often seedy characters and the elaborate settings of his works. This volume from the Bloom's Classic Critical Views series features a remarkable collection of critical essays from the 19th and early 20th centuries that paint a clear historical portrait of this important writer.

Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Climate Change and Energy in the 21st Century

Global climate change is one of the most important issues humanity faces today. This book assesses the sensible, senseless and biased proposals for averting the potentially disastrous consequences of global warming, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions on switching to more sustainable energy provision.