On Alexander’s Track to the Indus, first published in 1929, is Aurel Stein’s account of the expeditions he mounted following in the footsteps of Alexander the Great during the triumphant invasion that, interestingly, left not a trace in Indian literature or tradition. Stein’s account has justifiably achieved cult status for the dangers and hardships encountered during his own expeditions; for the light it sheds on Alexander’s invasions, and the wonders of Stein’s discoveries (such as Alexander’s Aornos); the illumination it offers on all fields of interest from archaeology to Indian literary culture, Graeco-Buddhist art and the spread of Buddhism right across Asia. The remarkable Aurel Stein communicates his passions and enthusiasms effortlessly to the fortunate reader of this classic. “Stein has a claim to be called the greatest archaeologist-explorer of all: read this and you’ll see why”—Michael Wood Richly illustrated throughout with maps and black-and-white photographs.

This volume presents a seminal and pioneering account of the antiquities of Swat and Peshawar (Pakistan) by Harold Deane, discovered in the fort at Malakand, Swat; it presents and transcribes the manuscript and provides extended notes identifying and describing the places that Deane discusses in his article.

Twenty years ago, noted film scholars Tom Gunning and André Gaudreault introduced the phrase “cinema of attractions” to describe the essential qualities of films made in the medium’s earliest days, those produced between 1895 and 1906. Now, The Cinema of Attractions Reloaded critically examines the term and its subsequent wide-ranging use in film studies. The collection opens with a history of the term, tracing the collaboration between Gaudreault and Gunning, the genesis of the term in their attempts to explain the spectacular effects of motion that lay at the heart of early cinema, and the pair’s debts to Sergei Eisenstein and others. This reconstruction is followed by a look at applications of the term to more recent film productions, from the works of the Wachowski brothers to virtual reality and video games. With essays by an impressive collection of international film scholars—and featuring contributions by Gunning and Gaudreault as well—The Cinema of Attractions Reloaded will be necessary reading for all scholars of early film and its continuing influence.

This single-volume work documents Pakistan's troubled history, which has led to current global insecurities and created a breeding ground for radical insurgency and terrorism. Why is the volatile political status of Pakistan so critical to world security? How did the tribal region of northwest Pakistan become home to numerous insurgent factions, including the Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda? Is the government of Pakistan actively combating or facilitating terrorism and the growth of extremism? Pakistan: The Taliban, Al Qaeda, and the Rise of Terrorism addresses and answers these questions and more, providing a current and comprehensive examination of the terrorist and insurgent groups that use Pakistan as their global base of operation. Readers of this book will better understand how the activities of terrorist groups such as the Pakistan Taliban, Lashkar–e–Taiba, and Al Qaeda in Pakistan threaten the future of the state and why the situation in Pakistan is considered by many to be more vital to American interests than Afghanistan. Author William J. Topich evaluates the changing nature of U.S. policy in the region, including analysis of policy regarding drone strikes that target various radical groups, of state stabilization options, and of ongoing United States-Pakistan relations. His assessment of Pakistan's key role in global security accounts for the country's longstanding conflict with India, the Afghanistan wars, and the impact of the attacks of September 11, 2001, and identifies possible future scenarios for Pakistan and the accompanying implications for security.