civilization

"India remains a mystery to many Americans, even as it is poised to become the world?s third largest economy within a generation, outstripping Japan. It will surpass China in population by 2032 and will have more English speakers than the United States by 2050. In In Spite of the Gods, Edward Luce, a journalist who covered India for many years, makes brilliant sense of India and its rise to global power. Already a number-one bestseller in India, his book is sure to be acknowledged for years as the definitive introduction to modern India. In Spite of the Gods illuminates a land of many contradictions. The booming tech sector we read so much about in the West, Luce points out, employs no more than one million of India?s 1.1 billion people. Only 35 million people, in fact, have formal enough jobs to pay taxes, while three-quarters of the country lives in extreme deprivation in India?s 600,000 villages. Yet amid all these extremes exists the world?s largest experiment in representative democracy-and a largely successful one, despite bureaucracies riddled with horrifying corruption."--From source other than the Library of Congress.

Chronicles the political and cultural events that transpired in Europe between the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648 to the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, and examines how it influenced Europe and the world in the years following.

Presents an historical atlas of Ancient Mesopotamia containing detailed maps, photographs, and illustrations on the political and social development of the empires of Sumeria, Akkad, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, and others, and describes the Hittite invasions and the rise of Islam.

An examination of contemporary India as it celebrates fifty years of independence, discussing its politics, mentality, and culture, and examining the important debates that will determine the future direction of the country.

Contains alphabetically arranged entries devoted to the culture of the predominantly Spanish-speaking countries of South America, covering the areas of architecture, art, cinema, dance, history and politics, literature, music, newpapers and magazines, photography, popular culture, radio and television, and theater.

Discusses early Chinese civilization, including the life, customs, arts, and beliefs of the people.