Non Fiction Books

Book SynopsisThroughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.The Father of Existentialism, Kierkegaard transformed philosophy with his conviction that we must all create our own nature; in this great work of religious anxiety, he argues that a true understanding of God can only be attained by making a personal ''leap of faith''.

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Book SynopsisCommand and Control interweaves the minute-by-minute story of an accident at a missile silo in rural Arkansas, where a single crew struggled to prevent the explosion of the most powerful nuclear warhead ever built by the United States, with a historical narrative that spans more than fifty years. It depicts the urgent effort to ensure that nuclear weapons can''t be stolen, sabotaged, used without permission, or detonated inadvertently. Schlosser also looks at the Cold War from a new perspective, offering history from the ground up, telling the stories of bomber pilots, missile commanders, maintenance crews, and other ordinary servicemen who risked their lives to avert a nuclear holocaust. Drawing on recently declassified documents and interviews with men who designed and routinely handled nuclear weapons, Command and Control takes readers into a terrifying but fascinating world that, until now, has been largely hidden from view.Trade ReviewSo damnably readable. It drives the vision of a world trembling on the edge of a fatal precipice deep into your mind ... a piece of work of the deepest import, with the multilayered density of an ambitiously conceived novel -- John Lloyd * Financial Times *Do you really want to read about the thermonuclear warheads that are still aimed at the city where you live? Do you really need to know about the appalling security issues that have dogged nuclear weapons in the 70 years since their invention? Yes, you do. In Schlosser's hands it is a reading treat ... he's a natural genius -- Jonathan Franzen * Guardian, Books of the Year *Part techno-thriller, part careful historical investigation ... beautifully written and impressively researched -- Gerard DeGroot * Daily Telegraph *Brilliant, gripping, chilling -- Steven Shapin * London Review of Books *The author of Fast Food Nation does for the American nuclear industry what he did for industrial food production * Economist, Books of the Year *Eric Schlosser detonates a truth bomb in Command and Control * Vanity Fair *Deeply reported, deeply frightening . . . a techno-thriller of the first order * Los Angeles Times *An excellent journalistic investigation of the efforts made since the first atomic bomb was exploded, outside Alamogordo, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945, to put some kind of harness on nuclear weaponry. By a miracle of information management, Schlosser has synthesized a huge archive of material, including government reports, scientific papers, and a substantial historical and polemical literature on nukes, and transformed it into a crisp narrative covering more than fifty years of scientific and political change. And he has interwoven that narrative with a hair-raising, minute-by-minute account of an accident at a Titan II missile silo in Arkansas, in 1980, which he renders in the manner of a techno-thriller . . . Command and Control is how nonfiction should be written -- Louis Menand * The New Yorker *A devastatingly lucid and detailed new history of nuclear weapons in the U.S. . . . fascinating -- Lev Grossman * Time *Command and Control ranks among the most nightmarish books written in recent years; and in that crowded company it bids fair to stand at the summit. It is the more horrific for being so incontrovertibly right and so damnably readable. Page after relentless page, it drives the vision of a world trembling on the edge of a fatal precipice deep into your reluctant mind . . . a work with the multilayered density of an ambitiously conceived novel . . . Schlosser has done what journalism does at its best when at full stretch: he has spent time - years - researching, interviewing, understanding and reflecting to give us a piece of work of the deepest import * Financial Times *Perilous and gripping . . . Schlosser skillfully weaves together an engrossing account of both the science and the politics of nuclear weapons safety . . . The story of the missile silo accident unfolds with the pacing, thrill and techno details of an episode of 24 * San Francisco Chronicle *Disquieting but riveting . . . fascinating . . . Schlosser's readers (and he deserves a great many) will be struck by how frequently the people he cites attribute the absence of accidental explosions and nuclear war to divine intervention or sheer luck rather than to human wisdom and skill. Whatever was responsible, we will clearly need many more of it in the years to come * New York Times Book Review *Easily the most unsettling work of nonfiction I've ever read, Schlosser's six-year investigation of America's 'broken arrows' (nuclear weapons mishaps) is by and large historical-this stuff is top secret, after all-but the book is beyond relevant. It's critical reading in a nation with thousands of nukes still on hair-trigger alert . . . Command and Control reads like a character-driven thriller as Schlosser draws on his deep reporting, extensive interviews, and documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act to demonstrate how human error, computer glitches, dilution of authority, poor communications, occasional incompetence, and the routine hoarding of crucial information have nearly brought about our worst nightmare on numerous occasions * Mother Jones *A powerful mix of history, politics, and technology, told with impressive authority * Independent *Eric Schlosser brings the investigative rigour of his big hit Fast Food Nation to this overview of our global nuclear arsenal * Herald *

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Book Synopsis*WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR*Fever Pitch is Nick Hornby''s million-copy-selling, award-winnning football classic''A spanking 7-0 away win of a football book. . . inventive, honest, funny, heroic, charming'' IndependentFor many people watching football is mere entertainment, to some it''s more like a ritual; but to others, its highs and lows provide a narrative to life itself. But, for Nick Hornby, his devotion to the game has provided one of few constants in a life where the meaningful things - like growing up, leaving home and forming relationships, both parental and romantic - have rarely been as simple or as uncomplicated as his love for Arsenal.Brimming with wit and honesty, Fever Pitch, catches perfectly what it really means to be a football fan - and in doing so, what it means to be a man.''Hornby has put his finger on truths that have been unspoken for geTrade ReviewFunny, wise and true—Roddy Doyle

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Book SynopsisControversy raged through England during the 1570-80s as Puritans denounced all manner of games & pastimes as a danger to public morals. Writers quickly turrned their attention to their own art and the first & most influential response came with Philip Sidney''s Defense. Here he set out to answer contemporary critics &, with reference to Classical models of criticism, formulated a manifesto for English literature. Also includes George Puttenham''s Art of English Poesy, Samuel Daniel''s Defence of Rhyme, & passages by writers such as Ben Jonson, Francis Bacon & George Gascoigne.

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Book SynopsisIn the spirit of T.E. Lawrence, Wilfred Thesiger spent five years wandering the deserts of Arabia, producing Arabian Sands, ''a memorial to a vanished past, a tribute to a once magnificent people''. The Penguin Classics edition includes an introduction by Rory Stewart.Wilfred Thesiger, repulsed by what he saw as the softness and rigidity of Western life - ''the machines, the calling cards, the meticulously aligned streets'' - spent years exploring in and around the vast, waterless desert that is the ''Empty Quarter'' of Arabia. Travelling amongst the Bedu people, he experienced their everyday challenges of hunger and thirst, the trials of long marches beneath the relentless sun, the bitterly cold nights and the constant danger of death if it was discovered he was a Christian ''infidel''. He was the first European to visit most of the region, and just before he left the area the process that would change it forever had begun - the discovery of oil.This edition contains an introduction by Rory Stewart discussing the dangers of Thesiger''s travels, his unconventional personality and his insights into the Bedouin way of life.Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger (1910-2003) was a British travel writer born in Addis Ababa in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). Thesiger is best known for two travel books: Arabian Sands (1959), which recounts his travels in the Empty Quarter of Arabia between 1945 and 1950 and describes the vanishing way of life of the Bedouins, and The Marsh Arabs (1964), an account of the traditional peoples who lived in the marshlands of southern Iraq.If you enjoyed Arabian Sands, you might like T.E. Lawrence''s Seven Pillars of Wisdom, also available in Penguin Modern Classics''Thesiger is perhaps the last, and certainly one of the greatest, of the British travellers among the Arabs''Sunday Times''Following worthily in the tradition of Burton, Lawrence, Philby and Thomas, it is, very likely, the book about Arabia to end all books about Arabia''Daily TelegraphTrade Review"The narrative is vividly written, with a thousand little anecdotes and touches which bring back to any who have seen these countries every scene with the colour of real life." —The Sunday Times (London)

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Book Synopsis''Celebrates human cognitive diversity, and is rich with empathy and psychological insight'' Steven Pinker ''Bold, intriguing, profound'' Jay Elwes, Spectator Why can humans alone invent? In this book, psychologist and world renowned autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen puts forward a bold new theory: because we can identify patterns, specifically if-and-then patterns. Baron-Cohen argues that the genes for this unique ability overlap with the genes for autism and have driven human progress for 70,000 years. From the first musical instruments to the agricultural, industrial, and digital revolutions, Pattern Seekers links one of our greatest human strengths with a condition that is so often misunderstood and challenges us to think differently about those who think differently.Trade ReviewAmbitious and provocative...goes beyond the usual discussion of 'special gifts' in autism to propose that the diversity of human operating systems has accelerated the advancement of human civilization and culture in ways we can barely imagine. -- Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribesIt's rare to come across a surprising new idea that explains important phenomena, but Simon Baron-Cohen's exploration of abstract pattern-seeking in human affairs is one of them. This book sheds light on one of humanity's most distinctive traits, celebrates human cognitive diversity, and is rich with empathy and psychological insight. -- Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind WorksA game-changing book, a passport into exploring the world of innovation and creativity. Most importantly, it celebrates autistic people and is a call for action, to welcome neurodiversity. -- David Joseph, Chairman and CEO Universal Music UKA fascinating account of the mechanisms underlying the related capacities of both autistic individuals and innovators. -- Brian Josephson, winner of the Nobel Prize in physicsErudite, illuminating...His bold new idea, that the genes for autism drove the evolution of human invention, places this disability centre stage in the story of humans. -- Jools HollandBased on massive research, Simon Baron-Cohen argues that most of us are specialized in how we perceive the world around us. There are those who focus on people and those who focus on things. The author makes a compelling case that the second kind of mind-the pattern seeker-is at the root of modern human civilization. -- Frans de Waal, author of The Age of EmpathyDestined to become a classic...In an age of increasing specialization, Baron-Cohen's book comes as a breath of fresh air. -- VS Ramachandran * author of the Tell Tale Brain *Bold, intriguing, profound. -- Jay Elwes * Spectator *A wonderful, lyrical celebration of the autistic mind. -- Alice Thomson * Times *

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Book SynopsisTHE TIME NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERPowerful and timely ... I cannot recommend it strongly enough - Barack ObamaBeyond race or class, our lives are defined by a powerful, unspoken system of divisions. In Caste, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson provides a profound, eye-opening portrait of this hidden phenomenon. This is the story of how our world was shaped by caste, and how its rigid, arbitrary hierarchies still divide us today. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people--including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball''s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others--she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways we can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity. ''Required reading for all of humanity'' Oprah WinfreyIf you haven''t read it yet, you absolutely must. - Edward Enninful, Vogue''An instant American classic'' Dwight Garner, The New York TimesTrade ReviewIf you haven't read Caste yet, you absolutely must -- Edward Enninful * Vogue *Powerful and timely... I cannot recommend it strongly enough -- Barack ObamaSuch is Wilkerson's gift as a writer that she leaves you looking at the world differently -- Afua Hirsch * Vogue *Elegant and persuasive... Caste will spur readers to think and to feel in equal measure -- Kwame Anthony Appiah * New York Times Book Review *Probably the most important piece of non-fiction published this year -- Sarah Hughes * i News *A surprising and arresting wide-angle reframing... Her epilogue feels like a prayer for a country in pain, offering new directions through prophetic new language -- Bilal Qureshi * Washington Post *An expansive interrogation of racism, institutionalised inequality and injustice... This is an American reckoning and so it should be... It is a painfully resonant book and could not have come at a more urgent time -- Fatima Bhutto * Guardian *Persuasive and unsettling... The case Wilkerson puts forward is inspiring and hopeful... caste can be dismantled, setting everyone free -- Ashish Ghadiali * Observer *Important and timely... If repudiation of past assumptions is the first step towards healing, Wilkerson's book offers a powerful frame for this. It is essential reading for anybody who feels angry, guilty or threatened by the tangled issue of "race" in America today -- Gillian Tett * Financial Times *Magisterial... [Wilkerson's] reporting is nimble and her sentences exquisite. But the real power of Caste lies tucked within the stories she strings together like pearls... Caste is a luminous read, bearing its own torch of righteous wrath in a diamond-hard prose that will be admired and studied by future generations of journalists -- Hamilton Cain * Star Tribune *Wilkerson's book is a powerful, illuminating and heartfelt account of how hierarchy reproduces itself, as well as a call to action for the difficult work of undoing it -- Kenneth W. Mack * Washington Post *Wilkerson unearths bone-chilling parallels in systems of oppressive regimes that otherwise seem radically dissimilar to explain caste and how it predated and helped define racism in America... Caste offers a forward-facing vision. Bursting with insight and love, this book may well help save us -- Emily Bernard * O: The Oprah Magazine *Wilkerson's genius as a writer is her ability to connect the macro and the micro, to tell you the big story of what happened but to make that story matter by linking it to the lives of those who survived it... What in the hands of another writer would feel like an abstraction attains, in her work, the vividness and emotional power of lived experience -- Ezra Klein * Vox *Haunting yet strangely consoling, in a world defined by its divides, Caste connects. It reveals the 'unseen skeleton' embedded in heinous acts of power but, in evocative prose that is full of poise, reminds us what's possible when people come together. I closed the book feeling enlightened and energised, ready to roll up my sleeves and get on with the good work -- Johny PittsShould be required reading for generations to come and is as propulsive a reading experience as her debut... A significant work of social science, journalism, and history, Caste removes the tenuous language of racial animus and replaces it with a sturdier lexicon based on power relationships -- Joshunda Sanders * Boston Globe *A transformative new framework through which to understand identity and injustice in America -- Justin Worland * TIME *Wonderful ... Prepare to have your mind expanded, your heart break and your head slowly shake by Wilkerson's sublime combination of skilful, analytical dissection and raw, emotional testimony -- Allen Sleith * Belfast Telegraph *Caste makes a convincing, often scorching case that caste was there at the birth of the nation, and we wrestle every day with that legacy. It upsets the already rickety national myth that anyone in the United States can be anything -albeit, without entirely abandoning that hope -- Christopher Borrelli * Chicago Tribune *Vital, brilliant and necessary -- Kae TempestSimilar to her previous book, the latest by Wilkerson is destined to become a classic, and is urgent, essential reading for all -- Stephanie Sendaula * Library Journal (starred review) *This enthralling exposé deserves a wide and impassioned readership * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *This is a brilliant book, well timed in the face of a pandemic and police brutality that cleave along the lines of a caste system... The Warmth of Other Suns topped group read lists everywhere, and Caste will be the book to read in light of current discussions about systemic racism -- Vanessa Bush * Booklist (starred review) *Wilkerson's book arrives at a key inflection point, an opening for us to imagine, and then create, a system that's better than the one we've inherited -- Jordyn Holman * Bloomberg *An instant American classic and almost certainly the keynote nonfiction book of the American century thus far... It made the back of my neck prickle from its first pages, and that feeling never went away. I told more than one person, as I moved through my days... that I was reading one of the most powerful nonfiction books I'd ever encountered... This book has the reverberating and patriotic slap of the best American prose writing... [Isabel] Wilkerson has written a closely argued book that largely avoids the word 'racism,' yet stares it down with more humanity and rigor than nearly all but a few books in our literature... It's a book that changes the weather inside a reader -- Dwight Garner * The New York Times *Caste is the most important book I've ever selected for my book club. Should be required reading for humanity -- Oprah WinfreyIt literally changed the way I thought about the world and deepened my understanding of it more than any book I've read in a long time. It is worthy of a lifetime of study. It is a magnificent gift to our country and to people all across the world -- Bill ClintonAbsolutely extraordinary -- Bryan StevensonThe superlatives people use to describe Caste are all accurate. This is an astonishing book with a bold premise-that race in America is a caste system like those in India and Nazi Germany. [Caste is] well written, well argued and provocative. Wilkerson made me think and taught me so much. You think you know the history of racism and then a book like this reveals that it's so much worse than you could have also imagined. Also she quotes me in the book! I dropped it when I saw that. So unexpected. A lil ego boost. But really that's just a small vanity. The book is amazing for what it accomplished and how -- Roxane GayCaste is rearranging my molecules right now. Isabel is one of my heroes -- Ken BurnsYet another masterpiece -- Trevor NoahWilkerson is unmatched in her ability to take colossal, weighty concepts like race, class and caste and distill them into smooth, accessible prose. These 496 pages fly by, even as you savor each paradigm-shifting idea * BookPage (Best Books of 2020: Nonfiction) *It should be at the top of every American's reading list -- Jennifer Day * Chicago Tribune *Isabel Wilkerson's study surpasses many books on institutional racism by reframing the problem as something more vast and more concrete than that. We suffer under a caste system, with a dominant, shrinking group fighting for continued supremacy and the lower caste fighting, still, for full human rights * Los Angeles Times *To read Isabel Wilkerson is to revel in the pleasure of reading-to relax into the virtuosic performance of thought and form one is about to encounter, safe and secure that the structures will not collapse beneath you... Caste is a masterwork of writing- a profound achievement of scholarship and research that stands also as a triumph of both visceral storytelling and cogent analysis... Wilkerson's use of a poetic focus on imagery and detailed characterization allows us an intimate and personal relationship with the lives of those she chronicles; when this empathic closeness is juxtaposed with the harsh brutality of the historical record the contrast is resonant and haunting, becoming a towering memorial to those violated by the violence of caste -- Hope Wabuke * National Public Radio *Caste mingles comparison, history, sociology and a string of shattering stories... More than appropriately, Wilkerson likens the situation of India's Dalits to that of America's Blacks... India needs mind-shaking books like Caste that unveil for India's top layers (including for the willfully blind) the realities being endured in the thick bottom -- Rajmohan Gandhi * India Today *A big book about our biggest problem... Wilkerson looks at structural inequality and bigotries in Germany, India, and the United States, identifying the insidious nature all forms of caste divisions share -- Kate Tuttle * The Boston Globe (Best Books of 2020) *[Wilkerson's] aim is as ambitious as it sounds, which makes Caste's success as both a work of historical analysis and a tremendously engaging read all the more gratifying. Part of the accessibility and richness of the text come from the multiple points of entry Wilkerson offers to the idea of caste: Theatrical analogies... sit side-by-side with comparisons to the natural world... It's clear that Wilkerson has tremendous belief in humanity-its capacity for warmth and ingenuity, as well as for cruelty and intentional ignorance-and that lends Caste a certain moral clarity and directive -- Rosalind Faires * The Austin Chronicle *Some may argue that linking race relations in America to Nazi atrocities and the Indian caste system is tenuous but [Wilkerson] strongly argues her case with a powerful document that holds lessons for aggressors and their victims all over the world... A painful exploration of what human beings are capable of doing to each other -- Sudipta Datta * The Hindu *A superbly written and impeccably researched study of a phenomenon that is rarely discussed in American culture... Brave, clear and shatteringly honest in both approach and delivery... A book that cuts to the marrow of our caste system, exposes the rotten core within, and deconstructs the beginning of it to expose its flaws and why it shouldn't be used anymore... Extrapolating Wilkerson's ideas to contemporary America becomes an unsettling exercise that proves how right she is and how profoundly embedded into society the caste system is... Her quest for answers frames everything and acts as the perfect delivery method for every explanation -- Gabino Iglesias * San Francisco Chronicle *A consummate storyteller... Isabel Wilkerson has written an important book that reminds us of a comradeship of interwoven histories -- Anupama Rao * Los Angeles Review of Books *A landmark new study of the power of racial distinctions in America... Wilkerson argues with staggering precision, clarity, and conviction that caste cuts far deeper than any local or federal law, prevailing attitude, or temporary cultural drift... Caste draws heavily on the powerful mingling of narrative, research, and visionary, sweeping insight that made Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns the definitive contemporary study of African Americans' twentieth-century Great Migration from the Jim Crow South to northern, midwestern, and western cities. It deepens the resonance of that book (a seemingly impossible feat) by digging more explicitly into the pervasive racial hierarchy that transcends region and time... It provides a new and more nuanced diagnosis of an ancient and chronic disease, a template for recognizing its symptoms-even among those who only distantly feel their effects-and a springboard to action in mitigating its impact in the absence of a miracle cure or a panacea of absolution -- Steve Nathans-Kelly * New York Journal of Books *Isabel Wilkerson's latest is an immersive, unflinching taxonomy of the unspoken social order underpinning all of American society * Harpers Bazaar *Full of uncovered stories and persuasive writing... Opening up a new bank of language in a time of emboldened white supremacism may provide her readers with a new way of thinking and talking about social injustice... A useful reminder to India's many upper-caste cosmopolitans... that dreams of resistance are just one part of the shared inheritance of the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest -- Supriya Nair * Mumbai Mirror *Caste-beautifully written, original, and revealing-is an eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of American life today * Arab News (Saudi Arabia) *Persuasive and unsettling... The case Wilkerson puts forward is inspiring and hopeful. Her writing incorporates and reflects the anti-racist traditions embodied by figures such as African-American liberationist W.E.B. Du Bois and the trailblazer of India's Dalit movement, Bhimrao Ambedkar, who wrote: 'Caste is [just] a notion; it is a state of the mind.' Like him, Wilkerson wants us to recognise that caste can be dismantled, setting everyone free -- Ashish Ghadiali * Guardian *Caste seeks nothing less than to reframe our understanding of America's original sin -- Leonard Pitts Jr. * Miami Herald *A small cohort of historians and intellectuals has been referring to America's racial caste system for years, feeling that term is more effective than racism, which many Americans prefer to regard as a personal failing rather than an institutional force. Wilkerson brings to bear the formidable interviewing and storytelling talents she displayed in 2010's The Warmth of Other Suns to popularize this reframing of race, a social construction with no biological validity. It's a move that places American racism in the context of other heritable hierarchies around the globe, especially the Indian caste system, although Wilkerson is careful not to conflate the two. This important book wrenches our established way of thinking about race out of its rut and encourages us to see it anew, with a fresh understanding of the damage it has done and the potential for change -- Laura Miller * Slate *A free-flowing and impassioned work of living history -- Chris Barsanti * PopMatters (Best Books of 2020) *The book offers a searing description of the nature of caste-a stratified, internalised hierarchy-which is instructive far beyond America's elections... Caste provides a lucid description of dynamics that extend far beyond the States -- Joseph Allchin * New Humanist *Wilkerson achieves a remarkable refocusing on race-a kind of anthropological clarity. Wilkerson's use of personal and shared anecdotes, historical stories and pointed metaphors makes the book extremely readable... By utilizing a new terminology-dominant caste, ruling majority, upper caste, subordinate, lowest or bottom caste-surprising insights arise -- Andy Douglas * Iowa City Press-Citizen *Indispensable... It asks Americans of good faith and any caste, but especially the dominant caste, to use this tool, along with race and class, to better understand why they have built such a continuously and dangerously unequal society * The Durango Herald *The book's analytical description of caste is a valuable contribution to the comparative study of social inequality, laying bare how these features recur again and again across time and space, and in the parallel contexts of the U.S., India and Germany... By examining how identity-based difference is repeatedly forged and institutionalised into hierarchies, Wilkerson's work expands our broader understandings of social inequality as it manifests across time and place -- Durgesh Solanki * The White Review *Wilkerson's comparisons are profound and revelatory... What makes this book so memorable is Wilkerson's extraordinary narrative gift... Stories like these are painfully informative, making the past come alive in ways that do not beg but scream for justice. That said, Wilkerson is never didactic. She lets history speak for itself, turning the events of the past into necessary fuel for our current national dialogue -- Alice Cary * BookPage (starred review) *This examination of caste and its consequences on every aspect of culture is unusual, eye-opening and of life-or-death importance. As in her previous work, which she continues and deepens here, Wilkerson lives up to the scope and significance of her subject matter, delivering a book that is deeply researched, clearly structured, well-written and moving -- Julia Kastner * Shelf Awareness (starred review) *A memorable, provocative book that exposes an American history in which few can take pride * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *Wilkerson's work, which has made numerous 'best of' lists including Time, The New York Times, and Oprah's Book Club, is both lyrical and life changing * Yahoo! India News (The Best Books of 2020) *Caste is a rich, well-researched and engagingly written meditation on one of the most important subjects of our time -- Scott Moncrieff * Spectrum *It is bracing to be reminded with such precision that our country was built through genocide and slavery. But Ms. Wilkerson has also provided a renewed way of understanding America's longest, fiercest trouble in all its complexity. Her book leaves me both grateful and hopeful. I gulped it down -- Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Mountains Beyond MountainsLike Martin Luther King, Jr. before her, Isabel Wilkerson has traveled the world to study the caste system and has returned to show us more clearly than ever before how caste is permanently embedded in the foundation and unseen structural beams of this old house called America. Isabel Wilkerson tells this story in prose that is so beautiful, the only reason to pause your reading is to catch your breath. You cannot understand America today without this book -- Lawrence O’DonnellA riveting reframing of how power operates in our society. It's been sparking conversations all over the country, and for good reason -- Preet BhararaSometimes we read something so fundamentally stirring that we find ourselves speechless in the face of so many tumbling thoughts. Caste is one of those books. Isabel Wilkerson is one of those writers. She reminds us that 'we are responsible for our own ignorance or, with time and openhearted enlightenment, our own wisdom.' In this magnificent work of history, narrative, social commentary, philosophy and inspired storytelling, she offers us a new frame, a deeper focal point and new language to help us toward a reckoning long overdue. Quite a gift * Barnes & Noble (10 Best Books of 2020) *What lies behind race and racism? Wilkerson focuses on the architecture--the caste system, a ranking of people along with a set of assumptions about them based on their so-called race or phenotype--that allows for the expression of racism ... Wilkerson spins a tale that is necessarily brutal and bruising, but always suffused with tenderness for America's Black citizens and the ignominies they continue to endure. -- Colin Grant * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisThis book starts at the very beginning and ends with some remarkably profound insights on conductorial subtleties. An experienced conductor is one in whom detection, diagnosis, and remedy take place simultaneously; as he hears the error, he realizes where the fault lies and what to do about it. This book gives valuable hints about these three basic conductorial functions from the viewpoint of chorus and orchestra alike. McElheran leads the student toward mastery of the problems at hand, with firmness and gentle humour.Table of ContentsForeword ; Preface to the third edition ; Preface to the revised edition ; Preface to the first edition ; Inspiration ; Other studies ; Conducting technique - general ; The baton ; Odds and ends ; Beat patterns - theory ; Beat patterns - specific ; The left hand ; Dynamics, accents, phrasing, tempo, character ; Cues ; Off-beat cues, accents, and syncopations ; Conducting to records ; More odds and ends ; Starts and stops ; Subdivision and 'merging' ; Moulding the music ; Fermatas ; Ears ; Nerves ; Thoughts and interpretation ; Some rehearsal suggestions ; Solos and recitatives ; Changing beat units ; The avant-garde ; The concert ; Non-musical chores ; On teaching conducting ; Additions and amplifications for the third edition ; Index

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Book SynopsisOxford A Level Religious Studies for OCR is a brand new course developed by renowned authors Libby Ahluwalia and Robert Bowie for the 2016 OCR specification. This textbook has been endorsed by OCR and supports a deep engagement with philosophy, ethics and the study of Christianity using an approach accessible to all students.

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Book SynopsisThe second volume of Steven Runciman''s classic, hugely influential trilogy on the history of the Crusades''There was magic about. Saladin himself was troubled by terrible dreams...''Steven Runciman''s unrivalled history of the Crusades is a classic of learning and vivid, compelling storytelling, which brilliantly brings to life the personalities, battles, massacres, triumphs and follies of these epochal events. In this second volume of his trilogy Runciman tells the story of the foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the disastrous, bloody Second Crusade and the inexorable rise of the crusaders'' nemesis, Saladin. ''The pre-eminent historian of the Byzantine Empire and of the Crusades ... a surefooted guide who could render the past visible and familiar'' Daily Telegraph''He tells his story plain ... always pleasurable to read'' Gore Vidal

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Book SynopsisDiscover the history of Europe - from the Dark Ages to present day - by the author of the bestselling A Short History of EnglandEurope is an astonishingly successful place. But it would take volumes to tell its story, right? Wrong. From warring peoples to peace, wealth and freedom, Andrew Jenkins distils its evolution into this short, single-volume history.From Greece and Rome, through the French Revolution to the Second World War and modern times. Taking in leaders such as Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Wellington and Angela Merkel.Sharing stories of cultural figures like Aristotle, Shakespeare and Picasso.Jenkins brings together the transformative forces and dominant eras into one chronological tale - all with his insight, colour and authority.Trade ReviewA short, invigorating gallop over two and a half thousand years -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *Simon Jenkins achieves a high ambition: a concise readable history of two millennia of European civilisation from its discernible origins to our present perplexities. In 305 pages! . . . An immensely rewarding book from a gifted writer -- Harold EvansFull of stand-out facts ... absolutely fascinating -- Richard Bacon, BBC Radio 2, on 'A Short History of England'Masterly, perhaps a masterpiece -- Independent, Books of the Year on England's Thousand Best ChurchesJenkins is, like all good guides, more than simply informative: he can be courteous and rude, nostalgic and funny, elegant, convincing and relaxed -- Adam Nicolson on 'England’s Thousand Best Houses' * Evening Standard *Full of the good judgements one might hope for from such a sensible and readable commentator, and they alone are worth perusing for pleasure and food for thought -- Michael Wood on 'A Short History of England' * New Statesman *Any passably cultured inhabitant of the British Isles should ask for, say, three or four copies of this book -- Max Hastings on 'England’s Thousand Best Houses' * Sunday Telegraph *Jenkins has produced the sort of work that not only compacts people and places into manageable form but also has wit and insight enough to bring a sense of freshness even to a knowledgeable history buff * Booklist review *

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Book SynopsisFind out about more than 70 cat breeds, including their origins and characteristics, in this pocket-sized encyclopedia. This cat-alogue packs a whole lot of information into your pocket! Along with a photo of each breed, discover the facts and stats of each cat, including its size, where the breed originated, colours and markings, and unusual features or behaviours. You''ll soon be able to tell apart a Burmese from a Siamese; a rex from a sphynx and a manx; and an American shorthair from a British shorthair. You will also discover a lot about colours and patterns. Did you know that tabby cats and tortoiseshells are not breeds, but colours within breeds? Plus there are pages introducing cat anatomy and behaviour; and the book finishes with fun facts.The style of the Pocket Eyewitness series is perfect for all children, from reluctant readers who can easily digest the key points through to budding vets and cat-lovers who want to know more about the b

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Book SynopsisPenguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online.Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content.The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers'' story comprehension and develop vocabulary.Visit the Penguin Readers websiteExclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys.Emma Woodhouse is beautiful, clever and rich, and she has everything she wants. She does not want a husband for herself, but she loves match-making for her friends. But is Emma really as clever as she thinks? And what will she do when things start to go wrong?

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Book Synopsis''One of the most engrossing books I have ever read'' Daily TelegraphJohn Kenneth Galbraith''s now-classic account of the 1929 stock market collapse remains the definitive book on the most disastrous cycle of boom and bust in modern times.Vividly depicting the causes, effects, aftermath and long-term consequences of financial meltdown, Galbraith also describes the people and the corporations who were affected by the catastrophe. With its depiction of the ''gold-rush fantasy'' ingrained in America''s psychology, The Great Crash 1929 remains a penetrating study of human greed and folly.

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Book SynopsisLearn to speak Portuguese in just three months with this practical and comprehensive self-study language course.Whether you''re a complete beginner or wanting to refresh your knowledge, DK Hugo Portuguese In 3 Months will have you speaking Portuguese fluently in just 12 weeks. With a fresh new look and an accompanying audio app, the latest edition of this classic self-study course provides all the resources needed to speak, read, and write in Portuguese.The 12 weekly chapters contain lessons on the key grammatical structures and present a range of useful vocabulary, along with exercises to reinforce your learning. The essentials of Portuguese grammar are clearly explained and tested in conversational exercises, giving you the authentic feel of the language. In addition to a written imitated pronunciation guide, which replaces Portuguese sounds with English syllables you''re already familiar with, the new audio app also allows you to perfect your pronunciation - at home or on the go.Whether you''re learning Portuguese for work, a future holiday, or because you''re interested in languages, this course is the perfect place to start. Learning Portuguese has never been so easy!

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Book SynopsisA Guest at the Feast uncovers the places where politics and poetics meet, where life and fiction overlap, where one can be inside writing and also outside of it.From the melancholy and amusement within the work of the writer John McGahern to an extraordinary essay on his own cancer diagnosis, Tóibín delineates the bleakness and strangeness of life and also its richness and its complexity. As he reveals the shades of light and dark in a Venice without tourists and the streets of Buenos Aires riddled with disappearances, we find ourselves considering law and religion in Ireland as well as the intricacies of Marilynne Robinson''s fiction.The imprint of the written word on the private self, as Tóibín himself remarks, is extraordinarily powerful. In this collection, that power is gloriously alive, illuminating history and literature, politics and power, family and the self.Trade ReviewDroll, careful reflections on Ireland, illness and religion in a welcome collection of essays . . . [the] melancholy elegance of the prose guarantees the reader's enjoyment * Guardian *Erudite, forensic, moving and wry . . . the breadth of the collection is impressive: a snapshot of Irish society over decades; Buenos Aires, in the wake of thousands of 'disappeared' people; Covid-era Venice . . . a lesson in how the right words in the right order can get to the truth of the matter * Irish Times *[These essays] are always interesting and intelligent, written in an admirably clear prose free of academic jargon . . . journalism at its best. I learned a lot from them and am grateful for that. It's a collection to which I will surely return, just as I do to Orwell's, Ian Jack's, Ferdinand Mount's and Patrick Marnham's * Scotsman *A feast for the reader . . . the novelist applies his inquisitive and empathetic mind in wide-ranging series of essays, from the political to the poignant . . . [Toibin] seeks no lessons; he tries only to be good company on the page. (He succeeds.) * Irish Independent *Erudite essays from one of the world's finest writers . . . Throughout, the poetry of Tóibín's prose is as impressive as always. In [the] title piece, he writes that his mother was 'what most of us still write for: the ordinary reader, curious and intelligent and demanding, ready to be moved and changed.' Readers like her will savor every page of this book * Kirkus Reviews, starred *The clarity of the novelist's descriptive ability shines through essays on topics ranging from his treatment for cancer to the joys of an empty Venice . . . On every subject, Tóibín's writing is what people these days inevitably describe as nuanced, a word that has become a kind of shorthand for expressing a person's rare ability to understand . . . the foibles of others -- Rachel Cooke * Observer, Book of the Day *I love everything Colm Tóibín has written -- Nicola Sturgeon * New Statesman *I wanted to read out loud, to fully savour writing that is so careful and so lyrical -- Laura Hackett * Sunday Times *Reading Irish novelist, playwright and poet Colm Tóibín is always a delight * Independent *Both epic and intimate . . . a moving portrait of three generations of sprawling, loving, fractious family life . . . a triumph * Financial Times on The Magician *A work of art, an emotional reckoning with a century of change * The Times on The Magician *

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Book SynopsisIn Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Ruth Haley Barton explores ways of connecting with God deeply and fully outside the demands and noise of daily life.

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Book SynopsisSuffolk's riverside meadows of the Stour valley remain as beautiful today as when Constable painted them two centuries ago. Similarly, the county's lonely expanses of estuarine marsh, which are a feature of the coast, have a quality that appeal to writers as well as artists.Table of ContentsContents: 1. Carlton Marshes & the River Waveney; 2.Southwold 3. Darmsden & the Gipping Valley; 4. Nowton Park & High Suffolk; 5. Stoke-by-Nayland to Polstead 6. Shingle Street & Alderton; 7. Pakenham Mills from Ixworth; 8. Covehithe & Benacre; 9. Cretingham & Brandeston; 10. Forest and riverside from West Stow; 11. Eye & Braiseworth; 12. Framlingham & its countryside; 13. Constable Country - Flatford & East Bergholt; 14. Long Melford; 15. Somerleyton & Waddling Lane; 16. West Row & Worlington from Mildenhall; 17. Orford coast and country; 18. Thorpeness from Leiston; 19. Saxmundham, Kelsale and the Gull Stream; 20. Lavenham & Brent Eleigh; 21. Sudbury; 22. Clare & Cavendish; 23. Iken & Tunstall Forest; 24. Barham, Baylham & Coddenham; 25. Kersey & Hadleigh; 26. Thorpe Morieux & Preston St Mary; 27. Denham Castle and three churches; 28. Sutton Hoo, Shottisham & the River Deben.

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Book SynopsisThe issue of idolatry has been with the human race for thousands of years; the subtle temptation is always to take what is good and turn it into the ultimate good, elevating it above all other things in the search for security and meaning. In this timely and challenging book, New York pastor Timothy Keller uses classic Bible stories to look at the issue of idolatry - from the worship of actual idols in the Old Testament, to the idolatry of money by the rich young ruler when he was challenged by Jesus to give up all his wealth. Keller cuts through our dependence on the glittering false idols of money, sex and power to uncover the path towards trust in the real ultimate - God. Today''s idols may look different from those of the Old Testament, but Keller argues that they are no less damaging. Culturally transforming as well as biblically based, COUNTERFEIT GODS is a powerful look at the temptation to worship what can only disappoint, and is a vital message in today''s current climate Trade ReviewFifty years from now, if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbors, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians. * Christianity Today magazine *'In this apologia for Christian faith, Keller mines material from literary classics, philosophy, anthropology and a multitude of other disciplines to make an intellectually compelling case for God. Written for sceptics and the believers who love them, the book draws on the author's encounters as founding pastor of New York's booming Redeemer Presbyterian Church.' for THE REASON FOR GOD * Publishers Weekly *Tim Keller's ministry in New York City is leading a generation of seekers and skeptics toward belief in God. I thank God for him. * Billy Graham *'This is a great book. All pastors and thinking Christians should read this book.' * Christianity Magazine *

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Book SynopsisAn accessible, practical, step-by-step guide that supplements Getting Things Done by providing the details, the how-to''s and the practices to apply GTD more fully and easily in daily lifeThe incredible popularity of Getting Things Done revealed people''s need to take control of their own productivity with a system that reduces the stress of staying on top of it all. Around the world hundreds of certified trainers and coaches are engaged full time in teaching the process, supported by a grassroots movement of Meetup groups, LinkedIn groups, Facebook groups, podcasts, blogs and dozens of apps based on it. While Getting Things Done remains the definitive way to gain perspective over work and create the mental space for creativity and mindfulness, The Getting Things Done Workbook enhances the original by providing an accessible guide to the GTD methodology in workbook form. The workbook divides the process into small, manageable segmen

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Book SynopsisWith a foreword by MARK KNOPFLER''An uplifting journey through the sheer hard work, pitfalls and thrills of navigating a great rock band to the pinnacle of success. I so enjoyed the ride!'' ROGER TAYLOR__________Dire Straits filled giant stadiums around the world and sold hundreds of millions of records. Throughout the eighties they were one of the biggest bands on the planet. Their classic songs - ''Sultans of Swing'', ''Romeo and Juliet'', ''Money for Nothing'', ''Brothers In Arms'' - formed the soundtrack of a generation and live on today: still racking up sales, still being played on the radio on every continent. In My Life in Dire Straits, John Illsley - founding member, bassist and mainstay - evokes the spirit of the times and tells the story of one of the great live acts of rock history.Starting with his own unlikely beginnings in Middle England, he recounts the band''s rise from humble origins in London''s spit-and-sawdust pubs to the best-known venues in the world, the working man''s clubs to Madison Square Garden, gigging with wild punk bands to the Live Aid stage at Wembley. Until, ultimately, the shattering demands of touring on a global scale and living life in the spotlight took their inevitable toll.John''s story is also a tribute to his great friend Mark Knopfler, the band''s lead singer, songwriter and gifted guitarist - the only band members to stay the fifteen-year distance. Told with searching honesty, soulful reflection and wry humour, this is the first and only account of that incredible story.Trade ReviewAn uplifting journey through the sheer hard work, pitfalls and thrills of navigating a great rock band to the pinnacle of success. I so enjoyed the ride! * Roger Taylor *Captures the early days of the "English bands" and their story. The ups and downs, relationships, craziness and fun... This really happened! * Mike Rutherford *A wry and witty account of life in one of the world's biggest and unlikeliest supergroups and the music industry in its heyday... John Illsley is a charming, amusing and observant companion. * Mariella Frostrup *Frank, funny and tender. If you loved their music, you'll adore this book. * Nicholas Evans *Fans will be mesmerized. * Publishers Weekly *

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Book Synopsis''A groundbreaking analysis of what used to be an impenetrable mystery: how and why do cultures differ? ... Anyone interested in our cultural divides will find tremendous insight in Rule Makers, Rule Breakers'' - Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment NowWhy are clocks in Germany always correct, while those in Brazil are frequently wrong? Why are Singaporeans jailed for selling gum? Why do women in New Zealand have three times the sex of females worldwide? Why was the Daimler-Chrysler merger ill-fated from the start? And why does each generation of Americans give their kids weirder and weirder names? Curious about the answers to these and other questions, award-winning social psychologist Michele Gelfand has spent two decades studying both tight societies (with clearly stated rules and codes of ethics) and loose societies (more informal communities with weak or ambiguous norms). PuTrade Review'A groundbreaking analysis of what used to be an impenetrable mystery: how and why do cultures differ? Gelfand shows that a wide range of divides of class, culture, and coalition are traceable to an intriguing source. Anyone interested in our cultural divides will find tremendous insight in Rule Makers, Rule Breakers' - Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment NowEndlessly impressive . . . In figuring out what causes various tribes and factions to clash and sometime come to blows - whether at the U.N. or in a stadium's upper deck - Gelfand has left no cultural stone unturned. To read this book is to see both yourself and your neighbour for the first time - guided by rules of which you've both been unaware - Susan Cain, bestselling author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking'Remarkable. Not just an enlightening book but a game-changing one. By uncovering the inner workings of tight and loose cultures, Rule Makers, Rule Breakers suddenly makes sense of the puzzling behavior we see all around us-in colleagues, family, and even ourselves' - Carol Dweck, bestselling author of Mindset'A brilliant and timely book . . . Michele Gelfand has exposed a universal fault line running beneath nations, states, organizations, and even families. Cultures that face threat and uncertainty seek order and precision. Cultures with firmer footings revel in ambiguity and risk taking. This idea, at once so simple and so powerful, will forever change how you see the world' - Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of When and Drive'Completely fascinating . . .[Gelfand] reveals how political divides, happiness and suicide rates, and the coexistence of crime and creativity can all be traced to a fundamental but neglected dimension of social norms. You'll never look at a workplace, a country, or a family the same way again' - Adam Grant, bestselling author of Originals, Give and Take and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg"This brilliant book is full of well-documented insights that will change the way you look at yourself and at the world around you. Gelfand presents a wealth of scientific evidence with a light touch that has the reader eager to know what comes next. I can't think of anyone who won't learn something important from this book." - Barry Schwartz, bestselling author of The Paradox of Choice, Practical Wisdom, and Why We Work'Despite their great importance, the hidden factors that influence whether people comply with what is expected of them or write their own script has long gone underappreciated. With this book, Michele Gelfand has done much to unravel the mysteries of human motivation. Anyone interested in how social norms-and, therefore, people-operate will be grateful for her compelling analysis' - Robert Cialdini, bestselling author of Influence and Pre-Suasion 'A fascinating and profound book by one of psychology's most creative researchers. The well-chosen facts and findings about different cultures will make you alternately laugh, nod, and moan-and make you eager to read more. Beautifully written, packed with scientific facts and findings, this important book celebrates and explains the diversity of human culture. It emphasizes a key dimension of cultural difference: Some cultures pressure everyone to follow the same rules, while almost anything goes in other cultures-and Gelfand carefully and impressively lays out the pluses and minuses of both types. Anyone interested in the deep mysteries of human life and cultural diversity will find this book a rich source of information and a thought-provoking challenge to common assumptions. It's quite possibly this year's best book on culture' - Roy F. Baumeister, bestselling co-author of Willpower and author of The Cultural Animal'A delightful, insightful and fascinating look at the remarkable diversity of human customs - where they come from and how they shape our lives' - Daniel Gilbert, bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness'Lucid and fascinating ... achieved that clichéd goal of popular science books: truly changing the way a reader sees the world' - Will Storr, UnHerd'A fantastic book, academically anchored yet also fun to read and filled with practical implications. Its beauty derives from the breadth of its insight as Gelfand focuses in to illuminate, in succession, countries, states, corporations, groups and individuals. How many books pull off the feat of connecting clocks on city streets, to merger and acquisition outcomes, to groups that can both execute and explore? What an achievement!' - Michael L. Tushman, co-author of Winning Through Innovation and Lead and Disrupt'Why do some countries enjoy internal peace, effective governance, and productive economies, while others are dysfunctional and impoverished? In this dazzling book the cultural psychologist Michele Gelfand shows that a large part of the answer lies with social norms - rules of behavior that enable coordination and cooperation in large-scale societies. When people don't abide by socially expected rules, families, businesses, and whole societies splinter apart. But is there a downside to following the rules too closely? Read Rule Makers, Rule Breakers to find out' - Peter Turchin, author of Ultrasociety: How 10,000 Years of War Made Humans the Greatest Cooperators on Earth'Is your world tight, or is it loose? In this smart, provocative, and very entertaining book, Michele Gelfand argues that the tendency to devise and abide by rules, or, alternatively, push behavioral limits is the fundamental distinction between human societies, capturing what really matters in summing up the difference between Germany and Brazil, or Mississippi and California, or rich and poor. Whether the arena is large or small-a superpower summit, a boardroom meeting, or a backyard barbecue - this insightful and stimulating work will help you better understand yourself and those around you' - Paul Bloom, professor of psychology, Yale University, author of Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion'Every decade, it seems, someone identifies a pattern that makes sense of a range of disparate social phenomena. Rule Makers, Rule Breakers is that rare book that gives order to our troubled world, explaining the mystifying divides that increasingly inform politics, business, education, and society in general. If you're going to read one book this year to better understand the world's problems and what can be done to solve them, Gelfand's masterpiece should be it' - Alon Tal, author of The Land Is Full and founder of the Israeli Union for Environmental Defense'I devoured Michele Gelfand's new book. This is not just a lively page-turner about some of the most important and intractable issues of the day but a must-read book that will fundamentally change the way you look at the world, particularly at our bewildering cultural moment, moving you past the simplistic, media-driven binaries of globalist-nationalist, red state-blue state, and rural-urban. You will emerge a smarter, broader person, with a deeper, more informed perspective for thinking and talking about the issues that consume us all' - Todd Kliman, Winner of the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award and author of The Wild Vine'A thought-provoking look at the contours of modern tribalism - one that uses a deceptively simple dividing line: the split between 'tight' and 'loose' cultures and personalities. By examining everything from communal norms to socio-economic differences, Rule Makers, Rule Breakers will make you see differently the people, places and organizations you think you know, including yourself' - Dante Chinni, co-author of The Patchwork Nation and Director of the American Communities Project at George Washington University'Gelfand shows through clever psychological experiments and sagacious readings of history that the world's societies have generally tended to cluster around tight norms that favor authority and frown on deviance (as with ancient Sparta, Pakistan and Germany) versus loose norms that allow and even encourage people to bend the rules (as with the Inuit of the Central Arctic, Brazil and the United States). She offers a particularly timely analysis for our current Age of Anxiety and uncertainty, where people and nations no longer feel confident in what the next generation and near future will bring (hence an increasing but impractical nostalgia for a mythic past as the guide for tomorrow)' - Scott Atran, co-founder of the Center for the Resolution of Intractable Conflicts at Oxford University, and Research Director in Anthropology at the French National Center for Scientific Research'Rule Makers, Rule Breakers is that wonderful combination of fascinating theory, well expounded with plenty of examples... a compelling, absorbing and timely read.' - The Psychologist'An extremely important book. Gelfand has identified and explored a hugely significant aspect of culture that accounts for why and when we fall into step with a group, or alternatively, set off on our own path-either to our advantage or our detriment. Moreover, she has accumulated fascinating evidence that explains why no subset of the human population, from the nation state to individual, exists outside the sway of this dynamic' - Richard Nisbett, author of The Geography of Thought: How Westerners and Asians Think Differently...and Why'In this brilliant book, Michele Gelfand unveils how cultures - of all sizes, down to small groups - are shaped by ecological and human threats. In particular, her findings, which are backed by massive empirical evidence, go far to explain why the people of different countries have different worldviews. After reading this, you won't see the world in the same way' - Ronald F. Inglehart, Director of the World Values Survey and author of Cultural Evolution'In an ever-shrinking world, understanding and negotiating cultural differences has become essential to daily life and the fate of nations alike. In Rule Makers, Rule Breakers, Gelfand presents a valuable lens for decoding the nature of our cultural conflicts and an intriguing new tool for solving them' - Colin Woodard, Winner of the George Polk Award, Pulitzer finalist, and author of American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America'In this tour-de-force, psychologist Michele Gelfand take us on a fascinating cross-cultural adventure. Human norms are as varied as bird plumage in the Galapagos, and Gelfand unveils one of the key phenomena accounting for the diversity. Tightness-looseness explains everything from how you cross the street to how you cross over from the living. Never a dull moment in this enthusiastic journey' - Susan T. Fiske, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Princeton University and coauthor of The Human Brand'Offers a powerful new way of seeing the world. Gelfand's deceptively simple thesis becomes increasingly compelling as her research unfolds across politics, class and organizational behavior. Best of all, she provides a new toolkit for change' - Anne Marie Slaughter, President and CEO of New America, former director of Policy Planning for the State Department, and author of Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family'Fascinating and illuminating . . . Rule Makers, Rule Breakers sheds light on everything from why we embrace new ideas to how culture makes us who we are. We all build order into our days, but as Gelfand shows, some of us like hewing to a line, and others enjoy crossing it' - Jonah Berger, bestselling author of Contagious and Invisible Influence'Visionary and wildly entertaining . . . Michele Gelfand pulls a very big rabbit out of a very small hat. The distinction between 'tight' and 'loose' cultures may sound familiar, but this way of carving up the social world is surprising powerful, delivering insights for educators, CEOs, politicians, revolutionaries, scientists and curious people-watchers. This brilliant book will sharpen your vision and broaden your horizons' - Joshua Greene, director of the Moral Cognition Laboratory at Harvard University and author Moral Tribes'Everyone should read this book! It is rare that one overarching principle can explain so much, but Michele Gelfand nails it with her brilliant analysis of how tightly or loosely people adhere to social norms. In a fascinating narrative full of entertaining examples, she illuminates and explains this distinction, and by so doing increases our understanding of cultural conflict, the partisan divide, organizational success, happiness, creativity and much more' - Timothy D. Wilson, author of Redirect: Changing the Stories We Live By

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Book SynopsisParisian blogger Mylène Desclaux assures us that we are still 'young women' in our fifties - but with more opportunities. She examines everything with humour and sensitivity - love, style, parents, children, work, nightclubs...Trade ReviewMylène's light-hearted advice is all about navigating the world with confidence * Daily Mail *

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Book Synopsis____*THE STRATEGIES BEHIND A SUCCESSFUL LIFE FROM THE LEGENDARY GRANDMASTER AND ADVISOR TO NETFLIX'S THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT, NOW WITH A NEW FOREWORD*'In this book, chess is a teacher, and I aim to show it is a great one.' For over twenty years, Garry Kasparov dominated the world of chess. As the youngest ever undisputed World Champion, known for confounding his opponents at every move and breaking record after record, Kasparov was asked the same question time and time again: what makes a champion? Drawing on a wealth of revealing and instructive stories, from the most intense moments of his greatest games to the world-changing decisions of history's greatest strategists such as Winston Churchill and Steve Jobs, Kasparov reveals the strategic ways of thinking that always give a player - in the game of life as well as chess - the edge.PRAISE FOR GARRY KASPAROV'I've never seen someone with such a feel for dynamics in complex positions' - Magnus Carlsen, World Chess Champion'There is nothing in chess he has been unable to deal with' - Vladimir Kramnik, Chess Grandmaster'Mr. Kasparov is not only one of the world's smartest men, he is also among its bravest.' - Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch

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Book SynopsisWith chapters outlining more than a half dozen colorwork knitting techniques, The Colorwork Bible is your updated exploration of both beginner- and advanced-level skills with a vibrant, modern palette and inspired projects. Join knitwear designer Jesie Ostermiller as you learn: A variety of small-scale swatch lessons that help you master a technique before diving into a full size project. Stripes, stranding, Fair Isle, brioche, slip-stitch, mosaic, intarsia, and more! Each technique is featured must-make projects you'll want to cast-on today. Valuable tips and tricks, plus essential information on successfully combining colors for the best possible results. Dig deep into the most colorful technique in knitting with The Colorwork Bible!

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Book SynopsisFlush was an English cocker spaniel who belonged to the nineteenth-century poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Virginia Woolf learned of him from the love letters Elizabeth wrote to her future husband, fellow poet Robert Browning, and found ‘the figure of their dog made me laugh so, I couldn't resist making him a Life.’ The resulting ‘biography’ combines sensuous imaginative description with sharp social comment, and brings Woolf’s unsentimental humour and insight to the fore. We see Flush as loyal confidant to Elizabeth on her sickbed at Wimpole Street, and from his jealous perspective we witness her courtship by Browning, their elopement and new life in Italy. The perfect accessible introduction to Woolf’s genius, a unique blend of fact and fiction, Flush is perhaps best read in the company of a canine companion.This edition includes the four original illustrations by Vanessa Bell and an afterword by Margaret Forster.Cover designed by the award-winning Finnish designer Aino-Maija MetsolaTrade ReviewA most triumphant trespassing of human imagination into dog sensibilities... The result is a book of irresistible grace and charm * Spectator *Flush is an afternoon's delight for dog-loving readers. It's wit and whimsy and sniffing, snuffling playfulness will amuse anyone who's ever known a spaniel. Woolf's literary underdog is a canine classic. * Guardian *A masterpiece... It is not fiction because it has the substance, the reality of truth. It is not biography because it has the freedom, the artistry of fiction * New York Herald Tribune Books *

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Book SynopsisThe classic tarot deck, brought to life in stunning technicolour by Mary Hanson-Roberts. With its 78 cards and instruction booklet all cased in a beautiful tin box, it is perfect for people beginning to connect with Tarot, and those more experienced readers.'Pure joy' -- ***** Reader review'Wonderful quality, vibrant colours, just perfect' -- ***** Reader review'Gorgeous' -- ***** Reader review*********************************************************************This tarot deck, The Universal Waite Tarot Deck, is a recoloured version of the renowned Original Rider Waite Tarot Deck - designed over a hundred years ago and hugely popular for decades.Its combination of softer colour tones with a naturalistic approach offers a more visually soothing alternative to bring new energy, radiance and depth to your readings.The deck, housed in a stunning tin box, includes 78 cards and an instruction booklet with an introduction by Tarot expert Stuart R. Kaplan.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.'One of Shakespeare's most witty and enjoyable comedies, Much Ado About Nothing is a play that explores courtship, romance and marriage through a number of relationships. Most famously, that of the irrepressible Beatrice and Benedick as they trade their wits against one another, criticising the notion of marriage, yet slowly falling in love with one another as they do so.

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Book SynopsisA RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEKAn affectionate and revealing account Funny,sad, real, rueful.' The TimesWarm, rambling and self-aware' GuardianThe long-awaited, rambling, tender, and very funny memoir from Adam BuxtonRamble/'ramb(?)l/Verb1. walk for pleasure in the countryside.Dr Buckles and Rosie the dog love rambling in the countryside.'2. talk or write at length in a confused or inconsequential way.Adam rambles on about lots of consequential, compelling and personal matters in his tender, insightful, hilarious and totally unconfused memoir, Ramble Book.'Ramble Book is about parenthood, boarding school trauma, arguing with your partner, bad parties, confrontations on trains, friendship, wanting to fit in, growing up in the 80s, dead dads, teenage sexual anxiety, failed artistic endeavours, being a David Bowie fan; and how everything you read, watch and listen to as a child forms a part of the adult you become.It's also a book about the joys of going off topic and letting your mind wanderTrade Review‘I recommend Ramble Book… There are wonderful, melancholy passages about his father, and Bowie, and 80s nostalgia, perfect for those of us who get teary-eyed remembering the first time we heard Dexys Midnight Runners or whatever.’ Jon Ronson ‘Give yourself some love with Adam Buxton’s funny and moving Ramble Book.’ Stylist ‘Had me guffawing and bawling simultaneously.’ Daily Telegraph ‘Like listening to your most goofily funny friend on his finest form.’ Daily Mirror ‘A work that feels spontaneous and fresh… The triumph of the book is Buxton’s account of his relationship with his father. The ways in which Adam’s expectations of an emotional reconciliation fail to match reality make for some beautifully tragi-comic scenes.’ Daily Express ‘An extremely funny and insightful coming-of-age story.’ Mail on Sunday ‘Eminently relatable and effortlessly readable with a penchant for sly jokes just when you don’t expect them.’ Chortle

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Book SynopsisA delight' StylistFunny, real and caring' YOU MagazineFunny, irreverent and moving everything you would expect from the thick-fringed presenter who's won a place in the nation's hearts' The SunFull of hilarious insights' Vanity FairA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERFunny, moving and truthful QuiteClaudia Winkleman'swarmth, humour, no-holds-barred attitude and smoky eye have made her the favourite broadcaster of millions and a much-loved household name.In this, her first ever book, Claudia invites us all into her world. She shares her observations on topics such as the importance of melted cheese, why black coats are vital, how it's never okay to have sex with someone who has an opinion on your date outfit, how nurses are our most precious national treasure, and why colourful clothing is only for the under 10s (if you're reading this sporting a bright red jumper and you're 9, great! If you're older, sorry).This is a love letter to life the real, sometimes messy kind. Quite celebrates friendshipTrade Review‘Funny, irreverent and moving… everything you would expect from the thick-fringed presenter who’s won a place in the nation’s hearts’ The Sun ‘Filled with humour that's perfectly balanced with wisdom, reading it makes you feel like you're having a good gossip with her’ Red ‘A delight’ Stylist ‘Full of hilarious insights’ Vanity Fair ‘Full of humour, quirkiness and astute observations’ Prima ‘This charming, warm-hearted book proves just what an intelligent, quick-witted woman Claudia is’ Woman & Home ‘A wonderfully honest read’ Good Housekeeping ‘Funny, real and caring’ YOU Magazine ‘Effervescent and engaging’ The Mirror ‘An effervescent and fun read’ S Magazine ‘A warm, heartfelt look at the little things in life’. Radio Times ‘An entertainingly opinionated miscellany of personal wisdom’ The Sunday People ‘Light-hearted but also powerful’ The Daily Record ‘Witty and entertaining’ Heat ‘A must-read’ Hello ‘Smart, hilarious, self-deprecating’ Vanessa Feltz, Daily Express ‘Entertainingly opinionated’ The Sunday Express Magazine ‘A warm, witty look at modern life’ Cosmopolitan

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Book SynopsisIntroducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience classics which will endure for generations to come.Maths is one of the purest forms of thought, and to outsiders mathematicians may seem almost otherworldly'In 1963, schoolboy Andrew Wiles stumbled across the world's greatest mathematical problem: Fermat's Last Theorem. Unsolved for over 300 years, he dreamed of cracking it.Combining thrilling storytelling with a fascinating history of scientific discovery, Simon Singh uncovers how an Englishman, after years of secret toil, finally solved mathematics' most challenging problem.Fermat's Last Theorem is remarkable story of human endeavour, obsession and intellectual brilliance, sealing its reputation as a classic of popular science writing.To read it is to realise that there is a world of beauty and intellectual challenge that is denied to 99.9 per cent of us who are not high-level mathematicians'The TimesTrade Review‘This is probably the best popular account of a scientific topic I have ever read’ Irish Times ‘Reads like the chronicle of an obsessive love affair. It has the classic ingredients that Hollywood would recognise’ Daily Mail ‘To read it is to realise that there is a world of beauty and intellectual challenge that is denied to 99.9 per cent of us who are not high-level mathematicians’ The Times ‘This tale has all the elements of a most exciting story: an impenetrable riddle; the ambition and frustration of generations of hopefuls; and the genius who worked for years in secrecy to realise his childhood dream’ Express

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Book SynopsisSelected from the Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium, Seneca''s Letters from a Stoic are a set of ''essays in disguise'' from one of the most insightful philosophers of the Silver Age of Roman literature. This Penguin Classics edition is translated from the Latin with an introduction by Robin Campbell.A philosophy that saw self-possession as the key to an existence lived ''in accordance with nature'', Stoicism called for the restraint of animal instincts and the severing of emotional ties. These beliefs were formulated by the Athenian followers of Zeno in the fourth century BC, but it was in Seneca that the Stoics found their most eloquent advocate. Stoicism, as expressed in the Letters, helped ease pagan Rome''s transition to Christianity, for it upholds upright ethical ideals and extols virtuous living, as well as expressing disgust for the harsh treatment of slaves and the inhumane slaughters witnessed in the Roman arenas. Seneca''s major contribution to a seemingly unsympathetic creed was to transform it into a powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.Robin Campbell''s lucid translation captures Seneca''s humour and tautly aphoristic style. In his introduction, he discusses the tensions between Seneca''s philosophy and his turbulent career as adviser to the tyrannical emperor Nero.Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c.4BC - AD65) was born in Spain but was raised according to the traditional values of the republic of Rome. In AD48 he became tutor to the future emperor Nero and became his principal civil advisor when he took power. His death was eventually ordered by Nero in AD65, but Seneca anticipated the emperor''s decree and committed suicide.If you enjoyed Letters from a Stoic, you might like Marcus Aurelius''s Meditations, also available in Penguin Classics.

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Book SynopsisSteeple Sinderby Wanderers, in their new all-buttercup-yellow stripe, start it by ravaging the Fenland League and end it with a phenomenal nail-biter against Glasgow Rangers.Trade ReviewIt's a comic story about sportsmanship and underdogs; it's also a slightly wistful portrait of village life and provincial decency, as well as a beautifully written hymn to doggedness and eccentricity. This gently humorous novella is the anti-Ronaldo. -- Robbie Millen * The Times *An extraordinary performance, simultaneously one of the greatest football novels ever written and a penetrating report card from a world where fiction rarely lingers, at once a comic masterpiece and a study in national temperament that the doughtiest social historian would struggle to match. -- DJ Taylor * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSeth Godin is a superstar in the marketing world. This is Marketing is interesting and useful for anyone who wants an insight into how, and why, we buy things or change our habits in any way -- The Financial Times Book of the Month * The Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of Why We Get the Wrong Politicians, a gripping, provocative exploration of the NHS, told through the most critical moments in its 75-year history''The book the NHS has always deserved'' Andrew Marr''Funny, intelligent and so beautifully written . . . a much-needed book'' Chris van Tulleken''Brilliant'' Adam Kay________________Since its foundation in 1948, the NHS has come to define our national identity; it even topped the what makes Britain great poll in 2022. It has made history (and the headlines) again and again - from cutting edge discoveries like the first ''test tube baby'', to its heroic response to the Coronavirus crisis. But the NHS has also become a battleground for some of the fiercest political contests of our time, perceived either as a national treasure, or as a lumbering piece of state machinery in need of renovation.In Fighting for Life, bestselling journalist IsabTrade ReviewA compelling, deftly constructed and powerfully told narrative . . . Hardman is a meticulous journalist with a gift for storytelling. Necessary reading -- Rafael Behr * Guardian *Terrific . . . Every aspect of this history is informed and beautifully written -- Alan Johnson * Observer, Book of the Week *Vivid and fascinating, this is a beautifully cogent, balanced and human biography of a health service haunted by its own mythology . . . Hardman is impressively even-handed and unsentimental -- Melanie Reid * The Times, Book of the Week *It has by far the best analysis of where the health service came from, and where it's going . . . full of excellent stories -- Karol Sikora * The Telegraph *Brilliant -- Adam Kay * author of This is Going to Hurt and Undoctored *Passionate, deeply researched and page-turningly full of good stories, this is so good one is tempted to say it is the book the NHS has always deserved -- Andrew MarrThis is a sensational and much-needed book: funny, intelligent and so beautifully written that it doesn't read like normal non-fiction . . . thorough, scholarly and above all readable -- Chris van TullekenA kaleidoscopic history of the NHS -- Henry Marsh * New Statesman *Hardman's writing is breezily accessible, and her deeply researched book is full of colourful vignettes and an enjoyable spice of gossip . . . she is particularly good at locating the NHS within the wider social movements that have changed British life over the 75 years of its existence -- Sarah Neville * Financial Times *A brilliantly written and engrossing biography of the NHS . . . compelling and even-handed -- Kate Womersley * The Spectator *A superb, rollercoaster account of the NHS . . . This completely riveting and scrupulously researched book shows how, just like its patients, the NHS sways precariously between money, morality and mortality, and trust, trauma and triumph -- Juliet NicolsonA compelling thriller . . . Fighting for Life provides vivid and urgently needed context to the familiar daily news stories about the crises in the NHS -- Steve RichardsA must-read for anyone interested in how the NHS started and why we have ended up where we are. A thoroughly fascinating, comprehensive and critical analysis -- Dr Ranj SinghA fascinating, insightful and forensic history of the NHS by a journalist who understands the politics as well as the policy of the health service. Essential reading -- Rachel SylvesterThis remarkable and immensely readable book looks back at the highs and lows of the NHS's first 75 years, and asks critical questions about its future. Thought-provoking, despairing, eye-opening, and inspiring in equal measure -- Sir David HaslamHardman provides an admirable account of the struggles of the [health service] . . . She is lucid, fair and unpolemical -- Andrew Gimson * Conservative Home *

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Book SynopsisElla Harrison is a hereditary witch who aspires to inspire and educate people about witchcraft and pagan practices. Ella was born in New Zealand and raised in a German family of members who practice various aspects of witchcraft. She holds a bachelor in social and cultural anthropology and creates content on YouTube, Instagram and recently TikTok. Ella and her fiancé Karlis co-own a small crystal shop called Silverfern Crystals (ekstones.com). They now live together with their puppies Chip and Bennie in New Zealand.

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Book SynopsisSteeped in honey, Juventius, your golden eyes, and as sweet too when I press my lips to them - three hundred thousand kisses is not close to enoughFor centuries, evidence of queer love in the ancient world was ignored or suppressed. Even today, only a few, famous narratives are widely known - yet there''s a rich literary tradition of Greek and Roman love that extends far beyond this handful of stories. Here, the poet Seán Hewitt and painter Luke Edward Hall collect together, for the first time, forty of the most exhilarating queer tales in the classical canon and bring them newly to life. A ground-breaking anthology that changes the way we see the ancient world - and invites us to reflect on the puritanism of our own - 300,000 Kisses is a riotous celebration of desire in all its forms.Trade ReviewThis lithe, rich anthology of stunning poetry and beguiling stories of queer love from the ancient world pulses with desire, lust, loss and seduction... Scintillating... An essential addition to any library -- Uli Lenart * Attitude magazine *

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Book SynopsisNaomi Klein, author of the #1 international bestsellers, The Shock Doctrine and No Logo, returns with This Changes Everything, a must-read on how the climate crisis needs to spur transformational political changeForget everything you think you know about global warming. It''s not about carbon - it''s about capitalism. The good news is that we can seize this existential crisis to transform our failed economic system and build something radically better.In her most provocative book yet, Naomi Klein, author of the global bestsellers The Shock Doctrine and No Logo, tackles the most profound threat humanity has ever faced: the war our economic model is waging against life on earth.Klein exposes the myths that are clouding the climate debate.You have been told the market will save us, when in fact the addiction to profit and growth is digging us in deeper every day. You have been told it''s impossible to get off fosTrade ReviewWill be one of the most influential books of our time -- Owen JonesKlein is a brave and passionate writer who always deserves to be heard, and this is a powerful and urgent book -- John Gray * Observer *Without a doubt one of the most important books of the decade -- Amitav GhoshSavages the idea that we will be saved by new technologies or by an incremental shift away from fossil fuels... Her solution requires a radical reconfiguration of our economic system * New York Times *Her task is to take a potential catastrophe of unimaginable reach and to be calm and welcoming, drawing new people in. She does vast amounts of travel and research and thinking, then crafts all of it to the scale of her own voice: the voice of a pleasant, funny, unthreatening-looking woman * Guardian *I have devoured Naomi Klein's This Changes Everything, the book the world has been waiting for. I urge everyone to read it (especially politicians). It is her most prescient book yet and is a much-needed call to arms as time runs out on climate change -- Cornelia Parker * Observer, Books of the Year *It's no exaggeration to say This Changes Everything is the most important book I've read all year - perhaps in a decade. Klein sets out the scientific case for urgent action on climate change and argues passionately that our only hope of combating its effects is a revolution in our entire economic system. Crucially, she manages to leave the reader with a degree of optimism -- Stephanie Merritt * Observer, Books of the Year *[T]he problems - climate change, plus everything that is changing as a result, plus the increasing toxicity of the planet - can no longer be denied. This is a conversation that needs to happen on a large scale, and on a local scale, and on a personal scale, very soon -- Margaret Atwood * Guardian, Books of the Year *Captured the collective sense of anger and awakening ... [a] frightening look at climate change and capitalism -- Matt Haig * Observer, Books of the Year *Naomi Klein applies her fine, fierce, and meticulous mind to the greatest, most urgent questions of our times. . . I count her among the most inspirational political thinkers in the world today -- Arundhati Roy, author of The God of Small Things and Capitalism: A Ghost StoryA book of such ambition and consequence it is almost unreviewable ... The most momentous and contentious environmental book since Silent Spring * New York Times Book Review *Savages the idea that we will be saved by new technologies or by an incremental shift away from fossil fuels... Her solution requires a radical reconfiguration of our economic system * New York Times *The book has an uplifting message: that humans have changed before, and can change again. It poses a gutsy challenge to those who are vaguely hoping that the whole issue will go away, or that some new technology will save us * Sunday Times *This may be the first truly honest book ever written about climate change * Time *Her task is to take a potential catastrophe of unimaginable reach and to be calm and welcoming, drawing new people in. She does vast amounts of travel and research and thinking, then crafts all of it to the scale of her own voice: the voice of a pleasant, funny, unthreatening-looking woman * Guardian *The proposition that the world's political and economic institutions are preventing us from meeting the lethal challenge of global warming is hardly novel. But Naomi Klein in her new book articulates the case as forcefully and comprehensively as anyone has yet managed * Independent *Powerfully and uncompromisingly written, the impassioned polemic we have come to expect from Klein, mixing first-hand accounts of events around the world and withering political analysis . . . Her stirring vision is nothing less than a political, economic, social, cultural and moral make-over of the human world * New Scientist *Klein is one of the left's most influential figures and a prominent climate champion. . . . [She] is a gifted writer and there is little doubt about the problem she identifies * Financial Times *Gripping and dramatic . . . [Klein] writes of a decisive battle for the fate of the earth in which we either take back control of the planet from the capitalists who are destroying it or watch it all burn * Rolling Stone *An energetic exploration of issues surrounding climate change vociferously advocates immediate, radical reforms... The distinctiveness of the book resides... in its immersive reporting (on "Blockadia" eco-movements and futuristic geoengineering proposals) and in Klein's sheer outspokenness * New Yorker *Klein has, with this book, thoroughly and completely debunked everything promoted under the banner of conservatism today - and she has done so with a work that's more powerful than a stack of C4.This Changes Everything deserves to be viewed not as one of the greatest nonfiction works of the 2010s, but as one of the greatest nonfiction works of all-time. ... This book will expand and intensify the worldwide climate-justice movement, which is why the rhetorical attacks on Klein will become ever more aggressive. It will politically galvanize the young and the vulnerable, who have so much to lose due to the climate crisis. It will create climate leaders across this warming globe. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate is not just a book, not just a moment, not just a movement. It is a weapon of justice. It is a path of survival * Washington Monthly *[Her] words and knowledge run deep, inspiring change and the need for immediate action -- Charlize TheronToday @NaomiAKlein's new book #ThisChangesEverything is out now - I'm reading it - it's great -- Russell BrandNaomi Klein is a genius. She has done for politics what Jared Diamond did for the study of human history. She skillfully blends politics, economics and history and distills out simple and powerful truths with universal applicability -- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.The manifesto that the climate movement - and the planet - needs right now... For those with whom her message does resonate - and they are likely to be legion - her book could help catalyze the kind of mass movement she argues the world needs now * San Francisco Gate *Has the potential to be the definitive account of our current moment... Klein's great gifts have always been synthesizing huge amounts of information and drawing connections between seemingly disparate issues; on those points, This Changes Everything is no different * Globe and Mail *Meticulously researched and briskly rational in tone, [it] is one of the basic texts of the modern era... an essential purchase in that it tells you precisely what you need to know to discuss the climate dilemma intelligently... This Changes Everything is basic reading and no one will take you seriously until you've read every single page * Toronto Star *An intellectual hero of many in the alter-globalization protests as well as the Occupy movement. . . . Klein is ready for battle and is not afraid to own her politics * Los Angeles Review of Books *This is the best book about climate change in a very long time-in large part because it's about much more. It sets the most important crisis in human history in the context of our other ongoing traumas, reminding us just how much the powers-that-be depend on the power of coal, gas and oil. And that in turn should give us hope, because it means the fight for a just world is the same as the fight for a livable one -- Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and co-founder of 350.org

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Book Synopsis'Radiates optimism and encouragement and offers a programme for success' Disability NowA breakthrough book that gives dyslexics the key to literacy, The Gift of Dyslexia helps you understand the disorder that inhibits the reading and writing of fifteen per cent of children and adults - and also gifts them with greater levels of creativity and multidimensional thinking.Based on personal experience of dyslexia, Ronald D. Davis offers insights into the learning problems and stigmas faced by those with the condition, and provides tried and tested techniques for overcoming and correcting it with his Davis Procedures, now used in over 40 countries worldwide.Covering reading, writing, diagnosis and guidelines for teaching dyslexic children and adults, this is an invaluable guide for dyslexics and their teachers and loved ones.Trade ReviewRadiates optimism and encouragement and offers a programme for success * Disability Now *Promises to put an end to the problems of dyslexia once and for all * Independent *Tackles the causes of dyslexia . . . helping clients to understand and take control of their own thought processes * The Times *Helps us all to see dyslexia as a positive experience . . . I recommend you try it and see if it applies to your own situation - you will find it helpful * Parents In Touch *At last! A book about dyslexic thinking by one who is dyslexic, and for fellow dyslexic people ... I would recommend this book to any dyslexic and non-dyslexic person * Dyslexic Contact *A system that uses models to represent difficult-to-grasp words is claiming remarkable success in treating dyslexia ... 97 per cent success rate and is used in more than 30 countries * Times Educational Supplement *What do Cher, Leonardo da Vinci, Whoopi Goldberg, and Walt Disney all have in common? Dyslexia. Though one may think they achieved success in spite of their disability, Ronald D. Davis says it's because of it . . . Once students remove obstacles to learning, they are free to capitalize on the innate gifts dyslexia can bring * New Woman *

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Book SynopsisOne of the most remarkable manuscripts to survive from the early Middle Ages inEurope, the Book of Kells was probably painted around 800 in a monastery at Iona inScotland or Kells in Ireland, or perhaps in both places. Extraordinarily inventive andintricate imagery accompanies the texts of the four Gospels: full-page depictions ofEvangelists and their symbols, lavish honorific openings to the Gospels, extraordinaryinitials, and decoration that combines complex interlace, animals, and human figures.This newly photographed book explores the Book of Kells through its historicalbackground; a display of the elements of the book at their actual size; the spectacularopenings of the texts that precede the Gospels; a study of earlier and comparablemanuscripts; detailed examination of symbols and themes, with special enlargeddetails; a look at the scribes and artists who worked on the manuscript; and aconsideration of technical aspects, illuminated by recent scientific research.The rich illustrations feature more than fifty full-size reproductions of completepages of the manuscript plus enlarged details that allow one to relish the intricacyof elements barely visible to the naked eye. Supplementary images place themanuscript in its setting and provide comparisons for its iconography and style.Trade Review'A sumptuous volume containing more than 80 pages from the manuscript reproduced full-size and in full, ravishing colour … a triumph of scholarly investigation and interpretation' - Financial Times'Each reproduction is accompanied by Bernard Meehan’s clear and considered exegesis on one of the most complex artefacts of the Christian tradition … If only all art historians were such illuminating companions' - Marina Vaizey, V&A Magazine'The value of the new edition of ‘The Book of Kells’ is not merely in the quality of the illustrations but the lucidity of the explanatory texts by Bernard Meehan … I bask in pride that we did not destroy this masterpiece of European art' - Colm Tóibín'We think we know the Book of Kells, but the plates in this bargain of a book still take your breath away; and its author knows that the unknowns are at least as interesting as the knowns' - Times Literary Supplement

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