In the 1930s, the Italian Fascist regime profoundly changed the landscape of Rome's historic centre, demolishing buildings and displacing thousands of Romans in order to display the ruins of the pre-Christian Roman Empire. This transformation is commonly interpreted as a failed attempt to harmonize urban planning with Fascism's ideological exaltation of the Roman Empire. Roads and Ruins argues that the chaotic Fascist cityscape, filled with traffic and crumbling ruins, was in fact a reflection of the landscape of the First World War. In the radical interwar transformation of Roman space, Paul Baxa finds the embodiment of the Fascist exaltation of speed and destruction, with both roads and ruins defining the cultural impulses at the heart of the movement. Drawing on a wide variety of sources, including war diaries, memoirs, paintings, films, and government archives, Roads and Ruins is a richly textured study that offers an original perspective on a well known story.

In this user-friendly, beautifully illustrated, and occasionally eccentric guidebook, David A. Steinberg blazes the trail to more than twenty unusual landmarks and hard-to-find destinations-all within a two-hour drive of New York City. Geared for the experienced hiker or camping adventurer, the book includes hikes to a variety of urban ruins, including a World War II-era air force base, a vacant dairy farm, pine plantations, abandoned quarries, tunnels, cemeteries, and iron mines. Each chapter contains detailed directions, a hand-drawn map, suggestions for the optimal time and season to visit, and GPS coordinates to specific sites. Bringing fifteen years of experience as a leader of hikes, Steinberg leaves no part of the trip unplanned. He even suggests ideal conditions for the outing. An overcast day, for instance, sets up the haunted atmosphere appropriate for visiting a water tower in Mountainside, New Jersey, that has links to a murder-suicide in the 1970s. For less experienced hikers, the guide also includes a chapter on equipment and safety, detailed instructions on how to program a hand-held Global Positioning System receiver, and a glossary of terms. Both a practical guide and a creative chronicle, this book is bound to please hikers and history buffs alike.

At archeological sites throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, the ancient inhabitants of the American Southwest have left a rich legacy built and etched in stone - places to witness sheer ingenuity and pay tribute to the roots of Native American culture. With color photographs, maps, and detailed entries, this handsome volume spotlights the most accessible, visitor-friendly sites to explore. Also included are suggested travel routes for those wishing to tour multiple sites.