How pleased our family is to have "Armenia: A Rugged Land, an Enduring People" on hand for reading and reference. It's a quick read for adults and a comprehensive overview for children. Through this book, Lucine Kasbarian offers all readers a wonderful introduction to the people, land, history and culture of Armenia. Insightful and inspiring, it's a great gift to share with friends to help understand who we are as Armenians...a must have for every family's bookshelf!!!

-Nvair K. Beylerian, M.Ed.- producer, "2Mayrer: Children's Songs in Armenian" 2001

As a Peace Corps nominee assigned to Armenia, I had been looking for books that could provide an up-to-date and comprehensive introduction to this country and its people. Many of the books I acquired on the subject of Armenia seemed parsimonious with details. This book satisfied my hunger for information immediately, with "Fast Facts About Armenia" and with every indispensable chapter that followed. The book covers Armenian history, culture, art and daily life in abundance, and in a style that is easy to read. The accompanying photos and artwork are some of the best I have come across. I have recommended it to other Peace Corps volunteers who, like me, are anxious to discover the many wonders of this fascinating country and people.

"Armenia" possesses all the properties that make it an above-average learning resource for readers -- young and old. It provides access and insight into a country about which there is little awareness. Not only is the reader exposed to a wealth of current information about the region, he/she is inspired to take a virtual journey into the lives of a different people in a foreign land and is invited to explore the contrast it portrays to his/her own lifestyle. The content of "Armenia" is factual, the text uncomplicated, the artwork appealing. Employing a smooth, unobtrusive style, "Armenia" encourages readers to develop understanding and tolerance for cultural diversity. Those in search of contemporary and comprehensive material about Armenia should rejoice in having this rare and worthy resource available to them.

-- Gilda Kupelian, Executive Director, Armenian National Education Committee

This is the first book I've actually taken the time to read since the birth of my second child. Why? Well, I've picked up others, but in trying to find time in my hectic schedule, they just didn't seem worth the effort. The Courier, however, grabbed me from the get-go, and I felt I *had* to make time to find out what happened to the characters. I enjoyed immensely the intrigue and adventure of the book, and learned a great deal about Armenia at the same time. Great read. I'm looking forward to James Christian's next book.

This is foremost a touching love story nurtured within a fast paced and enthralling adventure story, drawn around very engaging and recognizable characters. It is complemented by an insider's knowledge of what it is to live and work within the Foreign Service. Set principally in Armenia, it packs a well-defined and eminently readable rendering of the country and its population, together with the scars and strengths arisen from its history and religion. As a bonus, when covering the activities of certain of its characters, the author provides erudite and detailed descriptions, as for example in dealing with numismatics and with airplane flying techniques. All in all, this is a book hard to put down once begun.

This is foremost a touching love story nurtured within a fast paced and enthralling adventure story, drawn around very engaging and recognizable characters. It is complemented by an insider's knowledge of what it is to live and work within the Foreign Service. Set principally in Armenia, it packs a well-defined and eminently readable rendering of the country and its population, together with the scars and strengths arisen from its history and religion. As a bonus, when covering the activities of certain of its characters, the author provides erudite and detailed descriptions, as for example in dealing with numismatics and with airplane flying techniques. All in all, this is a book hard to put down once begun.

This is an amazing atlas presenting in-depth covering of the long and turbulent history of Armenia. There are numerous publications on Armenian history, but they either contain plain maps, or plan text. This one not only presents an enormous number of extremely valuable and rare historical maps covering about three thousand years' history, but also presents in a very reader-friendly style unbiased historical facts associated with every single map. More than that, it presents invaluable statistical information, such as the population by regions. It also presents very intriguing architectural data. One of invaluable features of the book is the coverage of the Armenian genocide and the first republic.
This is more than a book - it is a great treasure that anyone interested in history in general and Armenian history in particular MUST have.

I cannot imagine a more comprehensive effort on telling -and mapping- the history of a people. This atlas is a delight to go to once and again. It contains a treasury of well-explained and well-presented historical facts on the Armenian nation, whose boundaries have suffered so many changes throughout the ages.
The price...is steep but well justified. My only comment would be that,if you are interested in a superficial or introductory work, you are paying here for more than you need. If, however, you want to go deep, this atlas is a must. In addition to the maps, the text is very rich and I can't think of any item of information on the Armenian people that would not be covered here.

Mr. Hewson's book requires a large coffee table with sturdy legs. Well worth the price, it will fascinate all ethnicities by its girth. The painstakingly rendered maps are only part of the magic. The accompanying research of each period of the history of this Region, (which encompasses more than just the Armenian culture) incorporates many sources to deliver a volume that is at once simple enough for the novice researcher and involved enough for those already familiar with the subject matter.

I have been to Armenia and Artsakh the past two summers and have two photo albums from the trip. If my photos were ever destroyed or lost, I wouldn't feel so bad because I could buy this beautiful book that captures the essence, spirit and beauty of the ancient land and people. Plus, except for my photos having people I know and love in them, the photos in this book are superior. In fact, they are phenomenal.

It is a must for the library of any Armenophile.

Excellent job, Mr. Karanian and Mr. Kurkjian!!

The photographs are beautiful and timeless. Out of Stone
shows a country full of warm people, ancient churches, and amazing scenery in a way that I've never seen
before. This book is spellbinding!

This book is phenomenal! As an American-Armenian and a photographer, I was blown away by the spirit captured in this book.

The author was in Armenia at a difficult but pivotal time. He was excited to be there, hardships notwithstanding, and maybe that's why the book was a good read: the author's excitement rubs off on the reader.

He recalls his adventures, his meetings (with top officials and starving farmers alike), and his impressions. We see a country coping with the collapse of its economy, two years after the breakup of the Soviet Union: for example, a cheese shop full of cheese that turns out to radioactive, dumped from Chernobyl; or waking up, lighting a kerosene heater, and waiting for water in the teapot to thaw before eventually boiling.

In the background there is war between neighboring Azerbaijan and the Armenian enclave of Karabagh. We get a look behind the scenes. In one chapter, we are told that according to U.S. and French intelligence reports, Turkey was planning an invasion of Armenia. The suggestion is alarming, and certainly worth looking into.

All-in-all, a worthwhile book.

Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, the author of Caucasus Chronicles: Nation-Building And Diplomacy In Armenia, 1993-1994, was appointed Greek ambassador to the newly independent Armenia in 1993, entering the country as an ambassador at a pivotal moment when world powers were just starting to struggle for a new world created by the collapse of the Cold War. Caucasus Chronicles provides a survey of nation-building and diplomatic processes in the newly independent Armenia from 1993-94, providing excellent first-person insights.

This book is an honest and straight-forward account of one American's experience. The journal entries within the book provide vivid images of Armenia and the "tourist" struggling with the erosion of his cultural safety net.

Johnson's grasp of the difficulties of adjusting to a foreign culture is excellent and moving. This is based on his experience as a community consultant in Armenia, during one of that countries most difficult periods in history--immediately after the Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Through his journals and thorough analysis, I felt like I was there with him! Anybody preparing to travel abroad, or professionals training in social work or other services should read this before going on.

This book, besides being an invaluable first-hand account of the Armenian Genocide, is actually quite readable and entertaining. Written by an American missionary living in Turkey in 1915, it is an insightful chronology of the events that unfolded in his town, Harpoot. The great thing is, Riggs is an American and quite unbiased. Turks and Armenians alike in many ways annoy and befuddle him. But he knows the country well, and describes that it was quite obvious that there was a centrally-planned massacre going on. The book is written in so much detail--of how the deportations and massacres unfolded--that it is hard to believe that there are some who question the existence of the Armenian Genocide. This is probably the best primary account of the Armenian Genocide out there, because it's not told through the eyes of one survivor, but through the eyes of someone who saw all of the events unfolding before him. This book is must read for historians and experts on the subject and is certainly a "thorn in the side" for revisionists who claim that the wholesale massacre of Armenians didn't take place.

I hate to say this about a book that deals with massacres, but this is a funny, sad book. The author has no love for Armenians or Turks. He just tells it like he sees it. I had to laugh when the Turkish officer beat up the Kurdish conscript for defecating on the street, and the Kurd snapped to attention, saluted and resumed the squatting position. Turns out that he didn't speak a word of Turkish. Turks are from Mars and Kurds are from Venus?

On a more serious note, this is great storytelling. We get to know the people Rev. Riggs knew. We get to learn their terrible fate with him. We see him desparately trying to get the bigshots he plays cards with to spare the lives of the condemned race. I've read quite a few memoirs, and this is definitely the best.

The book is apparently taken from an archive that includes numerous other reports about the Armenian massacres. The rest of the reports are shorter, and they are compiled in James Barton, "Turkish Atrocities."

"Efronia" provides an extraordinary and very sentimental account of the unwarranted suffering of the Armenian people through political oppression and religious discrimination, which was not averted, although it was permanently visible to the international community. The specific case of Efronia clearly illustrates the way this segregation could affect the individual's life and her state of mind. An excellent book for anyone who wants a real person's perspective on a subject generally known only from the dry and fact-based point of view of history books and wishes to become acquainted with the historical and cultural background of the Armenian people.

This is one of the most heart-wrenching and heart-warming books that I have ever read. I could not put it down.

An evocative novel of loss, love, and compassion, Gilgamesh is set in Australia in 1937, just prior to WWII. When Aram a world traveler arrives with Edith's cousin, teenaged Edith's eyes are opened to a bigger world outside the small woman-dominated farm on which she lives, and her life is changed. Two yrs later, she and her young son (fathered by Aram) find themselves stuck behind enemy lines in their journey to find him. The journey from Australia to Armenia, and thru the Middle East before finally returning 'home' mirrors the Gilgamesh metaphor of the wandering king and explores the concept of Home. Stunning writing and insight into character makes this debut fiction a real keeper.

Gilgamesh is an excellent, excellent novel, well-written and interesting. The story, while not exotic or outlandish, still has a crisp, new, fresh feel to it. The novel concerns, mainly, Edith, a young Australian woman who is 17 in the late 30s. Her British cousin Leopold and his Armenian friend Aram, visit Edith's family farm for an extended stay. Aram and Leopold's travel stories spark Edith's imagination and after they leave, she decides, for various reasons, to follow them and seek them out in their home lands. Despite the war raging on around her, Edith manages to leave Australia and makes it to Armenia. Edith's life is interesting, her story, engaging. Ms. London writes extremely well and has given us a superb, engaging and compelling novel. Enjoy.

Gilgamesh is a lyrical and engaging book, and especially impressive considering it is the author's first novel. The loneliness of the characters is very aptly described, and it helps you to admire what must be the vast beauty of Australia. I found the characters to be flawed and believable, and I am looking forward to the author's next novel.

About a year ago I purchased this classic as well as Uvezian's "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen," and I am simply hooked! Everything I have tried has been first-rate, and I use both books all the time. "The Cuisine of Armenia" is a truly outstanding volume, full of exciting and easy-to-follow recipes that rely on readily available ingredients and simplified cooking techniques. Like "Recipes and Remembrances," it is one of the few cookbooks that will tempt you to test every recipe on every page. Not only is it a must for every Armenian household, it belongs in the library of every serious cook. It is hard to think of a book more warmly to be recommended to anyone with the slightest interest in Armenian food and culture.

This definitive guide is packed with authentic recipes for dishes that range from earthy peasant fare to elegant banquet creations. Here are some of my favorites: Lamb Soup with Potatoes, Apricots, Walnuts, and Cinnamon; Fish Kebabs Served with Grilled Peppers, Tomatoes, and Onions and Lemon Sauce; Chicken and Mushrooms with Wine, Tarragon, and Walnuts; Roast Rabbit with Sautéed Apples and Quinces; Artichokes Stuffed with Ground Lamb and Pine Nuts Served over Saffron Rice Pilaf; Melon Dolma (Cantaloupe Stuffed with Ground Meat, Rice, Pine Nuts, and Currants; Lentil and Bulghur Keufteh with Green Peppers, Scallions, and Herbs; Baked Noodles, Spinach, and Cheese with Garlic Yogurt Sauce; Braised Leeks with Tomatoes and Dill; Cinnamon-Glazed Pumpkin with Rice, Dried Fruits, and Toasted Almonds; Eggplant with Pomegranate Sauce and Pistachios; Phyllo Pastry Triangles with Apple and Nut Filling; Spiced Date- and Nut-Filled Cookies; and Armenian Cherry Brandy. I should also add that this book has some of the best vegetarian recipes I have ever seen!

This is an exceptionally fine cookbook, for which Sonia Uvezian deserves the eternal gratitude of food lovers. Anyone seriously interested in Armenian food should own this groundbreaking classic written by one of the most knowledgeable experts in the field. The book offers hundreds of healthful and imaginative recipes (many of them previously unknown in the West). I have tried well over half of them, and all have turned out superbly. Uvezian's text is highly informative, her directions are wonderfully clear and easy to follow, and the ingredients called for are widely available. "The Cuisine of Armenia" is a user-friendly guide for beginners and an indispensable reference for advanced cooks. It has long been considered the standard work in its subject area and should make Armenians even more proud of their heritage than they may already have been.

Another great book by Sonia Uvezian is "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen: A Culinary Journey through Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan." This is without doubt the most important volume on the region's cookery, offering a profusion of splendid recipes interspersed with enlightening text and evocative period illustrations.

This is a very fine cookbook that provides a large number of mouth-watering recipes written in a clear and straightforward style. Dishes from both Eastern and Western Armenia are included, as are a number of Uvezian's own creations that are steeped in the Armenian tradition. Although the book lacks color photos, it does have a stunning color shot of Ararat Pilaf (two peaks of rice shaped like Great and Little Ararat) on the cover and includes beautiful drawings of dishes that are placed at the beginning of each chapter. I especially like the two illustrations that make striking use of old Armenian churches as a backdrop as well as the elegant medieval Armenian manuscript illumination that borders both the title page and the table of contents. Since this volume is moderately priced (and a great value considering the treasure that lies within it), expecting it to contain color photos would be unrealistic; the cost would have been prohibitive. Actually, the directions are so easy to follow that pictures are unnecessary. I would much rather have a cookbook like this that offers an extensive selection of outstanding recipes in addition to a tremendous amount of helpful and necessary culinary information, plus some lovely illustrations. Although Uvezian has provided a generous amount of enlightening historical material that traces the roots of Armenian cuisine far back into antiquity, she has wisely avoided trying to pinpoint the origins of the dishes, a task impossible to accomplish due to the long tradition of cultural and culinary interchange in the Middle East and Caucasus. As she explains, in addition to preserving their repertoire of national dishes, Armenians have skillfully assimilated foods of other peoples in the region and, conversely, a number of Armenian recipes have become part of the cuisines of other cultures. Until a time machine is invented that allows us to go back into the past without being impaled on someone's sword, it is probably best for us not to argue about origins but to celebrate the extraordinary creativity and diversity of Armenian cuisine as presented to us in this exceptional cookbook and to savor the delectable results it produces with joy and gratitude.