China is one of the oldest states in the world. It achieved its approximate current borders with the Ascendancy of the Yuan dynasty in the 13th century, and despite the passing of one Imperial dynasty to the next, it has maintained them for the eight centuries since. Even the European colonial powers at the height of their power could not move past coastal enclaves. Thus, China remained China through the Ming, the Qing, the Republic, the Occupation, and Communism. But, despite the desires of some of the most powerful people in the Great State through the ages, China has never been alone in the world. It has had to contend with invaders from the steppe and the challenges posed by foreign traders and imperialists. Indeed, its rulers for the majority of the last eight centuries have not been Chinese. Timothy Brook examines China's relationship with the world from the Yuan through to the present by following the stories of ordinary and extraordinary people navigating the spaces where China met and meets the world. Bureaucrats, horse traders, spiritual leaders, explorers, pirates, emperors, invaders, migrant workers, traitors, and visionaries: this is a history of China as no one has told it before.

Maine Leaders and Maine Politics From the Inside as You Have NEVER Seen Them Before. This Great State - A Rigorous Examination of Leadership in Maine - Present, Past and Future Also makes a great gift. Alex Hammer is the CEO of Exponentials.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1875.

Michigan's rich history comes alive in this engaging tribute to the state. From the contributions of the Native Americans and the strange tale of Michigan's quest to achieve statehood; to the exploration of the state's early industries such as farming, lumbering, and mining, and, ultimately automobiles that made Michigan famous; this is a compelling account of the Great Lakes State. The book is fully indexed and also includes an illustrated timeline of the state's most relevant events Eastern Michigan University history professor and Ann Arbor resident, JoEllen Vinyard is the author of The Irish on the Urban Frontier: Nineteenth Century Detroit and Michigan, The World Around Us. Dr. George S. May devoted most of his career to teaching, studying, and writing about the state's history. He authored several Michigan related history books.

Hit the trail for a dramatic look at Wisconsin’s geologic past. The impressive bluffs, valleys, waterfalls, and lakes of Wisconsin’s state parks provide more than beautiful scenery and recreational opportunities. They are windows into the distant past, offering clues to the dramatic events that have shaped the land over billions of years. Author and former DNR journalist Scott Spoolman takes readers with him to twenty-eight parks, forests, and natural areas where evidence of the state’s striking geologic and natural history are on display. In an accessible storytelling style, Spoolman sheds light on the volcanoes that poured deep layers of lava rock over a vast area in the northwest, the glacial masses that flattened and molded the landscape of northern and eastern Wisconsin, mountain ranges that rose up and wore away over hundreds of millions of years, and many other bedrock-shaping phenomena. These stories connect geologic processes to the current landscape, as well as to the evolution of flora and fauna and development of human settlement and activities, for a deeper understanding of our state’s natural history. The book includes a selection of detailed trail guides for each park, which hikers can take with them on the trail to view evidence of Wisconsin’s geologic and natural history for themselves.