Books about Dwellers from Amazon.com

From the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and author of the Cairo trilogy, comes Akhenaten, a fascinating work of fiction about the most infamous pharaoh of ancient Egypt.

In this beguiling new novel, originally published in 1985 and now appearing for the first time in the United States, Mahfouz tells with extraordinary insight the story of the "heretic pharaoh," or "sun king,"--and the first known monotheistic ruler--whose iconoclastic and controversial reign during the 18th Dynasty (1540-1307 B.C.) has uncanny resonance with modern sensibilities.   Narrating the novel is a young man with a passion for the truth, who questions the pharaoh's contemporaries after his horrible death--including Akhenaten's closest friends, his most bitter enemies, and finally his enigmatic wife, Nefertiti--in an effort to discover what really happened in those strange, dark days at Akhenaten's court.  As our narrator and each of the subjects he interviews contribute their version of Akhenaten, "the truth" becomes increasingly evanescent.  Akhenaten encompasses all of the contradictions his subjects see in him: at once cruel and empathic, feminine and barbaric, mad and divinely inspired, his character, as Mahfouz imagines him, is eerily modern, and fascinatingly ethereal.  An ambitious and exceptionally lucid and accessible book, Akhenaten is a work only Mahfouz could render so elegantly, so irresistibly..
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It is 3157 B.C.—The beginning of the Bronze Age and the rise of cities—and at the eastern edge of the great southern desert in Mesopotamia, men are at war. Bandits and worse plunder the countryside seeking women, slaves, and gold. Into this unsettled land come the outcast Korthac and the remnants of his mighty desert fighters. They encounter a band of thieves led by Ariamus. The two join forces and set their sights on the biggest prize of all: the burgeoning city of Akkad—the town formerly known as Orak that just a few months earlier defeated a horde of raiding barbarians by building an impenetrable wall. Akkad is known not only for its riches, but also for the courage and wisdom of its leaders, the former barbarian Eskkar and his enchanting wife, Trella. Together they drove off the barbarian horde, and now they face an even more daunting challenge—to preserve their victory.

But it's only by defeating Eskkar, Trella, and the people of Akkad that Korthac and Ariamus can claim Akkad's wealth and enslave its people . . .

Korthac devises a plan to slip his men into Akkad and conquer the city from within. And while Eskkar is roaming the land, winning the trust of other towns and bringing them into his growing empire, Korthac and Ariamus strike, wreaking havoc on the young city.

Told with rich historical detail and set in a time of promise and peril, Sam Barone's thrilling, beautifully rendered tale places him in the ranks of the best historical fiction writers working today. Empire Rising is another marvelous trip into the past with an unforgettable cast of characters.

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Price: $15.37 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"A graphic, lucid account of the Anasazi, Hohokam, and Mogollon highlights how these ancient cultures evolved so successfully in response to their changing habitat."—Science News

Most people are familiar with the famous pre-Columbian civilizations of the Aztecs and Maya of Mexico, but few realize just how advanced were contemporary cultures in the American Southwest. Here lie some of the most remarkable monuments of America's prehistoric past, such as Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde.

Ten thousand years ago, humans first colonized this seemingly inhospitable landscape with its scorching hot deserts and upland areas that drop below freezing even during the early summer months. The initial hunter-gatherer bands gradually adapted to become sedentary village groups. The high point of Southwestern civilization was reached with the emergence of cultures known as Anasazi, Hohokam, and Mogollon in the first millennium AD.

Interweaving the latest archaeological evidence with early first-person accounts, Stephen Plog explains the rise and mysterious fall of Southwestern cultures. For this revised edition, he discusses new research and its implications for our understanding of the prehistoric Southwest. As he concludes, the Southwest is still home to vibrant Native American communities who carry on many of the old traditions. 150 illustrations, 17 in color..
Price: $14.48 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In his compelling follow-up to The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida outlines how certain cities succeed in attracting members of the "creative class"--the millions of people who work in information-age economic sectors and in industries driven by innovation and talent. Cities that succeed, Florida argues, are those that are able to attract and retain creative class members. They don't do this through the traditional strategies of tax incentives, suburban housing developments, and loose regulation, though; creative class members don't care about those details. Rather, they care about amenities and tolerance, and are drawn to cities with thriving bohemias and large gay populations. It is no coincidence, Florida asserts, that places likes Austin and San Francisco with their highly publicized open-mindedness and bohemia are at the forefront of the new economy, while cities like Detroit, in contrast, can't succeed unless they actively become a magnet for the creative class.

To prove his point, Florida presents a mass of information on the cities he cites, both thriving and failing cities, including gay and bohemian indices. Focusing on the economic geography of place, Florida explains lays out what cities need to do to have a chance at success..
Price: $21.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The tap's run dry, the supermarkets have been ransacked, the power is off and the low rumble of tanks can be heard in the distance The unprepared who refused to believe that such a thing could happen here will live as wretched refugees-if they live at all. But for the prepared-for the city survivors-life will go on. America's leading survival author debunks the myth that the only way to survive is to stock a retreat in the mountains. He tells urban dwellers how to find water; trap and butcher game; preserve food; position a retreat for maximum safety; avoid troops; and barter with other survivors. You'll learn which weapons are absolute necessities and which aren't worth having, and confront the all-important topic of survival nursing care. Ragnar gives you the solid information you will need to make it if the worst-case scenario becomes a reality..
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Your City Guide to God

Beneath the relentless rhythms of city life beats the heart of God, and award-winning author Marcy Heidish takes you into a more intimate relationship with him in the midst of crowds, chaos, and concrete Her experiences from a curb in Brooklyn, the bay in San Francisco, a rooftop of Chartres Cathedaral in Paris, and the busy halls of Washington, D.C., help you see the city in a new light. She turns common city distractions, annoyances, and challenges into spiritual invitations or “gateways” to a new kind of contemplation where:

•screaming sirens become cues to silent intercession,
•skyscrapers, like spires, pull your eyes and thoughts heavenward,
•and red traffic lights work as “pause” buttons that call for you to stop and pray.

“In the city there is grit,” Marcy writes. And grime and garbage. But her practical tools in every chapter for reflection, discussion, and application help you see–whether you’re visiting, working, or dwelling in Philadelphia or Phoenix, New York or Los Angeles, Seattle or Syracuse–that in the city there is also grace..
Price: $7.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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Price: $10.40 [Notify me when price goes down.]

It's phonics! It's comics! It's awesome! Perfect for early and developing readers, each paperback includes three exciting, easy-to-read stories! Level 1 titles feature easy-to sound out words, simple sentences, strong picture clues and beginning sight words. Level 2 introduces varied consonant combinations, longer sentences and intermediate sight words. Dave and his dino, Dot, get into lots of exciting adventures..
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Throughout his adventures across the mythic Hyperborean world, the barbarian called Conan crosses swords with many colorful and dangerous characters, somehow always finding himself on the wrong end of a wizard's wrath, or staring down the hungry jaws of a nightmarish beast. Proving himself more than a match for whatever came his way, Conan has become one of the most enduring and strangely endearing characters in all of popular culture. The stories in this edition feature more tales of thrilling adventure and chilling betrayal as only writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema could deliver..
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