Georgia--no larger than Switzerland--ranks in the world's top twelve countries for geographical diversity. It borders on the Black Sea and contains the heart of the Caucasus Mountains, subtropical wetlands and semi-arid regions. Its 3,000-year-old history has witnessed the thousand-year reign of the Bagrationi monarchy, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, a bitter civil war and the celebration of its independence in 1991. Yet little is known about this remarkable place outside its borders. Peter Nasmyth has lived in and traveled extensively throughout Georgia for twenty years. Georgia in the Mountains of Poetry is his fascinating account of this intriguing country, based on his travels and hundreds of wide-ranging interviews. Now in its fourth edition and priced for a general readership, it remains the only comprehensive book on Georgia's history and culture written for the general reader. Substantially revised and expanded for this new edition, Georgia is essential reading for anyone interested in this fascinating region, as well as for students and researchers looking for an insight into life after the collapse of the old Soviet order in the richest and most dramatic of its former republics.