Engelska

<b>A WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 </b><br/><br/><b>"A brilliant exploration of Cyprus's long history of cultural resilience. Superbly composed." -- Guardian</b><br/><br/><b>"Poetic...Compelling" -- New Statesman</b><br/><br/><b>One of <i>National Geographic</i>'s Summer Reads 2024<br/></b><br/>Think of a place where you can stand at the intersection of Christian and Arab cultures, at the crossroads of the British, Ottoman, Byzantine, Roman and Egyptian empires; a place marked by the struggle between fascism and communism and where the capital city is divided in half as a result of bloody conflict; where the ancient olive trees of Homer's time exist alongside the undersea cables which link up the world's internet.<br/><br/>In <i>Cypria</i>, named after a lost Cypriot epic which was the prequel to <i>The Odyssey</i>, British Cypriot writer Alex Christofi writes a deeply personal, lyrical history of the island of Cyprus, from the era of goddesses and mythical beasts to the present day.<br/><br/>This sprawling, evocative and poetic book begins with the legend of the cyclops and the storytelling at the heart of the Mediterranean culture. Christofi travels to salt lakes, crusader castles, mosques and the eerie town deserted at the start of the 1974 war. He retells the particularly bloody history of Cyprus during the twentieth century and considers his own identity as traveler and returner, as Odysseus was.<br/><br/>Written in sensitive, witty and beautifully rendered prose, with a novelist's flair and eye for detail, <i>Cypria</i> combines the political, cultural and geographical history of Cyprus with reflections on time, place and belonging.

<b>Embark on exceptional adventures along the most iconic train lines on the globe. </b><br/><br/>Ride along high-altitude viaducts, race through unspoilt woodlands and wind in-between epic mountains: rail travel allows us to see the world in a way quite unlike any other mode of transport. Join train enthusiast and journalist Jean-Baptiste Bonaventure in this gorgeous and comprehensive book that documents 80 of the world's most emblematic and spectacular railway lines.<br/><br/>From the Orient Express in mainland Europe to the Taurus Express in Turkey, passing by the California Zephyr in the US and the Argentinian Tren a las Nubes, this book takes you on epic adventures across the globe. Divided by continent, each highly readable entry includes a detailed map, anecdotes of the history of the line, and stunning photography of the landscapes met along the way.<br/><br/>Immerse yourself in this epic book and prepare to see the world as you've never seen it before with this most vintage and ecological mode of transport.