The road across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela in the northwest was one of the three major Christian pilgrimage routes during the Middle Ages, leading pilgrims to the resting place of the Apostle St. James. Today, the system of trails and roads that made up the old pilgrimage route is the most popular long-distance trail in Europe, winding from the heights of the Pyrenees to the gently rolling fields and woods of Galicia. Hundreds of thousands of modern-day pilgrims, art lovers, ...

When Iberian Jews were converted to Catholicism under duress during the Inquisition, many struggled to retain their Jewish identity in private while projecting Christian conformity in the public sphere. To root out these heretics, the courts of the Inquisition published checklists of koshering practices and "grilled" the servants, neighbors, and even the children of those suspected of practicing their religion at home.From these testimonies and other primary sources, Gitlitz & David...

In this thoroughly researched work, David M. Gitlitz traces the lives and fortunes of three clusters of sixteenth-century crypto-Jews in Mexico’s silver mining towns. Previous studies of sixteenth-century Mexican crypto-Jews focus on the merchant community centered in Mexico City, but here Gitlitz looks beyond Mexico’s major population center to explore how clandestine religious communities were established in the reales, the hinterland mining camps, and how they differed from tho...

Guide for Grammar, Voice, and Sentence Structure"If you're going to have one grammar book on your shelf, make it this one!" — Dani Alcorn, COO at Writing Academy and cofounder of Writer's Secret Sauce#1 New Release in Writing, Research & Publishing Guides, Composition and Language, Grammar Reference, Semantics, Vocabulary Books, Study & Teaching Reference, Reading Skills, and editingComma Sense by E...

This 3-part biography of Leon Trotsky was hailed by Graham Greene as one of “the greatest . . . in the English language”—a must read for those interested in the history of Soviet Russia and international communism.Few political figures of the twentieth century have aroused such intensities of fierce admiration and reactionary fear as Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky. His extraordinary life and extensive writings have left an indelible mark on the revolutionary co...

In Grandmas On the Camino, author Mary OHara Wyman, a 72 year old grandmother from San Francisco, relates her 2010 adventures walking 500 miles alone as a pilgrim on the Camino Frances. Her journey takes her from St. Jean Pied de Port in France, across the Pyrenees to Spain, then westward to the ancient spiritual destination of Santiago de Compostela. Through back-home reflections based on journal entries and postcards sent to her grand daughter, Mary describes engaging encounters with pil...

This is the 2026 edition. Fully updated in autumn 2025.A practical, no-nonsense guide to walking the Camino de Santiago (Camino Francés) with information about pilgrim hostels and services plus lots of background information about the history, culture and architecture of the places you will pass through.It covers the Camino from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela and onwards to the coast at Finisterre and Muxia.This g...

Fully revised and updated in May 2026.This book is intended for people planning to walk a Camino for the first time. It contains detailed, practical, impartial information and advice to help you prepare. It is based on the author's personal experience gained over nearly twenty years walking Caminos and on the experiences of many other pilgrims.The following topics are covered in detail:Which Camino? - which Camino is best for a firs...

The experiences of an ordinary man on the pilgrim’s path are charted in this narrative that walks along the Camino Francés to the shrine of Saint James at Santiago de Compostela and then on to Finisterre, the westernmost point of Spain. The history of the Camino is recounted, as well as several of the myths, legends, and miracle stories that have become attached--and given special meaning--to this itinerary. Emphasizing that personal myths are an essential part of this lore, this chronicle...

"Love this book! My Bible for the El Camino..."The classic book used by thousands to learn what you should take on a Camino journey.Includes:Pros & Cons for difficult gear choices (poncho or rain jacket? water bottles or pack hydration system? sleeping bag or sleeping sheet?)A "skin-out" (everything!) pack list with the weight of each itemExperienced backpacker tips show you how to create a lightweight pack (to wal...

What do you like most when reading about adventures: descriptions about the terrain, the culture, the challenges, the personal growth, the interactions between other adventures? Women of the Way: Embracing the Camino successfully combines all these elements in a heartfelt and personal recounting of Jane V. Blanchard’s 2011 five-hundred mile pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago—hiking from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles in Spain, and then westward across no...

AN IRREVERENT GUIDE TO THE GOOD LIFELearn Philosophy. Sound Smart. Live Well.Are you searching for meaning in a world that feels hollow? You're not alone. As modern life casts off the traditional anchors of the past, many of us are left adrift. Take an introductory tour through the wisdom of the ages to rediscover what has been lost. Explore transformative ideas from eight of humanity's greatest philosophies—from Buddhist calm to Ex...