Entertainment Books

Book SynopsisGaelic Scotland is one of the world's great treasure-houses of song. In this anthology, Anne Lorne Gillies has gathered together music and lyrics from all over the Gaelic-speaking Highlands and Islands - an extraordinary tradition that stretches in an unbroken line from the bardic effusions of ancient times to the Celtic fusions of today's vibrant young Gaelic musicians and poets. They paint vivid pictures of life among ordinary Gaelic-speaking people, their hopes, fears and preoccupations, births, deaths and marriages, and personal reactions to the great changes that blew their lives about. Everything about this book is designed to make the songs accessible to musicians and general readers alike. Anne Lorne Gillies provides a unique and informative introduction to Gaelic tradition, simple yet highly sensitive musical transcriptions, and English translations. She portrays the social and historical background of the songs, offers her own commentary on technical aspects of the music and its performance, and adds carefully researched biographical notes and a full discography in order to bring to life not only the people who composed the songs but also some of the singers and musicians who have continued the tradition into the twenty-first century. Songs of Gaelic Scotland was winner of the 2006 Ruth Michaelis-Jena Ratcliff Prize in Folklore and Folklife.Trade Review'a panoramic view of the world of Gaelic song ... a superb achievement' -- John MacInnes'This book is unique in that it crosses the boundaries between music and literature. Nothing quite like it has ever been done for Gaelic. It is a truly wonderful achievement' * Scots Magazine *'a remarkable book ... both scholarly and entertaining. She walks a fine tightrope between encouraging innovation and respecting tradition, never once falling off' * Am Bratach *'beautiful and full of substance ... I believe that this book will be like a beacon that will last forever and be of untold value to generations still to come' * West Highland Free Press *

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Book SynopsisOver 90 healing stories for telling during difficult times, written and collated by acclaimed therapeutic storyteller Susan Perrow, including 30 contributions from different cultures and countries worldwide. The book covers issues of grief, bereavement, separation and loss. Chapters include: Loss of a Loved One; Loss of Place; Loss of Family Connection; Loss of a Pet; Loss of Health and Well-being; Other Kinds of Loss; Environmental Grief and Loss; Cycles of Life and Change; plus Patterns and Templates for Extension Activities (provided for some of the stories).The stories in this book are deeply tender, consoling gifts for children and adults who are wounded by overwhelming loss. They matter. A lot. Alida Gersie Ph.D. author of Storymaking in Bereavement. Dragons Fight in the Meadow.Grief is inevitable for everyone. Experiencing some kind of bereavement is something that none of us can avoid. So why are we so afraid to talk about it? This hopeful and uplifting book helps children and families make meaning after loss. It offers a grief toolkit' for sharing stories about a subject so often shrouded in silence and discomfort.Jane Harris, The Good Grief Project

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Book SynopsisIn the follow-up to his Judas Priest: Decade of Domination book, which looked at the band's career from inception through the Defenders of the Faith album of 1984, Martin Popoff now tackles the band's incendiary "hair metal" years through to the triumphant return to form of 2018's Firepower. In between, Popoff tackles the live albums, Glenn Tipton's solo excursion, Fight, Two and Halford... all that good stuff that resulted from the Metal God's split with the band before his celebrated return to the throne. Turbo, Ram It Down, Painkiller, Jugulator, Demolition, Angel of Retribution, Nostradamus, Redeemer of Souls, Firepower... this is the story of nine records all quite different from each other, and all the details and tales in between. What results is the story of more than thirty years of Priest history, including the making of 1990's Painkiller, a record considered by a younger generation of Priest fans to be the greatest slammin' collection of metal anthems the band ever concocted and rocked. Judas Priest: Turbo 'til Now includes extensive colour commentary from Popoff's many chats over the decades with those who were there, including Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing, Ian Hill, Scott Travis, Ripper Owens and Richie Faulkner, along with producers Tom Allom, Chris Tsangarides and Roy Z. The result is the most in-depth examination of Judas Priest's late '80s to present-day output ever attempted.

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Book SynopsisA fresh look at the ground-breaking artistic collaborations of the Ballets Russes, illuminated by a rich trove of visual material including music manuscripts, dance notations, stage and costume designs, and photographs of performers.

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Book SynopsisBy nearly any metric, Genesis is one of the most successful, influential, and enduring rock bands of all time. Naturally, the band’s fifty plus year career has also given rise to all kinds of related literature: some critical, some biographical, and some purely informational. That’s all well and good, but what if these didn’t have to be separate ideas? What if one book could somehow do it all? Play Me My Song is a blurring of the traditional boundaries of musical literature, approaching the music and history of Genesis from a multitude of angles in order to become something that is at once both truly unique and deeply comprehensive. Whatever kind of book you want to read about Genesis, this one is it. Comprised of extensive essays in varying styles about every single song and album in the entire Genesis catalogue, Play Me My Song blends song histories, musical analysis, critical reviews, autobiographical tales, the fun of countdowns, and a dash of pure silliness to create something extraordinary. It is, in essence, a book that sounds like Genesis. And the biggest book ever published on Genesis. Featuring: • All the songs: Coverage of all 197 songs and 15 studio albums Genesis ever produced, plus more! • In the band’s own words: A treasure trove of exhaustively researched quotes from the band members, conveniently aggregated into one place! • Counted down: Presented in worst-to-first order, you never know which song will pop up next!

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Book SynopsisOffers the first English translation of a modern adaption of King Stag, an 18th-century Italian fairy-tale play by Swiss dramatist René Morax (18731963) and director Werner Wolff (18861972).

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Book SynopsisThese short piano studies, all only 8 measures long, provide a fantastic quick resource for working on specific technical aspects - scales, legato, staccato, trills, arpeggios - from one of the most famous piano teachers of all time.160 kurze Übungen op. 821 für KlavierAls Klaviervirtuose und Schüler von namhaften Lehrern wie Beethoven, Clementi und Hummel wusste Carl Czerny, wie man sein Spiel optimal trainiert. Seine Kenntnisse teilt er in 80 Klavierschulen, die unzählige Etüden sammeln. Zur kurzen, intensiven Übung sind in dieser Ausgabe 160 Etüden gesammelt, die jeweils acht Takte lang sind. Dabei liegt der Fokus sowohl auf den Händen einzeln als auch auf beiden Händen und von technisch-rhythmischen Herausforderungen bis zu melodisch-lyrischen Stücken hat Czerny alle Nuancen berücksichtigt. Mit den meisten Stücken in schnellem Tempo und lebhafter Gestaltung sind diese Übungen eher für fortgeschrittene Schüler geeignet.

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Book SynopsisAt last a book that provides not only a complete set of scales and arpeggios across two, three and four octaves in many variations, including on a single string but also the necessary tools to master them. A novel and instructive publication that is destined to set the standard for years to come.Scales: Scales and Scale Studies for the ViolinEndlich ein Etüdenwerk, das nicht nur sämtliche Tonleitern und Arpeggien über zwei, drei und vier Oktaven, nur auf einer Saite und andere Varianten bietet, sondern auch die notwendigen Hilfsmittel, um sie zu meistern. Ein ebenso originelles wie effektives Lehrwerk, kurz: das Tonleiterbuch für das 21. Jahrhundert.

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Book SynopsisKahlil Joseph has collaborated with musicians FKA twigs, Flying Lotus, Sampha and Shabazz Palaces among many others. He has directed numerous films, music videos and advertisements across Africa, America and Europe. The award-winning filmmaker''s disruptive style which frequently merges visual representations of transcontinental experiences with the countercultural energies of Afrodiasporic music challenges the Eurocentric biases underpinning Western media. At the same time, his works generate various contradictions and tensions because they are themselves products situated within an economic framework of neoliberal capitalism, at once offering alternative ways of being while, simultaneously, participating in and thereby sustaining the social structures that they otherwise seek to subvert and dismantle.This is the first book-length study of Kahlil Joseph's work. Distinguishing the artist's personal and professional personas, it traces Joseph's career trajectory and artisti

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Book SynopsisMatthew Blackwell is a freelance music and culture writer. His writing has appeared in Pitchfork, Bandcamp Daily, Tone Glow, Tiny Mix Tapes, The Wire Magazine, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Since 2023 he has helmed Bandcamp Daily's Best Field Recordings column. He is currently based in Tenerife, Spain.

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Book SynopsisThe Inner Life of the Person Dying recounts the experience of facing one's death solely from the dying person's perspective, showing that-along with suffering, loss, anger, sadness, and fear-we can also feel courage, love, hope, transcendence, transformation, and even happiness as we die.Trade ReviewThe Inner Life of the Dying Person should be required reading for all those who work with or teach about the dying process. Kellehear sensitively and insightfully explores the multiplicity of reactions and emotions that individuals may experience at life's end. This book breaks new ground and is a major contribution to the field. -- Ken Doka, The Hospice Foundation of America This book provides us with a fascinating interdisciplinary insight into the way in which dying is experienced. Rather than focusing on institutional dying, Kellehear draws from the personal accounts of people who are dying from illnesses such ascancer and dementia, as well those facing execution in prison contemplating suicide, or suffering from the aftereffects of an accident. His project also takes him into the world of literature, poetry, autobiography, and internet blogs, where he sympathetically reviews people's experiences of suffering, fear, courage, sadness, anger, hope, love, reminiscence, aloneness, and transformation. This is an exceptional text that sensitively draws the reader into the inner lives of dying people. It is not only groundbreaking but heartfelt and, perhaps strange to say, incredibly uplifting. I would like to have this book beside me as I near my own end of life. -- Glennys Howarth, Plymouth University This book presents a viewpoint that has been largely unexplored. In felicitous prose, Allan Kellehear shows us that the experience of dying, viewed holistically, is life-embracing and life-affirming-a life-building, even transformative, process. Anyone who is concerned with care of the dying will benefit from becoming acquainted with The Inner Life of the Dying Person. -- Lynne Ann DeSpelder and Albert Lee Strickland, authors of The Last Dance: Encountering Death and Dying This book gives an excellent overview to healthcare providers who are preparing to work with terminal illness in hospitals and other palliative care settings. It is also a fascinating read for general audiences. Since all of us are going to die, knowing what we might face and how other people find meaning and maintain morale through the experience can give us a glimpse into what might lie ahead. I highly recommend this book. -- J. William Worden, Harvard Medical School The Inner Life of the Person Dying offers general readers a sketch of something less than they feared and something more complex, surprising, and wondrous than they might have first imagined, introducing readers to the most common personal elements of the journey of dying. Sir Read a Lot I can recommend this book to anyone who works in palliative care. It is well written and the discussion is well presented. IAHPC Kellehear...provides much needed insight into the world of the dying from their perspective instead of reports by healthcare professionals and other clinical observers... this book has brought us a major step forward in understanding the life of the dying person. PsycCRITIQUES This fresh look at the lived experience of dying will most definitely cause readers to challenge their preconceptions of the death journey. CHOICE I hope this innovative, thought-provoking, and at times brilliant work of public sociology will be read not only be end-of-life care professionals..., but by anyone curious about what their own end, and the ends of those they love, might be like. Sociology of Health and Illness An excellent index of sources and explanation of diverse ideas and death perspectives. Somatic Psycotherapy Today I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in humanity as well as those with a particular interest in all things end of life. Mortality JournalTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments 1. In the Beginning ... 2. Suffering-Enduring the New Reality 3. Fear-a Threat Observed 4. Courage-Facing the Overwhelming 5. Resistance-Facing the Choices 6. Sadness and Anger-Facing Loss 7. Hope and Love-Connection 8. Waiting-In-between-ness 9. Review and Reminiscence-Remembering 10. Aloneness-Disconnection 11. Transformation-Change, Change, Change 12. Some Final Reflections Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFabio Parasecoli identifies and defines the phenomenon of “gastronativism,” the ideological use of food to advance ideas about who belongs to a community and who does not. Featuring a wide array of examples from all over the world, this book is a timely, incisive, and lively analysis of how and why food has become a powerful political tool.Trade ReviewFabio Parasecoli draws on his deep international experience in this thoughtful analysis of how food gets ensnared in political ideology to separate “us” from “them.” Gastronativism argues convincingly that food systems are indeed global, and the sooner we get those systems to bring people together, the better. -- Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and HealthThis timely book clearly shows how foods have become tangible tools for people’s frustrations with global social change. Parasecoli unpacks the ‘gastronativist’ demands and actions of people and communities who use food to score political points, stoke vicious resentment, and resist globalization. His engaging and readable prose helps us understand the bitterness that can season contemporary food politics. -- Michaela DeSoucey, author of Contested Tastes: Foie Gras and the Politics of FoodThis book coins and explains the concept of gastronativism to help us understand how and why food has transformed into a powerful ideological tool. Using a wide array of timely examples from all over the world, Parasecoli shows how food is increasingly invoked in efforts to construct ideas of an ‘Us’ and a ‘Them,’ offering an important framework for understanding the ways food and identity-making intersect in our globalized world. -- Emma McDonell, coauthor of Critical Approaches to Superfoods[The author] makes the case in this book for why food is so useful as a political too. * Parliament *One of the strengths of Parasecoli’s far-ranging book is its ability to tie together seemingly disparate food-related phenomena into a coherent pattern through a wealth of examples. * Food Anthropology *This volume provides great resources, both through its content and its rich bibliography encompassing trade, food studies, political journalism, and heritage studies, and will provide an enlightening read for food studies students, scholars, and even those “cosmopolitan gastronomes” (p.87) among whom many of us likely figure. * Anthropology of Food *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Enter GastronativismPart I: Gastronativism1. Defending Privilege: Exclusionary Gastronativism2. Toward a Better Future: Non-Exclusionary GastronativismPart II: The Power of Food3. Food and Identity4. Food and PowerPart III: Borders and Flows5. Food, Nations, and Nationalism6. Food and Diplomacy7. National Products in the Global MarketPart IV: Between Here and There8. Migrant Food9. ContagionsConclusion: What Future?NotesIndex

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThe Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom have made Wes Anderson a prestige force. Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums have become quotable cult classics. Yet every new Anderson release brings out droves of critics eager to charge him with stylistic excess and self-indulgent eclecticism. Donna Kornhaber approaches Anderson''s style as the necessary product of the narrative and thematic concerns that define his body of work. Using Anderson''s focus on collecting, Kornhaber situates the director as the curator of his filmic worlds, a prime mover who artfully and conscientiously arranges diverse components into cohesive collections and taxonomies. Anderson peoples each mise-en-scéne in his ongoing ''Wesworld'' with characters orphaned, lost, and out of place amidst a riot of handmade clutter and relics. Within, they seek a wholeness and collective identity they manifestly lack, with their pain expressed via an ordered emotional palette that, despiteTrade Review"A readable and insightful analysis of a vital contemporary filmmaker . . . Highly recommended."--Choice "A decisive account of Anderson's movies, alive to their obvious charms, undaunted by their limits, and dedicated to activating their hidden potentials. This slim volume is both a sure introduction to Anderson's cinema and an authoritative reframing of the critical consensus. Anderson is the cinematic collector par excellence, and in this beautifully written study, Kornhaber plunges into the causes and consequences of that obsession in new and trenchant ways."--J. D. Connor, author of The Studios after the Studios: Neoclassical Hollywood, 1970–2010Table of ContentsCoverTitleContentsAcknowledgmentsA Collector's CinemaThe Reorganization of Life: An Interview with Wes AndersonFilmographyBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“The organizational structure is superb, as the concepts they’ve isolated seem excitingly to cut to the heart of Reichardt’s motifs. . . . These pages dazzlingly force their readers-as Reichardt’s films force their viewers their viewers- to reflect on the political implications of our empathy, or lack thereof, to imagine other kinds of relationships beyond empathy and judgment."--Cineaste "Kelly Reichardt remains well-reasoned and persuasive throughout in its detail and conviction, casting a keen eye towards the context of Reichardt's career, both in film and in the wider socio-political landscape. Perhaps most importantly of all, it is a tribute to and analysis of an invaluable, distinctively modern American director." --Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television "Fusco and Seymour's book offers a satisfyingly complex approach to the political import of her [Reichardt's] contributions to contemporary cinema." --ASAP Journal"An engaging and thoughtful book. Fusco and Seymour persuasively use political theory and affect studies to analyze Reichardt's unique deployment of realist traditions and the politics of temporality in her films. The authors' striking insights illuminate the filmmaker's style and her importance not only in contemporary art and indie cinema spheres but for American cinema more broadly."—Elena Gorfinkel, coeditor of Taking Place: Location and the Moving Image

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Book SynopsisConcise historical introduction to Johann Sebastian Bach and his continuing influence on the world and how we see it.Trade ReviewPraise for O Sing Unto the Lord: A History of English Church Music (2015): 'Andrew Gant, church musician to his fingertips, traces the history of the music we all reach for at important moments in our lives: his love of this imperishable repertoire, breadth of research and stylish, approachable writing add up to an indispensable guide to a great tradition - and a very good read.' Catherine Bott, Presenter, Classic FM 'Excellent...This authoritative and engaging history brings...light and warmth to the subject.' Sunday Times 'O Sing unto the Lord is an illuminating and entertaining history. . . Andrew Gant covers this vast territory in breezy, unbuttoned fashion, without recourse to pedantry or jargon.' Literary Review * . *Praise for Christmas Carols (2014): 'Gant provides such theological context as is necessary ... and engages in much helpful anecdote about the composers ... highly informative.' Spectator 'Gant writes with cheerfulness and fluency, invoking all sorts of interesting historical and political notes ... enjoyable' Country Life * . *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The choreography of cinematic creation is stunningly revealed in this learned and lively book. Finely historical with meticulous descriptions of directors, actors, and cameras in motion, Figures Traced in Light registers for the first time the abiding patterns of cinematic staging around the world and through the years." - Janet Walker, author of Trauma Cinema; "David Bordwell is undoubtedly the most productive and influential film historian at work today. His magisterial Figures Traced in Light combines incisive close analyses of compelling filmic artifacts with a painstaking attention to all pertinent research materials. Eschewing any abstract notion of Film, he stresses the labor, thought, and creativity which goes into the staging of individual films." - Eric Rentschler, Harvard University"Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. Staging and Style 2. Feuillade, or Storytelling 3. Mizoguchi, or Modulation 4. Angelopoulos, or Melancholy 5. Hou, or Constraints 6. Staging and Stylistics Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThrough conversations held with fifteen of the most accomplished contemporary cinematographers, the authors explore the working world of the person who controls the visual look and style of a film.Table of ContentsForeword Preface Introduction 1. Nestor Almendros 2. John Alonzo 3. John Bailey 4. Bill Butler 5. Michael Chapman 6. Bill Fraker 7. Conrad Hall 8. Laszlo Kovacs 9. Owen Roizman 10. Vittorio Storaro 11. MarioTosi 12. Haskell Wexler 13. Billy Williams 14. Gordon Willis 15. Vilmos Zsigmond Glossary Index

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year 2021""Longlisted for the Kraszna-Krausz Book Award, Moving Image Category""Longlisted for the National Translation Award, American Literary Translators Association""A revelation, a trove of snappy pieces that give the reader tantalizing glimpses of the mature film satirist."---Marc Weingarten, Washington Post"The brightest moments here let you watch a little more of the human comedy through Billy Wilder’s eyes. Few saw it as clearly he did or had more fun writing it down."---Jeremy McCarter, Wall Street Journal"Readers who come to Billy Wilder on Assignment to find the seeds of the films for which he is famous—nearly all of them, one assumes—will not be disappointed."---Ryan Ruby, Bookforum"A delicious compilation."---Tobias Grey, Financial Times ​​​​​"The most successful story in this collection, ‘Waiter, a Dancer, Please!,’ about being a hoofer for hire at a big hotel, is waspish and (if you allow for the choppy sentences) jazz-era excitable, New Yorker–ish, with a self-deprecating turn and a fairly urbane sense of the perfectly ridiculous."---Andrew O'Hagan, New York Review of Books"Long before he became the celebrated filmmaker of 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Some Like It Hot' and 'The Apartment,' a young Billy Wilder worked briefly as a dancer for hire in the ballroom of a fashionable Berlin hotel. As he described the endeavor . . . for a German newspaper in 1927, 'This is no easy way to earn your daily bread, nor is it the kind that sentimental, softhearted types can stomach. But others can live from it.' Wilder’s observations on his experience—from one of his many delightfully acerbic pieces of journalism anthologized in Billy Wilder on Assignment . . . get to the heart of our enduring obsessions with show business and the performing arts."---Dave Itzkoff, New York Times"Sharp and witty. . . . Full of glorious turns of phrase, entertaining narratives, and quirky characters. . . . . Thumbing through Wilder’s essays from the 1920s will make you feel as if you are enjoying yourself at a German coffeehouse, catching up on popular culture, and planning your next weekend adventure in the Weimar Republic. Isenberg and Frisch have done a great service for film historians and fans of classic Hollywood."---Chris Yogerst, Los Angeles Review of Books"An irresistible collection of articles, profiles, and reviews from Wilder’s salad-und-bratwurst days in Berlin, where he worked as a roving journalist, critic, and scene-maker between 1926 and 1930. . . . Isenberg is an expert guide to the Berlin-to-Hollywood axis, and Frisch is a veteran translator."---Thomas Doherty, Tablet Magazine"Billy Wilder on Assignment is, as my colleague, TIME Magazine film critic Stephanie Zacharek kvelled to me in an email, ‘the little book you didn’t know you needed.'"---Jordan Hoffman, Times of Israel"A must-read for film buffs and history aficionados alike."---Tobias Carroll, Inside Hook"This new volume takes in the most significant staging posts of Wilder’s early career."---Gavin Plumley, Literary Review"[Wilder] quickly moved on to Berlin and became a prolific writer of occasional pieces for papers such as Der Querschnitt and the Berliner Börsen Courier. Selections of these articles have been published before but are long out of print, and were never translated into English. Now, thankfully, Professor Isenberg of the University of Texas has put this frustrating situation to rights with a lively anthology, translated by Shelley Frisch into a brisk, punchy English which feels as though it must be an accurate reflection of the young Wilder’s original tone."---Jonathan Coe, Spectator"The opportunity to read Wilder’s journalism in English is welcome. . . . What’s particularly impressive, even slightly eerie, is how many times this young film buff and Americanophile wrote about people he would later work with in Hollywood." * Bookforum *"A delightful and illuminating collection."---Sam Wasson, Air Mail"There is no question that Billy Wilder on Assignment is the most historically important recent book exploring the early days of a major filmmaker. It compiles, for the first time, Wilder’s writings as a young freelance reporter in 1920s Berlin and Vienna. The result is an incredible glimpse of Wilder’s mind at a key age."---Christopher Schobert, The Film Stage"Billy Wilder On Assignment . . . explores the roots of one of Hollywood’s most accomplished and acclaimed directors in the fervid journalistic atmosphere of Central Europe between world wars. . . . Shelley Frisch—one of the nimblest and liveliest translators working today—renders Wilder’s journalism into an English that leaps off the page with deadline urgency. . . . Isenberg's collection offers those interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood valuable new insight into one of its most significant personalities. It is also a vivid account of the vanished world that helped shape Billy Wilder." * Wilson Quarterly *"Let it be said that Billy Wilder on Assignment – Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna, is an altogether wonderful read. In fact it reads as if a fine, literary, malt-whiskey."---David Marx, David Marx: Book Reviews"The new anthology Billy Wilder on Assignment proves Wilder's verbal and narrative gifts existed long before he set foot in Hollywood during the 1930s."---Dan Lybarger, Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette"Readers will have fun picking out elements, traits and incidents in these lively witty texts and attempting to match them with Wilder’s later cinematic masterpieces."---Alexander Adams, Alexander Adams Art"Billy Wilder on Assignment . . . provides a long-overdue translation of Billy Wilder’s early writings in German. . . . The anthology will be of interest to both the academic and general public."---Nora Gortcheva, EuropeNow"Very nice."---Tom Stoppard, Times Literary Supplement"In this first English-language compilation of Wilder’s early journalism . . . we can see the mischievous humour and love of snappy dialogue characteristic of his later movies."---Monica Porter, The Jewish Chronicle"Billy Wilder on Assignment: Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna is a revealing collection of his lively reportage from those two cities. . . . [The book] create[s] a portrait of a man who is so much more complex than a mere cynic."---Kevin Lally, Cineaste Magazine"“Billy Wilder on Assignment is a beautifully assembled collection of the early writings of a master storyteller whose body of work has entertained moviemakers and movie watchers for generations."---Leonora Cravotta, American Spectator

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThere is plenty in the book to substantiate Fassbinder's position as the exemplary European filmmaker of his day, plenty to back up the claim staked by the films themselves for an engaged and provocative cinema that can rival Hollywood on its own terms. Sight and SoundTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsPrefaceIntroductionOn Translating Rainer Werner FassbinderAcknowledgmentsPart I. Cinema between Autobiography and Social CriticismPart II. Fellow Filmmakers Pro and ConPart III. Projects and ControversiesPart IV. Literary Past/Cinematic PresentPart V. Monologues and ConfessionsNotesFilmographySelect BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 1 What You’re Not to Read 2 Foolish Assumptions 2 How This Book is Organized 3 Part 1: Preparing Your Body for Practicing 3 Part 2: Making Your Music Magical with Variety 3 Part 3: Working Out Your Range 3 Part 4: Advancing Your Singing Technique 4 Part 5: The Part of Tens 4 Icons Used in This Book 4 Where to Go from Here 5 Part 1: Preparing Your Body for Practicing 7 Chapter 1: Warming Up for Singing 9 Preparing Your Instrument: Stretching Out from Head to Toe 9 Opening and Positioning the Lower Body 10 Connecting your feet to the floor 10 Balancing on the ankles and knees 12 Distributing weight in the legs and hips 12 Positioning the Upper Body for Easy Movement 13 Lengthening your spine 13 Releasing the shoulders 14 Balancing the head and neck 15 Managing the arms and hands 16 Putting It All Together with a Vocal Warm-Up 16 Chapter 2: Practicing Breathing Exercises 19 Moving the Breathing Muscles for Singing 19 Opening the ribs 20 Releasing the abs 21 Moving the sides 21 Releasing into the hips 22 Take It In: Shaping Inhalation 22 Controlling the movement of your ribs 23 Adding suspension to develop coordination 23 Opening the torso for quick inhalation 24 Let It Out: Controlling Exhalation 25 Developing muscle coordination 25 Isolating muscles for extra-long phrases 27 Singing Practice Exercises with Long and Short Phrases 28 Practicing short phrases 28 Practicing longer phrases 29 Testing your breath control 30 Songs for Extending Breath Control 31 Chapter 3: Shaping the Tongue and Lips for Vowels 33 Coordinating the Tongue and Lips for Back Vowels 33 Shifting the arch around for ooh and ah 34 Altering your lip shape for oh and ah 35 Tackling the tricky vowels aw and OOh 36 Singing through the five back vowels 37 Positioning the Tongue for Front Vowels 38 Dropping the arch between ee and ih 39 Moving between ee and ay 40 Distinguishing between ee and eh 40 Comparing eh and a 41 Singing through the five front vowels 42 Alternating between Front and Back Vowels 43 Presenting the Middle Vowel, Uh 43 Singing Combination Vowels 44 Songs for Singing Vowels Precisely 46 Chapter 4: Articulating Consonants Accurately 47 Touching on the Tip Consonants 48 Exploring the voiced consonants L, N, and D 48 Distinguishing between voiced D and unvoiced T 49 Sounding out the voiced R 50 Singing unvoiced S and voiced Z 51 Moving the tip of the tongue to the teeth for TH 52 Singing through the consonants L, N, D, T, S, Z, and TH 53 Arching Back for Soft Palate Consonants 54 Practicing voiced G, unvoiced K, and voiced NG 54 Singing through the consonants K, G, and NG 56 Working on Lip Consonants 56 Practicing voiced consonants W and M 57 Alternating between voiced B and unvoiced P 58 Moving only the bottom lip for F and V 58 Singing through W, M, P, B, F, and V 59 Consonant Combos: Moving the Lips and Tongue 59 Puckering for voiced J and unvoiced CH 60 Moving air through SH and ZH 61 Singing through the consonants J, CH, SH, and ZH 61 Songs for Singing Various Consonants 62 Part 2: Making Your Music Magical with Variety 63 Chapter 5: Singing Precise Intervals for Musical Accuracy 65 Recognizing the Most Common Intervals 65 Major intervals 66 Minor intervals 67 Perfect intervals 68 Hearing the Small Intervals 68 Minor and major seconds: m2 and M2 68 Minor and major thirds: m3 and M3 69 Seconds and thirds in action 70 Finding Perfect Intervals 71 Identifying perfect intervals: P4 and P5 72 Working in unison: P8 73 Singing perfect intervals 73 Comparing the Larger Intervals 74 Minor and major sixths: m6 and M6 75 Minor and major sevenths: m7 and M7 75 Singing sixths and sevenths 76 Discovering Chromatics 77 Raising the pitch with sharps 77 Lowering the pitch with flats 78 Canceling an accidental 78 Working on Scales 79 Building scales with triads 79 Singing major scales 80 Singing minor scales 81 Practice Piece: “Singing All the Intervals” 83 Songs for Practicing Large Intervals 84 Chapter 6: You’ve Got Rhythm: Conquering Rhythmic Notation and Tempo 85 Rhythm Basics: Notes and Rests 85 The whole note 86 The half note 87 The quarter note 88 The eighth note 89 The sixteenth note 90 The corresponding rests 91 Practice piece: “The Rhythm Song” 92 Exploring Advanced Rhythms 93 Joining notes together with triplets 93 Adding more notes with dotted rhythms 94 Emphasizing the weaker beats with syncopation 95 Practice piece: “Checking Out Rhythm” 96 Managing Rhythm at Any Tempo 97 Songs for Working on Rhythm 98 Chapter 7: Adding Diversity with Dynamics, Articulation Marks, and More 99 Singing Dynamically 99 Reading the markings 100 Making a smooth crescendo 100 Gradually singing softer with a decrescendo 101 Mastering dynamic contrast 102 Articulating What’s Written 103 Connecting notes 104 Making a note short and sweet 104 Knowing when to let go 105 Practice Piece: “I Sing Out!” 105 Improvising to Give Songs Your Own Unique Stamp 107 Adding more words 107 Changing the rhythm 107 Altering the melody 107 Varying the tone 108 Songs for Improving Your Musical Diversity 108 Part 3: Working Out Your Range 109 Chapter 8: Checking Out Chest Voice 111 Getting Familiar with Chest Voice 111 Exploring the sounds of chest voice 112 Varying the heaviness in your chest voice 112 Strengthening your chest voice 114 Modifying vowels in chest voice 115 Practice Piece: “Finding My Chest Voice” 116 Songs That Work Out Your Chest Voice 118 Chapter 9: Soaring into Head Voice and Falsetto 119 Figuring Out Falsetto 119 Working out your falsetto 120 Taking falsetto down 121 Exploring various vowels in falsetto 122 Songs for singing in falsetto 122 Discovering Your Head Voice 123 Getting a feel for head voice 123 Exploring high resonance in head voice 124 Singing through consonants in head voice 125 Positioning Your Larynx for Fuller Head Voice Sounds 126 Stabilizing the larynx 126 Monitoring your larynx while singing 128 Managing many high phrases 129 Developing Your Head Voice Range 130 Creating spinning tone 131 Sustaining notes in your head voice 132 Songs for broadening your head voice range 133 Practice Piece: “A Bejeweled Love Song” 134 Chapter 10: Mixing Up Your Sound with Middle Voice 135 Discovering Your Middle Voice 135 Distinguishing male and female middle voice 136 Getting to know your middle voice 136 Strengthening your middle voice 137 Finding clear vowels in middle voice 138 Songs that work out the middle voice 140 Combining Registers with Mix 140 Knowing when to use a mix 141 Rolling into a mix 141 Changing around the mix 142 Songs that require a mix 143 Exploring Your Mix with a Few Practice Pieces 144 For the guys 144 For the gals 146 Chapter 11: Coordinating Register Transitions 149 Moving Smoothly between Registers 149 Dropping into chest voice 150 Changing back and forth from chest voice to middle voice 151 Climbing from middle voice to head voice 152 Leaping to and from Falsetto 153 Singing from falsetto into chest voice 153 Changing from chest voice to falsetto 154 Rolling back and forth from chest voice to falsetto 155 Refining Your Smooth Transitions 156 Shifting from middle voice to chest voice 156 Shifting from middle voice to head voice 157 Practice Piece: “Marching Forth” 158 Songs That Require Register Transitions 159 Part 4: Advancing Your Singing Technique 161 Chapter 12: Developing Your Vocal Tone 163 Touching on Tone Basics 163 Practicing the onset of tone 163 Opening the space to change the tone 165 Releasing tension to enhance tone 167 Coordinating breath to improve tone 167 Eliminating intonation issues 167 Creating Echoing Tone with Resonance 168 Finding your resonance 168 Using vowels to explore resonance 169 Varying where tone resonates in your body 170 Choosing the right resonance for a song 171 Varying Tone with Vibrato 171 Discovering vibrato 172 Changing between vibrato and straight tone 173 Practice Piece: “Changing Tone” 174 Songs for Developing Your Tone 176 Chapter 13: Expanding Your Vocal Agility 177 Exploring the Art of the Quick Breath 177 Catching your breath quickly in fast songs 178 Taking a quick breath 178 Howdy, Neighbor! Working on Stepwise Motion 179 Giving up control to get a feeling for agility 180 Stepping up the pace 180 Turning around on the tonic 182 Running to the top of the scale 183 Mastering Thirds 184 Singing every other step of the scale 184 Gaining momentum 186 Taking Musical Leaps with Larger Intervals 188 Starting on the top 188 Jumping up (or down) an octave 189 Practice Piece: “A Joyful Noise” 190 Songs for Flaunting Your Agility 191 Chapter 14: Belting It Out with Exercises from Beginner to Advanced 193 Getting Started with Belting Basics 194 Feeling belt transitions in the voice 194 Making a plan to develop your belt 195 Resonating All the Way to the Back Row 195 Chatting It Up 196 Buzzing your words on various pitches 197 Speaking chatty sounds on specific pitches 197 Working on your speaking range 198 Using different phrases to expand your speaking range 199 Developing Stamina for Belting 199 Comparing Belt and Mix 200 Changing from mix to belt on one note 201 Songs that move from mix to belt 201 Belting Your Face Off 202 Applying your belt sounds to a tune 202 Increasing your belt range 203 Developing vocal stamina 204 Testing Out Your Belt Sounds with Practice Pieces 205 “Don’t You Tell Me No Lie” 205 “It’s Time” 207 Cooling Down Your Voice after Belting 208 Songs for Beginner Belters Looking to Try Out Their Technique 208 Songs for Advanced Belters Looking for a Challenge 209 Part 5: The Part of Tens 211 Chapter 15: Ten Tips for Practicing Like a Pro 213 Set Aside Time to Focus on Singing 213 Plan What to Practice 214 Use the Exercises in This Book 214 Record Your Practice Sessions 215 Track Your Progress 215 Cool Down after Practicing 216 Know When to Rest 216 Get to Know Your Song and Your Story 217 Prepare for the Performance 218 Find Help from a Voice Teacher 218 Chapter 16: Ten Questions Singers Ask Frequently 219 What Style of Music is Right for My Voice? 219 When is a Song out of My Range? 219 Am I Tone Deaf or Just Singing Out of Tune? 220 How Do I Blend with Other Singers? 221 How Do I Blend My Voice with Instruments? 221 What’s the Best Way to Develop Vocal Endurance? 222 How Can I Maintain Proper Singing Posture While Playing an Instrument? 222 When (And What) Should I Eat before a Performance? 223 How Do I Get Over Stage Fright? 223 What Do I Have to Do to Keep My Voice Healthy? 224 Appendix: About the Website 225 Listening to the Audio Tracks 225 Customer Care 228

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Book SynopsisIn The Meaning of Soul, Emily J. Lordi proposes a new understanding of this famously elusive concept. In the 1960s, Lordi argues, soul came to signify a cultural belief in black resilience, which was enacted through musical practices—inventive cover versions, falsetto vocals, ad-libs, and false endings. Through these soul techniques, artists such as Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Isaac Hayes, and Minnie Riperton performed virtuosic survivorship and thus helped to galvanize black communities in an era of peril and promise. Their soul legacies were later reanimated by such stars as Prince, Solange Knowles, and Flying Lotus. Breaking with prior understandings of soul as a vague masculinist political formation tethered to the Black Power movement, Lordi offers a vision of soul that foregrounds the intricacies of musical craft, the complex personal and social meanings of the music, the dynamic movement of soul across time, and the leading role playedTrade Review“Emily J. Lordi’s The Meaning of Soul will likely be the most important book I'll read this decade. Lordi reminds us that to hear soul, one must actively listen to the winding ways of black folk. Lordi is the greatest listener this nation has created, and this book will remind us that liberation starts with black sound.” -- Kiese Laymon“An exquisite work of sound scholarship, The Meaning of Soul offers a new narrative of soul music that compels us to rethink what we have missed about the genre and the political moment it inhabited. It at last articulates a usable, inclusive definition of soul, filling a critical gap in our understanding of black music and sociopolitical experiences in the United States and across the diaspora." -- Zandria F. Robinson“Emily J. Lordi incisively and insightfully takes up the daunting task of resurrecting, dissecting, and disentangling soul’s wide-ranging legacy, spillage, and overlap in black popular culture, black academia, and radical black politics. Her generation-leaping contrasts of the soul and ‘post-soul’ era’s most spiritualized and radicalized avatars from James Brown to Beyoncé serve up poignant and often piquant musicological reveals about classic, epochal recordings of Civil Rights-era and contemporary vintage. Lordi illuminates the evolutionary artistry that ensures the poetics, production, and ethos of soul kulcha sustain staying power as a haunted (and hainted) arbiter of black resilience, resistance, and embattled maroon futurism. With wit, detail, and ruminative verve Lordi narrates and interrogates how the journey of the soul meme’s movements within musical blackness navigates a crossroads full of split desire for both incendiary grassroots action and an infinity of intimate release.” -- Greg Tate"Lordi’s distinct takes on the genre are refreshing, built on close listening to artists like Riperton and Donny Hathaway and explorations of albums that reside outside the soul canon." * Kirkus Reviews *"The Meaning of Soul is a thoughtful, lively journey through rich musical archives that expands the definition of what it means to be a soul artist." -- Rachel Jagareski * Foreword Reviews *"Lordi vividly illustrates that soul artists offer models of black resistance, joy, and community through their songs. This is a must-read for musicologists, critics, and fans of soul." (Starred Review) * Publishers Weekly *"Lordi’s book is essential reading, for she brilliantly guides us to reconsider the meaning of soul and to redefine it." -- Henry Carrigan * No Depression *"A strong choice for libraries supporting African American studies or popular American music programs." -- Jeffrey Hastings * Library Journal *"Detailing not only the evolution of the genre but of the criticism surrounding it, The Meaning Of Soul is a heartfelt appreciation as well as a welcome addition to the scholarly soul canon." -- Michael A Gonzales * The Wire *"Few cultural theorists listen to music this well or joyfully; few critics place their judgments and pleasures within as persuasive a theoretical framework." -- Keith Harris * CityPages *"With welcoming prose that belies its density, The Meaning of Soul focuses on ostensibly unconventional creative choices: soul singers’ covers of songs written by white artists; ad-libs, improvisations, and mistakes; the uses of falsetto and the 'false endings' that trickle throughout the oeuvres of many Black artists. She is attentive to the significant contributions of the female architects of the genre. . . . Lordi gives a deft, concise accounting of soul music’s political and social milieu." -- Danielle A. Jackson * Bookforum *“Meaning of Soul is a needed corrective, challenging how scholarship and much of popular culture remembers the soul music era. Lordi refuses descriptions of the era that only allow its brightest stars and biggest names full consideration.... Her work serves as an exemplar for inclusive genre analysis that makes room for musical possibility.” -- Fredara Mareva Hadley * Journal of Musicological Research *"Lordi’s love for soul music, vibrant writing, and analytical acumen coalesce in a book that is difficult to put down. Readers are unlikely to hear soul music the same way ever again. Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals; general readers." -- S. Graham * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction: Keeping On 1 1. From Soul to Post-soul: A Literary and Musical History 19 2. We Shall Overcome, Shelter, and Veil: Soul Covers 46 3. Rescripted Relations: Soul Ad-libs 74 4. Emergent Interiors: Soul Falsettos 101 5. Never Catch Me: False Endings from Soul to Post-soul 126 Conclusion. "I'm Tired of Marvin Asking Me What's Going On": Soul Legacies and the Work of Afropresentism 150 Notes 165 Index 205

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Book SynopsisDrawing on cultural policy, queer and feminist theory, materialist media studies, and postcolonial historiography, Bliss Cua Lim analyzes the crisis-ridden history of Philippine film archiving—a history of lost films, limited access, and collapsed archives. Rather than denigrate underfunded Philippine audiovisual archives in contrast to institutions in the global North, The Archival Afterlives of Philippine Cinema shows how archival practices of making do can inspire alternative theoretical and historical approaches to cinema. Lim examines formal state and corporate archives, analyzing restorations of the last nitrate film and a star-studded lesbian classic as well as archiving under the Marcos dictatorship. She also foregrounds informal archival efforts: a cinephilic video store specializing in vintage Tagalog classics; a microcuratorial initiative for experimental films; and guerilla screenings for rural Visayan audiences. Throughout, Lim centers the improvisational creaTrade Review“In this timely and consequential book, Bliss Cua Lim summons a history of Philippine cinema that disrupts settled idioms of archival recuperation, restoration, and reparation. Through a dazzling and detailed analysis of the material, historical, and political precarity of Philippine cinema, Lim centers the afterlives of filmic archives sustained through institutional and community efforts. The Archival Afterlives of Philippine Cinema demands a much-needed cinematic history that conjoins the experiences, histories, and violence of a collective past and present.” -- Anjali Arondekar, author of * Abundance: Sexuality’s History *“Bliss Cua Lim unveils a searing and unforgettable saga of official neglect, false starts, waste, indifference, arcane politics, and amnesia that have tragically deprived the Philippines of so much of its film heritage. She also reveals the extensive grassroots activism, optimism, and spirit of persistence that will ultimately bring a lasting solution. This story will resonate with audiovisual archivists, memory professionals, and cultural advocates around the world.” -- Ray Edmondson, author of * Audiovisual Archiving: Philosophy and Principles *Table of ContentsAcronyms ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction. Keywords for Philippine Cinema’s Archival Afterlives 1 1. A Tale of Three Buildings: Marcos Cultural Policy and Anarchival Temporality 51 2. Silence, Perseverance, and Survival in State-Run Philippine Film Archives 76 3. Privatization and the ABS-CBN Film Archives 107 4. Queer Anachronisms and Temporalities of Restoration: T-Bird at Ako 133 5. Informal Archiving in a Riverine System: Video 48 and the Kalampag Tracking Agency 173 6. Binisaya: Archival Power and Vernacular Audiences in Iskalawags 214 Epilogue. Of Audiences and Archival Publics: Pepot Artista 256 Notes 277 Bibliography 339 Index 375

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Book SynopsisDance Partnering Basics: Practical Skills and Inclusive Pedagogy With HKPropel Access presents easy-to-implement, technique-based partnering instruction for dancers of all ages. The exercises and techniques, which are broken down into parts and presented in a skill progression, from beginner to advanced, can be applied to a variety of dance forms. The book offers a plethora of tools to help dance educators in providing expert partnering instruction: 18 illustrated exercises that teach techniques, mechanics, and individual partnered skills; each exercise includes additional variations and explorations Tips for developing a partnering component and integrating it into an existing dance program or curriculum Related online materials delivered via HKPropel, including video clips demonstrating partnering exercises, vocabulary, questions for discussion and reflection, and assessments and rubrics to help assess student progress IncTable of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction to Dance PartneringChapter 2. Time: Getting Started Exercise 1: Grasp and Clasp Exercise 2: Trust Building Exercise 3: Active and Passive Exercise 4: Weight Sharing Exercise 5: Counterbalance Exercise 6: Shelves and LedgesChapter 3. Weight: Digging Deeper Exercise 7: Draping Exercise 8: Airplanes Exercise 9: Redirection and Leverage Exercise 10: Under, Over, and Through Exercise 11: Falling and Rocking Exercise 12: Assisted InversionsChapter 4. Energy and Flow: Activating Creativity Exercise 13: Hip Rides Exercise 14: Promenade Exercise 15: Traditional Lifts Exercise 16: Initiation and Suggestion Exercise17: Rolling Points Exercise 18: Me ScoreChapter 5. Space: Fostering Community and Inclusive Pedagogy

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Book SynopsisA collection of essays -- early seminal works as well as freshinterpretations -- on the famous German expressionist film,Metropolis. Fritz Lang's classic 1927 film Metropolis has justifiably become an icon for the complexities of Weimar culture. Among the important general issues it also raises are the relation between ideology and art, the status and authorship of the film text in the entertainment market, the city, the construction of gender, the relation between the human body and the machine in modernity, and the relation between mass and high culture. This volume provides abroad range of materials and resources for the study of Lang's film, including both well-known, previously published critical essays and contributions appearing for the first time here. The editors provide a two-part introductionthat furnishes context for what follows: Bachmann's part deals with the genesis, production, and contemporary reception of the film, while Minden's defines the problems posed by the text and reviews thesolutions to these problemsas proposed by later generations of critics.The first part of the book proper includes selected contemporaryreviews, commentary by Fritz Lang and others involved in the making ofthe film, and extracts from Thea von Harbou's original novel. In the second part, eight modern scholars provide fresh essays on the genesis, promotion, and reception of the film. Approximately half of the material in the volume has never before appeared in print. The volume will appealto students of German, film, cultural and intellectual history, and social theory. Michael Minden is University Lecturer in German at Cambridge University and a fellow of Jesus College. Holger Bachmann received hisPh.D. from Cambridge on Arthur Schnitzler and film.Trade ReviewA must-have acquisition... Of great value for the contemporary and modern information related to the film's production, distribution and reconstruction. -- CARL BENNETTCombines the perspectives of the archives and of film theory in exemplary ways....The anthology is bound to be of great interest to anyone teaching German film. * GERMAN QUARTERLY *... a large and substantial gathering of high quality academic film criticism. * UTOPIAN STUDIES *

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisMost people know that Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) was a Hollywood icon, and at one time the most famous movie star on the planet. What, perhaps, they don't know is that she lived in 42 different homes; that she loved Abraham Lincoln with a passion; that she was the first choice for the role of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's; and that her absences while filming Let's Make Love added 28 days to the shooting time and $1 million to the budget. Biographic: Marilyn presents an instant impression of her life, work and legacy, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the actor behind the movies.

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Book SynopsisThe Biographic series presents an entirely new way of looking at the lives of the world's greatest thinkers and creatives. It takes the 50 defining facts, dates, thoughts, habits and achievements of each subject, and uses infographics to convey all of them in vivid snapshots. Each Biographic title is designed to be as entertaining as it is informative. Timelines not only pinpoint significant dates, but set them in the context and culture of their times. Dynamic maps locate biographical events alongside other points of interest. Character traits are illuminated by visual comparisons. Most people know that Ludwig van Beethoven(1770–1827) was a German composer, a musical prodigy whose Symphony No. 5 is recognisable the world over from its opening four notes. What, perhaps, they don't know is that he was almost completely deaf for nearly half his life; that his father would often lie about when Beethoven was born to make his talents seem even more astonishing; that he wrote a sonata to be played with building implements and called it the "Hammer-Klavier Sonata'; and that he dedicated works to Napoleon and a dead poodle. Biographic: Beethoven presents an instant impression of his life, work and legacy, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the composer behind the compositions. AUTHOR: Marcus Weeks studied Music and Musical Instrument Technology, and worked as a Music teacher, piano technician and composer before becoming a full-time writer. He has written extensively on music, philosophy and psychology.

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Book SynopsisThe Beatles In Pictures celebrates one of history's most recognised iconic groups. The best-selling band in history, with sales of over a billion, The Beatles John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr have had more number-one albums and sold more singles in the UK than any other act, and achieved more sales in the USA than any other artist. Photography in the book includes: . Personal moments . Backstage on tour . Action shots on stage . Crowds, fans and frenzied streets They became one of the most critically acclaimed acts in popular music. Formed in Liverpool in 1960, The Beatles had their roots in skiffle and 1950s rock 'n' roll, but as their career progressed, they dabbled in many musical forms, including pop ballads and psychedelic rock. In the early days, they honed their skills playing clubs in their hometown and Hamburg, Germany, while manager Brian Epstein polished their act. He brokered a record deal with EMI producer George Martin, who helped the band maximise their musical potential. The Beatles' first single, Love Me Do, was released in 1962, becoming a modest hit. Towards the end of that year, they recorded Please Please Me, their first number one. The following year saw the advent of Beatlemania, and they became known as the 'Fab Four'; by early 1964, they had become international stars, leading the so-called 'British Invasion' by musical acts of the United States. Their stature grew throughout the remainder of the 1960s, even though their last commercial concert took place in 1966. During that time, they released many influential and innovative albums, including Revolver, Sgt: Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. This book takes a nostalgic and affectionate look at Britain's most famous pop group, from their early days in the 1960s to the band's break-up, with the aid of almost 300 photographs from the extensive archives of Mirrorpix. 300 photographs

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Book SynopsisA complete new edition of Beethoven's conversation books, now translated into English in their entirety for the first time. Covering a period associated with the revolutionary style of what we call "late Beethoven", these often lively and compelling conversations are now finally accessible in English for the scholar and Beethoven-lover. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is recognized the world over as a composer of musical masterpieces exhibiting heroic strength, particularly in the face of his increasing deafness from ca. 1798. By 1818, the Viennese composer hadbegun carrying blank booklets with him, for his acquaintances to jot their sides of conversations, while he answered aloud. Often, he himself used the pocket-sized booklets to make shopping lists and other reminders, including occasional early sketches for his compositions. Today, 139 of these booklets survive, covering the years 1818 up to the composer's death in 1827 and including such topics as music, history, politics, art, literature, theatre, religion, and education as perceived on a day-to-day basis in post-Napoleonic Europe. An East German edition, begun in the 1960s and essentially complete by 2001, represents a diplomatic transcription of these documents. It is a masterpiece of pure scholarship but is difficult to use for anyone who is not a specialist. Moreover, Beethoven scholarship has moved on significantly since the long-ranging genesis of the German edition. These important booklets arehere translated into English in their entirety for the first time. The volumes in this series include an updated editorial apparatus, with revised and expanded notes and many new footnotes exclusive to this edition, and brand newintroductions, which together place many of the quickly changing conversational topics into context. Due to the editor's many years of research in Vienna, his acquaintance with its history and topography, as well as his familiarity with obscure documentary resources, this edition represents an entirely new venture in source studies - vitally informative for scholars not only in music but also in a wide variety of disciplines. At the same time, these oftenlively and compelling conversations are now finally accessible for the English-speaking music lover or history buff who might want to dip into them and hear what Beethoven and his friends were discussing at the next table. THEODORE ALBRECHT is Professor of Musicology at Kent State University, Ohio.Trade Review[T]hese volumes are welcome additions to the literature. They contain much of value for those interested in the last decade of Beethoven's life, particularly concerning his social circle, his daily routine, and his ideas and beliefs. One can only hope that the remaining ten volumes are published soon. -- Marten Noorduin * NOTES, THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION *Featured in the10 must-read books for Beethoven 250, * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *[A] monumental endeavor. . . . Thanks to Albrecht's Herculean task, the interdisciplinary work of scholars in German studies, linguists, historians, musicologists, anthropologists, and other Beethoven-investigating scholars should and can begin their share of work in trying to make sense of these un-premeditated fragments of premodern life in Metternich-period Vienna. -- Peter Höyng * JOURNAL OF AUSTRIAN STUDIES *A very professional translation...conversations about wine, travel arrangements, the value of bank shares, the best stationery shop for quills, pretty waitresses, a malfunctioning stove, how Karl's Greek examination went...this helps the process of de-mythologizing Beethoven the man - but not devaluing Beethoven the composer. * BRIO *Important and fascinating...the books give a remarkable record of Beethoven's activities during the period, revealing a great deal not only about matters that preoccupied him...but also his daily routine, movements and eating habits. * THE CONSORT *These remarkable documents provide a fascinating glimpse into Beethoven's daily life, activities, interests, concerns, and opinions during his last decade. . . . Theodore Albrecht undertook the formidable task of not only translating all 139 books (Hefte) and presenting them in 'modern conversational American English' but also of providing copious footnotes that clarify identities of writers and details of chronology and context. * THE BEETHOVEN JOURNAL *An extraordinary in-depth portrait of the composer's last years...state-of-the-art scholarship in an enjoyably accessible manner. Five Stars, Michael Church, * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *[A] noble effort which for almost 200 years many people have thought important enough to compile. The fact the hefts [books] still exist after two 20th Century wars is amazing. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *A brilliantly accessible piece of scholarship. . . . As they flash from scene to scene, with a huge cast of characters taking turns in the spotlight, these extraordinary little books read like a film script, with a laconic but massive presence at its heart. It's a goldmine for music historians, and a riveting saga for the rest of us. -- Michael Church * BBC Music Magazine *Table of ContentsGeneral Introduction to the English Edition Heft 1 (ca. February 26, 1818 - after March 2, 1818) Heft 2 (March 17, 1819 - after May 15/16, 1819) Heft 3 (November 20, 1819 - ca. December 6, 1819) Heft 4 (December 7, 1819 - December 12, 1819) Heft 5 (December 13, 1819 - December 30, 1819) Heft 6 (ca. January 7, 1820 - January 26, 1820) Heft 7 (ca. January 27, 1820 - February 22, 1820) Heft 8 (ca. February 22, 1820 - ca. March 11, 1820) Appendix A: Descriptions of the Conversation Books in Volume 1 Bibliography

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