Literary companions, book reviews and guides Books

Book SynopsisWhen an essay is due and dreaded exams loom, this book offers students what they need to succeed. It provides chapter-by-chapter analysis, explanations of key themes, motifs and symbols, a review quiz, and essay topics. It is suitable for late-night studying and paper writing.

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Book SynopsisWhen an essay is due and dreaded exams loom, this book offers students what they need to succeed. It provides chapter-by-chapter analysis, explanations of key themes, motifs and symbols, a review quiz, and essay topics. It is suitable for late-night studying and paper writing.

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Book SynopsisWhen an essay is due and dreaded exams loom, this title offers students what they need to succeed. It provides chapter-by-chapter analysis, explanations of key themes, motifs and symbols, a review quiz, and essay topics. It is suitable for late-night studying and paper writing.

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Book SynopsisWhen an essay is due and dreaded exams loom, this book offers students what they need to succeed. It provides chapter-by-chapter analysis, explanations of key themes, motifs and symbols, a review quiz, and essay topics. It is suitable for late-night studying and paper writing.

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Book SynopsisThe Mother of All Booklists: The 500 Most Recommended Nonfiction Reads for Ages 3 to 103 is written for parents, grandparents, and teachers unfamiliar with the bewildering array of award and recommended reading lists. This book is a long overdue composite of all the major booklists. It brings together over 100 of the most influential book awards and reading lists from leading magazines, newspapers, reference books, schools, libraries, parenting organizations, and professional groups from across the country. The Mother of All Booklists is to reading books what the website Rotten Tomatoes is to watching moviesthe ultimate, one-stop, synthesizing resource for finding out what is best. Mother is not the opinion of one book critic, but the aggregate opinion of an army of critics. Organized into five age group lists each with one hundred bookspreschoolers (ages 3-5), early readers (ages 5-9), middle readers (ages 9-13), young adults (ages 13-17), and adults (ages 18+)The Mother of All BookliTrade ReviewNonfiction, especially children’s, is a buzzword at the moment, thanks to the Common Core State Standards. And for a few years now, more authors and publishers have been answering the call and writing exceptional informational books. In an effort to separate the wheat from the chaff in a very crowded genre, bookstore owner and former education professor Martin has compiled this hefty guide to the 500 most recommended nonfiction books for ages 3 to 103. What makes the list stand out is that it culls from more than 100 other authorities (annual awards as well as recommendations from noteworthy sources including librarians, teachers, magazines, and more), providing a vast number of diverse points of view. Covers are shown and titles are annotated and there is a great multicultural representation. The book is divided into appropriate sections (e.g., preschoolers, early readers, young adults, etc.). . . .VERDICT Appropriate as an additional purchase for a parent-teacher collection. * Library Journal *Building on the current focus on nonfiction in schools, former education professor and bookstore owner Martin creates The Mother of All Booklists by offering citations and annotations for 500 of the most recommended nonfiction books. This unique booklist is particularly valuable because it does not rely on one person's view or even group opinion; the author created his rankings by compiling information from 155 awards and reading lists. For each of five age categories, sections comprise the top 100 most-cited works from all the sources. The brief annotations are conversational in tone, give a comprehensive overview of the work, and often end with a comment on the types of readers who would most likely connect to it. Topping off the useful information that this text offers, a 'Special Interests' section groups the titles into broad subject categories (e.g., 'Adventure,' 'Biography,' 'Nature'), and another features biographical sketches of 25 selected nonfiction authors. Other booklists abound, but the approach the author uses to collect data and his organizational scheme make this one stand out. Ideal for librarians doing readers' advisory or collection development and appealing to general audiences too, Martin's booklist will prove to be a staple for identifying good books. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, teachers, and librarians. * CHOICE *William Patrick Martin, former education professor at Temple and Monmouth Universities and unabashed book lover, has put together an attractive, informative, well-organized and readable collection that includes thumbnail covers and descriptions of the best available books of nonfiction written in English. . . .The Mother of All Booklists is a great resource, whether for cross-referencing, investigating, age/subject-appropriate narratives, or simply a pleasurable, random stroll through its interesting and entertaining pages. * Book/Mark Quarterly Review *The Mother of All Booklists is amazing. A valuable resource and a good read in itself! -- Judy Allen, author of Awaiting Developments, winner of the Whitbread Children’s Novel Award and the Friends of the Earth AwardA brilliant, heartfelt, beautifully written and well-chosen compilation of some of the best books for children, teens, and adults. A fabulous resource for teachers, librarians and parents. -- Dianna H. Aston, author of A Rock Is Lively, a Boston Globe’s Best Children’s Book of the YearA treasure trove for lovers of non-fiction! -- Don Brown, award-winning author of He Has Shot the President!: April 14, 1865: The Day John Wilkes Booth Killed President LincolnMartin’s The Mother of All Booklists provides a terrific resource for teachers, students, librarians, and anyone who loves books. Its focus on nonfiction not only caters to professionals looking for Common Core materials, but helps validate the interests of the huge number of readers who have always preferred factual books. Most of all, it’s just a great read, and will send people scurrying to the library. -- Sneed B. Collard, author of Animal Dads, The Prairie Builders, and Sneed B. Collard III's Most Fun Book Ever About LizardsThis is a resource I'll keep nearby, not just to guide my own reading, but as a secret reference to use when people ask me to recommend good books for them to read. Martin’s thorough and smart review of recent nonfiction will make me look smart when I'm asked to talk about books worth reading. This book is a must-have for school and public libraries. Patrons and librarians will wear out this resource in their search for great nonfiction books. Teachers at all levels will also find great value in it. Considering how much information this book contains, it's surprisingly easy to navigate, and the author has anticipated readers' needs by, for example, rearranging the master lists into smaller, subject-defined categories. I also appreciated the short biographies of 25 contemporary authors and the extensive bibliographies at the end of the volume. The annotations are engagingly written, and the range of books included impressive. If this book can't help someone find a nonfiction book they want to read, I don't know what will. -- Chris Crowe, professor of English at Brigham Young University and author of Death Coming Up the HillNow that my children are teenagers, I seem to have forgotten how to select books for kids of any other age. Fortunately, I’m among readers who can “listen to mother” to reliably make choices, and not just for children, but for readers of all ages. The mother in this case is Bill Martin, author of A Lifetime of Fiction: The 500 Most Recommended Reads for Ages 2 to 102 and its nonfiction sequel, The Mother of All Booklists: The 500 Most Recommended Nonfiction Reads for Ages 3 to 103. Bill took on the overwhelming task of delving into the opinions of a legion of book reviewers, and researching multi-year book lists across the board so that his selections represent the combined points of view of critics rather than the opinion of just one or a few. His exceptionally easy-to-use guide enables parents, teachers, and interested readers to quickly select books based on readers’ ages, in five categories, from preschool through adult. Each category contains 100 titles and descriptions. Thank you, Bill, for creating such a valuable resource. Your book will no doubt be one of the most dog-eared in every school and public library. -- Jennifer Keats Curtis, award-winning author of Kali’s Story: An Orphaned Polar Bear RescueA wide ranging and wonderfully varied celebration of nonfiction, proving that this genre provides a rich a nourishing diet to grow the minds of young readers. I wish we had this in the UK! -- Nicola Davies, zoologist, children’s author, one of the original presenters of the BBC wildlife program “The Really Wild Show”This is the most comprehensive and well-organized non-fiction booklist I’ve ever seen. An absolute must-have resource for readers and educators. -- Matt de la Pena, author of the critically-acclaimed young adult novel, The LivingWhat a useful resource William Martin’s The Mother of All Booklists will be! This guide reflects the best of today’s nonfiction for all ages. -- Kay Frydenborg, author of Wild Horse ScientistsFor those of us who know we’re living in the Golden Age of Nonfiction, The Mother of All Booklists is a godsend. Bill Martin has done the heavy lifting for parents, teachers, and devoted readers, providing us with a one-stop source for acclaimed modern nonfiction organized by age, genre, and interest category. Mother testifies to the brilliance, beauty, and sometimes-unbelievability of the Truth found in great nonfiction. -- Gary Golio, author and illustrator of Spirit Seeker, selected as one of the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading & SharingThe Mother of All Booklists is the mother of all nonfiction best book guides. It belongs in every home, school, community, and university library. -- Greg Grandin, professor of history at New York University and prize-winning author of The Empire of Necessity: Slavery, Freedom, and Deception in the New WorldThe Mother of All Booklists is a well-organized composite of major award and booklists, a great timesaver for accessing the best nonfiction books for any age group. This guide will efficiently help educators, parents, and readers meet Common Core standards. -- Christy Hale, author and illustrator of Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building, a Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s BookHow do you find the best nonfiction books for yourself or a child in your life? This well-researched, well-written, comprehensive “mother list” is the perfect place to start. An invaluable resource! -- Deborah Heiligman, author of Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith, winner of the first YALSA excellence in nonfiction awardThink of The Mother of All Booklists as a treasure chest filled with ideas for great reads. William Martin profiles a huge variety of wonderful books sure to inform, entertain, and inspire readers of all ages. -- Barbara Kerley, award-winning author of The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and A Home For Mr. EmersonTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1 Preschoolers (Ages 3-5) Chapter 2 Early Readers (Ages 5-9) Chapter 3 Middle Readers (Ages 9-13) Chapter 4 Young Adults (Ages 13-17) Chapter 5 Adults (Ages 18+) Chapter 6 Special Interests Chapter 7 Twenty-Five Contemporary Writers You Should Know Appendix 1 Preschool Booklist Appendix 2 Early Reader Booklist Appendix 3 Middle Reader Booklist Appendix 4 Young Adult Booklist Appendix 5 Adult Booklist Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis accessible text provides a roadmap for producing a high-quality literature review--an integral part of a successful thesis, dissertation, term paper, or grant proposal. Each step of searching for, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing prior studies is clearly explained and accompanied by user-friendly suggestions, organizational tips, vignettes, and examples of student work. Also featured are excerpts from peer-reviewed quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods articles. This is the first book to focus on crafting different types of reviews (systematic, traditionalânarrative, or hermeneuticâphenomenological) that reflect the writer's research question, methodological choices, and approaches to knowledge. It describes what all reviews have in common and highlights distinct characteristics of each type. The book includes dos and don'ts for evaluating studies and constructing an argument, and software suggestions for locating, organizing, and arranging sources. PedagoTrade Review"The clarity of the text is a strength. The tables and examples of various orientations and approaches are very helpful, especially if students have heard critical comments about other academic areas’ research methods. The chapter on developing arguments and supporting claims (which includes common mistakes to avoid) is particularly instructive. I plan to begin using the book immediately--it is thorough, well written, and will be meaningful to graduate students and professionals.”--Marsha Harman, PhD, Psychology Program, Sam Houston State University "This text adds a unique approach to writing the literature review; it is the only book on the topic that I have seen that connects the review to different research designs. As evidenced by the stories and scenarios throughout the book, it takes a learner-centered approach. I appreciate the use of graphic organizers as well as the chapter summaries in the form of numbered lists.”--Joyce Pittman, PhD, School of Education, Drexel University "This is a wonderful book that is a very user-friendly and effective tool to teach students how to complete a professional literature review. It is easy to follow and targeted toward readers at all academic levels. Each chapter contains simply stated content and great examples, templates, checklists, and group exercises. The checklists and group exercises will be particularly useful to incorporate into in-class work to strengthen student learning.”--Kelli Larsen, PhD, Department of Social Work, Marshall University "This is exactly the book my colleagues and I have been looking for. It thoroughly covers the processes that are important for students to grasp in conducting their literature reviews. Using this book will enable students to produce more rigorous and informed literature reviews than the basic summaries I often see. I like the figures that present information in a visual form as well as the ample examples, which set this book apart."--Stephanie J. Jones, EdD, College of Education, Texas Tech University "A comprehensive, step-to-step guide, this book will be highly useful for master’s and doctoral students in social sciences and education. Students may feel intimidated by the task of writing a literature review, assuming they should already know how to do it and therefore not asking for guidance. The book could be used as a main textbook in academic writing classes or a supplementary source in research classes. It covers both fundamental issues, such as what a literature review is and what it is not, and more sophisticated topics--for example, the author’s voice and positionality, and the importance of revision."--Maja Miskovic, PhD, Professor of Research and Executive Director, Division of Research and Doctoral Programs, Concordia University Chicago -Sometimes, wishful thinking comes too late in life….This easy-to-read, user-friendly book with step-by-step guides would have made an excellent companion for my experiences, both as a research writer and as an instructor….Efron and Ravid, like trailblazers and guides, have mapped out the whole process of research writing in easy steps in their book, Writing the Literature Review--making it easier and more comprehensible for researchers. They have defined parameters of each and every step of the journey….There is an abundance of information out there on literature review writing, but Efron and Ravid's book…is more distinct and conspicuous from the rest because of the simplicity with which this book is developed. I would highly recommend this easy-to-read book to all the instructors who teach Research Writing courses, and to all the graduate and doctoral students who are venturing out on their journey of the literature review writing processes.--Inquiry in Education, 4/1/2019Table of Contents1. What Is a Literature Review? 2. Different Orientations to a Literature Review 3. Choosing a Review Topic and Formulating a Research Question 4. Locating and Organizing Research Sources 5. Selecting, Analyzing, and Keeping Notes of Sources 6. Evaluating Research Articles 7. Structuring and Organizing the Literature Review 8. Developing Arguments and Supporting Claims 9. Synthesizing and Interpreting the Literature 10. The Writer Voice and the Writing Process 11. Acknowledging Sources: Citations, Quotations, and Plagiarism 12. Putting It All Together References Index

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Book SynopsisThis volume critically investigates current topics and disciplines that are affected, enriched or put into dispute by the burgeoning scholarship on Animal Studies.

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Book SynopsisThe Case of Sherlock Holmes' uncovers what is untold, partly told, wrongly told, or deliberately concealed in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes saga.

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Book SynopsisWhat is steampunk? Going beyond the standard default definitions of Victorian science fiction, yesterday's tomorrow today, or some other equally vague or limited description, Steampunk FAQ provides a historical exploration of its literary and cinematic origins. The journey begins with a look at steampunk's genesis in the novels and short stories of three Californians who hung out a lot with Philip K. Dick, before moving on to the inspirations and antecedents of steampunk. Contrary to what many articles and books say, steampunk's direct inspiration is arguably far more cinematic than literary, a likely reaction to the many film adaptations, pastiches, and knockoffs of the scientific romances of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. While Verne, Wells, and a host of other Victorian and Edwardian writers have influenced steampunk fiction, cinematic elements from films such as Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) and George Pal's Time Machine (1960) show up more often as immediate influences on the style we call steampunk. In offering a celebration of steampunk's style and cultural aesthetic, Steampunk FAQ also explores its connection to cyberpunk, the world of fashion, comics, and culture around the world.

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Book SynopsisAstra Magazine is the new literary magazine of the moment, a must-read for anyone interested in the most vital contemporary literature from around the world. Astra Magazine connects readers and writers from New York to Mexico City, Lagos to Berlin, Copenhagen to Singapore and beyond. Each issue contains prose, poetry, art and comics, artfully produced on silky smooth paper with luxurious French flaps. It's the most covetable accessory of the fall — dark and playful, pretty and smart. The Filth issue features work by Elif Batuman, Sheila Heti, Raven Leilani, Aracelis Girmay, Samuel R. Delany, Brontez Purnell, Wayne Koestenbaum, Clarice Lispector, McKenzie Wark, Mariana Enríquez, Safiya Sinclair, Maggie Millner, and many more. There is a moral element to filth. It is both what we have been taught to hide, and the subversive pleasure in revealing it. Many of the writers in this issue are queer or trans or otherwise outsiders. When you are taught that an intrinsic part of you is shameful, you find power in that shame. All that filth, compressed by the pressure, sparkles like diamonds when it is let it into the light. Have you ever felt the relief of telling your own secrets? There’s a reason why people revel in their own filth. It’s a place for revellingTrade Review“Astra argues for reviving the pleasure of engaging with literature while also holding a beautifully made object.”— T Magazine"A tour of contemporary international literature for the price of a single paperback. If you’re bored by a certain sameness, a deflating parochial quality to what you’ve been reading lately, give Astra a chance."— Ron Charles, The Washinton Post"A who's who of global superstar writers."— NY Post“Astra is like a gorgeously curated jewel-box you can’t wait to unpack. There is no other magazine like this.”— ELIF BATUMAN, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Possessed, The Idiot, and the forthcoming novel, Either/Or.“Destined to shine brightly in the literary firmament, Astra Magazine is here to remind us that we should always read and write with a joyful disregard for borders of any kind.”— HERNAN DIAZ, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of In the Distance and Trust"Astra is the magazine we need right now. It’s full of stunning work from a broad range of voices, a magazine both intimate and universal, in the way all good writing is."— NATHAN ENGLANDER, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of For the Relief of Unbearable Urges and What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank“As a writer whose work is often difficult to classify, I am attracted to Astra Magazine’s agenda of publishing writers who exist in the ”inter,” whose writing defies neat categorization. The debut ”Ecstasy” issue is stirring in its international orientation & ambitious in its scope and content. ”— LAURA LINDSTEDT, Finlandia Prize winning author of Oneiron and My Friend Natalia“Astra Magazine is vital. As an American citizen born outside the US, I am especially attracted to their idea of publishing writing that rejects borders, and that a writer should not, can not, represent an entire country. The first issue allows space for each extraordinary writer to speak only for themselves.”— IMBOLO MBUE, Bestselling author of Behold the Dreamers and How Beautiful We Were

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Book SynopsisDiscover artifacts from a thousand generations of Jedi history in this must-have guide to the galaxy's greatest heroes! A collection of treasures inspired by the galaxy's most legendary warriors, Star Wars: Jedi Ephemera Kit will take readers on a thrilling journey through the history of the Jedi Order. From the heroic days of the High Republic, to the eras of Ahsoka Tano, Luke Skywalker, and Rey, Star Wars: Jedi Ephemera Kit compiles exquisite artifacts inspired by the Jedi and their valiant adventures.

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Book SynopsisBarry Forshaw is acknowledged as a leading expert on crime fiction from European countries, but his principal area of expertise is in the British crime arena. After the success of earlier entries in the series, Nordic Noir and Euro Noir, he returns to the UK to produce the perfect reader's guide to modern British crime fiction. Every major living British writer is considered, often through a concentration on one or two key books, and exciting new talents are highlighted for the reader. Forshaw's personal acquaintance with writers, editors and publishers is unparalleled, so Brit Noir features interviews with (and quotations from) the writers, editors and publishers themselves.Trade ReviewUnsurprisingly Barry Forshaw's Brit Noir is a wonderful reference book that any self-respecting and serious connoisseur of crime fiction needs to have on their book-shelf -- Ayo Onatade * Shots Magazine *UK critic-author Barry Forshaw long ago established himself as an authority on English-translated Nordic mysteries, producing the guide Nordic Noir in 2013, which he followed up a year later with Euro Noir. Now comes Brit Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to the Crime Fiction, Film & TV of the British Isles (Oldcastle/Pocket Essentials) -- J. Kingston Pierce * The Rap Sheet *Brit Noir is a book to dip into but also, as I did, to read from cover to cover. I've always considered Forshaw to be an honest reviewer and the book very much reflects his personality. It made the book a stimulating and, at times, amusing read -- Sarah Ward * Crime Pieces *very glad indeed to have a copy of this short and snappy book on my shelves -- Martin Edwards * Do You Write Under Your Own Name? *A must-have for crime fans: for reminding yourself about old favourites, for finding new authors, and for that 'What shall we watch?' moment -- Marsali Taylor * The Mystery People *

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Book SynopsisWith the republication of Garth St Omer's novels, around fifty years after their original publication, a new generation of readers has been discovering how modern a writer he is, whilst others have been remembering just how good the novels are. These qualities are documented in this casebook that brings together reviews from the time of first publication, later critical assessments, personal memories and contemporary re-assessments of St Omer's small but important body of work.

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Book SynopsisAll roads lead to Rome, the eternal city, the centre of Christendom, the lodestone of the pilgrim and the artist, the seat of the only Empire that has ever succeeded in uniting the European landmass. No literate traveller can escape its fascination, and many get drawn back year after year. Despite the triumphant remains of the forum, Imperial arch, public baths, gilded basilica and palace, it is only the bright flame of passion-filled poetry that can bring it to life. Glyn Pursglove has woven a delicate tapestry of ancient, medieval and modern poetry, from Virgil to Pasolini. It is a truly Olympian cast enough to fill the Pantheon, whose voices magically echo the city and its lessons to us. Who can equal the sensuality, power and crude honesty of Martial and Catullus. An extraordinary treat to read these masters of hungry sexuality, not banished amongst the ancient histories and the classics, but brought hungrily to life beside their poet peers.

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Book SynopsisStuff Dublin into your coat pocket. The perfect companion for a visit to the Fair City, or indeed to any inn, bar or cafe in Ireland. Some of the greatest writers in the English language were born in Dublin and every corner of the city has links with the written word, made explicit in this far-ranging collection. From Oscar Wilde to Rudyard Kipling, from Jonathan Swift to WB Yeats and Samuel Beckett: the city of Dublin has enchanted and inspired some great poetry.

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Book Synopsis'Tell me where you eat, what you eat, and at what time you eat, and I will tell you who you are'. This is the motto of Anka Muhlstein's erudite and witty book about the ways food and the art of the table feature in Honore de Balzac's writings. It is not a coincidence that Balzac was the first in French literature to tackle this appetizing topic. Before the French Revolution, a traveller in France was apt to find local food scarce, tasteless, and of doubtful appearance. Restaurants did not even exist! Just as the art of the table became a centrepiece of French mores, Balzac used it as a connecting thread in his novels, showing how food can evoke character, atmosphere, class, and social climbing. Full of surprise and insights, "Balzac's Omelette" invites you to taste a new French literature and cuisine.Trade Review'Anka Muhlstein's compact, elegantly written, illustrated and printed book makes me want to... revisit some of my favourite French cookbooks... not to be read with a depleted larder, or empty stomach.' -- Cyrus Todiwala

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Book SynopsisBetween 1400 and 1650 Scotland underwent a series of drastic changes, in court, culture, and religion. Renaissance and Reformation, the Union of the Crowns, and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms all shaped the nation, shifting and recasting Scotland's established relationships with Europe, the Mediterranean world, and with England. This International Companion traces the impact of these sweeping historical transformations on Scotland's literatures, in English, Gaelic, Latin and Scots, and provides a comprehensive overview to the major cultural developments of this turbulent age.

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Book SynopsisTo celebrate Aurora Metro's 30th anniversary as an independent publisher, 20% of profits will to go to the Virginia Woolf statue campaign in the UK. This is a revised edition of the publisher's inaugural publication in 1990, which won the Pandora Award from Women-in-Publishing. Inspirational in its original format, this new edition features poems, stories, essays and interviews with over 30 women writers, both emerging authors and luminaries of contemporary literature such as: A.S. BYATT, KIT DE WAAL, CAROL ANN DUFFY, PHILIPPA GREGORY, JACKIE KAY, MADELINE THIEN, CLARE TOMALIN, SARAH WATERS, and the great-niece of Virginia Woolf herself, EMMA WOOLF. Together with the original writing workshops plus black and white illustrations from women illustrators. Guest editor Ann Sandham has compiled the new collection.Trade Review...a gem of a book: everything a woman writer might need in one slim volume. "...plenty of practical advice and information including detailed suggestions for a series of sessions." - Everywoman Magazine; “…I found The Women Writers’ Handbook intriguing, and it should encourage other women to develop confidence in creativity.” - The Listener; …plenty of practical advice and information including detailed suggestions for a series of sessions.” - Writers’ News.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The Aesop's Fable Paradigm is interdisciplinarity at its best: a genuine dialogue between the sciences and the humanities that not only undermines the notion of an unbridgeable divide between "the two cultures" but also offers fascinating insights into the sociology of science. In addition to its important scholarly insights, we are given an insider's view on how scientific work actually gets done, which makes it an excellent teaching resource. As an added bonus, the book is a pleasure to read: it's both playful and witty, but also deadly serious, and it never pulls its punches."—Louise Barrett, University of Lethbridge"An impressively collaborative, interdisciplinary (and quite often funny!) set of essays that illustrate concretely not only how scientists anthropomorphize animals and draw on folkloric constructs in their research design and conclusions, but also how scientists need folklorists to help them sort it out. A must-read for anyone interested in the overlaps and little-understood connections between folklore and science."—Lisa Gabbert, author of Winter Carnival in a Western Town: Identity, Change, and the Good of the Community"Like the coyotes and badgers of native Western folklore that collaborate to ferret prey from their safe burrows, a scientist and a folklorist unite to ferret comparative psychology from its reliance on non-diagnostic experiments into a more enlightened era of self-reflection.The Aesop's Fable Paradigm provides an opportunity for engaging scholars with the challenges of designing a study of animal cognition that probes species-unique cognitive processes rather than continuing to debate how human-like nonhumans can be"—Jennifer Vonk, Oakland UniversityTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: The Perplexities of Water, by K. Brandon Barker and Daniel J. Povinelli1. The Animal Question as Folklore in Science, by K. Brandon Barker2. The Early Tradition of the Crow and the Pitcher, by William Hansen3. Going Meta: Retelling the Scientific Retelling of Aesop's the Crow and the Pitcher, by Laura Hennefield, Hyesung G. Hwang, and Daniel J. Povinelli4. Anthropomorphomania and the Rise of the Animal Mind: A Conversation, by K. Brandon Barker and Daniel J. Povinelli5. Fabling Gestures in Expository Science, by Gregory SchremppConclusion: Old Ideas and the Science of Animal Folklore, by K. Brandon Barker and Daniel J. PovinelliAppendix: Doctor Fomomindo's Preliminary Notes for a Future Index of Anthropomorphized Animal Behaviors, by Daniel J. Povinelli, K. Brandon Barker, Marisa Wieneke, and Kristina DownsIndex

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Book SynopsisThrough systematic and detailed readings of Futurist texts, James Rann offers the first book-length study of the tensions between the outspoken literary group and Aleksandr Pushkin. Rann's analysis contributes to the understanding of both the Futurists and Pushkin's complex legacy.Trade ReviewElegantly written and convincingly argued. The Unlikely Futurist provides for the first time a comprehensive account of the complex relationship between Russian Futurism, on the one hand, and Pushkin and his myth, on the other." - Daria Khitrova, Harvard University"An extremely intelligent, well-polished study of Russian Futurism's treatment of Pushkin as both a historical burden to be thrown from the 'steamship of modernity' and a source of inspiration for the Futurist, avant-garde project of reinvigorating Russian and Soviet poetry. The Unlikely Futurist dazzles." - Tim Harte, Bryn Mawr College

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Book SynopsisIn this comprehensive and accessible book, Dean Krouk examines a significant public figure in Scandinavian literature and a critical period in modern European history through original readings of the political, ethical, and gender issues in Nordahl Grieg’s works.Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Seas of Empire and Despair: 1902–1924 2 Anti-Imperialist Awakening: 1925–1927 3 Death in the Machine Age: 1928–1932 4 Polemical Confrontations: 1933–1935 5 Hope and Defeat: 1936–1937 6 Satire and Purge: 1937–1938 7 Becoming a Resistance Poet: 1939–1941 8 A Modern Wergeland: 1941–1943 Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAn addictively readable day-by-day literary companion and guide from a former bookseller and eight-time Jeopardy! Champion.Trade Review" It's a lovely book to curl up with, and suggests appropriate books for each month... " -- The Herald

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAs a literary-historical study of postwar Germany, this book makes a substantial contribution to German Studies, offering a much-needed critique of ‘melancholic scholarship’ in favour of work that wrestles with the often complex emotionality of the postwar era."" - German History""An Emotional State thus innovatively presents highly productive building blocks toward a complexified historical study of emotion"" - The Germanic Review""Offers a truly original, even pathbreaking, contribution to the study of postwar West German culture, while making a very important intervention in the theoretical debate on the study of emotions. Its potential audience includes not only historians and literary critics but the rapidly growing, strongly interdisciplinary community of ‘emotion scholars"" - Frank Biess, University of California, San Diego.

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Book SynopsisMaps connections across performances that question the borders of the human whose neurodiverse experiences have been shaped by the diagnostic label of autism, and animal-human performance relationships that dispute and blur anthropocentric edges. The book treats a diverse selection of live performance and archival video and analyzes the ways in which they affect their audiences.Trade ReviewProvocative, timely, and well-written, Affect, Animals, and Autists raises challenging questions that will be of interest to affect theorists as well as a broad complement of interdisciplinary scholars working in disability, performance, theatre, and/or animal studies."" -Kirsty Johnston, University of British Columbia""A timely, exciting and important book that is evidently the manifestation of years of in-depth research and reflection. The evaluation of performances is admirably measured, whilst not underestimating the risks of perpetuating conventional paradigms of animals or autism by influential ‘hits’ like War Horse or Curious Incident."" - Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca, University of Surrey

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Book SynopsisAutism is typically characterized as impoverished or defective when it comes to language. Autistic Disturbances reveals the ways interpreters have failed to register the real creative valence of autistic language and offers a theoretical framework for understanding the distinctive aesthetics of autistic rhetoric and semiotics.

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Book SynopsisExplores the cultural history of what underlies popular conceptions of "proper" mothering

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Book SynopsisExplores the history of cross-cultural teaching approaches, to highlight how women writer-educators used stories about their collaborations to promote community-building. Robbins demonstrates how educators used stories that resisted dominant conventions and expectations about learners to navigate cultural differences.Trade ReviewRobbins pushes the envelope on the normative uses and perspectives about the Archive, using literal archives of educational practice recorded in counter-narratives from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Educators will find value in using this book to help train emerging teachers to be reflective about their practice and for models of how to use texts, archives, and stories as powerful teaching tools . . . "" - Timothy K. Eatman, Associate Professor of Higher Education, Syracuse University, Faculty Co-director Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life""[Learning Legacies] combines knowledge about teacher training and the history of education in the United States gained from extensive research into many formal archives, numerous site visits, and interviews with educators, archivists and others. Robbins’s own autoethnographic reflections also form a crucial and welcome element of her research."" - Sandra A. Zagarell, Donald R. Longman Professor of English at Oberlin College and scholar of American Literature and Culture

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisExplores the complex relationship between avant-garde art and politics to reveal links with right-wing or fascist causes

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisTheorizing the effects of memory, absence, and disappearance in classical theatre - the aesthetics of ruins.Trade ReviewIt has been a long time since I read a work of great and serious scholarship with such enjoyment. Impressive in expression, content, and imbued by an encompassing imaginative 'presence' unusual in academic writing . . . As a scholar who has spent his life researching within the realms (sometimes arcane) of ancient theatre, I repeatedly encountered both facts previously unknown to me, or interpretations of familiar subjects cast in a manner that displayed and illuminated them in such an entirely new light, that they seemed freshly fashioned and novel. I admire this book greatly."" - Richard C. Beacham, King's College, London""A gripping study of classical theatre's preservation of its own goneness. This is a learned, innovative, and wonderfully readable book that overthrows the methodological constraints of archeo-historicism to elaborate (from rich evidence) the self-forgetting that conditions the theatre at its roots . . . a powerful, marvelous book."" - Ellen MacKay, University of Chicago

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Book SynopsisThese essays and interviews from 1970-76 are lively, pointed, often polemical. They derive from a unified point of view about creativity and about the function of poetry. For the interested reader they can provide a key to the universe of the contemporary poet.

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

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Book SynopsisBiblical Epics in Late Antiquity and Anglo-Saxon England provides an accessible introduction to biblical epic poetry.Trade Review"This ground-breaking study draws long-overdue attention to a magnificent body of Latin epics from late antiquity, including Sedulius's Carmen Paschale and Arator's Historia Apostolica. McBrine traces the promulgation of these poems in Anglo-Saxon England, where scholars like Aldhelm and Bede treasured the depth of learning and pleasure in them, and their influence extends even to vernacular epics like the Old English Genesis and Exodus. Biblical Epics in Late Antiquity and Anglo-Saxon England does more than fill a gap; it fundamentally reconfigures our understanding of literary production in Anglo-Saxon England." -- Daniel Donoghue, John P. Marquand Professor of English, Harvard University "Biblical Epics in Late Antiquity and Anglo-Saxon England is a very accessible introduction to the Latin biblical poets and the major poetic features of their biblical epics. This book is a major contribution to Anglo-Saxon studies and provides new context for the development and reception of Anglo-Latin poetry." -- Miranda Wilcox, Department of English, Brigham Young University "This elegantly written and meticulously researched book may well prove a milestone in Anglo-Saxon studies, combining as it does a magisterial overview of some of the most important Latin texts taught in Anglo-Saxon schools with an intricate and intriguing assessment of their impact on Old English texts that evidently echoed in the vernacular their range and purpose. Brilliant close readings sit alongside sweeping vistas, in a book that should both surprise and stimulate all serious scholars and students of Anglo-Saxon England." -- Andy Orchard, FBA FRSC , Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon in the University of OxfordTable of ContentsPreface Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Juvencus' Euangeliorum libri quattuor (c. 330 CE) Chapter 3 Cyprianus' Heptateuch (c. 400-425 CE) Chapter 4 Sedulius' Carmen paschale (c. 425-450 CE) Chapter 5 Avitus' Historia spiritalis (c. 500 CE) Chapter 6 Arator's Historia apostolica (c. 544 CE) Chapter 7 Reading Biblical Epics in Early England: Aldhelm, Bede, Alcuin Chapter 8 Old English Biblical Verse: Genesis A, Genesis B, Exodus Chapter 9 Conclusion Appendices Bibliography

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisProvides the first comprehensive directory of the over 1,500 African Americans who held political office in the South during the Reconstruction era. The book presents an impressive amount of information about the antebellum status, occupations, property ownership, and military service of these officials.

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Book SynopsisTwo Covenants serves to expand the definition of the American South by focusing on the contributions of Jews to the culture. While concerned with established concepts such as ethnicity and region, McGraw raises many questions that illustrate the complexity of southern Jewishness and also considers literary representations.

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Book SynopsisNew Yorker James Baldwin once declared that a black man can look at a map of the United States, contemplate the area south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and thus scare himself to death. In The Scary Mason-Dixon Line, Trudier Harris explores why black writers have consistently both loved and hated the South.

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Book SynopsisInvestigates the mystery and unease surrounding the issue of women called before the Inquisition in Spain and its colonial territories in the Americas. The collection gathers scholarship that considers how the Holy Office of the Inquisition functioned as a closed, secret world defined by patriarchal hierarchy and grounded in misogynistic standards.

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

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Book SynopsisAn interdisciplinary volume of literary and cultural scholarship that examines the link between two pivotal intellectual and artistic figures. The book probes the degree to which the transcendentalist author influenced the architect’s campaign against dominant strains of American thought.Trade ReviewPart intellectual biography and part history of American architecture, Ayad Rahmani's book is a rich and engaging exploration of Frank Lloyd Wright's philosophical scaffolding. Rahmani demonstrates, in particular, the centrality of Ralph Waldo Emerson's contributions to Wright's worldview and his architectural theories and craft." - Scott Slovic, University Distinguished Professor of Environmental Humanities, University of Idaho

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Book SynopsisA novel is among the most intricate of human creations, the result of thousands of choices and decisions. In How to Reread a Novel, Matthew Clark explicates the intricacies of fiction writing through practical analysis of the resources of narration, demystifying some of the tools novelists use to build worlds.Trade Review“In this refreshingly down-to-earth and approachable book, Matthew Clark focuses on the handling of rhetorical figures and narrative situations in a wide range of authors from Homer to Toni Morrison, revealing in detail the mechanisms by which literary effects are created. Lucidly written, patiently argued, and deeply grounded in a lifetime of literary experience, How to Reread a Novel can change the way we read, amplifying both our understanding and our pleasure.” - Peter J. Rabinowitz, author of Before Reading: Narrative Conventions and the Politics of Interpretation

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