Dictionaries, Reference & Language Books
Edinburgh University Press Recognition in the Arabic Narrative Tradition
Book SynopsisOffers new vistas for reading, understanding and interpreting Arabic literature as well as the culture in which it was produced.
£26.09
Edinburgh University Press Vital Resonances
Book SynopsisEstablishes resonance as a critical and conceptual paradigm for film analysis bringing together, for the first time, the work of three of the leading figures in European film: Agnes Varda, Michael Haneke and Jean-Luc Nancy.
£81.00
Edinburgh University Press How Isis Fights
Book SynopsisOmar Ashour analyses the military and tactical innovations of ISIS and their predecessors in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Egypt. He shows how their capacity to mix conventional military tactics with innovative guerrilla warfare and urban terrorism strategies allowed ISIS to expand and endure beyond expectations.
£16.14
Edinburgh University Press Christianity in South and Central Asia
Book SynopsisThis comprehensive reference volume covers every country in South and Central Asia, offering reliable demographic information and original interpretative essays by indigenous scholars and practitioners.
£157.50
Edinburgh University Press Last Lectures College De France 1968 and 1969
Book SynopsisBenveniste's lectures had a shaping influence on a generation of scholars that includes Barthes, Deleuze, Foucault, Derrida, Kristeva and Todorov and here, for the first time, these are made available in English for a new generation of linguists and philosophers of language.
£26.59
Edinburgh University Press Phases of the Moon
Book SynopsisProvides the first academic monograph dedicated to developing a cultural understanding of the werewolf film.
£20.89
Edinburgh University Press Sixties British Cinema Reconsidered
Book SynopsisChallenging assumptions around Sixties stardom, the book focuses on creative collaboration and the contribution of production personnel beyond the director, and discusses how cultural change is reflected in both film style and cinematic themes.
£24.69
Edinburgh University Press A Sociolinguistic History of Scotland
Book SynopsisRobert McColl Millar examines how language has been used in Scotland since the earliest times. While primarily focusing on the histories of the speakers of Scots and Gaelic, and their competition with the encroaching use of (Scottish) Standard English, he also traces the decline and eventual 'death' of Pictish, British and Norn.
£19.94
Edinburgh University Press Cognitive Linguistic Approaches to Text and
Book SynopsisDrawing on range of text genres including novels, poems, health forums, holiday guestbooks, prayers, political songs and news stories, each chapter uses cognitive linguistics to shed light on the meanings and meaning-making processes invoked when we encounter texts belonging to different literary and political genres.
£20.89
Edinburgh University Press The Canada Us Border
Book SynopsisExplores the Canada US border through a variety of theoretical, cultural and literary approaches
£22.49
Edinburgh University Press Affective Intensities and Evolving Horror Forms
Book SynopsisHorror cinema is a genre that is undergoing constant evolution, from the sub-genre of 'found footage,' to post-cinematic new media forms such as Youtube horror, horror video games and cinematic virtual reality horror.
£19.94
Edinburgh University Press How to Write in Arabic
Book SynopsisIntermediate and advanced learners will discover how to use the Arabic linguistic features that are key to achieving written fluency. Each unit contains carefully selected exercises where students practise their vocabulary and grammar in a range of registers and contexts: writing a CV, a short story, a love letter, an essay and many more.
£26.59
Edinburgh University Press Language Acquisition
Book SynopsisAn up-to-date introduction to language acquisition for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students in linguistics and cognitive science
£25.64
Edinburgh University Press A Historical Morphology of English
Book SynopsisA textbook survey of how English morphology has evolved from Old English to the present
£22.49
Edinburgh University Press Diplomacy Arabic
Book SynopsisWhat is the word for 'peacebuilding' in Arabic? How would you translate 'multilateral negotiations'? This short, accessible vocabulary gives you ready-made lists of 1,300+ Arabic expressions, terms and idioms in 10 key areas of diplomatic discourse.
£13.29
Edinburgh University Press Sound Change
Book SynopsisUnderstanding sound change through contemporary theory and historical evidence
£26.59
Edinburgh University Press Women Feminism and Italian Cinema
Book SynopsisRepresents the first comprehensive reconstruction of Italian women's film cultures of the 1960s and '70s.
£81.00
Edinburgh University Press Women Feminism and Italian Cinema
Book SynopsisRepresents the first comprehensive reconstruction of Italian women's film cultures of the 1960s and '70s.Trade Review"This passionate and imaginative engagement with the 'archival turn' breathes new life into cultural history. Weaving a brilliant dialogue between a very wide range of theories and archival sources, Missero's refreshing methodological intervention demonstrates both the tenacity of male privilege and the existence of a feminist film culture as a form of precarious collectivity in postwar Italian film history." -Danielle Hipkins, University of Exeter
£18.99
Edinburgh University Press The Linguistics Students Handbook
Book SynopsisLaurie Bauer has expertly crafted a compendium of essential things for linguistics students to know.
£26.59
Edinburgh University Press Columbo
Book SynopsisOffers a unique analysis of globally iconic and cult favourite television show, Columbo.
£19.94
Edinburgh University Press Rethinking Language Policy
Book SynopsisDrawing on four decades of research, Bernard Spolsky presents an updated theory of language policy that starts with the individual speaker instead of the nation.Trade Review"Breathtaking in scope, Rethinking Language Policy offers a world tour of language policy by a scholar whose work has defined the field. Demonstrating that language policy depends on many non-linguistic factors, Professor Spolsky leads readers from the individual, to the familial, to the myriad institutional forces that shape language policy, illustrating it all with case examples through time and across every region of the globe. Timely, fascinating, and highly accessible, this unparalleled comparative account reveals language policy as practices, beliefs, and management mediated by relations of power." -Teresa L. McCarty, GF Kneller Chair in Education and Anthropology, University of California
£24.69
Edinburgh University Press Language Change and Linguistic Diversity
Book SynopsisExplores advances in the fields of language documentation, language change and historical linguistics
£23.74
Edinburgh University Press Poetry in the Mind
Book SynopsisPoetry in the Mind is the first book-length cognitive analysis focused entirely on 21st century poetic texts and their conceptual effects. Addressing central poetic notions or features of poetic style from an innovative cognitive perspective, the book sheds new light on established ideas about poetic creativity and language.
£19.94
Edinburgh University Press Linguist on the Loose
Book SynopsisLyle Campbell's linguistic fieldwork has taken him to numerous countries, sometimes in challenging circumstances. Written with humour, heart, and a clear dedication to endangered languages and their speakers, his vivid memoir is a lesson not only on life in the field but on the importance of documenting indigenous languages.
£15.19
University of Texas Press Modern Hebrew for Intermediate Students
Book SynopsisWith over 4,000 copies sold and now revised and updated, Modern Hebrew for Intermediate Students is the core of a widely used multimedia program for teaching Hebrew in the college-level classroom.
£20.89
University of Texas Press Handbook of Latin American Studies Vol. 73
Book SynopsisThe 2019 volume of the benchmark bibliography of Latin American Studies.
£81.00
University of Texas Press Handbook of Latin American Studies Vol. 76
Book SynopsisThe newest volume of the benchmark bibliography of Latin American studies.
£93.00
Duke University Press Every Day I Write the Book
Book SynopsisA writing manual as well as a manifesto, Every Day I Write the Book combines Amitava Kumar's practical writing advice with interviews with prominent writers, offering guidance and inspiration for academic writers at all levels.Trade Review“Every Day I Write the Book is a persuasive instance of the sort of rare nonfiction performance Amitava Kumar invokes within its pages; he at once defines and exemplifies a vital modern nonfiction tradition. Full of pragmatic analyses and recommendations, this enthralling, important book will prove to be compelling and useful across many audiences.” -- Robert Polito“Amitava Kumar's Every Day I Write the Book compels a cluster of adjectives—eclectic, ruminative, associative, probing, and personal—all of which, taken together, only begin to describe this unique writing sensibility. Turning the pages we find ourselves riding shotgun through the reading and writing life of a true cosmopolitan intellectual. Kumar instructs and inspires, running on all cylinders.” -- Sven Birkerts"A guide for academic writers that is also relevant to anyone who cares about fine prose. . . . An engaging, perceptive companion for all writers." * Kirkus Reviews *"An inventive essay collection . . . a celebration of 'the value, the ease, and also the excitement of crafting writing that hasn’t been produced to please a committee.' Grad students and tenure seekers will appreciate the support Kumar’s insightful and intellectually nimble book offers, even as they buckle down to the task at hand—satisfying that committee of readers." * Publishers Weekly *"Too often lively writing is taken as a sign of dilettantism. Things don’t have to be this way, and Kumar, who is himself both a critic and a novelist, insists that scholarship should argue and inform but also surprise and delight. . . . The best way to argue that academic books can be formally inventive is to write a formally inventive academic book. That’s what Kumar does here." -- Anthony Domestico * Commonweal *"Kumar’s writing guide/commonplace book is a salve. Reading his newest is like having office hours—no, better; a drink and bookish conversation, in a bar—with your smartest, kindest teacher, or friend." -- John Francisconi * Grandlife *"Kumar sets out to do for the academic writer what writers like Annie Dillard, Ursula Le Guin, Anne Lamott, and Stephen King do for the creative writer in their accounts of their own writing lives. . . . This book will interest scholars in search of alternative models for presenting their ideas and those seeking insight into an academic’s writing life. Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty." -- A. M. Laflen * Choice *"An entertaining ramble through his years of analyzing his own writing process and that of many, many other authors. . . . The most amazing feature of this book is the sheer number of authors and ideas on writing that are collected in what Kumar calls, 'The 90-Day Book.'" -- Gretchen Webster * Publishing Research Quarterly *"Kumar’s work effuses creative associations. Ostensibly a how-to writing guide for scholars, this book is from a different mould, one aligned with the daring and the bold: that is, with the creative. . . . In Every Day I Write the Book, you see a writer and thinker in communion with other writers and thinkers: that is, in communion with the world of ideas." -- Steven E. Gumb * Journal of Scholarly Publishing *Table of ContentsIntroduction. The 90-Day Book 1 Part I. Self-Help Misery 5 Good Sentences 6 Read No Secondary Literature 7 Read Junk 9 Failure 10 Running 12 Sleep 15 Kitchen Timer 16 Self-Help 17 Part II. Writing a Book: A Brief History Rules of Writing 23 In Memory of 24 Out of Place 26 Eyes on the Ground 28 The End of the Line 30 Creative Criticism 31 How to Throw Your Body 36 I'm Feeling Myself 38 Creative Writing 39 Part III. Credos Declarations of Independence 47 In Praise of Nonfiction 54 There Is No Single Way 56 How Proust Can Ruin Your Life 57 Reality Hunger 58 Depend on Your Dumbness 60 Blackness (Unmitigated) 62 Rage on the Page 63 On Training 68 Part IV. Form Light Years 71 Neither/Nor 72 Criticism by Other Means 75 Paranoid Theory 77 Erotic Style 80 I Blame the Topic Sentence 82 The Sound of the Fury 83 In Defense of the Fragment 86 Kids 88 Part V. Academic Interest Diana Studies 91 Examined Life 95 Occupy Writing 96 Academic Sentence 98 Dissertation Blah 100 Your Job Is to Know a Lot 102 Terminology 103 Anti-Anti Jargon 104 Monograph 107 Part VI. Style But Life 111 Sugared Violets 112 Voice 113 Wikileaks Manual of Style 117 Detecting Style 118 Strunk and White 120 A Clean English Sentence 122 Trade 126 Recommendation Letter 128 Part VII. Exercises Bad Writing 137 Prompt 139 Post-Its 141 Revising 142 Editing 144 Performing It 146 Rituals 149 For Graduate Students 152 Not Writing 161 Part VIII. The Groves of Academe Academe 165 Stoner 167 Common Sense 169 Titles 170 Campus Criticism 172 Farther Away 176 Accountability 177 Tenure Files 179 Journals 182 Part IX. Materials Photographs, etc. 187 "Who's Got the Address?" (a Collaboration with Teju Cole) 190 Acknowledgments 197 Appendix A. Ten Rules of Writing 201 Appendix B. PEN Ten Interview 207 Notes 211 Index 231
£62.25
O'Reilly Media HandsOn Smart Contract Development with Solidity
Book SynopsisReady to dive into smart contract development for the blockchain? With this practical guide, experienced engineers and beginners alike will quickly learn the entire process for building smart contracts for Ethereum—the open source blockchain-based distributed computing platform.
£39.74
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc OK
Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. OK as a word accepts proposals, describes the world as satisfactory (but not good), provides conversational momentum, or even agrees (or disagrees). OK as an object, however, tells a story of how technology writes itself into language, permanently altering communication. OK is a young word, less than 200 years old. It began as an acronym for all correct when the steam-powered printing press pushed newspapers into the mainstream. Today it is spoken and written by nearly everyone in the world. Drawing on linguistics, history, and new media studies, Michelle McSweeney traces OK from its birth in the Penny Presses through telephone lines, grammar books, and television signals into the digital age. Nearly ubiquitous and often overlooked, OK illustrates the never-ending dance between language, technology, and culture, and offers lessons for our own techno-historical moment. ObjecTrade Review[A] slim and lucid addition to the Object Lessons series. . . . McSweeney traces the word's evolution through the present, illuminating the ways in which its meaning developed over time. * The Millions *More than just OK. . . . A quick and fascinating read. . . . Short, but mentally nutritious. * The DreamCage *A concise yet wide-ranging tour though the history of how technology has influenced the way we talk with each other. * Gretchen McCulloch, linguist and author of Because Internet *OK is more than just okay—it's the handiest and most up-to-date account of this mysterious yet deathless little expression available. Witness the history of something we say all day every day that's actually new enough that it would have left Thomas Jefferson scratching his head. * John McWhorter, Associate Professor of Linguistics, Columbia University, USA, author of Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter Then, Now and Forever and host of the podcast Lexicon Valley *Table of Contents1. Ok (Introduction) 2. Oll Korrect (Origins) 3. Ok? (Alternative Origins) Grains of Truth An Exotic Loanword Food 4. Olde Kinderhook (Branding) Ok Products 5. Okay (Literature) 6. Oh-kay (Telephone) A Modern Ok 7. Ok! (Television) Culture, Technology, and War 8. K (the Internet) Bulletin Board Systems 9. Kk (Social Media) English 10. [OK emoji] (Gesture) 11. O.k. Ok, Ok, Lol (Conclusion) Bibliography Index
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Glitter
Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.Glitter reveals the complexity of an object often dismissed as frivolous. Nicole Seymour describes how glitter's consumption and status have shifted across centuriesfrom ancient cosmetic to queer activist tool, environmental pollutant to biodegradable accessoryalong with its composition, which has variously included insects, glass, rocks, salt, sugar, plastic, and cellulose. Through a variety of examples, from glitterbombing to glitter beer, Seymour shows how this substance reflects the entanglements of consumerism, emotion, environmentalism, and gender/sexual identity. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.Trade ReviewHard facts, philosophical musings, and trivia galore commingle in this madcap toss of shimmery delight. * Passport Magazine *Nicole Seymour peers beyond the surface of glitter and finds a material that is irreverent and political, sticky and elusive, that shapes communities as it challenges preconceptions. Glitter shines with new ways of thinking. * David Farrier, Professor of Literature and the Environment, University of Edinburgh, UK *Glitter is an original, nuanced and thorough analysis that examines glitter’s significance beyond its usual connotations of frivolousness at best and environmental disaster at worst. As vibrant as the substance itself, Seymour’s thoughtful exploration situates glitter in current cultural and political contexts without dulling its shine. Positively dazzling! * Hillary Belzer, Founder and Curator, The Makeup Museum *Table of ContentsDiary Entry: Glitter in Quarantine 1. The Great Glitter Backlash Glitter Bar: A Makeover Takeover! 2. “Feel the Rainbow!”: Glitter as Tactic Poetry Reading: CAConrad 3. “Too Much Bling”: Glitter in Children’s Entertainment Interview: Machine Dazzle 4. Recrafting Glitter: The Sustainable Turn Taste Test: Glitter Beer 5. Conclusion: Facing the Plasticene Index
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Wine
Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.While wine drunk millennia ago was the humble beverage of the people, today the drink is inextricable with power, sophistication, and often wealth. Bottles sell for half a million dollars. Point systems tell us which wines are considered the best. Wine professionals give us the language to describe what we taste.Agricultural product and cultural commodity, drink of ritual and drink of addiction, purveyor of pleasure, pain, and memory - wine has never been contained in a single glass. Drawing from science, religion, literature, and memoir, Wine meditates on the power structures bound up with making and drinking this ancient, intoxicating beverage.Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.Trade ReviewA beautifully written, soulful narrative that goes straight into the heart and soul of the complexities, joys, and wisdom of wine. * Alice Feiring, author of To Fall in Love, Drink This: A Wine Writer's Memoir *Meg Bernhard’s Wine is a beautiful gem of a book, thankfully free of what we find in so much wine writing. This wine book is anything but typical. Bernhard covers a lot of ground in a short number of pages with her unique mix of memoir, travel writing, natural history, sensory science, and reporting on the social issues surrounding wine. But the beating heart of this book is Bernhard’s experiences working at Spanish wineries and in the vineyards of Castilla-La Mancha and Catalonia, which she memorably brings to life. * Jason Wilson, author of Godforsaken Grapes and creator of the newsletter “Everyday Drinking” *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Winter 2. Spring 3. Summer 4. Fall Epilogue Acknowledgements Works Consulted Glossary Works Cited Index
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Space Rover
Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.In 1971, the first lunar rover arrived on the moon. The design became an icon of American ingenuity and the adventurous spirit and vision many equated with the space race.Fifty years later, that vision feels like a nostalgic fantasy, but the lunar rover's legacy paved the way for Mars rovers like Sojourner, Curiosity, and Perseverance. Other rovers have made accessible the world's deepest caves and most remote tundra, extending our exploratory range without risking lives. Still others have been utilized for search and rescue missions or in clean up operations after disasters such as Chernobyl. For all these achievements, rovers embody not just our potential, but our limits. Examining rovers as they wander our terrestrial and celestial boundaries, we might better comprehend our place, and fate, in this universe. Object Lessons is published in p
£9.49
Kaplan Publishing SAT Total Prep 2022
Book SynopsisRated Best of the Best in SAT Prep Books by BestReviews, August 2020SAT Total Prep 2022, Kaplan's biggest SAT prep book, has more than 1,000 pages of content review, efficient strategies, and realistic practice to help you score higher. We have everything you need in one big book, plus a full year of access to online resources-including more practice tests, a bigger Qbank than ever, and video lessons-to help you master each section of the SAT. We're so certain that SAT Total Prep 2022 offers all the guidance you need to excel on the SAT that we guarantee it: After studying with our online resources and book, you'll score higher on the SAT-or you'll get your money back. The Most PracticeFive full-length Kaplan practice tests: two in the book and three online. More than 2,000 practice questions with detailed explanations, including an expanded online QbankPre-quizzes to help you figure out what you already know and what you can skip. Mixed practice quizzes after every chapter to
£27.99
Kaplan Publishing AP French Language and Culture Premium, Fifth
Book SynopsisBe prepared for exam day with Barron’s. Trusted content from AP experts!Barron’s AP French Language and Culture Premium, Fifth Edition includes in‑depth content review, practice, and online audio. It’s the only book you’ll need to be prepared for exam day.Written by Experienced Educators Learn from Barron’s‑‑all content is written and reviewed by AP experts Build your understanding with comprehensive review tailored to the most recent exam Get a leg up with tips, strategies, and study advice for exam day‑‑it’s like having a trusted tutor by your side Be Confident on Exam Day Sharpen your test‑taking skills with 3 full‑length practice tests‑‑2 in the book and 1 more online–plus detailed answer explanations for all questions Boost your confidence by reviewing helpful strategies for answering all multiple-choice question types on the exam Reinforce your learning by tackling sample reading selections and practice multiple-choice questions, all grouped by key themes and accompanied by answers and explanations Strengthen your ability to write and speak French with advice for writing email replies, and argumentative essays, carrying on a conversation, and making cultural comparisons Robust Online Audio and Practice Continue your practice with a full‑length practice test on Barron’s Online Learning Hub Simulate the exam experience with a timed test option Deepen your understanding with detailed answer explanations and expert advice Gain confidence with scoring to check your learning progress Familiarize yourself with spoken French by listening to authentic French audio passages and following along audioscripts in the book
£24.00
John Wiley and Sons Ltd The Ecology of Attention
Book SynopsisInformation overload, the shallows, weapons of mass distraction, the googlization of minds: countless commentators condemn the flood of images and information that dooms us to a pathological attention deficit. In this new book, cultural theorist Yves Citton goes against the tide of these standard laments to offer a new perspective on the problem of attention in the digital age. Phrases like �paying attention� and �investing one�s attention� attest to our mistaken belief that attention can be conceptualized in narrow economic terms. We are constantly drawn towards attempts to quantify and commodify attention, even down to counting the number of 'likes' a picture receives on Facebook or a video on YouTube. By contrast, Citton argues that we should conceptualize attention as a kind of ecology and examine how the many different environments to which we are exposed from advertising to literature, search engines to performance art condition our attention in different ways. In a world where the demands on our attention are ever-increasing, this timely and original book will be of great interest to students and scholars in media and communications and in literary and cultural studies, and to anyone concerned about the long-term consequences of the profusion of images as well as digital content in the age of the internet. Trade Review"Within the growing field of attention studies, Yves Citton�s new book is a superb and indispensable intervention. He provides a devastating analysis of the neoliberal attention economy and opens up crucial pathways for resisting its imperatives." Jonathan Crary, Columbia University "Citton offers a valuable critique and alternative to talk about an �economy of attention�. He shows how attention produces the individual who is usually presupposed as �paying� it, and he shows how the creation of attentiveness may not really be an economy at all. He starts by debunking the unthought assumptions of a whole field, and moves on to a media and social theory of breadth and subtlety." McKenzie Wark, author of TelesthesiaTable of ContentsAcknowledgements vi Foreword ix Introduction: From Attention Economy to Attention Ecology 1 Part I Collective Attention 25 1 Media Enthralments and Attention Regimes 27 2 Attentional Capitalism 44 3 The Digitalization of Attention 63 Part II Joint Attention 81 4 Presential Attention 83 5 The Micro-Politics of Attention 106 Part III Individuating Attention 123 6 Attention in Laboratories 125 7 Reflexive Attention 139 Conclusion: Towards an Attention Echology 171 Notes 200 Name Index 219 Subject Index 222
£16.99
John Wiley and Sons Ltd The PlayStation Dreamworld
Book SynopsisFrom mobile phones to consoles, tablets and PCs, we are now a generation of gamers. The PlayStation Dreamworld is – to borrow a phrase from Slavoj Zizek – the pervert's guide to videogames. It argues that we can only understand the world of videogames via Lacanian dream analysis. It also argues that the Left needs to work inside this dreamspace – a powerful arena for constructing our desires – or else the dreamworld will fall entirely into the hands of dominant and reactionary forces. While cyberspace is increasingly dominated by corporate organization, gaming, at its most subversive, can nevertheless produce radical forms of enjoyment which threaten the capitalist norms that are created and endlessly repeated in our daily relationships with mobile phones, videogames, computers and other forms of technological entertainment. Far from being a book solely for dedicated gamers, this book dissects the structure of our relationships to all technological entertainment at a time when entertainment has become ubiquitous. We can no longer escape our fantasies but rather live inside their digital reality.Trade Review“The universe of video games and the action they involve us in render perfectly the illusions and antagonisms of our ideological predicament - the popularity of post-apocalyptic games tells it all. But perhaps even more important is the type of subjectivity a gamer has to adopt when immersed into a game: a mixture of extreme engagement and loss of reality, a universe of immortality where actions are indefinitely repeatable. So it is not that we can understand the impact of these games only through the analysis of our social reality - it's also the other way round: to understand how our societies work you have to know video games And Alfie Bown does this at such a high level that he produces an instant classic, a book that everyone who seeks to find a way in our confused social life will have to read. The Playstation Dreamworld is unputdownable, once you start reading it you will get addicted to it... as in a good video game!” Slavoj iek “If you ever asked yourself what Freud and Lacan would think if they had a chance to play video games, Alfie Bown gives you the answer. As a passionate gamer and a playful philosopher, he succeeds in showing not only why video-games matter but why they might carry subversive potential. This exciting psychoanalysis of video games shows why Pokémon GO and other games were only the beginning of a brave new world."Srećko Horvat From mobile phones to consoles to tablet, we are now a generation of gamers. This book dissects the structure of our relationships to all forms of technological entertainment at a time when digital enjoyment has become ubiquitous.Alfie Bown is Assistant Professor of Literature at HSMC, Hong Kong and co-editor of the Hong Kong Review of Books. "A significant contribution to the debate around virtual reality" TLSTable of Contents Contents Acknowledgements Note on the Games Tutorial: The Pokémon Generation Level 1. From Farming Simulation to Dystopic Wasteland: Gaming and Capitalism Work and Play - Cultures of Distraction - Pastoral Dystopia, Apocalyptic Utopia – No Alternative Level 2. Dreamwork: Cyborgs on the Analyst’s Couch Japanese Dreams, American Texts – The Dreamworld - Repetitions and the Dromena – Immersion and Westworld Level 3. Retro Gaming: The Politics of Former and Future Pleasures 90s Rational Gaming – Virtual/Reality - Subject, Object, Enjoyment - Jouissance in the Arcades Bonus Features: How to be a Subversive Gamer Game Index Endnotes
£14.24
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Wi-Fi
Book SynopsisFrom café culture to home schooling, remote community networks, and smart cities, Wi-Fi is an invisible but fundamental element of contemporary life. Loosely regulated, low-cost, and largely overlooked by researchers, this technology has driven the rise of the smartphone and broadband internet, and is a vital element in the next wave of automation. Thomas, Wilken, and Rennie provide the first comprehensive account of the social and cultural consequences of Wi-Fi, highlighting the ways in which it has changed our homes, communities, and cities. They discuss its origins as an experimental technology, the conflicts generated around its ownership and control, and the ideas and expectations attached to it by technologists, activists, and entrepreneurs. The authors reveal the ways in which Wi-Fi is an inherently social and political technology, animated by conflicting aspirations for local, public, and community control, and defined by private and corporate interests. As this book shows, Wi-Fi has extended and intensified our online lives while also promising a more inclusive internet. Wi-Fi is essential reading for students and scholars of media and communication, as well as anyone who wants a better understanding of this ubiquitous and influential technology.Trade Review‘This pathbreaking study explores the full significance of the already ubiquitous, but largely “invisible”, technology of Wi-Fi.’David Morley, Goldsmiths University of London ‘As a technology, Wi-Fi seemed to disappear into the mundane infrastructures of everyday life almost as soon as it was adopted twenty years ago. Looking backwards as well as towards possible futures, this book offers an important account of “why Wi-Fi matters”.’Laura Forlano, Illinois Institute of TechnologyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Figures 1. Why Wi-Fi Matters 2. Infrastructure 3. Home 4. Community 5. City 6. Problems, Prospects, Possibilities References Index
£15.19
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Language and Gender
Book SynopsisSince its first publication in 1998, Mary Talbot’s Language and Gender has been a leading textbook, popular with students for its accessibility and with teachers for the range and depth it achieves in a single volume. This anticipated third edition has been thoroughly revised and updated for the era of #MeToo, genderqueer, Trump, and cyberhate. The book is organized into three parts. An introductory section provides grounding in early ‘classic' studies in the field. In the second section, Talbot examines language used by women and men in a variety of speech situations and genres. The last section considers the construction and performance of gender in discourse, reflecting the interest in mass media and popular culture found in recent research, as well as the preoccupation with social change that is central to Critical Discourse Analysis. Maintaining an emphasis on recent research, Talbot covers a range of approaches at an introductory level, lucidly presenting sometimes difficult and complex issues. Each chapter concludes with a list of recommended readings, enabling students to further their interests in various topics. Language and Gender will continue to be an essential textbook for undergraduates and postgraduates in linguistics, sociolinguistics, cultural and media studies, gender studies and communication studies.Trade Review"The author moves smoothly and coherently from more traditional approaches to language and gender through to very recent research in areas such as discourse and consumerism, and language, gender and sexuality. Different approaches, including Critical Discourse Analysis and social constructionism, are demonstrated, and difficult concepts are clearly and comprehensibly presented. Mary Talbot's own research enriches and enlivens the discussion throughout. The text is extensively illustrated with interesting examples, many of which are taken from recent published research, thus introducing students to relevant and authentic material." Janet Holmes, Victoria University of WellingtonTable of Contents 20 years on... Preface to the third edition Acknowledgements Transcription conventions PART I: Preliminaries: Airing Stereotypes and Early Models 1 Language and gender 2 Talking proper 3 ‘Women’s language’ and ‘man made language’ PART II: Interaction among Women and Men 4 Telling stories 5 Conversation 6 Difference-and-dominance and beyond PART III: Discourse and Gender: Construction and Performance 7 Critical perspectives on gender identity 8 Consumerism 9 New men and old boys 10 Professionally speaking 11 Language, gender and sexuality 12 Reclaiming the language References Index
£17.99
John Wiley and Sons Ltd The Digital Divide
Book SynopsisContrary to optimistic visions of a free internet for all, the problem of the ‘digital divide’ – the disparity between those with access to internet technology and those without – has persisted for close to twenty-five years.In this textbook, Jan van Dijk considers the state of digital inequality and what we can do to tackle it. Through an accessible framework based on empirical research, he explores the motivations and challenges of seeking access and the development of requisite digital skills. He addresses key questions such as: Does digital inequality reduce or reinforce existing, traditional inequalities? Does it create new, previously unknown social inequalities? While digital inequality affects all aspects of society and the problem is here to stay, Van Dijk outlines policies we can put in place to mitigate it.The Digital Divide is required reading for students and scholars of media, communication, sociology, and related disciplines, as well as for policymakers.Trade Review“Van Dijk continues his twenty-five-year leadership in digital divide research, from motivations and attitudes, access to adoption, use and skills, through to outcomes and solutions. His integrative model organizes these issues into a thoughtful, critical and readable story.”Ronald Rice, University of California, Santa Barbara “Jan van Dijk can be considered the godfather of digital divide theory. In this book, he brings his earlier work forward into a world that has changed beyond what even he could imagine. Building on existing research and new theoretical developments, he shows that digital divides are changing shape and are likely getting worse. Anyone interested in why, what and who we should be worried about in increasingly digital societies has to read this book.”Ellen J. Helsper, author of The Digital Disconnect: Social Causes and Consequences of Digital Inequalities“The book is rich conceptually and provides frameworks and categorisations to explain every step of the digital media appropriation process... a welcome resource for students and academics as a reference on the evolution of research on the digital divide since the mid-nineties.”Information, Communication & Society“The Digital Divide is an excellent reference for those being introduced to the subject and for those who have long been interested in the issue. I recommend it as a tool and look forward to using it myself in this strange, terrible and awe-inspiring year, and in many years to come.”PrometheusTable of ContentsAcknowledgements1 What is the Digital Divide?2 Research and Theory of the Digital Divide3 Motivation and Attitude4 Physical Access5 Digital and 21st-Century Skills6 Usage Inequality7 Outcomes8 Social and Digital Inequality9 Solutions to Soften the Digital DivideReferencesIndex
£17.09
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Facebook
Book SynopsisFacebook has fundamentally changed how the world connects. No other company has played a greater role in the history of social networking online. Yet Facebook is no longer simply a social networking site or social media platform. Facebook is Facebook. Taina Bucher shows how Facebook has become an idea of its own: something that cannot be fully described using broader categories. Facebook has become so commonplace that most people have a conception of what it is, yet it increasingly defies categorization. If we want to understand Facebook's power in contemporary society and culture, Bucher argues, we need to start by challenging our widespread conception of what Facebook is. Tracing the development and evolution of Facebook as a social networking site, platform, infrastructure and advertising company, she invites readers to consider Facebook anew. Contrary to the belief that nobody uses Facebook anymore, Facebook has never been more powerful. This timely book is important reading for students and scholars of media and communication, as well as anyone seeking to understand the Facebook phenomenon.Trade Review‘Taina Bucher has authored the best book to date in the rapidly growing literature on Facebook. It has rigorous analysis, theoretical nuance and sweeping empirical scope. It sets the standard for accounts of the platform and should be required reading for researchers and journalists grappling with what Facebook means for political, social and cultural life around the world.’Daniel Kreiss, University of North Carolina ‘Taina Bucher is one of the best analysts of social media platforms we’ve got. Here, she insightfully focuses on Facebook from many complementary angles that together reveal how it has become an ever-present infrastructure in the feel of daily life, shaping our social and political worlds, whether we use it or not.’Nancy Baym, Microsoft Research‘While...a book of this kind can only ever be a partial and unfolding guide, the breadth and depth of its scope is impressive. … Bucher makes an important philosophical and theoretical contribution to media and communication studies as the book destabalizes conventional narratives of Facebook as a mere social media platform.’Australian Journalism Review‘a useful introduction to the current state of research on Facebook.’European Journal of CommunicationTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroduction: Facebook is Facebook1 Framing Facebook: The many metaphors at work2 Of electric lighting and chairs: Facebook as infrastructure3 Grounded in reality: How Facebook programs sociality4 Engineering a platform: Facebook’s techno-economic evolution5 Monetizing You: Facebook’s advertising ecosystem6 Personalized politics: Facebook’s data-driven profiling machineryConclusion: The many faces of FacebookNotesReferencesIndex
£15.19
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Tumblr
Book SynopsisLaunched in 2007, tumblr became a safe haven for LGBT youth, social justice movements, and a counseling station for mental health issues. For a decade, this micro-blogging platform had more users than either Twitter or Snapchat, but it remained an obscure subculture for nonusers. Katrin Tiidenberg, Natalie Ann Hendry, and Crystal Abidin offer the first systematic guide to tumblr and its crucial role in shaping internet culture. Drawing on a decade of qualitative data, they trace the prominent social media practices of creativity, curation, and community-making, and reveal tumblr’s cultlike appeal and position in the social media ecosystem. The book demonstrates how diverse cultures can – in felt and imagined silos - coexist on a single platform and how destructive recent trends in platform governance are. The concept of “silosociality” is introduced to critically re-think social media, interrogate what kinds of sociality it affords, and what (unintended) consequences arise. This book is an essential resource for students and scholars of media and communication, as well as anyone interested in an influential but overlooked platform.Trade Review“The book absolutely delivers on this premise, serving as an excellent primer for the uninitiated, while carrying out a useful analysis of its sociotechnical features that allows one to position tumblr within its historic role in the social media platforms landscape alongside the more popular Facebook and Twitter. … Through flowing writing, humorous anecdotes, and extensive signposting, the authors constantly unpack yet another aspect of the platform, often grounding it in specific spaces and/or periods, yet without losing sense of the broader picture. … It is a timely, interesting, and profoundly enjoyable volume on an object which is oft overlooked in platform and social media research yet has great bearings on both fields.”Internet HistoriesTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsPrologueIntroduction: tumblr, with a small t1: tumblr structure2: tumblr sociality3. Fame4. Fandom5: Social justice6. NSFW7: Mental healthConclusion: ‘beautiful hellsite’ReferencesNotesIndex
£15.19
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Semantic Media: Mapping Meaning on the Internet
Book SynopsisMedia technologies now provide facts, answers, and “knowledge” to people – search engines, apps, and virtual assistants increasingly articulate responses rather than direct people to other sources. Semantic Media is about this emerging era of meaning-making technologies. Companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft organize information in new media products that seek to “intuitively” grasp what people want to know and the actions they want to take. This book describes some of the insidious technological practices through which organizations achieve this while addressing the changing contexts of internet searches, and examines the social and political consequences of what happens when large companies become primary sources of information. Written in an accessible style, Semantic Media will be of interest to students and scholars in media, science and technology, communication, and internet studies, as well as professionals wanting to learn more about the changing dynamics of contemporary data practices.Trade Review“Semantic Media is an exceptional primer on the meaning-making power big tech exerts through the seemingly innocuous technologies of online search and personal assistants. Iliadis deftly demonstrates how efforts to deliver information to the consumer have far-reaching cultural consequences. A must-read for scholars and students seeking to address contemporary challenges in information and technology.”Andrea L. Guzman, Northern Illinois University“Iliadis provides a broad introduction to semantic approaches and why they matter, as well as strong theoretical connections and illustrations of their practical application. Anyone interested in how knowledge is constructed and shared in a networked society will find the book enlightening and generative.”Alexander Halavais, Arizona State UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. A History of Semantics2. Knowledge Graphs3. One Schema to Rule them All4. The Wiki Wrangler5. “An Ontology-Driven Application for the Masses”ConclusionNotesReferencesIndex
£15.19
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Bots
Book SynopsisBots – automated software applications programmed to perform tasks online – have become a feature of our everyday lives, from helping us navigate online systems to assisting us with online shopping. Yet, despite enabling internet users, bots are increasingly associated with disinformation and concerning political intervention. In this ground-breaking book, Monaco and Woolley offer the first comprehensive overview of the history of bots, tracing their varied applications throughout the past sixty years and bringing to light the astounding influence these computer programs have had on how humans understand reality, communicate with each other, and wield power. Drawing upon the authors' decade of experience in the field, this book examines the role bots play in politics, social life, business, and artificial intelligence. Despite bots being a fundamental part of the web since the early 1990s, the authors reveal how the socially oriented ones continue to play an integral role in online communication globally, especially as our daily lives become increasingly automated. This timely book is essential reading for students and scholars in Media and Communication Studies, Sociology, Politics, and Computer Science, as well as general readers with an interest in technology and public affairs.Trade Review“A cogent and even-handed overview of automated software agents and how they act as extensions of human intention.”Allison Parrish, Poet, Bot Maker, and Assistant Arts Professor at New York University “Bots is a readable, accessible yet scholarly informed survey of the roles bots played, are playing, and might play in the future of the internet and digital devices. A useful reference for many students and scholars, and an engaging read for the wider public curious about bots.”Sergey Sanovich, Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton University “This book is useful to readers interested in social media, artificial intelligence, and the coevolution of bots and the World Wide Web. … [it] is an invaluable resource for scholars that culls two decades of contemporary bot research that will become an important benchmark for LLM-fueled bots in the decade ahead.”International Journal of CommunicationTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsAbbreviations1: What is a Bot?2: Bots and Social Life3: Bots and Political Life4: Bots and Commerce5: Bots and Artificial Intelligence6: Theorizing the BotConclusion: The Future of BotsNotesBibliographyIndex
£15.19
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Digital Labor
Book SynopsisWhile the working lives of tech entrepreneurs and delivery platform workers seem far removed, both are engaged in digital labor. What unites their experience and allows us to speak of their work under the same umbrella? Is it even possible to talk about digital labor as if it were a single form of work? Digital Labor explores these questions and critically examines the economics, politics, and experiences of workers in these new modes of employment. Using a novel definition of the term "digital labor," Kylie Jarrett explores unpaid user activity, platform-mediated gig work, and formal employment within the digital media industries, mapping the common features of these varied practices. Applying a critical Marxian lens, the book interrogates the structures of exploitation in this sector, the organisation of the labor process, the dynamics of alienation associated with this work, and the commodification of workers' lives. It also documents the struggle of digital laborers to resist the iniquities and inequalities of their working environments. Ultimately, the book identifies what is specific about this form of labor and, in doing so, offers insight into the nature of work as it is being reconstituted in digital capitalism. Synthesising an extensive range of studies and sources, Digital Labor offers a comprehensive overview – and a rich critical appraisal – of work in the high-tech economy. It is suitable for students and scholars of media and communication, sociology, labour studies, and anyone interested in emerging forms of work.Trade Review"Kylie Jarrett provides a profound and indispensable analysis of digital labor. The book is an absolute must-read for everyone wanting to understand how labor has changed in the digital age."—Christian Fuchs, author of Digital Labour and Karl Marx "In this clear-eyed, crisp meditation on the meaning of 'digital labor', renowned feminist media scholar Kylie Jarrett delivers a cogent, necessary intervention in what counts as work and value in a digital world."—Mary L. Gray, co-author of Ghost WorkTable of ContentsAcknowledgments1 Defining Digital Labor2 Exploitation: Digital Deeds Done Dirt Cheap3 Process: Of Autonomy and Algorithms4 Alienation: The Romance of Entrepreneurialism5 Commodification: Affective Attachment and Inalienable Assets6 Struggle: The Workers United(ish)7 Conclusion: Digital Labor on the EdgeBibliographyIndex
£15.19
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Machine Vision: How Algorithms are Changing the
Book SynopsisHumans have used technology to expand our limited vision for millennia, from the invention of the stone mirror 8,000 years ago to the latest developments in facial recognition and augmented reality. We imagine that technologies will allow us to see more, to see differently and even to see everything. But each of these new ways of seeing carries its own blind spots. In this illuminating book, Jill Walker Rettberg examines the long history of machine vision. Providing an overview of the historical and contemporary uses of machine vision, she unpacks how technologies such as smart surveillance cameras and TikTok filters are changing the way we see the world and one another. By analysing fictional and real-world examples, including art, video games and science fiction, the book shows how machine vision can have very different cultural impacts, fostering both sympathy and community as well as anxiety and fear. Combining ethnographic and critical media studies approaches alongside personal reflections, Machine Vision is an engaging and eye-opening read. It is suitable for students and scholars of digital media studies, science and technology studies, visual studies, digital art and science fiction, as well as for general readers interested in the impact of new technologies on society.Trade Review"If you want to understand how machine vision is woven into our lives, from how we perceive the world to how we see ourselves, start here."—Kate Crawford, author of Atlas of AI "This accessibly written book takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the many ways humans have extended their visual perception beyond their embodied capacities. It carefully considers both the promises of machine vision technologies and their more frightening and destructive potential. A refreshing contribution to our understanding of the entangled, evolving relationship between vision and technology."—Kelly Gates, University of California San Diego "The nature of the influence exerted by machine vision on society as a whole will be all the more fruitfully considered and discussed with the help of [Rettberg's] book, which is written in clear and accessible language."—c't, Magazin für ComputertechnikTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionChapter 1: Seeing More: Histories of Augmenting Human VisionChapter 2: Seeing Differently: Exploring Nonhuman VisionChapter 3: Seeing everything: surveillance and the desire for objectivity and securityChapter 4: Being seen: The Algorithmic GazeChapter 5: Seeing Less: The Blind Spots of Machine VisionConclusion: HopeNotesReferences
£15.19
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Youth on Screen: Representing Young People in
Book SynopsisRight from the origins of cinema, countless films and television dramas have offered sensational and seductive representations of young people's lives. Youth is typically associated with energy, idealism and physical beauty, but it is often represented as both troubled and troubling. These representations are almost always created by adults, implicitly reflecting an adult perspective on how young people 'come of age'. Youth on Screen provides a historical account of representations of youth in Britain and the United States, stretching back over seventy years. From Blackboard Jungle to This is England, and from Jailhouse Rock to Skins, it covers a range of classics, as well as some intriguing obscurities. Engagingly written and clearly organized, it offers a perfect introduction for students and general readers.Trade Review"Offering insightful readings of both classic and less known films and TV series, Youth on Screen is a fresh and compelling introduction to mediated representations of adolescence. Buckingham�s analyses of British texts are especially welcome given that U.S. properties have received far more attention to date." Mary Celeste Kearney, author of Girls Make Media and editor of Mediated Girlhoods "Buckingham offers an insightful and highly readable account of how young people have been portrayed on screen and the critical debates that have ensued. In the process, this book sheds new light on the evolving politics of �youth� as a social category." Sue Turnbull, University of WollongongTable of ContentsContentsAcknowledgments1. Introduction2. Troubling teenagers: how movies constructed the juvenile delinquent 3. Dreamboats, boybands and the perils of showbiz: the rise and fall of the pop film4. Reeling in the years: retrospect and nostalgia in movies about youth5. Gender trouble: cinema and the mystery of adolescent girlhood6. This is England: growing up in Thatcher’s Britain7. Skins and the impossibility of youth television8. Conclusion: histories and futuresFurther readingTV and filmographyNotesBibliography
£17.09
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Deepfakes
Book SynopsisWhat happens when we can no longer believe what we see? Show the AI technologies that create deepfakes enough images of a celebrity or a politician and they will generate a convincing video in which that person appears to say and do things they have never actually said or done. The result is a media environment in which anyone’s face and image can be remixed and manipulated. Graham Meikle explains how deepfakes (synthetic media) are made and used. From celebrity porn and political satire to movie mash-ups and disinformation campaigns, this book explores themes of trust and consent as face-swapping software becomes more common. Meikle argues that deepfake videos allow for a new perspective on the taken-for-granted nature of contemporary media, in which our capacity to remix and share content increasingly conflicts with our capacity to trust. The book analyses how such videos deepen the social media environment in which the public and the personal converge, and in which all human experience becomes data to be shared. Timely, clear, and accessibly written, this is an essential text for students and scholars of media, communication, cultural studies, and sociology as well as general readers.Trade Review‘If you want to understand the rapidly changing world of deepfakes, this is the place to start. Meikle shows how synthetic media emerge from social media, and he elegantly traces the ways in which they are embedded in complex dynamics of power, representation, and manipulation.’Kate Crawford, author of Atlas of AI ‘Deepfakes is an astute and accessible examination of the challenges and opportunities presented by synthetic media, providing a vital roadmap to answer the big question these technologies provoke: can we really trust what we see with our own eyes online?’Tama Leaver, Curtin UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1 What Are Deepfakes? Chapter 2 Synthetic Porn Chapter 3 Remix Aesthetics and Synthetic Media Chapter 4 Manipulating Trust Conclusion References Index
£14.24
