New Releases by John Julius Norwich

Norwich''s life reflects an appetite for living, enlivened by a sense of personal theater, as seen in "Trying to Please," his meditation on a glamorous but vanishing world. From the monasteries on Mt. Athos to a camel trek across the Sahara, Norwich''s passions for history, travel, and music combine with simpler pleasures like friendship and a close family.

Refleja la decadencia de la Casa de Hauteville, durante el periodo de 1130 a 1194. Cautiva con sus anécdotas históricas, el tratamiento de los personajes y las gotas de humor y fina ironía que salpican la obra, narrando cono hasta ahora nadie había hecho.

L''histoire de la Méditerranée ne s''écrit pas plus de manière linéaire qu''elle ne constitue un bloc.De la chute de Carthage, de Troie ou du temple de Jérusalem jusqu''aux conflits du XXe siècle, cette mer a été le creuset d''une violence aussi bien religieuse, culturelle que diplomatique. En même temps, la Méditerranée a irrigué une dizaine de civilisations depuis l''Antiquité ; en la maîtrisant, ses marins ont pu relier trois continents - l''Europe, l''Afrique et l''Asie - dans ce qui fut longtemps la plaque tournante du commerce mondial ; sur ses rives sont nés les trois monothéismes - juif, chrétien et islamique - ; en dix-huit siècles, de la civilisation hellénistique à la Renaissance italienne, la Méditerranée a permis que se façonne la civilisation occidentale. Une synthèse sur l''histoire du monde méditerranéen, depuis les Phéniciens et les Egyptiens jusqu''au traité de Versailles après la Première Guerre mondiale.

This lively and dramatic book brings roaring to life the grand sweep of 5,000 years of history in the cradle of civilization. A wonderfully illustrated account of the civilizations that rose and fell on the lands bordering the Mediterranean, The Middle Sea represents the culmination of a great historian’s unparalleled art and scholarship. John Julius Norwich provides brilliant portraits of the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the French, the Venetians, the Popes, and the pirates of the Gulf. Above all, he deftly traces the intermingling of ancient conflicts and modern sensibilities that shapes life today on the shores of the Middle Sea.

Primera parte de una ambiciosa obra de John Julius Norwich que refleja la historia de Roberto Guiscardo, posiblemente el aventurero europeo más extraordinario ente Julio César y Napoleón; de su hermano Roger, que le ayudó a arrebatar Sicilia a los sarracenos; y de su sobrino Roger II, coronado rey de Sicilia en Palermo en 1130.

Each year these small anthologies of poetry and prose are sent out to friends instead of a Christmas card.

For thirty years John Julius Norwich was been sending out Christmas Crackers - personal selections of poetry, prose and literary odds and ends - to his friends instead of Christmas cards. This, the third volume of his wonderfully offbeat and varied collections, brings together a multitude of treasures that includes an appearance by the ghost of Wilfred Owen; Adam and Eve conversing in palindromes; the story of Oedipus told in car number plates; and David Livingstone getting lost on the railway.

Compares the historical kings with their portrayal in Shakespeare''s plays.

Everyone knows ''The Twelve Days of Christmas'', but not as rewritten by John Julius Norwich in this delightful correspondence, which records the daily thank-you letters from one increasingly bemused young lady to her unseen admirer. And who but Quentin Blake could exploit the full comic possibilities of this hilarious debacle as first birds, then maids and finally the full percussion section of the Liverpoool Philharmonic create mayhem in the calm of an English country Christmas?

Travel back in time in search of long-lost attitudes on love, lust, and passion. Beautifully illustrated in full color, this fascinating exploration uncovers how ancient civilizations regarded sex and sexuality. Exquisite photographs showcase sculpture, pottery, paintings, and architecture that feature graphic representations of the human form and the art of love. Seeing how romance was represented, communicated, and mythologized from the cave dwellers through the sophisticated Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans gives us new perspectives on history and on our lives today.

A history of the most powerful nation in Europe for over 1000 years during the Dark and Middle Ages recaps its intrigue, madmen, conquests, religious schism, and eventual decline, and profiles the major personalities.

In Byzantium: The Early Centuries John Julius Norwich told the epic tale of the Roman Empire''s second capital up to Christmas Day AD 800 – when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as a rival emperor. This second volume of his magnificent history covers the following three centuries. In it he continues his compelling chronicle up to the coronation of the heroic Alexius Comnenus in 1081. The other two volumes in the trilogy, Byzantium: The Early Centuries and Byzantium: The Decline and Fall, are also published in Penguin.

"Originally published in the United Kingdom by Viking Penguin, London"--T.p. verso.

This omnibus volume is made up of John Julius Norwich''s first two works of history published 20 years ago - The Normans in the South and The Kingdom in the Sun. The books tell the story of the dazzling Norman kingdom of Sicily founded in the 11th century by an enterprising band of adventurers from Normandy under Robert Guiscard. The state they founded was outstanding in medieval civilization.

Music pervades the soul of Venice as surely as its canals penetrate the heart of the city. From Gabrieli, Monteverdi, Vivaldi, and Rossini to Verdi, Wagner, and Stravinsky, this great city has inspired and sheltered genius. Venice is a city in which music has accompanied every aspect of life, from religious and state ceremony to late-night revelry. This lavishly illustrated book examines the unique relationships between the life of Venice and the history of music.

At once the most comprehensive and the most engaging history of Venice available in English, this book will be treasured by all those who share the author''s fascination with "the most beautiful and magical of cities." Book jacket.