The university is indigenous to Western Europe and is probably the greatest and most enduring achievement of the Middle Ages. Much more than stodgy institutions of learning, medieval universities wer
From 1823 to 1860 a fleet of small, fast brigs and schooners carried chests of opium from India to China, often facing the challenges of pirates and typhoons along the way. This shadowy trade, conduct
Jerusalem has long been one of the most sought-after destinations for the followers of three world faiths and for secularists alike. For Jews, it has the Western (Wailing) Wall; for Christians, it is
A primer on medieval justice, this book focuses on France, Germany and England and covers the thousand years between the transformation of the Roman world in Western Europe, which took place around t
The sharia is a set of traditional laws that define a Muslim’s obligations to God and his fellow human beings. Westerners often misunderstand the nature of the sharia, born as it is of a complicated l
Before the Gold Rush of 1848–1858, Alta (Upper) California was an isolated cattle frontier—and home to a colorful group of Spanish speaking, non-indigenous people known as Californios. Profiting from
Jamin, an independent scholar and Carlson (emeritus, Western Nevada College) are serious about their study, but allow some levity as they describe the adventures of various mercenaries from the end of
"Mexico surrendered to the United States more than half a million square miles of territory, contributing to a legacy of distrust and bitterness towards the U.S. that has never entirely dissipated. Th
This is a survey of the major historic trails of New Mexico and other parts of the American Southwest. These trails were used by Indians, prospectors, soldiers, buffalo hunters, immigrants, and cattl
The Great Basin is a hydrographic region that includes most of Nevada and parts of five other Western states. The histories of four of the Western rivers of the Great Basin—the Walker, the Truckee, th
The fundamental point of this book is that, in the past, the world's political, economic, military and social development took place during a time of relatively stable sea level. That time, however, i
