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From local and collegial to consolidated and competitive, the brewing industry followed a pattern that illustrates many of the changes that have taken place in the American business and cultural landscape over the past 100+ years.

Many articles in the media examine contemporary American issues and compare them to the problems that led to the fall of the Roman Empire. But before the rise of the Empire, a time of one-man rule and limited freedoms, there was the Roman Republic — 500 years of free elections, civil liberties and conquering armies. Pearson shows that in fact it was the Republic that was destroyed, and the implications are alarming for Americans today. At first the successful armies brought wealth and glory; then the Republican institutions began to groan under the strain of running an empire.

Almost a thousand years ago, when most of Europe was just edging out of the Dark Ages, the South of Spain was a brilliant center of world culture, a site of splendor and a magnet for the talented and ambitious from all around the Mediterranean, the Near East and beyond. Andalusia, or Andalucia, was a beacon that attracted intellectuals, artists and inventors. In the days before Isabel and Ferdinand (and the Inquisition), the indigenous culture of Spain was enriched by the artistic, scholarly, technical and commercial contributions of Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Jews and Gypsies.

At the end of Margaret Thatcher's remarkable life, over 150 Members of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and international leaders spoke about their experiences with her. Many of those who chose to speak had opposed her policies as a Member of Parliament and later as Prime Minister, yet still found themselves inspired to commemorate her and contribute to the picture of Lady Thatcher that will be recorded in history. This book presents not only the speeches but explanatory footnotes and introductory material as well.

The Rights of My People reviews Liliuokalani's decades-long campaign for the dignity and sovereignty of Hawaii, particularly in the wake of the 1893 coup d'état, and the outright annexation in 1898. The author gives the first detailed and documented description of the seizure of the Crown lands, a quarter of the Hawaii islands, in 1893. This illegal move was contested aggressively by Liliuokalani for nearly two decades.

For the two generations who have grown up since Lyndon Johnson was president, the events as well as the thinking behind the revolutionary and romantic pretensions of the 1960s are almost equally unclear. This was the era of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Summer of Love; it was also at the heart of the civil rights and anti-War movements. The year 1968 saw the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy, the ascendance of the hippies and Yippies, Black Power, Neo-Marxism and the beginnings of Postmodernism.

In history books we read tales of men and women who spoke for ideas well in advance of their acceptance by the public; sometimes such heresy exacted heavy tolls, sacrifice of reputation, abandonment of personal goals and loss of office or fortune. Courage has many faces, and in some ways it is most impressive when one stands alone with only his or her conscience as a guide few to cheer but many to hiss. Such is the plight of the rebel who severs party connections and alienates friends as he voices his moral convictions.

Written in a literary, narrative style, the book gives readers a picture of Chinese society and the country as it evolved beyond recognition in one lifetime. A few details suffice to give the flavor of life under Japanese rule in Shanghai prior to World War II. With Japan's surrender in 1945, Chiang Kai-shek ruled over China. In that period private business flourished and some people prospered.

The book begins with historical references that describe how Ethiopia was viewed by ancient civilizations, then moves to an analysis of Ethiopia's relationship with European powers in the late 19th century which shaped the psyche of its leaders. Ethiopias encirclement by potentially hostile colonial powers compelled its leaders to ally with the United States, which appeared to have no colonial motives. And the United States, despite its isolationist postures, saw commercial and strategic military potential in establishing links with Ethiopia. Ethio-U.S.

Parfitt takes a look at Korea's fever-pitch nationalism and gives an assessment of the world's only Chinese democracy, has a run-in with a Nepalese rhinoceros and one or two equally volatile Vietnamese tour guides  and ponders the actions and reactions of the people he meets. In these pages he shares his encounters with language students from all walks of life, hotel-keepers, and sometimes — weirdest of all — his fellow travelers, in some of the less commonly visited parts of Asia.