Iran: The Essential Guide to a Country on the Brink

On June 24, 2005, after nearly ten years of supporting liberal reform, the people of Iran surprised the world by electing the conservative mayor of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as their new president. Soon after, the new president announced Iran would restart its uranium enrichment program, drawing international criticism and condemnation from leaders in Europe and the United States. Many observers suspect it is the desire to produce not nuclear energy but nuclear weapons that lies behind Iran's controversial decision. Ever since President George W. Bush described Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as the ""Axis of Evil,"" Iran has garnered increased international attention and threatens to become the new focus of European and American foreign policy. Now you can have at your fingertips up-to-date, must-know details on this complex, pivotal country-straight from one of the most trusted sources of information around the globe. The first in a major new series from Encyclopedia Britannica, Iran presents a balanced, sophisticated examination of Iran's social, cultural, and political landscape, past and present. From the constitutional revolution to the hostage crisis to weapons of mass destruction, this thorough guide provides the necessary background to comprehend all the important, ongoing issues surrounding this enigmatic country. Information on such leaders as Cyrus the Great and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, as well as on historical events like the Iran-Contra Affair and the Iran-Iraq War, place current developments into the broader context of world history, the Muslim world, the War on Terror, and the push for democratic reform in the Middle East. Every concise entry-from Afghanistan and Ayatollah Khomeini to Shari'ah law and the Shah-promotes the deeper understanding of issues and events that only Encyclopedia Britannica can provide. Since 1768, Encyclopedia Britannica has been a leading provider of learning products and one of the world's most trusted sources of information. www.britannica.com

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Computers & Technology

Trade Paper Press

The Arabs: People and power (Bantam-Britannica books)

BANTAM BOOKS

Who are the most influential Americans in history? Do they include generals or politicians? Philosophers or filmmakers? Was George Washington more important than Benjamin Franklin? The Britannica Guide to 100 Influential Americans will be ranked and selected by experts, and is bound to gain widespread media attention.

The Britannica Guide to 100 Influential Americans

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Running Press

The human brain has been studied for millennia, but in the past decades huge advances have occurred in neurology that have allowed scientists to reassess what we really know about the least understood part of the human body. We can now observe the activity of the brain as it performs different functions. We can also use scanning technology to chart the neural pathways and devise maps. The explorations have revealed surprising results. The Britannica Guide to the Brain is a valuable resource of the most up-to-date ideas of our times.

The Britannica Guide to the Brain

Science & Math

Biological Sciences

In the early years of the twenty-first century, ideas first proposed over two hundred years ago could not be more compelling. The Enlightenment of the seventeenth century in response to upheaval and uncertainty laid the foundation stone for modern society. A vital primer on the philosophers, thinkers, and scientists-including Isaac Newton, John Locke, Voltaire and Spinoza-whose thoughts and ideas created the modern world.

Britannica Guide to the Ideas That Made the Modern World: The People, Philosophy and History of the Enlightenment

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

With over a billion people, 21st-century India stands on the verge of being one of the world's newest superpowers. In the sixty years since its independence, it has transformed into a modern nation with limitless resources—yet it is also a nation of extremes. India embodies 15 official languages, over 166millionmobile phone users, and an economy that spans from traditional village farming to the cutting edge of new technology. From the snowy mountains of the Himalayas to the tropical waters of Kerala, India is the sixth most popular tourist destination in the world!

The Britannica Guide to India

History

Asia

Climate Change is one of the most controversial subjects of our age. While scientists have been observing radical changes in the earth's ecosystem, politicians and activists argue the causes and possible outcomes. The Britannica Guide to Climate Change will explore the evidence surrounding hot topics like the Kyoto Agreement, the environmental damage to the ice caps, Gaia, green architecture, and the impact of green policies—including energy-saving light bulbs, carbon foot printing, and recycling. This book is an unbiased, comprehensive, and accessible guide to the symptoms, debates, and solutions to this key issue.

The Britannica Guide to Climate Change

Earth Sciences

Modern Islam can appear so diverse as to defy description, yet it is held together by stronger forces than almost any other world group—the annual hajj to Mecca itself attracts more than 1,000,000 Muslims. And despite significant religious differences, Islam remains one of the least sectarian of world religions. Most Muslims live in societies in which the influence of tradition is very strong, and in which modernization has also penetrated to some extent. The Britannica Guide to the Islamic World introduces the ideas that are the least understood to those outside the religion, and where Islam is practiced throughout the world.

The Britannica Guide to the Islamic World

Social Sciences

When Isaac Newton claimed that he only saw further because he stood on the shoulders of giants, he alluded to the long list of geniuses who came before him. The history of science is the story of great discoveries, flashes of intuition that changed the way people saw the world, hard work, and arduous calculation in the laboratory. But who are the most important men and women whose notions and theories have changed the world? From Galileo to Thales, from the ancient world to the present day, it is sometimes those with the simplest ideas who have had the greatest impact. As the study of the physical world becomes more and more specialized, it is sometimes refreshing to uncover a proof that tips accepted wisdom on its head.

The Britannica Guide to the 100 Most Influential Scientists

Professionals & Academics

From Gregor Mendel's first experiments with peas during the eighteenth century to the announcement of the Human Genome Project in 1998, genetics have become the key to cracking many of the scientific ideas of our age. How much do our genes determine our personalities? What makes us different from other species? What is revealed behind the controversy of genetically modified food or stem cell research? This volume is the ideal companion for students or general popular science readers who wish to know the facts behind the latest research and discoveries.

The Britannica Guide to Genetics

Evolution

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