Aphrodites Island

"Aphrodite's Islandis a bold new account of the European discovery of Tahiti, the Pacific island of mythic status that has figured so powerfully in European imaginings about sexuality, the exotic, and the nobility or bestiality of 'savages'. In this ground-breaking book, Anne Salmond takes readers to the centre of the shared history to furnish rich insights into Tahitian perceptions of the visitors while illuminating the full extent of European fascination with Tahiti. As she discerns the impact and meaning of the European effect on the islands, she demonstrates how, during the early contact period, the mythologies of Europe and Tahiti intersected and became entwined. Drawing on Tahitian oral histories, European manuscripts and artworks, collections of Tahitian artefacts, and illustrated with contemporary sketches, paintings, and engravings from the voyages, Aphrodite's Islandprovides a vivid account of the Europeans' Tahitian adventures. At the same time, the book's compelling insights into Tahitian life significantly change the way we view the history of this small island during a period when it became a crossroads for Europe."

In 1955, Cyprus is torn apart by EOKA and Adriadne's family is deeply involved, but her heart skips the divide on seeing the young officer, Stephen Allenby, when her house is searched by the British military. They have an affair, but when it becomes known, he is sent home. In 1974 Stephen exists in a strained marriage and miserable job, but resurgence of EOKA activity affords him the opportunity to return to the island, but with his wife and young daughter in tow, where he searches for remembrances of his youth. In 1998, his daughter Cressida, is now 36 and at a crossroads: her mother has died and her relationship has failed. She travels to Northern Cyprus to seek answers to the pain-filled memories of her father's disappearance.

In a compelling set of erotic stories which burn with passion and are also enormous fun, Andrew John Garcia has created a real world out of an imaginary Greek island. In a style which has a relentless eye for truth reminiscent of Anais Nin, we are confronted with the beauty and vulnerability of men and women. The stories are all set on one unnamed island where the locals claim Aphrodite, goddess of love, was born. During two weeks towards the end of one summer, in the heat, in the beautiful surroundings, in the sense of relaxation and time, and with the scent of the pines and mountain herbs all around, a specially erotic atmosphere is created.

An in-depth look at the European discovery of the South Pacific island of Tahiti and all the ideas it came to represent in European minds regarding sexuality, the exotic, and the nobility of the so-called savages; also examines Tahitian attitudes toward the visitors and the impact of their interactions with each other.

THE ISLAND IS DIVIDED, BUT ONE MAN'S LOVE WILL NEVER BE COMPROMISED... Cyprus, 1955 - a guerrilla war is raging and four Greek brothers are growing up to the familiar sounds of exploding bombs and sniper fire. Determined to avenge the death of his elder brother and to win the heart of his beloved Praxi, young Loukis joins a cell of schoolboy terrorists operating in the mountains. But when his cohorts blow themselves up in a freak accident, he returns home in shock, yearning for the warm embrace of his family - and of his sweetheart. But his adored Praxi is now married to someone else, and playing at her feet is a young toddler...

Published in conjunction with the exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Oct. 26, 2011-Feb. 20, 2012, J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa, Malibu, Mar. 28-July 9, 212, and San Antonio Museum of Art, Sept. 15, 2012-Feb. 17, 2013.

In ancient Greece, one of the twelve labours of Heracles was to bring back a golden apple from the Garden of Hesperides. To archaeologist Oriel Anderson, joining a team of Greek divers on the island of Helios seems like the golden apple of her dreams. Yet the dream becomes a nightmare when she meets the devilish owner of the island, Damian Lekkas. In shocked recognition, she is flooded with the memory of a romantic night in a stranger's arms, six summers ago. A very different man stands before her now, and Oriel senses that the sardonic Greek autocrat is hell-bent on playing a cat and mouse game with her. As they cross swords and passions mount, Oriel is aware that malevolent eyes watch her from the shadows. Dark rumours are whispered about the Lekkas family. What dangers lie in Helios, a bewitching land where ancient rituals are still enacted to appease the gods, young men risk their lives in the treacherous depths of the Ionian Sea, and the volatile earth can erupt at any moment? Will Oriel find the hidden treasures she seeks? Or will Damian's tragic past catch up with them, threatening to engulf them both?

A “thrilling, well-researched” account of years of scandal at the prestigious Getty Museum (Ulrich Boser, author of The Gardner Heist). In recent years, several of America’s leading art museums have voluntarily given up their finest pieces of classical art to the governments of Italy and Greece. Why would they be moved to such unheard-of generosity? The answer lies at the Getty, one of the world’s richest and most troubled museums, and scandalous revelations that it had been buying looted antiquities for decades. Drawing on a trove of confidential museum records and candid interviews, these two journalists give us a fly-on-the-wall account of the inner workings of a world-class museum, and tell a story of outlandish characters and bad behavior that could come straight from the pages of a thriller. “In an authoritative account, two reporters who led a Los Angeles Times investigation reveal the details of the Getty Museum’s illicit purchases, from smugglers and fences, of looted Greek and Roman antiquities. . . . The authors offer an excellent recap of the museum’s misdeeds, brimming with tasty details of the scandal that motivated several of America’s leading art museums to voluntarily return to Italy and Greece some 100 classical antiquities worth more than half a billion dollars.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “An astonishing and penetrating look into a veiled world where beauty and art are in constant competition with greed and hypocrisy. This engaging book will cast a fresh light on many of those gleaming objects you see in art museums.” —Jonathan Harr, author of The Lost Painting

Broadcaster and journalist David Carter spent much of his life on the now divided island of Cyprus and through his enduring interest and love for the island and its people was given unique access to the United Nations Force in Cyprus. He spent a great deal of time with the leaders of both Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot communities. He interviewed over 1000 Cypriots and British service personnel during his research for this book, to obtain eyewitness accounts of the events leading to the division of the island.