The Pillars Of Hercules

At the gateway to the Mediterranean lie the two Pillars of Hercules: Gibraltar and Ceuta, in Morocco. Paul Theroux decided to travel from one to the other – but taking the long way round. His grand tour of the Mediterranean begins in Gibraltar and takes him through Spain, the French Riviera, Italy, Greece, Istanbul and beyond. He travels by any means necessary - including dilapidated taxi, smoke-filled bus, bicycle and even a cruise-liner. And he encounters bullfights, bazaars and British tourists, discovers pockets of humanity in war-torn Slovenia and Croatia, is astounded by the urban developments on the Costa del Sol and marvels at the ancient wonders of Delphi. Told with Theroux's inimitable wit and style, this lively and eventful tour evokes the essence of Mediterranean life.

Having survived a close shave in England, where she was falsely accused of spying for the French, Delilah has set out with her companion Selim for more agreeable adventures in central Asia. But when she stumbles on an artifact that may be a clue about the location of the legendary third pillar of Hercules, Delilah and Selim are drawn back to Europe on an Indiana-Jones-style archeological caper that pits her against a ruthless enemy who is murderously intent on preventing Delilah from speaking out against him. From vast forgotten underground cities to an elaborate and shocking double-cross, Tony Cliff's Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules brings all the drama and excitement that fans of the series crave.

In the desert of North Africa a herdboy, Tariq, is born to a brave woman who passes on her conviction that he will be a great man. Convinced by the words of a soothsayer, uttered before he was born, Tariq is conscious that he is to be a man of destiny. He trains hard as a warrior and proves himself at an early age.

Alexander, Prince of Macedon, is the terror of the world. Persia, Egypt, Athens... one after another, mighty nations are falling before the fearsome conqueror. Some say Alexander is actually the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and the living incarnation of Hercules himself. Worse yet, some say Alexander believes this... The ambitious prince is aided in his conquest by unstoppable war-machines based on the forbidden knowledge of his former tutor, the legendary scientist-mage known as Aristotle. Greek fire, mechanical golems, and gigantic siege-engines lay waste to Alexander's enemies as his armies march relentlessly west—toward the very edge of the world. Beyond the Pillars of Hercules, past the gateway to the outer ocean, lies the rumored remnants of Atlantis: ancient artifacts of such tremendous power that they may be all that stands between Alexander and conquest of the entire world. Alexander desires that power for himself, but an unlikely band of fugitives—including a Gaulish barbarian, a cynical Greek archer, a cunning Persian princess, and a sorcerer's daughter—must find it first... before Alexander unleashes godlike forces that will shatter civilization. The Pillars of Hercules is an epic adventure that captures the grandeur and mystery of the ancient world as it might have been, where science and magic are one and the same.

In this first study of the Greek and Roman exploration for over half a century, Duane W. Roller presents an important examination of the impact of the Greeks and Romans on the world through the Pillars of Herakles and beyond the Mediterranean Roller chronicles a detailed account of the series of explorers who were to discover the entire Atlantic coast; north to Iceland, Scandinavia and the Baltic, and south into the Africa tropics. His account examines these early pioneers and their discoveries, and contributes a brand new chapter to the history of exploration. Based not only on the literary evidence, but also personal knowledge of the areas from the Arctic to west Africa, the book looks at the people, from the earliest Greeks, through the Carthaginians to the Romans, and examines their exploration of this vast and largely unfamiliar territory. Discussing for the first time the relevance of Iceland and the Arctic to Greco-Roman culture, this groundbreaking work is an enthralling and informative read that will be an invaluable study resource for Greek and Roman history courses

His second book of criticism, with a new introduction by the authorFirst published to great acclaim in 1979, At the Pillars of Hercules (a title taken from a certain Soho pub) confirmed Clive James's place as a writer of immense talent. This new paperback edition is as entertaining and elegant as ever. His main topics are contemporary poetry, aesthetics and the theory and practice of criticism, the popular novel, and the literature of modern history and politics. His discussions range from the legacy of Auden and Larkin to Gore Vidal and Lord Longford. His inimitable wit and candour are ever present. 'The opportunity offered me by the London literary editors - overqualified, confident, and mischievous to a man, especially the women - was too good to miss. Anything I felt like throwing into the review, they would print. Over the top was exactly the way they wanted me to go. As long as they understood it themselves, no reference could be too obscure or allusion too fleeting. In those days the reader, if he encountered something on the page that he could not immediately understand, was still trusted to renew his subscription . . . All you have to remember is that you're not the whole show. I sometimes still had trouble remembering that, but I like to think, looking back, that solipsism made my admiration for others seem the more selfless - with the concomitant benefit that I could do a better hatchet job without being thought of as having laid claim to a monopoly of objective truth' Clive James, from the new introduction

Among the records lost forever to civilization in the destruction of the library at Alexandria, there may have been those that discussed the existence and exact location of Atlantis. Without that incontrovertible evidence, scholars have been left to speculate and interpret bits and pieces gleaned from ancient texts to try to build a case for the existence of Atlantis-an ancient civilization that may have been, even technologically, far more advanced than ours. David Hershiser cites numerous sources-ancient and new-to make the case that Ezekiel's account of Tyrus was really about Atlantis. A persuasive comparison of various editions of biblical verses, Plato's writings, and the works of theosophist Helena Blavatsky and psychics Edgar Cayce and Ruth Montgomery offers the reader a new set of tools for rethinking Atlantis.