El legendario avión P-47D Thunderbolt en Venezuela. El reconocido, inmenso, robusto, potente y muy resistente caza aliado de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el más pesado monomotor de combate aliado diseñado en su época, que en el período de la postguerra se convirtió en la punta de lanza de la Fuerza Aérea Venezolana, también fue usado ampliamente por otras aviaciones militares de Latinoamérica hasta los años 60 del siglo XX.Sin embargo, su período operativo en Venezuela fue relativamente corto, pero sustituyó a obsoletos aviones de combate europeos de la década de 1930; así como dotó a Venezuela de un moderno y recio caza que fue crucial y muy eficaz en el pasado conflicto global. Asimismo, con su considerable performance, fue eje de transición para la llegada de la aviación a reacción al país, cumpliendo la delicada función de entrenar a los pilotos con modernas técnicas de combate, a la vez que defendió la soberanía de Venezuela en el conocido “Incidente por el Archipiélago de Los Monjes de 1952”.De esta forma, aquí se presenta esta historia, prologada por Dan Hagedorn, reconocido historiador y Curador Emérito del Museum of Flight y Boeing STEM; que va desde el diseño y desarrollo del mismo avión; su destacado desempeño en los teatros de operaciones europeos; el traslado de los aviones desde los EE.UU. hacia Venezuela; el entrenamiento de los pilotos y sus lamentables pérdidas a los mandos del avión caza monomotor a pistón más pesado construido; hasta hurgar en sus destinos finales, donde ochenta años después de su fabricación, unos pocos ejemplares de los P-47 venezolanos aún surcan los cielos en Norteamérica; todo lo anterior mostrado ante ustedes con más de 220 fotografías históricas, muchas de ellas inéditas.De esta forma, Jesús Aveledo rescata de las arenas del tiempo esta apasionante historia para los lectores amantes de la aviación mundial; de manera que en los anales de la centenaria Fuerza Aérea Venezolana no se olvide que el inmenso y poderoso avión P-47D Thunderbolt, “JUG”, tuvo su fugaz, pero gran protagonismo a mediados del Siglo XX. Read more

There are 17 ingredients in a typical tube of toothpaste, from titanium dioxide to xanthum gum, and that's not counting the tube. Everything had to come from somewhere and someone had to bring it all together. The humblest household product reveals a web of enterprise that stretches around the globe.More is the story of how we spun that web. It begins with the earliest glimmerings of long-distance trade - obsidian blades that made their way from what is now Turkey to the Iran-Iraq border 7,000 years before Christ - and ends with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. On such a grand scale, quirks of historical perspective leap out: futures contracts and commercial branding are among the many seemingly modern components of the global economy have existed since ancient times. Yet it was only in the 18th century that a cascade of innovations began to drive up prosperity in a lasting way around the world.To piece this fascinating saga together, Philip Coggan takes the reader inside medieval cottages and hi-tech hydroponic farms, prehistoric Chinese burial mounds and modern central banks. At every step of our journey, he finds that it was connections between people that created our wealth. Will the same openness continue to serve us in the 21st century? Read more

KRAUS FAMILY AWARD WINNER FOR BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR AT THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDSWINNER OF THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE‘Beautifully told' – John le Carré ‘More than just history’ – Michael PalinIn this remarkably moving memoir, Ariana Neumann dives into the secrets of her father’s past: years spent hiding in plain sight in wartorn Berlin, the annihilation of dozens of family members in the Holocaust, and the courageous choice to build anew. When her father dies and leaves her a box of clues, Ariana Neumann uncovers a heritage she knew nothing about. Exploring the joys and sorrows of the Neumann family, she learns through her tireless investigations why her father, a successful entrepreneur in Venezuela, never spoke about his past. How as a young man from Prague he boldly deceived the Gestapo by doing the unimaginable. Spanning nearly ninety years, this is an unforgettable memoir about resilience, hope and love in the midst of tragedy. A tribute to the lost, and a celebration of all that connects us, and of the courage it takes to keep going. Because the darkest shadow always lies beneath the candle.   Read more

The dramatic life of the revolutionary hero Bolivar, who liberated South America - a sweeping narrative worthy of a Hollywood epic.Simón Bolivar's life makes for one of history's most dramatic canvases, a colossal narrative filled with adventure and disaster, victory and defeat. This is the story not just of an extraordinary man but of the liberation of a continent.A larger-than-life figure from a tumultuous age, Bolívar ignited a revolution, liberated six countries from Spanish rule and is revered as the great hero of South American history. In a sweeping narrative worthy of a Hollywood epic, BOLIVAR colourfully portrays this extraordinarily dramatic life. From his glorious battlefield victories to his legendary love affairs, Bolívar emerges as a man of many facets: fearless and inspiring general, consummate diplomat, passionate abolitionist and gifted writer. Read more

How did Latin America's exceptional democracy become a nearly failed state? Why would a leader firmly in control lead one of the planet's richest countries into a humanitarian crisis? Conventional wisdom blames the madness of a populist leader who squandered an oil fortune. In Venezuela's Collapse, Carlos Lizarralde offers an alternative account that places race, ethnicity, and the struggle over resources at the center of the Hugo Chavez story.The book chronicles 500 years of demographic and economic strands that came together in 1998 with the election of a dashing new President. By following Chavismo's dismantling of the liberal state, the ransacking of public enterprises, and the appearance of a feudal world of violence, hunger, and disease, Venezuela's Collapse offers a compelling argument about what happened in the country.Venezuela's uncertain future will be determined, for better or for worse, by the fractured and conflicted past that fueled the Bolivarian Revolution. Carlos Lizarralde's account will become a key road map in the years ahead. Read more

The dramatic life of the revolutionary hero Bolivar, who liberated South America - a sweeping narrative worthy of a Hollywood epic.Simón Bolivar's life makes for one of history's most dramatic canvases, a colossal narrative filled with adventure and disaster, victory and defeat. This is the story not just of an extraordinary man but of the liberation of a continent.A larger-than-life figure from a tumultuous age, Bolívar ignited a revolution, liberated six countries from Spanish rule and is revered as the great hero of South American history. In a sweeping narrative worthy of a Hollywood epic, BOLIVAR colourfully portrays this extraordinarily dramatic life. From his glorious battlefield victories to his legendary love affairs, Bolívar emerges as a man of many facets: fearless and inspiring general, consummate diplomat, passionate abolitionist and gifted writer. Read more

'Shabono' – the name of the hamlets of palm-thatched dwellings where the Yanomama Indians of Venezuela and southern Brazil live – recounts the vivid and unforgettable experience of anthropologist Florinda Donner's time with an indigenous tr Read more

Want to learn about Latin American women's history?Are you an intermediate Spanish student? Read this!Juana, la Avanzadora tells the story of an extraordinary woman who fought for the freedom of her country at a time when women were relegated to the sidelines.The history of women during the Venezuelan War of Independence is marked by their absence. They are better known as cooks, nurses or companions in the revolutionary struggles of their husbands and male relatives. We know little about the women who fought on the battlefield against the Spanish Empire. Juana Ramírez is an exception.Born into slavery in 1790, Juana Ramírez dreamed of an equal society for brown, indigenous and black people. Juana hoped to join the fight for independence from the Spanish Empire, but women were relegated to accompanying fathers, husbands, sons or brothers who went to war. At the age of 15, she joined the fight as a simple laundress and then as a makeshift nurse. But when all seemed lost at the Battle of Alto de los Godos on 25 May 1813 and the men had fallen, her actions at the head of a 100-strong all-female artillery unit won them the war. Did Juana live to see her dream of freedom come true?Juana, la Avanzadora is part of REVOLUCIONARIAS, a collection of historical fiction about inspiring Latin American women from colonisation to the present day, created by Margarita Pérez García and Adriana Ramírez.Other books in the collection are:María Cano, la Flor de trabajo by Adriana Ramírez (2021)Guaitipán, la líder guerrera by Adriana Ramírez (2023) Re-reading Latin American history from the perspective of women engages you with issues of power, inequality and social justice.Read to learn Spanish and read to rewrite History!Learn Spanish by reading with Juana, la Avanzadora.What does this book give you?Helps you expand your vocabulary in Spanish in a rich historical context.Improve your Spanish skills while understanding Latin American history and culture.Uncover the overlooked history of Latin American women's roles in Venezuelan independence.36 full-page illustrations that enhance comprehension and enable vivid mental imagery while reading.Access a longer story tailored for intermediate to high-level Spanish learners, using just 328-word families and 112 familiar words, making it a great learning tool while enjoying a compelling narrative.Never miss the meaning of a word with the complete bilingual word list provided at the end of the book, ensuring you grasp every aspect of the story.Reflect on significant questions about modern-day slavery and the representation of women in public spaces.Deepen your understanding of Venezuela's history. Read more

Corporate Coup looks at the attempted overthrow of the elected government of Venezuela, an intervention which, despite open backing by the United States, failed spectacularly.In January of 2019, the Trump Administration recognized a little-known opposition lawmaker named Juan Guaidó as President of Venezuela. While Washington’s history of coups in Latin America is well-documented, this step was unprecedented: Never before had the United States offered legal recognition to a new government before an actual change in leadership had taken place.Within months it became clear that the attempt at regime change had fallen flat: all Venezuelan territory, government ministries, and the country’s military remained under the control of President Nicolás Maduro. While US officials, notably Trump’s Venezuela Envoy Elliott Abrams, boasted that roughly 54 countries had followed Washington’s lead in recognizing Guaidó’s authority, the vast majority of United Nations member states rejected the attempted coup. Four years on, Venezuela’s government is firmly in place and Guaidó is nowhere to be seen.In this fast-paced story, investigative reporter Anya Parampil provides a narrative history of the Chavista revolution and offers character sketches of the figures who took over its leadership after Hugo Chávez’s death in 2014. She shows how Guaidó’s shadow regime consisted of individuals with deep connections to transnational corporations that sought to overturn the revolution and exploit Venezuela’s resources. In particular she uncovers their plot to steal Citgo Petroleum, the country’s most valuable international asset. Corporate Coup exposes the hidden personalities and interests driving US policy on Venezuela, revealing that while the recognition of Guaidó failed at changing reality on the ground in Caracas, it succeeded in facilitating the unprecedented looting of the country’s extensive foreign reserves.This gripping story from Venezuela shines light on the grim, shadowy character of a US foreign policy that tramples on democratic norms around the globe. And it points to a dramatic consequence of such policy: the rise of a new, multipolar world heralding the end of US empire. Read more

KRAUS FAMILY AWARD WINNER FOR BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR AT THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDSWINNER OF THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE‘Beautifully told' – John le Carré ‘More than just history’ – Michael PalinIn this remarkably moving memoir, Ariana Neumann dives into the secrets of her father’s past: years spent hiding in plain sight in wartorn Berlin, the annihilation of dozens of family members in the Holocaust, and the courageous choice to build anew. When her father dies and leaves her a box of clues, Ariana Neumann uncovers a heritage she knew nothing about. Exploring the joys and sorrows of the Neumann family, she learns through her tireless investigations why her father, a successful entrepreneur in Venezuela, never spoke about his past. How as a young man from Prague he boldly deceived the Gestapo by doing the unimaginable. Spanning nearly ninety years, this is an unforgettable memoir about resilience, hope and love in the midst of tragedy. A tribute to the lost, and a celebration of all that connects us, and of the courage it takes to keep going. Because the darkest shadow always lies beneath the candle.   Read more

'A Hero's Curse' is the story of the modern Venezuelans whose lives have taken shape in the shadow of Simon Bolivar and his most passionate disciple, Comandante Hugo Chavez. For nearly two hundred years Venezuela's political leaders have evoked the legacy of their liberator, Bolivar, to stir popular support. While Bolivar's heroic struggle helped free a continent, his affinity for dictatorial rule spawned a vicious cycle of liberation and tyranny that has always haunted Venezuela. Since Chavez's death, the battle for Venezuela's future has intensified. Amidst a collapsing economy, escalating violence, and shortages of basic goods, there are increasing calls for a change of leadership. Rivals for power compete in demonstrating to the masses that they are the new, true, Venezuelan hero come to set them free.Kajsa Norman chronicles the rise and fall of Chavez and the tragic impact of Venezuela's 'heroic' politics on ordinary citizens. The stage is set for yet another turn in Venezuela's cycle of perpetual liberation, with a new generation of leaders clamouring for the title of national hero. Read more

Comandante is the definitive account of Chávez's presidency, and the legacy he has left behind. Hugo Chávez was a true phenomenon. On his death in March 2013 tens of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets and honoured a seven-day period of national mourning. Chávez has been compared to Napoleon, Nasser, Perón and Castro but the truth is there has never been a leader like him. He was democratically elected, reigned like a monarch from a mobile television throne, and provoked adoration and revulsion in equal measure. How did a charismatic autocrat seduce not just a nation but a significant part of world opinion? And how did he continue to stay in power despite the crumbling of Venezuela? When he first came to power in 1999, Chávez became a symbol of hope and freedom for his people. Yet, in his fourteen years as president, Chávez seized control of the lucrative Venezuelan oil industry, allowed basic government functions to wither, jailed political opponents and courted Castro and Ahmadinejad, all while occupying much of Venezuela's airwaves with his long-running television show, Aló Presidente!In Comandante, acclaimed journalist Rory Carroll breaches the walls of Miraflores Palace to tell the inside story of Chávez's life and his political court in Caracas. Blending the lyricism and strangeness of magical realism with the brutal, ugly truth of authoritarianism - a powerful combination reminiscent of Ryszard Kapuscinski's The Emperor - Rory Carroll has written the definitive account of Hugo Chávez's presidency, and the legacy he has left behind. Read more

A history that is equally entertaining and enlightening, illustrating all of the changes of power and intricacies that are necessary to understand the interrelation between England and Scotland and the Highland and Lowland populations. It shows how Duncan (1034-40) emerged from 'the union of the four peoples' as the first king of a united Scotland and provides detailed, reign-by-reign accounts from then on. Above all Professor Mackie reveals how the Scots long pursued an independent line - in religion, law, culture and foreign policy - that helped them keep at bay the Romans, the French and the English. Read more

El Capítulo VIII de la Constitución, constante de ocho artículos que van del 119 al 126, garantiza el derecho de nuestros indígenas a existir como pueblos y comunidades, organización social y económica, cultura, usos y costumbres, así como idiomas y religiones.Además, el 8 de diciembre de 2005 la Asamblea Nacional, presidida por Nicolás Maduro aprobó, firmó y selló la Ley Orgánica de Pueblos y Comunidades Indígenas.Por otro lado, el 8 enero de 2007 el teniente coronel (r) Hugo Chávez creó un Ministerio para los Pueblos Indígenas con el fin de proteger a los más de 40 pueblos originarios existentes en el país.De igual modo, la fiscalía general de la República, mediante directiva número 0012, del 21 de julio de 2016, estableció los lineamientos sobre asuntos relacionados con la competencia de la jurisdicción especial indígena.Sin embargo, esa estructura legal y burocrática, muy al contrario de lo afirmado por la titular de ese despacho en enero de 2020, Aloha Núñez, en modo alguno ha servido a los fines en ella expuesta, porque nuestros aborígenes prácticamente están desamparados en materia social, sanitaria, ambiental, cultural, etc.En julio de ese año, por arbitraria decisión del Consejo Nacional Electoral, se les privó del derecho a elegir a sus representantes ante el parlamento como lo contempla la Constitución, es decir, mediante el voto secreto y directo. Lo insólito de ese atropello contra los derechos políticos de los pueblos indígenas es que se haya aprobado por unanimidad.En el socialismo del siglo XXI, las condiciones de los pueblos originarios han empeorado a términos solo comparables a la era colonial.Nuestros indígenas son despojados de sus tierras, en zonas mineras, por militares de las Fuerzas Armadas en contubernio con bandas delictivas, son asesinados tanto por estos como por grupos irregulares colombianos, son sometidos a esclavitud, son perseguidos inclusive en territorio brasileño y son excluidos de programas de atención alimentaria y sanitaria causando altos grados de mortalidad, desnutrición, etc.Uno de los caciques de los tiempos coloniales, Guaicaipuro, ha sido convertido en símbolo del chavismo, al extremo de que sus presuntos restos reposan en el Panteón Nacional, identifica a uno de los programas de dádivas del régimen y sustituyó a Francisco Fajardo, hijo de una cacica margariteña como denominación de una importante avenida caraqueña, que el pueblo igualmente sigue llamando por su nombre original.Podría pensar un lector desprevenido que la abundancia de leyes y burocracia para favorecer a los pueblos originarios se traduce en bienestar y progreso para ellos. No es así, como trataré de demostrarlo en esta monografía digital, llamada así porque toda su fuente documental proviene de la Web, constantemente actualizada sobre cualquier tema. Read more

The timeless stories of three contemporary Latin Americans whose lives represent three driving forces that have shaped the character of the region: exploitation, violence, and religion.Leonor Gonzales, a miner's widow, lives in a tiny community perched in the Andean cordillera of Peru, the highest human habitation on earth.Carlos Buergos is a Cuban who fought in the civil war in Angola and was among hundreds of criminals Cuba expelled to the USA.Xavier Albó is a Jesuit priest from Barcelona who emigrated to Bolivia, where he works among the indigenous people.In Silver, Sword and Stone Marie Arana seamlessly weaves these stories with the history of the past millennium to explain three enduring themes that have defined Latin America since pre-Columbian times: the foreign greed for its mineral riches, an ingrained history of violence, and the abiding power of religion. What emerges is a vibrant portrait of a people whose lives are increasingly intertwined with our own. Read more

South American food, music and culture are cutting a swathe across the western world.But what if cricket - the quintessential English sport - were to conquer Latin America? The notion of Brazilians and Mexicans playing T20 at the Maracana or the Azteca is not as far-fetched as it sounds.Cricket was the first sport played in almost every country of the Americas - earlier than football, rugby or baseball. In 1877, when England and Australia played the inaugural Test match at the MCG, Uruguay and Argentina were already 10 years into their derby played across the River Plate.The visionary cricket historian Rowland Bowen reckoned that during the highpoint of cricket in South America between the two world wars, the continent could have provided the next Test nation. In Buenos Aires, where British engineers, merchants and meat-packers flocked to make their fortune, the standard of cricket was high: towering figures like Lord Hawke and Plum Warner took star-studded teams of Test cricketers to South America, and were beaten by Argentina. A combined Argentine, Brazilian and Chilean team took on the first-class counties in England in 1932.But this is as much a social history of grit, industry and nation-building in the New World. West Indian fruit workers battled yellow fever and brutal management to carve out cricket fields next to the railway lines in Costa Rica and by the hulking locks of the Panama Canal. The legendary BBC commentator Brian Johnston, working for the family coffee business in Santos, was Brazil's best wicketkeeper until he was bed-ridden by beri-beri. Cricket was the favoured pursuit of the blustering Nitrate King of Chile; Emperors in Brazil and Mexico used the game to curry favour with Europe; General Pinochet's grandchildren avidly play the game in Chile to this day.But the fate of cricket in South America is symbolised by Eva Perón ordering the burning down of the Buenos Aires Cricket Club pavilion when the club refused to hand over their premises to her welfare scheme. Mexican bandits, Colombian guerrillas and Argentine anarchists have kidnapped their country's leading cricketers for ransom. One of the first Uruguayan cricketers - who scored the first goal for the national football team - was killed when a whirlwind carried away the cabin he was sheltering in. This is a book short on match reports, and long on blood and guts. Read more

The epic story of the forgotten Irish men and women who changed the face of Latin America forever.In the early nineteenth century, thousands of volunteers left Ireland behind to join the fight for South American independence. Lured by the promise of adventure, fortune and the opportunity to take a stand against colonialism, they braved the treacherous Atlantic crossing to join the ranks of the Liberator, Símon Bolívar, and became instrumental in helping oust the Spanish from Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Today, the names of streets, towns, schools, and football teams on the continent bear witness to their influence.But it was not just during wars of independence that the Irish helped transform Spanish America. Irish soldiers, engineers and politicians, who had fled Ireland to escape religious and political persecution in their homeland, were responsible for changing the face of the Spanish colonies in the Americas during the eighteenth century. They included a chief minister of Spain, Richard Wall, a chief inspector of the Spanish Army, Alexander O'Reilly, and the viceroy of Peru, Ambrose O'Higgins.Whether telling the stories of armed revolutionaries like Bernardo O'Higgins and James Rooke or retracing the steps of trailblazing women like Eliza Lynch and Camila O'Gorman, Paisanos revisits a forgotten chapter of Irish history and, in so doing, reanimates the hopes, ambitions, ideals and romanticism that helped fashion the New World and sowed the seeds of Ireland's revolutions to follow. Read more

RO60105156. HUMBOLDT AND THE COSMOS. 1973. In-8. Broché. Bon état, Couv. convenable, Dos satisfaisant, Intérieur acceptable. 295 pages. Illustré de nombreuses photos en noir et blanc et en couleur, dans et hors texte. Annotations en page de faux-titre.. . . . Classification Dewey : 420-Langue anglaise. Anglo-saxon Read more

Through innovative and expansive research, Oil Revolution analyzes the tensions faced and networks created by anti-colonial oil elites during the age of decolonization following World War II. This new community of elites stretched across Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Algeria, and Libya. First through their western educations and then in the United Nations, the Arab League, and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, these elites transformed the global oil industry. Their transnational work began in the early 1950s and culminated in the 1973–4 energy crisis and in the 1974 declaration of a New International Economic Order in the United Nations. Christopher R. W. Dietrich examines how these elites brokered and balanced their ambitions via access to oil, the most important natural resource of the modern era. Read more

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is a powerful film about the charismatic and controversial Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. It charts the attempt to overthrow him in April 2002 and provides an eyewitness account of his extraordinary return to power some forty-eight hours later. This book, which includes a DVD of this electrifying documentary, not only sheds light on contemporary politics in Latin America but also focuses on important issues in documentary filmmaking. Read more