{"title":"Series: Eland classics","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEland classics\u003c\/strong\u003e offer a rich tapestry of narratives and insights spanning diverse fields such as history, finance, technology, and fiction. Readers can immerse themselves in compelling explorations of historical events, technical knowledge, and thought-provoking stories that reflect a wide spectrum of human experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach title in the series invites reflection, whether uncovering the intricacies of world affairs, delving into the art of investing, or enjoying evocative works of general fiction. With a commitment to quality and depth, \u003cem\u003eEland classics\u003c\/em\u003e cater to curious minds eager for both knowledge and literary enrichment.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-turkish-embassy-letters-by-mary-wortley-montagu-9781780600390","title":"The Turkish Embassy Letters","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMary Montagu was one of the most extraordinary characters in the world. She was a self-educated intellectual, a free spirit, a radical, a feminist but also an entitled aristocrat and a society wit with powerful friends at court.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1716, she travelled across Europe to take up residence in Istanbul as the wife of the British ambassador. Her letters remain as fresh as the day they were penned: enchanted by her discoveries of the life of Turkish women behind the veil, by Arabic poetry, and by contemporary medical practices, including inoculation. For two years, she lovingly observed Ottoman society as a participant, with affection, intelligence, and an astonishing lack of prejudice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShe is one of the first modern travel writers and still one of the best, studying and recording a lived culture through its own values and its own language. In her own words, \u003cem\u003e'No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure more lasting.'\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'... one of the best narrative travel books ever written by an Englishwoman.' — Dervla Murphy\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Her letters have an immediacy and vivacity that remains as fresh as the mosaics on the ancient monuments she saw and the eastern gardens that gave her such delight.' — Anita Desai\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'... what fire, what ease, what knowledge of Europe and Asia.' — Gibbon\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072386416876,"sku":"9781780600390","price":71.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/26790313482821.jpg?v=1765100562"},{"product_id":"three-women-of-herat-by-veronica-doubleday-9781780601977","title":"Three Women of Herat","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn 1973, the Afghans still had a King who ruled from a palace in Kabul with his own resident court of musicians when Veronica set up home in Herat.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis Afghan city sat close to the Persian frontier and was fully cognisant of its glorious history as the capital of a once vast Central Asian Empire. Veronica was not a casual traveller but a young musician married to a scholar. She was determined to make use of her time in Afghanistan and break out of the charmed circle of the expatriate academic to make real friendships with local women. The tentative story, the growth in these very different friendships, takes the reader into a rare, deep, and privileged insight into the hidden world of Afghan female society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is more than enough to make this book remarkable, but it has an afterlife of its own. A Communist coup, the Russian invasion, a long guerrilla war of Resistance followed by Civil War, and the rise of the Taliban all contribute to the backdrop. Veronica was separated from her friends: she feared the worst, sought to assist but was also aware that contact from a Westerner could be lethal to them. Then a fragile peace allowed her to meet them again and pick up their stories. It is a most exceptional work, which reads like a novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"I was fascinated by this story of ordinary life before the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. The three women are remarkable and unforgettable, and the story of how the author gained their friendship is like a novel.\" - Doris Lessing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eThree Women of Herat\u003c\/i\u003e is a sensitive, knowledgeable and very moving account of an annihilated civilisation. - \u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Her understanding of 'purdah' is certainly the most illuminating by any Western writer for a long time. It is in describing the rituals of the day-to-day life of these women that the author excels, all are minutely depicted with a ravishing eye for detail.\" - Ahmed Rashid\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072388284652,"sku":"9781780601977","price":75.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/26806183482821.jpg?v=1765100821"},{"product_id":"one-people-by-guy-kennaway-9781780601960","title":"One People","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFirst published in 1997, it would be hard to find a publisher today for a white, male expatriate writing about the realities of life in a Jamaican hamlet.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTo make matters worse, Guy Kennaway wrote \u003ci\u003eOne People\u003c\/i\u003e in the local patois. But this comic novel, sparkling with irreverent wit, is cherished in Jamaica where it is recognised for its 'humour and humanity' and as a mirror which reflects the essence of the island, where 'culture is something that comes from the ground up and good times do not require a whole heap o' money.' Guy Kennaway's novel about Jamaican life and culture is set in the fictional village of Angel Beach. It is an affectionate and hilarious description of a small community where everyone knows everyone's business, poverty is a way of life, and dreams of escape trickle through fingers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'If you've ever seen the universe in an ear of corn, you should read \u003ci\u003eOne People\u003c\/i\u003e, and if you haven't, don't worry, you will.' - Damian Hirst\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Lyrical, poignant and downright funny...' - \u003ci\u003eThe Herald and Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e, Jamaica\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47934161879276,"sku":"9781780601960","price":68.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781780601960-one-people.jpg?v=1783901158"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/series-eland-classics.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}