This book is the first Encyclopedia of Famous and Historic Bells and gives details of some 270 bells. These range from those such as the Tsar Bell in Moscow, 'Big Ben', the Lutine Bell of Lloyds of London and the Independence Bell of Pennsylvania, through to others with interesting but often less documented histories. Some of the bells are from cathedrals and churches, others perform a range of purposes in different institutions. This book includes bells from Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia, and it includes over 450 photographs and images of these famous and historic bells.
The city of Miri, in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, owes its existence to the presence of oil - both onshore which was exploited from 1910, and now off-shore. Before then it was a small village but the nearby Niah Caves have shown evidence of human life from 40,000 BC. Because of the importance of the oil industry it has always had a sizeable expatriate population. These included the Bettany and the Rhys-Jones families of Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Administered as a part of the Kingdom of Sarawak, it was easily captured by the Japanese in December 1941. Retaken by Australian soldiers in May 1945, the town quickly recovered from having been devastated, and it has been boomed with increased oil exploitation, and close ties with nearby Brunei. This book is not only the first encyclopedia of Miri, but is the first major work in English on all aspects of the history of the city with much new information on the Rhys-Jones family, and the pre-World War II British expatriate population. It includes around 400 photographs and pictures, some not previously published.
Located on the Crimean Peninsula, Yalta emerged as a popular holiday resort for Russians in the late nineteenth century being favoured by Tsar Alexander II, Tsar Alexander III and Tsar Nicholas II as well as many other members of the Romanov dynasty. The playwright Anton Chekov moved to Yalta to seek a cure and his house remains one of the major tourist attractions. From 4 to 11 February 1945, it was the venue for the Yalta Conference where Josef Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt met to discuss the postwar settlement in Europe. By that time the Red Army was already in control of large parts of Eastern Europe, with Roosevelt and a reluctant Churchill agreeing to Soviet domination of Poland and other countries. The framework for the United Nations was also agreed. Rebuilt after the war, Yalta once again emerged as a holiday resort for people from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Crimea was transferred to control of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954, and became an autonomous part of Ukraine in 1991. It was annexed by the Russian Federation in 2014. This is the first detailed historical work on the city of Yalta in English, and contains more than 300 photographs.
By tradition, the city of Lille, in the north of France, was founded in 640, and during the late Middle Ages it emerged as one of the major cities in Flanders. Ruled by the counts of Flanders and then the dukes of Burgundy, it became French in 1668. On account of its location, it has long been fought over with the city being subjected to eleven sieges, being captured by the Dutch and the British in 1708, withstanding attack by the Austrians in 1792, and falling to the Germans in 1914, and again in 1940. The city was a major industrial centre from the mid-nineteenth century, and with the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994, Lille has become a major tourist centre, being chosen as the European Capital of Culture in 2004. It is the fifth-largest urban area in France. This book is the first major historical work on Lille in English, and includes entries on Charles de Gaulle and Pierre Mauroy, and many other people from Lille who played major parts in French history, the many historical buildings, and aspects of Lille's heritage and culture. It has over 500 illustrations, many of which have never been published before.
The Russian Revolution saw the clash between two men of Kalmyk ancestry: Lenin who seized power, and Kornilov who tried to prevent him from doing so. In the Russian Civil War that followed, Kalmyks fought on both sides. Collectivisation under Stalin saw an upheaval in their society, and a destruction of all their temples. After the German occupation of Kalmykia (1941-42), although most Kalmyks supported the Red Army, Stalin ordered the entire Kalmyk population to be deported to Siberia, and half of them died in exile. In 1956 Nikita Khrushchev allowed them to return home. In 1993 with the end of Communism, a local businessman Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was elected President of Kalmykia. A keen chess player, he was elected President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) two years later, and during his 17 years as Kalmykia's president, he transformed the republic with the hosting of the 33rd Chess Olympiad in Elista in 1998. He also oversaw the introduction of compulsory chess classes into the primary school curriculum. Alexsey Orlov became president in 2010, and was elected with a massive majority four years later. He has overseen major improvements in the infrastructure of Kalmykia, and its increasing involvement with foreign countries through investment and educational ties. This is the first detailed history in English of the only majority Buddhist part of Europe. With over 400 illustrations, many never published before, this book draws from the author's three visits to Kalmykia, and interviews with many people including Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Nicolai Ilyumzhinov and Aleksey Orlov. It is the first book to document chess playing by Kalmyks back to the 1770s, and provides much information about Kirsan Ilyumzhinov which has never previously been published, including a detailed family tree.
Encyclopedia covering places, historical events, people and institutions in Donetsk, Ukraine (formerly called Yuzovka/Hughesovka, and Stalino).
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