From 1830 to 1914, journeys to the Mediterranean became part of the British way of life--and the British way of death. The Mediterranean Passion shows how a revolution in transportation enabled the British middle classes to follow the aristocracy to the South in pursuit of culture, health, pleasure, and spiritual inspiration. It carefully describes how the British traveled, where they went, how their attitudes shaped their experiences, and how their experiences shaped their attitudes. Exploring the medical, religious, sexual, and aesthetic dimensions of their journeys, the book also exposes the tension between the world that they discovered and the world that they created.

'The only remarkable thing people can tell of their doings these days is that they have stayed at home', declared George Eliot in 1869. In Victorian and Edwardian Britain travel became the rage. The middle classes and the aristocracy seemed in a constant flux of arrival and departure, their luggage festooned with foreign labels. The revolution in transport made this possible. The Mediterranean Passion describes how the British travelled to the South and where they went. Drawing on what these travellers wrote, and what was written for them, it enriches our understanding of the Victorians and Edwardians by exploring the medical, religious, sexual and aesthetic dimensions of their journeys and illuminates an important but neglected aspect of British social and cultural history. '... combines scholarship with charm ... It could easily be taken to the Mediterranean on a holiday and read with pleasure on a sunny beach or in the shade of a church.' Asa Briggs, Financial Times 'I was impressed not merely by the range of his erudition - historical, cultural, literary, topographical, medical et al. - and by the depth of his enquiries into his subject but by the subtlety and refinement of his prose. He deals with very elusive, complex and culturally contradictory matters, upon which few, if any, could arrive at persuasive generalisations; yet he does so throughout the book, while his conclusion is a marvel of judgment, excelling even what his preceded.' David Selbourne (author of The Principle of Duty) The Mediterranean Passion was the joint winner of the 1987 Wolfson Literary Award for History.

The Mediterranean Love Plan unveils the “7 Secrets of Passion” from some of the most romantic countries in the world: Italy, France, Spain, Greece and Israel. Most couples marry in a flurry of passion, but soon find themselves wondering “How do we keep love interesting, fun and romantic? How do we keep the spark growing for decades?” Steve and Misty Arterburn offer unique, ground-breaking answers to these age-old questions. Romance is much more than a date night out or a week away. A passionate, long-lasting love requires two people who are sensually in love with life and each other. In this fascinating book, the authors explore research on seven activities that prompt passion, then describe how Mediterranean cultures practice these secrets in everyday life. Steve and Misty also share how these fun-to-apply secrets have taken their own marriage from confused to confident, from discouraged to delighted– and how you can do it too. The Mediterranean Love Plan will help couples become more playful, creative, connected and romantic -- burning with passion that stands the test of time.

It was like a scene out of a movie! Who wasthis fit, handsome guy, who rescued Ella from asticky situation and made incredible love to herall night?He was Nicolo, Prince of the Mediterraneanisland of Mardivino. But Ella was an ordinarygirl and certain that she could only be Nicolo'sprincess for a day…until she found herselfordered to become his mistress—by royalcommand!

“One of the most satisfying accounts of a great passion that I have ever read.” —Vivian Gornick, New York Times Book Review Mary Norris, The New Yorker’s Comma Queen and best-selling author of Between You & Me, has had a lifelong love affair with words. In Greek to Me, she delivers a delightful paean to the art of self-expression through accounts of her solo adventures in the land of olive trees and ouzo. Along the way, Norris explains how the alphabet originated in Greece, makes the case for Athena as a feminist icon, and reveals the surprising ways in which Greek helped form English. Greek to Me is filled with Norris’s memorable encounters with Greek words, Greek gods, Greek wine—and more than a few Greek men.

Discover the enticing and mouth-watering flavours of Mediterranean cooking with Elizabeth David's classic cookbook 'Britain's most inspirational food writer' INDEPENDENT _______ Having lived in France, Italy, the Greek islands and Egypt, Elizabeth David has perfected the art of Mediterranean cooking. In her classic cookbook she gives us hearty pasta dishes from Italy; aromatic and tangy salads from Turkey and Greece; and tasty seafood and saffron dishes from Spain. With delicious dishes including . . . - Tomato and Shellfish Soup - Greek Spinach Pie - Toulouse-Style Cassoulet - Valencian Paella - Turkish Salad Dressing - Syrian Fish Sauce . . . You will be taken on a tasting tour of the Mediterranean from your own kitchen. Whether it is the simplicity of hummus or the delicious blending of flavours found in plates of ratatouille or paella, Elizabeth David's wonderful recipes in A Book of Mediterranean Food are imbued with all the delights of the sunny south. _______ 'Not only did she transform the way we cooked but she is a delight to read' Express on Sunday 'When you read Elizabeth David, you get perfect pitch. There is an understanding and evocation of flavours, colours, scents and places that lights up the page' Guardian

Through an explanation of forty figures in European culture, ^The Seduction of the Mediterranean argues that the Mediterranean, classical and contemporary, was the central theme in homoerotic writing and art from the 1750s to the 1950s. Episodes of exile, murder, drug-taking, wild homosexual orgies and court cases are woven into an original study of a significant theme in European culture. The myth of a homoerotic Mediterranean made a major contribution to general attitudes towards Antiquity, the Renaissance and modern Italy and Greece.