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Norman Lewis

    June 28, 1908 – July 22, 2003

    Norman Lewis was a British author whose travel writing is a masterclass in observational realism and profound human insight. With an intrepid curiosity and a keen eye for detail, Lewis explored cultures on the cusp of modernity, capturing their complexities with both empathy and objectivity. His works delve into intricate themes such as the impact of colonialism, political upheaval, and the clash between tradition and modernity. Lewis's distinctive style, eschewing sensationalism for incisive observation, makes him an essential read for anyone fascinated by the human condition.

    Norman Lewis
    Naples '44 : an intelligence officer in the Italian labyrinth
    The Missionaries
    A Quiet Evening
    Voices of the Old Sea
    Word Power Made Easy
    Word power made easy. the complete handbook for building a superior vocabulary
    • The most effective English language vocabulary builder available: this time-tested classic has helped millions achieve mastery of English and improve their communications skills in business, the classroom, and in life. Word Power Made Easy provides a simple, step-by-step method for increasing knowledge and mastery of the language. Arranged in thematic sections—on everything from how to flatter friends and insult enemies to how to talk precisely about science and medicine—the book is written in a lively, accessible, and often humorous style, presenting ideas and a method of broadening your knowledge as an integral part of vocabulary-building. The author delves into etymology to arm the reader to decode unfamiliar words, provides phonetic pronunciations, gives tips on avoiding common spelling errors, and offers useful sections on which fussy, old-fashioned grammar rules are valid and which are outdated or misguided and can be safely ignored. Loaded with helpful reviews, progress checks, and quizzes to reinforce the material, this classic resource—first published sixty years ago—has helped millions learn to speak and write with greater sophistication.

      Word power made easy. the complete handbook for building a superior vocabulary
    • Word Power Made Easy

      • 565 pages
      • 20 hours of reading
      4.4(5646)Add rating

      Exercises designed to develop vocabulary skills present words together with their pronunciations, definitions and use in sentences

      Word Power Made Easy
    • Voices of the Old Sea

      • 219 pages
      • 8 hours of reading
      4.5(19)Add rating

      Describes the Costa Brava, a place where men regulated their lives by the sardine shoals of spring and autumn and the tuna fishing of summer, and where women kept goats and gardens, arranged marriages and made ends meet.

      Voices of the Old Sea
    • A Quiet Evening

      The Travels of Norman Lewis

      • 352 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      This collection showcases the literary contributions of Norman Lewis, curated by John Hatt, the founder of Eland. It highlights Lewis's unique perspectives and storytelling style, emphasizing his explorations of diverse cultures and experiences. The selection reflects Lewis's ability to capture the essence of the places he visited, making it a compelling read for those interested in travel literature and cultural narratives.

      A Quiet Evening
    • The Missionaries

      • 206 pages
      • 8 hours of reading

      Brings together a lifetime's experience of travelling in tribal lands in a searing condemnation of the lethal impact of North American fundamentalist Christian missionaries on aboriginal life throughout the world.

      The Missionaries
    • As a young intelligence officer stationed in Naples following its liberation from Nazi forces, Norman Lewis recorded the lives of a proud and vibrant people forced to survive on prostitution, thievery, and a desperate belief in miracles and cures. The most popular of Lewis’s twenty-seven books, Naples ’44 is a landmark poetic study of the agony of wartime occupation and its ability to bring out the worst, and often the best, in human nature. In prose both heartrending and comic, Lewis describes an era of disillusionment, escapism, and hysteria in which the Allied occupiers mete out justice unfairly and fail to provide basic necessities to the populace while Neapolitan citizens accuse each other of being Nazi spies, women offer their bodies to the same Allied soldiers whose supplies they steal for sale on the black market, and angry young men organize militias to oppose "temporary" foreign rule. Yet over the chaotic din, Lewis sings intimately of the essential dignity of the Neapolitan people, whose traditions of civility, courage, and generosity of spirit shine through daily. This essential World War II book is as timely a read as ever.

      Naples '44 : an intelligence officer in the Italian labyrinth
    • Naples '44

      • 192 pages
      • 7 hours of reading
      4.2(152)Add rating

      Norman Lewis arrives in war-torn Naples as an intelligence officer in 1944. The starving population has devoured all the tropical fish in the aquarium, respectable women have been driven to prostitution and the black market is king. Lewis finds little to admire in his fellow soldiers, but gains sustenance from the extraordinary vivacity of the Italians. There is the lawyer who earns his living bringing a touch of Roman class to funerals, the gynaecologist who "specializes in the restoration of lost virginity" and the widowed housewife who times her British lover against the clock. "Were I given the chance to be born again," writes Lewis, "Italy would be the country of my choice."

      Naples '44
    • The second part of Norman Lewis's autobiography/travel memoir. In this work, Lewis recalls his time in the Far East, his meeting with Ernest Hemingway, his time in the fishing village of Farol in Spain and an account of a journey with Lord Snowdon.

      The World, the World
    • Back to Mandalay

      • 227 pages
      • 8 hours of reading

      Photographs depict the people, landscapes, cultures, festivals, and architecture of Myanmar, also known as Burma

      Back to Mandalay
    • Despite communist incursions and tribal insurrection, Norman Lewis describes a land of breath-taking natural beauty peopled by the gentle Burmese. This is a country where Buddhist beliefs spare even the rats, where the Director of Prisons quotes Chaucer and where three-day theatrical shows are staged to celebrate a monk taking orders. Hitching lifts with the army and with travelling merchants, Lewis is treated to hospitality wherever he stops in this war-torn land, and reveals a country where 'the condition of the soul replaces that of the stock markets as a topic for polite conversation'.

      Golden Earth