Scott Anderson - Böcker

From the author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller Lawrence in Arabia, a stunningly revelatory narrative history of one of the most momentous events in modern times, the jaw-dropping stupidity of the American government, and the dawn of the age of religious nationalism. “A must-read that is both urgent and unforgettable.” —Steve Coll, author of The Achilles Trap, Directorate S, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, and Ghost Wars, winner of the Pulitzer Prize "A masterful and gripping account of the Iranian revolution.  Anderson gives us a page-turning history lesson that is more relevant than ever."—Rajiv Chandrasekaran, author Imperial Life in the Emerald City, a finalist for the National Book AwardOn New Year’s Eve, 1977, on a state visit to Iran, President Jimmy Carter toasted Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, King of Kings, Light of the Aryans, Shadow of God on Earth, praising Iran as “an island of stability “ due to “your leadership and the respect and admiration and love which your people give to you.” Iran had the world’s fifth largest army and was awash in billions of dollars in oil revenues.  Construction cranes dotted the skyline of its booming capital, Tehran.  The regime’s feared secret police force SAVAK had crushed communist opposition, and the Shah had bought off the conservative Muslim clergy inside the country.  He seemed invulnerable, and invaluable to the United States as an ally in the Cold War.  Fourteen months later the Shah fled Iran into exile, forced from the throne by a volcanic religious revolution led by a fiery cleric named Ayatollah Khomeini.  The ensuing hostage crisis forever damaged America’s standing in the world.  How could the United States, which had one of the largest CIA stations in the world and thousands of military personnel in Iran, have been so blind?The spellbinding story Scott Anderson weaves is one of a dictator blind to the disdain of his subjects and a superpower blundering into disaster. Scott Anderson tells this astonishing tale with the narrative brio, mordant wit, and keen analysis that made his bestselling Lawrence of Arabia one of the key texts in understanding the modern Middle East.  The Iranian Revolution, Anderson convincingly argues, was as world-shattering an event as the French and Russian revolutions.  In the Middle East, in India, in Southeast Asia, in Europe, and now in the United States, the hatred of economically-marginalized, religiously-fervent masses for a wealthy secular elite has led to violence and upheaval – and Iran was the template.  King of Kings is a bravura work of history, and a warning.

A Visual Language is a practical introduction to the language of the visual arts, with a strong, innovative methodology. This expanded second edition begins with the basics of shape, composition and drawing, and gradually moves on to explore more complex arrangements, including abstract and representational analysis and composition. Building on the principles of visual language established in their last book, the authors now explore three-dimensional forms of increasing complexity.The final chapter of the book is devoted to a selection of sketchbook studies on ten international artists from various different visual disciplines, from architects and animators to painters and performance artists. This section demonstrates practically the methods presented earlier in the book, and helps visual artists to develop skills and confidence in their artistic work.Featuring a large number of new images, this book is essential reading for any artist in any field, regardless of their level, and is the only introduction to the visual arts that a beginner should require.

From its earliest beginnings, even preceding independent statehood, the culture of the United States has embraced popular music. Folk songs, patriotic songs, field hollers, religious hymns and gospel songs, laments, trail songs, Old West ballads, and other forms of music combined and recombined to form the rich musical tapestry of American vernacular music.From Bakersfield to Beale Street: A Regional History of American Rock 'n' Roll examines how rock ‘n’ roll music developed in American regions during the years between 1940 and 1987. The music originating from the distinctive cultural regions of the United States reflects these diverse areas. These styles helped to define the American popular musical landscape in the second half of the twentieth century. This text traces the roots of rock ‘n’ roll through three basic archetypes—the blues, folk and country music, and popular music coming from Tin-Pan Alley. America’s many genres of popular music are the result of the ongoing recombination of these basic forms and styles.From Bakersfield to Beale Street is organized around listening examples, chosen from artists and styles that reflect America’s distinctive regions. Listening Activities describe each song’s important features.

‘A darkly entertaining tale about American espionage, set in an era when Washington’s fear and skepticism about the agency resembles our climate today.’ New York TimesAt the end of World War II, the United States dominated the world militarily, economically, and in moral standing – seen as the victor over tyranny and a champion of freedom. But it was clear – to some – that the Soviet Union was already executing a plan to expand and foment revolution around the world. The American government’s strategy in response relied on the secret efforts of a newly-formed CIA. The Quiet Americans chronicles the exploits of four spies – Michael Burke, a charming former football star fallen on hard times, Frank Wisner, the scion of a wealthy Southern family, Peter Sichel, a sophisticated German Jew who escaped the Nazis, and Edward Lansdale, a brilliant ad executive. The four ran covert operations across the globe, trying to outwit the ruthless KGB in Berlin, parachuting commandos into Eastern Europe, plotting coups, and directing wars against Communist insurgents in Asia. But time and again their efforts went awry, thwarted by a combination of stupidity and ideological rigidity at the highest levels of the government – and more profoundly, the decision to abandon American ideals. By the mid-1950s, the Soviet Union had a stranglehold on Eastern Europe, the US had begun its disastrous intervention in Vietnam, and America, the beacon of democracy, was overthrowing democratically elected governments and earning the hatred of much of the world. All of this culminated in an act of betrayal and cowardice that would lock the Cold War into place for decades to come.Anderson brings to the telling of this story all the narrative brio, deep research, sceptical eye, and lively prose that made Lawrence in Arabia a major international bestseller. The intertwined lives of these men began in a common purpose of defending freedom, but the ravages of the Cold War led them to different fates. Two would quit the CIA in despair, stricken by the moral compromises they had to make; one became the archetype of the duplicitous and destructive American spy; and one would be so heartbroken he would take his own life.Scott Anderson’s The Quiet Americans is the story of these four men. It is also the story of how the United States, at the very pinnacle of its power, managed to permanently damage its moral standing in the world.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNEW STATESMAN, ATLANTIC AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BOOK OF THE YEAR'A brilliant tale of greed, paranoia and hubris... a good place to start for anyone seeking to understand the current crisis' Financial Times'If you want to understand the turmoil in Gaza, Syria and beyond, the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is a good place to start' The Times'Excellent' Telegraph'Exceptional' New York TimesA spellbinding narrative history of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and its devastating consequences by the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lawrence in Arabia.Before the revolution, the Shah of Iran seemed invincible. The world watched in awe as he commanded a huge army and oversaw an economy awash with billions of dollars of oil revenues. The regime’s secret police had crushed communist opposition and the Shah appeared to have bought off the conservative Muslim clergy inside the country. On the international stage, Iran had become an invaluable ally to the West during the Cold War.But village streets spoke of a different country – people derided the Shah as an American lackey and blamed him for economic inequality, for spending recklessly on lavish parties and for ignoring the Muslim majority. When a volcanic religious revolution erupted, led by a fiery cleric named Ayatollah Khomeini, the Shah was forced off the throne and into exile. How did it all go so wrong?Brilliantly brought to life by the Sunday Times bestselling author Scott Anderson, this gripping behind-the-scenes narrative reveals how the Iranian Revolution was as world-shattering an event as the French and Russian revolutions, and how its repercussions are still felt around the world today. In the Middle East, in India, in Southeast Asia, and now in Europe and the United States, the hatred of economically-marginalized, religiously-fervent masses for a wealthy secular elite has led to violence and upheaval – and Iran was the template.'Gripping... Anderson does an excellent job of narrating the extraordinary events of the revolution'Spectator'Told with clarity and directness. It is unlikely that a more authoritative account of this torrid period will ever be written'Observer'A sweeping, gripping book, one that makes past times and dead people (often weird, complex and evil) spring to life with its narrative verve and attention to detail... Riveting... Compelling'Wall Street Journal'Timely... a lively tale of palace intrigue'New Yorker'The most compelling account yet of the revolution in Iran... Outstanding'Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of the Ottomans'Thrilling... the gold standard account of the Shah’s fall... An epic and heart-breaking tragedy'Azadeh Moaveni, author of Guest House for Young Widows‘A masterfully told account… A must-read’ Steve Coll, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Ghost Wars‘Delivers remarkable new insights into one of history’s least understood upheavals’ Kim Ghattas, author of Black Wave'Thrilling and fully authoritative' Azadeh Moaveni, award-winning author of Lipstick Jihad and Guest House for Young Widows'Important and riveting' Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of In My Time of Dying and Tribe

The Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller'Fascinating... Masterly' Max Hastings, Sunday Times

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNEW STATESMAN, ATLANTIC AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BOOK OF THE YEAR'A brilliant tale of greed, paranoia and hubris... a good place to start for anyone seeking to understand the current crisis' Financial Times'If you want to understand the turmoil in Gaza, Syria and beyond, the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is a good place to start' The Times'Excellent' Telegraph'Exceptional' New York TimesA spellbinding narrative history of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and its devastating consequences by the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lawrence in Arabia.Before the revolution, the Shah of Iran seemed invincible. The world watched in awe as he commanded a huge army and oversaw an economy awash with billions of dollars of oil revenues. The regime’s secret police had crushed communist opposition and the Shah appeared to have bought off the conservative Muslim clergy inside the country. On the international stage, Iran had become an invaluable ally to the West during the Cold War.But village streets spoke of a different country – people derided the Shah as an American lackey and blamed him for economic inequality, for spending recklessly on lavish parties and for ignoring the Muslim majority. When a volcanic religious revolution erupted, led by a fiery cleric named Ayatollah Khomeini, the Shah was forced off the throne and into exile. How did it all go so wrong?Brilliantly brought to life by the Sunday Times bestselling author Scott Anderson, this gripping behind-the-scenes narrative reveals how the Iranian Revolution was as world-shattering an event as the French and Russian revolutions, and how its repercussions are still felt around the world today. In the Middle East, in India, in Southeast Asia, and now in Europe and the United States, the hatred of economically-marginalized, religiously-fervent masses for a wealthy secular elite has led to violence and upheaval – and Iran was the template.'Gripping... Anderson does an excellent job of narrating the extraordinary events of the revolution'Spectator'Told with clarity and directness. It is unlikely that a more authoritative account of this torrid period will ever be written'Observer'A sweeping, gripping book, one that makes past times and dead people (often weird, complex and evil) spring to life with its narrative verve and attention to detail... Riveting... Compelling'Wall Street Journal'Timely... a lively tale of palace intrigue'New Yorker'The most compelling account yet of the revolution in Iran... Outstanding'Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of the Ottomans'Thrilling... the gold standard account of the Shah’s fall... An epic and heart-breaking tragedy'Azadeh Moaveni, author of Guest House for Young Widows‘A masterfully told account… A must-read’ Steve Coll, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Ghost Wars‘Delivers remarkable new insights into one of history’s least understood upheavals’ Kim Ghattas, author of Black Wave'Thrilling and fully authoritative' Azadeh Moaveni, award-winning author of Lipstick Jihad and Guest House for Young Widows'Important and riveting' Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of In My Time of Dying and Tribe