Entertainment Books
Transworld Publishers Ltd Paul Weller
Book SynopsisPaolo Hewitt grew up in care in Woking in the 1960s and 70s, an experience he chronicled in his acclaimed memoir, The Looked After Kid. He moved to London in 1980 to become a music journalist and worked for Melody Maker and NME. In the early 1990s Paolo gave up full-time journalism to write his first novel, Heaven's Promise. He has since written biographies of The Jam, The Small Faces, Oasis and Steve Marriott. He lives in London.Trade ReviewPowerful and even emotional ... probably one of the best books about what it's like to be a Famous Person's Friend. And it's almost certainly the definitive Weller biography. * The Word *Fascinating... Hewitt pries into the dark corners of a personality that has long been kept under lock and key. * Guardian *A one-off... an intimate picture of a seemingly arrogant man * Metro *
£11.69
Transworld Publishers Ltd Strydom C Sugar Man
Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1972, during a compulsory stint in the South African military, Stephen ''Sugar'' Segerman heard the music that would forever change his life. A decade later, on yet another military base, Craig Bartholomew Strydom heard the same music. It would have a profound effect. Who was this folk singer who resonated with South Africa''s youth? No one could say. All that anyone knew was his name - Rodriguez - and the fact that he had killed himself on stage after reading his own epitaph.After many years of searching in a pre-internet age, Strydom with support from Segerman found the musician not dead but alive and living in seclusion in Detroit. Even more remarkable was the fact that Rodriguez, no longer working as a musician and struggling to eke out a blue-collar existence, had no idea that he had been famous for over 25 years in a remote part of the world...
£11.69
Boosey & Hawkes Inc Meredith Monk Piano Album II Piano Solo or 2
Book Synopsis
£17.99
Hal Leonard Corporation rhapsody in Blue 7 Other ClassicalBased Jazz
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£14.44
Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation Sister Act Sister Act 2 Back in the Habit
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£13.49
Boosey & Hawkes Inc Old American Songs
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£16.99
University of Minnesota Press Zombie Theory: A Reader
Book SynopsisZombies first shuffled across movie screens in 1932 in the low-budget Hollywood film White Zombie and were reimagined as undead flesh-eaters in George A. Romero’s The Night of the Living Dead almost four decades later. Today, zombies are omnipresent in global popular culture, from video games and top-rated cable shows in the United States to comic books and other visual art forms to low-budget films from Cuba and the Philippines. The zombie’s ability to embody a variety of cultural anxieties—ecological disaster, social and economic collapse, political extremism—has ensured its continued relevance and legibility, and has precipitated an unprecedented deluge of international scholarship. Zombie studies manifested across academic disciplines in the humanities but also beyond, spreading into sociology, economics, computer science, mathematics, and even epidemiology. Zombie Theory collects the best interdisciplinary zombie scholarship from around the world. Essays portray the zombie not as a singular cultural figure or myth but show how the undead represent larger issues: the belief in an afterlife, fears of contagion and technology, the effect of capitalism and commodification, racial exclusion and oppression, dehumanization. As presented here, zombies are not simple metaphors; rather, they emerge as a critical mode for theoretical work. With its diverse disciplinary and methodological approaches, Zombie Theory thinks through what the walking undead reveal about our relationships to the world and to each other.Contributors: Fred Botting, Kingston U; Samuel Byrnand, U of Canberra; Gerry Canavan, Marquette U; Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, George Washington U; Jean Comaroff, Harvard U; John Comaroff, Harvard U; Edward P. Comentale, Indiana U; Anna Mae Duane, U of Connecticut; Karen Embry, Portland Community College; Barry Keith Grant, Brock U; Edward Green, Roosevelt U; Lars Bang Larsen; Travis Linnemann, Eastern Kentucky U; Elizabeth McAlister, Wesleyan U; Shaka McGlotten, Purchase College-SUNY; David McNally, York U; Tayla Nyong’o, Yale U; Simon Orpana, U of Alberta; Steven Shaviro, Wayne State U; Ola Sigurdson, U of Gothenburg; Jon Stratton, U of South Australia; Eugene Thacker, The New School; Sherryl Vint, U of California Riverside; Priscilla Wald, Duke U; Tyler Wall, Eastern Kentucky U; Jen Webb, U of Canberra; Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, Central Michigan U.Table of ContentsContentsIntroduction: Wander and Wonder in ZombielandSarah Juliet LauroPart I. Old Schools: Classic Zombies1. Contagious Allegories: George RomeroSteven Shaviro2. Zombie TV: Late-Night B Movie Horror FestJeffrey Andrew Weinstock3. Viral Cultures: Microbes and Politics in the Cold WarPriscilla Wald4. Slaves, Cannibals, and Infected Hyper-Whites: The Race and Religion of ZombiesElizabeth McAlister5. Slavoj Žižek, the Death Drive, and Zombies: A Theological AccountOla SigurdsonPart II. Capitalist Monsters6. Some Kind of Virus: The Zombie as Body and as TropeJen Webb and Samuel Byrnand7. Ugly Beauty: Monstrous Dreams of UtopiaDavid McNally8. Alien-Nation: Zombies, Immigrants, and Millennial CapitalismJean Comaroff and John Comaroff9. Zombies of Immaterial Labor: The Modern Monster and the Consumption of the SelfLars Bang Larsen10. Abject Posthumanism: Neoliberalism, Biopolitics, and ZombiesSherryl VintPart III. Zombies and Other(ed) People11. Zombie RaceEdward P. Comentale12. Taking Back the Night of the Living Dead: George Romero, Feminism, and the Horror FilmBarry Keith Grant13. Dead and Live Life: Zombies, Queers, and Online SocialityShaka McGlotten14. Dead and Disabled: The Crawling Monsters of The Walking DeadAnna Mae Duane 15. Trouble with Zombies: Muselmänner, Bare Life, and Displaced PeopleJon StrattonPart IV. Zombies in the StreetPreface: In Memoriam: The Toronto Zombie Walk (2003–2015)Sarah Juliet Lauro16. Zombie London: Unexceptionalities of the New World OrderFred Botting17. Spooks of Biopower: The Uncanny Carnivalesque of Zombie WalksSimon Orpana18. The Scene of OccupationTavia Nyong’o19. The Walking Dead and Killing State: Zombification and the Normalization of Police ViolenceTravis Linnemann, Tyler Wall, and Edward GreenPart V. New Life for the Undead20. Nekros: or, The Poetics of Biopolitics Eugene Thacker21. Grey: A Zombie EcologyJeffrey Jerome Cohen22. A Zombie Manifesto: The Nonhuman Condition in the Era of Advanced CapitalismSarah Juliet Lauro and Karen Embry23. “We Arethe Walking Dead”: Race, Time, and Survival in Zombie NarrativeGerry CanavanAcknowledgmentsContributorsPrevious PublicationsFurther ReadingIndex
£23.39
Faber & Faber A Beautiful Mind
Book SynopsisA Beautiful Mind is Sylvia Nasar''s award-winning biography about the mystery of the human mind, the triumph over incredible adversity, and the healing power of love.At the age of thirty-one, John Nash, mathematical genius, suffered a devastating breakdown and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Yet after decades of leading a ghost-like existence, he was to re-emerge to win a Nobel Prize and world acclaim. A Beautiful Mind has inspired the Oscar-winning film directed by Ron Howard and featuring Russell Crowe in the lead role of John Nash.
£13.49
Hal Leonard Corporation Monty Python FAQ
Book SynopsisNi! Peng! Nee-wom! Applause Theatre & Cinema Books revered and august publisher of weighty tomes on all things histrionic is proud to present ÊMonty Python FAQ: All That''s Left to Know About Spam Grails Spam Nudging Bruces and SpamÊ the only 127% unauthorized guide to the greatest comedy troupe to ever feature Graham Chapman John Cleese Terry Gilliam Eric Idle Terry Jones and Michael Palin to what is doubtlessly an astute and discerning global audience! Written in Applause''s popular FAQ format this behemoth pack a broad range of historical trivia trivial history illicit paraphernalia and sophomoric overeducation into a tastefully apportioned ranged of eminently readable silly-walk-accessible chapters sure to delight Python newcomers and veterans alike.ÞRather than offering narrow analyses of the quintet''s work ÊMonty Python FAQÊ ganders at the big picture tracing the Pythons across space time and media format. This noble quest for meaning leaves no turn unston
£13.49
Rowman & Littlefield Inside the Star Wars Empire
Book SynopsisInside the Star Wars Empire is the very funny and insightful tell-all about the two decades author Bill Kimberlin spent as a department director at LucasFilm Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), the special effects studio founded by the legendary filmmaker George Lucas.
£18.04
Faber & Faber By Richard Kelly The Donnie Darko Book 1st
Book Synopsis''Extraordinary . . . Film of the year.'' Sleazenation''Magnificently bizarre . . . Wonderful.'' Empire''Unlike anything you''ll have seen before . . . Honestly mind-blowing.'' BBC Radio 1''Stunning . . . Totally original.'' Time Out''Dazzling . . . Demands a second viewing.'' Total FilmThe critical and audience response made Donnie Darko the cult film of the year - one whose dark ambiguities caused audiences to go back to the film again and again trying to fathom its mysteries.This book brings its readers further into the world of Donnie Darko and its creator Richard Kelly. Contained within these pages are an in-depth interview with Richard Kelly who recounts the gestation of the film; the screenplay; photos and drawings from the film and artwork inspired by it.Donnie Darko will never surrender up all its mysteries, but this book will be an indispensable guide into its intriguing world.
£12.99
Faber & Faber Rip it Up and Start Again Postpunk 19781984
Book SynopsisIn this, the first book to take a big-picture view of the entire post punk period, acclaimed author and music journalist Simon Reynolds recreates a time of tremendous urgency and idealism in pop music. Full of anecdote and insight, and featuring the likes of Joy Division, The Fall, Pere Ubu, PiL and Talking Heads, Rip It Up And Start Again stands as one of the most inspired and inspiring books on popular music ever written.Trade Review"'I had never expected there to be a book on this subject; had I done so, I would never have dared to hope it could be as good as this.' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian Book of the Week"
£13.49
University of Minnesota Press Stomping the Blues
Book SynopsisIn this classic work of American music writing, renowned critic Albert Murray argues beautifully and authoritatively that “the blues as such are synonymous with low spirits. Not only is its express purpose to make people feel good, which is to say in high spirits, but in the process of doing so it is actually expected to generate a disposition that is both elegantly playful and heroic in its nonchalance.” In Stomping the Blues Murray explores its history, influences, development, and meaning as only he can. More than two hundred vintage photographs capture the ambiance Murray evokes in lyrical prose. Only the sounds are missing from this lyrical, sensual tribute to the blues.
£13.29
Schott Music Ltd Play It Again: Piano Book 1
Book SynopsisDid you use to play the piano? And would you like to play again?This is the first of three books of Play it again: Piano. It will reunite you with the keyboard using real pieces from the piano repertoire to teach specific techniques and tips, to get you playing fluently once again. The level of pieces in this first book progresses from around UK grades 1 to 4 (elementary to intermediate).I used to play the pianoAimed at returning' players who have spent some time away from the keyboard, Play it again: Piano gives you the confidence to revisit this fulfilling pastime and go beyond what you previously thought you could achieve. Each of the 28 pieces in Book 1 is accompanied by two full pages of easy-to-understand practice tips, all designed to get your fingers speeding comfortably across the keys once again! There are more comprehensive Piano Technique and Theory sections at the front and back of each book, so you can also delve deeper to regain a fuller understanding of music and technique.A refresher course for all abilitiesEach book is arranged in 4 progressive sections, with Book 1 moving from Elementary' to Intermediate', and Book 2 taking you from Late Intermediate' to Late Advanced'. Dip in and out wherever your level of playing suits: this two-book course starts with simple and elegant miniatures and concludes with the famously showy Prelude in C-sharp minor by Rachmaninoff! Confident pianists could start with Book 2, but there is a wealth of delightful repertoire and valuable practice tips in Book 1 it's always useful to go back to basics'.From Schumann to shufflesBaroque, Classical and Romantic works sit alongside Jazz, Ragtime, contemporary or traditional pieces at every level, so each lesson brings something different and you'll learn to play in a range of styles, some of which may be new to your fingers.If you often find yourself saying I used to play the piano but wish you still did, then Play it again: Piano is the resource for you!PLAY IT AGAIN: PIANO BOOK 1 - press reviews"Spanswick''s approachable and methodical tone is appealing and emphasises musicianship."American Music Teacher Journal"Highlight recommended!"Music Teacher Magazine"Genuinely brilliant!"Andrew Eales - Pianodao.com"These books are well-presented and contain plenty of sound and helpful advice for restarters."Pianist MagazineInstrumentation:piano
£15.19
Columbia University Press Cinema in the Digital Age
Book SynopsisThis updated edition of Cinema in the Digital Age takes a fresh look at the state of digital cinema. It pays special attention to the ways in which nostalgia for the look and feel of analogue disrupts the aesthetics of the digital image and examines how recent films have disguised and erased their digital foundations.Trade ReviewOver the last several decades, digital technologies have profoundly changed the ways that movies are made, as well as the ways that we watch them. But these changes are neither simple nor straightforward. In Cinema in the Digital Age, Nicholas Rombes surveys these changes with a kaleidoscopic collage of observations, suggestions, and extrapolations. -- Steven Shaviro, DeRoy Professor of English, Wayne State UniversityNicholas Rombes' updated version of Cinema in the Digital Age is a playful and provocative work. His book offers a compelling and creative approach to film criticism grounded in the material aspects of digital media as it becomes our everyday mode for making, distributing, watching, and sharing movies. -- Chuck Tryon, Fayetteville State UniversityThe rise of digital has changed not only the ways films are made, but the ways they are watched, thought, and dreamed about. In this revised edition of his groundbreaking Cinema in the Digital Age, Nicholas Rombes thrillingly identifies the essential films, technologies and practices emblematizing the rupture of digital before peering, with both anxiety and excitement, into the pixel-smeared wilderness ahead. -- Scott Macaulay, editor-in-chief, Filmmaker Magazine; producer, Forensic FilmsLike the first edition, Rombes's revised edition proves a relevant resource for film and digital media scholars. * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPreface to the Revised EditionPreface1. Accelerationism2. The Adorno Paradox3. Against Method4. Analog/Digital Splice5. Blood, Simple6. Boredom and Analog Nostalgia7. The Digital Spectacular8. Disposable Aesthetics9. DV Humanism10. Filmless Films11. Frame Dragging12. The Ideology of the Long Take13. Image/Text14. Incompleteness15. Interfaces16. iPod Experiment17. Ironic Mode18. Looking at Yourself Looking: Avatar as Spectator19. The Lost Underground20. Love in the Time of Fragments21. Media as Its Own Theory22. Mobile Viewing23. Moving Space in the Frame, and a Note on Film Theory24. Natural Time25. Nonlinear26. Paranormal Activity 227. Pausing28. Punk29. Realism30. Real Time31. The Real You32. The Reality Industrial Complex33. Remainders34. Sampling35. Secondary Becomes Primary36. Self-Deconstructing Narratives37. Shaky Camera38. Shoot!39. Simultaneous Cinema40. Small Screens41. Target Video42. Time, Memory43. Time-Shifting44. Timesis: Skimming and Skipping45. Undirected Films46. Viewer Participation47. Virtual Humanism: Part 148. Virtual Humanism: Part 249. Visible Language, Spring 197750. Interpreting Film Images Through Randomized Constraint: The Blue Velvet ProjectFilmographyBibliography
£70.40
Columbia University Press Artaud the Moma
Book SynopsisIn 1996 Jacques Derrida gave a lecture at the Museum of Modern Art on Antonin Artaud. Artaud the Moma reveals the challenge that Artaud posed to Derrida—and to art and its institutional history. It is a powerful interjection into the museum halls, a crucial moment in Derrida’s thought, and an insightful reading of a challenging writer and artist.Trade ReviewOne of Derrida's most extraordinarily deep and and virtuosic texts and one of the best ever written about Artaud. -- Denis Hollier, New York UniversityTable of ContentsPrefaceArtaud the MomaAfterword, by Kaira M. CabañasNotesAcknowledgments, by Kaira M. Cabañas
£16.19
Hal Leonard Corporation The Pat Metheny Real Book
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£34.65
University of Illinois Press George Szells Reign
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Kraus has collected a multitude of telling personal accounts. Charming and illuminating anecdotes that depict interactions among the players and between individual players and the maestro abound, along with sometimes humorous and sometimes harsh instances of Szell's behavior." --Mary Sue Welsh, author of One Woman in a Hundred: Edna Phillips and the Philadelphia Orchestra"The author gives us an entertaining and revealing picture of Szell working with his musicians over the years. After you read this you will know him better than if it had been a mere biography. When you finish a chapter you are eager to go on to the next, because it's a fascinating tale--and sometimes it's even rather amazing."--American Record Guide
£25.19
Hal Leonard Europe Limited The Joy of Piano Duets Familiar Melodies in Easy
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£13.29
Hal Leonard Europe Limited 50 Easy Classical Solos For Flute
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£14.24
Hal Leonard Europe Limited Tranquillity The Piano Solos Of Phil Coulter
Book Synopsis
£17.09
Phaidon Press Ltd Directing a Play
Book SynopsisA guide to directing, covering all the stages of theatrical production.Trade Review"Not only are the manuals attractive, they are practical, concise and free from theories."—Times Educational Supplement
£9.45
Phaidon Press Ltd Arnold Schoenberg
Book SynopsisBiography of one of the key personalities of 20th-century music.Trade Review"Includes rare and revealing illustrations... [A] sane and sensitive biography... A readable illustrated biography of Schoenberg is such an obvious idea what one wonders why it has taken so long for one to appear. Certainly Phaidon's 20th Century Composers series [...] is an ideal format... Bojan Bujic [...] has performed his task with skill and sympathy. It is refreshing to see Schoenberg treated as a passionate human being... Bujic's explication of the serial method and its imaginative origins is sensible and concise... He is also ingenious in using his pictorial material to illuminate musical issues... Overall an extremely useful introduction."—BBC Music "The major (and rare) achievement of the book is its slow but sure description of Schoenberg's move through post-romantic tonality, atonality and serialism. The explanation of musical language is always tricky […] but Bujic remains clear and honest without baffling. … particularly deft is his invitation to listen to Schoenberg in a different way. … Bujic's biography, like its subject, dazzles and delights."—Classical Music "A considerable success – an overview that manages to be serious without ponderousness, fresh without superficiality … in Bujic's hands there is always a degree of shrewdness to counter the dangers of over-simplification, boosted by a striking comparison or novel suggestion of context. … Bujic offers many […] deft characterisations of how to think constructively about his subject's most challenging compositional concerns, and his narrative wears its own scholarship lightly."—Musical Times On the 20th Century Composers Series "As a series, Phaidon's 20th Century Composers has brought remarkable variety and a welter of information, both necessary and delightfully trivial. Intended both for the general reader and for the more enthusiastically musical."—The ScotsmanTable of ContentsPreface / Chapter 1: Prelude - An Austrian Setting/ Chapter 2: Musical Apprenticeship/ Chapter 3: "The air from another planet" / Chapter 4: Heroes, Clowns and Beasts/ Chapter 5: Interlude - The Last Days of Kakania / Chapter 6: Searching for Truth in Vienna / Chapter 7: Berlin - An Uneasy Calm before the Storm / Chapter 8: Into Exile / Chapter 9: A Survivor from Europe/ Chapter 10: Epilogue - Schoenberg is Dead/Classified List of Works / Further Reading / Selective Discography / Index
£13.46
Princeton University Press Magical Mathematics
Book SynopsisMagical Mathematics reveals the secrets of fun-to-perform card tricks--and the profound mathematical ideas behind them--that will astound even the most accomplished magician. Persi Diaconis and Ron Graham provide easy, step-by-step instructions for each trick, explaining how to set up the effect and offering tips on what to say and do while performTrade ReviewWinner of the 2013 Euler Book Prize, Mathematical Association of America Honorable Mention for the 2012 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Popular Science & Popular Mathematics, Association of American Publishers "[F]ascinating... Magical Mathematics [is] a dazzling tour of math-based magic tricks... Lovers of recreational mathematics, and especially fans of the late Martin Gardner, who contributed the foreword, will find many pleasures in Magical Mathematics. And while exposing magic secrets in a book intended for the general public may raise hackles among some old-guard magicians, exploring the math behind these tricks will, in truth, only deepen the mystery. For, as the authors remind us, sometimes the methods are as magical as the tricks themselves."--Alex Stone, Wall Street Journal "The Riemann hypothesis, the Mandelbrot set, Fermat's last theorem--these mathematical notions and others underlie all manner of magic tricks. Mathematicians Persi Diaconis--also a card magician--and Ron Graham--also a juggler--unveil the connections between magic and math in this well-illustrated volume."--Scientific American "Writing for the public, the two authors share their passions, teaching sophisticated mathematical concepts along with interesting card tricks, which rely upon those principles for their workings."--GENII: The Conjurors' Magazine "[I]t is simply a beautiful book. The design, layout, typography, even the paper is beautiful... [T]his is one of the most fun, engaging new popular mathematics books I've seen in a long time."--The Math Less Traveled Blog "The authors are master storytellers... [T]he authors offer advice and recommendations for further pursuits in mathematics, magic and juggling."--Cut-the-Knot blog "Well known and highly respected in the mathematical community, Diaconis and Graham have produced a work that completely lives up to expectations. It contains descriptions of magic tricks as viewed by an audience, the mathematics that make them possible, and clear explanations to help you--with a little practice--amaze your friends."--Library Journal "Magical Mathematics gives readers a peek behind the velvet curtain that hides the magician's secrets... The book covers some nifty card tricks, juggling, codes and a slew of mind-bending puzzles. The book doesn't just tell you how to fool and impress your friends with parlour tricks, it explains why these tricks work, so that you can go on to devise your own--in fact, the authors challenge you to do just that. The writing is lively and the tricks are well set-up, providing newbie magicians with both points of view: what the audience sees and what the magician knows."--Montreal Gazette "Magical Mathematics is an absolutely remarkable book. I don't say this lightly. Publishers send me plenty of books to review. Some I like more than others. Magical Mathematics is a fantastic book for someone who wants to explore the non-trivial math behind some impressive magic tricks. While I enjoy purely recreational math puzzles that have no practical application I also love it when I discover challenges that are interesting and relevant. Magical Mathematics is chock full of fun (and deep) challenges that students (and adults) can sink their teeth into."--Wild About Math blog "Over 12 chapters, the reader is taken on a unique and wonderful tour that fuses magical tricks with underlying mathematical explanations and personal stories, written by world-renowned experts in both fields. With its friendly, disarming style, the book is pitched perfectly at a level that will surprise both the hardened mathematical researcher and the interested general reader, without putting either of them off... [T]his book is a must-buy."--C.J. Howls, Times Higher Education Supplement "The first chapter of this book begins by teaching a simple four-card trick and ends by presenting--complete with step-by-step color illustrations--a more complicated card trick that will truly amaze any audience. Both tricks are based on mathematical principles, and the book goes on to explain these and many other principles that can be the basis for a variety of clever magic tricks."--Games magazine "Learn the secrets behind card tricks, including step-by-step instructions for performing them, along with the mathematical ideas the tricks illustrate."--Science News "As magic books go, Magical Mathematics is erudite, thought provoking, inspiring... It is the product of multiple decades of work and research, and for a small subset of magic enthusiasts it could rank as the best book they buy this decade."--James Alan, Magicol "There is so much to digest in this book that it is impossible to describe even a fraction of it in just a few paragraphs. Let it suffice to say that if you are at all interested in card magic principles, how they work, why they work, and the history behind them, to ignore this book would be a serious mistake."--Peter Duffie, Magic magazine "From arcane theories to practical tips for working magicians, the authors go behind the curtain and reveal how the pros do it."--San Jose Mercury News "The connection between magic and mathematics has a long and intriguing history, and throughout their book Diaconis and Graham present detailed and fascinating insight into that history... Overall, the book is a wonderful introduction to this esoteric area, but has more than enough depth to entertain and enlighten the knowledgeable. Perhaps most important of all, it shows how deconstructing illusion can provide fascinating insight in the nature of reality."--Richard Wiseman, Nature Physics "Magical Mathematics strikes a nice balance between descriptions of performable magic tricks and the mathematics that makes them work. Unlike some 'mathemagic' books, in this work, Diaconis and Graham describe magic tricks that are actually used by professionals... [T]he writing is engaging, and learning the tricks that are presented is well worth the effort... This volume should find a place in any mathematics or magic library collection."--Choice "While turning the last pages, the reader is bound to feel touched and charged up and would definitely be moving in an altered direction, for this is a book that will not just leave an impression, but will also suggest which path to take next."--Shubashree Desikan, Current Science "Reading Magical Mathematics ... had ... [a] powerful effect on me. I was transported to a strange and shadowy world of card tricks and magic that, at the same time, was miraculously a land of mathematics, a land with substance... Barely ten pages into the book I am completely hooked."--John J Watkins, Mathematical Reviews "The authors have produced an invaluable contribution to the fascinating relationship between magic and mathematics... The authors exhibit a lifelong passion, enthusiasm and deep knowledge for magic and mathematics and this is an ideal combination for producing a great read... I highly recommend it to anybody interested in the mathematics behind some impressive magic."--Fiacre O. Cairbre, Irish Mathematical Society Bulletin "Mathematical Magic is a truly magical book, containing ample amounts of mathematics and magic that will amaze and amuse. Diaconis and Graham are both first-rate mathematicians and performers and offer insights and ideas that could not have been expressed by anyone else. This book is destined to be a classic on the subject."--Arthur Benjamin, SIAM "This is a splendid book with lots of wonderful insights... Give this book a try; you certainly will not be disappointed."--Phil Dyke, Leonardo Reviews "While there are other books out there detailing the relationship between mathematics and magic, this book is perhaps the best written of them all, as it will appeal to magicians, math buffs and general readers alike."--R. S. Beer, MagicBookReviews.comTable of ContentsForeword ix Preface xi Chapter 1: Mathematics in the Air 1 Royal Hummer 8 Back to Magic 15 Chapter 2: In Cycles 17 The Magic of de Bruijn Sequences 18 Going Further 25 Chapter 3: Is This Stuff Actually Good For Anything? 30 Robotic Vision 30 Making Codes 34 To the Core of Our Being 38 This de Bruijn Stuff Is Cool but Can It Get You a Job? 42 Chapter 4: Universal Cycles 47 Order Matters 47 A Mind-reading Effect 52 Universal Cycles Again 55 Chapter 5: From the Gilbreath Principle to the Mandelbrot Set 61 The Gilbreath Principle 61 The Mandelbrot Set 72 Chapter 6: Neat Shuffles 84 A Mind-reading Computer 85 A Look Inside Perfect Shuffles 92 A Look Inside Monge and Milk Shuffles 96 A Look Inside Down-and-Under Shuffles 98 All the Shuffles Are Related 99 Chapter 7: The Oldest Mathematical Entertainment? 103 The Miracle Divination 105 How Many Magic Tricks Are There? 114 Chapter 8: Magic in the Book of Changes 119 Introduction to the Book of Changes 121 Using the I Ching for Divination 122 Probability and the Book of Changes 125 Some Magic (Tricks) 127 Probability and the I Ching 136 Chapter 9: What Goes Up Must Come Down 137 Writing It Down 138 Getting Started in Juggling 145 10 Stars of Mathematical Magic (and some of the best tricks in the book) 153 Alex Elmsley 156 Bob Neale 160 Henry Christ 173 Stewart James 181 Charles Thornton Jordan 189 Bob Hummer 201 Martin Gardner 211 Chapter 11: Going further 220 Chapter 12: on secrets 225 Notes 231 Index 239
£16.19
Princeton University Press Ballet and Opera in the Age of Giselle
Book SynopsisFocusing on the age of Giselle at the Paris Opera (from the 1830s through the 1840s), this book looks at the structural and thematic relationship between ballet and opera. It argues that an understanding of both the genres - and of nineteenth-century theater-going culture in general - may be gained by examining them within the same framework.Trade ReviewWinner of the 2001 De la Torre Bueno Prize for Most Distinguished Book in Dance Scholarship, Dance Perspectives Foundation (New York) "To readers interested in the evolution of opera and ballet performance practice, Smith's meticulously documented study offers a chance to see many familiar works in a new and surprising light."--M. Lignana Rosenberg, Opera News "Marian Smith's book is a swift and easy read, fully researched, informative, genuinely insightful about her subject. Definitely one for the bookshelf."--David Blewitt, Opera NowTable of ContentsLIST OF TABLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS ix PREFACE xi ACKN0WLEDGMENTS xix NOTE T0 READER xxi CHAPTER ONE: Introduction: Music and the Story 3 CHAPTER TWO: A Family Resemblance 19 CHAPTER THREE: The Lighter Tone of Ballet-Pantomime 59 CHAPTER FOUR: Ballet-Pantomime and Silent Language 97 CHAPTER FIVE: Hybrid Works at the Opera 124 CHAPTER SIX: Giselle 167 APPENDIX ONE: Ballet-Pantomimes and Operas Produced at the Paris Opera, 1825-1850 201 APPENDIX TWO: The Giselle Libretto 213 APPENDIX THREE: Sources for Musical Examples 239 NOTES 241 INDEX 301
£29.75
Museum of Modern Art Frederick Wiseman
Book SynopsisFrederick Wiseman has made films that together form a monumental chronicle of late twentieth-century institutional and cultural life. This title provides a comprehensive overview of Wiseman's work (including projects for theatre and opera), featuring original essays by a variety of writers, critics, filmmakers and actors, and by Wiseman himself.
£21.20
Orion Publishing Co Its So Easy and other lies
Book SynopsisExplosive autobiography of Guns N'' Roses and Velvet Revolver bass guitarist Duff McKaganDuff McKagan was a co-founder of Guns N'' Roses, with a 13-year tenure on bass in what was at the time the biggest band on earth. As well as pulling together the classic line-up (Slash on guitar, Steven Adler on drums, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin and vocalist Axl Rose), Duff was the unofficial musical director of the band and the most experienced musician, and played bass, drums and guitar, as well as co-writing many of the songs. Over the years, Guns N'' Roses have broken many records in rock history - APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION is the most successful debut album in the history of recorded music; the band''s 1991 records, USE YOUR ILLUSION parts 1 and 2, debuted at one and two on the album charts, a feat never achieve before or since; and their 28-month ILLUSION world tour is still the longest running concert tour in history.Duff charts the rise of the group, and his oTrade ReviewToday McKagan is very much a family man and this book, written without the aid of a journalist, doesn't shirk from examining his misbehaviours. * BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH *
£10.44
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Harpo Speaks Limelight
Book SynopsisHARPO SPEAKS PB
£19.99
McPherson & Co Publishers,U.S. Film at Wits End Eight Avantgarde Filmmakers
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£14.25
Hal Leonard Europe Limited Bob Marley Complete Chord Songbook
Book Synopsis
£23.39
Alfred Music KodLy Approach Workbook 2
Book Synopsis
£7.90
Alma Books Ltd Jenufa Katya Kabanova English National Opera
Book SynopsisThis double volume contains two masterpieces of the Czech composer Leoš Janácek. Jenufa was the opera which finally brought him international recognition and, with it, fame at home. Based on Ostrovsky's The Storm, Katya Kabanova contains wonderful music inspired by the composer's love for a much younger woman. The scores are discussed by Arnold Whittall, and the background sources are variously introduced by social and literary historians. John Tyrell comments on an important letter about the genesis of Katya; Sir Charles Mackerras describes his work as an interpreter and advocate of this brilliantly original and dramatic music.Contents: A National Composer Jaroslav Krejci; Drama into Libretto, Karel Brusak; The Challenge from Within: Janácek's Musico-dramatic Mastery, Arnold Whittall; Janácek and Czech Realism, Jan Smaczny; Jenufa: Libretto by Leoš Janácek; Jenufa: English translation by Otakar Kraus and Edward Downes; A Russian Heart of Darkness, Alex de Jonge; Janácek's forgotten cTrade ReviewBrilliantly produced and superb value. * The Sunday Times *All these will provide the new opera-goer with food for thought. * The Daily Telegraph *Wholehearted recommendation of this valuable new series. * TLS *
£9.50
Rowman & Littlefield Charlie Chaplins Red Letter Days
Book SynopsisBy the end of 1914, Charlie Chaplin had become the most popular actor in films, and reporters were clamoring for interviews with the comedy sensation. But no reporter had more access than Fred Goodwins. A British actor who joined Chaplin's stock company in early 1915, Goodwins began writing short accounts of life at the studio and submitted them to publications. In February 1916 the British magazine Red Letter published the first of what became a series of more than thirty-five of Goodwins's articles. Written in breezy prose, the articles cover a two-year period during which Chaplin's popularity and creativity reached new heights. Only one copy of the complete series is known to exist, and its recent rediscovery marks a significant find for Chaplin fans.Charlie Chaplin's Red Letter Days: At Work with the Comic Genius is a vivid account of the ebb and flow of life at the Chaplin studio. Goodwins was an astute observer who deepens our understanding of Chaplin's artistry and sheds new ligTrade Review[T]his compilation of articles, republished exactly as they appeared in the English movie-fan magazine Red Letter in 1916, is of significance for students of Charlie Chaplin and the history of film. Goodwins, a member of Chaplin’s acting troupe, gives a weekly account of the screen’s first superstar. His praise can be fawning, but his account makes Chaplin’s genius undeniable as the comic brings a deft comic twist to commonplace situations while also filling the roles of writer, director, editor, set designer, and prop master. Chaplin’s artistic development is chronicled as he moves from mere slapstick to romance and even drama tinged with social criticism, with his Little Tramp character taking on upper-class villains. For context and a more dispassionate perspective, editors’ notes are sprinkled throughout. The only real criticism here, offered by the editors, is that Chaplin rarely gave credit to others for providing him with ideas. Despite Goodwins’s lack of objectivity, his look at the mechanics and techniques of silent filmmaking is informed and informative.... [H]is access makes the book enjoyably breezy and personal. * Publishers Weekly *Dan Kamin’s annotations throughout the book are crucially important and set each diary-like entry into a larger context.... The text is accompanied by rare illustrations and some additional articles published around the same time as Goodwins’ stories. I consider this a must for every Chaplin buff. * Leonard Maltin *Dan Kamin's terrific new book [is] called Charlie Chaplin's Red Letter Days. [I]t reproduces, for the very first time, Fred Goodwins' first-hand accounts of day-to-day life at the Chaplin studio during the Mutual period (& the end of the Essanays). These accounts originally appeared in Red Letter, a British magazine, in 1916, and have been unseen for nearly a century until film historian, and the book's editor, David James, discovered the magazines at the British Library in 2013.... It is a wonderful first-hand account of this period of Chaplin's career that we haven't seen any where else. Goodwins' text is accompanied by helpful annotations and commentary by Chaplin expert Dan Kamin.... There are some wonderful behind-the-scenes stories about not only the movies but the people, including Edna Purviance learning Cockney rhyming slang, Eric Campbell's preference for things that are small, and Charlie's concern when his beloved pet goat, Billy, gets injured. The book is [is] ... well worth it. * Discovering Chaplin *
£35.10
Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers) Ltd Travels With My Harp
Book SynopsisInspirational and entertaining, this autobiography chronicles the life of a performing artist with a deeply devout outlook. Mary OâHara won global acclaim as a singer and harpist, yet behind public success was an unsuspected tragedy in which joy turned to sorrow. From her humble beginnings in the west of Ireland to her first husbandâs tragic death and her 12-year sojourn in a monastery, this tale of triumph over tragedy also journeys with OâHara into the wilds of Africa following her second marriage. Written with warmth and humor, this book is also filled with insights into OâHaraâs albums and concert tours.
£15.96
Hal Leonard Europe Limited Playalong Cello Classical Tunes
Book Synopsis
£19.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Charlotte The True Story of Scandal and Spectacle
Book SynopsisThe amazing true story of Charlotte Cibber, a child of the theatre who scandalized proper society - whenever possibleTrade Review'Precocious, gifted, charismatic, and eccentric, Charlotte Charke illuminated the eighteenth century with the fleeting brightness of a shooting star. Kathryn Shevelow has written a remarkable book which admirably captures this most elusive of social rebels' Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana 'Shevelow writes well and wittily, and captures the gamut of the eighteenth-century theatrical world, from its heights in Drury Lane - which went to Charlotte's bewigged head - to its depths among rural travelling players, where she ended up as a result' Sunday Times 'Charlotte is a remarkably learned and even more remarkably entertaining history - not only of a truly fascinating and startlingly-original woman, but also of her times and culture. Kathryn Shevelow brings to life the madness, absurdity and baseness of 18th-century Britain, and the recreates for modern readers the fascinating peculiarities of its theater world. This is a brilliant piece of popular history' David Liss, author of A Conspiracy of Paper 'Quite the spectacle was Charlotte: actress, cross-dresser and general hell-raiser' Washington Post
£7.49
Harvard University Press Josephine Baker and the Rainbow Tribe
Book SynopsisHer performing days numbered, Josephine Baker did something outrageous: she transformed her chateau into a theme park whose main attraction was her Rainbow Tribe—12 children from around the globe, adopted as the family of the future. Matthew Pratt Guterl concludes that Baker was a serious activist, determined to make a positive difference.Trade ReviewThis book shimmers. The prose is spun gold, the ideas sparkle with intelligence, and the fun’s as high as Josephine Baker—topless in a banana skirt, her caramel skin gleaming —can take it. But in the end, it’s a tragedy… Baker bought a French castle, adopted a dozen children, and made them stand for every race and nation in the world. It went about as well as any other supersized celebrity adoption with a political agenda. But instead of reducing it to farce, Guterl shows us what it all meant… He weaves in new ways to think about identity, success, family, race, celebrity, and Baker herself. -- Jeannette Cooperman * St. Louis Magazine *Guterl is astute about the contradictions in Baker’s experiment and her celebrity, both of which rested on her capacity for reinvention. * New Yorker *Astute and readable… In many ways, this is cultural studies at its best. -- Steven Carroll * Sydney Morning Herald *A few pages into the finely worded, deeply evocative prologue, Guterl asks readers to set aside everything they know about Josephine Baker—but it’s too late, for Guterl has already begun what almost seems a fabulous fairy tale, one commandingly, colorfully told by a masterful contemporary storyteller. Rarely does an author’s voice come across as audibly as Guterl’s, in cadence and sometimes in directives to the reader, and the effect is enchanting—Baker’s story, even more so. Years after chanteuse-dancer Baker’s soaring star fell, she rose once more, this time as a relentless civil rights advocate and the adoptive mother of 12 multiracial children, the ‘Rainbow Tribe,’ whom she then raised and paraded in a theme-park-type castle, Les Milandes, in the French countryside. Here, Guterl winnows out a truth from the many fragments (in biographies, in the press, from the children themselves), positing that ‘it was an inspirational, exaggerated symbol of what was possible at the extreme end of wealth and fame, globally speaking, for anyone and everyone, no matter their skin tone or racial classification.’ A fascinating book about a magnificent woman. -- Eloise Kinney * Booklist *The persona with which Baker (1906–75) captivated the world had already been retooled once by her manager Giuseppe Pepito Abatino. Following World War II, Baker transformed herself again, this time into a universal mother presiding over a dozen children of every race on permanent display at her castle in France’s Dordogne… This work will be enjoyed by all readers. -- Jenny Brewer * Library Journal *Matthew Guterl’s astonishing Josephine Baker and the Rainbow Tribe tells the wholly unsuspected life-story of one of the twentieth-century’s most amazing visionaries. It is an engrossing biography of an extraordinary woman. -- David Levering Lewis, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning W. E. B. Du Bois, 1868–1919 and W. E. B. Du Bois, 1919–1963
£30.56
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Break on Through
Book SynopsisThirty-five years after his death in Paris at age twenty-seven, Jim Morrison''s iconic legend remains as powerful as ever, swathed in the mists of mystery. There have been numerous biographies about the self-proclaimed Lizard King''s life and career. But none have examined his roots and childhood, the intellectual foundations of his music, his wild days with the Doors, and his enigmatic early death as completely and insightfully as Break On Through.More than simply a fascinating look at a rock legend whose cult following never stops growing, here is the definitive Morrison biography: his angry relationship with his father; the early tragedies and terrible events responsible for the darkness of his artistic vision; his private life and legal trials, including his infamous Miami obscenity bust; and the truth about his final hours. Based on extensive research and featuring dozens of rarely published photographs, this is the authoritative portrait of the poet, the grim v
£18.99
Phaidon Press Ltd Stagecraft
Book SynopsisThe complete, practical manual of modern theatrical practice.Trade Review"One of the best manuals of good theatre practice yet."—Times Educational Supplement
£16.10
Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd Bad Movies We Love
Book Synopsis
£16.16
Manchester University Press Cue Cut A Practical Approach to Working in
Book SynopsisCue & Cut is a ‘practical approach to working in television studios’ for anyone who might want to work in that medium. Written by a multi-camera producer-director, it presents both a way of handling studios and a source of information about how things have changed from the days of monochrome to HD tapeless modes - with some thoughts on 3D HDTVTable of ContentsLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONSCONTRIBUTORSPREFACEACKNOWLEDGMENTSINTRODUCTIONPART I: SAFETY & GOOD PRACTICEPART II: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDIO1 - BASICS2 - WORKING WITH CAMERAS3 - LENSES AND SHOOTING CONVENTIONS4 - THE STUDIO PRODUCTION TEAM5 - TECHNICAL JOBS IN THE STUDIO6 - DESIGN AND SETS7 - THE JOB OF SCRIPT SUPERVISOR AND MULTI-CAMERA PAPERWORK8 - CAMERA SCRIPTS, CAMERA CARDS ETC. AND CREATING THEM IN MS WORD (with a note on Autocue)9 - IN THE STUDIO - COMMUNICATION10 - LIGHTING FOR VIDEO CAMERAS - AN INTRODUCTION11 - MICROPHONES & SOUNDPART III: CONTENT12 - INTERVIEWS, DISCUSSION AND CHAT13 - DEMONSTRATIONS AND MOVEMENT14 - HAVING IDEASPART IV: APPLYING THE PRINCIPLESINTRODUCTION15 - GETTING IT ALL TOGETHER16 - DRAMA17 - MUSIC18 - SHOOTING ACTIONAFTERWORDAPPENDIX I: ASPECT RATIOSHISTORYOTHER FORMATSSUMMARYAPPENDIX II: CONTINUITY - A SUMMARYVIDEOGRAPHYBIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCESSUGGESTED FURTHER READINGINDEX
£28.50
Hal Leonard Europe Limited Complete Keyboard Player Bk 1 Book 1
Book Synopsis
£10.92
Swing Los Mejores Trucos de Magia
Book Synopsis
£10.92
The Crowood Press Ltd Mario Lanza
Book SynopsisMario Lanza: A Life in Pictures is a stunning collection of photographs and illustrations that captures the fabulous and tumultuous times of the greatest romantic tenor of the twentieth century. Compiled by acclaimed Lanza biographer Derek Mannering and drawing on exclusive photographs from the tenor''s closest friend, Terry Robinson, the book offers an unrivalled pictorial history of the tenor''s extraordinary life and career, from his childhood in Philadelphia, his first tentative steps towards a career in opera, the unexpected about-turn that led to his glory days in Hollywood, and on to his sudden and tragic death in Rome in 1959. Complementing the rare photographs is Derek Mannering''s authoritative and compelling narrative together with personal comments by Terry Robinson throughout. The book concludes with an afterword by Mario Lanza''s daughter, Ellisa Lanza Bregman. Few careers in show business have been as colourful or as controversial as Mario Lanza''s. Groomed for a profess
£16.19
Lexington Books American Ideal
Book SynopsisAmerican Ideal: How American Idol Constructs Celebrity, Collective Identity, and American Discourses by Amanda Scheiner McClain provides an insightful analysis of the popular television show American Idol and explores contemporary notions of celebrity, American collective identity, and other American themes. American Idol depicts how a new star is constructed, supports American ideals such as individualism and archetypes, and reinforces an idealized American identity through verbal and visual discourse. The monstrous popularity of American Idol demands study of the program and the ideals contained within. This book consists of discourse analyses of the first seven seasons of the program, contextual press coverage, and of the official message boards. By amalgamating this research, it becomes clear that American Idol presents an idealistic vision of American life, where everyone is equal, democracy chooses the right winner, power is shared, and celebrity and success can be attained simTrade ReviewThis very well-researched, documented, and appropriately theory driven book is remarkable for its clarity.... For a reader who has never seen the show, I found this account of American Idol singularly engaging. I may now even turn it on. * Studies in American Culture *Table of ContentsChapter 1. American Idol Chapter 2. Overview of Theory and Methods Chapter 3. Rags to Riches and the Discourse of Dreams Chapter 4. Contestant Archetypes Chapter 5. Narratives of Authenticity Chapter 6. Narratives of Transformation to Celebrity Chapter 7. Show Discourse and Collective Identity Chapter 8. Collective Identities on the American Idol Message Boards Chapter 9. American Idol Press Coverage: 2002 and 2008 Chapter 10. Conclusion
£94.50
Alfred Music When I Was Your Man
Book Synopsis
£5.37
Alfred USA Led Zeppelin Presence GTAB Platinum Presence
Book Synopsis
£22.49
ALFRED PUBLISHING CO.(UK)LTD NURTURED BY LOVE REVISED EDITION
Book SynopsisThe edition is taken from the original japanese text. it provides an insight into the mind of the master.
£15.68
