Biography: philosophy and social sciences Books
Biteback Publishing Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh
Book SynopsisNew edition of one of the most celebrated books on the Troubles. Famously described as 'Bandit Country' by Merlyn Rees when he was Northern Ireland Secretary, for nearly three decades South Armagh was the most dangerous posting in the world for a British soldier. In this acclaimed work of reportage, originally published in 2000, Toby Harnden stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with the region to produce one of the most compelling and important books on the Troubles. Drawing on secret documents and interviews on South Armagh's recent history, Harnden told the inside story of how the IRA came close to bringing the British state to its knees.
£11.69
Random House USA Inc Invisible Child
Book SynopsisPULITZER PRIZE WINNER ? NATIONAL BESTSELLER ? A ?vivid and devastating? (The New York Times) portrait of an indomitable girl?from acclaimed journalist Andrea Elliott ?From its first indelible pages to its rich and startling conclusion, Invisible Child had me, by turns, stricken, inspired, outraged, illuminated, in tears, and hungering for reimmersion in its Dickensian depths.??Ayad Akhtar, author of Homeland ElegiesONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times ? ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Atlantic, The New York Times Book Review, Time, NPR, Library JournalIn Invisible Child, Pulitzer Prize winner Andrea Elliott follows eight dramatic years in the life of Dasani, a girl whose imagination is as soaring as the skyscrapers near her Brooklyn shelter. In this sweeping narrative, Elliott weaves the story of Dasani?s childhood with the history of her ancestors, tracing their passage from slavery to the Great Migration north. As Dasani comes of age, New York City?s homeless crisis has exploded, deepening the chasm between rich and poor. She must guide her siblings through a world riddled by hunger, violence, racism, drug addiction, and the threat of foster care. Out on the street, Dasani becomes a fierce fighter ?to protect those who I love.? When she finally escapes city life to enroll in a boarding school, she faces an impossible question: What if leaving poverty means abandoning your family, and yourself? A work of luminous and riveting prose, Elliott?s Invisible Child reads like a page-turning novel. It is an astonishing story about the power of resilience, the importance of family and the cost of inequality?told through the crucible of one remarkable girl. Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize ? Finalist for the Bernstein Award and the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award ? Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize
£11.60
The School of Life Press Great Thinkers
Book SynopsisA unique selection of the greatest thinkers from the fields of philosophy, political theory, sociology, art, architecture and literature, with enjoyable profiles of what they have to teach to us today.
£19.99
Goose Lane Editions Len & Cub: A Queer History
Book SynopsisLeonard "Len" Keith and Joseph "Cub" Coates grew up in the rural New Brunswick village of Havelock in the early 20th century. The two were neighbours, and they clearly developed an inseparable relationship. Len was an amateur photographer and automobile enthusiast who went on to own a local garage and poolhall after serving in the First World War. Cub was the son of a farmer, also a veteran of the First World War, a butcher, contractor, and lover of horses. Their time together is catalogued by Len’s photos, which show that the two shared a mutual love of the outdoors, animals, and adventure. Photographs of Len and Cub on hunting and canoe trips with arms around each other’s shoulders or in bed together make clear the affection they held for each other. Their story is one of the oldest photographic records of a same-sex couple in the Maritimes.Len & Cub features Len’s photos of their life and tells the story of their relationship against the background of same-sex identity and relationships in rural North America of the early 20th century. Although Len was outed and forced to leave Havelock in the 1930s, the story of Len and Cub is one of love and friendship that challenges contemporary ideas about sex and gender expression in the early 20th century.Trade Review“A brilliant piece of historical detective work. Batt and Green have pieced together a rare portrait of two queer, rural New Brunswickers from the 1910s and 1920s. Historically significant, this exhaustively researched, beautifully written work is utterly absorbing given the rich photographic record included in the volume. But photos alone don't make history, it is the sensitive, analytically nuanced writing of Batt and Green that brings their world to life. This is a book for every rural queer kid who wondered if they were the only one and for queer historians eager for histories of same-sex experiences and culture beyond the cities.” -- Valerie J. Korinek, author of Prairie Fairies“An archive to treasure. This story of love and companionship pulls us across time and reminds us of the queer possibilities that have long blossomed in New Brunswick and beyond.” -- Craig Jennex, co-author of Out North“The photos alone make this book a must-have for those interested in uncovering the queer histories of rural New Brunswick. The affectionate photos of Len and Cub together convey the essence of a relationship never recognized during their lifetimes. An important contribution to Canadian queer historiography.” -- Ed Jackson, co-editor of Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer“The unapologetic gaze of Len Keith and Cub Coates endures in these amazing photographs, regardless of how we interpret their lives today.” -- Kelvin Browne * Literary Review of Canada *“How these men were treated and how their love was seen cannot be explained by it being a different time (though it remains profound and beautiful and unambiguous how deep lies the affection), but by the profound mystery of why ignorance and hate flourish, and how, somehow, healthy adult love can have a hierarchy or a class system.” -- Lara Rae * Winnipeg Free Press *“This is powerful, and instructive, for queer people who seek to be responsive to the suffering of those who may not be marginalised by virtue of their sexual orientation or gender identity but on account of their race, caste, or disability or diagnosis.” -- Chintan Girish Modi * News Nine *“This is a remarkable book and a work of public-facing scholarship in the purest sense. It takes something from behind closed doors and shares it with the world to change how we understand those that came before us and our own relationship with the past.” -- Maria Cichosz * Broken Pencil *
£18.99
Mariner Books Classics Illuminations Essays and Reflections
Book Synopsis
£11.16
Quarto Publishing PLC Finding Freedom in the Lost Kitchen
Book SynopsisFINDING FREEDOM IN THE LOST KITCHEN is Erin French’s rollercoaster memoir about her struggle to follow her dream and bring joy to people through food.
£8.99
Almuzara Ortega Y Gasset, El Gran Maestro
Book Synopsis
£24.04
University of Pennsylvania Press Becoming Foucault: The Poitiers Years
Book SynopsisThough Michel Foucault is one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century, little is known about his early life. Even Foucault’s biographers have neglected this period, preferring instead to start the story when the future philosopher arrives in Paris. Becoming Foucault is a historical reconstruction of the world in which Foucault grew up: the small city of Poitiers, France, from the 1920s until the end of the Second World War. Beyond exploring previously unexamined aspects of Foucault’s childhood, including his wartime ordeals, it proposes an original interpretation of Foucault’s oeuvre. Michael Behrent argues that Foucault, in addition to being a theorist of power, knowledge, and selfhood, was also a philosopher of experience. He was a thinker intent on making sense of the events that he lived through. Behrent identifies four specific experiences in Foucault’s childhood that exercised a decisive influence on him and that, in various ways, he later made the subject of his philosophy: his family’s deep connections to the medical profession; his upbringing in a bourgeois household; the German Occupation during World War II; and his Catholic education. Behrent not only reconstructs the specific nature of these experiences but also shows how reference to them surfaces in Foucault’s later work. In this way, the book both sheds light on a formative period in the philosopher’s life and offers a unique interpretation of key aspects of his thought.Trade Review"In this innovative and thought-provoking intellectual history, Michael Behrent paints an intimate portrait of the young Foucault and his family, as well as a panorama of early twentieth-century Poitiers, the town in central France in which they made their lives. In doing so, he gives us a radically new perspective on one of the most important thinkers of modern times. Becoming Foucault should be on the bookshelf of every scholar interested in postwar French thought." * Edward G. Baring, Princeton University *"In what may very well be the definitive work on the topic, Michael Behrent’s innovative and insightful Becoming Foucault shows how understanding the thinker’s early milieu—born of a family of doctors, submitted to middle-class strictures, navigating wartime occupation, surviving local schooling—casts new light on his mature projects and positions. Neither traditional biography nor conventional intellectual history, Behrent’s book breaks new ground by demonstrating the mutual, irreducible relations between thought and experience. Well-written and accessible, based on remarkable archival research, and imaginatively argued, Becoming Foucault will interest anyone devoted to experiencing thought and thinking about experience." * Julian Bourg, Boston College *
£34.00
The University of Chicago Press Crossing
Book SynopsisTrade Review"A fascinating and poignant story. . . . Revealing, humorous, and provocative."--Library Journal "A searing tale of the traumas and rewards of gender change. . . . A powerful indictment of legal, medical, and institutional obstruction."--Foreword Reviews "A tautly crafted memoir of her transition from Don McCloskey, conservative Chicago school economist, to Deirdre McCloskey, power shopper, domestic superachiever, and campy doyenne of difference feminism." --Ruth Shalit "Lingua Franca " "The very courageous story of someone trying to live an honest life, whatever the consequences."--Jeannie Marshall "National Post " "That an affluent, upper-middle-class person should be so powerless against a mental-health bureaucracy still subscribing to its offical pronouncement that transsexualism is a 'gender identity disorder' makes for gripping reading."--Booklist "This is a woman worth knowing. She has given us a highly readable, dramatic account of her crossing."--Maxine Kumin "New York Times Book Review " "A testimony to her struggles and courage, Crossing invites the reader to enter Deirdre (formerly Donald) McCloskey's mind as she decides to become a woman after a lifetime as a man, husband, and father." --Kirkus Reviews
£18.05
Granta Books Childless Voices: Stories of Longing, Loss,
Book SynopsisFrom the playgrounds of Glasgow to the villages of Bangladesh; from religious rites to ancient superstitions; from the world's richest people to its powerless and enslaved, Lorna Gibb's masterful Childless Voices paints a global portrait of people without children. Brilliantly grouped by thematic commonality (Those who long, Those who were denied, Those who Choose, etc) the book is a testament to the power of listening, and the power of sharing stories. It is an essential, moving and surprising book on a subject which touches everyone.
£9.49
Verso Books An Event, Perhaps: A Biography of Jacques Derrida
Book SynopsisWho was Jacques Derrida? For some, he is responsible, at least in part, for the contemporary crisis of truth. For the far right, he is one of the architects of Cultural Marxism. To his academic critics, he reduced French philosophy to 'little more than an object of ridicule'. For his fans, he is an intellectual rock star who ranged across literature, politics, and linguistics. In An Event Perhaps, Peter Salmon presents this misunderstood and misappropriated figure as a deeply humane and urgent thinker for our times. Accessible, provocative and beautifully written, this biography will introduce to a new readership to the life and work of a philosopher whose influence over the way we think will continue long into the twenty-first century.Trade ReviewThis is a compulsively readable intellectual biography of Derrida that teases out his endlessly fascinating thought, even when it is at its knottiest, with admirable patience and lucidity. Salmon's book, in vividly transmitting the intellectual excitement of Derrida's times, reminds the reader that, especially in his thinking about ethics, he remains a philosopher who is urgently, politically relevant to our times too. -- Matthew Beaumont, Professor at English at University College, LondonThe life of Jacques Derrida has never been told as elegantly or engagingly as it is in Peter Salmon's new book. In delightfully readable, often laconic prose, Salmon helped me to understand Derrida as never before and demonstrated why he is not, as some detractors called him, the Devil but much more cherishable. A wonderful book. -- Stuart Jeffries, author of Grand Hotel AbyssA precise intellectual biography ... Salmon's ability to render the man and the mind behind Derrida's "notoriously difficult" style accessible make this volume a rich resource for both newcomers to, and fans of, "one of the great philosophers of this or any age. * Publishers Weekly *Peter Salmon's clear-sighted, engaging guide to Derrida's life and ideas is an excellent way to learn about how one of the twentieth century's most complex thinkers continues to influence our world -- Daniel Trilling, author of Lights in the DistanceA scintillating new biography . . . Derrida's life story provides a frame and background for an intellectual biography of his ideas and their development. In the process it also serves as one of the clearest introductions to 20th-century continental philosophy available. -- Julian Baggini * Prospect Magazine *[An Event, Perhaps] comes as manna from heaven ... It's dizzyingly good. * Expressen *
£9.49
Private Eye Productions Ltd. PRIVATE EYE: THE 60 YEARBOOK
Book SynopsisPrivate Eye: The 60 Yearbook is a history of the last 60 years, as seen by Britain's first, most successful and indeed only fortnightly satirical magazine. From the Beatles to Brexit, JFK to Trump, the Moon landings to the Mars landings, it tells the story of the past six decades as they were recorded in the Eye's pages. The news stories you remember - and plenty you may have forgotten - are retold in cartoons, covers and the magazine's legendary spoofs as well as extensive extracts from some of its best-loved features like Mrs Wilson's Diary, Dear Bill and The Secret Diary of John Major. It is also the story of the headlines Private Eye made itself, from the earliest stirrings of investigative journalism exposing the Poulson Scandal and Ronan Point, through major miscarriages of justice like the Stephen Lawrence case and the Lockerbie cover-up and national scandals that have cost the country billions in dodgy PFI contracts, government cock-ups and secret sweetheart tax deals. Inside are the stories that led to the fall of two cabinet ministers, countless corrupt business figures and even the official in charge of making sure everyone else in Whitehall's behaviour was above board. It includes writing by such satirical giants as Peter Cook, Richard Ingrams, Craig Brown, Auberon Waugh and Ian Hislop, and pictures by some of the world's best cartoonists including Michael Heath, Gerald Scarfe, Nick Newman, Willie Rushton, Robert Thompson and Ken Pyne.
£24.00
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Lévi-Strauss: A Biography
Book SynopsisAcademic, writer, figure of melancholy, aesthete – Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908–2009) not only transformed his academic discipline, he also profoundly changed the way that we view ourselves and the world around us. In this award-winning biography, historian Emmanuelle Loyer recounts Lévi-Strauss’s childhood in an assimilated Jewish household, his promising student years as well as his first forays into political and intellectual movements. As a young professor, Lévi-Strauss left Paris in 1935 for São Paulo to teach sociology. His rugged expeditions into the Brazilian hinterland, where he discovered the Amerindian Other, made him into an anthropologist. The racial laws of the Vichy regime would force him to leave France yet again, this time for the USA in 1941, where he became Professor Claude L. Strauss – to avoid confusion with the jeans manufacturer.Lévi-Strauss’s return to France, after the war, ushered in the period during which he produced his greatest works: several decades of intense labour in which he reinvented anthropology, establishing it as a discipline that offered a new view on the world. In 1955, Tristes Tropiques offered indisputable proof of this the world over. During those years, Lévi-Strauss became something of a French national monument, as well as a celebrity intellectual of global renown. But he always claimed his perspective was a ‘view from afar’, enabling him to deliver incisive and subversive diagnoses of our waning modernity.Loyer’s outstanding biography tells the story of a true intellectual adventurer whose unforgettable voice invites us to rethink questions of the human and the meaning of progress. She portrays Lévi-Strauss less as a modern than as our own great and disquieted contemporary.Trade Review"Emmanuelle Loyer has produced a meticulously researched, intelligent and sensitive biography worthy of her subject, one of the greatest Francophone intellectuals of the twentieth century. Critical yet generous, her portrait of Claude Lévi-Strauss rings true and comes alive on the page."—Michael Harkin, University of Wyoming "The inspiration that continues to spring forth from the work of Lévi-Strauss is a mystery to many anthropologists. He has told us of the many influences on his work, and commentators have argued for yet others, but they don't really account for his extraordinary originality and independence. Emmanuelle Loyer's thorough account of his life and work may help us resolve this wonderful puzzle."—Maurice Bloch, London School of Economics "This is the first true biography of one of the greatest French intellectuals of the twentieth century, who lived to be 100 years old and who finished his life covered in glory and honours. Emmanuelle Loyer's book is a marvel of intelligence that holds the reader's attention from beginning to end."—Élisabeth Roudinesco, Le Monde "Loyer's biography offers an unprecedentedly rich sense of the man."—Financial Times "Loyer offers a vivid portrait of the anthropologist and his time. But she also invites us to imagine how Lévi-Strauss might endure as a thinker for our century, as much for his own."—Boston Review "deeply researched . . . engaging and engaged"—The New York Review of BooksTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Foreword Adam Kuper Introduction. The Worlds of Claude Lévi-Strauss Part I Yesterday's Worlds (É-1935) Chapter 1 The Name of the Father Chapter 2 Revelations (1908-1924) Chapter 3 Revolutions (1924-1931): Politics vs. Philosophy Chapter 4 Redemption: Anthropology (1931-1935) Chapter 5 The Enigma of the World Part II New Worlds (1935-1947) Chapter 6 France in São Paulo Chapter 7 In the Heart of Brazil Chapter 8 Massimo Lévi with the Nambikwara Chapter 9 Crisis (1939-1941) Chapter 10 A Frenchman in New York City: Exile and Intellectual Invention (1941-1944) Chapter 11 Structuralism Ð the American Years Part III The Old World (1947-1971) Chapter 12 The Ghosts of Marcel Mauss Chapter 13 Manhood Chapter 14 The Confessions of Claude Lévi-Strauss Chapter 15 Structuralist Crystallization (1958-1962) Chapter 16 The Manufacture of Science Chapter 17 The Scholarly Life Chapter 18 The Politics of Discretion Part IV The World (1971-2009) Chapter 19 Immortal Chapter 20 Metamorphoses Chapter 21 Claude Lévi-Strauss, our Contemporary Notes Works by Lévi-Strauss Archives consulted Abbreviations of Works by Lévi-Strauss Illustration credits Index
£16.19
Princeton University Press Finding Oneself in the Other
Book SynopsisBrings together some of the author's most personal philosophical and nonphilosophical essays. This title offers an account of his first trip to India, which includes unforgettable vignettes of encounters with strangers and reflections on poverty and begging. It reveals a personal side of one of the influential philosophers of our time.Trade Review"Finding Oneself in the Other works primarily as a memorial to Gerald Allan Cohen, the man, and not his ideas. Both deserve to be remembered. And so the second volume in this trilogy is worth reading, albeit for different reasons than the first."--Peter Stone, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books "The essays are a joy to read--they are fun, engaging and insightful--and they provide a fascinating perspective on Cohen's philosophical development, on the intellectual context in which he was active, and on the way in which he viewed and experienced the world. Accordingly, they will be of interest not just to those working in moral and political philosophy but to a much broader audience."--Ralf Bader, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews "Cohen renders the subject of linguistic morality accessible through a refreshing admixture of humor and diligent explication... Finding Oneself is at once edifying and sincere."--Ross Mittiga, Political Studies Review "Engaging, perceptive, and empathetic, these writings reveal a more personal side of one of the most influential philosophers of our time."--World Book Industry "Finding Oneself in the Other is ideal for philosophers and non-philosophers alike... [It] is a valuable asset."--Eugene Baron, Ethical PerspectivesTable of ContentsEditor's Preface vii Acknowledgments xiii Chapter 1 Isaiah's Marx, and Mine 1 Chapter 2 Prague Preamble to "Why Not Socialism?" 16 Chapter 3 A Black and White Issue 20 Chapter 4 Two Weeks in India 26 Chapter 5 Complete Bullshit 94 Chapter 6 Casting the First Stone: Who Can, and Who Can't, Condemn the Terrorists? 115 Chapter 7 Ways of Silencing Critics 134 Chapter 8 Rescuing Conservatism: A Defense of Existing Value (All Souls version) 143 Chapter 9 Valedictory Lecture: My Philosophical Development(and impressions of philosophers whom I met along the way) 175 Chapter 10 Notes on Regarding People as Equals 193 Chapter 11 One Kind of Spirituality: Come Back, Feuerbach, All Is Forgiven! 201 Works Cited 209 Index 213
£19.80
Princeton University Press Karl Marx
Book SynopsisTells the biography of Karl Marx who has long been recognized as one of the best concise accounts of the life and thought of the man who had, in Berlin's words, a more "direct, deliberate, and powerful" influence on mankind than any other nineteenth-century thinker. This book introduces Marx's ideas and sets them in their context.Trade Review"A model of objective clarity."--Richard Charques, Times Literary Supplement "[Berlin's] book, a perennial classic, has all the virtues of Berlin himself: charm, erudition, and (occasionally) grandiloquence."--Peter E. Gordon, New Republic "The best brief account of the life and thought of Marx."--Saturday Review "Exceptional ... [A]s a portrait of the man and the intellectual climate of the mid-nineteenth century it is, perhaps, the finest we have."--Chimen Abramsky, Jewish Chronicle "[Berlin's] accounts of Marx's theses are sometimes more effective than Marx's own words, and his descriptions of Marx as a man are remarkably vivid."--H. B. Acton, Political Studies "Berlin's attitude to his subject is exemplary, and on the whole it is the best introduction to it that we have... [The book] makes Marx intelligible, both as a person and as a thinker."--A. L. Rowse, Political QuarterlyTable of ContentsEditor's Preface to the Fifth Edition xi Foreword by Alan Ryan xix Preface to the Fourth Edition xxix Note to the Third Edition xxxiii Note to the First Edition xxxv 1 Introduction 1 2 Childhood and Adolescence 22 3 The Philosophy of 'The Spirit' 33 4 The Young Hegelians 57 5 Paris 76 6 Historical Materialism 112 7 1848 149 8 Exile in London: The First Phase 168 9 The International 205 10 'The Red Terror Doctor' 220 11 Last Years 248 Afterword by Terrell Carver 267 Guide to Further Reading by Terrell Carver 291 Index 297
£19.80
Quarto Publishing PLC Finding Freedom in the Lost Kitchen
Book SynopsisFINDING FREEDOM IN THE LOST KITCHEN is Erin French’s rollercoaster memoir about her struggle to follow her dream and bring joy to people through food.Trade Review‘A master chef and owner of the destination restaurant The Lost Kitchen, in Freedom, Maine, French overcame addiction and grueling hardship on her way to success. Her memoir tells all.’ * New York Times *"Readers will root for French and will be fascinated by her efforts at survival, redemption, and rejuvenation. Notably heavier on insight and lighter on hubris than the average chef memoir, this will speak to both the brokenhearted and those with kitchen dreams of their own." * Publishers Weekly *“It is a terrific book. I couldn’t put it down... Finding Freedom in the Lost Kitchen is a page-turning, tear-provoking recollection of a life that was anything but perfect…Talk about a story of resilience…Erin French is a life force, a magnet and a mirror for others.” * HARRY SMITH, NBC Today Show *‘Finding Freedom in the Lost Kitchen is a tale of hard knocks, second chances and a feverish passion for unfancy, joy-inducing food…[It] is part of a publishing trend — from Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential to Victoria James’s Wine Girl — that reveals the complex characters who make up the restaurant industry.’ * SUNDAY TIMES STYLE *‘What impresses me most about this book is Erin French’s evocative writing about food. She describes it so well you can taste it.” * Wall Street Journal *"Think “Wild” with whisks and buttery mashed potatoes instead of hiking boots and breathtaking views." * New York Times Book Review *“This is the most unexpected and glorious food memoir you could ever read. Chef Erin French founded the restaurant Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine, where it became one of the most acclaimed (and hardest to book) spots in the food world. However, behind French’s success is a tale of a fractured family, a childhood spent working (and observing) in her father’s diner, prescription drugs, an abusive marriage and fighting back from the brink. You will gobble it up.” * Stylist Magazine *
£14.44
Princeton University Press Niccolò Machiavelli
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Sensible and useful. . . . [Vivanti] sets forth the greatness of Machiavelli, not as a figure of his time, the Renaissance, but as a founder of modernity."—Harvey C. Mansfield, Wall Street Journal"A fascinating, concise guide to Machiavelli's life and work."—Joanna Kavenna, The Spectator"[A] learned intellectual biography."—Michael Ignatieff, The Atlantic"Excellent, and accessible to anyone interested in finding out more about Machiavelli."—Jonathan Powell, Prospect"Informative and . . . level-headed."—Keith Miller, The Telegraph
£14.39
Prometheus Books Overcoming the Destructive Inner Voice: True
Book SynopsisMany people grapple with destructive thought processes or a "critical inner voice" that directs their behavior and, to varying degrees, limits their lives. Using deeply personal and very human stories based on his own clinical practice, noted psychologist Robert W. Firestone illustrates the struggles of his clients to give words to this "enemy within," and in the process overcome its damaging influence. These revealing and captivating stories offer glimpses into the uniquely human relationship that develops in the therapeutic encounter and demonstrate the powerful impact that the experience has on both client and therapist. Dr. Firestone is the originator of a therapeutic method called "Voice Therapy," by which clients learn to identify the language of the defense system and eventually separate their own point of view from its harmful effects. Each story provides an intimate look into one person's life, illuminates aspects of his or her "dark side," and highlights an important insight into the therapeutic process. This sensitively written book will evoke emotional responses in readers, and inspire them to take action to challenge the dictates of their own inner critic. Taken together, these stories underscore the distinctive merits and continuing relevance of the therapeutic process, especially in our distracted, technological world increasingly detached from feeling.
£12.59
Linden Publishing Co Inc Showdown!: Lionhearted Lawmen of Old California
Book SynopsisPunctuated by gunshots and hoof beats, this engaging collection presents six biographies of hardened lawmen in Old California. Illustrating the dangerous lives of these brave enforcers, this historical study documents how Sheriff Hiram Rapelje rose to the heights and fell to the depths of his profession, while Detective Emil Harris earned a statewide reputation. From William J. Howard''s role in tracking down the infamous bandit, Joaquin Murrieta, to those who were killed gun fighting in the line of duty, this vivid depiction sheds a fascinating light on a number of colourful personalities within a forgotten era.
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers Karl Marx
Book SynopsisA major biography of the man who, more than any other, made the twentieth century. Written by an author of great repute. The history of the 20th century is Marx's legacy. Not since Jesus Christ has an obscure pauper inspired such global devotion – or been so calamitously misinterpreted. The end of the century is a good moment to strip away the mythology and try to rediscover Marx the man. There have been many thousands of books on Marxism, but almost all are written by academics and zealots for whom it is a near blaspemy to treat him as a figure of flesh and blood. In the past few years there have been excellent and successful biographies of many eminent Victorians and yet the most influential of them has remained untouched. In this book Francis Wheen, for the first time, presens Marx the man in all his brilliance and frailty – as a poverty-stricken Prussian emigre who became a middle-class English gentleman; as an angry agitator who spent much of his adult life in scholarly silence in the British Museum Reading Room; as a gregarious and convivial host who fell out with almost all his friends; as a devoted family man who impregnated his housemaid; as a deeply earnest philosopher who loved drink, cigars and jokes.
£13.49
Random House USA Inc Dog Flowers: A Memoir, an Archive
Book Synopsis
£14.45
WW Norton & Co Ive Been Thinking
Book Synopsis"How unfair for one man to be blessed with such a torrent of stimulating thoughts. Stimulating is an understatement." —Richard Dawkins A memoir by one of the greatest minds of our age, preeminent philosopher and cognitive scientist Daniel C. Dennett.Trade Review"A delightful memoir from one of our deepest thinkers." -- Kirkus (starred review)"Always an enthusiastic learner with an insatiable curiosity, Dennett’s amiable autodidacticism illustrates a life of the mind intertwined with the rich home life of a true Renaissance man. Highly recommended." -- Booklist (starred review)
£22.80
Inner Traditions Bear and Company Stanislav Grof, LSD Pioneer: From Pharmacology to
Book SynopsisCelebrating the groundbreaking life’s work of Stanislav Grof, MD, pioneer in psychedelic research and transpersonal psychology. Created in honour of his 90th birthday, this book celebrates the profound life’s work of Stanislav Grof, MD, pioneer in psychedelic research and transpersonal psychology. Featuring an extended interview between Stan and his wife, Brigitte, the book explores in depth the full arc of his research in his own words as well as the history of LSD. He discusses his early experiments with LSD in Czechoslovakia and the USA during the 1950s and ’60s and the cartography of the psyche that resulted. He describes his clients’ and his own experiences and the psychedelic approach he pioneered. He explains the four perinatal matrices, illustrated with the impressive paintings he made during high-dose LSD sessions. He discusses the creation of holotropic breathwork as a way to reach expanded states of consciousness without the use of drugs. He describes how he started work with LSD believing it was simply pharmacology and then went on to discover the perinatal, transpersonal, and archetypal levels of the psyche through his lifelong research. The book also features testimonies from a number of luminaries in the psychedelic, psychological, scientific, and spiritual communities, including Jack Kornfield, Rupert Sheldrake, Ervin Laszlo, Richard Tarnas, Rick Doblin, Roger Walsh, David Steindl-Rast, Fritjof Capra, and Cathy Coleman. Complete with captivating photos of Stan Grof with Albert Hofmann, Swiss painter H. R. Giger, Fritz Perls, Sasha Shulgin, as well as all of the book’s contributors, this special book presents an impressive overview of Stan Grof’s groundbreaking work and honors his importance as a psychedelic elder.Trade Review“If I am the father of LSD, Stan Grof is the godfather. Nobody has contributed as much as Stan for the development of my problem child.” * Dr. Albert Hofmann, research chemist and author of LSD: My Problem Child *"This beautiful book is one of the most heartfelt and comprehensive explorations ever written about the life work of Dr. Stanislav Grof. Readers will find it to be a cornucopia of information and celebration of one of the great explorers and researchers of our age—a must-read for anyone interested in psychotherapy and depth psychology, psychedelics, breathwork, shamanism, comparative religion, and the emerging new paradigm in science." * Renn Butler, PhD, director of Grof Studies Graduate Programs and author of Pathways to Wholeness *“If I am the father of LSD, Stan Grof is the godfather. Nobody has contributed as much as Stan for the development of my problem child.” * Albert Hofmann, Ph.D., research chemist and author of LSD: My Problem Child *“A rich and exciting history, offering inspiring insight and multiple dimensions of one of the greatest pioneers of modern consciousness.” * Jack Kornfield, Ph.D., author of The Wise Heart *“Stan Grof may have contributed as much to our understanding of the human mind, its potentials, pathologies, and possibilities, as Freud or Jung or Maslow. We will be exploring the far-reaching implications of his many discoveries—so beautifully described and acknowledged in this book—for decades.” * Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D., professor at the University of California, Irvine *“Stan is the primary catalyst of the psychedelic renaissance. He kept the psychedelic flame alive in the dark decades of the global suppression of psychedelic research. This book is a gift of love from Brigitte to Stan and from Brigitte to the world.” * Rick Doblin, Ph.D., founder and president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studi *“Stan, you are a light and inspiration to me and many others. Your far-sighted and prophetic work is helping to transform our culture for the better.” * Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D., author of Ways to Go Beyond and Why They Work *“Brigitte’s creative homage to Stan is a book of treasures for all those who have been influenced and inspired by this extraordinary thinker, visionary, and healer: the wonderful personal photos, the history and memories, the loving tributes from friends and colleagues, and the long interview, in which he shares his newly clarified understanding of the human psyche, revising his cartography to reflect his recognition of the superordinate role of the archetypes as they inform the perinatal matrices, the COEX systems, and the transpersonal.” * Richard Tarnas, professor of philosophy, cosmology, and consciousness at the California Institute of *“There are few people in the world today who have made a truly fundamental discovery not only about the world but also about us and our real selves. Stan Grof is one of these people. His thoughts and work will live many times more than him to benefit our understanding of life, mind, and that deep layer that we call psyche.” * Ervin Laszlo, Ph.D., philosopher of science and systems theorist *“Stan changed the course of psychedelic history and touched the lives of a generation. The pictures included alone are a treasure, and the tributes give glimpses into the psychedelic community that has surrounded him.” * Christopher M. Bache, Ph.D., author of LSD and the Mind of the Universe *Table of ContentsDedicationBirthday Greetings Paul Grof • Jack Kornfield • Richard Tarnas • Rick Doblin • Sandra Harner • Roger Walsh • Cathy Coleman • Brother David Steindl-Rast • Michael Murphy • Ervin Laszlo • Fritjof Capra • Rupert Sheldrake • Annie & Michael Mithoefer • Cyril HöschlForeword to Albert Hofmann’s LSD: My Problem Child by Stanislav Grof Gallery My Explorations of LSD: From Pharmacology to Archetypes Stan Grof about his life’s work. Interview by Brigitte Grof Birthday Greetings Chris Bache • Robin Carhart-Harris • Dennis McKenna • Jim Garrison • John Buchanan • Diane Haug • Jay Dufrechou • William Keepin • Marianne Murray • Pamela Stockton • Patty Nagle • Elizabeth and Lenny Gibson • Renn Butler • Neil Hanon • Carolyn Green • Sean O’Sullivan and Donna Rosenthal • Susan Hess Logeais • Becca Tarnas • Jonas di Gregorio and Kristina Soriano Acknowledgments About the Authors Grof® Legacy Training Works by Stanislav Grof
£13.59
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC How to Think Like a Philosopher
Book SynopsisIn showing how the great philosophers of human history lived and thought - and what they thought about - Peter Cave provides an accessible and enjoyable introduction to thinking philosophically and how it can change our everyday lives. With a lightness of touch, he addresses questions such as: Is there anything 'out there' that gives meaning to our lives? Does reality tell us how we ought to live? What indeed is reality and what is appearance - and how can we tell the difference?This book paints vivid portraits of an assortment of inspiring thinkers: from Lao Tzu to Avicenna to Iris Murdoch; from Hannah Arendt to Socrates and Plato to Karl Marx; from Kierkegaard and Nietzsche to Sartre to Samuel Beckett - and let us not forget Lewis Carroll for some thought-provoking fantasies and Ludwig Wittgenstein for the anguishes of a genius. As well as displaying optimists and pessimists, believers and non-believers, the book displays relevance to current affairs, from free speech to aTrade ReviewA very enjoyable introduction into Western philosophy. Light, conversational, entertaining and intellectually stimulating. * Daily Philosophy *This is an ideal guide to philosophical thinking; it does not try to reduce the views of those that it covers to bullet points, but instead engages with them in a thoughtful and witty way. Peter Cave is the perfect companion for a bright but leisurely walk through these labyrinths. * Derek Matravers, Professor of Philosophy, The Open University, Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge *Britain's wittiest philosopher. * Raymond Tallis *Here is an extraordinary philosophical journey taking us through a maze of thinkers. For all those seeking to understand the myriad modes of philosophical thinking—ancient and modern—this is the perfect introduction. * Dan Cohn-Sherbok, Emeritus Professor of Judaism, University of Wales *Peter Cave introduces the reader to thirty different thinkers. Not all are easily classified as academic philosophers: some are better thought of as sages or poets or playwrights. But each has something important to say about things that matter: rationality, science, sex, and duty, among other topics. Cave’s approach is to introduce each thinker through their chosen questions. From Sappho to Wittgenstein, from Arendt to Spinoza, we are able to enter into a chosen figure’s preoccupations and enjoyably think along. This is a much more effective and engaging approach than simple intellectual biography or summaries of key ideas. An absorbing and rewarding book. * Tom Sorell, Professor of Politics and Philosophy, University of Warwick. *Peter Cave introduces his top thirty thinkers with wit and clarity, and crams a surprising amount of judicious reflection into each of the short chapters. * John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Reading *Read this book. You may not learn to love like Sappho, cure like Avicenna, ponder like Spinoza, disguise yourself like Kierkegaard or rival any of the other fascinating eccentrics who fill the volume. But if you learn to think like Peter Cave – with freshness, humour, objectivity and penetration – you will have been amply rewarded. * Professor Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, University of Notre Dame, author of Out of Our Minds: What We Think and How We Came to Think It *Chummy, amusing little book…witty…This is a light but thoughtful book. * Choice Magazine, American Library Association *Table of ContentsPrologue 1 Lao Tzu: The Way to Tao 2 Sappho: Lover 3 Zeno of Elea: Tortoise Backer and Parmenidean Helper 4 Gadfly: aka ‘Socrates’ 5 Plato: Charioteer, Magnificent Footnote Inspirer – ‘Nobody Does It Better’ 6 Aristotle: Earth-Bound, Walking 7 Epicurus: Gardener, Curing the Soul, Ably Assisted by Lucretius 8 Avicenna: Flying Man, Unifier 9 Descartes: With Princess, With Queen 10 Spinoza: God-Intoxicated Atheist 11 Leibniz: Monad Man 12 Bishop Berkeley, ‘That Paradoxical Irishman’: Immaterialist, Tar-Water Advocate 13 David Hume: The Great Infidel or Le Bon David 14 Kant: Duty Calls, Categorically 15 Schopenhauer: Pessimism With Flute 16 John Stuart Mill: Utility Man, With Harriet, Soul-Mate 17 Søren Kierkegaard: Who? 18 Karl Marx: Hegelian, Freedom-Fighter 19 Lewis Carroll: Curiouser and Curiouser 20 Nietzsche: God-Slaying Jester, Trans-Valuer 21 Bertrand Russell: Radical, Aristocrat 22 G. E. Moore: Common-Sense Defender, Bloomsbury’s Sage 23 Heidegger: Hyphenater 24 Jean-Paul Sartre: Existentialist, Novelist, French 25 Simone Weil: Refuser and Would-Be Rescuer 26 Simone de Beauvoir: Situated, Protester, Feminist 27 Ludwig Wittgenstein: Therapist 28 Hannah Arendt: Controversialist, Journalist? 29 Iris Murdoch: Attender 30 Samuel Beckett: Not I Epilogue Dates of the Philosophers Notes, References and Readings Acknowledgements In Memory Name Index Subject Index
£13.49
Yale University Press Martin Heideggers Changing Destinies
Book SynopsisA portrait of Martin Heidegger as a man and a philosopherTrade Review“In this engaging, lively narrative, Payen masterfully presents the vast trajectory of Heidegger’s intellectual and personal life without flinching from disturbing elements but also without deciding for the reader what the most shocking of these might mean for an assessment of the philosophy, the man, or the intersections of the man and the thinking. What emerges is an intimate and provocative portrait of Heidegger’s life and legacy.”—Gregory Fried, Boston College“Payen’s volume ranks as one of the best biographies of Heidegger in any language. Among its many strengths, his reading of Heidegger’s anti-Semitism is thorough, judicious, and painstakingly grounded in all the available texts.”—Thomas Sheehan, Stanford University
£38.00
Orient Blackswan Pvt Ltd Azad Hind:: Netaji Collected Works, volume 11
Book SynopsisSubhas Chandra Bose's secret journeys in 1941 and 1943 as an anti-colonial revolutionary, covering WWII, India's role, plans against British rule, and support for Quit India movement. Essential for modern South Asian history and politics.
£9.50
Random House USA Inc Red Comet The Short Life and Blazing Art of
Book SynopsisPULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • The highly anticipated biography of Sylvia Plath that focuses on her remarkable literary and intellectual achievements, while restoring the woman behind the long-held myths about her life and art.“One of the most beautiful biographies I've ever read. —Glennon Doyle, author of #1 New York Times Bestseller, UntamedWith a wealth of never-before-accessed materials, Heather Clark brings to life the brilliant Sylvia Plath, who had precocious poetic ambition and was an accomplished published writer even before she became a star at Smith College. Refusing to read Plath’s work as if her every act was a harbinger of her tragic fate, Clark considers the sociopolitical context as she thoroughly explores Plath’s world: her early relationships and determination not to become a conventional woman and wife; her troubles with an unenlightened mental health industry; her Cambridge years and thunderclap meeting wi
£21.42
Oxford University Press Hume A Very Short Introduction Very Short
Book SynopsisDavid Hume, philosopher, historian, economist, librarian, and essayist, was one of the great figures of the European Enlightenment. Unlike some of his famous contemporaries, however, he was not dogmatically committed to idealised conceptions of reason, liberty, and progress. Instead, Hume was a sceptic whose arguments questioned the reach and authority of human rationality, and who put the rivalrous passions of commercial life at the centre of his theory of human nature. He believed that the modern world was in many ways superior to the ancient world, but was acutely conscious of the threats to peace and progress posed by bigotry, factionalism, and imperialism. Today Hume''s works continue to speak to us powerfully in an age of instability and uncertainty. This Very Short Introduction presents a balanced account of Hume''s thought, giving equal attention to his work on human nature, morality, politics, and religion. Weaving together biography, the historical context, and a thoughtful exposition of Hume''s arguments, James A. Harris offers a compelling picture of a thinker who had no disciples and formed no school, but whom no one in his own time was able to ignore, and who has since become central to modern philosophy''s understanding of itself.Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewHarris' book provides a compelling picture of the shape and significance of Hume's contribution to philosophy. * Jennifer Smalligan Marušić, British Journal for the History of Philosophy *Hume's most important arguments are explained in clear and lucid prose and Harris' own interpretations are presented in a careful and convincing manner * Moritz Baumstark, Hume Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Human nature 2: Morality 3: Politics 4: Religion Postscript References Further reading
£9.49
University of Hawai'i Press Hawaiki Rising Hklea Nainoa Thompson and the
Book SynopsisIn 1975, a replica of an ancient Hawaiian canoe - Hokulea - was launched to sail the ancient star paths, and help Hawaiians reclaim pride in the accomplishments of their ancestors. Hawaiki Rising tells this story in the words of the men and women who created and sailed aboard Hokulea.
£17.95
SteinerBooks, Inc Rudolf Steiner, Life and Work: 1924-1925: The
Book Synopsis
£31.50
HarperCollins Publishers Edmund Burke
Book SynopsisLonglisted for the Orwell Prize and the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction; both conservative and subversive, Burke's beliefs have never been more relevant, as MP Jesse Norman explains.Philosopher, statesman, and founder of modern conservatism, Edmund Burke is both the greatest and most under-rated political thinker of the past three-hundred years. Born in Ireland in 1729, and greatly affected by its bigotry and extremes, his career constituted a lifelong struggle against the abuse of power.Amid the 18th century's golden generation that included his companions Adam Smith, Samuel Johnson and Edward Gibbon, Burke's controversial mixture of conservative and subversive theories made him first a marginal figure, and finally a revered theorist a hero of the Romantics. He warned of the effects of British rule in Ireland, the loss of the American colonies, and most famously, he foresaw the disastrous consequences of revolution in France. This he predicted, would trigger extremism, terror anTrade Review‘Jesse Norman has brought back Burke in triumph. This is an overdue reassessment of a politician who was the father of the modern political party, a man who campaigned with equal brio and genius against British exploitation of India and the bloody tyranny of the French Revolution. Anyone who cares about politics will pounce on this book and devour it’ Boris Johnson ‘A must-read for anyone interested in politics and history … Superb’ Matthew D'Ancona, Sunday Telegraph ‘An excellent book, which unites biographical and political insights. The best short biography of Burke for nearly fifty years … and a pleasure to read’ Harvey Mansfield, Professor of Government, Harvard University ‘[Norman] is a subtle historian of ideas. He does an excellent job of extracting from his subject’s speeches and writings why, in his view, Burke is the first and most important conservative thinker’ Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph ‘An intriguing and illuminating picture of the thinker who more than any other exemplifies the contradictions of conservatism’ New Statesman ‘His new book on Edmund Burke seeks to contest the very nature of today’s Tory Party. All power to his elbow … quite brilliantly, Norman … [offers] an immense critique of the present … It is a patriotic tract and an act of great leadership. This is a very significant book’ Independent ‘Personable and thoughtful, [Norman] also has a cavalier streak … This absorbing book gathers pace, and relevance, as it goes along – an important contribution to the annals of conservative thought’ Observer ‘Norman is undoubtedly a fluent and deep thinker … his account of Burke’s life and career is as good as any of equal length on the subject … Admirable’ Spectator ‘Superb … Norman succeeds in elevating his subject, showing what is conservative about Burke, and why he matters today. Ironically, he makes such a strong case that it would seem perverse if only Tories took something from Burke’s legacy’ Financial Times
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers Down and Out in Paris and London
Book SynopsisThree francs will feed you till tomorrow, and you cannot think further than thatAs a young man struggling to find his voice as a writer, George Orwell left the comfort of home to live in the impoverished working districts of Paris and London. He would document both the chaos and boredom of destitution, the eccentric cast of characters he encountered, and the near-constant pains of hunger and discomfort.Exposing the grim reality of a life marred by poverty, Down and Out in Paris and London, part memoir, part social commentary, would become George Orwell's first published work.
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Down and Out in Paris and London The
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.Three francs will feed you till tomorrow, and you cannot think further than thatAs a young man struggling to find his voice as a writer, George Orwell left the comfort of home to live in the impoverished working districts of Paris and London. He would document both the chaos and boredom of destitution, the eccentric cast of characters he encountered, and the near-constant pains of hunger and discomfort.Exposing the grim reality of a life marred by poverty, Down and Out in Paris and London, part memoir, part social commentary, would become George Orwell's first published work.
£5.68
HarperCollins Publishers Inc TeteATete
Book Synopsis“Enthralling . . . Here we find an ugly, walleyed existentialist philosopher, the elegantly beautiful author of The Second Sex and the Gallic equivalent of a bevy of young starlets who share the bed of one or the other--or sometimes both. Readers will turn these pages alternately mesmerized and appalled.” — Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book WorldPassionate, freethinking existentialist philosopher-writers Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre are one of the world''s legendary couples. Their committed but notoriously open union generated no end of controversy in their day. Biographer Hazel Rowley offers the first dual portrait of these two colossal figures and their intense, often embattled relationship. Through original interviews and access to new primary sources, Rowley portrays Sartre and Beauvoir up close.Tète-à-Tète magnificently details the passion, daring, humor, and contradictions of a remarkably unorthodox relationship.
£14.39
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Targeted La Dictadura de Los Datos Spanish
Book SynopsisLa apasionante historia de Cambridge Analytica y el Big Data. ¿Está realmente a salvo nuestra democracia tras la victoria de Trump? La dictadura de los datos revela cómo han utilizado nuestros datos y nos advierte cómo podrían volver a hacerlo. Saben lo que compras. Brittany Kaiser, una novata asesora política especializada en Derechos Humanos y Relaciones Internacionales, creía que los datos recogidos y analizados por los smartphones y las redes sociales estaban en buenas manos hasta que conoció a Alexander Nix, el carismático líder de una nueva empresa de comunicación política llamada Cambridge Analytica. Lo que empezó siendo sólo un puesto de trabajo, pronto se convierte en una operación infame con el objetivo de ayudar a la elección de Trump o interferir en el referéndum que dio paso al Brexit.
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Ten Trips
Book SynopsisThe more we learn about psychedelics, the less we seem to understand them. . . . In this engrossing, sometimes hilarious, always dramatic chronicle, a neuropsychologist deflates the hype, explores the limitless possibilities, and reveals a much-needed perspective about psychedelics, giving us a scientist?s first-person experiment with ten different compounds in ten different settings. Once demonized and still largely illegal, psychedelic drugs are now officially a ?breakthrough therapy? in treating mental illness, used to heal trauma, conquer addiction, and enhance well-being. But as Andy Mitchell reveals, this approach to psychedelics is overhyped, and most importantly, neglects what is so unusual and valuable about them: the psychedelic experience itself.In Ten Trips, Mitchell takes ten different drugs in ten diverse locations?including a neuroimaging lab in London, the Columbian Andes, Silicon Valley and his friend?s basement kitchen?to document their remarkable effects. Along the way he encounters a cast of distinctive characters: scientists and gangsters, venture capitalists and philosophers, psychonauts and shamans, musicians, monks, therapists, poets, and conmen. His experience opens a doorway to psychedelics? full potential: for healing and trauma, for ecstatic one-ness and utter terror, for transcendence and corruption, for profundity and laughter.Mitchell argues that by removing psychedelics from their cultures and rituals, both indigenous and underground, we risk rejecting the expertise and the contexts which hold the key to understanding them?and from which their real benefits may derive. In the drive to standardize, control, and monetize the psychedelic experience, we may ultimately destroy what makes them potent: their ability to transform our whole perspective on mental health and reenchant us with the world.A hallucinogenic experience nearly as mind-blowing as actually taking psychedelics themselves, Ten Trips is Michael Pollan?s How to Change Your Mind written by Hunter S. Thompson with a PhD in neuroscience?a perception-altering odyssey that will change the way we see these substances and the world.
£22.49
Oxford University Press Inc Plato of Athens
Book SynopsisThe first ever biography of the founder of Western philosophy Considered by many to be the most important philosopher ever, Plato was born into a well-to-do family in wartime Athens at the end of the fifth century BCE. In his teens, he honed his intellect by attending lectures from the many thinkers who passed through Athens and toyed with the idea of writing poetry. He finally decided to go into politics, but became disillusioned, especially after the Athenians condemned his teacher, Socrates, to death. Instead, Plato turned to writing and teaching. He began teaching in his twenties and later founded the Academy, the world''s first higher-educational research and teaching establishment. Eventually, he returned to practical politics and spent a considerable amount of time and energy trying to create a constitution for Syracuse in Sicily that would reflect and perpetuate some of his political ideals. The attempts failed, and Plato''s disappointment can be traced in some of his later polTrade ReviewPlato of Athens is erudite and fascinating, and realises its aim of showing that his works were magnificent, that "Plato invented philosophy" not as a body of doctrine but an open-ended and insatiable quest. * Jane O'Grady, The Telegraph *If all Western philosophy is as has been claimed a series of footnotes to Plato of Athens, it's fortunate indeed that all his dialogues have survived and attracted translators and interpreters of the caliber of Robin Waterfield. Brilliant, witty, profound--and perplexing: Plato's all those and more (a uniquely resonant stylist too), and it's no mean tribute both to him and to the author to say that Robin Waterfield has done him justice. * Paul Cartledge, author of Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece *Whitehead once characterized the history of Western philosophy as a series of footnotes to Plato. Here, at last, we have an authoritative body text for the man himself. 'No philosopher,' Waterfield writes, 'is as accessible to non-specialists as Plato.' The same can be said for this remarkable, impeccably researched biography * M. D. Usher, author of Plato's Pigs and Other Ruminations *Writing a biography of Plato is a tricky endeavor, to say the least. Robin Waterfield nonetheless succeeds in delivering a gripping, plausible, and enlightening portrait. Those new to Plato as well as seasoned scholars will come away from Plato of Athens not only with as rounded a picture of Plato the man as may be possible, but also with an excellent sense of his philosophy and the historical times in which he lived and with which he engaged. * Iakovos Vasiliou, author of Aiming at Virtue in Plato *Waterfield evokes [the Academy's] atmosphere superbly. Indeed, the passages on Plato's teachings, his dialogues and his contribution to the field of philosophy are a particular strength of the book...His account of Plato's failure to reform the tyrant [Dionysius II] and establish a new constitution for him is particularly well done. * Daisy Dunn, Literary Review *Waterfield's narrative is compelling. * The Atlantic *Well-researched and attractively written. * Armand D'Angour, History Today *An admirably solid overview of Platoâs life and works. * David Stuttard, British Museum Magazine *[A] readable and wonderfully enlightening book...a remarkably successful attempt to paint a believable picture of the intellectual journey of someone who is unquestionably one of the great landmarks of European thinking... Plato would have liked that, and that is the highest praise. * John Muir, Classics for All *Learned and highly readable. * Malcom Schofield, Society *Well-researched and attractively written. * Armand D'Angour, History Today *Engaging and accessible...one of the best books available for those who are new to Plato...always looks at the evidence with fresh eyes...a marvelous introductory overview of Plato's philosophy, as it emerged from his intellectual and political milieu. Furthermore, there is no better way than the one provided by Waterfield for beginners to learn about the Academy. * Richard Kraut, Society *Well-researched and attractively written. * Armand D'Angour, History Today *Nobody is better qualified to write this book than Robin Waterfield... He does not talk down to the reader, but neither does he assume any prior knowledge... [a] timely and eloquent book. It encourages the reader to go back to Plato himself and (re)read those texts where the dialogue form is so skilfully used to explore issues which could be a matter of life and death rather than airy philosophy. * John Godwin, Journal of Classics Teaching *Plato of Athens is much to be commended for its discussion resulting in a comprehensive chronology of Plato's life and dialogues. * Andrew David Irvin, TLS *A full, very readable biography...Give[s] a remarkably full picture of the man, his ideas and his influence. * Times Literary Supplement *A thorough and well-structured account of the events of Plato's life whilst placing his many dialogues into a clear chronology. * Sebastian Milbank, The Critic *A highly accessible and significant contribution. * Paradigm Explorer *Attractively fulfils its aim of introducing Platonic philosophy to a general readership by combining elements of historical reconstruction with key values extracted from the written work, the two things synthesised into an imagined portrait of a life.... One can confidently expect that if indeed some of Waterfield's readers may never have tackled any of the dialogues for themselves, they will be stimulated to do so (and in Waterfield's own fine translations) by his eloquent passion for a 'super-important' thinker who is now 'read and studied in, I dare say, every country in the world.' * Stephen Halliwell, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *Fascinating and well-written ... a vivid account of Plato's intellectual background. * Paradigm Explorer *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Maps List of Illustrations and Tables List of Plato's Dialogues Timeline Introduction The Sources 1. Growing Up in Wartime Athens 2. The Intellectual Environment 3. From Politics to Philosophy 4. Southern Italy and Sicily 5. The Academy 6. The Second and Third Visits to Syracuse 7. Last Years Further Reading Index
£19.79
Oxford University Press David Friedrich Strauß Father of Unbelief
Book SynopsisDavid Friedrich Strauss is a central figure in 19th century intellectual history. The first major source for the loss of faith in Christianity in Germany, his work Das Leben Jesu was the most scandalous publication in Germany during his time. His book was a critique of the claims to historical truth of the New Testament, which had been the mainstay of Protestantism since the Reformation. As the father of unbelief, his critique of Christianity preceded that of Nietzsche, Marx, Feuerbach, and Schopenhauer. His views imposed a harsh fate upon him - he was persecuted for his beliefs by religious and political authorities and was denied employment in the university and government, forcing him to live as a free-lance writer. He led a wandering and isolated life as an outcast. Here, Frederick C. Beiser studies the intellectual development of Strauss and recounts his fate, which began in faith as a young man but finally ended in unbelief.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Historical Significance of Das Leben Jesu 2: Reputation and Reality 3: Context and Background 4: Tuebingen Lectures 5: Strauss's Method and its Problems 6: The Theory of Myth 7: Reaction, Demotion, and Exile 8: The Rogue's Gallery 9: Crisis and Compromise 10: The Zurich Affair 11: The Doctrine of the Christian Faith 12: Career in Politics and Political Writings 13: Das Leben Jesu für Das Deutsche Volk 14: Two Polemics of the 1860s 15: The New and the Old Faith 16: Three Critics
£88.00
James Clarke & Co. Ltd Enlightenment Prelate Benjamin Hoadly 16761761
Book SynopsisA revisionist study of Benjamin Hoadly in the context of church, national and international politics in the eighteenth century.Trade ReviewWilliam Gibson's Benjamin Hoadly set a new standard for ecclesiastical biography on its first publication in 2004 and rescued its subject from caricature. This welcome second edition, taking account of the most recent scholarship, restates the convincing case for Hoadly's enduring influence and his centrality to theological debate for most of the eighteenth century. Nigel Aston, Honorary Fellow in History, University of Leicester, and Research Associate, University of YorkTable of ContentsForeword by James E. Bradley Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Hero and Villain 2. Early Life, 1676-1701 3. Political Apprenticeship in a London Pulpit, 1701-1710 4. Sacheverell, Adversity and Triumph, 1710-1717 5. The Years of the Bangorian Controversy, 1717-21 6. Hereford and Salisbury, 1721-1734 7. Hoadly at Winchester, 1734-1761 Conclusion Appendix: Hoadly in Poetry References Bibliography Index
£78.00
Penguin Random House Children's UK Penguin Readers Level 3 Elon Musk ELT Graded
Book SynopsisPenguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online.Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content.The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers'' story comprehension and develop vocabulary.Visit the Penguin Readers websiteExclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and an
£7.59
Penguin Books Ltd Einsteins War
Book Synopsis''Deeply researched and profoundly absorbing . . . Matthew Stanley traces one of the greatest epics of scientific history . . . An amazing story'' Michael Frayn, author of Tony Award-winning CopenhagenIn 1916, Arthur Eddington, a war-weary British astronomer, opened a letter written by an obscure German professor named Einstein. The neatly printed equations on the scrap of paper outlined his world-changing theory of general relativity. Until then Einstein''s masterpiece of time and space had been trapped behind the physical and ideological lines of battle, unknown. Einstein''s name is now synonymous with ''genius'', but it was not an easy road. He spent a decade creating relativity and his ascent to global celebrity owed much to against-the-odds international collaboration, including Eddington''s globe-spanning expedition of 1919 - two years before they finally met. We usually think of scientific discovery as a flash of individual inspiration, but here we see Trade ReviewRiveting . . . Stanley lets us share the excitement a hundred years later in this entertaining and gripping book. It's a must read if you ever wondered how Einstein became 'Einstein' -- Manjit Kumar, author of 'Quantum'Deeply researched and profoundly absorbing . . . Matthew Stanley traces one of the greatest epics of scientific history . . . An amazing story -- Michael Frayn, author of Tony Award-winning 'Copenhagen'For a century, Einstein's relativity has inspired otherworldly thoughts. Yet as Matthew Stanley demonstrates, Einstein's efforts were deeply enmeshed within our own world - a world riven by the drama and disruption of the First World War. This beautifully written, moving account captures the heady thrills and crushing setbacks of one of the great intellectual adventures of modern times -- David Kaiser, Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and Professor of Physics, MIT, author of 'How the Hippies Saved Physics'Even if you know a lot about the history of relativity - even if you know the old stories about Sir Arthur Eddington's voyage in 1919 to try to prove Albert Einstein's theories correct - you probably haven't pondered just how unlikely the Einstein/Eddington pairing really was. At a time where the mere hint of fraternization with the enemy could land you in jail as a spy, a Briton embraced the ideas of an enemy scientist, and helped launch the legend of arguably the greatest physicist of modern times. A fascinating story -- Charles Seife, author of Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous IdeaDetailed and readable . . . It is especially revealing about Einstein's scientific work and private life leading up to the momentous events of 1919 -- Peter Coles * Nature *A thrilling history of the development of the theory of relativity . . . a superb account of Einstein's and Eddington's spectacularly successful struggles to work and survive under miserable wartime conditions * Kirkus Reviews, starred review *Impressive . . . Stanley's well-told and impressively readable chronicle delivers a wider, and still relevant, message that how science is performed is inextricable from other aspects of people's lives * Publishers Weekly *He succeeds in wrapping up the global, national and scientific politics of an era in a compelling story of one man's wild theory, lucidly sketched, and its experimental confirmation in the unlikeliest and most exotic circumstances -- Simon Ings * Spectator *Few books about events a century ago carry as relevant a message for today's world of resurgent nationalism as does Matthew Stanley's Einstein's War . . . Stanley is a storyteller par excellence...[his] riveting, blow-by-blow account of Einstein's struggle...is an unusually reader-friendly journey into relativity theory . . . Einstein and Eddington would have liked it * Washington Post *An insightful and elegantly written exploration of the impact of war on science in both Britain and Germany -- PD Smith * TLS *
£9.49
University of Illinois Press Reshaping Womens History
Book SynopsisAward-winning women scholars from nontraditional backgrounds have often negotiated an academic track that leads through figurative--and sometimes literal--minefields. Their life stories offer inspiration, but also describe heartrending struggles and daunting obstacles. Reshaping Women''s History presents autobiographical essays by eighteen accomplished scholar-activists who persevered through poverty or abuse, medical malpractice or family disownment, civil war or genocide. As they illuminate their own unique circumstances, the authors also address issues all-too-familiar to women in the academy: financial instability, the need for mentors, explaining gaps in resumes caused by outside events, and coping with gendered family demands, biases, and expectations. Eye-opening and candid, Reshaping Women''s History shows how adversity, and the triumph over it, enriches scholarship and spurs extraordinary efforts to affect social change. Contributors: Frances L. Buss, Nupur Chaudhuri, LisTrade Review"Depositing their papers, journals, and oral histories in archives, the recipients have provided for future generations examples of 'feminist and social justice activism.' . . . The collection significantly contributes to women's history and women's studies." --Journal of American History"One gasps at the life-threatening illnesses, the wrong turns, and the array of discrimination these authors face. At the next moment, the reader cheers them on, wanting to celebrate every success and intellectual discovery. The combined elements of horrific challenges, in some cases, and redemption in all of them make for a rich autobiographical experience that powerfully stirs the reader."--Bonnie G. Smith, author of The Gender of History: Men, Women, and Historical Practice
£77.35
University of Illinois Press Reshaping Womens History
Book SynopsisAward-winning women scholars from nontraditional backgrounds have often negotiated an academic track that leads through figurative--and sometimes literal--minefields. Their life stories offer inspiration, but also describe heartrending struggles and daunting obstacles. Reshaping Women''s History presents autobiographical essays by eighteen accomplished scholar-activists who persevered through poverty or abuse, medical malpractice or family disownment, civil war or genocide. As they illuminate their own unique circumstances, the authors also address issues all-too-familiar to women in the academy: financial instability, the need for mentors, explaining gaps in resumes caused by outside events, and coping with gendered family demands, biases, and expectations. Eye-opening and candid, Reshaping Women''s History shows how adversity, and the triumph over it, enriches scholarship and spurs extraordinary efforts to affect social change. Contributors: Frances L. Buss, Nupur Chaudhuri, LisTrade Review"Depositing their papers, journals, and oral histories in archives, the recipients have provided for future generations examples of 'feminist and social justice activism.' . . . The collection significantly contributes to women's history and women's studies." --Journal of American History"One gasps at the life-threatening illnesses, the wrong turns, and the array of discrimination these authors face. At the next moment, the reader cheers them on, wanting to celebrate every success and intellectual discovery. The combined elements of horrific challenges, in some cases, and redemption in all of them make for a rich autobiographical experience that powerfully stirs the reader."--Bonnie G. Smith, author of The Gender of History: Men, Women, and Historical Practice
£20.39
Yale University Press Psychonauts
Book SynopsisA provocative and original history of the scientists and writers, artists and philosophers who took drugs to explore the hidden regions of the mindTrade Review“Jay is a leading expert on the history of Western drug use, and Psychonauts is the latest in a series of excellent studies in which he has investigated the roots of a kind of psychoactive exploration that we tend to associate with the nineteen-fifties and sixties.”—Clare Bucknell, New Yorker“Psychonauts is a timely reminder that a prohibitive approach to drugs is not the historical norm. Drugs are changing and Jay hopes the term itself will change with them.”—Marcus Ellingham, Financial TimesA New Yorker Best of the Week Pick, 2023“Fascinating book . . . not something you get taught at school.”—Thomas W. Hodgkinson, The Guardian“In this richly detailed and frequently illuminating book, Mike Jay argues that Davis and Weil were merely reviving a centuries-long tradition—inebriation in the name of science.”—Rhys Blakely, Times (UK)“Jay’s book has serious contemporary relevance given our current problems.”—John Quin, The National (Scotland)Listed in New Statesman’s Best Books of the Academic Presses, 2023“Dense with fascinating information, some of it obscure, all of it well referenced, Psychonauts is an essential addition to any psychonaut’s library.”—Andy Roberts, Fortean Times“Provocative, highly readable meditation.”—Andrew Robinson, Nature“Psychonauts is a fascinating study of the cyclical attitudes towards self-experimentation with drugs. As Jay notes, modern-day self-experimentation can add to medical understanding of drugs’ potential.”—Elizabeth K. Gray, History Today“Psychonauts is an engaging survey of the modern, Western history of drug-assisted voyages toward self-discovery . . . historians would do well to add this volume to their library.”—Social History of Medicine“A splendidly curated collection of the accounts brought back from those far worlds by self experimenting travellers; a parade of brave, curious and charismatic characters…” —Charles Foster, Times Literary Supplement “Mike Jay is at the forefront of global research on the history of psychoactive substances. In this moment of renaissance in research on the mind-altering properties of psychedelics, Jay’s Psychonauts offers crucial intel and historical perspective.”—Marcus Boon, author of The Road of Excess“A thought-provoking history of the pioneering questers who self-experimented with drugs in the name of science and creativity. Mike Jay’s account of coked-up doctors, hashish-eating poets, mushroom-munching mystics and toad-licking scientists is an exhilarating read.”—Anna Katharina Schaffner, author of The Art of Self-Improvement“With this rich, nuanced account, Mike Jay posits the War on Drugs as a mere blip on the long, proud, and very influential history of self-experimentation with psychoactive substances by artists, scientists and philosophers—the titular explorers of the mind.”—Carlyn Zwarenstein, author of On Opium“With elegance and erudition, Mike Jay conveys the fascinating, often quixotic history of scientists, philosophers, and other daring ‘psychonauts’ self-experimenting with a pharmacopeia of substances, exploring the mysteries of consciousness by chemically altering the brain. Jay deftly guides the reader through the most confounding puzzles about our mind’s pictures of reality; about meaning-making, truth and illusion. A gorgeously written, page-turning pleasure to read.”—Brian D. Earp, author of Love Is the Drug“Breezy and profound, Psychonauts is a wildly entertaining history of drugs through the writings of stoned intellectuals like Sigmund Freud, William James, and Baudelaire. They got high, saw God, tried to articulate the experience, and mostly failed. But their attempts, like this book, are a total blast.”—Ben Westhoff, author of Fentanyl, Inc.
£25.82
Random House USA Inc Madam
Book SynopsisThe compulsively readable and sometimes jaw-dropping story of the life of a notorious madam who played hostess to every gangster, politician, writer, sports star and Cafe Society swell worth knowing, and who as much as any single figure helped make the twenties roar—from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Most Famous Man in America.A fast-paced tale of … Polly’s many court battles, newspaper headlines, mobster dealings and society gossip…. A breathless tale told through extraordinary research.” —The New York Times Book ReviewSimply put: Everybody came to Polly's. Pearl Polly Adler (1900-1962) was a diminutive dynamo whose Manhattan brothels in the Roaring Twenties became places not just for men to have the company of women but were key gathering places where the culturati and celebrity elite mingled with high society and with violent figures of the underworld—and had a
£15.30
Random House Canada Where Beauty Survived
Book SynopsisA vibrant, revealing memoir about the cultural and familial pressures that shaped George Elliott Clarke’s early life in the Black Canadian community that he calls Africadia, centred in Halifax, Nova Scotia.As a boy, George Elliott Clarke knew that a great deal was expected from him and his two brothers. The descendant of a highly accomplished lineage on his paternal side—great-grandson to William Andrew White, the first Black officer (non-commissioned) in the British army—George felt called to live up to the family name. In contrast, his mother''s relatives were warm, down-to-earth country folk. Such contradictions underlay much of his life and upbringing—Black and White, country and city, outstanding and ordinary, high and low. With vulnerability and humour, George shows us how these dualities shaped him as a poet and thinker. At the book’s heart is George’s turbulent relationship with his father, an autodidact
£19.20
Farrar, Straus and Giroux The Marriage Question
Book Synopsis
£24.00
The University of Michigan Press Sex Identity Aesthetics
Book SynopsisHow Tobin Siebers' foundational work in disability studies resonates in the field today
£16.10
