Olivier Hein

Reclaiming Turkmenistan from the margins of global attention, Hein offers a lively history of the ‘Mother of the World’ and its people. These days, it’s rare for news items to come out of Turkmenistan. It can be easy for us to assume that the country was always isolated, quirky or even irrelevant. But its real history paints a wildly different picture. Turkmenistan’s desert-dominated landscape has been an unheralded flashpoint at many key moments in history, whether as an integral but misunderstood part of the Soviet Empire, or as a major strategic prize in the brutal invasions of Genghis Khan. Sat exactly where East met West, yet often aloof from both, Turkmenistan was a key crossroads on the Silk Road, and once hosted the largest city on Earth, which doubled up as one of the world’s great seats of learning. It lays claim to conjuring up the world’s first monotheistic religion, and it may well have been one of the major players in that elusive turning point of history, the birth of civilisation—up there with Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley. No other nation can claim all of this, yet Turkmenistan’s past has long remained hidden from our understanding. This is the extraordinary story of a starkly beautiful land, its unique culture, and the wonderful people who now call it home.

A fun and fascinating history of an island best known for tropical rainforests and captivating wildlife—but with a much bigger story to tell.The world’s third-largest island, and the only one administered by three different sovereign nations, Borneo is something of a mystery. Home to an incredibly diverse indigenous population, once infamous for headhunting; a hotbed of military activity during World War II; a poster child for the ecological movement even as its rainforest is destroyed; and the host of Indonesia’s planned new capital city, Nusantara—Borneo’s past, present and future are nothing if not eclectic.But hidden under its enigmatic façade is an extraordinary island at the centre of world affairs in ancient times, yet often aloof from them. From early visitors bringing new religions to the island, to a fluctuating relationship with China, to a time when piracy ruled, Olivier Hein’s sweeping tale uncovers the little-known events that shaped not only Borneo but the whole Malay Archipelago.Linking Indonesian, Malaysian and Bruneian history, Hein brings together, for the first time, all the elements that make this island so unique. With Borneo sitting uncomfortably in the firing line of today’s great global power shift from Trans-Atlantic to Trans-Pacific, and now attracting millions of visitors a year, the story of this rich and complex island has never been more relevant.

Many countries have an interesting tale to tell about their origins and evolution. But few are as exciting and adventurous as that of Mauritius--"Star and Key" of the Indian Ocean.A tiny island of volcanos, dodos and lagoons, Mauritius remained untouched by humans until Arab sailors discovered it in the tenth century. Settled by the Portuguese, Dutch, French and then British, it was passed from one empire to another, each recognizing its immense strategic importance, yet all struggling fully to control it.From a highly prized colonial chess piece to an independent success story, Mauritius has always been a place with outsized influence. This cultural melting-pot is home to peoples of Indian, Chinese, African and European descent, shaping the country''s vibrant literature, music, language and art--as well as its ethnic tensions, which have always bubbled near the surface. Olivier Hein''s sweeping history uncovers Mauritius''s fascinating yet little-known past, exploring the age of pirates; the horrors of indentured labor; the 1810 Franco-British war; the transformations in economy, landscape and climate during the twenty-first century; and much more. From its geological origins to the present day, this is the story of an island nation quite unlike any other.