It has been more than a century since the birth of Mao Zedong. From the collapse of the old Chinese Empire in 1912 to the foundation of the People's Republic in 1949, his history is linked with that of contemporary China and with the history of world communism as well. His version of guerilla warfare and revolution resulted in the construction of a socialist society that became a model of socialism throughout the world.Both a tyrant and rebel, Mao wanted to rule through revolution. Yet the Big Leap Forward (1958) and the Cultural Revolution (1966) plunged China into chaos without saving it from totalitarianism. After 1978, de-Maoisation and economic reforms by Deng Xiaoping helped heal the country's wounds, but the future remains uncertain.Whether China should be an empire united or broken, serenely "open" or in conflict, democratic or authoritarian, egalitarian or prosperous - so many lingering questions remain of those that Mao and his generation began asking nearly a century ago. Was the Maoist Revolution futile? Would China have been better off without Mao-and is such a thing imaginable?

So you’re walking out of school and parked at the gate is a new, bright red Ford Mustang with a hulk of a man in the front seat. He’s sporting a razor cut and wraparound shades. Before you can pass he’s out of the car and blocking your path. "Mind if I take a minute"—he has you by the arm now—"to tell you about the great life in today’s Army and why you should seriously think about signing up?" The armed forces are having a tough time attracting new recruits lately, in no small part due to the mess in Iraq. Young people are getting wise to the many excellent reasons not to join the U.S. military, and this handy book brings them all together, combining accessible writing with hard facts and devastating personal testimony. Contributors with firsthand experience point out the dangers facing soldiers, describe the tricks used by recruiters, and emphasize that there really are other options, even in a sluggish economy. It’s essential reading for anyone thinking of signing up.

Discusses the twelfth-century invention of the compass, its dramatic influence on navigation and the rise of Italian sea power, and its impact on the development of world trade and the Age of Discovery.

Beginning in the broken aftermath of the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles that made German recovery almost impossible, Whittock tells not just the account of the men who rose to the fore in the dangerous days of the Weimar republic, circling around the cult of personality generated by Adolf Hitler, but also a convincing and personality-driven overview of how ordinary Germans became seduced by the dreams of a new world order, the Third Reich. The book also gives a fascinating insight into the everyday life in Germany during the Second World War and explores key questions such as how much did the Germans know about the Holocaust and why did the regime eventually fail so disastrously?

In 1914 Karen Blixen arrived in Kenya with her husband to run a coffee-farm. Instantly drawn to the land, she spent her happiest years there until the plantation failed. Karen Blixen was forced to return to Denmark in 1931 and it was there that she wrote this classic account of her experiences. A poignant farewell to her beloved farm, Out of Africa describes her strong friendships with the people of the area, her affection for the landscape and animals, and great love for the adventurer Denys Finch-Hatton. Written with astonishing clarity and an unsentimental intelligence, Out of Africa portrays a way of life that has disappeared for ever.

Presents portraits and profiles of sixty-five unique jobs in the United States, including a page turner, a bugler, a golf ball diver, and a doll doctor.