The arts: general topics Books, bestsellers and new releases

Book SynopsisThe story of four modern American Catholics who made literature out of their search for GodIn the mid-twentieth century four American Catholics came to believe that the best way to explore the questions of religious faith was to write about them-in works that readers of all kinds could admire. The Life You Save May Be Your Own is their story-a vivid and enthralling account of great writers and their power over us.Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk in Kentucky; Dorothy Day the founder of the Catholic Worker in New York; Flannery O''Connor a Christ-haunted literary prodigy in Georgia; Walker Percy a doctor in New Orleans who quit medicine to write fiction and philosophy. A friend came up with a name for them-the School of the Holy Ghost-and for three decades they exchanged letters, ardently read one another''s books, and grappled with what one of them called a predicament shared in common.A pilgrimage is a journey taken in light of a story; and in The Life You Save May Be Your Own Paul Elie tells these writers'' story as a pilgrimage from the God-obsessed literary past of Dante and Dostoevsky out into the thrilling chaos of postwar American life. It is a story of how the Catholic faith, in their vision of things, took on forms the faithful could not have anticipated. And it is a story about the ways we look to great books and writers to help us make sense of our experience, about the power of literature to change-to save-our lives.

Read more less

15 in stock

£20.25

Farrar, Straus and Giroux The Silver Book

10 in stock

£21.60

Random House USA Inc The Lost Painting

1 in stock

Book SynopsisTold with consummate skill by the writer of the bestselling, award-winning A Civil Action, The Lost Painting is a remarkable synthesis of history and detective story. An Italian village on a hilltop near the Adriatic coast, a decaying palazzo facing the sea, and in the basement, cobwebbed and dusty, lit by a single bulb, an archive unknown to scholars. Here, a young graduate student from Rome, Francesca Cappelletti, makes a discovery that inspires a search for a work of art of incalculable value, a painting lost for almost two centuries. The artist was Caravaggio, a master of the Italian Baroque. He was a genius, a revolutionary painter, and a man beset by personal demons. Four hundred years ago, he drank and brawled in the taverns and streets of Rome, moving from one rooming house to another, constantly in and out of jail, all the while painting works of transcendent emotional and visual power. He rose from obscurity

Read more less

1 in stock

£16.00

W. W. Norton & Company The New Handbook of Attracting Birds

15 in stock

£18.50

W. W. Norton & Company To the Heart of the Storm

15 in stock

Book SynopsisAn extraordinary autobiography story from a legend in American comics.

Read more less

15 in stock

£25.65

Penguin Putnam Inc Art as Experience

4 in stock

Book Synopsis

Read more less

4 in stock

£16.19

Taylor & Francis Ltd The NineteenthCentury Visual Culture Reader In Sight Visual Culture

15 in stock

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

Read more less

15 in stock

£170.60

Taylor & Francis Ltd Dramatherapy with Children Young People and

15 in stock

Book SynopsisDramatherapy with Children, Young People and Schools is the first book to specifically evaluate the unique value of dramatherapy in the educational environment. A variety of highly experienced dramatherapists, educational psychologists and childhood experts discuss the benefits to the children and young people, and also in relation to the involvement of teachers, the multi-disciplinary team and families. This professional book offers a panoramic view to explain how through dramatherapy children and young people develop their communication skills, sociability and their actual desire to learn. Detailed case studies demonstrate individual successes in youngsters experiencing a range of emotional difficulties and psychological needs. These studies include: conquering a fear of maths; violent behaviour transformed into educational achievement; safe expression of feelings for a sexually abused child; and where children are diagnosed with mental health disorders suchTrade Review"I recommend this book to every dramatherapist, to every teacher, and to every health care administrator, because within its pages lies a vision of the future of education that we cannot afford to postpone. The many authors of chapters span the academic, clinical, educational, and research fields. This is an important book!" - David Read Johnson, Institutes for the Arts in Psychotherapy New York, USA"A timely, comprehensive and accessible book; essential reading for dramatherapists working in schools and also for teachers, teaching assistants, learning mentors and others engaged in education. The complexities and difficulties in the lives of many children and young people are sensitively described and the creative practices of those writing will offer inspiration to all." - Pat Broadhead, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK"I have seen the confidence and well-being of many vulnerable young people transformed through dramatherapy and related therapeutic approaches using the creative arts. This book takes an evidence-based approach to linking theory and practice, and will be an important resource for professionals across many disciplines working therapeutically in educational settings" - Professor Thomas AWN MacKay of Ardoch, CSci Psychology Consultancy Services - MacKay Associates - Critical Solutions"an essential book for anyone working in education and especially government who are changing policies and funding. The book gives a clear exposition of the educational practice of dramatherapy and the underlying theories. Educational psychologists will understand the vital contribution that dramatherapy makes for children with learning, behavioural and emotional needs. The book is clearly and concisely written without jargon, that makes is accessible for teachers and therapists alike. It is also a very good read!" - Professor Sue Jennings, international dramatherapist and author"thoroughly rewarding. It clearly describes how troubled pupils can be effectively helped, so that they are less stressed, have more fun and achieve better educational outcomes. The dramatherapy practice is a very welcome source of inspiration." - Dr. Alida Gersie, author of books about Storymaking and Change, freelance education consultant"This book provides an insightful exploration of the role of dramatherapy with children, young people and schools. The content highlights the creativity and commitment involved in approaching this work with clear links to the evidence supporting dramatherapy as an important intervention for young people experiencing a range of difficulties. Case studies and clinical examples provide the reader with an authentic sense of the work, lending itself to clinical application for those working in the field" - Vicky Baldwin, Education & Practice Consultant, Institute of Mental Health"The basic argument is that emotional learning is as important as academic learning. The book conveys how dramatherapy combines psychoanalytic understanding with physical and imaginative play in a way that engages directly with how the child experiences things. The case studies demonstrate how arts therapies like dramatherapy can help a troubled child or young person to manage their unruly or suppressed emotions in a way that allows them to achieve their full learning potential" - David Kennard, clinical psychologist and group analyst, UK"This is a comprehensive and inspiring resource for practitioners and those responsible for the provision of appropriate emotional support to children in schools." - Anna Chesner, The British Association for Drama Therapists, UK"I recommend this book to every dramatherapist, to every teacher, and to every health care administrator, because within its pages lies a vision of the future of education that we cannot afford to postpone. The many authors of chapters span the academic, clinical, educational, and research fields. This is an important book!" - David Read Johnson, Institutes for the Arts in Psychotherapy New York, USA"A timely, comprehensive and accessible book; essential reading for dramatherapists working in schools and also for teachers, teaching assistants, learning mentors and others engaged in education. The complexities and difficulties in the lives of many children and young people are sensitively described and the creative practices of those writing will offer inspiration to all." - Pat Broadhead, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK"I have seen the confidence and well-being of many vulnerable young people transformed through dramatherapy and related therapeutic approaches using the creative arts. This book takes an evidence-based approach to linking theory and practice, and will be an important resource for professionals across many disciplines working therapeutically in educational settings" - Professor Thomas AWN MacKay of Ardoch, CSci Psychology Consultancy Services - MacKay Associates - Critical Solutions"an essential book for anyone working in education and especially government who are changing policies and funding. The book gives a clear exposition of the educational practice of dramatherapy and the underlying theories. Educational psychologists will understand the vital contribution that dramatherapy makes for children with learning, behavioural and emotional needs. The book is clearly and concisely written without jargon, that makes is accessible for teachers and therapists alike. It is also a very good read!" - Professor Sue Jennings, international dramatherapist and author"thoroughly rewarding. It clearly describes how troubled pupils can be effectively helped, so that they are less stressed, have more fun and achieve better educational outcomes. The dramatherapy practice is a very welcome source of inspiration." - Dr. Alida Gersie, author of books about Storymaking and Change, freelance education consultant"This book provides an insightful exploration of the role of dramatherapy with children, young people and schools. The content highlights the creativity and commitment involved in approaching this work with clear links to the evidence supporting dramatherapy as an important intervention for young people experiencing a range of difficulties. Case studies and clinical examples provide the reader with an authentic sense of the work, lending itself to clinical application for those working in the field" - Vicky Baldwin, Education & Practice Consultant, Institute of Mental Health"The basic argument is that emotional learning is as important as academic learning. The book conveys how dramatherapy combines psychoanalytic understanding with physical and imaginative play in a way that engages directly with how the child experiences things. The case studies demonstrate how arts therapies like dramatherapy can help a troubled child or young person to manage their unruly or suppressed emotions in a way that allows them to achieve their full learning potential" - David Kennard, clinical psychologist and group analyst, UKTable of ContentsPart I: Introduction. Leigh, Dix, Haythorne, Dokter, The Role and Relevance of Dramatherapy in Schools Today. Jones, Childhood Today and the Implications for Dramatherapy in Schools. Holmwood, Stavrou, Dramatherapy and Drama Teaching in School: A New Perspective Towards a Working Relationship. Meldrum, Supporting Children in Primary Schools through Dramatherapy and the Creative Therapies. Part II: Case Studies. Dix, Whizzing and Whirring: Dramatherapy and ADHD. Shine, Fear, Math, Brief Dramatherapy and Neuroscience. Domikles, Violence and Laughter: How Dramatherapy Can Go Beyond Behaviour Management for Boys at Risk of Exclusion. Dix, All the Better to See You With: Healing Metaphors in a Case of Sexual Abuse. Carr, Romeo and Juliet and Dramatic Distancing: Chaos and Anger Contained for Inner City Adolescents in Multicultural Schools. Dooman, Looking for Meaning with Bereaved Families: Bring Back My Daddy and Other Stories. Court, Higley, Lousada, Education, the Playground Project and Elements of Psychodrama. Coleman, Kelly, Beginning, Middle, End, Beginning. Dramatherapy with Children who have Life Limiting Conditions and with their Siblings. Part III: Collaborative Partnerships in Schools and Beyond. Roger, Learning Disabilities and Finding, Keeping and Protecting the Therapeutic Space. Kelly, Bruck, Staff Sharing: An Integrative Approach to Peer Supervision. Mercieca, "I’m Not So Sure, Miss." The Concept of Uncertainty and Dramatherapy Practice within an Educational Setting. Trustman, Self-harm and Safeguarding Issues in the School and Classroom – A Partnership Approach. Brown, Dramatherapy and Clinical Psychology: Play and Reality for Autistic and Psychotic Children. Haythorne, The Charity Roundabout: One Model of Providing Dramatherapy in Schools. Part IV: Evidence and Outcomes. Haythorne, Crockford, Godfrey, Roundabout and the Development of Psychlops KIDS Evaluation. Greene, An Educational Psychology Service Evaluation of a Dramatherapy Intervention for Children with Additional Needs in Primary School. Andersen-Warren, Review of Dramatherapy and The British Association of Dramatherapists Research. Part V: Future Possibilities. Gersch, Educational Psychology, Listening to Children and Dramatherapy. Meldrum , A Model of Emotional Support in Primary Schools. Leigh, Holding the Family in the Heart of School. Haigh, Future Potential. Gersch, Conclusions. Haythorne, Some Useful Addresses and Websites.

Read more less

15 in stock

£137.23

Taylor & Francis Three Plays by Mae West

15 in stock

Book SynopsisMae West, wise-cracking vaudeville performer, was one of the most controversial figures of her era. Rarely, however, do people think of Mae West as a writer. In Three Plays By Mae West, Lillian Schlissel brings this underexplored part of West''s career to the fore by offering for the first time in book form, three of the plays West wrote in the 1920s--Sex (1926), The Drag (1927) and Pleasure Man (1928). With an insightful introduction by Schlissel, this book offers a unique look into to the life and early career of this legendary stage and screen actress.Trade Review"...in a useful introduction, Schissel does a fine, readable history of both West and the theater of her day. ...these plays...are fascinating windows into another time." -- Windy City Times"This volume gives a glimpse of the real Mae West by publishing her three radical, melodramatic, but quite hilarious plays for the first time." -- Booklist"No mere strutting sexpot, West's capacity for scathing satire comes into full view in Three Plays by Mae West, edited by Lillian Schlissel...Filled with the saucy argot of the New York streets, the plays still crackle and cook." -- Publisher's Weekly"These plays are important, original and fun. Anyone interested in theatre and gender is going to have a new and bold face to deal with." -- Michael Cadden, Director of the Program in Theatre and Dance, Princeton University Mae West was many things-sexual outlaw, wildcat feminist, actress, icon. The publication of these plays proves that she was more complex than her movies suggest. The only thing she did straightforwardly was to insist that her convictions were worth fighting for...She was as close as any woman has ever come to being one of the great American queens."...we can look back at Mae West with new eyes, and admire the fun she had with sex and the control she exercised on her image and her career." -- The Boston Book Review"I would recommend this book to anyone interested either in the history of gay theatre in America or in how gays were perceived in the early decades of the twentieth century." -- Marsh Cassady, Lambda Book ReportTable of ContentsIntroduction by Lillian Schlissel, Sex: A Comedy Drama 1926, The Drag: A Homosexual Comedy in Three Acts 1927, The Pleasure Man: A Comedy Drama 1928, The Case Against Mae West

Read more less

15 in stock

£176.17

Taylor & Francis David Braham

15 in stock

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

Read more less

15 in stock

£106.07

Taylor & Francis Ltd Breaking Records

15 in stock

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

Read more less

15 in stock

£159.48

Taylor & Francis Ltd Reworking the Ballet

15 in stock

Book SynopsisChallenging and unsettling their predecessors, modern choreographers such as Matthew Bourne, Mark Morris and Masaki Iwana have courted controversy and notoriety by reimagining the most canonical of Classical and Romantic ballets. In this book, Vida L. Midgelow illustrates the ways in which these contemporary reworkings destroy and recreate their source material, turning ballet from a classical performance to a vital exploration of gender, sexuality and cultural difference.Reworking the Ballet: Counter Narratives and Alternative Bodies articulates the ways that audiences and critics can experience these new versions, viewing them from both practical and theoretical perspectives, including: eroticism and the politics of touch performing gender cross-casting and cross-dressing reworkings and intertextuality cultural exchange and hybridity. Table of ContentsIntroduction Part 1: Approaching Reworkings of the Ballet in Theory and Practice 1. Reworking the Ballet: (En)countering the Canon 1.1 Reworking the Ballet 1.2 Defining the Terms of the Discourse 1.3 Reviewing Five Giselles 1.4 Counter Discourses and the Canon 1.5 Reconsidering the Past: Reworkings as Postmodern Historiography 1.6 Reworkings as Intertextual Practices 1.7 Towards a Definition of Reworkings 2. Canonical Crossings: Narratives and Forms Revisioned 2.1 Strategies of Dissonance: Moments of Sameness 2.2 Inverting Bodies: Reformulating the Dance Vocabulary 2.3 Re-Telling Tales: New Contexts, New Narratives 2.4 Gender Bending: Cross-Casting and Cross-Dressing 2.5 Feathered Pantaloons and Homoeroticism 2.6 Hyperbole and Eccentricity 2.7 The Heterosexual Matrix and Beyond 2.8 Strategies of Dispersal: Intertextuality and the Carnivalesque Part 2: Re-Figuring the Body and the Politics of Identity 3. Female Bodies and the Erotic: Performativity, Becoming and the Phallus 3.1 Encounters Between Reworkings and Feminism 3.2 Lac de Signes (1983) and The Ballerina’s Phallic Pointe (1994) by Susan Leigh Foster 3.3 Looking-at-to-be-Looked-at-Ness: Performance and Spectacle 3.4 Trans-Contextualizing Bodies: Postmodern Parody and Hybridity 3.5 Parodic Comedy and the Performativity of Gender 3.6 The Phallus, the Penis, the Dildo and the Ballerina 3.7 O (a Set of Footnotes to Swan Lake) (2002) by Vida L Midgelow 3.8 Open Texts – Enacting Becomings 3.9 Hybrid Body – Plural Bodies – My Body 3.10 Breaking the Gaze – Inscribing a Haptic Presence 3.11 Eroticism and the Politics of Touch 4. Princely Revisions: Stillness, Excess and Queerness 4.1 Masculinities, the Male Dancer and Reworkings 4.2 The Hypochondriac Bird (1998) by Javier de Frutos 4.3 Swan Lake, 4 Acts (2005) by Raimund Hoghe 4.4 In the Gaps and Absences 4.5 Excess: De Frutos and Homoeroticism 4.6 Stillness and (Dis)ability: Hoghe and the Ontology of Dance 4.7 (Auto)corpography and (Beyond) Queer Theory 5. Intercultural Encounters: Flesh, Hybridity and the Exotic 5.1 Reworkings as Intercultural Discourse 5.2 Shakti and Swan Lake (1998) 5.3 Masaki Iwana and The Legend of Giselle (Jizeru-den) (1994) 5.4 Cultural (Ex)change and Hybridity 5.5 Orientalism and the Exotic 5.6 Enter the Silver Swan: Excess and the Erotic 5.7 Fleshly Metamorphosis and Becomings in Butoh 5.8 Commodification, Appropriation and the Global Market 6. Conclusion: Transgressive Desires 6.1 Reworkings as Canonical Counter-Discourse 6.2 The Double Gesture: Beyond the Binary of Otherness 6.3 Diversity and Difference: (Re)inscribing the Body 6.4 Pleasure and Power: The (Re)eroticised Body

Read more less

15 in stock

£176.17

Taylor & Francis Ltd Ray Davies Not Like Everybody Else

15 in stock

Book SynopsisRay Davies: Not Like Everybody Else is a critical biography of Ray Davies, with a focus on his music and his times. The book studies Davies' work from the Kinks' first singles through his 2006 solo album, from his rock musicals in the early 1970s to his one-man stage show in the 1990s, and from his films to his autobiography. Based on interviews with his closest associates, as well as studies of the recordings themselves, this book creates the most thorough picture of Davies' work to date. Kitts situates Davies' work in the context of the British Invasion and the growth of rock in the ''60s and ''70s, and in the larger context of English cultural history. For fans of rock music and the music of the Kinks, this book is a must have. It will finally place this legendary innovator in the pantheon of the great rock artists of the past half-century.Thomas M. Kitts, Professor of English and Chair of the Division of English/Speech at St. John's University, NY, is the coTrade Review"Thomas Kitts has done a great job...[his] book is highly recommended for Kinks and Ray Davies Fans, and everybody else!" --New York WasteTable of ContentsTable of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter One – Not Like Everybody Else: The Shaping of Ray Davies, Part I Chapter Two – Something Better Beginning: The Shaping of Ray Davies, Part II Chapter Three – You Really Got Me: Finding a Sound and a Theme Chapter Four – A Well Respected Man: Satirist, Ironist, and Social Commentator Chapter Five – Waterloo Sunset: The Romantic Imagination of Ray Davies Chapter Six – The Village Green Preservation Society: Time, Place, Identity Chapter Seven – Arthur: World Wars and Class Culture Chapter Eight – A Long War from Home: Competing Identities Chapter Nine – Here Comes Flash: The Rock Musicals Chapter Ten – Juke Box Music: Alienation and Love Chapter Eleven – Think Visual: TV, CD, and Stage Chapter Twelve – 20th Century Man: The 1990s and Beyond Conclusion Appendix A – My Top Ten Favorite Twenty Kinks/Davies Songs Appendix B – My Top Ten Favorite Kinks Albums Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

15 in stock

£170.60

Penguin Publishing Group The Dark Tower Companion A Guide to Stephen Kings Epic Fantasy

15 in stock

Book SynopsisA COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO STEPHEN KING'S BESTSELLING DARK TOWER SERIES.“A valuable tool for exploring the series. Both newcomers and frequent visitors to Mid-World will be informed and delighted.”—Stephen KingThe story of Roland Deschain of Gilead, the last gunslinger, and his lifelong quest to reach the tower and save humanity across infinite parallel worlds is one that has consumed Stephen King throughout his career as characters and concepts crossed back and forth between the series and the rest of his fictional universe.The Dark Tower Companion is the ultimate compendium to King’s evolving magnum opus, presenting the mythology, history, and geography of this epic fantasy that has captivated generations of readers. Featuring interviews with Stephen King, Ron Howard, Dark Tower expert Robin Furth and others, Bev Vincent reveals The Dark Tower’s influential literary origins, examines its connections to the

Read more less

15 in stock

£19.01