Essential reading for understanding the collapse of the Soviet state. Russell was one of the few western writers permitted into Soviet Georgia during the recent upheaval, and she provides a vivid account of a people forced to suddenly confront their history and their hopes for a new state. ?A gem of a travel book, full of wry observation and earthy humour.??Oxford Times (UK)

“Elegiac, quirky, readable, deeply knowledgeable . . . The best cultural-historical introduction to that tempestuous land,” the Georgian republic. (Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The Romanovs) Georgia has been called the world’s most beautiful country, yet little is known about it beyond its borders. This topical and vital book by Peter Nasmyth, the “ideal chronicler” (Literary Review) is the much-celebrated introduction to Georgia’s remarkable people, landscape, and culture. Over its 3,000-year-old history, Georgia has been ruled by everyone from the Greeks to the Ottomans, became a coveted part of the Russian Empire for a hundred years, and was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1921. Since gaining independence in 1991, Georgia has undergone a dramatic socioeconomical and political transformation, and although its political situation remains precarious, Georgia’s strong sense of nationhood has reinvigorated the country. Vivid and comprehensive, Nasmyth’s Georgia: In the Mountains of Poetry is a unique eyewitness account of Georgia’s rebirth and creates an unforgettable portrait of its remarkable landscape, history, people and culture. Offering fascinating insights into the life of ordinary and high profile Georgians, it is essential reading for anyone who wants to know more of this astonishing place. “The best book on post-Soviet Georgia . . . Nasmyth is prepared to take risks―hanging out with mafiosi and walking through minefields to reach that part of western Georgia that has bloodily seceded . . . a riveting portrait . . . powerfully evocative.” —Independent “It would be difficult to read Nasmyth's quirky, entertaining, informative, sometimes surreal book without having an impulse to ring a travel agent and ask for flights to Tblisi.” —Literary Review

"Provides comprehensive information on the geography, history, wildlife, governmental structure, economy, cultural diversity, religion, and culture of Georgia"--Provided by publisher.

This book is the first comprehensive cultural and historical introduction to modern Georgia. It covers the country region by region, taking the form of a literary journey through the transition from Soviet Georgia to the modern independent nation state. Peter Nasmyth traveled extensively in Georgia over a period of 5 years, and his lively and topical survey charts the nation's remarkable cultural and historical journey to statehood. This authoritative, lively and perceptive book is based on hundreds of interviews with modern Georgians, from country priests to black marketeers. Georgia: Mountains and Honour will be essential reading for anyone interested in this fascinating region, as well as those requiring an insight into the life after the collapse of the old Soviet order in the richest and most dramatic of the former republics.

This new seventh edition of Bradt's Georgia remains the only dedicated guide to this fascinating, budget-friendly Caucasian country, where tourism continues to grow and domestic travel is increasingly straightforward. Thoroughly updated to reflect recent developments, this guidebook includes revised and new listings for hotels, homestays, restaurants, what to see and do, and how to get around by public transport. At the intersection of Europe and Asia, nestled between Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, Georgia is the hub of the Caucasus – a country known for its mountains and Black Sea coast, and its wonderful food, wine and all-round hospitality. With Bradt’s Georgia, you can experience the new alongside the old in a country where most cultural and historical sights are free of charge or very cheap. The capital, Tbilisi, boasts a charming, cobbled old town, the centuries-old tiled baths of Orbeliani and numerous cultural highlights, but has also seen major developments recently, including conspicuous new projects such as the Panorama complex. Already famous for the cave monastery of Vardzia and the ancient wine-growing region of Kakheti, Georgia’s more remote areas are becoming more accessible. Networks of rural guesthouses and hiking trails (including the increasingly popular Transcaucasian Trail, a volunteer-led project to create two long-distance hiking routes) are being developed alongside a push towards more sustainable and responsible tourism. On the Black Sea, the city of Batumi has developed into a glitzy playground for regional tourism. Appropriately, given that the country is considered to be the birthplace of wine, the Georgian wine industry features prominently, with particular emphasis on the UNESCO-listed natural qvevri wines (made in clay amphorae set in the ground). Also covered are: skiing at Gudauri, Bakuriani and Mestia; cycling; the World Heritage sites of Mtskheta, Svaneti and Gelati; Georgian fusion cuisine (now celebrated in Tbilisi’s stylish new restaurants); 5th-century churches and other Christian architecture; cave cities; and Georgian polyphonic singing. Bradt’s unique guide to Georgia is the ideal companion for travellers, from serious hikers to wine buffs, high-end culture lovers to winter-sports enthusiasts, and city-break aficionados to backpackers of all ages.

This new title from Bradt tells the inspiring and emotional story of Ishbel Holmes, also known as 'World Bike Girl', a Scottish-Iranian woman who became a champion racing cyclist in spite of having been abandoned by her family, and who set off on the adventure of a lifetime despite her lack of experience, money or equipment. Ishbel Holmes was determined to cycle the world but her journey took a completely unexpected turn when, despite her initial instincts not to, she rescued a street dog in Turkey. Ishbel was lost and alone when she started on her epic trip, but in Lucy found a companionship never previously known. Between the two there formed a deep bond and their relationship was followed and supported by thousands of readers online, before becoming a media sensation overnight when Ishbel put out a plea for help to transport Lucy to an animal shelter three hundred miles away. This heart-rending tale is about more than just the relationship between a woman and her dog. It is a testimony to the human spirit, overcoming present-day challenges and churning up long-buried and painful memories from Ishbel's earlier life. It is also a tale of adventure, one person's determination to cross an unfamiliar country by bike and the unforgettable scenes that greet her on the Turkey-Syria border and into Syria itself. And it is a loving portrait of Lucy, the street dog that was determined not to let Ishbel go and whose dogged persistence helped to break down the barriers around her heart and in so doing change her life in ways she had never imagined. Ultimately, this is a tale of love and healing, a modern fable that touches the soul and reminds us all of the need to belong.

A memoir of life in Georgia after the fall of Communism introduces readers to the memorable, and sometimes insane, people who struggled to dominate the republics--and survive in them--after the decline of Soviet power.