Henry Beckles Willson Book order

A beautifully-written illustrated history of one of the most important instruments in music cultures of the Middle East and North Africa. According to a literary tradition of Iraq, the origin of the oud lies in the grief of Lamak, a descendent of Cain, son of Adam. When his 5-year-old son died, Lamak hung the boy’s limp body on a tree, and as time passed, he resolved to build a musical instrument from the remaining bones. He then played it, wept, and sang the first lament; his daughter Sila became an instrument maker. So the oud is a beautiful pear-shaped box, with neck and strings, that makes music, but it can also be a link to the world of storytelling that brings new voices into life. Today the oud is one of the most important instruments in music cultures of the Middle East and North Africa, and while associated mainly with the Arab world, it is also played in Iran, Turkey and Greece. More recently it has spread into East Africa, numerous countries of Europe, Australia, the Americas, China and Japan. This book explores the oud’s history and increasingly global lives today. It explores its varied construction over time and place, delves into its place in literature, and reveals its widespread repertoire and immensely diverse players.

This short book by historian and journalist Beckles Willson is in memory to the Canadians who fought during the Great War around Hooge, near Ypres at the Battle of Mont Sorrel in 1916. The Battle of Mount Sorrel lasted for almost two weeks and cost the Canadians over 8,000 casualties. Having lost the first two phases of the battle, the Canadians achieved victory in the final operation. Careful planning and concentrated artillery bombardments had begun to tip the balance on the First World War battlefields in favour of attackers over entrenched defenders.

Excerpt from The Life of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal, G. C. M. G., G. C. V. O., (1820-1914) But, in truth, its appearance is far from inopportune. Had Lord Strathcona's particular genius tended in any other direction, Canada would not now have been opulent and strong and heartened for the fray which is to decide the fate of the British Empire. To him, more than to any other man, is due Canada's material prosperity and much of her political temper. The way was prepared, and he died on the very eve of the ordeal. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.