Portugal Books

Charles Esdaile's new book on the Peninsular War offers readers a comprehensive and in-depth study of this savage conflict that raged across Spain and Portugal between 1808 and 1814. In over 510 pages of text the author takes us through the reasons why this war started, the battles and campaigns as it progressed over the years and the many interesting facets behind the characters involved. Not only does the author cover the military aspects in detail but also he does not neglect those other important factors such as the politics of the Spanish Junta, Guerilla warfare and the effects on the civilian population.

All the major battles and campaigns are covered and I found the author to be refreshingly non-biased in his writing, offering laurels to those armies, soldiers and commanders that deserved praise, regardless of origin. The maps supplied, 22 in number, were detailed enough to follow the narrative but they could have been of a higher quality. The illustrations, 28 in number, were excellent. The choice of pictures and their quality (all colour prints) was outstanding and made the book that little bit more special.

I must confess that at times the narrative appeared to bog down, mainly when covering the politics of the war. That's not the author's fault but mine, I tend to appreciate the military aspects of a story more. These areas covered by the author in this regard where quite important to the story but I was always itching to get back to the battlefield and to follow the movement of the French and British armies as they maneuvered for another pitched battle.

Overall this is a great book covering this most important Napoleonic campaign. The author utilises numerous first-hand accounts from participants, both military and civilian and they blend in perfectly with the narrative. Its one of the better one-volume accounts and I would rank it along side another one of my personal favorites, `The Spanish Ulcer' by David Gates. I am sure that anyone who appreciates military history will enjoy this new title by Charles Esdaile.

This is a serious and balanced book based on multiple reliable sources in the different languages that people that fought and has written about that war used; not just english: language and people. Specially interesting is the use of french sources and the analysis of civil population suffering inflicted by the french with retribution and counter retribution by spanish, portuguese ,french and so on. No doubt it is a clasic already,along Gate`s Spanish Ulcer and Lovett`s Napoleon and the Birth of Modern Spain in english; for the social aspects of the conflict Artola`s Afrancesados is still unmatched but not translated into english.

Esdaile's book is simply the best overall description of thePeninsular War. He realizes that war and battles do not exist in a vacuum from politics as well as the reverse, that war involves fighting. He thus spends much time on the intricacies of Cadiz government to show the limitations of the Spanish forces. His theses on the regular army and the guerillas are expanded from his early works as is the realtion of Wellington to the Spaniards. The Duke is not mythologised, but he is shown to be the outstanding personality of the war. Although his descriptions of battles are limited in scope and scale (see D. Gates "The Spanish Ulcer" for a better strictly military history), Esdaile places the war within the structure of the other conflicts at the time. This book is the definitive description of the entire war.

The author makes a worthy attempt to say something new about the war, but the start of the book is turgid to say the least. He tries to provide a full socio-economic context for the events in the Peninsula, but goes around and around in circles over spain. Undoubtedly it is good to use the underutilised Spanish sources, which are indeed interesting, but the fact is that the war begins in Portugal, yet is is scaracely given more than a few pages of background. The maps are useful, but there is little meat in a lot of what he says. As a beginner's book, this would leave a lot of confusion. As a definitive work, there is little new apart from the Spanish sources. Perhaps a more clear organization of the book, with appropriate chapter headings and a better index would help. By the time he gets to the Pyrenees, he, like so many other narrators, has long since run out of steam, yet it is in some senses the crux or end of the story, even if it did not take place in Spain. I wish authors dealing with this period would get over the annoying habit of mentioning what will happen later, and then giving only partial information, for example Zaragossa. Perhaps a detailed list of all the battles/main locations with key dates/events might, but as it is it makes everything seem very patchy and badly thought out.
Perhaps if he had confined himself to Spain in the Peninsular war he would have done a great deal better. Likewise, a volume on Portugal, and on the Pyrenees would make much more sense than what he has ended up with. Since he has used so many Spanish sources, some of the basic ones British ones are badly neglected.

Esdaile criticizes the mythological role of the partisans in the Peninsular War and the contention tht these irregular fighters had popular support. Esdaile believes the partisans were nothing more than draft dogers and bandits, who hindered rather than helped the Spanish cause. According to Esdaile the use of these guerrillas hampered the Spanish war effort because they took away valuable men from the army and committed numerous crimes against the civilian population. Esdaile states in this book that the guerrillas were motivated by personal profit and not by any sense of nationalism. In the concluding chapters of the book, Esdaile believes it was Napoleon blunders by asking his subordinates to launch offensives in eastern Spain which led to the western part of the country vulnerable to Welligton's offenisves that ultimately ended the war. I would reccomend this book to anyone who wants a new view of the Peninsular War.

While I don't consider this "Islamic poetry" this small collection of poems is really beautiful. If you love spain, andalusia, the islamic influence, love, metaphoric love, you'll really enjoy this!

I love poetry and I love the history of al-Andalus, so I raced through this book. The poetry is both beautiful and moving. Franzen's introduction states that this is a translation from a translation (Arabic to Spanish to English) so purists who speak either Arabic or Spanish may want to track down these poems in either the original or the first-remove. I do not speak either Arabic or Spanish and so cannot testify to Franzen's fidelity to the Arabic verse. I preferred Franzen to A.J. Arberry's more direct translation, however. Franzen's translations definitely work as emotionally powerful poetry.

The poems were originally in Arabic, then Spanish by Garcia Gomez and now in English. Although the poems are still fresh, and thoughtful, it is better to know the command of early Arab poetry. As well, don't be dissapointed my Muslim brothers and sisters, it is not "Islamic poetry" as I thought when i purchased it. Many of the poems are love stories as well.

The content is very diverse, and that is nice as well, along with some well known Spanish poets that we have all heard of before makes the book a nice keep sake. If you are a poetry lover I would get the book anyway, where else can you get a text with Andalusian poets in English. I would definately recommend WISODOMS OF ISLAM if you would like a wonderful book in content, spiritual odes, and real love! For Allah that is!

What a wonderful selection of poems - each a gem with its own perfection: "her modesty turns / turns pearl into carnelian" or "The skin of the sky / is as smooth as the pelt / or the river".

Certainly the frequent references to wine and love remind one that the poetry has an Arab origin. But there is also a sense of non-Arab place as in "The Valley of Almeria".

The poems witness Spain as the border - a moving border - between the Arab and European worlds. As such, this too slim volume provides context for both Spanish and Arabic poetry.

So much of the world would relegate Arabs to an intellectual and cultural dustbin, not realizing that at one time Spain's Andalucia -- like Baghdad and Damascus -- were the world's intellectual centers while central Europe wallowed in the Dark Ages. This collection goes a long way in restoring Arab poets to their rightful place in the great literature of the world, providing the lover of poetry with a mesmerizing feast of complex and extended meataphors. Highly recommended to say the least!

I really enjoyed this book, but I think its a shame that they are marketing it as Young Adult. This is a book that deserves a wider audience than just teens, as many adults will be able to relate due to the era.

"We have plans. Then something happens." Sammy has plans: to go to college, to get out of the barrio, to love Juliana. Although Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood takes place in the Hollywood barrio of Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1968/69, it is a timeless story of teen hopes and fears, love and loss, and what it is like to grow up poor and of color. Sammy, called The Librarian by his friends for his scholarly ways, falls in love with Juliana the summer before his senior year. By summer's end, she has died tragically and senselessly, and Sammy "[doesn't] care. Not about anything. Not anymore." But despite his anger and the pain of his loss, the demands of his friends and his family only increase in his senior year and Sammy is pulled into their lives. These are real teenagers, who drink, party, take drugs, have sex, swear, push the limits of school administrations and the law. Sammy agrees to be campaign manager for Gigi who is running for student body president on a platform of "shakin' up the school." Some of his friends face the draft and service in Vietnam, and everyone knows that poor Hispanic boys of Hollywood come back in pine boxes. Two friends are brutally beaten for being gay. One friend dies of heroin addiction. His father is injured in an automobile accident. Things happen.
Sammy maneuvers through the minefields of student elections, drugs, protests, racism homophobia, and loss and finds a resiliency he doesn't know he has. Like all teenagers, he thinks his life will start when he gets to college. But he is deeply involved in the life of Hollywood. Saenz has found an authentic voice in Sammy who is full of the angst and confusion of all teenagers but is also perceptive, sensitive and compassionate. This is a beautifully realized story of what it meant in 1968 to grow up in the barrio. Today, teens growing up in the ghettos face the same problems Sammy and his friends faced.

This novel covers a year in the life of a Hispanic teenager living in a Florida barrio in the late sixties. The voice of Sammy, the main character, is authentic and his personality is vivid and lovable. I was rooting for him from page one through the end.

The author also captures the flavor of the barrio and Sammy's high school through wonderful portrayals of Sammy's girlfriend Juliana, his Hispanic and Jewish friends, his caring family, and his next door neighbor. They practically step off the page.

Finally, the book, through portrayals of Vietnam soldiers, school protests, and diminishing hemlines, makes the late sixties come alive.

Sammy and Juliana is a wonderful novel.

This is a book I highly recommend. I got it in the mail on Sat and finished it by the next day.
It can be at times very depressing to read, in that Catcher in the Rye type of way. The difference is that Sammy isn't born into a life of privelege, and his obstacles extend beyond his own wonderings. His immidiate world is filled with economic and social harship.
Sammy goes through so much that you can't even imagine what else could possibly happen, but you want to be there with him when it does. It is very honest, vivid and well-written. My only negative guess that's nit picking.

In 1968, during the summer preceding his senior year at Las Cruces High School in southern New Mexico, seventeen-year-old Sammy Santos hooks up with Juliana Rios. The powerful and achingly tragic story Sammy recounts of Juliana and that summer is but a mere preface in this stunning ode to growing up in the barrio--a neighborhood that some joker has named Hollywood. I alternately laughed, cheered, and cried as Sammy and his Hollywood friends encounter the prejudices, the Church, the hormones, the War, the drugs, the violence, the music, the aspirations, and the dress code, while making their way through that year both inside and outside of the barrio. If I had to choose a single "top" book from the 200+ new books for teens that I've read in 2004, SAMMY & JULIANA IN HOLLYWOOD would be the one.

The Eyewitness travel guides are always a must when you travel. I added this one to my growing collection and was not disappointed!

As always, Eyewitness has the best maps. The coverage of Seville makes it the best guide for that city, period. The coverage of the outlying major areas, such as Granada and Cordoba, should be supplemented with the Cadogan book on Seville, Granada, Cordoba, but the Eyewitness has the best information on eating, shopping, getting around, hotels, and culture survival for Seville. If you are staying in Seville, take this book with you into the streets when you go.

I love these books. They give brief informative descriptions along with tantalizing photos in all areas. I like very much the historiccal timeline in the beginning of each book. Although brief, it gives a great sense of what was going on throughout time in the particular location. This book starts with all history from 1000 BC. I love the pictures and cross sections as well as the brief and concise snippets on many interesting towns, sights etc. It gives a very strong visual and overview of many places so you can decide where you may actually want to visit. Of course there areth erequisite reccomendations for restaurants, hotels and travel options. These are also brief and you may want a different book or travel agaent for more suggestions in this area.

As is true of DK's Eyewitness books, this book is full of fantastic pictures. It's great to wet one's appetite, but doesn't really have enough meaty information to help one prepare to visit Andalusia. It's one saving grace: great maps. I recommend this book, but not alone. This is a great companion to The Rough Guide to Andalucia.

Eyewitness Guides are beautiful, gorgeously illustrated books on glossy paper that are perfect for planning a trip but not so good for carrying along with you. But they don't need to be! I used the guide to Andalusia to plan my 5-city itinerary, including a stop in Ronda which I'd never heard of but ended up being one of the highlights of our travels. This guide gives you a general view of the sights to see, with many photos and maps. But especially in a country like Spain, the wise traveler makes his or her first stop the tourist office--there's one in every city and many towns. That's where you get your map, the info on walking tours, a schedule of museum openings and closings, etc.

I can't resist giving two tips: the tourist office in Seville near Plaza Nueva has FREE internet. And be sure to go to the Alcazar--I thought it outshone the more famous Alhambra, with far less hassle and far fewer people.

I agree with the reviewer who says the hotel info is not good, and the author of this guide could probably eliminate it with no loss except excess weight. These days the internet is by far your best source. And as for restaurants, just wander!

I loved this guide, but no one source is going to have it all for the independent traveler--and in any guide, info on hotels and restaurants is usually out-of-date before it's printed. But use this guide to dream--it's great

I reread Tropic of Orange and was amazed how its portrayal of LA all the more holds up in terms of the grids and forces the novel engages with via its crazed set of characters and criss-crossing emplottings and imaginative methods. In larger contexts of urban literature on the Pacific Rim, this reader admired the play of learning and fantasy to create an apocalyptic yet hopeful grid of crazed multicultural LA where the south bleeds into the north and vice versa creating inter-spaces and modes of adaptation combining old and new. Urban sublime for sure. It is more "borderlands" Latino/Asian CA than anything I could mention on the literary Rim; it's a feat, will outlast many novels that come and go with yesterday's news

Brilliant and beautiful! Definitely the best book about LA in the last ten years. Not your typical wannabe Hollywood drama or wild drug haze. This is the real Los Angeles. The structure is unlike anything I have ever seen in a book before. You can read it straight through, or follow the Hypertext and follow each of the seven characters through their own experience. The plot is simply extraordinary, with touches of magical realism and noir fiction; an orange growing directly on the Tropic of Cancer makes its way north, completely distrubpting everywhere between it and Los Angeles. Between the lines of the story is the complexities of culture and stereotypes in LA and the fragility of the town itself. Everyone should read this book!

I was assigned Tropic of Orange in a class and found myself totally engrossed in the scewed story lines. if you like books that make you stop and think, what the ... is going on here?! Then you will LOVE this book. Great criticism on the US, media and Los Angeles too!

Yamashita's book is an interesting study of the effects of technology on human interaction and emotion. She uses recent history to form her opinion: NAFTA is portrayed in a bad light as destroying tradition and spreading American materialism, and the Rodney King case makes the freeway assault seem not so much like fiction. The book is an easy read with a lot of thought-provoking symbolism, and it is also very pessimistic about 90's American culture. If it is seen purely as a worst-case scenario of the future of America, it is very effective. John Alexander Stiner

Yamashita's book is just short of a tour de force. It's engrossing, jauntily satirical and multicultural to a fault. I agree with the other reviews that find it a direct indictment of materialism as well, but I was more intrigued by her apocalyptic vision for LA. The city of angels has always been a focal point for artists, and many think its time of burnout will come. Yamashita thinks that the destructive impulse will come from within and from nearby borders, and that makes this book even more fascinating as a possible scenario for the end of LA as we know it. Why hasn't this become a movie, or even a movie of the week? The fever pitch she manages to end chapters with at times would directly translate to the large or small screen. Maybe the Hollywood vultures haven't found her yet. It's only a matter of time.

I like photographs when planning. It helps me feel a bit more secure about my choices. Having lived abroad most of my life, I've seen that drawings can be deceiving. Tons of information though. That's good. But for me, not enough to commit.

I don't know what the previous reviewer (05/12/01) was looking at, but it most certainly wasn't this book, which is filled with pictures! Two in color for every place listed, the larger being an exterior view and the smaller an interior view or a view from a window looking out. Another great feature of this book is the Spanish and Portuguese form letters for making reservations--most helpful. I'm already planning to use both the British and French Bed & Breakfast editions; now I'll have to find time for a trip to the Iberian Peninsula also.

We stayed in 6 of his recommendations in Spain. Every one of them was unique - from an old gold mining mansion in Don Quixote country, to a mansion overlooking a castle - some off-the-beaten-track locations that we never would have seen with a regular guidebook. These are places most tourists don't know about. We planned our 2 week driving trip around the inns he suggested, and found them to be the highlight of our trip!! We're using these books every time we travel in Europe!!! The maps are great too!!

If your planning on going to Spain or portugal, you probaly want to go to the best places there. This book will really help you decide where to go and what to see there. Have fun!

A considerable part of this book talks about the Aztec, Maya and Inca. While it has got really valuable information, not all assertions should be taken to letter. The European vision of Native americans is still predominant in most works, and it is still polluted with myths and false assumptions about facts and ideology of these peoples.

It is a great introductory book, thanks to the Conquistadores (which are familiar to us), and it has beautiful and quite accurate drawings. However, if Aztec and Maya history is what catches your interest, and you are willing to dig deeper, I HUGELY recommend looking for some Mexican authors, who have a different take on the subject: what Mesoamerican peoples thought, and what their traditions really were, not through the conquerors' eyes. Pablo Moctezuma Barragan, Miguel de Leon-Portilla and Ignacio Romerovargas are good examples. Be warned however, that these authors may display too much nationalism. All in all, when reading ANYTHING about Prehispanic American civilizations, it is recommended to be critical and apply your own criteria.

I recommend this book to anyone who is eager to learn something about what the Conquest of the most powerful nations in America was like.

This book really helped flesh out Bernal Diaz's account of the fall of the 'Aztec' Empire for me. The first part of the text concerns the gear of the Conquistadores themselves, with the following catagories being the Aztecs/Mexica, the Inca, and the Maya, the three major enemies the Spaniards found in the New World. The plates are awesome, depicting, among others, noble Incan warriors, a freaky-looking Maya spearman, and a plain nasty Aztec priest with the heart of his most recent victim.

This book is one of osprey finest, its a pity that the section of the conquistadores is so small, but it contains a lot of good information. And it is always cool to read about 400 men with armour and swords who conquer a whole nation. I Love the helmets.
P.S. Osprey is publishing a new book about the conquistadores.

The title of this book is misleading: it is not only the story of Cortez and Pizzaro, but also of their opponents, the Aztecs, the Incas, and the Mayas. The book clearly explains where the military advantages of the Spaniards lay (it wasn't gunpowder as you might think!) and also describes the strengths and weaknesses of the cultures they subdued, sometimes with relative ease and sometimes with great difficulty. You will come away with new respect for all the combatants.

(Hee, hee, hee.) Psss...t! (Hee, hee, hee.) Wanna hear somethin' funny? Culture Clash. The book presents their most memorable work to date, although the point can be easily argued (e.g., at the Japan America Theatre, their wickedly hilarious, cathartic "S.O.S." following the mop-up of the L.A. Riots/Rebellion/African-Korean Turf Wars). "The Mission" (1988), "A Bowl of Beings" (1991), and "Radio Mambo: Culture Clash Invades Miami" (1994) are the published plays. Japanese-American playwright Philip Kan Gotanda introduces the Chicano comedy troupe--Herbert Siguenza, Ric Salinas, Richard Montoya--in a 9-pg. transcribed interview, covering the education and work experience of each member, group evolution, collective creation, and comedy group alliances. A 4-pg. glossary of bicultural terms/refs. can be found in front. Each play is prefaced by a different member of the group. BW production photos give the reader the illusion of watching the show in between script consultations.

I haven't seen "The Mission" yet, but I've caught other shows and benefits they've done, enough so that I could hear C.C. talking in my head as I read through the script. Weird. Lalo Guerrero's song "No Chicanos on TV" pretty much summarizes what this play is about and how desperate out-of-work actors can get, in this case kidnapping Julio Iglesias for their 15 minutes of fame. There's also some irreverent stuff (I didn't say irrelevant) about Father Junipero Serra.

"A Bowl of Beings" premiered at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in July 1991; it was the first time I saw them. I watched "Bowl" on PBS the following March and saw it yet again that October at Univ. of Calif., San Diego. My favorite part of the show is "Chicano on the Storm," where Richard is stuck in a straitjacket vomiting his multicultural nightmare.

"Radio Mambo," created from videotaped interviews with Miami residents, made me fall back in love with C.C. Their tremendous talents as performers were spotlighted as they had to go beyond the parameters of their usual stock characters. I caught "Mambo" at South Coast Rep's Second Stage in July 1996. The intimate setting worked for the play. It's a show whose power is in the close up--of the performer and the performed.

This books provides a written guide to the hilarious stage antics and dead serious social commentary of this comedy trio. Richard, Rick and Herbert have that strange ability to make you laugh out loud then make look over your shoulder wondering whether you should. Those fortunate enough to have experienced Culture Clash will recognize where the improv begins and ends. This book gave me the opportunity to revist the many places these guys took me, at my own paso.

"Culture Clash: Life, Death..." is not really a novel or biography of the comedy/performance group, but a collection of their first three plays "The Mission," "Bowl of Beings" and "Radio Mambo." The book also includes a relatively short interview with the group where they discuss their origins and an introduction to the three plays each done by one of the members. That said, the actual plays are great. They are original, political, thought provoking, hilarious. "The Mission" is about a Chicano comedy groups kidnapping of the greatest Latino entertainer Julio Iglesias. "Bowl Of Beings" is a collection of sketch pieces which includes "Stand and Deliver Pizza" and "The Return of Che Guevara." "Radio Mambo," is a series of sketches done in interview form (mostly) commisioned by the City of Miami. It thoughtfully examines the social complexities of the Black, Jewish, Cuban, Haitian and White communities of Miami The best part of Culture Clash is their ability to blend the Chicano political conciousness with humor and making it accesible to all without "selling out." If you haven't seen them live, think about doing so. The three plays are great, but may not be as entertaining if you haven't seen their manic performance style.

Culture clash is a collection of 3 plays that analyzes the complexites of race relations in America. Humor is the guise which coats the deeper issues that is brought up by the trio. This book can be enjoyed in numerous levels.

David Alan Harvey is a wonderful and thoughtful photojournalist. He gives us, in three thematic photo essays, an account of the living legacy of Spanish Colonalism and the people who live and cry and smile today.

David Alan Harvey is a member of Magnum Photos and often shoots for the National Geographic. This collection of images is superb. Harvey does not rest on his laurels. This is color street photography at its best -- and not many photographers are good at it. The compositions are exciting and the colors are part of the composition. The images cover many Spanish-speaking countries over many years and show a love for life. The reproduction of the images is excellent -- much better than the reproduction of the images in his book on Cuba. The lighting he captures is just wonderful. This book speaks to the soul.

I think among the many good street photographers shooting with color filmonly a few really succeded. David Harvey is one of the best. It is a nice book, although it could be nicer one with a bit more imaginative photo editing and much crisper design. Nevertheless this is is a good example of the an excellent resources for the photography students, particularly those interested in Spanish visual culture.

This book is pure magic. Harvey has managed to capture the spirit of people's hearts and souls in a way that leaves you speechless... page after page of stunning images that say so much more than these 'people', this 'place'... to my mind, like the best in art and poetry, this book is conveying eternal truths - of beauty, freedom and passion - told through the 'everyday' moments of 'everyday' people, through the 'ballet' of the street.
This is a love-affair with Latin culture, over 30 years of work. If you're into photography, art, humanity, in vibrant full colour, Divided Soul has it all... personally, I found it irresistible!!!

As a specialist and research scholar in the history of collecting at European courts, including Portugal, in the Renaissance, I found this book/catalogue to be lacking in any new, innovative scholarship. This exhibition was meant for a general public in the USA never before exposed to such objects, and as a "blockbuster" show it fulfilled its intent to dazzle, draw crowds and surprise. Encompassing was conceived of as a marketing strategy, which gained Levenson an honorary medal, but which had little to do with the advancement of more serious, as yet unanswered, questions concerning trade, political and cultural relations between Europe, the Americas and Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Serious shows dedicated to these same (and identical) themes have been presented in Europe since 1983 in Lisbon, Porto, Brussels, Bordeaux, Vienna and Madrid, and most recently, the Encounters exhibition held at the V & A Museum in London in 2004, from which Jay Levenson and his team drew much material (both written and visual), without citing one of their sources. One case in point: the section dedicated to exotic animals and menageries in the Encounters catalogue was repeated (almost verbatim) in Encompassing. Neither were any objects addressed in-depth, either in the three essays presented here, or elsewhere in the Encompassing catalogue; nor was a bibliography included, which should have been obligatory.

Jay Levenson is not a specialist in any of the areas highlighted in Encompassing, but even if the catalogue falls short of its objectives, it remains a lovely picture book produced to accompany the show.


Encounters: The Meeting of Asia and Europe 1500 - 1800
Jahrbuch des Kunsthistorischen Museums Wien: Jahrbuch des Kunsthistorischen Museums Wien 03. Exotica: Bd 3 (Gebundene Ausgabe) von Helmut Trnek (Autor), Sabine Haag (Autor)
Black Africans in Renaissance Europe
Early Modern Zoology: The Construction of Animals in Science, Literature and the Visual Arts (Intersections)
The Development of Cathararine of Austria's Collection in the Queen's Household: Its Character and Cost
Kingship and Conversion in Sixteenth-Century Sri Lanka: Portuguese Imperialism in a Buddhist Land (University of Cambridge Oriental Publications)
Asia in the Making of Europe, Volume II: A Century of Wonder. Book 1: The Visual Arts (Century of Wonder Bk. 1)
Hindu Arms and Ritual: Arms and Armour from India 1400-1865
Cultural links between Portugal and Italy in the Renaissance. (Reviews).: An article from: Renaissance Quarterly
The Jesuits II: Cultures, Sciences, and the Arts, 1540-1773
Luxury Goods from India: The Art of the Indian Cabinet-Maker (Victoria and Albert Museum Studies)

Gorgeous photographs of the artwork and in-depth views of this intensely and fascinating period. Thanks so much for finally creating this masterpiece!

I too saw the exhibition and it was simply marvelous. Many amazingly crafted objects from the 16th and 17th century from around the world reflecting the Portuguese influences. Many of the objects will never be put together again in once place for us to see, so this was definitely a treat for history and art lovers. For those who couldn't make the trip, this is an excellent substitute. A coffee-table size book with wonderful reproductions of the exhibit items. It will make you wish you had made the trip! Get it!

This book is the catalog of the exhibition of the same name. Unfortunately it will soon close at its only U.S. venue and move to Europe. I made a long trip to see this rare exhibition of Portuguese Colonial objects because I felt that I would never see such things in one place again in my lifetime. The show didn't disappoint and the catalog is bound to be a real collectible