Politics, Philosophy & Society Books

Book SynopsisWHO IS THE DEVIL YOU KNOW? Is it your lying, cheating ex-husband?Your sadistic high school gym teacher?Your boss who loves to humiliate people in meetings?The colleague who stole your idea and passed it off as her own?In the pages of The Sociopath Next Door, you will realize that your ex was not just misunderstood. He's a sociopath. And your boss, teacher, and colleague? They may be sociopaths too.We are accustomed to think of sociopaths as violent criminals, but in The Sociopath Next Door, Harvard psychologist Martha Stout reveals that a shocking 4 percent of ordinary people- 1 in 25 - has an often undetected mental disorder, the chief symptom of which is that that person possesses no conscience. He or she has no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse. One in 25 everyday people, therefore, is secretly a sociopath. They could be your colleague, your neighbour, even family. And they can do literally anything at all and feel absolutely no guilt.How do we recognize the remorseless? One of their chief characteristics is a kind of glow or charisma that makes sociopaths more charming or interesting than the other people around them. They're more spontaneous, more intense, more complex, or even sexier than everyone else, making them tricky to identify and leaving us easily seduced. Fundamentally, sociopaths are different because they cannot love. Sociopaths learn early on to show sham emotion, but underneath they are indifferent to others' suffering. They live to dominate and thrill to win.The fact is, we all almost certainly know at least one or more sociopaths already. Part of the urgency in reading The Sociopath Next Door is the moment when we suddenly recognize that someone we know - someone we worked for, or were involved with, or voted for - is a sociopath. But what do we do with that knowledge? To arm us against the sociopath, Dr Stout teaches us to question authority, suspect flattery, and beware the pity play. Above all, she writes, when a sociopath is beckoning, do not join the game.It is the ruthless versus the rest of us, and The Sociopath Next Door will show you how to recognize and defeat the devil you know.Trade ReviewA fascinating, important book about what makes good people good and bad people bad, and how good people can protect themselves from those others. -- Harold S. Kushner, author of 'When Good Things Happen to Bad People'The Sociopath Next Door is a chillingly accurate portrayal of evil -- the decent person's guide to indecency. -- Jonathan KellermanA chilling portrait of human beings who lack scruples the way someone born blind lacks eyesight...Stout describes respected professionals who tell outrageous lies simply to confuse colleagues... authority figures who deceive, seduce and even murder just to relieve the boredom that is the usual state of the sociopathic mind. -- Martha Beck * O Magazine *One in 25 people is a sociopath- no conscience, no guilt. It could be your mean boss or your crazy ex. [The Sociopath Next Door] is an easy-to-follow guide for spotting them. * Newsweek *I can't help but like Stout. After all, a book with passages not too subtly describing [a] present government's machinations that contains the word 'sociopath' in its title could only have been written by someone with guts. -- Julie Ostrowski * Metro New York *

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Book SynopsisCOMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE introduces a whole new way of understanding what a firm does. Porter''s groundbreaking concept of the value chain disaggregates a company into ''activities'', or the discrete functions or processes that represent the elemental building blocks of competitive advantage. Now an essential part of international business thinking, COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE takes strategy from broad vision to an internally consistent configuration of activities. Its powerful framework provides the tools to understand the drivers of cost and a company''s relative cost position. Porter''s value chain enables managers to isolate the underlying sources of buyer value that will command a premium price, and the reasons why one product or service substitutes for another. He shows how competitive advantage lies not only in activities themselves but in the way activities relate to each other, to supplier activities, and to customer activities. That the phrases ''competitive advantage'' and ''sustainable competitive advantage'' have become commonplace is testimony to the power of Porter''s ideas. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE has guided countless companies, business school students, and scholars in understanding the roots of competition. Porter''s work captures the extraordinary complexity of competition in a way that makes strategy both concrete and actionable.Trade ReviewFinancial Times The most influential management book of the past quarter century....A veritable goldmine of analytical concepts and tools to help companies get a much clearer grasp of how they can create and sustain competitive advantage.Philip Kotler S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Northwestern University Michael Porter has done it again. Having defined the "what" and "why" of competitive strategy in his earlier book, he now define the "how" in Competitive Advantage.Newsday A sharp, aggressive, and cogently reasoned book about competition that your smarter rivals will try to get to first.The Washington Post A brilliant structural analysis of what competitive advantage might mean....Antitrust Law & Economics Review A superb guide for business managers but also necessary background study for judges, antitrust agency officials, and economic experts in antitrust cases.

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Book SynopsisAmerica has long compared its students to top-performing kids of other nations. But how do the world''s education superpowers look through the eyes of an American high school student? Author Amanda Ripley follows three teenagers who chose to spend one school year living and learning in Finland, South Korea, and Poland. Through their adventures, Ripley discovers startling truths about how attitudes, parenting, and rigorous teaching have revolutionized these countries'' education results. In The Smartest Kids in the World, Ripley''s astonishing new insights reveal that top-performing countries have achieved greatness only in the past several decades; that the kids who live there are learning to think for themselves, partly through failing early and often; and that persistence, hard work, and resilience matter more to our children''s life chances than self-esteem or sports. Ripley''s investigative work seamlessly weaves narrative and research, providing in-depth analysis aTrade Review“[Ripley] gets well beneath the glossy surfaces of these foreign cultures and manages to make our own culture look newly strange…The question is whether the startling perspective provided by this masterly book can also generate the will to make changes.” * New York Times Book Review *“Compelling . . . What is Poland doing right? And what is America doing wrong? Amanda Ripley, an American journalist, seeks to answer such questions in The Smartest Kids in the World, her fine new book about the schools that are working around the globe ….Ms. Ripley packs a startling amount of insight in this slim book.” * The Economist *“[T]he most illuminating reporting I have ever seen on the differences between schools in America and abroad.” * Jay Mathews, education columnist, The Washington Post *“[The Smartest Kids in the World is] a riveting new book….Ripley’s policy recommendations are sensible and strong….The American school reform debate has been desperately in need of such no-nonsense advice, which firmly puts matters of intellect back at the center of education where they belong.” * The Daily Beast *“The Smartest Kids in the World should be on the back-to-school reading list of every parent, educator and policymaker interested in understanding why students in other countries outperform U.S. students on international tests.” -- US News & World Report“Gripping….Ripley's characters are fascinating, her writing style is accessible, and her observations are fresh….If you're interested in how to improve public schools, read Ripley's book today.” -- The Huffington Post“In riveting prose...this timely and inspiring book offers many insights into how to improve America’s mediocre school system.” -- Publishers Weekly, starred review"If you care about education, you must read this book. By recounting what three intrepid kids learned from the rest of the world, it shows what we can learn about how to fix our schools. Ripley's delightful storytelling has produced insights that are both useful and inspiring." -- Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin“This book gives me hope that we can create education systems of equity and rigor—if we heed the lessons from top performing countries and focus more on preparing teachers than on punishing them." -- Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers“This is a no-nonsense, no-excuses book about how we can improve outcomes for all kids, from the poorest to the wealthiest. It avoids platitudes and ideology and relies instead on the experiences of students.” -- Joel Klein, CEO, Amplify, and former chancellor, New York Department of Education“Amanda Ripley observes with rare objectivity and depth. She finds a real and complex world ‘over there’—schools with flaws of their own but also real and tangible lessons about how to do better by our kids. The Smartest Kids in the World gave me more insights, as a parent and as an educator, than just about anything else I’ve read in a while.” -- Doug Lemov, author of Teach Like a Champion“Such an important book! Amanda Ripley lights the path to engaging our next generation to meet a different bar. She makes an enormous contribution to the national and global discussion about what must be done to give all our children the education they need to invent the future.” -- Wendy Kopp, founder and chair, Teach For America, and CEO, Teach For All"The Smartest Kids in the World is a must read for anyone concerned about the state of American public education. By drawing on experiences, successes, and failures in education systems in the highest-performing countries across the globe, Amanda Ripley lays out a course for what we must do to dramatically improve our nation's schools.” -- Michelle Rhee, Founder and CEO of StudentsFirst“Ripley’s stirring investigation debunks many tenets of current education reform.” -- BookPage“In lively, accessible prose….Ripley’s book looks at the data from a new perspective. Those stunned parents and teachers in New York State and elsewhere would do well to read this book first if they are inclined to blame their children’s/students’ poor results on a new test.” -- OECD “Education Today” Blog“[Ripley] is a compelling storyteller who deftly plaits humorous anecdotes and hard data to whip you in the face with her findings.” -- Kristen Levithan * Brain, Child Magazine *“Ripley’s evaluation of education in a changing world is revealing and thought-provoking.” * Rocky Mountain Telegram *“A good read . . . . If you want to understand what goes on in other countries’ education systems, read [The Smartest Kids in the World].” * Coshocton Tribune *

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Book SynopsisA potent pantheon of gods, heroes engaged in epic battles, fearsome mythical creatures and supernatural transformations – such fantastical elements infuse Greek myths with a wonder and excitement that’s hard to beat. These tales of love, courage, conflict and intrigue, shared for thousands of years, still exercise a powerful influence on our modern lives. This comprehensive collection of mythic stories brings to life the origins of the Greek gods and their dominion over the world of humankind. Here you’ll find Zeus and hades, Artemis and Aphrodite, with stories of demi-gods and humans alike. Jason and the Argonauts, Perseus the Gordon-Slayer and the heart-breaking tales of Troy sit alongside myths of crime and punishment, love and courage and the adventures of Heracles. Part of Flame Tree's epic collection of myths and legends, classic tales and modern short stories.

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Book SynopsisA guide to understanding the origins of codependence and the path to recovery. It traces the origins of this illness back to childhood, describing a range of emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical, and sexual abuses.

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Book SynopsisGet Your Shit Together is the first book that exclusively features recent artwork in color by beloved British artist David Shrigley. This volume celebrates Shrigley’s absurd, deadpan sensibility through both his signature drawing style and accompanying text. Organized by chapters with titles such as Stupid, Nonsense, Dirt, Fear, Paranoia, Love, and Self Delusion, this collection is sure to delight die-hard Shrigley fans and new ones alike. This is the largest-format book to date on Shrigley’s prolific work, and features design details such as a ribbon marker with one of his mordant sayings printed on it, as well as hand-written, humorous essays throughout.

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Book SynopsisFrom 1964 to 1998, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spy plane was the world's fastest and highest-flying operational manned aircraft. Get the insider perspective on all 50 models of this storied jet.

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Book SynopsisIn the twentieth century, wealth and power was dictated by access to oil. This century will have different kingmakers, perhaps different wars.''A remarkably hopeful and useful book...The climate crisis leaves us no choice but to build a new world and as Sanderson makes clear, we are capable of making it a better one than the dirty and dangerous planet we’ve come to take for granted.'' Bill McKibben, Observer book of the week We depend on a handful of metals and rare earths to power our phones and computers. Increasingly, we rely on them to power our cars and our homes. Whoever controls these finite commodities will become rich beyond imagining. Sanderson journeys to meet the characters, companies, and nations scrambling for the new resources, linking remote mines in the Congo and Chile’s Atacama Desert to giant Chinese battery factories, shadowy commodity traders, secretive billionaires, a new generation of scientists attempting Trade Review'A remarkably hopeful and useful book...The climate crisis leaves us no choice but to build a new world and as Sanderson makes clear, we are capable of making it a better one than the dirty and dangerous planet we’ve come to take for granted.' -- Bill McKibben, Observer book of the week‘Sanderson deftly guides us through the convolutions of which company bought what from which, and he livens up that potentially desiccated subject matter with an eye for characterful detail… Despite the seemingly insuperable geopolitical quandaries with which it deals, the tone of Sanderson’s book is one of cautious optimism.’ -- The Times‘As we glide along serenely in our electric vehicle, recharging it with clean solar power and perhaps feeling a little smug, we prefer not to be reminded of the vast industries that got us there, industries that gouge out the landscape, exploit workers, spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and engage in ruthless geopolitical power plays. Along the way, as Henry Sanderson shows in his essential book, we have become dangerously dependent on China which now dominates global battery supply. Under President Xi Jinping, who uses economic blackmail to extract political concessions, China has got a lock on the future. All this can change and Volt Rush shows us how.’ -- Clive Hamilton, author of Hidden Hand'A fascinating study' * The Times *‘A potent reminder to green power advocates that a world running on batteries and sunshine may not fight over oil, but it won’t necessarily be free of conflict’ * Financial Times *‘It’s a vital contribution to the emerging literature that’s pulling back the curtain on energy realities.’ -- Wall Street Journal‘The urgency of a green transition means the world faces new power struggles over access to scarce metals and minerals. Sanderson carefully walks us through the minefields that are the world's finite supplies of lithium, cobalt and nickel and reveals with startling immediacy the Machiavellian machinations for control over these precious resources. A riveting guide to our perilous future.’ -- Ann Pettifor, author of The Case for the Green New Deal'An excellent book…provides much food for thought' -- Literary Review‘Takes us on a carefully considered and well explained journey to show that [the switch to electric vehicles] may not be as simple a transition as we hoped for… Sanderson does a good job of getting the reader up to speed in terms of what goes into an electric battery, and why we need to be cognisant of the environmental impacts… very informative and well written in terms of the potentially toxic brew required to power EVs… a relevant and vital book.’ -- Irish Tech News‘From China to Congo to Chile to the U.S., Sanderson lucidly reveals the global connections behind the complex processes of battery production and mining… Any reader interested in environmental studies, green politics, the global energy sector, or the mining industry will appreciate Sanderson's deep dive into the transition from fossil fuels to green and clean energy, and how this transition will affect society now and in the near future.’ -- Booklist'Sanderson’s smooth, limpid storytelling brightens the deadening business of commodities trading: attention to the bizarre, often unpleasant characters populating the industry gives his narrative a personable shine.' -- Red Pepper'Volt Rush makes a great contribution in understanding what a green future entails—and what costs it might involve right now.’ -- Foreign Policy‘This is a terrific book. Henry Sanderson brings alive one of the most fateful questions of our time: who will control the resources that power a post-carbon world? What makes the book so compelling is the cast of colourful characters he meets and the insightful judgements he makes.’ -- James Kynge, FT China editor‘A must-read book, well written and investigated, on one of the most important ecological challenges we’ll face in the next decades.’ -- Guillaume Pitron, author of The Rare Metals War

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Book SynopsisEver wondered if your intentions, prayers or wishes have a real, calculable effect on the world? Here, from Lynne McTaggart, groundbreaking author of The Field', comes riveting accounts of scientific investigations and real case histories with evidence that we are all connected and our intentions can be harnessed as a collective force for good.For the last 40 years renegade scientists, experimenting with the limits of quantum physics, have made seemingly impossible discoveries. 1966: a lie-detector expert accidentally discovers that plants can read thoughts. 1982: meditating Buddhist monks in the Himalayas turn their bodies into a human furnace. 1994: a psychologist''s experiments reveal a stream of light flowing from healers during healing.These events form part of an extraordinary scientific story and revolutionary discovery that thought is a thing that affects other things.In The Intention Experiment, Lynne McTaggart, author of the international bestseller The Field, joins forces wTrade ReviewPrevious praise for The Field: "This important book…makes a good case that we are on the verge of another revolution in our understanding of the universe-perhaps even greater than the one that heralded the Atomic Age." Arthur C. Clarke "Fascinating, provocative, and highly readable….One of the most thought-provoking reads of [the year]." The Ecologist

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Moore Prize for Human Rights Writing in 2023 "This book will stay with me for years." ADAM KAY, author of This is Going to Hurt "Black puts a human and profoundly humane face on what it's like to be a doctor." FORBES A brilliant, painful and honest book. Read it. MARY HARPER, BBC Africa Editor Benjamin Black has the most amazing gift for telling a story. I could not put the book down. VICTORIA MACDONALD, Channel 4 News Courage meets crisis in a doctor''s extraordinary true account on the frontlines of maternal healthcare during a deadly epidemic in Sierra Leone. In May 2014, as the country grapples with the highest maternal mortality rate globally, a new, invisible threat emerges: Ebola. Dr. Benjamin Black finds himself at the centre of the outbreak. From the life-and-death decisions on the maternity ward to moral dilemmas in the Ebola Treatment Centers, every moment is a crossroads where a single choice could tip the balance between survival and catastrophe. The tension is palpable, and the stakes are unimaginably high. One mistake, one error of judgment, could spell disaster. Belly Woman is a powerful piece of reportage and advocacy that draws parallels between two global outbreaks of infectious diseases: Ebola and COVID-19. Black''s firsthand experience on the frontlines of a global health crisis bears witness to the raw emotions, tough decisions, such as the need to carry out medically-mandated abortions to save lives, and the unwavering dedication that defines the lives of those who step up when the world needs them most. Compelling for readers with an interest in medical memoirs, social justice, and humanitarianism, as well as healthcare professionals and maternal health caregivers.

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Book SynopsisA Thousand Plateaus is the second part of Deleuze and Guattari's landmark philosophical project, Capitalism and Schizophrenia - a project that still sets the terms of contemporary philosophical debate. Written over a seven year period, A Thousand Plateaus provides a compelling analysis of social phenomena and offers fresh alternatives for thinking about philosophy and culture. Its radical perspective provides a toolbox for ‘nomadic thought' and has had a galvanizing influence on today's anti-capitalist movement.Table of ContentsTranslator's Foreword: Pleasures of Philosophy Notes on the Translation and Acknowledgements Author's Note 1. Introduction: Rhizome 2. 1914: One or Several Wolves? 3. 10,000 BC: The Geology of Morals (Who Does the Earth Think It Is?) 4. November 20th, 1923: Postulates of Linguistics 5. 587BC-AD70: On Several Regimes of Signs 6. November 28th, 1947: How Do You Make Yourself a Body Without Organs? 7. Year Zero: Faciality 8. 1874: Three Novellas, or "What Happened?" 9. 1933: Micropolitics and Segmentarity 10. 1730: Becoming Intense, Becoming-Animal, Becoming Imperceptible... 11. 1837: Of the Refrain 12. 1227: Treatise on Nomadology - The War Machine 13. 7000BC: Apparatus of Capture 14. 1440: The Smooth and the Striated 15. Conclusion: Concrete Rules and Abstract Machines Notes Bibliography List of Illustrations Index

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Book Synopsis''The book that redefined travel writing'' Guardian Bruce Chatwin sets off on a journey through South America in this wistful classic travel book With its unique, roving structure and beautiful descriptions, In Patagonia offers an original take on the age-old adventure tale. Bruce Chatwin's journey to a remote country in search of a strange beast brings along with it a cast of fascinating characters. Their stories delay him on the road, but will have you tearing through to the book's end. Trade ReviewElliptical and alive, this is a brilliant travel book * Observer *It is hard to pin down what makes In Patagonia so unique, but, in the end, it is Chatwin’s brilliant personality that makes it what it is… His form of travel was not about getting from A to B. It was about internal landscapes. * Sunday Times *The chameleon traveller…who wrote books in a genre of their own, and whose life was his own subtlest creation… a complex, flamboyantly gifted and rather tragic figure -- Colin Thubron * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisSteve Biddulph’s Raising Boys was a global phenomenon. The first book in a generation to look at boys’ specific needs, parents loved its clarity and warm insights into their sons’ inner world. But today, things have changed. It’s girls that are in trouble.Trade ReviewPraise for Steve Biddulph: ‘When you find a guru willing to change his mind when evidence and humanity prompt, you rejoice. For me, Steve Biddulph – one of the most popular [parenting gurus] in the world, with four million books sold – is the man.’Libby Purves, The Times ‘Biddulph… has a built-in feel good factor. Parenting books too often make one fell inadequate, but Biddulph’s left me refreshed and optimistic.’The Express ‘Steve’s advice is easy to follow – and more importantly, it works.’BBC Family Life Magazine Praise for Raising Boys:‘Packed full of pithy wisdom on what it is to move from boyhood to manhood and how to help your (not-so) little one on his way.’The Independent

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Book SynopsisThe Korean War is journalist and military historian Sir Max Hastings’ compelling account of the forgotten war.'The best narrative history of the Korean conflict' – GuardianOn 25 June 1950 the invasion of South Korea by the Communist North launched one of the bloodiest conflicts of the last century. The seemingly limitless power of the Chinese-backed North was thrown against the ferocious firepower of the UN-backed South in a war that can be seen today as the stark prelude to Vietnam.Max Hastings draws on first-hand accounts of those who fought on both sides to produce this vivid and incisive reassessment of the Korean War, bringing the military and human dimensions into sharp focus. Critically acclaimed on publication, republished with an introduction from the author, The Korean War remains the best narrative history of this conflict.'A brilliant tour-de-force' – Times Literary Supplement'Excellent, readable history by a master of the genre' – Daily Mail'This book establishes him as one of the leading British military historians.' – New York TimesTrade ReviewThe best narrative history of the Korean conflict * Guardian *Excellent, readable history by a master of the genre * Daily Mail *A brilliant tour-de-force * Times Literary Supplement *A brilliant and compelling book which must rank, even by the standards Max Hastings has set, as a masterpiece. -- Professor Michael Howard * London Review of Books *This book establishes him as one of the leading British military historians. * New York Times *A balanced, perceptive reckoning of what was won and lost in an important clash of arms that excited precious little interest or passion on home fronts. * Kirkus *

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Book SynopsisThe perfect gift for anyone interested in Irish folklore. These lrish tales are reprinted from nineteenth-century sources, but they date back to a centuries-old oral tradition of storytelling that had yet to be committed to the printed page. They were passed down through the ages virtually unaltered and feature a wide variety of fantastic beings.

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Book SynopsisA practical guide to using NLP in business and life coaching from bestselling NLP expert Joseph O'Connor. This book is suitable for both established coaches and for those who are being coached.Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is the psychology of excellence. It is based on the practical skills that are used by all good communicators to obtain excellent results. These skills are invaluable for personal and professional development.NLP provides most, if not all, of the skills necessary to become a full time coach or a manager who coaches. This book will help all those looking to have any level of involvement in coaching either as a coach or as the recipient of coaching. NLP enables the coaching process to be faster with fewer meetings, a great benefit in today's time-pressured industries.This book is one of the first to combine business and life coaching with NLP. It provides guidelines and skills for an improved all-round performance as a coach, along with the skills necessary to look after, organize and coach yourself. It provides a comprehensive guide to coaching that will meet the needs of all, no matter what their involvement in coaching.

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Book SynopsisA fascinating and incisive examination of our language instinct from award-winning science writer Steven Mithen.Trade ReviewAn interesting attempt to probe the long-term history of feeling as well as of thought... [This] book is intelligent, important and clear. Anyone who likes to ask broad questions about intelligence, religion and experience, as well as anyone interested in long-term human history, will be able to read and argue with [this] book with enjoyment and profit. * THES (3/3/06) *There is much illuminating and thought-provoking material. -- Ross Leckie * THE TIMES *Wonderfully evocative... a highly original view of our musical origins. * GUARDIAN (1/4/06) *

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Book SynopsisWhat is forensic science and how is it used to solve a crime? Explore the fascinating, and sometimes gory, world of forensics, where science helps crack the case. How do you know if a red stain is blood or ketchup, or whose blood it is? Can computers really recognize your face in a crowd? Why are fingerprints so important in an investigation? Learn why it is critical to quickly secure a crime scene, and how DNA sampling works. Find out how maggots can reveal how long someone has been dead, or how a single fabric fibre can lead to the murderer. From the scene of the crime to testing in the laboratory, you will get to know how all the clues are put together to tell a story and reveal the guilty person. Discover how methods have changed since the days of Sherlock Holmes, the latest technology in use today, and techniques of the future. Flip to the reference section to learn about pioneers in the field, see a timeline of forensic firsts, and locate museums

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Book SynopsisFollowing the astonishing Plainsong, Eventide is Kent Haruf's second novel set in his imaginary landscape of Holt, Colorado.Harold and Raymond McPheron are finally waving goodbye to their beloved Victoria, a young mother with a first chance at an education. Betty and Luther Wallace are struggling to keep their heads above water and their children out of care, and in the same town young friends Dena and DJ find solace away from their own troubled homes. As these stories unfold and entwine, tragedy strikes the McPheron household and life is thrown irrevocably off course. Heart-breaking yet hopeful, Kent Haruf's Eventide is an unflinching depiction of the hardships of small-town life, lit up by astonishing moments of redemption.Trade ReviewPossesses the haunting appeal of music, the folksy rhythms of an American tale and the lovely, measured grace of an old hymn. -- Michiko Kakutani * New York Times *Wonderful . . . peopled with individuals whose ordinary lives are invested with epic quality and truth. -- Niall Williams * Sunday Times *This is a novel that succeeds in affirming life without ducking its hardships. * Mail on Sunday *Two taciturn bachelor brothers, a dim-bulb couple living in a trailer, a quiet preteen boy living with his grandfather, a social worker, and a young mother abandoned by her husband . . . The plain truth is you can’t stop reading or caring about them. * Boston Globe *Haruf’s laconic style – with nouns as strong and upright as fenceposts, the verbs as clean and sharp as razor wire – creates a richly symphonic effect . . . In creating a place whose people are tethered to each other by history and emotion as much as place, Haruf’s work is now competing with Faulkner’s Mississippi. * Chicago Sun-Times *Luminous . . . Haruf’s uncanny ability to stay out of his characters’ way is evident again in Eventide. What comes out of their mouths, whether it is kind, mean, ignorant, confused, intelligent or clouded by loneliness, is true and hard, spare as life on the plains . . . Eventide depicts a time, a place and its people so sincerely and so compellingly, with moments of such rare beauty, that the reader cannot walk away. * Colorado Springs Independent *Melancholy truths set to gorgeous melody . . . Haruf sings the second verse of his moving hymn to life on America’s great plains. * Kirkus *Haruf makes us care about these plain-spoken, small-town folks without ever resorting to sentimentality or clichés. Instead, he uses their language to capture the mood and mores of the town . . . His story possesses the haunting appeal of music, the folksy rhythms of an American ballad and the lovely, measured grace of an old hymn. * New York Times *Highly charged and compassionate . . . Every action in Holt casts a long shadow, and the gist of Haruf ’s story is what happens when those shadows touch. The results are equal parts grace and calamity . . . slow, deliberate, highly charged. * New Yorker *This novelist writes with such unabashed wonder before life’s mysteries, such compassion for frail humanity that he seems to have issued from another time, a better place. * Newsday *Haruf ’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed and bestselling Plainsong is as lovely and accomplished as its predecessor . . . And while there is much sadness and hardship in this portrait of a community, Haruf ’s sympathy for his characters, no matter how flawed they are, make this an uncommonly rich novel. * Publishers Weekly *Eventide is imbued with an unspoken affection that transforms the commonplace into specific, intimate and moving reality. * Times Literary Supplement *A kind book in a cruel world . . . Honest impulses, real people and the occasional workings of grace. * Washington Post *Haruf’s fiction, though emotionally rich, is delivered in surprisingly naked language; it is delicate and meticulous, but unembellished. The author fades out of view, becoming not the reporter speaking to the camera, but the invisible operator behind the lens. We are left alone in the world of Holt, watching and listening to the small warm hum of daily life, unable to tear ourselves away until the hidden cameraman stops the film and we step out, blinking, into the cold light of day. * Waterstone’s Books Quarterly *

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Book SynopsisFrom licensed therapist and popular Instagram relationship expert Vienna Pharaon comes a profound guide to understanding and overcoming wounds from your family of origin - the foundation of how we relate to others, ourselves, and the world around us.None of us had a perfect childhood; we are all carrying around behaviors that don''t serve us - and may in fact be hurting us. But it doesn''t have to be that way, says licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Vienna Pharaon. Our past might create our patterns, but we can change those patterns for the better with the right tools.In THE ORIGINS OF YOU, Pharaon has unlocked a healing process to help us understand our family of origin - the family and framework we grew up within - and examine what worked (and didn''t) in that system. Certain dysfunctions (or wounds) in that family of origin will manifest in our adult life in surprising ways, from work challenges to interpersonal struggles. But when armed with the knowle

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERThe Peaky Blinders as we know them, thanks to the hit TV series, are infused with drama and dread. Fashionably dressed, the charismatic but deeply flawed Shelby family blind enemies by slashing them with the disposable safety razor blades stitched in to the peaks of their flat caps, as they fight bloody gangland wars involving Irish terrorists and the authorities led by a devious Home Secretary, Winston Churchill.But who were the real Peaky Blinders? Did they really exist? Well-known social historian, broadcaster and author, Carl Chinn, has spent decades searching them out. Now he reveals the true story of the notorious Peaky Blinders, one of whom was his own great grandfather and, like the Shelbys, his grandfather was an illegal bookmaker in back-street Birmingham. In this gripping social history, Chinn shines a light on the rarely reported struggles of the working class in one of the great cities of the British Empire before the First World War. The story continues after 1918 as some Peaky Blinders transformed into the infamous Birmingham Gang. Led by the real Billy Kimber, they fought a bloody war with the London gangsters Darby Sabini and Alfie Solomon over valuable protection rackets extorting money from bookmakers across the booming postwar racecourses of Britain.Drawing together a remarkably wide-range of original sources, including rarely seen images of real Peaky Blinders and interviews with relatives of the 1920s gangsters, Peaky Blinders: The Real Story adds a new dimension to the true history of Birmingham's underworld and fact behind its fiction.

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Book SynopsisThe hilarious sequel to the international bestseller Darth Vader and Son, following the parenting adventures of Darth Vader as he raises his teenage daughter, Princess Leia.

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Book SynopsisThis is a primer on the Capabilities Approach, Martha Nussbaum’s innovative model for assessing human progress. She argues that much humanitarian policy today violates basic human values; instead, she offers a unique means of redirecting government and development policy toward helping each of us lead a full and creative life.Trade ReviewA remarkably lucid and scintillating account of the the human development approach seen from the perspective of one of its major architects. -- Amartya Sen, winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in EconomicsNussbaum, who has done more than anyone to develop the authoritative and ground-breaking capabilities approach, offers a major restatement that will be required reading for all those interested in economic development that truly enhances how people live. -- Henry Richardson, Georgetown UniversityA marvelous achievement: beautifully written and accessible. With Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum is one of the founders of the 'capability approach' to justice; the most innovative and influential development in political philosophy since the work of John Rawls. This book, for the first time, puts in one place all the central elements of Nussbaum's systematic account of the approach, together with its sources and implications. -- Jonathan Wolff, University College LondonThe very best way to be introduced to the capability approach to international development. It is also a wonderfully lucid account of the origins, justification, structure, and practical implications of her version of this powerful approach to ethically-based change in poor and rich countries. -- David Alan Crocker, The University of Maryland School of Public PolicyOffering a forceful and persuasive account of the failings of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an accurate reflection of human welfare, the distinguished philosopher Nussbaum provides a framework for a new account of global development based on the concept of capabilities...The author argues that human development is best measured in terms of specific opportunities available to individuals rather than economic growth figures...This small book provides a strong foundation for beginning to think about how economic growth and individual flourishing might coincide. * Publishers Weekly *Nussbaum looks at what it really means for a country to experience prosperity. Traditionally, a country's economic well-being was measured by its gross domestic product. Nussbaum takes a more personal approach by focusing on how economic prosperity plays out in ordinary citizens' lives. She analyzes the life of a woman in India by taking a close look at her situation to see what capabilities and opportunities she--and women like her--might have. The key is not to look simply at the hand they've been dealt, but whether their particular society affords them opportunities to win with it. Nussbaum calls this the "capabilities approach," and it offers a novel way to measure prosperity on a national level by seeing how well a country can provide life-changing prospects for all its citizens...By demonstrating the philosophical underpinnings of this approach and how the theory plays out in the real world, Nussbaum makes a compelling case. Not only is this a more realistic measure of wealth, but it is also a far more compassionate one. For readers who enjoy economics laced with humanity. -- Carol J. Elsen * Library Journal *In her new book, Creating Capabilities, the philosopher and legal scholar Martha Nussbaum argues that we need to refocus our ideas about development on the scale of individuals: on concrete human lives and the way they actually unfold. Quantitative measures like per capita GDP, she writes, are poor measures of development; they can't capture the shape and texture of individual lives, even though individual lives are what matter. Development isn't about how rich your nation is, on average--it's about whether people can live in a way "worthy of human dignity."...Nussbaum's book comes at an interesting time, just as growth in the rich world is slowing. That slowdown makes her ideas relevant for rich people, too. Dignified life in the rich world isn't only about being "well-fed," either...Even amid a slowdown, there are other dimensions in which life can keep improving. -- Josh Rothman * Boston Globe online *Renowned philosopher Nussbaum concisely captures the essential ideas of a new paradigm of social and political thought, the "human development and capabilities" approach to global social justice, founded on the work of Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen, and now used by the World Bank, the IMF, the Arab Human Development Report, and the United Nations Development Programme. -- S. A. Mason * Choice *

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Book SynopsisAdam Rutherford (Author) Adam Rutherford is an award-winning writer, broadcaster, and geneticist at University College London. His books include A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, The Book of Humans, and the Sunday Times bestseller How to Argue with a Racist. He has written and presented numerous documentaries for BBC radio and television, including Inside Science and The Cell. Adam has also worked as a science advisor on many films, including the Oscar-winning Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018).Hannah Fry (Author) Hannah Fry is currently Professor in the mathematics of cities from University College London. In January 2025 she will join Cambridge University as the first Professor for the Public Understanding of Mathematics. In January 2024, Hannah was appointed to be the new president of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. Hannah is the author of The Mathematics of Love<Trade ReviewA wonderfully engaging blend of wit, enthusiasm, clarity and knowledge. -- Bill BrysonThe illustrations are truly excellent. -- Professor Alice RobertsLike the universe itself, this book is multi-faceted, surprising and full of wonders. It's also funny, wise and exceedingly brainy. You really owe it to yourself to read it. -- Tim Harford, author of How To Make The World Add UpIf only Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry were on tap to all of us, all the time: we could turn to them whenever we wanted delicious explanations, narratives and theories to make sense of the material world. But we do have this deeply addictive book as a companion. The pair have such a gift for making life, numbers and the forces at work in the universe all the richer, stranger, funnier and more marvellous. -- Stephen FryExplores just about every area of life. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisSlavoj Žižek is a Hegelian philosopher, a Lacanian psychoanalyst, and a Communist. He is International Director at the Birkbeck Institute for Humanities, University of London, UK, Visiting Professor at the New York University, USA, and Senior Researcher at the Department of Philosophy, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

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Book SynopsisRon Jarman believes there is a maths genius in every child and adult. Educators can use this comprehensive resource to teach math with imagination, laying the foundations for life. This resource helps educators develop confidence. It has been time tested for over 100 years by Waldorf teachers. Drawing number work from everyday life stimulates children's interest. Ron shows how children can easily grasp math principles, so that educators are relieved of endless worksheets. Uniquely, Ron draws on Pythagoras, the ancient Greeks and Rudolf Steiner for re-imagining the vital importance of mathematical learning for human growth.Chapters include an overview of the Waldorf Math Curriculum, math and personal development, math and education and what engages children at different stages of development. Chapters then cover the math learning journey from Grades 1-8, with tips, worked examples, exercises, questions and diagrams.

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Book SynopsisIn this groundbreaking book, Kevin Shipp, a veteran CIA agent who worked with all four Directorates of the agency, including protecting the head of the CIA, provides his perspective on how the agency has strayed so far from its original mission to provide accurate intelligence to the American president.   You will learn about the founding of the Agency, how the intelligence agencies have manipulated journalists through Project Mockingbird, as well as their new efforts with the Center for Global Engagement and Big Tech interference. Shipp will also give you his up close and personal assessment of how the directors of the agency have contributed to our safety or undermined it. Shipp and Heckenlively detail how the CIA has blocked whistleblowers and the reforms they champion, while also controlling our country through secret alliances with large corporations, Wall Street, Big Media, the drug trade, and blackmail of our political leaders.   Shipp provides his own

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Book SynopsisDid COVID-19 actually break out to kill 6 million people because of a leak from a Chinese laboratory? What are the links between QAnon and Russiagate, Alex Jones and Donald Trump? Why did our own MI5 try to block evidence about the death of Iraq weapons inspector Dr David Kelly and the radioactive poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko?Putin is a brute who lies as a matter of policy. Hitler tried to blame Poland for starting WWII. We live in a world of fake news and false flags, secret plots and unexplained deaths. But what on earth can you believe, when nothing's ever quite what it seems? In Conspiracy, Ian Shircore cuts through the fog and the fairy tales to deliver a balanced analysis of the stories that shape the times we live in. New evidence - from Freedom of Information requests, WikiLeaks files, deathbed confessions and declassified archives - has solved some classic mysteries. Yet it raises more questions than ever about the assassinations of the 1960s, the dirty secrets of the late 20th century and the deadly traumas of the last few years.Now fully updated with new cases, material and evidence.

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Book SynopsisâœThis book is a reassuring, thorough and essential guide to the world of social work theories and methodsâThis 4th Edition deserves to find a place on every social work reading list and bookshelf.âProfessor Richard Ingram, University of Dundee, Scotland, UKâœBased on the belief that all social workers have a responsibility both ethically and professionally to draw upon theories that are grounded in social work values, the fourth edition of this book offers readers the opportunity to consider anew those theories.âSarah Vicary, Professor of Social Work and Mental Health, School of Health Wellbeing and Social Care, The Open University, UKâœAn essential read for anyone in the field of social workâ This book is a testament to the profound impact that well-grounded theoretical knowledge can have on real-world social work. Highly recommended for its clarity, depth, and relevance.âPaul McCafferty, Senior Lecturer in

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Book SynopsisThis luxurious collector''s edition of The Tibetan Book of the Dead is presented in a stunning gold-embossed hardback with full-colour illustrations. This classic Buddhist text has its origins in the ''treasure texts'', said to have been hidden away by Padmasambhava, the Lotus Guru, in Tibet in the 8th century AD so that they could be revealed at an appropriate later time. As a funerary text and guide to the afterlife, The Tibetan Book of the Dead was read aloud to the dying or recently deceased so that they could recognize the true nature of the mind and thus attain enlightenment and liberation from the suffering associated with the endless cycle of death and rebirth. This special collector''s edition is sumptuously illustrated in full colour, translated by Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup and introduced by John Baldock.

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Book SynopsisBeauty today is a paradox. The cult of beauty is ubiquitous but it has lost its transcendence and become little more than an aspect of consumerism, the aesthetic dimension of capitalism. The sublime and unsettling aspects of beauty have given way to corporeal pleasures and 'likes', resulting in a kind of 'pornography' of beauty. In this book, cultural theorist Byung-Chul Han reinvigorates aesthetic theory for our digital age. He interrogates our preoccupation with all things slick and smooth, from Jeff Koon's sculptures and the iPhone to Brazilian waxing. Reaching far deeper than our superficial reactions to viral videos and memes, Han reclaims beauty, showing how it manifests itself as truth, temptation and even disaster. This wide-ranging and profound exploration of beauty, encompassing ethical and political considerations as well as aesthetic, will appeal to all those interested in cultural and aesthetic theory, philosophy and digital media.Trade Review"In this provocative analysis Han agitates against contemporary notions of smooth air-brushed beauty. Instead he pleads for an aesthetic based on a generative, creative, commitment to truth that can encompass negativity injury and disaster. Ranging from pornography to classical literature this tour de force of thinking about our understanding of beauty reminds us that philosophy can have teeth. Han writes with a compelling urgency about how we live in the here and now, but also how we could live better. Saving Beauty is an aesthetic call to arms; an example of how philosophy can militate for a better world and make us see anew." Karen Leeder, Oxford University “Thrilling… a passionate and engaging read on a notion of beauty that has lost its standing in a digitized world.”Philosophy TodayTable of Contents1. The Smooth 2. The Smooth Body 3. The Aesthetics of the Smooth 4. Digital Beauty 5. The Aesthetics of Veiling 6. The Aesthetics of Injury 7. The Aesthetics of Disaster 8. The Ideal of Beauty 9. Beauty as Truth 10. The Politics of Beauty 11. Pornographic Theatre 12. Lingering on Beauty 13. Beauty as Reminiscence 14. Giving Birth in Beauty Notes

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Book Synopsis(new edition) The history and evolution of the battleship, an international directory of 150 ships, with specifications, and illustrated with 500 photographs.

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringKatharine Jenkins offers an introduction to feminist philosophy, giving the reader an idea of what it is, why it is important, and how to think about it. She explores key topics such as gender oppression, beauty, objectification, and sexuality. Moreover, she considers questions about the relation between the personal and the political, what it is to be a woman, whether there is a distinctive kind of women''s knowledge, and what feminist philosophy can bring to our understanding of such aspects of our world as justice, work, and the environment. This Very Short Introduction takes a richly intersectional approach, recognizing the combined impact of such factors as race and class as well as gender.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

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Book Synopsis'Every Scot should read it. Scotland now has the lively, provocative and positive history it deserves.' Irvine Welsh, Guardian A dramatic and intriguing history of how Scotland produced the institutions, beliefs and human character that have made the West into the most powerful culture in the world. Arthur Herman argues that Scotland's turbulent history, from William Wallace to the Presbyterian Lords of the Covenant, laid the foundations for 'the Scottish miracle'. Within one hundred years, the nation that began the eighteenth century dominated by the harsh and repressive Scottish Kirk had evolved into Europe's most literate society, producing an idea of modernity that has shaped much of civilisation as we know it. He follows the lives and work of thinkers such as Adam Smith and David Hume, writers such as Burns and Boswell, as well as architects, technicians and inventors, and traces their legacy into the twentieth century. Written with wit, erudition and clarity, The Scottish Enlightenment claims the Scots' rightful place in the history of the western world.Trade Review'Herman's book tells an exciting story with gusto … entertaining and illuminating.' Jenny Uglow, Sunday Times 'Stimulating. A work which deserves to be bought by any interested reader.' Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph 'Compulsively readable.' Paul Henderson Scott, Sunday Herald 'Herman carries his thesis off with brio.' Arnold Kemp, Observer 'A sparkling book. Herman argues his case with an impressive accumulation of evidence.' New Statesman

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THE INSPIRATION FOR THE FEATURE FILM THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY 'Screamingly addictive' STEPHEN FRY 'Superb ... Thrilling story-telling' NAOMI KLEIN 'A powerful contribution to an urgent debate' GUARDIAN What if everything we’ve been told about addiction is wrong? One of Johann Hari’s earliest memories is of trying to wake up one of his relatives and not being able to. As he grew older, he realised there was addiction in his family. Confused, he set out on a three-year, thirty-thousand mile journey to discover what really causes addiction – and how to solve it. Told through a series of gripping human stories, this book was the basis of a TED talk and animation that have been viewed more than twenty million times. It has transformed the global debate about addiction.Trade ReviewScreamingly addictive. The story it tells, jaw-droppingly horrific, hilarious and incredible, is one everyone should know -- Stephen FryIntoxicatingly thrilling -- Russell BrandSuperb journalism and thrilling story-telling -- Naomi KleinA wonderful book ... I hope everyone will read it -- Sam HarrisAn absolutely stunning book. It will blow your mind, and blow you away -- Elton JohnWonderful. I couldn't put it down * Noam Chomsky *One of the world's most important and most enlightening thinkers and social critics -- Glenn Greenwald, winner of the Pulitzer PrizeBreathtaking … A powerful contribution to an urgent debate * Guardian *Incredibly powerful -- Caroline LucasA testament to Hari's skill as a writer * New York Times *Incredibly entertaining. It’s enormously emotionally affecting … It really is an extraordinary book -- Vanessa Feltz * BBC London *Gripping * Financial Times *Amazing and bracing and smart. It’s really revolutionary -- Dan Savage

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Book SynopsisAn introduction to Viktor E. Frankl's system of thought, from the author of the iconic Holocaust memoir Man's Search for Meaning.

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Book SynopsisFrom their earliest meetings, activist David Graeber knew that the Occupy Wall Street movement was something different. From small beginnings its demonstrations spread across the world to cities like Cairo, Athens, Barcelona and London and gave a glimpse of a new way. This provocative look at the actions of the 99% asks: why was it so effective? What went right? And what can we all do now to make our world democratic once again? Both a treatise on power and protest and an energetic account of contemporary events, The Democracy Project will change the way you think about politics, and the world.Trade ReviewCaptures the joys and fears of a movement that believed it was on the cusp of achieving something special -- John Kampfner * Observer *

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Book SynopsisThe Origins and History of Consciousness draws on a full range of world mythology to show how individual consciousness undergoes the same archetypal stages of development as human consciousness as a whole. Erich Neumann was one of C. G. Jung's most creative students and a renowned practitioner of analytical psychology in his own right. In this inflTrade Review"There can be no doubt that [Neumann] has brought to his task a remarkable ... knowledge of classical mythology, some considerable acquaintance with the comparative study of religion, and a deep understanding of those psychological views and theories evolved by C. G. Jung."--The Times Literary Supplement "A welcome source of information for all those who are touched by the relationship between man and his myths."--The New York Times "No better exposition has come to us of the two Jungian themes: the evolution of consciousness in the history of mankind and the development of personality in the individual."--The PersonalistTable of ContentsTranslator's Note vi Note of Acknowledgement vi List of Illustrations xi Foreword by C.G. Jung xiii Introduction xv Part I: THE MYTHOLOGICAL STAGES IN THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS A: THE CREATION MYTH I The Uroboros 5 II The Great Mother 39 III The Separation of the World Parents: The Principle of Opposites 102 B: THE HERO MYTH I The Birth of the Hero 131 II The Slaying of the Mother 152 III The Slaying of the Fater 170 C: THE TRANSFORMATION MYTH I The Captive and the Treasure 195 II Transformation, or Osiris 220 PART II: THE PYSCHOLOGICAL STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY A: THE ORIGINAL UNITY Controversion and Ego Formation 261 The Ego Germ in the Original Uroboric Situation 266 Development of the Ego out of the Uroboros 275 Centroversion in Organisms on the Uroboric Level 286 Centroversion, Ego, and Consciousness 293 Further Phases of Ego Development 306 B: THE SEPARATION OF THE SYSTEMS Centroversion and Differentiation 315 The Fragmentation of Archetypes 320 Exhaustion of Emotional Components: Rationalization 321 Secondary Personalization 335 The Transformation of Pleasure-Pain Components 342 The Formation of Authorities within the Personality 349 The Synthetic Function of Ego 356 C: THE BALANCE AND CRISIS OF CONSCIOUSNESS Compensation of the Separated Systems: Culture in Balance 363 The Schism of the Systems: Culture in Crisis 381 D: CENTROVERSION AND THE STAGES OF LIFE Prolongation of Childhood and Differentiation of Consciousness 397 Activation of Collective Unconscious and Ego Changes in Puberty 407 Self-Realization of Centroversion in the Second Half of Life 409 APPENDICES I The Group and the Great Individual 421 II Mass Man and the Phenomena of Recollectivization 436 Bibliography 445 Index 461

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Book SynopsisSocial media is supposed to bring us together - but it is tearing us apart. 'A blisteringly good, urgent, essential read' Zadie SmithThe evidence suggests that social media is making us sadder, angrier, less empathetic, more fearful, more isolated and more tribal.Jaron Lanier is the world-famous Silicon Valley scientist-pioneer who first alerted us to the dangers of social media. In this witty and urgent manifesto he explains why its toxic effects are at the heart of its design, and, in ten simple arguments, why liberating yourself from its hold will transform your life and the world for the better. WITH A NEW AFTERWORD BY THE AUTHOR ‘Informed, heartfelt and often entertaining ... a timely reminder that even if we can’t bring ourselves to leave social media altogether, we should always think critically about how it works’ Sunday Times ‘Indispensable. Everyone who wants to understand the digital world, its pitfalls and possibilities should read this book – now’ Matthew d’Ancona, author of Post-TruthTrade ReviewOne of the most optimistic books about the Internet I've ever read because it dares to hope for better ... A blisteringly good, urgent, essential read -- Zadie SmithIn every chapter there is a principle so elegant, so neat, sometimes even so beautiful, that what is billed as straight polemic becomes something much more profound -- Zoe Williams * Guardian *Indispensable. Everyone who wants to understand the digital world, its pitfalls and possibilities should read this book – now -- Matthew d'Ancona, author of Post-TruthA witty and fiercely intelligent attack on the ethics and business model of big tech and a romping read to boot. Lanier is a modern day Luther, calling for a digital reformation and nailing his theses to the door -- Tom Hodgkinson, The IdlerAn eloquence that is hard to argue against … Every time you log on, you are adding to a fire that is burning your house down -- Danny Fortson * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisChina Miéville's brilliant reading of the modern world's most controversial and enduring political document: The Communist Manifesto. 'It's thrilling to accompany Miéville... as he wrestles – in critical good faith and incandescent commitment – with a manifesto that still calls on us to build a new world' Naomi Klein 'Read this and be dazzled by its contemporaneity' Mike Davis 'A rich, luminous reflection of and on a light that never quite goes out' Andreas Malm 'Reading with [Miéville] today sharpens our senses to contemporary internationalist movements from below' Ruth Wilson Gilmore '[Written] with diligence and a ruthlessly critical eye worthy of Marx himself' Sarah Jaffe In 1848, a strange political tract was published by two German émigrés. Marx and Engles's apocalyptic vision of an insatiable system, which penetrates every corner of the globe, reduces every relationship to that of profit, and bursts asunder the old forms of production and of politics, remains a picture of our world. And the vampiric energy of that system is once again highly contentious. The Manifesto shows no sign of fading into antiquarian obscurity, and remains a key touchstone for modern political debate. China Miéville is not a writer hemmed in by conventions of disciplinary boundaries or genre, and this is a strikingly imaginative take on Marx and what his most haunting book has to say to us today. Like the Manifesto itself, this is a book haunted by ghosts, sorcery and creative destruction.Trade ReviewThe Manifesto is one of history's most profound prophecies. In Miéville's brilliant interpretation it is like a great comet whose periodic return blinds the sky with its light and urgency. Read this and be dazzled by its contemporaneity -- Mike DavisChina Miéville's elegant book patiently explains composition – style, structure, class – to reveal the Communist Manifesto's spectral energies. Reading with him today sharpens our senses to contemporary internationalist movements from below -- Ruth Wilson GilmoreAn excellent book, very lively and engaging, written in clear and readable prose... For today's readers Miéville does excellent work presenting and reviewing a huge amount of twentieth-century history -- Professor Terrell CarverIt's thrilling to accompany Miéville, one of the greatest living world-builders, as he wrestles – in critical good faith and incandescent commitment – with a manifesto that still calls on us to build a new world -- Naomi KleinVery enjoyable and well done... Properly scholarly and thorough in its apparatus of discussion and issue-identification... Lively, politically driven appreciation -- Professor Gregor McLennanWith diligence and a ruthlessly critical eye worthy of Marx himself, China Miéville expands upon the Communist Manifesto, calling us into renewed struggle for the best of what humanity could be. Against the million little cruelties and death-making of capitalism, this book builds a case for the value of the Manifesto to today's struggles without demanding fealty. It turns long-standing complaints about Marx on their heads to challenge the reader even while seducing with luminous prose. I didn't know I needed this book, but I did -- Sarah JaffeA book about another book might sound boring, but The Communist Manifesto is more than a book: it represents a bulging galaxy of historical struggle, ever moving and shining, even if only on the periphery of our vision. Here, China Miéville opens up the pages of the Manifesto and transmits the energy of communism across the pallid present. Close reading, historical essay, political commentary and a manifesto of sorts: A Spectre, Haunting is a rich, luminous reflection of and on a light that never quite goes out -- Andreas MalmChina Miéville, mind, soul and pen ablaze, guides his readers through Marx and Engels's unignorable, inextinguishable, eternally uncomfortable and always essential Manifesto. This is both a history of critical thought and a magnificent exemplar of reading and thinking critically. Miéville has written a thrillingly lively and lucid exegesis on the Manifesto, its contents and its discontents. He's gathered together an astonishingly heterogenous array of voices and responses, making a case for the Manifesto as a locus of politically engaged analysis and argument for nearly two centuries. Miéville adjudicates and synthesizes with unfailing clarity, wit, courage, decency and passion, writing brilliantly about nationalism, race, gender, literary style, and – my particular favorite section – about the perils and necessity of hate. He gives us a Manifesto that is simultaneously a central artifact of our species and a means for understanding our present, hazardous moment, a historical work that remains absolutely, ferociously alive -- Tony Kushner, author of Angels in AmericaA rare combination, both scholarly and exciting to read * The Prisma *Whatever the reader's position on these questions, A Spectre, Haunting ultimately succeeds. It is a clear, fair, and non-doctrinaire introduction * TLS *

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Book SynopsisIn The Power of a Praying® Woman Book of Prayers, Stormie shares with you her most-loved prayers for women in this collection ideally sized to keep in purse or pocket for quick conversations with God about your heart, life, and walk with Him.

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Book SynopsisFROM THE MASTER STORYTELLER WHOSE BOOKS HAVE TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF OVER 40 MILLION READERS''Mitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary'' Cecilia Ahern__________Chika Jeune came into Mitch Albom''s life by chance. Growing up in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 Haiti Earthquake, at three years old she tragically lost her mother and was brought to the orphanage run by Mitch and his wife, Janine. Chika made a quick impression. Brave and self-assured, she delighted those around her. But everything changed when Chika was diagnosed with a terminal disease that no doctor in Haiti could treat. This discovery sparked a two-year, around-the-world journey in search of a cure. As Chika''s boundless optimism and humour taught Mitch the joys of caring for a child, he learned that a relationship built on love can never be lost.__________WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FINDING CHIKA''A powerful, emotional story'Trade ReviewUplifting . . . Although Finding Chika makes for heart-wrenching reading, it is also a tale of resilience and decency - and the memorable cheerfulness of a dying child * Independent *Heartrending . . . A touching rumination on the magic of children, the extraordinary lengths parents will go for them and the unlikely family that came together across continents * Mail Online *Mitch Albom breaks hearts with his story * Mirror *A heartbreaking story of love, grief and what it really means to be a family * Daily Express *A beautiful, heart-breaking, heart-warming read * My Weekly *

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Book SynopsisEntering service in early 1941, the Dornier Do 217 was designed as an improved version of the Flying Pencil', the Do 17 bomber. The Do 217E-1 twin radial-engine bomber first flew in October 1940, the same month that the production of the Do 17 ceased. The Do 217 was initially used for conventional bombing and anti-shipping missions around the United Kingdom, including the infamous Baedeker Blitz against British provincial cities in 1942. The Do 217 was the main German bomber in this theatre until late 1943, when it started to be replaced by the Messerschmitt Me 410 and Junkers Ju 188. During this period, the Do 217E was improved, leading to the introduction of the Do 217K or M, the difference between the two being the engines. The Do 217 would be deployed in all of the Luftwaffe's campaigns and fronts in the Second World War. Curiously, though, the only operational units to use the type on the Eastern Front were the night reconnaissance units, aside from which only occasionally did

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