Australia′s Great Barrier Reef is the only living structure on Earth visible from the moon; at 348,700 square kilometers (238,899 square miles), it′s bigger than the United Kingdom. It stretches over 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) and is home to some 1,500 kinds of fish, 400 species of corals, 4,000 kinds of clams and snails, and who knows how many sponges, worms, starfish, and sea urchins. In short, the Great Barrier Reef is the Eighth Wonder of the World.
You're no idiot, of course. You know that feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice that's received a lot of attention lately. But when it comes to understanding what exactly feng shui is —or even how to pronounce it— you feel like you're scaling the Great Wall of China. Don't fall off just yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide To Feng Shui teaches you everything you need to know to embrace this ancient and complex art and science.
Alexander the Great became king of Macedon in 336 BC, when he was only 20 years old, and died at the age of 32, twelve years later. During his reign he conquered the Achaemenid Persian Empire, the largest empire that had ever existed, leading his army from Greece to Pakistan, and from the Libyan desert to the steppes of Central Asia. His meteoric career, as leader of an alliance of Greek cities, Pharaoh of Egypt, and King of Persia, had a profound effect on the world he moved through. Even in his lifetime his achievements became legendary and in the centuries that following his story was told and retold throughout Europe and the East.
Amazon.com Editorial Review Some people say Anna Karenina is the single greatest novel ever written, which makes about as much sense to me as trying to determine the world's greatest color. But there is no doubt that Anna Karenina, generally considered Tolstoy's best book, is definitely one ripping great read. Anna, miserable in her loveless marriage, does the barely thinkable and succumbs to her desires for the dashing Vronsky...
The contemporary view of Henry VIII's younger sister, Princess Mary Rose as one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe, was an arresting one. Glorious to behold, this Tudor Princess with her red hair flowing loose to her waist, was also impossible for Henry to control. She first married the king of France, a match of great importance to Henry's diplomatic plans. He was dead within three months. The talk of the European courts was that the teenage bride had killed the 51-year old Louis XII with her exertions of the king in his bedchamber. She then ran off with her new lover, the great rake of the Tudors era, Charles Brandon.
